Spirit Veins

This haul of over seventy thousand high-grade Heavenly Mystery Stones was nearly equivalent to the entire annual output of Mingyu Mountain for Moon-Gazing City. Only by daring to tap into the spiritual vein of Mingyu Mountain could the Nangong Clan have produced such a sum at once.

However, Chen Xiao knew clearly that since the Nangong Clan had the audacity to touch the spiritual vein of Mingyu Mountain, it meant they no longer feared retribution from the Glazed Heaven Palace. This was far from good news.

"The total assets of the Chen Clan currently amount to only a few tens of thousands of high-grade Heavenly Mystery Stones. Yet, the Nangong Clan can pull several times that amount from a single mining area..."

Chen Xiao let out a long breath. He finally understood why the Nangong Clan was able to wipe out the entire Chen Clan overnight two years later; the power of this family was far more profound than what they displayed on the surface.

The Chen Clan had been deeply rooted in Moon-Gazing City for centuries as the City Lord's family. Even if their pillar, Chen Fengyang, had died, there were still other veterans and elders within the clan.

Yet, the Chen Clan was annihilated in a single night. There could only be one explanation: the strength of the Nangong Clan was vastly superior to that of the Chen Clan.

An even more ominous thought began to take root in Chen Xiao's mind.

"Young Master, what should we do now?"

Mengmeng was a sharp-witted girl. Seeing the sheer volume of the plundered Heavenly Mystery Stones, she was deeply shaken, her face etched with worry.

"If the Nangong Clan can touch that spiritual vein, why can't I, Chen Xiao? Let's go. We will follow this vein; it should lead us directly to the spiritual source."

With a flick of his hand, Chen Xiao slapped three Heaven-Concealing Talismans onto the three of them, then quickly slipped into the Nangong Clan's mining tunnel.

Mengmeng and Cai Di exchanged bewildered glances. The spiritual vein was the very foundation of Moon-Gazing City, the source that provided spiritual energy to all cultivators in the city. Since ancient times, no one dared to covet the spiritual vein unless they were cultivators openly rebelling against the Glazed Heaven Palace.

"Let's go. Now that Young Master has awakened his Immortal Spirit Root, his value in the eyes of the Glazed Heaven Palace far exceeds that of a single spiritual vein. Just follow him."

Cai Di thought it over and spoke up, then followed closely behind.

The Immortal Spirit Root was now Chen Xiao's protective talisman. At the very least, even if he turned Mingyu Mountain upside down, the Glazed Heaven Palace would not touch him. Firstly, he was the City Lord's son; secondly, he possessed an Immortal Spirit Root, destined to become a Golden Immortal. The Glazed Heaven Palace would undoubtedly pay a high price to win over such a person.

Therefore, no matter how much trouble Chen Xiao caused here, only the Nangong Clan would suffer; he would remain unscathed.

Relying on the Heaven-Concealing Talismans to mask their presence, the three of them moved rapidly through the massive mine. In reality, all the Nangong Clan's mining tunnels in Mingyu Mountain were interconnected, and this specific tunnel was the main artery of them all.

"Hmm? We've reached the end?"

After about two hours, the three of them reached the terminus of the tunnel. Although people were still busy hammering away at the ore, there was no further excavation into the depths.

"Could I have been wrong? Did the Nangong Clan not actually touch the spiritual vein of Mingyu Mountain?"

Chen Xiao pondered for a moment, then led the other two as they slowly retreated.

For three full days, Chen Xiao, along with Mengmeng and Cai Di, wandered through the mining area. They searched almost every inch of the space, yet found nothing unusual.

"What is going on? Where exactly are the Nangong Clan getting these Heavenly Mystery Stones from?"

At this moment, Chen Xiao sat in an abandoned mine shaft, feeling somewhat frustrated.

After all, the Nangong Clan obtaining such a massive quantity of Heavenly Mystery Stones out of thin air posed an immense threat to the Chen Clan.

"Someone is coming."

Just then, Cai Di, who was keeping watch at the entrance, became alert. The three of them immediately concealed their presence. Although the Heaven-Concealing Talismans were powerful, they had a time limit and could not be used indefinitely.

A moment later, Nangong Shenyao appeared, seemingly inspecting the mine. He walked into this abandoned shaft with an air of casual indifference.

Upon entering, Nangong Shenyao moved the very boulder Chen Xiao had just been sitting on. He then pinched a spiritual seal, and a massive opening appeared out of thin air.

Mengmeng and Cai Di looked at Chen Xiao with strange expressions. When they had first entered, Chen Xiao had been sitting on that exact boulder while directing them to search the shaft. They never expected the truth to be hidden right beneath his seat.

Chen Xiao's face flushed slightly, but the three of them did not hesitate. They followed closely behind Nangong Shenyao and charged into the hidden tunnel.

After they passed through, the entrance vanished instantly, clearly shielded by some form of illusion.

"This is not the spiritual vein of Mingyu Mountain."

Relying on the power of their talismans, the three followed Nangong Shenyao closely, communicating through divine sense.

The tunnel was dark and deep, devoid of light or any other presence.

Cai Di extended his divine sense, cautiously exploring the passage, and finally said, "This isn't a mine shaft. It's just a tunnel leading to who knows where."

After an unknown amount of time, a faint, eerie glow appeared; the tunnel had reached its end.

The end of the passage seemed to be guarded by an incredibly powerful formation, isolating the spiritual fluctuations on the other side. The moment Chen Xiao and the others followed Nangong Shenyao through, they felt a jolt run through their bodies, instantly engulfed by a surge of immense spiritual energy.

"This..."

Chen Xiao swallowed hard, forcibly suppressing the Nine Heavens Thunder Virtue Universal Transformation Art that was about to activate on its own. He knew this was not the time for cultivation.

It was clear that a space had been carved out inside a great mountain, spanning a hundred yards in radius. The surrounding stone walls were embedded with high-grade Heavenly Mystery Stones, and several core disciples of the Nangong Clan were either cultivating there or mining the stones from the walls.

Chen Xiao took a deep breath, cold light flashing in his eyes. This was clearly the location of Mingyu Mountain's spiritual vein. He hadn't expected the Nangong Clan to plunder these resources to cultivate their own clansmen.

No wonder the spiritual energy in Moon-Gazing City was thinner than in other nearby major cities, requiring the City Lord's Mansion to expend Heavenly Mystery Stones every year to power the formations. The root cause lay right here.

"From today on, all mined Heavenly Mystery Stones are to remain in the mine. The clan will collect them uniformly every year," Nangong Shenyao said upon arriving.

"Understood, Clan Uncle."

The Nangong disciples in charge were puzzled, but they dared not argue and replied immediately.

Nangong Shenyao nodded and headed toward another passage.

Chen Xiao knew clearly in his heart that there must be other secrets hidden here, so he followed closely behind.

"Cai Di, you and Mengmeng stay here... Oh, right, didn't you say you needed a Poison Chief? The people here are the perfect candidates."

Chen Xiao stopped Mengmeng and Cai Di from following him. Everyone here was an elite descendant of the Nangong Family; if they were all refined in one fell swoop, it would completely sever the foundation of the Nangong Family.

Upon hearing Chen Xiao's words, Cai Di's eyes lit up suddenly. There were hundreds of people here, with the highest cultivation reaching the Out-of-Body Realm and the lowest being at the Golden Core Realm.

However, he understood that now was not the time to act against these people. If the Nangong Family were to become alert and launch a counterattack, Cai Di would surely be reduced to ashes.

Moreover, who would believe that there were no powerful experts guarding this place?

Chen Xiao letting Cai Di stay here was merely to make some preparations, such as silently setting up a grand poisonous formation.

By now, Chen Xiao had already followed Nangong Shenyao into that passageway.