Stone Spirit

He felt little sense of shared misfortune in his heart.

After all, he held no deep affection for the original owner's parents; flipping through those blurred fragments of memory felt no different than watching someone else's story.

Yet, he understood that the best comfort in this world was not telling the other person that everything would be alright.

Instead, it was to pull a bitter face and say, "Stop your damn crying; I've got it worse than you."

Sure enough, the sorrow between Chen Mengze's brows eased slightly. "My father was originally determined to seek revenge, but after half a lifetime of wasted effort, his cultivation made little progress, and gradually, he let it go."

"He didn't want to tell me about this; he didn't want me to carry the burden of this family blood feud."

"Then how did you find out?"

"My father got drunk once and cried." Chen Mengze paused, then added, "Also, when I was little, I once overheard some conversations between him and your father while I was supposed to be sleeping."

Upon learning this, the carefree little girl of those years grew up.

From that moment on, a seed of hatred was planted in her heart.

She applied herself to cultivation, thinking only of the day she could exact revenge.

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

Shen Mo looked at Chen Mengze, not knowing what to say.

He did not make grand, sweeping promises, such as saying he would definitely avenge her if the opportunity arose in the future.

Although, given his relationship with Uncle Chen, if he truly reached a level where he could crush the Liu and Wu families, he would indeed take action.

But Shen Mo was also very clear that, as of now, he was nowhere near that level of strength.

At this moment, saying such things would only invite ridicule.

Therefore, he could only remain a quiet listener.

Just as the two stood there in silence.

"Ah!"

"Immortal Master, help!"

Suddenly, a miserable scream erupted from within the mine, shattering the silence of the night.

At the same time, the summoning jade plaques at the waists of Shen Mo and Chen Mengze began to flicker.

"Something's happened!"

The two exchanged a glance, their expressions shifting as their spirits grew tense.

They rose in a hurry, rushing toward the source of the sound one after the other.

At the very bottom of the Mystic Crystal Mine.

A grotesque monster, as tall as a person and cast entirely from purple-gold ore, was currently raising its hand.

In its grip, it clutched the body of a gaunt miner.

The miner was being choked by the creature's iron-cast hand, his face turning purple as he struggled in vain.

In the distance, several miners fled for their lives, only to be intercepted by four identical grotesque monsters.

They trembled in fear, crying out desperately for the Immortal Masters to save them.

"It's a Stone Spirit!"

Chen Mengze arrived at the scene, her eyes turning cold as she caught sight of these monsters. "These Stone Spirits are not weak."

"Judging by the aura of the one leading them, it should already possess the strength of a human cultivator in the Qi Gathering Realm. I will handle it."

"As for the remaining four, their auras are roughly equivalent to the eighth level of the Body Tempering Realm. You hold them off first; once I've slain this strongest one, I'll come to assist you!"

As Chen Mengze spoke, she flicked her sleeves.

"Clang!"

The Azure Rainbow Sword was suddenly unsheathed, transforming into a streak of sword light as it slashed toward the rampaging Stone Spirit.

"Clang, clang!"

The Sword Qi landed on the Stone Spirit, producing the strange sound of metal striking stone, yet it failed to damage its body in the slightest.

"These Stone Spirits are formed from the iron essence of the Mystic Crystal Mine. Their bodies are as hard as black iron and they possess infinite strength, but they are clumsy. Do not clash with them head-on!"

Chen Mengze clearly knew a great deal about the characteristics of these Stone Spirits, and as she whipped up her Sword Qi, she called out instructions to Shen Mo in the distance.

"Understood."

Shen Mo drew his Green Edge Sword, positioning himself in front of the trembling miners.

Having slain the demon snake in Yongan Town, he now possessed real combat experience and was no longer the novice he once was.

Facing the enemy now, he remained completely composed.

"Supreme Clarity Sword Technique!"

He raised his long sword, and the green, tempered Sword Qi transformed into blades of light, slashing toward the Stone Spirits.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

Sword Qi rained down incessantly. Though these Illusionary Stone Spirits joined forces, they could not advance even an inch, forced into a constant retreat under the impenetrable barrage of Sword Qi.

Despite his current cultivation still lingering at the eighth level of the Body Tempering Realm, putting him on par with the strength of these four Stone Spirits, his mastery of martial techniques and the blessing of his destiny meant his true combat prowess far exceeded his rank, allowing him to hold his own effortlessly against four opponents at once.

"Slash!"

Spotting an opening, Shen Mo poured all the true energy within his body into his right hand and struck down abruptly: "Bang!"

This strike of Sword Qi actually cleaved one of the incredibly sturdy Stone Spirits clean in two.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter!"

As one of the Stone Spirits was shattered entirely, the numerous crystals upon its body seemed to lose their spiritual energy, falling to the ground one after another and turning into ordinary mineral ore. Only the Mystic Crystal Essence piled at the very top continued to emit a faint, fluorescent glow.

"It's Mystic Crystal Essence."

He picked up the faintly glowing stone, feeling a surge of secret joy. Mystic Crystal Essence was the concentrated essence formed within Mystic Crystal ore and served as the primary material for forging magical artifacts. These Stone Spirits, manifested due to the dense iron energy, were only able to move because this Mystic Crystal Essence acted as their source. Once a Stone Spirit was slain, its entire body of iron and stone would revert to mundane matter, leaving only the core essence behind.

"Come again!"

After slaying one Stone Spirit, Shen Mo struck once more. His figure was as agile as a swallow, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived before another Stone Spirit. The next instant—"Clang!" A surging, incomparable Sword Qi crashed down from his hand. Another Stone Spirit was slain, reduced to a pile of waste rock. By striking in such rapid succession, in less than half an incense stick's time, these small Stone Spirits that had been harming the miners were all put to the sword, beaten back into their original forms by Shen Mo.

Meanwhile, Chen Mengze had finished her side as well.

"You single-handedly wiped out all four of those Stone Spirits?"

Just as she was planning to return to assist Shen Mo, she caught sight of him idly tossing the four remaining pieces of Mystic Crystal Essence in his hand, and she could not help but look on in astonishment.

"Not bad. Although these Stone Spirits have some brute strength, their movements are too sluggish to pose any real threat," Shen Mo said with a shrug.

Chen Mengze cast a glance at Shen Mo, feeling inwardly that this fellow's combat power seemed to exceed her expectations. Even though Stone Spirits lacked intelligence and were cumbersome, making them inferior to cultivators of the same rank in battle, taking on four at once and finishing them so quickly was by no means an easy feat.

"Many thanks to the Immortals for your intervention."

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

"It is merely our duty." Chen Mengze waved her hand and said, "The Stone Spirits have been eliminated, so you should no longer be in any danger. Return to your work with peace of mind; if anything urgent arises, you may use the Summoning Token to call for help."

Generally speaking, an Illusionary Stone Spirit required a massive accumulation of iron energy to take form. Therefore, once a vein had manifested a Stone Spirit, it would have drained the iron energy of the mine, ensuring that no more would appear for a short time. Because the two had arrived in time, the miners had suffered no injuries and only needed a brief rest before they could return to work, sweating and toiling to excavate the mineral veins for the River-Facing Sect.

Having slain the Stone Spirits, Shen Mo and his companion returned to the Guardian Cave Abode.