Chapter 270: The situation is like this

In the police station's interrogation room, a cold white light shone on the faces of the three. The officer in charge of the interrogation was a man surnamed Liu, about forty years old, with a sharp gaze. He flipped through a stack of documents in his hands, looking up from time to time to size up the three people before him.

"The situation is like this," Officer Liu said with a serious expression, "At 3:17 this afternoon, a member of the public reported seeing three suspicious individuals entering a site at Shouning Mountain suspected to be an ancient tomb. According to the reporter's description, your actions were very professional; you are clearly not ordinary explorers."

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the faces of Lin Xuan and the others one by one: "According to the 'Law of the People's Republic of China on Protection of Cultural Relics,' unauthorized excavation of ancient tombs is an illegal act. We need to verify your identities and understand the specific purpose of your entry into the ancient tomb."

Lin Xuan noticed several people standing behind the one-way glass of the interrogation room, who appeared to be of no low rank. Clearly, this matter had already attracted the attention of those above.

"We are from Baiyun Guan," Lin Xuan said calmly, "As for entering the ancient tomb, it was purely accidental. If necessary, you can contact the Taoist Association or the cultural relics department to verify."

The police were clearly skeptical of this explanation and began a detailed investigation into the backgrounds of the three. Just then, an unexpected person appeared—Zhao Fangxu.

"Thank you for your hard work, officers." Zhao Fangxu walked into the interrogation room with a face full of smiles, "This is Lin Daozhang, a specially appointed cultural relics consultant for our Company. This time, he was entrusted by me to investigate a location suspected to be an ancient tomb. Here are the relevant documents."

He took a stack of documents stamped with official seals from his briefcase and handed them to the officer. Although those documents were prepared on short notice, they looked beyond doubt. After the officer examined them carefully, his attitude immediately softened.

By the time they left the police station, it was already late at night. Zhao Fangxu said with a smile: "Lin Daozhang, thanks to my quick reaction this time, otherwise you all would likely have had to go through more trouble."

Lin Xuan nodded slightly: "Many thanks, Chairman. I will remember this favor."

Although it was just a simple sentence, Zhao Fangxu heard the weight behind it. He knew that obtaining a favor from this young Daoist was worth more than anything.

After returning to Baiyun Guan, Lin Xuan did not rest immediately, but instead set up a Spirit-Gathering Array in the Quiet Room and carefully took out the armor. Under the reflection of the candlelight, the patterns on the surface of the armor appeared and disappeared, emitting a faint spiritual light.

This Golden Treasure, which had experienced a thousand years of time, looked extraordinary just from its appearance. The entire body presented a unique color between celadon jade and cold iron, and the patterns on the surface were neither the common auspicious cloud designs nor traditional dragon and phoenix patterns, but rather seemed to be some kind of ancient Rune.

Lin Xuan covered his palm with Qi and gently stroked the surface of the armor. The tactile sensation upon contact gave him a slight shock—the material was neither metal nor jade, but rather seemed to be some kind of long-lost, peculiar material.

"What an exquisite refining technique." A bright light flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes, "The material of this armor alone is already beyond the cognitive range of modern Outsiders. No wonder even a thousand years of time could not leave a single trace on its surface."

What amazed him even more was the internal structure of the armor. After careful perception, he discovered that this armor was not a simple piece of defensive gear, but a supreme treasure reinforced by countless Arrays. Those patterns that appeared to be decorative were each a component of a meticulously calculated Array.

"Let's try it." Lin Xuan sat cross-legged and began to attempt to consume the armor with Qi. This process was extremely long, because the armor not only contained powerful energy but also the will left behind by Xiao Lie during his lifetime.

For three full days and nights, Lin Xuan kept trying to communicate with the armor. During this time, Xiao Qing and Xiao Bai took turns guarding outside the door to ensure no one came to disturb him. Finally, on the morning of the fourth day, accompanied by a crisp sound, the surface of the armor suddenly bloomed with a soft light.

"Success!" Lin Xuan opened his eyes, a trace of a smile appearing on his face. After this refining process, the armor had completely recognized him as its master. Moreover, during this process, he also unexpectedly felt some insights left behind by Xiao Lie.

"The defensive power of this armor can simply be called the pinnacle." Lin Xuan said softly, "Even if one hundred Lao Tianshi attacked at the same time, I fear they would not be able to break its defense."

Xiao Qing asked curiously: "Benefactor, is this armor really that powerful?"

"More than that." A brilliant light flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes, "This is only its most basic function. According to the intent left by Xiao Lie, this armor has an even more powerful ability—it can absorb the enemy's attacks and Zhuanghua them for one's own use."

This discovery made everyone present gasp. If simple defense was still within reason, then being able to absorb and Zhuanghua an enemy's attack was completely beyond common sense. No wonder Xiao Lie spent three years of heart and blood to forge this armor.

"However," Lin Xuan changed the subject, "this ability also comes at a price. Each use consumes a massive amount of mental energy, and it also requires extremely precise control. If used poorly, it will instead harm oneself."

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the door. Luo Daming did not bother to knock and pushed the door open directly. His complexion was exceptionally grave, and there was cold sweat on his forehead; he was clearly frightened by some news.

"Lin Daozhang!" Luo Daming's voice was even trembling, "Something terrible has happened! We just received news from Longhu Mountain that the Dongying Alien have already begun large-scale infiltration!"

He took a deep breath and continued: "It's not just Longhu Mountain; Maoshan, Laoshan, Qingcheng Mountain, and even some small hidden sects have discovered their tracks. And..." he lowered his voice, "according to reliable information, this time they are aiming for the Eight Extraordinary Techniques!"

This news was like a bombshell, causing everyone present to change their expressions. The Eight Extraordinary Techniques were an existence that even the Outsider world was deeply wary of. If they really fell into the hands of the Dongying people, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Lin Xuan, however, appeared exceptionally calm: "They've come at the right time. This time, let them see what true heritage is."

Although his voice was calm, anyone could hear the powerful confidence contained within it. With this armor in hand, plus his own strength, even if the Dongying Alien came out in full force, he had the confidence to deal with them.

However, at this moment, Lin Xuan did not know that in the distant Dongying, within that deep shrine, a conspiracy capable of changing the landscape of the Outsider world was brewing.

The old man knelt before the candlelight, with a bronze tripod placed in front of him, in which a strange green flame was burning. Under the reflection of the firelight, his aged face appeared exceptionally ferocious.

"Are you ready?" The old man's voice was hoarse and cold.

The dozen or so Black-Clothed Person kneeling on the ground answered in unison: "Yes! All preparations are complete, just waiting for the teacher's order!"