Manager Xiao, an Anomaly Appeared in the Spirit Mine

The envoy in charge of the inspection was still Du Mingjie, who arrived at Qingyang Mountain early the next morning.

At the same time, he also brought a full four thousand Spirit Stone as compensation to exchange for the lost Flame Crystal Stone.

To be honest, Xiao Chen didn't expect this thing to be so expensive at first.

It was only later that they learned that the Spirit Origin Sect Master had specifically offered double the price.

At the same time, Du Mingjie also gave out double the Points Jade Token, as well as a specially made Letter Seal.

Once this garrison mission is over, I can take the Letter Seal back to the Spirit Origin Sect and officially become Demon Slayer Guard.

It is said that one can also use the Letter Seal to exchange for a Cultivation Spiritual Object in the Sect Warehouse.

This is certainly a good thing; no one would complain about having too many spiritual items.

In addition, Du Mingjie brought several invitations, each from a different Lineage.

With the defeat of the White Bone Gate, the fact that Xiao Chen possessed superb escape skills is now common knowledge.

Therefore, many Lineage sent out invitations in advance, asking him to attend various tea parties and banquets after he became Demon Slayer Guard.

The Qiu Family even extended a special invitation to him to participate in the Li Mountain Cloud Chase in late February.

It is said to be a competition of escape techniques, and many Foundation Establishment Cultivator from He Province who specialize in escape techniques will go there to exchange their experiences in practicing escape techniques.

Furthermore, the winner each year will receive the Ryuun Li Mountain, which appears only once a year in Flowing Cloud Dew.

This Spirit Liquid is extremely beneficial for the cultivation of any escape technique.

Xiao Chen carefully put away the Letter Seal and invitation, then continued to immerse himself in cultivation.

Because he uses two grains of Purple Gold Spirit Sand a day, his Cultivation Progress is now advancing by leaps and bounds.

Every day I can feel my control over the <Golden Light Shrinking Earth> improving, and I can intuitively feel my speed increasing.

To be honest, such progress in strength is quite impressive.

In particular, he could clearly feel himself getting stronger little by little, which even fascinated Xiao Chen.

Along the way, Xiao Chen also passed through Chang Shunping and met the Vice President of the Hui Dong Merchant Guild, an elderly man with a long beard.

To be honest, the Vice President's original mission was to demand an explanation from Xiao Chen.

In the past six months, the Hui Dong Merchant Guild has recruited many independent cultivators to Foundation Establishment, and Street Vendor Zhang, is one of them.

However, after learning that Xiao Chen had dealt with the demonic cultivators of the White Bone Gate, he changed his mind at the last minute.

The Hui Dong Merchant Guild did not want to offend this newly emerging master of escape techniques for the sake of a Street Vendor Zhang.

Instead, they invited him to the Lantern Festival Banquet on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

However, Xiao Chen naturally refused outright; he had absolutely no interest in watching fireworks.

Wouldn't it be better to use that time to practice escape techniques?

But these good days only lasted eleven days.

On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, which is the day after the Lantern Festival, a large number of demonic cultivators returned and pressed down on Falling Goose Mountain once again.

Meanwhile, many more groups of demonic cultivators bypassed Falling Goose Mountain and rushed straight to the rear.

This behavior is very strange, as if the Divine Fire Sect is already certain that Falling Goose Mountain will fall.

The Spirit Origin Sect naturally issued an early warning immediately, and even several Golden Core True Person personally went to Falling Goose Mountain to oversee the situation.

In the time following receiving the divination result, they pondered various possibilities.

But no one could guess what tricks the Divine Fire Sect was up to.

Xiao Chen was also a little puzzled after receiving the warning.

He is no longer the clueless man he was when he first arrived; he has gradually learned a great deal about He Province.

For example, the Divine Fire Sect dared not launch large-scale invasions in the past because they were afraid of losing their escape route.

Falling Goose Mountain has two Second-Order Spirit Vein, which were protected by a third-tier Defensive Formation deployed by the Spirit Origin Sect with a maximum influence range of tens of miles.

Ignoring the great formation and advancing unimpeded, even Golden Core True Person could be trapped within the territory of the Spirit Origin Sect.

Therefore, it is still necessary to break through the formation head-on and remove this barrier.

But when this matter was mentioned, Xiao Chen was speechless.

According to the information he obtained, the war had been going on for more than a year, and the combined number of battles between the Golden Core True Person cultivators on both sides was less than ten.

So far, no Golden Core True Person have been injured.

What's even more absurd is that these battles were also very short, with the longest one lasting only fifteen minutes.

Subsequently, Thousand Red True Person of the Divine Fire Sect withdrew voluntarily, and Jade Sand True Person did not pursue them.

The main point is to stop short of making a move.

In short, for the past year or so, it has been the Foundation Establishment Cultivator below who have been fighting as the backbone, while a large number of Qi Refining Cultivator have become cannon fodder.

Even some Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivators from the Divine Fire Sect Cult felt like cannon fodder.

Xiao Chen could actually guess part of the reason.

For example, valuing one's life.

Having finally cultivated to the Golden Core, they certainly wouldn't want to leave the battlefield so easily.

Another example is mutual distrust.

If a certain sect suffers heavy losses in the fight against the Divine Fire Sect, then after the Demonic Sect sect is wiped out, that sect might become the next target.

No matter how many Foundation Establishment Cultivator Spirit Origin Sect loses in battle, it will only weaken its influence.

However, if a Golden Core True Person were to encounter misfortune, the boundary with the Ten Thousand Flowers Valley would likely have to be redrawn.

Strangely, no Golden Core True Person were willing to take action to eliminate these Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivator who had invaded the Spirit Origin Sect's territory.

This puzzled Xiao Chen.

Could there be another reason restricting Golden Core True Person from taking action?

But for now, no one can answer this question for him.

In the following days, according to incomplete statistics from the front lines, at least forty Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivator and hundreds of Qi Refining demonic cultivators crossed Falling Goose Mountain and rushed into the heart of the Spirit Origin Sect.

Cyan Sun County's rating has even changed from a marginal area to a relatively dangerous area.

"This isn't entirely false information; there are no demonic cultivators in Cyan Sun at all."

Xiao Chen looked at the warning report in his hand and felt that it was completely inconsistent with the actual situation.

Strangely enough, a full five days have passed since the demonic cultivators invaded.

Many places within the territory of the Spirit Origin Sect have been harassed to varying degrees.

However, not a single demonic cultivator has appeared within the entire Cyan Sun County area.

For the first two days, Chang Shunping, who lived in the city, was still a little worried and hid in the Defensive Formation of his home, not daring to come out.

But five days later, Cyan Sun was calm and peaceful.

It's as if the hundreds of demonic cultivators mentioned in the report never existed.

In fact, the Divine Fire Sect had already heard about the strength that Xiao Chen had previously displayed.

Therefore, before this invasion, Cyan Sun County was specifically marked as a high-risk area on the map, warning weak demonic cultivators not to approach.

This undoubtedly disappointed Xiao Chen somewhat. He had originally thought he could get some practical training and Points some points along the way.

But as it turns out, waiting passively for opportunities to come to you is a dead end.

Encountering three demonic cultivators who came to us on their own initiative was already a low-probability event.

Such things don't happen often.

To earn Points, you still need to become Demon Slayer Guard and take the initiative.

.

"Manager Xiao, there's something unusual happening inside the spirit mine."

On the twenty-third day of the first lunar month, a leader who Qi Refining Great Perfection suddenly ran over to report, "A miner was burned by a sudden burst of Fire Qi while digging."

"Excavation of that tunnel has been suspended, but it seems there's some kind of Fire Qi leaking out."

Xiao Chen was stunned for a moment before he remembered that he was still the manager of Cyan Sun Spirit Mine.

Since arriving here, he hasn't participated in any mining activities and almost forgot that he also holds this additional identity.

So he asked directly, "How were these kinds of things handled before?"

When you don't understand something, it's best to refer to the experience of those who came before you.

The team leader shook his head. "Never before... this has ever happened before."

?

As Xiao Chen got up to go check on the situation, he asked, "How many people are injured? What's the situation?"

The team leader hesitated for a moment before answering, "There are currently nine people with minor injuries and two with serious injuries."

"So much?"

Xiao Chen was somewhat taken aback; this was no small matter, as it already accounted for one-tenth of the total number of people in the spirit mine.

The team leader immediately explained, "It happened so suddenly, there was no warning at all."

"When we found them, we rushed in to rescue them, but it was still a little too late."

"However, so far, the other tunnels have not been affected. I will lead the excavation to ensure that this month's collection volume is not affected."

Xiao Chen frowned upon hearing this. "Since you've discovered something amiss, why continue?"

"Call everyone from the other tunnels up and stop excavating until the cause is determined."

He then strode to the tunnel, which had already been shut down. "I'll go inside and take a look; you don't need to come in with me."

Standing at the tunnel entrance, Xiao Chen could feel the Fire Qi surging from within.

Although the Fire Qi here is still very weak, the situation inside is uncertain.

Therefore, he chose to go in alone, so that if any emergency occurred, he wouldn't have to be distracted by rescuing people.

Compared to the Mine Tunnel in the Flame Pool Secret Realm, the Mine Tunnel in the Cyan Sun Spirit Mine are undoubtedly much narrower.

In most places, it is only wide enough for two people to walk side by side, and in some narrow places, only one person can pass at a time.

This is because the surrounding stone walls are made of a solid Yellow Net Rock, which naturally has a fairly good resistance to Law Technique.

The Cyan Sun Stone is hidden in the Yellow Net Rock here, and it is extremely difficult to mine.

Digging a wide tunnel is even more difficult.

As Xiao Chen ventured deeper, the surrounding Fire Qi grew increasingly tense.

Before even reaching the innermost part, it had already reached a level capable of burning Late-Stage Qi Refining cultivator.

When he could see clearly the pickaxe lying on the ground and the freshly dug opening.

The intensity of the surrounding Fire Qi was almost comparable to that of the depths of the Flame Pool Secret Realm.

No wonder some cultivators were injured before. You know, in order to go to the Flame Pool Secret Realm, the Li Fire Sect specially conducted a selection process to choose disciples who were capable of resisting the Fire Qi.

"I've never heard of Cyan Sun Stone having Fire Qi before."

Xiao Chen stood at the end of the tunnel and reached out to touch the Yellow Net Rock in front of him.

Wisps of Fire Qi quickly invaded his body from his fingertips.

But before it could take effect, it was directly taken away by the Receive Fire Treasure Talisman.

"It really was a problem that was unearthed."

Judging from the current situation, it seems that someone accidentally unearthed something containing Fire Qi during the mining process.

Xiao Chen's spirits lifted, and he casually took out a high-grade Flying Sword from his Storage Bag to use as a tool, continuing to carve.

"Clang!"

As soon as the sword struck, an exceptionally dense Fire Qi erupted.

If an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator had come, they might have suffered a minor loss.

Fortunately, Xiao Chen had Law Technique protection, which allowed him to not only completely absorb the Fire Qi but also use the opportunity to cultivate his Talisman Script.

Although Yellow Net Rock is sturdy, it cannot withstand the sharpness of High-Grade Magic Tool.

Therefore, the excavation progressed very quickly, with a large amount of gravel falling with each swing of the sword.

But then, something even stranger happened.

After digging about six zhang (approximately 33 meters) into the ground, the raging Fire Qi suddenly vanished.

Even the Fire Qi that had previously filled the tunnel began to dissipate rapidly.

It's as if the newly excavated Yellow Net Rock is the culprit that stores Fire Qi.

"Huh? What's going on?"

Xiao Chen thought for a moment, then activated his <Illusion Breaking Spirit Eye> to observe the direction of the surrounding Fire Qi.

But to his surprise, the surrounding Fire Qi actually dissipated.

Before long, the Fire Qi dissipated completely into the air. The problem that had caused the miners' injuries was immediately resolved.

"Something's not right. Why is there this Fire Qi gathering in Yellow Net Rock for no apparent reason?"

Although the current problem seems to have been resolved, Xiao Chen has no intention of stopping there.

At least half of the entire Qingyang Mountain is composed of Yellow Net Rock.

If the problem occurred on Yellow Net Rock, it's highly likely there's no precedent for it.

Therefore, there must be other factors that led to an abnormal accumulation of Fire Qi here.

So he continued to hold up his Flying Sword, turned around to widen the surrounding Rock Wall, and searched for the cause of the problem.

The digging lasted for eighteen hours.

Fortunately, Xiao Chen was also a semi- Body Cultivator. Although it might not seem important normally, he had plenty of stamina at crucial moments.

He dug a huge hole in one go, more than ten zhang in length, width and height.

Finally, a small, unusual piece of Yellow Net Rock was found at the top.

In stark contrast to the intense Fire Qi of the surrounding area, this small, watermelon-sized rock contained an exceptionally rich Yin Qi.

Furthermore, these Yin Qi were tightly clustered together, as if they were nurturing some kind of spiritual being.

"Oh, could it be..."

Looking at the Yellow Net Rock in front of him, Xiao Chen immediately thought of something else— Rock Core Mai Dong.

According to legend, the Rock Core Mai Dong is located deep within a volcano and is surrounded by extremely dense Fire Qi.

But perhaps it is the principle of yin arising from yang that makes it possible for Rock Core Mai Dong to be a spiritual creature that can only be nurtured by pure Yin Qi.

By harnessing the intense Fire Qi from deep within the volcano, and gathering all the surrounding Yin Qi into a single point, a Rock Core Mai Dong can be formed in about three hundred years.

Only spirits born under such conditions can meet the unique condition of Yin Contains Yang.

Xiao Chen knew this so clearly because he had been searching for spiritual objects that Yin Contains Yang for a long time.

Ever since he obtained the Pill Formula the Three Revolutions Mysterious Origin Pill, he had been keeping it in his heart.

The Three Revolutions Mysterious Origin Pill is a spiritual pill that can raise one's cultivation level by a minor amount. Whether used personally or auctioned off, it is a top-tier item.

Although this place is not deep within a volcano, seeing such coincidental conditions still immediately made the corresponding connections.

"This thing is definitely not Rock Core Mai Dong, but it might be useful for alchemy."

.

Xiao Chen examined it with his Divine Sense, but couldn't see anything.

What I see before me is just an ordinary piece of Yellow Net Rock.

But he was not surprised; on the contrary, he was delighted. The fact that his Divine Sense could not detect it meant that it was some kind of heavenly materials and earthly treasures.

Almost all environments that can nurture heavenly materials and earthly treasures share a common characteristic.

That is, Natural Formation Pattern that forms around a spiritual object, Block Spiritual Sense scrutiny.

However, it's hard to say whether the cause or the effect came first.

If it weren't for these Natural Formation Pattern, these heavenly materials and earthly treasures would probably have been consumed by our predecessors long ago, and they wouldn't have been able to be preserved intact until now.

The remaining heavenly materials and earthly treasures were able to remain undetected for a long time precisely because they could Block Spiritual Sense.

"Let me see what this wonderful thing is."

Xiao Chen carefully used his Flying Sword to slice open the watermelon-shaped Yellow Net Rock in front of him.

The Yin Qi inside instantly contracted, revealing a stone egg the size of a duck egg.

"Huh? What is this thing again?"

Xiao Chen originally thought it would be some kind of heavenly materials and earthly treasures, but he never expected it to be a Monster Beast Egg.

He picked up the Stone Egg and infused it with a wisp of Law Power to examine it.

They discovered that this was not just a Monster Beast Egg, but a Monster Beast Egg that conformed to the principle of Yin Contains Yang.

Even from inside the Stone Egg, one could sense a powerful life force.

This means that if the Stone Egg is nurtured further, there is a high probability that a Demon Beast will hatch from it.

"However, raising Demon Beast is not as important as cultivating oneself."

Without hesitation, Xiao Chen took out the Stone Egg and turned back to the outside of the Mine Tunnel.

The team leader stood guard at the cave entrance. "Manager Xiao, you've finally come out! I..."

Xiao Chen raised his hand to interrupt him, "Alright, the problem is solved."

"Those injured cultivators are all arranged to recuperate; they don't need to work until they recover."

"As for the production of Cyan Sun Stone, I will take charge of that."

After saying this, he flew directly to the Chang Family in Cyan Sun County on his sword, intending to borrow a Pill Furnace.

Chang Shunping warmly welcomed them and was very cooperative.

Not only did they give up the best Pill Furnace in the clan, but they also specially dispersed the surrounding clansmen to ensure there was no interference.

Xiao Chen didn't stand on ceremony with him and immediately began refining the Three Revolutions Mysterious Origin Pill.

He had already collected the remaining auxiliary medicines needed for the Pill Formula.

With the [Alchemist's Heart] present, no further preparations are needed.

The only preparation I made was to catch up on some sleep.

After all, he had been digging for two days and one night in a row, and his energy wasn't very high.

I slept for a full five hours until I woke up naturally.

He then immediately started refining pills, throwing the Monster Beast Egg he had just acquired into the Pill Furnace without hesitation.

Six hours passed in the blink of an eye.

As the Spirit Fire died down, a faint, exotic fragrance wafted from the furnace.

It smells like red plum blossoms just blooming in winter, mixed with the scorching hot wind of midday in summer.

Upon opening the Pill Furnace, two Grey Spirit Pill, each the size of a walnut, lay quietly in the very Pill Furnace.

That's right. Not only are the materials for the Three Revolutions Mysterious Origin Pill extremely difficult to collect, but each batch can only produce a mere two pills.

Fortunately, Xiao Chen had the [buy one get one free] bonus, and he had already obtained two extra Pill Formation in his Storage Bag.

"It's a pity I can't eat too many, otherwise I'd just have two, so I wouldn't have to keep cultivating."

Xiao Chen took out the jade bottle and put away the pills, then exhaled a slight breath of stale Turbid Qi.

With the Three Revolutions Mysterious Origin Pill, one can directly advance to a minor realm.

Of course, it's definitely not for use now.

He was already at the Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer, and estimated that he would be able to break through to the Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer in another half month.

After stabilizing my cultivation and taking the Three Revolutions Mysterious Origin Pill, I can directly reach the Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer.

After that, it's just a matter of refining Law Power and consolidating one's cultivation.

Xiao Chen had just received eight bottles of Essence Solidifying Pill from the Holy Son last time.

If everything goes smoothly, it is entirely possible to reach the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment before the end of February.

To be honest, obtaining Yin Contains Yang spiritual item within the spirit mine was a truly unexpected and delightful surprise.

Xiao Chen only smiled after he put away the elixir.

Despite having the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, it's only a matter of time before he breaks through to the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection.

But being faster naturally has its advantages.

This is not just a matter of Mana Capacity; it also involves comprehending the Way of Five Elements to prepare for the formation of the Golden Core.

However, the specifics are described rather mysteriously in the Cultivation Method, and it's difficult to imagine them from just the words.

Only after truly achieving the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection should one delve into the differences.

"Oh, Daoist Xiao, you've finally come out."

Xiao Chen walked out of the Alchemy Chamber with satisfaction and saw Chang Shunping waiting at the door.

The other party, looking extremely anxious, handed over a warning notice from the Spirit Origin Sect.

In the courtyard behind him stood many members of the Chang Family, all looking on with anticipation.

The atmosphere was very strange.

Xiao Chen read the warning carefully. It basically said that among the invading demonic cultivators, some were found to be using Soul Severing Needle injure people.

Therefore, I'd like to inform everyone in advance that you should take as many protective measures as possible.

Is there a problem with this?

Xiao Chen was a little puzzled. Logically speaking, Chang Shunping had already seen him fight twice and should have a good understanding of his strength.

How could a mere announcement scare you like this?

Chang Shunping explained, "Daoist Xiao, you are unaware of this. I've heard that the demonic cultivator who used the Soul Severing Needle this time was Divine Fire Sect Four Great Wanderers."

"From three days ago until Zi Hour last night."

"At least fourteen Foundation Establishment cultivators were brutally murdered, and the number of Qi Refining Cultivator is countless."

Fourteen Foundation Establishment?

Xiao Chen was also somewhat surprised to hear about the large number of casualties; this was really unusual.

He had already provided the original copy of the Soul Severing Needle before he even came to He Province.

Logically speaking, it's been almost three months, and the Spirit Origin Sect should have already developed countermeasures.

The power of secret techniques lies precisely in the word "secret."

This kind of unorthodox method, once known to others, should theoretically be easy to crack.

Moreover, let alone secret techniques, even normal Inherited Cultivation Method are very easy for enemies to find Method of Restraint once their contents are leaked.

Xiao Chen truly hadn't expected that the Spirit Origin Sect hadn't yet developed a countermeasure.

But in this respect, there was truly nothing he could do to help.

After all, he had only ever practiced the simplest Yellow-grade Technique and had no experience with Cultivation Method that started at the Earth-level.

Xiao Chen stopped issuing warnings. "Daoist Chang, you don't need to worry too much."

"If these invading demonic cultivators dare to come to Cyan Sun, just hand them over to me."

To everyone's surprise, Chang Shunping still wore a bitter expression. "Daoist Xiao, I have a favor to ask."

"If it's convenient, I'd like to take my people and move to the spirit mine to avoid the trouble these next few days."

"I've prepared all the necessary supplies; I won't cause you any trouble."

The people of his tribe behind him immediately knelt down, their eyes filled with anticipation.

It was clear that Chang Shunping was genuinely frightened.

Xiao Chen immediately reached out to help him up, saying, "Daoist Chang, you flatter me. It's just a small matter."