Entering the Mine

In Chu Zheng's perception, the surrounding Yin Qi suddenly surged, even suppressing the Yang Qi around it at high noon.

He fixed his gaze on the mine tunnel entrance as a streak of black cloud shot out, wrapping around a figure faintly visible—it was Han Mingdan, whom he had seen not long ago.

A blinding divine light followed from the tunnel, and Han Yuliang, a pagoda in his palm, caught up to the black mist in a few strides. The pagoda rose into the air, casting down Immortal Light, and suppressed the black mist beneath it.

Under the Immortal Light, the black mist shrouding Han Mingdan frantically burrowed into her seven orifices. The next moment, her tightly shut eyes snapped open, her eye sockets pitch-black, pupils gone.

Immediately, she formed hand seals at her fingertips, her blood energy churning. She parted her lips and spat out a Blood Sword, which tore through the pagoda's falling Immortal Light in an instant, and she fled again.

Chu Zheng watched closely from the side and quickly grasped the situation.

Han Mingdan was a woman with a somewhat special constitution, heavier in Yin Qi. When the evil spirit invaded her, the balance of Yin and Yang in her body was instantly disrupted, causing her mind to falter and her body to be taken over.

In this case, expelling the evil spirit wasn't too troublesome—just inject a large amount of Yang Qi to reawaken Han Mingdan's consciousness. But the prerequisite was catching her first.

As Chu Zheng pondered, Han Yuliang, standing in the sky above, wore a cold expression. A blurry figure emerged from a flash of light at his brow.

Chu Zheng's gaze sharpened as he tried to see clearly, but the next moment, that blurry figure crossed several hundred zhang and walked straight into Han Mingdan's body.

Han Mingdan's body stiffened, and she fell from midair. A few breaths later, thick black mist poured from her mouth, immediately sucked away by the pagoda above.

Only when the black mist was gone did the blurry figure step out of Han Mingdan's body and return to Han Yuliang's brow.

He raised his hand to retrieve the pagoda, landed beside Han Mingdan, fed her a Spirit Pill, and after a thorough check, let out a sigh of relief.

A moment later, Han Mingdan slowly opened her eyes, looking dazed and confused about what had happened: "Fourth Uncle... what just happened to me?"

She felt weak all over, as if she had suffered a severe illness, unable to muster any strength.

Han Yuliang helped her up and said calmly, "An evil spirit entered your body. Nothing serious. Go back and rest for a while. This was my oversight."

That Blood Sword had condensed nearly all of Han Mingdan's vital energy. After unleashing it, her blood energy was greatly depleted, and she would need some time to recover.

"Soul Condensation... so this is Soul Condensation."

In the distance, Chu Zheng's eyes held undisguised admiration. Strengthening the soul, even making it tangible, was like a miracle. This was the first time he had seen a cultivator of this level in action.

Compared to the Immortal Path, Qi Cultivators focused more on the body. After Spiritual Transformation, they used Yin and Yang Qi to refine their physique, cultivating Golden Muscles and Jade Bones, and then moved on to Forge Dao Embryo.

The Dao Embryo was preparation for the Golden Core. Once the Golden Core was condensed, a Qi Cultivator's Divine Abilities would greatly expand, granting them power nearly capable of moving mountains and draining seas. As for Thought Manifestation, that was a realm far beyond.

Many Martial Masters had witnessed this commotion, and they all felt a pang of fear, staring at the dark mine shaft with budding trepidation.

They had spent a long time in Phantom Spirit City, and the more they knew, the more afraid they became. They were mere mortals—no matter how strong their physical strength, they had no means to defend against such sinister ghostly entities.

"Rest assured, I will remain here to oversee things for the time being. The evil spirits inside have all been cleared out by me. There will be no more major trouble."

Han Yuliang's words didn't have much effect. An empty promise was too intangible to reassure them.

These Martial Masters knew their place—their lives were far less valuable than Han Mingdan's. Han Yuliang might not bother to save them.

Sensing the subtle shift in atmosphere, Han Yuliang immediately spoke up: "Everyone's compensation will be doubled, as previously stated. If anyone still doesn't want to stay here, you can return on the Flying Boat."

This statement finally got a reaction. Most of the Martial Masters relaxed, their expressions easing considerably. This attitude alone was enough to put them at ease.

This handling surprised Chu Zheng a little. He had thought Han Yuliang wouldn't care about these people's lives.

Fu Quanliang walked over to Chu Zheng and, seeing the surprise on his face, knew what he was thinking. He immediately sent a voice transmission:

"After all, he has to save face. Many of these people have ties to the Phantom Spirit Sect."

Hearing this, Chu Zheng understood. These Martial Masters in Phantom Spirit City were ultimately different from ordinary mortals. Trace back eight generations, and some might even be Han Yuliang's peers. He couldn't afford to make things too ugly.

As the saying went, even within Immortal Sects, relationships were tangled. Humans were social animals, unable to escape the need for interaction.

Chu Zheng withdrew his wandering thoughts and sent a voice transmission: "So, how did your inquiries go? When can I enter the mine tunnel?"

"You still want to go in? Aren't you afraid of dying?" Fu Quanliang's eyes widened slightly. He had thought this sudden incident would change Chu Zheng's mind.

Chu Zheng shook his head. This unexpected event actually reassured him quite a bit. This kind of evil spirit was hardly a danger to him.

What he had been worried about were evil spirits born from bones and corpses, zombies raised in places of extreme Yin—those were the real trouble.

But the fact that Han Yuliang had stirred up such a commotion inside and only this type of evil spirit had been disturbed was enough to prove the place was safe. He could be much more at ease.

Seeing that Chu Zheng had made up his mind, Fu Quanliang let out a soft sigh: "We can go down the mine tomorrow."

"I won't be able to go in with you then. I'll have to wait outside. Be very careful. If anything seems off, immediately send me a voice transmission. I'll find a way to get Han Yuliang to go in and save you."

The air inside the mine tunnel was mixed and harmful to cultivation. No normal cultivator would willingly go down there.

Fu Quanliang had only recently joined the Han Family's faction. If he acted too unusually, it would easily raise suspicion.

If something went wrong, all he could do was try his best to call for help for Chu Zheng.

"Thank you." Chu Zheng nodded. "Get me a map of the mine tunnels."

"I've already prepared that."

Fu Quanliang slowly moved closer and discreetly slipped a folded diagram into Chu Zheng's hand:

"Be careful in everything. I'll wait for you to come back."

The next morning.

Before the Mine Tunnel, over three hundred Martial Masters stood holding iron picks, ready to descend into the mine.

Despite Han Yuliang's assurances, more than sixty people still chose to return with the Flying Boat.

A disciple of the Phantom Spirit Sect stood at the mine entrance, handing each Martial Master a Detoxification Pill and a headband embedded with a Luminous Pearl.

Deep underground, the Mine Tunnel was inevitably filled with some foul air. While it might be harmless to cultivators, it could still cause considerable damage to ordinary human bodies.

Excessive inhalation of this foul air could lead to numbness in the limbs and a limp, weak body—most importantly, it would hinder the mining work.

Chu Zheng followed the crowd, slowly stepping into the pitch-black Mine Tunnel.

Fu Quanliang watched from the side as he entered, and in the blink of an eye, only the faint glimmers of the Luminous Pearls remained in sight.