Boya Zhuomo of Ise Grand Shrine, leading over thirty men, stealthily infiltrated Little Immortal Island under the cover of night. Unbeknownst to him, their movements had already been detected by Ling Tian.
After issuing an alert to the island's inhabitants, Ling Tian crushed several jade talismans in his hand. Instantly, the island's original spirit-gathering formation transformed into a massive maze formation.
The moisture from the surrounding sea was drawn into the formation, condensing into mist. The fog grew increasingly dense, severely impairing visibility within minutes. Even during the day, in such thick fog, the visibility would be limited to about five meters.
But now, in the pitch-black night, this dense fog rendered them utterly blind.
Worse still, the mist carried vapor, causing a shift in the ambient temperature. Many of the Japanese invaders were equipped with night-vision goggles, but the fog rendered them all useless.
Even the few powerful Yin-Yang masters in their ranks found their senses severely disrupted within the maze formation.
Meanwhile, after setting up the grand formation on the island, Ling Tian quietly summoned his Shadow Leopard. The creature vanished into the night, its presence undetected even by the two women, Aurora and Zhang Caifeng.
Ling Tian lamented the island's low temperature. Otherwise, releasing the Poison Dragon would have been a formidable weapon. However, even the King Cobra, which had undergone spatial modifications, was a cold-blooded creature. In this near-freezing environment, it would struggle to move normally.
Ling Tian turned and saw Aurora and Zhang Caifeng, who had already dressed and tidied themselves.
"You two should also head to the shelter quickly. We might face a tough fight shortly."
Upon hearing this, Aurora was the first to voice her displeasure.
"Ling Tian, do you think we'll be a burden to you? We've fought those Japanese before! They are in the open, and we are in the shadows. As long as we are careful, they won't cause much trouble!"
Zhang Caifeng chimed in, "That's right, Ling Tian. Aurora is correct. We can protect ourselves, and besides, there are over thirty Japanese. You'll need help..."
Ling Tian hesitated. On one hand, he genuinely didn't want his women to be in danger. These Japanese invaders appeared somewhat mysterious, and he didn't want his women to get hurt.
On the other hand, Ling Tian knew that refusing them outright might hurt their pride.
Just then, Ling Tian heard a creaking sound from the cupboard behind him. The three of them immediately became alert. The cupboard door opened, and a person emerged.
They recognized the person as Hai Furong, the head of Misty Rain Pavilion on Little Immortal Island.
Hai Furong was dressed in a neat, almost heroic attire – a special combat suit made of bulletproof nylon. She carried a compound bow and a quiver of arrows on her back.
Ling Tian knew that while Hai Furong and the other women on Little Immortal Island were only average in martial arts, their archery skills were exceptional. These women spent several hours daily practicing archery, hunting the abundant rabbits and mice on the island. Archery was also a popular pastime for them. Their archery skills even impressed Ling Tian, with Hai Furong being among the best.
"Young Master, please come with me to the shelter. I've already sent word. Even if the island is occupied by these invaders, reinforcements from Misty Rain Pavilion will arrive tomorrow!"
"No need, Sister Hai. Since these people dare to cause trouble on our territory, we won't let them leave this island easily! The island's formations have already been altered, and these people are now trapped. They won't be able to leave! It's time for slaughter! I've decided that I will lead Aurora and Zhang Caifeng, and the three of us will use the cover of the formations to eliminate these invaders!"
Hai Furong hesitated for a long time before replying, "In that case, count me in. I can lead the two ladies to maneuver against the invaders on the island. After all, I've lived here for over 20 years; no one knows this place better than I do!"
Ling Tian pondered for a moment and nodded. "Very well, Sister Hai. I'll trouble you with this. Aurora and Caifeng are in your care. You two must follow Sister Hai's arrangements. If you insist on being reckless and disobey Sister Hai, I will knock you unconscious and stuff you into the shelter right now!"
Ling Tian's words were primarily directed at the willful Aurora, as Zhang Caifeng was not prone to recklessness, but the young lady Aurora was another matter entirely.
Aurora bit her lip and finally agreed. Although she was independent, she was not foolish.
A thought flashed through Ling Tian's mind, and three jade talismans appeared in his hand. He handed them to the three women.
"Wear these talismans around your necks, and the maze formation on the island will have no effect on you!"
The three women's eyes lit up. This was practically cheating, like having a full field of vision in a real-time strategy game while the rest was shrouded in fog of war. They immediately put on the talismans.
Next, Ling Tian took out a bottle of eye drops and administered them to the three women's eyes. As the drops entered their eyes, they felt a refreshing coolness. The dim indoor lighting suddenly seemed almost glaring.
Ling Tian informed them that this was a specially formulated medicinal solution containing abundant spiritual energy. After applying these eye drops, they would gain night vision capabilities in low-light conditions for a limited time, approximately one hour.
With this, the three women felt even more confident. They discussed their plan with Ling Tian and then parted ways.
...
On Little Immortal Island, Boya Zhuomo sensed that something was amiss. He quickly ordered his men to close ranks. However, a few minutes later, when his subordinates gathered around him, Boya Zhuomo was astonished to discover that half of his men were missing, and the remaining ones had become separated within the formation.
"Baka, baka!"