An Unexpected Turn of Events

In the vast sea of sand, two Sand Camel Beasts galloped with all their might under the urging of the riders on their backs.

More than a dozen miles ahead of them in the desert, a raised thin line sped deeper into the sands faster than a racing horse.

The thin line rose and fell, veering east and west rather than traveling in a straight path. Yet no matter how it changed direction, the two Sand Camel Beasts pursuing it always managed to adjust course in time and catch up.

Even when the thin line stopped extending, the riders atop the two Sand Camel Beasts would promptly rein in their mounts and stop to rest and wait. Only after the line reappeared and continued forward would they set off after it again.

The sun beat down fiercely, and the Sand Camel Beast's back was terribly bumpy. For Zhou Yang, who was riding a camel beast at full speed through the desert for the first time, the experience was utterly miserable.

Fortunately, cultivators possessed strong constitutions, and he had not eaten a single grain of rice in the past ten-odd days. Otherwise, he would have been jolted into vomiting on the spot. Even so, the sensation of his organs being shifted out of place nearly made him cry out several times.

Looking ahead, Zhou Quan, though likewise riding a camel beast at full gallop, stood steadily on its back as if nothing were happening, seemingly unable to feel the slightest bump.

Even an old man over a hundred years old could remain so calm and composed. How could Zhou Yang, a young junior of twenty, possibly have the nerve to complain?

With no other choice, he could only grit his teeth and endure the ordeal all the way, hating that fleeing Gold-Eating Rat to the marrow.

If not for the plan of "releasing the rat back to its nest" to be carried through perfectly, why would he have needed to suffer like this? He could have slaughtered the severely wounded Gold-Eating Rat back at the Fine Iron Ore Vein.

After pursuing it for most of the day and covering several hundred miles, Zhou Yang, whose face had gone pale from the jolting atop the camel beast, finally saw Zhou Quan ahead rein in his Sand Camel Beast and stop.

"Phew! Have we finally arrived?"

He tugged the reins with both hands to halt his mount, then jumped weakly from its back. Drenched in sweat, he collapsed onto the sand and gasped for breath, wheezing so hard he could barely catch his breath. He looked utterly wretched.

"Hehehe! So there are things even you, Little Nine, can't handle. This old man thought you could do anything!"

Zhou Quan strode over lightly and, seeing Zhou Yang's bedraggled state, let out a chuckle. His face was full of teasing amusement.

"Pant... pant... I'm already in this state, Third Grandfather, so stop making fun of me. Let me rest properly first!"

Zhou Yang rolled his eyes. Faced with the old man's teasing, he could only smile bitterly and wave his hand, not wanting to move even a finger.

Seeing this, the old man's smile faded as he said seriously, "Enough, I won't tease you anymore. That beast has probably reached its destination. I'll go ahead and investigate the situation. You rest here and wait for me."

"Then be careful, Third Grandfather."

Zhou Yang nodded and did not object to the old man acting alone.

The Gold-Eating Rat had already been severely wounded by them, and after traveling several hundred miles, it could no longer possibly threaten Zhou Quan, who was in perfect condition. He truly had no need to worry about Zhou Quan's safety.

What he feared now was that he and Zhou Quan had guessed wrong, or that the ore vein they discovered held little value for mining. That would be far too disheartening.

Over the next stretch of time, Zhou Yang became consumed by hopes and fears.

One moment, he hoped they would discover an immensely valuable ore vein this time, allowing both the Lineage and himself to make a fortune.

The next, he feared they had come for nothing, wasting their efforts and causing dozens of mortal miners to die in vain.

Caught in that anxious state, he practically counted every second as it passed. Several times, he nearly could not stop himself from following after Zhou Quan, who had gone ahead.

After nearly half an hour of such agonizing waiting, Zhou Quan finally returned under Zhou Yang's eager gaze.

"How was it? Third Grandfather, what did you find? Did you discover any signs of an ore vein?"

He hurried up to the old man and stared at him expectantly, repeatedly asking about the results.

"I found one. Our luck is not bad. There is a Crimson Flame Iron Ore Vein ahead!"

Zhou Quan did not keep him in suspense and directly revealed his discovery.

"Wonderful!"

Zhou Yang slapped his palm hard in excitement, nearly jumping up in joy.

Like Fine Iron, Crimson Flame Iron was also a first-tier spirit metal. However, Crimson Flame Iron was suitable for refining Fire Element artifacts, and many second-tier Fire Element artifacts used it as an auxiliary material. In terms of value, Crimson Flame Iron was a point or two more valuable than Fine Iron.

The Fine Iron Ore Vein at Qingping Mountain brought the Zhou Lineage a net profit of five hundred low-grade spirit stones each year. As long as the Crimson Flame Iron Ore Vein was properly developed, its profits certainly would not fall below that number. When the time came, Zhou Yang and Zhou Quan, as its discoverers, would each receive dozens more low-grade spirit stones every year just from dividends.

Dozens a year meant hundreds over ten years. Year after year, that would amount to an enormous sum.

With such a large sum of spirit stones about to fall into his lap for nothing, how could Zhou Yang not be excited?

"Little Nine, don't celebrate yet. This old man hasn't finished speaking!"

Zhou Quan looked at Zhou Yang, who was so happy he was about to leap up. His lips moved, and he said in a low voice, "It is true that I found a Crimson Flame Iron Ore Vein, but besides that Gold-Eating Rat, a large number of Poison Fire Scorpion demonic beasts live inside it. There are at least several hundred of them, including dozens of Tier 2 Poison Fire Scorpions. It is still uncertain whether there is an even more formidable Poison Fire Scorpion King!"

"What?"

Zhou Yang's expression changed drastically. The old man's news left him greatly shocked.

Poison Fire Scorpions were also a common kind of desert demonic beast in the Boundless Sea of Sand. There were both first-tier and second-tier varieties. A First-tier Poison Fire Scorpion merely possessed fire poison in its stinger. As long as one was careful not to be stung, even an Innate Cultivator could easily kill one.

But once a Poison Fire Scorpion advanced to the second tier, it immediately gained the Poison Fire Bullet spell, allowing it to spit fireballs at enemies from afar. If it fought desperately, it could even shoot the scorpion stinger from its tail at an enemy. Its power was comparable to a second-tier Flying Needle Artifact, and it contained potent fire poison.

If a cultivator below Late Qi Cultivation was struck by such a stinger, then unless they immediately swallowed a specially made second-tier Detoxifying Spirit Pill, they would be consumed by poisonous fire within a quarter of an hour and die without leaving a corpse.

Yet that was not the most terrifying part. The most terrifying thing was that once a Poison Fire Scorpion colony reached several hundred or even a thousand members, there was a certain chance that it would evolve a third-tier Poison Fire Scorpion King, equivalent to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

The Poison Fire Scorpion King was a Tier 3 Low-grade Demonic Beast, but with a scorpion swarm assisting it, it was far more troublesome than many Tier 3 mid-grade demonic beasts. Even a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator who faced it would not dare claim certain victory.

"Right. Poison Fire Scorpions favor scorching heat and have the habit of devouring Fire Element spirit minerals to strengthen themselves. Crimson Flame Iron is a Fire Element spirit metal, so it is no surprise that it attracted them to breed and settle here."

Zhou Yang recalled the records about Poison Fire Scorpions he had read in the Illustrated Guide to Desert Demonic Beasts, and immediately believed Zhou Quan's words.

But as he thought of this, a flash of insight struck his mind. He suddenly remembered something even more important and could not help widening his eyes as he stared at Zhou Quan and exclaimed:

"Third Grandfather, the Poison Fire Scorpion King is a Third-Rank Demonic Beast. Third-Rank Demonic Beasts are not comparable to first-tier or second-tier demonic beasts. Once a demonic beast reaches the third rank, it must occupy a spirit vein like us cultivators in order to keep advancing. If there truly is a Poison Fire Scorpion King here, doesn't that mean that besides the Crimson Flame Iron Ore Vein underground, there is also a natural Third-tier Spirit Vein?"

"Correct. You are quite sharp. This old man only thought of that after a long while following the discovery of the Poison Fire Scorpion swarm."

The old man nodded with an admiring expression, greatly appreciating Zhou Yang's sharpness.

Ordinary Qi Refining Cultivators would be frightened away at the mere mention of a Poison Fire Scorpion King. How could they possibly have the presence of mind to consider such matters?

Even he, a Ninth Layer Qi Refining Cultivator who had lived for over a hundred years, had been badly startled upon first seeing that dense black mass of Poison Fire Scorpions. The thought had never crossed his mind.

Only later, after retreating to a safe area and calming down, had he thought of it because of his profession as a Beast Tamer.

Zhou Yang did not care at all about the old man's praise. He had heard such compliments countless times over the years and had long since become immune to them.

What concerned him more was what the two of them should do next. Thus, he could not help looking at the old man and asking, "What does Third Grandfather plan to do next? Should we return immediately and ask the Old Clan Leader to come personally and investigate, or should we take the risk of determining the situation first before returning to the Lineage to report it to him?"

"And what do you think? This old man would like to hear your thoughts." Rather than answer, Zhou Quan posed a question in return, using it to test Zhou Yang.

Zhou Yang frowned at this and lowered his head in thought.

After quietly considering it for about a quarter of an hour, he abruptly raised his head. His eyes shone as he looked at the old man and said, "If Third Grandfather asks this grandnephew's opinion, then I say we should not worry about whether there is a Poison Fire Scorpion King for now. Let us kill that big rat first. We cannot let those miners of our Zhou Lineage die in vain, nor can we let our half month of waiting yield no tangible reward at all."

In the end, he still felt guilty toward those miners who had died unjustly and wanted to do something for them. Even if he could not bring them back to life, he could at least avenge them.

Fortunately, Zhou Quan did not oppose his proposal this time.

"Good. Then we will do as you say. We will go raze that beast's nest and skin it, tear out its bones, and comfort the souls of those dead miners in heaven!" The old man nodded lightly, approving Zhou Yang's proposal.

Thus, the two immediately found a sheltered and safe place to settle the two Sand Camel Beasts. Then, with Zhou Quan sensing the precise location of the Blood Spirit Mark, they charged straight toward the den of the fleeing Gold-Eating Rat.

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