Liuyun Grand Commandery, within the territory of Qingping Prefecture.
The Blue Jade Mountain Range stretches across the Southern Region the prefecture, containing numerous high-grade treasure mines, and countless others used for forging and cultivation.
If there were fewer demonic beasts entrenched here, it could be considered the most ideal mining site in Qingping Prefecture.
Unfortunately, opportunities often come with risks.
A Griffon Great Demon, comparable to a sixth-level Divine Connection Realm expert, resides here. Its mastery of the Law of Divine Wind is unparalleled, and even the True Fire Elder of the Heavenly Supervision Department has no effective way to deal with it.
Therefore, even though it hollowed out the most majestic treasure mountain in the area and has been occupying this place for nearly a thousand years, it has never suffered any serious damage.
Since the intelligence of Great Demon at the Divine Connection Realm is in no way inferior to that of Human Race, it is not difficult for them to communicate with cultivators who have entered the mountains.
As time went by, even mining the precious ore no longer required the Griffon Great Demon to do it himself.
Within Qingping Prefecture lies a dragon-headed Mountain Gate, [Xuantian Retreat], whose master personally dispatches the gate's elders to mine its precious ore.
Afterwards, the two parties split the profits, with over 70% of the gains going directly to the Griffon Great Demon.
As a result, [Xuantian Retreat] became the only Human Race force in Liuyun Grand Commandery capable of mining minerals in the Blue Jade Mountain Range.
Now.
At the foot of a mountain wall within the Blue Jade Mountain Range, hundreds of figures were busily working.
Judging from their attire, it was all personally taught by Xuantian Retreat.
Everyone has their own area of expertise. Even Great Demon at the Divine Connection Realm can easily damage the essence of a precious ore if it doesn't understand its properties.
That's why cooperation with the Human Race forces in the mainland is necessary.
However, the hardness of this blue jade ore is extremely high. Even for the most Personal Disciple of the Xuantian Retreat, who are at least at the Hegemony Realm, it would take a massive amount of true energy to successfully mine it.
Click!
Click!
The sound of true qi carving through the mountain wall was exceptionally crisp.
Not far from them, a bamboo chair stood out conspicuously under the shade of a tree.
On a bamboo chair, an elderly man with gray hair and a sword lay quietly with his eyes lowered. Beside him, a beautiful young woman in a green dress was fanning him with a paper fan to relieve his fatigue.
"Grandpa Star Sword"
The girl in the green dress had a sly look in her eyes. She pursed her lips and asked, "I've already fanned you, shouldn't you pass on the secret techniques of our sect to me?"
"Xue'er's hands are really precious; she charges such a high price just to fan herself."
The old man holding the sword did not open his eyes, but a hint of amusement crept into his aged voice. "Why don't you go ask your master father for it?"
"My father could never treat me as well as you have."
Su Xue drew out the last syllable of her sentence, her slender, fair hands no longer fanning the old man, but instead massaging his shoulders, and she said with a smirk:
"Last time, when I learned the pharmacology techniques from the temple, I tested them on a few mortal cultivators in the manor. Who knew their bodies were so fragile? Not one of them survived..."
She gritted her teeth. "My father scolds me for such a small thing, how could he possibly teach me any more secret skills? He'd rather curse me to death!"
"Your father wasn't just worried about the lives of those mortal cultivators."
The old man holding the sword sighed helplessly:
"Do you think the Heavenly Supervision Department is just sitting around doing nothing? Those thousand or so mortal cultivators you killed—if we really got serious, who knows how long they'd have to do all that hard labor for them!"
"Your father is also worried that things will escalate and it will be harder to fool him then."
The old man pointed to the exhausted disciple in the study not far away and patiently explained, "Even what happens here, they turn a blind eye."
"If we really push them too far and they call in that True Fire Elder from headquarters, we won't be able to do this precious mine business at all."
"I don't care."
Upon hearing this, Su Xue's anger intensified:
"I'm not even the same species as those mortal cultivators, so what's wrong with using it to improve my skills? My dad just likes making a fuss over nothing..."
"Stop it, all of you!"
Just then, a furious shout rang out from afar, interrupting the green-skirted girl's speech and the old man's rest:
"Old man Xingjian! Take your people from Xuantian Retreat and get out of here!"
The person who spoke was Kong Ting, the Manager of the Qingping Prefecture Heavenly Supervision Department.
He came today not for anything else, but to make the people of Xuantian Retreat stop completely.
This was not his personal decision, but rather the decision of the Chief Clerk of Liuyun Grand Commandery above him!
The magistrate acted quite firmly this time.
It seems that True Fire Elder from headquarters has finally arrived!
Although they couldn't attack the Griffon Great Demon deep in the mountains.
However, getting Xuantian Retreat, who had openly humiliated the Liuyun County Heavenly Supervision Department, to back down was no problem at all!
The old man holding the sword slightly opened his eyes, and his originally cloudy eyes now held a kind of starlight-like Sword Intent.
He stood up and looked over, a smile appearing in his half-open eyes, "So it's Lord Kong, it's been a long time."
Don't try to get close to me!
Kong Ting straightened his back forcefully and shouted in a loud voice, "I'll say it again! Take your men and get out of the Blue Jade Mountain Range!"
The old man holding the sword twitched slightly upon hearing this.
As a dignified True Person at the third level of the Divine Connection Realm, he was somewhat embarrassed to be treated so disrespectfully by Manager.
But Kong Ting is unexpectedly stubborn today.
It's as if they've suddenly found something to rely on, making it hard to gauge their true strength.
The girl in the green dress beside him couldn't contain herself any longer.
Who do you think you are?!
Su Xue was already in a bad mood, and this was like adding fuel to the fire, her beautiful face flushed with intense anger.
"A mere Manager dares to yell at my grandfather! Anyone who didn't know better would think you were a prefectural governor!!"
"Which department in Qingping Prefecture hasn't benefited from my Xuantian Retreat? Even the Faithful Wish Power of that Sicheng Mansion should rightfully belong to us! In the end, your Qingping Prefecture Heavenly Supervision Department is nothing more than a dog raised by my Xuantian Retreat!!"