"Thank you for coming all the way here. Please take a rest and have a cup of spiritual tea.
I am the Deputy Sect Leader of the Sacred Puppet Sect. I will be in charge of coordinating the defense of the sect. I hope that all of you can help me. If we can defeat the enemies, I will reward you generously, "said the lady in the palace attire.
"We are here to carry out our mission. Deputy Sect Leader, you don't have to be so courteous.
What we are most concerned about is the situation of the Sacred Puppet Sect. Who are the invaders? When will they attack us? How many of them will there be? "Lin San waved his hand and asked directly.
The members of the Impermanence Alliance, including Han Li and Lin Jiu, looked at the lady in the palace attire.
"To be honest, I don't know who the invaders are and how many of them will be." The lady in the palace attire hesitated for a while and laughed bitterly.
"What?"
"Even you don't know? Isn't this a joke?"
"We don't want to fight a battle that we are not prepared for!"
"If no one comes to attack us, won't we be wasting our time here?"
The members of the Impermanence Alliance gasped when they heard the lady's reply. Evidently, they were not satisfied with the answer.
Although the mission was to protect the Sacred Puppet Sect, it did not mention who the enemies were. It was risky for them to accept the mission. They were only after the high rewards and they were confident in their abilities. However, they still had to weigh the risks and come up with a plan to deal with the situation.
Most people would naturally be willing to pay the price if they knew that the mission's difficulty and risk were too great for them to bear. Of course, this was the worst possible course of action.
Although Lin San had told them about the details of the mission, most of it did not touch upon the crux of the mission. Initially, they thought that they would be able to find out more once they reached the Sacred Puppet Sect. However, it turned out that the Vice Sect Leader did not seem to know much about the mission. This naturally made their hearts beat faster.
Although Lin Jiu and the rest did not say anything, they looked at Lin San from time to time.
Although Han Li's expression didn't change much, he was quite speechless in his heart.
However, before he departed, he had made some estimations about the background and strength of the Sacred Puppet Sect. He predicted that even if there were Golden Immortals among the invaders, with his current abilities, he would be able to protect himself. Hence, he was considered one of the few who had performed well.
"Everyone, please calm down. Since we've accepted the mission, we're all on the same boat. Now, we should think about how to complete the mission.
Of course, if you wish to withdraw now, you just have to pay three times the amount of Celestial Spirit Stones according to the rules of the alliance. I will not stop you, "Lin San said unhurriedly.
Although her voice wasn't loud, it carried an imposing aura that was not angry. When the noisy people heard her, they looked at each other and didn't say anything.
"Vice Sect Leader, we're here to help your sect. As the saying goes, we've taken someone's money to get rid of a disaster. There's nothing wrong with that. However, there are only a few of us, and we can't turn the situation around. I'm sure you know this.
Since you don't know who the invaders are, I'm sure you've made thorough preparations, right? "Lin San turned to look at the lady in the palace attire and said calmly.
"Please forgive me. I'm not trying to hide anything. I really don't know.
Our sect only found out from some reliable sources that someone will be gathering a group of people to attack our Sacred Puppet Sect.
As our Sect Leader is currently in another continent, he can't make it back in time. As a safety precaution, I spent a huge sum of money to invite all of you here to help us.
I've already stated in the mission that as long as you can help our sect through this crisis, you'll be considered to have completed your mission. The duration of the mission is three years. During this period of time, all of you can cultivate in our sect.
If there are no enemies within three years, the reward will not be missed, "the lady in the palace attire sighed and explained.
When they heard the lady in the palace attire's words, Lin Jiu and the rest nodded their heads and their expressions softened.
"Furthermore, although our sect is small, it has been passed down for so many years. We can't allow anyone to bully us.
Although we can't predict who the invaders are, there are all sorts of restrictive arrays and countless mechanical puppets in our sect. If the invaders really appear, we'll show them the Sacred Puppet Sect's methods.
However, we can't be too confident. As a precaution, a portion of our core disciples have already left. Those who remain on the island are those who have sworn to live and die with our sect. There are about 3,000 of them. "The lady in the palace attire paused for a moment before continuing.
When Han Li heard this, he thoughtfully nodded his head. It was no wonder that he hadn't seen many cultivators on this vast island.
"I wonder how many Perfected Immortals are there among the 3,000 people?" Lin Jiu asked.
When he asked this question, everyone looked at the Vice Sect Leader. Obviously, they were very interested in the answer to this question.
This wasn't difficult to understand. In a battle of this level, even if the Golden Immortal Realm cultivators were the strongest, they would still be restrained by many factors. Thus, the number of True Immortal Realm cultivators was usually the greatest factor that affected the development of the battle, and it could even be the greatest factor that determined the outcome of the battle.
"Currently, there are more than 30 Perfected Immortals. Besides the elders in the palace, some of the other elders are in charge of guarding the key points on the island. Some of them are in charge of controlling some of the puppets. You'll see them later," the lady in the palace attire explained.
After all, the Sacred Puppet Sect was not a first-class sect. Naturally, it could not be compared to the Torch Dragon Path. It was not easy for the sect to have a Golden Celestial Stage Sect Leader and more than 30 Perfected Immortal Stage elders. Among the sects of the same level, they should be considered one of the stronger ones.
"If that's the case, including the members of the Anicca Alliance, there should be at least 50 Perfected Immortals on the island. I believe that with this force and the many restrictive spells on the island, any sect that wants to invade the island will have to think twice," Lin San said after pondering for a while.
Her words were like a reassuring pill. Most of the members of the Anicca Alliance felt at ease. After all, Lin San was the leader of this mission. The red mask that he wore not only represented his strength, but also his status in the Anicca Alliance. These members of the Anicca Alliance had interacted with the members of the Anicca Alliance who wore the red mask many times. Hence, they knew that these people were terrifyingly powerful and experienced.
Hence, the members of the Anicca Alliance believed in her judgment.
Han Li did not feel anything special about this. He did not believe in the judgment of others. He believed in his own strength.
"Now, the objective of the mission is clear. We will guard this place for three years.
I will ask you one last time. If anyone decides to back out now, it is still not too late, "Lin San said after looking at the members of the Anicca Alliance.
At this point, the commotion among the members of the Anicca Alliance was much quieter. Most of them had made up their minds to make a fortune. The remaining members hesitated for a while before deciding not to back out.
"Very well.
Since the arrangements on the island have been made, what else do you need us to do? "Lin San nodded his head slightly and turned to ask the lady in the palace attire.
"The elders of the Anicca Alliance are mainly responsible for the defense of the main island. As for the other eight islands, we do not have enough manpower. Some of them are only guarded by one Perfected Immortal cultivator while others are guarded by Great Vehicle Stage cultivators.
Hence, we need the members of the Anicca Alliance to help us guard these islands, "the lady in the palace attire said.
The expressions of the members of the Anicca Alliance changed when they heard this.
"Since we do not have enough manpower, why don't we gather our strength to guard the main island? Why don't we just give up on a few of the outer islands and wait for the storm to subside before taking them back?" Lin Jiu saw the changes in everyone's expression and asked in confusion.
The other eight islands were outside the main island. Hence, they would be attacked earlier than the main island. Hence, they would be in more danger. The Sacred Puppet Sect had intentionally arranged for them to guard the outer islands.
Han Li did not find this strange. As a group of mercenaries, they would naturally be placed at the frontline against the enemy. Hence, it was not easy to obtain the huge sum of money.
Of course, the Anicca Alliance must have other motives.
"To tell you the truth, the eight Formation Islands are the sect's strongest line of defense. If we can defend them and not break through, we'll have the upper hand to a certain extent. That's why we need even more powerful forces to guard them.
Moreover, all of you might not be up to the task of controlling the arrays and mechanisms on the islands, "the lady in the palace attire explained.
When everyone heard this, they understood that it made sense.
"We have a total of 16 people. How do you intend to distribute them?" Lin San asked after a moment of silence.
"Among the eight islands, only one is guarded by two Perfected Immortal Stage elders. Hence, we will need all of you to help guard Yu Qi's island.
As for the specific arrangements, I will have to trouble Brother Lin San to make the decision, "the lady in the palace attire said.
Lin San pondered for a while and said, "In that case, each of you will form a team of two and guard each island.
Lin Shiyi will stay behind and guard the main island with me. "
"Yes," everyone replied in unison without much hesitation.
Han Li also chimed in, but his heart stirred slightly at the same time.
Lin San seemed to be taking good care of Bai Suyuan. He purposely left her on the relatively safe main island. Could he know Bai Suyuan's true cultivation level?
Or did they know each other from the start?
With that thought, Han Li glanced at Lin San and a bold guess appeared in his mind.
Right at this moment, a familiar voice suddenly sounded in Han Li's mind. It was Xiong Shan who had transmitted his voice to him.
It was Xiong Shan who said, "Brother Jiao Shiyi, why don't we form a team and guard one island?"
"That's what I was thinking."
Han Li had worked with him before and he knew how powerful Xiong Shan was. Hence, he agreed with a smile.
…
After about half an hour, the crowd walked out of the main hall in pairs. Under the lead of a Sacred Puppet Sect Elder, they flew up into the air and headed towards the outer island.
"Brother Jiao Shiyi, let's go." Lin Jiu walked forward and called out to Han Li.
Han Li silently nodded his head and remained silent.