Speculation about a Spirit Mine
The Black-Patterned Savage Bull charged toward the Wu Earth Yellow Apricot Tree with heavy strides, each step making the ground nearby shake violently.
Its pair of bloodshot eyes stayed fixed on the twelve golden-yellow fruits, and drool dripped uncontrollably onto the ground.
"Don't let that beast ruin the spirit medicine! Attack together!"
The rough shout echoed deep in the dense forest, but two blood-red flying swords were faster than the voice.
Swish!
Blood-colored light poured down like a waterfall, carrying a chilling cold as the two flying swords slashed at the Black-Patterned Savage Bull's neck from opposite sides.
Clang!
The sound of clashing metal rang out. Yang Tianyou looked up and saw that, at some unknown point, a thick stone shell had appeared over the Black-Patterned Savage Bull's body.
The shell was incredibly hard. Struck from both sides by two superior-grade Law Artifacts, it had suffered only two cracks of moderate depth.
"Moo!"
Its furious roar formed wave after wave of sound, making the leaves rustle incessantly.
Then yellow light flashed over the Black-Patterned Savage Bull's body, and in the blink of an eye, the cracks in the stone shell vanished without a trace.
Boom, boom, boom!
Sound waves exploded like the beating of war drums. The enraged savage bull burst into motion with a speed that belied its size.
A yellow blur flashed past, and the Black-Patterned Savage Bull had already crossed dozens of zhang. Its pitch-black horns, gleaming with a sharp light, slammed into the spot from which the blood swords had struck.
These movements took time to describe, but they had all happened in the space of a lightning flash.
"Damn it, Blood-Sha Brothers, who told you to attack?"
A young man's voice rang out, his tone a mix of shock and anger.
Azure light flashed, and a young cultivator in dark azure Daoist robes appeared in midair. His right hand was held palm-up, supporting a spinning, three-story Exquisite Treasure Pagoda.
"Pay them no mind. Those two have cultivated their Blood Path Cultivation Method until there's nothing left of their brains. They can't get anything done, but they're more than capable of ruining things."
The speaker was a young woman in blue robes. She had a full, voluptuous figure and snow-white, smooth skin.
"In that case, let's attack. We'll end this quickly, before other complications arise!"
The young man took a deep breath and suppressed the irritation in his heart. He tossed the Exquisite Treasure Pagoda from his right hand, and it swelled rapidly in the wind, soon reaching three zhang in height before bearing down on the Black-Patterned Savage Bull as it roared nearby.
"Blood-Sha Brothers, attack together!"
The Blue-Robed Young Woman gave a sharp cry, and a long, water-blue sash shot out. Streams of Water Attribute Spiritual Qi swirled around it, giving it an imposing momentum.
At the same time, two blood-colored sword lights slashed down again, trailing a bone-chilling cold. Their wielders were the Blood-Sha Brothers, two middle-aged men, one tall and one short.
Like a toppling mountain peak, the Exquisite Treasure Pagoda rumbled down, crushing the air as it descended.
Streams of azure Spiritual Power swirled around it as a tremendous force pressed down on the Black-Patterned Savage Bull.
As though it were carrying a giant mountain on its back, all four of the Black-Patterned Savage Bull's hooves suddenly sank into the ground.
"A good chance!"
The Blue-Robed Young Woman's eyes lit up. The long sash in her hand moved like a water python, wrapping tightly around the Black-Patterned Savage Bull while it was heavily suppressed.
At the same time, a pair of blood-colored flying swords hacked fiercely downward, their sword light chilling and exceptionally sharp.
This time, with help from the young man and the Blue-Robed Young Woman, the Blood-Sha Brothers controlled their flying swords to hack at the Black-Patterned Savage Bull's neck again and again.
Cracks appeared, growing deeper as time passed. Finally, the seemingly indestructible stone shell shattered completely, scattering in streams of earthy-yellow light.
Without the stone shell to protect it, the Black-Patterned Savage Bull's fleshly body was tough, but it could not withstand the two superior-grade flying swords. In mere moments, it was covered in cuts.
As they watched the Black-Patterned Savage Bull's injuries grow more severe, smiles appeared on all four faces at once.
Another slash fell, and suddenly, a scream rang out.
One of the Blood-Sha Brothers, who had been controlling a flying sword to attack the Black-Patterned Savage Bull, suddenly collapsed. Black spots spread rapidly across his skin, visible to the naked eye.
"Poison!"
With a startled cry, the young man and the Blue-Robed Young Woman hurriedly channeled their Spiritual Power to form protective shields around themselves. At the same time, they released numerous threads of Spiritual Power to probe their surroundings.
"Over there!"
The young man soon found something. A cold light flashed in his eyes, and he summoned a black-and-blue throwing knife and sent it flying toward a spot.
"Clang!"
A sharp collision rang out, and the throwing knife flew back. A crack had appeared on its blade.
"What?"
The young man was horrified and could not help crying out. Although his throwing knife was only a First-Tier Middle-Grade Law Artifact, it was still exceptionally sturdy. How could a single collision have damaged it so badly?
At the thought, the young man hurriedly looked up. A small, crystal-yellow snake about a foot long slithered out of the lush undergrowth.
Its head was raised high as it gazed coldly at the young man. Its tail rustled and made a clicking sound. Most importantly, there was a barely perceptible white mark between its eyes.
"A Yellow-Crystal Rattlesnake!"
The Blue-Robed Young Woman quickly recognized the little snake and immediately shot backward more than ten zhang.
"So it's that kind of Demon Beast. It's quite a rare sight!"
In the distance, Yang Tianyou narrowed his eyes slightly and muttered to himself.
The Yellow-Crystal Rattlesnake was a First-Tier Superior-Grade Demon Beast. Though small, it fed on various Spirit Mines, making its body exceptionally tough. Its durability could rival that of the very finest First-Tier Superior-Grade Law Artifacts.
Moreover, this kind of Demon Beast was highly venomous. Anyone bitten by one would die of the poison within half a shichen.
However, though the Demon Beast was powerful, that was not what Yang Tianyou was considering.
Generally speaking, wherever a Yellow-Crystal Rattlesnake appeared, there was a strong chance that an ore vein lay hidden nearby. Could it be that, besides the Wu Earth Yellow Apricot Fruit, there was also a Spirit Mine here?
At the thought, Yang Tianyou's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly told his Fourth Sister, Yang Tianxue, and Fifteenth Brother, Yang Tianwang, what he suspected.
"If that's true, then everyone here today except the three of us must die!"
Yang Tianwang gave a sinister laugh and touched the Coiling Dragon Golden Staff on his back.
"Of course!"
Yang Tianyou and Yang Tianxue exchanged a glance and both nodded. The value of a Spirit Mine went without saying; compared with it, the Wu Earth Yellow Apricot Fruit was of little consequence.
The three of them had reached an agreement. With a thought from Yang Tianyou, Fengling quickly came to his side.
He took out a Spirit Concealment Talisman and slapped it onto Fengling. With that and Fengling's own innate talent, Yang Tianyou believed that even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator would fail to notice Fengling if he was not paying attention.
"Go. Report to me at once if there's any movement within fifty li!"
Fengling nodded and quietly vanished.
Yang Tianxue had not been idle either. While Yang Tianyou was giving Fengling his instructions, she took out a precious First-Tier Superior-Grade Voice Transmission Talisman and activated it with Spiritual Power.
It was to notify the Yang Household's elders. After all, if there really was a Spirit Mine here, the three of them, as juniors in the Qi Refining Period, might not be able to hold it.