"Over there, stop dawdling. Dig with all your strength—take as much as you can before the secret realm closes."
"Yes, Senior Brother."
The man in blue-and-white Daoist robes nodded and returned to the center of the mine vein.
"Senior Brother Lu, the disciples are already mining with all their strength."
Dressed in white, with a paper fan in hand and a treasured sword at his waist, he looked more like a wandering swordsman of the martial world than an immortal cultivator.
His cultivation stood at the peak of the ninth layer of Qi Refining, exuding tremendous pressure.
"Well done. Also, tell the junior brothers to be careful while mining. Don't let the tunnel collapse and bury them inside."
"Yes, Senior Brother. But if we overmine the Spirit Stone Mine like this, will the Qingchuan Secret Realm truly be ruined in the future?"
This Inner Sect Disciple, who was asking the question, was at the ninth layer of Qi Refining and had likewise begun considering Foundation Establishment.
He cared greatly about the spiritual herbs within the secret realm.
He had originally planned to search for the various spiritual herbs needed to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill during this trip into the secret realm. Yet the sect had assigned him a secret mission, ordering him to follow this True Inheritor Disciple in mining the Spirit Stone Mine.
If this secret realm truly became useless, where would he find his Foundation Establishment Pill in the future?
Lu Yibin nodded. "That is indeed the case. The Qingchuan Secret Realm will be completely abandoned from now on."
Obvious regret appeared on the latter's face.
"But you needn't worry. The sect has long prepared a solution.
When the time comes, Foundation Establishment Pills will not be scarce. There may even be several percent more than there are now.
"So long as you properly complete the tasks assigned by the sect, the Contribution Points you earn will be enough to exchange for one to use for Foundation Establishment."
Though the disciple before him was somewhat doubtful, joy still surfaced on his face.
"This junior understands."
Lu Yibin flicked open his folding fan.
"Continue supervising the work. Other cultivators are approaching from outside; I'll go deal with them."
With that, he headed straight out of the mine tunnel, leaving streaks of afterimages where he had stood without making a single sound, drifting like a ghost.
The disciple behind him could only wipe away a cold sweat. Facing this True Inheritor Senior Brother placed far too much pressure on him.
He had no idea how the hall masters had suppressed his Foundation Establishment cultivation to the peak of Qi Refining. It was truly bizarre.
Still, it was for the best. With Senior Brother Lu guarding them, this trip into the secret realm would be much safer.
He then entered the mine tunnel where Spirit Stones were being excavated again and shouted loudly.
"Be careful, all of you. Don't bury yourselves alive. Hurting yourselves is one thing—don't drag your fellow sect brothers down with you."
Lu Yibin walked out of the mine tunnel and saw five streaks of escaping light racing in this direction.
The three streaks behind were Wei Zhong's "acquaintances"—the three Rogue Cultivators who had trailed the Azurewood Sect disciples.
The two in front were Inner Sect Disciples of the Azurewood Sect. One of them was the leader of the group of Qi Refining disciples Wei Zhong had encountered when he first entered the secret realm, though for some reason, only one of his companions was now here.
The other also wore blue-and-white Daoist robes, and the might of the ninth layer of Qi Refining faintly radiated from him.
Both men were pale, their torn Daoist robes stained with specks of blood.
At the sight of True Inheritor Senior Brother Lu Yibin, delight appeared on both their faces.
"Senior Brother, save us!"
Before they even arrived, the two were already crying out.
With a sweep of the paper fan in his right hand, Lu Yibin sent eight streaks of sword light shooting forth. They traced eight arcs through the air as they flew toward the three Rogue Cultivators.
The Rogue Cultivators were not slow to react. Old Man Wu brought forth a jet-black shield, and as he poured spiritual power into it, the shield rapidly expanded until it was the size of a house, blocking all eight streaks of sword light.
Lu Yibin snorted coldly. "A mantis trying to stop a carriage!"
In an instant, three of the eight sword lights pierced through the Spirit Shield's defense and continued toward him, while the other five were blocked and lodged in the shield.
A trace of panic flashed through the old man's eyes. It was already too late for him to bring out another defensive artifact.
Fortunately, his teammates were capable. Seeing their companion's black shield defense broken, they froze for the span of a breath, but swiftly employed their own methods. One crushed a talisman, and a phantom Golden Bell immediately appeared, enveloping all three of them.
The sword lights struck it, triggering a violent explosion of spiritual energy. Cracks spread over the surface of the Golden Bell, but it ultimately held.
Lu Yibin recalled the eight small swords, which hovered at his side.
The two Inner Sect Disciples also landed and hid behind Lu Yibin.
"Senior Brother, we discovered a Thousand Knot Flower Patch. When we tried to harvest it, these three ambushed us. Five fellow junior brothers died in that attack. Senior Brother, you must avenge them!"
Having just escaped danger, the two Inner Sect Disciples spoke in grief.
Lu Yibin frowned and asked blandly.
"Where are the Thousand Knot Flowers?"
"Half are here, and the other half are in those three men's hands."
The disciple at the ninth layer of Qi Refining hurriedly took out a section of vine from his Storage Bag. More than a dozen Thousand Knot Flowers grew upon it.
Five of them were over two hundred years old, and one was even more than three hundred years old, already suitable for refining higher-grade pills.
Even someone as indifferent as Lu Yibin showed a trace of delight at this sight, praising him.
"Well done."
He turned back to the three Rogue Cultivators.
"You killed disciples of my Azurewood Sect. Your crimes deserve ten thousand deaths!"
Old Man Wu was holding his first-grade high-quality Spirit Shield, aching over the damage, when a flash of insight suddenly crossed his mind.
He could not help crying out in terror.
"White robes, paper fan, eight swords with a wave of your sleeve—you are Lu Yibin, the Azurewood Sect's Second True Disciple?
Impossible! How could someone at Foundation Establishment enter this secret realm?"
But when he saw Lu Yibin's peculiar aura, faintly carrying the peak might of the ninth layer of Qi Refining, he immediately understood something.
His face turned ashen.
He turned and fled at once, abandoning even his two teammates.
Upon hearing his words, the other two were also terrified beyond measure.
Their strength was inferior even to ordinary sect disciples of the same realm. They had to rely on ambushes just to seize spiritual herbs.
How could they possibly be a match for a True Inheritor whose cultivation had been suppressed?
They each used their own methods and scattered in every direction to flee for their lives.
"Hmph! Trying to run? It won't be that easy."
Lu Yibin's figure flashed, and he vanished from where he stood.
Run, run, run. I have to escape. The Azurewood Sect has sent a True Inheritor Disciple here after suppressing his cultivation; they must be plotting something enormous.
I have run into this man, and he will never let me go. As long as I escape this place, I can find somewhere no one will discover and wait until the secret realm closes before leaving.
Then, so long as I polish and reveal this secret I know, I will surely be able to rally the other Rogue Cultivators and make it impossible for the Azurewood Sect to lay a hand on me.
Old Man Wu thought this as he fled. At the same time, he secretly regretted coveting that half of the Thousand Knot Flowers. Otherwise, this would never have happened.
After only a few moments of thought, several miserable screams rang out nearby. The old man understood that his companions had already met with disaster.
That True Inheritor Disciple, Lu Yibin, was coming for him.
"You're quite fast!"
A ghostly, low voice sounded beside his ear. The old man turned and saw Lu Yibin's pale face.
The two were moving side by side at nearly the same speed.
The old man was almost frightened out of his wits.
"Since when..."
Before he could finish, a small sword pierced through his abdomen from behind.
Before you continue