Chapter 282: Stationed for Three Years

"You have all traveled a long way, and have worked hard. Please rest here for a while and drink some spirit tea. I am the deputy sect master of the Sacred Puppet Sect. The coordination and arrangements for this defensive operation will mainly be handled by me. I hope that fellow Daoists will lend your full support. If we can repel the powerful enemy, there will be generous rewards," said the palace-robed woman.

"We came here precisely to carry out the mission. Deputy Sect Master, there is no need to be so courteous. What concerns me and the fellow Daoists of the Unchanging Alliance most now is the current situation of the Sacred Puppet Sect. Who is coming to attack this time? When will they come? How many will there be?" Lin San waved a hand and asked directly.

Upon hearing this, the members of the Unchanging Alliance, including Han Li and Lin Jiu, all turned their gazes toward the palace-robed woman.

"To be honest with you all, I am not clear about who the attackers are, when they will come, or how many there will be," the palace-robed woman hesitated for a moment, then said with a wry smile.

"What?"

"Even you don't know? Isn't this a joke?"

"We don't want to fight a battle without any preparation!"

"If no one ends up attacking, won't we be wasting our time here?"

Many of the Unchanging Alliance members were in an uproar, clearly dissatisfied with this answer.

Although this mission was said to be guarding the Sacred Puppet Sect, it did not mention who the enemy was. They had taken on this mission with some risk, seeking high rewards and also having some confidence in their own strength. But ultimately, they had to weigh the risks and efforts and make thorough countermeasures.

Most people planned that once they learned the difficulty and risk of the mission exceeded their tolerance, they would rather pay compensation than actually take the risk. Of course, this was the worst-case scenario.

Although they had learned some relatively in-depth information about this mission from Lin San on the way, most of it did not touch on the key points. They had hoped to know more at the Sacred Puppet Sect, but even the deputy sect master seemed not to know much, naturally making these people uneasy.

Lin Jiu and the others did not speak, but their expressions varied, and they frequently glanced at Lin San.

Although Han Li's expression did not change much, he was also quite speechless inwardly.

But before setting out, he had made some estimates of the Sacred Puppet Sect's origins and strength. He figured that even if the attackers included Golden Immortal-level existences, with his current abilities, he could ensure his own safety. So he was one of the few calm ones present.

"Everyone, calm down. Since you have accepted the mission and come here, we are all in the same boat. Now we should think more about how to complete the mission. Of course, if anyone wants to withdraw now, according to the alliance's rules, you can pay three times the reward in spirit stones, and I will not stop you," Lin San's voice rang out unhurriedly at this moment.

Although her voice was not loud, it carried an imposing aura that made the noisy people exchange glances and then fall silent.

"Deputy Sect Master, we came to help your sect. It's only natural to take money and eliminate disasters. But we are only this many people and cannot turn the tide. You should understand that. Since we don't know who the enemy is, your sect must have made thorough preparations, right?" Lin San then turned her gaze to the palace-robed woman and said calmly.

"Please forgive me, everyone. It's not that I intend to hide anything, but I truly do not know. Our sect only learned from some reliable sources a few days ago that someone would gather forces to attack our Sacred Puppet Sect. Since the sect master is far away on another continent and cannot return, I spared no expense to invite you all to help. I stated in the mission that as long as you help our sect through this crisis, the mission will be considered complete, lasting three years. During this time, you may cultivate freely in the sect. If no enemy attacks within three years, the reward will be paid in full," the palace-robed woman sighed lightly and then explained.

Hearing this, Lin Jiu and the others nodded slightly, and their expressions softened.

"Moreover, although our sect is small, having been passed down for so many years, we are not to be trifled with. Although we cannot predict who the attackers are, the sect is filled with various restrictive arrays and countless mechanisms and puppets. If the attackers do appear, they will witness the means of the Sacred Puppet Sect. However, we cannot be too absolute. To be safe, some core disciples have been evacuated. Now, only those who swear to live and die with the sect remain on the island, about three thousand people," the palace-robed woman paused and then continued.

Han Li nodded thoughtfully. No wonder he had seen few cultivators on this vast island along the way.

"May I ask how many of these three thousand are True Immortal cultivators?" Lin Jiu asked.

At his question, everyone turned to the deputy sect master, clearly concerned about the answer.

This was not hard to understand. In battles of this level, even if Golden Immortal cultivators were the highest战力, they had many constraints. Thus, the number of True Immortal cultivators was often the biggest factor influencing the battle's development and even the outcome.

"Currently, there are over thirty. Besides the elders in this hall, some elders are responsible for guarding key points on the island, and others control some secret puppets within the sect. You will all see them later," the palace-robed woman explained.

The Sacred Puppet Sect was not a first-rate sect after all, naturally incomparable to the Candle Dragon Dao. Having one Golden Immortal sect master and over thirty True Immortal elders was already quite impressive. Among sects of the same level, it should be considered relatively strong.

"In that case, including our Unchanging Alliance members, there are at least nearly fifty True Immortal cultivators on the island. With this force, combined with the many restrictive defenses on the island, even if a large sect wants to invade, they will have to think twice," Lin San said after a moment of deliberation.

Her few words were like a calming pill, putting most of the Unchanging Alliance members at ease. After all, Lin San was the leader of this mission. The red mask she wore not only represented strength but also her status in the Unchanging Alliance. These members had often interacted with higher-level members wearing red masks and naturally understood their terrifying strength and rich experience.

Therefore, her judgment was more convincing.

Han Li had no special feelings about this. What he trusted was not others' judgment but his own strength.

"Now that the mission objective is clear—defend this place for three years—I will ask one last time. If anyone decides to withdraw, now is the time," Lin San said, scanning the crowd.

At this point, the noise among the crowd had diminished. Most had decided to earn this reward, and the remaining few, after much hesitation, finally decided not to withdraw.

"Good. Since the island's arrangements are already in place, what do you need us to do?" Lin San nodded slightly and turned to ask the palace-robed woman again.

"The sect's elders are mainly assigned to the main island's defense. As for the eight array islands outside, we are short-handed. Some have only one True Immortal cultivator stationed, and some are guarded by Mahayana cultivators. Therefore, we need the Unchanging Alliance members to help guard these array islands," the palace-robed woman said.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the Unchanging Alliance members changed again.

"Since we are short-handed, why not concentrate our forces on the main island and abandon a few outer islands? After the storm passes, we can reclaim them," Lin Jiu, having observed everyone's changing expressions, asked in confusion.

The eight islands were outside the main island, so they would obviously be attacked before the main island, making them more dangerous. The Sacred Puppet Sect's deliberate arrangement of them on the outer islands inevitably aroused suspicion.

Han Li was not surprised by this. As a group of mercenary-like helpers, they were naturally placed on the front line against the enemy. The large reward was not easily earned.

Of course, the other side must have had other motives.

"To be honest, these eight array islands are the sect's most powerful line of defense. If we can hold them and prevent them from being breached, we will gain the upper hand to some extent. Therefore, we need stronger combat power to guard them. Moreover, if we asked you to control the various arrays and mechanisms on the islands, you might not be up to the task," the palace-robed woman explained.

After hearing this, everyone understood that it made sense.

"There are sixteen of us. How do you plan to assign us?" Lin San asked after a moment of silence.

"Among the eight array islands, only one is guarded by two True Immortal elders. So the other seven islands need your help. As for the specific arrangements, I'll leave it to Fellow Daoist Lin San to decide," the palace-robed woman said, as if she had already planned.

Lin San thought for a moment and said, "In that case, you will form teams of two and guard one island each. Lin Eleven will stay with me to guard the main island."

"Yes," everyone responded in unison without much hesitation.

Han Li also chimed in, but his mind stirred.

This Lin San seemed to take special care of Bai Suyuan, deliberately keeping her on the relatively safe main island. Could it be that she knew Bai Suyuan's true cultivation? Or were they simply acquainted?

With this thought, Han Li looked at Lin San and suddenly had a bold guess.

Just then, a familiar voice suddenly sounded in Han Li's mind. It was Xiong Shan transmitting a message:

"Fellow Daoist Jiao Fifteen, you and I should form a team to guard one island. What do you think?"

"I was thinking the same."

Han Li had cooperated with him before and knew his strength, so he agreed with a smile.

...

After about half an hour, everyone walked out of the hall, formed pairs, and under the guidance of a Sacred Puppet Sect elder, flew up and headed toward the outer islands.

"Fellow Daoist Jiao Fifteen, let's go too," Lin Jiu came up to Han Li and greeted him.

Han Li nodded silently without speaking.

The two then, led by a white-bearded old man, flew swiftly toward the southwest direction outside the island.