Stone Spirit

He didn't feel much sympathy for her plight.

After all, he hadn't been close to his birth parents. The hazy fragments of his past memories felt just like watching someone else's story.

But he knew that the best comfort in the world wasn't telling someone that everything would be all right.

It was—wearing a miserable expression and saying, "What's there to cry about? I've got it worse than you."

Sure enough, the sorrow between Chen Mengze's brows eased a little. "My father was once determined to take revenge. But half a lifetime passed, and his cultivation barely improved. Gradually, he let it go."

"He didn't want to tell me about it. He didn't want me to shoulder the family's blood feud."

"Then how did you find out?"

"My father got drunk once and cried." Chen Mengze paused, then continued, "And when I was little, I once overheard him talking with your father while I was supposed to be asleep."

After learning the truth, the carefree little girl of those days grew up.

A seed of hatred took root in her heart.

She worked hard at cultivation, thinking only of the day she could take revenge.

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

Shen Mo looked at Chen Mengze, unsure what to say.

He didn't make some sweeping promise like, "If I ever get the chance, I'll avenge you."

Given his relationship with Uncle Chen, if he really reached a level where he could crush the Liu and Wu Families, he would indeed act.

But Shen Mo knew full well that he was nowhere near strong enough yet.

To say such things at a time like this would only make him a laughingstock.

So all he could do was quietly listen.

Just as the two sat facing each other in silence—

"Ah!"

"Immortal Masters! Help!"

A miserable scream suddenly rang out from inside the mine, shattering the silence of the night.

At the same time, the Summoning Tokens at Shen Mo and Chen Mengze's waists began to flash.

"Something's happened!"

The two exchanged a glance, their expressions changing as their minds snapped to attention.

They hurried to their feet and rushed toward the source of the sound, one after the other.

At the deepest level of the Mystic Crystal Mine,

a towering, misshapen monster forged entirely from purple-gold ore raised its hand.

Clutched in its grasp was the withered body of a miner.

The miner's throat was trapped in its steel-forged hand. His face had turned purplish blue as he struggled desperately.

In the distance, several miners tried to flee, only to be blocked by four identical monsters.

They trembled and cried out in despair, begging the Immortal Masters to save them.

"Stone Spirits!"

When Chen Mengze arrived and saw the misshapen monsters, her gaze turned cold. "These Stone Spirits are no weaklings."

"The one in front has the aura of a human cultivator at the Qi Gathering Realm. I'll take it down."

"The other four have auras roughly equal to the eighth layer of the Body Tempering Realm. Hold them off for now. Once I've slain the strongest one, I'll come help you!"

As Chen Mengze spoke, she swept her sleeve.

Clang!

An Azure Rainbow Sword flashed into view and transformed into a streak of sword light, slashing toward the murderous Stone Spirit.

Clang! Clang!

Sword Qi struck the Stone Spirit with the ringing of metal against stone, yet it couldn't damage its body in the slightest.

"These Stone Spirits are all formed from the iron qi in the Mystic Crystal Mine. Their bodies are as hard as black iron and they possess immense strength, but they're clumsy. Don't meet them head-on!"

Chen Mengze clearly knew the Stone Spirits' traits well. As she swept out waves of Sword Qi, she called out instructions to Shen Mo in the distance.

"Understood."

Shen Mo drew his Green Edge Sword and stood guard in front of the trembling miners.

After slaying the demon serpent in Yongan Town, he had gained real combat experience. He was no longer the same inexperienced novice.

Facing the enemy now, he remained completely calm.

"Supreme Clarity Sword Technique!"

He raised his sword, and azure sword qi shot forth like blade after blade, slashing at the Stone Spirits.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sword Qi rained down without pause. Though the Stone Spirits fought together, they couldn't advance an inch. They could only be driven back again and again beneath the airtight barrage.

Although his cultivation was still at the eighth layer of the Body Tempering Realm, roughly on par with the four Stone Spirits,

his mastery of martial techniques and the boost from his Destiny

put his true combat strength far beyond what it seemed. Even facing four opponents alone, he didn't give an inch.

"Slash!"

Seizing his chance, he poured all the true qi in his body into his right hand and brought his sword down. Boom!

The sword qi cleaved straight through one of the incomparably hard Stone Spirits, splitting it in two.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

One Stone Spirit shattered completely. The many crystals in its body seemed to lose their spiritual energy and tumbled to the ground, turning into ordinary crystal ore.

Only the Mystic Crystal ore piled at the very top still gave off a faint glow.

"Mystic Crystal Essence."

He picked up the faintly glowing stone, secretly pleased.

Mystic Crystal Essence was the concentrated essence of Mystic Crystal ore.

It was the primary material used to forge magic weapons.

The Stone Spirits had taken shape because of the dense iron qi, and the Mystic Crystal Essence served as their source, allowing them to move.

Once a Stone Spirit was slain, all the iron and stone in its body turned into ordinary material. Only the source ore remained.

"Again!"

After killing one Stone Spirit, Shen Mo attacked once more.

His figure moved like a swift swallow. In an instant, he was before another Stone Spirit.

The next moment—Clang!

A tremendous surge of sword qi crashed down from his hand.

Another Stone Spirit fell to his sword, turning into a pile of rubble.

He continued striking one after another. In less than half an incense stick's time, the small Stone Spirits that had attacked the miners had all been slain and returned to their original forms by Shen Mo.

At the same time, Chen Mengze had finished off her opponent.

"You slew all four Stone Spirits by yourself?"

She had been about to return and help Shen Mo, but when she saw him idly turning the four pieces of Mystic Crystal Essence in his hand, she couldn't help but look stunned.

"That's right. The Stone Spirits have some brute strength, but they're too slow to be much of a threat." Shen Mo shrugged.

Chen Mengze glanced at Shen Mo, secretly feeling that his combat strength seemed to be a little beyond her expectations.

Although the Stone Spirits had little intelligence and were cumbersome, making them less effective than cultivators of the same rank in battle,

defeating four so quickly was still no easy feat.

"Thank you, Immortal Masters, for coming to our aid."

The miners, still shaken, thanked Chen Mengze and Shen Mo.

"It was our duty."

Chen Mengze waved a hand. "The Stone Spirits are gone, so you should be safe now. Get back to work without worry. If anything happens, use your Summoning Tokens to call for help."

Ordinarily, a large amount of iron qi had to gather before an Illusionary Stone Spirit could take shape.

So once a Stone Spirit appeared in a mine, it had drained the iron qi from the entire vein.

None would appear again for some time.

Since the two had arrived in time, the miners had suffered no injuries. They only rested briefly.

Soon they returned to work, digging out the mine for the River-Facing Sect and selling their blood and sweat.

After slaying the Stone Spirits, Shen Mo and Chen Mengze returned to the Guardian Cave Abode.