Now, Lin Hao, along with Lin He and Bai Zhanchen, were in a certain forest within the Tianrang Mountain Range.
His plan required another person besides Bai Zhanchen to execute it, and Lin He was the only choice.
This place was where Bai Zhanchen, at Lin Hao's suggestion, had made an appointment with Bai Zhen. It was sparsely populated and remote, with few noble martial artists coming here for training, as there were neither fierce beasts nor any spiritual herbs growing here.
"Actually, there's no need to go through all this trouble. Young Master Bai could directly return to the Bai Family headquarters and accuse Bai Zhen, right?" Lin He seemed somewhat puzzled.
Hearing this, Bai Zhanchen shook his head and said, "If it were that simple, why would I waste my energy? The martial artists who pursued me were all killers hired by Bai Zhen, and there's no way to trace any connection to Bai Zhen. Without evidence, if I accuse Bai Zhen to my father, Bai Zhen will just seize the opportunity to accuse me of false charges."
Lin He thought about it, and Bai Zhanchen's words made sense. The head of the Bai Family was nearing the end of his life, and the position of head would be chosen between Bai Zhen and Bai Zhanchen. Without evidence, if Bai Zhanchen accused Bai Zhen, no one would believe him, and it would backfire.
Once the head of the Bai Family passed away, the Bai Family would be removed from the ranks of the major powers, which could have a significant impact on the power structure. Therefore, the successor to the head position was crucial.
Lin Hao was not concerned about the affairs of the Bai Family. Everything he did was just to avoid getting himself and Lin He entangled in this mess.
"Let's get ready," Lin Hao said.
"Will Bai Zhen come?" Lin He's expression was odd. Just a letter—could it really make Bai Zhen come?
"Bai Zhen may not come, but he will certainly send someone to meet us," Bai Zhanchen was confident, based on his understanding of Bai Zhen.
Half an hour later, Lin He was hiding at the top of a large tree ahead, his figure perfectly concealed, making him extremely difficult to spot.
Only Bai Zhanchen remained, and Lin Hao had disappeared.
At this moment, Bai Zhanchen's gaze swept over the distance; the time he had agreed upon with Bai Zhen was approaching.
This time, if it failed, they would either be captured, or Bai Zhen and his group would flee.
Soon, a group from the Bai Family was heading toward this place, including an old woman and several middle-aged men, all high-ranking members of the Bai Family.
As Bai Zhanchen had guessed, Bai Zhen did not come in person but sent several high-ranking members from his side. Bai Zhen was naturally suspicious and would not easily show himself without absolute certainty.
There were five people from Bai Zhen's side, all of whom had opened the fourth Earth Gate, exuding a formidable aura, like immovable mountains.
The other three were high-ranking members of a branch, who had opened the third Earth Gate.
At this moment, the old woman and the middle-aged man beside her exchanged glances. They still had a map that Bai Zhanchen had entrusted someone to deliver, showing the location as here.
"Can the Third Young Master come out and meet us? The First Young Master is very concerned and knows that the Third Young Master is in this dangerous mountain range, so he specially sent us to welcome you," the old woman said.
There was no response for a long time, and the high-ranking members of the branch looked at each other, wondering if Bai Zhanchen was even in the mountain range.
"My elder brother is quite concerned," suddenly, Bai Zhanchen stepped out from the shadows, a cold smile on his lips.
Seeing Bai Zhanchen appear, the old woman and the middle-aged man were surprised, not expecting the Third Young Master to dare show up here.
The three high-ranking members of the branch were also shocked, especially the middle-aged man and the old woman, who felt something was amiss. What did Bai Zhanchen rely on to appear alone in the mountain range, knowing that even if he died here, no one would know?
"Ha ha... What is the Third Young Master doing in the Tianrang Mountain Range? With fierce beasts and dangerous creatures, it's very risky. Aren't you afraid of any accidents?" The middle-aged man sized up Bai Zhanchen, a smile on his face.
Hearing this, Bai Zhanchen responded, standing with his hands behind his back, which made people feel uneasy.
"Is the Third Young Master here alone today?" The old woman felt something was wrong. The Third Young Master had been patient for years, showing great fear of the First Young Master Bai Zhen. Yet today, he had actively invited them to the Tianrang Mountain Range, which seemed suspicious. Could it be that, as the letter said, he had a master supporting him?
This was already strange. Who in the world would be foolish enough to send themselves to their death? Unless they had something to rely on, they would be fearless, or they were crazy.
...
"Alone?" Bai Zhanchen's lips curled into a ridiculous smile as he looked at the old woman and the others. "The letter clearly stated that it was my master who invited Bai Zhen, but Bai Zhen did not dare to come today. My master will surely be furious. Then..."
"Ha ha, the Third Young Master is being too serious. The First Young Master is busy with affairs and cannot come, so he sent us to meet your master. Where is the venerable master?" The middle-aged man asked, his gaze scanning the surroundings.
He did not notice anything unusual and saw no one else. All was silent, with no sound from any direction.
To the old woman and the middle-aged man, it was highly likely that Bai Zhanchen was just making things up.
The middle-aged man pondered for a moment and said, "Third Young Master, where is your master? If he doesn't appear, please come with us back to the branch. The First Young Master is waiting for you."
"Waiting for me?" Bai Zhanchen smiled. "To take my life, right?"
Hearing this, the expressions of the others changed.
"My master is of such high status, why would he come to see you..." Bai Zhanchen waved his hand. "Follow me, my master is ahead."
Saying this, Bai Zhanchen walked forward as if no one else was there.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man's eyes flashed with a fierce light, his aura stirring up dust. He had lost his patience.
The old woman had the same thoughts. Bai Zhanchen was very smart, as shown by his years of patience. How could they let him lead them around by the nose? Perhaps there was a trap ahead, but it would be better to act here.
"You young ones! Who dares to be so bold!" Suddenly, as the middle-aged man was about to act, a heavy cold snort echoed from the sky, like a thunderclap in their ears!
This sound made the old woman and the middle-aged man, along with the others, change their expressions and quickly look around.
"Long-distance transmission of sound?!" The three high-ranking members of the branch were startled, their eyes red with fear. No one was in sight, but the sound had already arrived, like the legendary long-distance transmission of sound!
A powerful master's voice could travel a thousand miles. In ancient times, there were even masters who could communicate with celestial beings from the eastern continent, which was exactly the long-distance transmission of sound!
In their impression, even the head of the Bai Family, a master of unparalleled strength, could not reach this level!
"What, are you not going to move?" Bai Zhanchen turned to look at the five people, a confident and arrogant expression on his face.
The old woman and the middle-aged man exchanged glances and finally gave in, following Bai Zhanchen forward.
A few miles away, Lin He was hiding on a large tree, his mouth, nose, and ears sealed, waiting quietly.
Lin He seemed somewhat nervous, his body subconsciously moving backward, afraid of exposing his location and causing the entire plan to fail.
"It must succeed!" Lin He steadied his mind, but he was still somewhat fearful of the Bai Family's powerful masters.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.
Not long after, the sound of footsteps came from ahead. Lin He slowly moved his body and looked back.
Bai Zhanchen was walking in front, followed by five people, all powerful members of the Bai Family.
At this moment, Lin He held his breath, observing the actions of the five Bai Family members, his gaze fixed, calculating the distance.
As the group got closer, his palms began to sweat.
"Stop!"
Just as the old woman and the middle-aged man reached the base of a large tree, another voice echoed.
Hearing this, the group did not dare to move forward, stopping in their tracks.
...
"What's happening?!" Suddenly, the old woman and the middle-aged man, along with the others, were startled. As the voice echoed, their bodies became heavy, as if a mountain was pressing down on them, their blood boiling, instinctively resisting this force.
In fact, several hours earlier, Lin Hao had set up a gravity array stone at a specific location where the Bai Family members would be. As soon as they stepped into this area, the array stone would be triggered, activating the 'gravity array.'
As for Bai Zhanchen, he was also within the range of the array, but he knew what was happening, so he remained calm, pretending not to notice, making the old woman and the middle-aged man believe that the pressure on their bodies was due to the presence of his mysterious master.
However, this 'gravity array' was just a small trick, created by Lin Hao with the help of Yu Yao, who had a talent for array formations, though she had not achieved much in martial arts.
From the fact that Yu Yao could create the 'gravity array' on her own, Lin Hao could see her potential.
After the 'gravity array' was activated, Lin Hao, who was hiding on a distant mountain, looked toward Lin He.
The success or failure of this plan depended on Lin He. He had to complete the decisive step before the Bai Family members realized the 'gravity array.'
Lin He did not dare to delay, took a deep breath, and slowly poured the powder he had prepared from the top of the tree. The white powder was colorless and odorless, making it hard to detect.
Moreover, the old woman and the others were preoccupied with the intimidating mysterious voice and the increasing pressure on their bodies, making them unaware of any movement above the tree.
The nearly transparent powder in Lin He's hand was a hallucinogenic powder that Lin Hao had personally refined in the alchemy room of the black market outside Liuyun City.
The formula for ordinary hallucinogenic powder was already very rare, only appearing in small quantities in major sects, and was very expensive. However, once a martial artist was trapped in the hallucination, their martial will would detect it and resist, making it easy to realize they were under a spell.
Using such hallucinogenic powder against the Bai Family members would not be wise, as it could lead to Lin Hao's downfall.
Considering this, Lin Hao spent a great deal of effort, using nearly 80,000 silver taels to purchase many rare materials to refine this hallucinogenic powder.
This time, the hallucinogenic powder was two-thirds less potent than the previous one, making it less likely to be detected by the martial will, existing between dream and reality. Even after the effects wore off, the Bai Family members would not realize they had been under a hallucination.