"Hahaha! Deng Shouchong! You want this spiritual vein? I'll show it to you now, and see if you have the extraordinary ability to obtain it!"
Faced with this Extremis, Old Pavilion Master Huang let out a chilling laugh. Knowing he was powerless to change anything, he flipped his hand and took out a jade chime from his sleeve. He grinned maliciously at the four people in the canyon, then crushed the jade chime into powder.
"Hahahaha! Branch Master Chen anticipated that someone would try to take advantage of the spiritual vein, and he has already set up a great formation within this stone wall. Once the formation is destroyed, the spiritual vein within will automatically dissipate."
"You want Spirit Stone? Hahaha! Then go in and take them yourselves. I want to see if your methods are more powerful than the spirit veins themselves, or if they'll be destroyed faster!"
Seeing the crazed Old Pavilion Master Huang, everyone's hearts tightened. They then released their divine senses into the valley and discovered that the faint spiritual energy gathered in the valley was indeed slowly dissipating.
This greatly worried everyone. They had spent a great deal of money to seize the spiritual vein, all for the Spirit Stone resources within.
Unexpectedly, Old Pavilion Master Huang was so resolute, preferring to use an array to disperse the spiritual vein rather than leave everyone a single Spirit Stone.
Everyone was completely stunned by Old Pavilion Master Huang's move. The hot-tempered and shrewd cultivator had veins bulging on his forehead, and the others did not look too good either.
They gathered together because they were interested in the Spirit Stone within. Now that the spiritual vein has been dispersed, what have they gained from expending their Magic Power and Spirit Stone? It's clearly a losing proposition!
When Old Pavilion Master Huang saw the fascinating expressions on everyone's faces, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
He knew that he had no hope of survival against these men working together, so he simply accepted his fate and mocked these treacherous villains before he died.
"Fellow Daoist Deng, the spiritual veins are about to dissipate, what should we do!"
Ignoring Old Pavilion Master Huang's mockery for the moment, everyone turned around, their faces filled with barely suppressed anger, and questioned Deng Shouchong.
As the person in charge of the plan, Deng Shouchong naturally had to pay for the losses. The loss of Spirit Stone in the Land of Exile was something that no one could ignore.
They had expended a great deal of Magic Power and energy, and even nearly lost their lives, only to end up with nothing. How could they not be furious?
"Hahaha! Everyone, there's no need to worry, the way to gather the spiritual veins is right before our eyes!"
Seeing the barely concealed anger on everyone's faces, Deng Shouchong showed no sign of worry.
He remained remarkably calm as he comforted everyone, as if nothing could move him.
A glint of light flashed in his eyes, as if he were watching something fall, while he appeared confident and composed in front of everyone.
"Then please explain, Fellow Daoist Deng, what is the method for gathering spiritual veins?"
Everyone was taken aback by Deng Shouchong's confident words. They were puzzled by his determined expression and, feeling the spiritual energy slowly dissipate, they anxiously asked Deng Shouchong at the same time.
"Hahaha! Ignorant child, once this formation is destroyed, the spiritual veins within will dissipate without protection. What could Deng Shouchong possibly do? He's just using you!"
Upon hearing Deng Shouchong's confident words, Old Pavilion Master Huang uttered even more scathing sarcasm. He lay helplessly on his side at the entrance of the passage, and even in his Extremis, he did not forget to sow discord among the crowd.
The expressions of the crowd outside changed again. This time, before they could even ask, a glint flashed in Deng Shouchong's eyes, and he answered in a calm and confident tone:
"The way to gather spiritual veins has arrived, and it comes from the heavens!"
As soon as Deng Shouchong finished speaking, everyone subconsciously looked up at the sky.
Nine enormous array flags were reflected in everyone's eyes, rapidly falling from the sky. The spinning flags carried a powerful aura, and the scene of them covering the sky and blocking out the sun was awe-inspiring.
When has such a powerful formation ever existed in the Land of Exile?
As the array flags fell, the energy they generated was drawn to the spiritual veins below, and as they spun, they completely enveloped the continuous stone walls beneath.
A rumbling sound rang in my ears, and the earth beneath my feet cracked open with jagged fissures. The stone walls that had stood for thousands of years split open under the array flags.
The enormous array flags fell from the sky in a specific direction, and as a surge of immense energy poured into them, the entire canyon was enveloped by a mysterious energy.
The overwhelming aura of the battle flags was now hidden within the canyon, which had become a world unto itself!
At this moment, everyone came to their senses from their shock, and then they all extended their divine senses to search the canyon. Under the cover of the array flags, the spiritual energy that had been slowly dissipating in the canyon stopped dissipating.
This enormous formation is actually a large-scale Spirit-Gathering Array!
"This is impossible! Where would a large Spirit-Gathering Array come from in this Red Land? This is impossible!"
The Old Pavilion Master Huang was utterly shocked by what he saw. His aged face trembled, and his eyes were filled with disbelief.
His array Rogue Cultivators Association and has been placed in the spiritual vein to protect the Spirit Stone.
Rogue Cultivators Association that the news of the rogue cultivators guarding the spiritual veins would eventually be leaked, they prepared a suicidal plan. When Old Pavilion Master Huang crushed the jade plate, the spiritual veins within the formation began to dissipate, and the Spirit Stone mined from them would completely lose their spiritual energy.
The methods of the Rogue Cultivators Association are extremely ruthless: if I can't have it, you can't have it either!
In the Land of Exile, having Spirit Stone stones is everything. The spirit veins must not be allowed to be obtained by others. This kind of ebb and flow must not happen in the Rogue Cultivators Association!
But to everyone's surprise, Deng Shouchong and his group actually had this large-scale Spirit-Gathering Array. Using Spirit-Gathering Array with nine array flags to deal with this small spiritual vein was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. They really went to great lengths!
A sense of desolation rose in Old Pavilion Master Huang's heart. The spiritual vein that the Rogue Cultivators Association had painstakingly searched for was about to change hands today, and he knew he would not survive against this group of people.
The thought had just arisen when he abruptly stopped his swordplay, a look of bewilderment on his face, and a ray of precious light appeared above his head.
The flying sword he had summoned had fallen helplessly into the canyon, and he was filled with sorrow.
For two thousand years, he had been trapped in Land of Exile Lesser Immortal Realm, unable to make any progress and with no hope of achieving the Great Dao.
And the high expectations placed upon him by Branch Master Chen must be betrayed today!
Knowing that the Old Pavilion Master Huang was overwhelmed with grief, he was powerless to fight back, and his hunched body gradually blurred in the precious light.
The Dharma banner spun above his head, and its precious light absorbed Old Pavilion Master Huang below. The totem on the Dharma banner suddenly moved.
It seemed to have come alive above, exuding a vibrant aura, while the Old Pavilion Master Huang below was left without even a corpse.
Everyone was shocked by what they saw. They had never seen this Fellow Daoist Deng make a move before, and only today, during his battle with the Lesser Immortal Realm cultivator, did they witness his strangeness.
After the Dharma Banner was absorbed by Old Pavilion Master Huang, the precious light on it gradually subsided, and the previous imposing aura dissipated in an instant.
Deng Shouchong stretched out his palm in the canyon. The Dharma banner at the passage swayed slightly. The rotating Dharma banner was as light as a flame in the air, and then quickly passed towards his palm.
The enormous banner shrank in an instant as it passed through the air, becoming only two fingers wide when it reached Deng Shouchong's hands. The totems and precious light on it had all receded, and as it rotated, only the runes on it could still be seen moving rhythmically.
" Two Lin Brothers must have already found the location of the spiritual vein with the help of the Spirit-Seeking Armadillo!"
"Hahaha, we have fulfilled our mission! My brother and I have already found the Spirit Stone inside the passage ahead of us!"
After seeing that Old Pavilion Master Huang had been dealt with by Deng Shouchong, the burly man asked the Two Lin Brothers somewhat impatiently.
After the Two Lin Brothers answered inside the passage, everyone's eyes were filled with eagerness. Fortunately, Deng Shouchong had already established his authority by taking Old Pavilion Master Huang's life, so although they coveted the Spirit Stone, everyone still turned their gaze to him, seemingly waiting for his decision.
Deng Shouchong ignored the questioning gazes of the crowd in the canyon, instead raising his head to look at the sky with a meaningful smile on his lips.
"I must first thank you for setting up the formation!"
Deng Shouchong's call brought everyone back to reality, and the battle flags above their heads came to mind.
Then everyone realized that they seemed to have forgotten someone, and they subconsciously looked up at the sky, where a figure appeared in the canyon.
" Mo Yu greets Fellow Daoist Deng!"
"Haha, Fellow Mo Yu, you're too kind. Let me introduce you."
When Xu Long appeared in the canyon, Deng Shouchong greeted Xu Long with a familiar smile.
The familiarity in his expression suggested that he and Xu Long were old friends, but the Dharma banner spinning in his palm remained untouched, as if he were secretly on guard against something.
When Xu Long caught a glimpse of the Dharma banner in the palm of his hand, his pupils contracted slightly before returning to normal in an instant.
When the light of the treasure shone brightly during the battle with Old Pavilion Master Huang, he sensed a unique aura emanating from the Dharma Banner. However, now that the Dharma Banner had been retracted, there was no sign of anything unusual about it.
Looking at Deng Shouchong's current appearance, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Deng Shouchong's skill in playing the field was truly remarkable. The two had clearly never met before, yet he acted as if they were old acquaintances in front of everyone.
Seeing Deng Shouchong's behavior, he decided to play along and followed Deng Shouchong's lead, learning from Deng Shouchong's introduction:
The wielder was named Ma Fang. He was short and stocky, with an impatient temperament and a fierce appearance. He wielded a powerful and heavy Miao sword.
The Two Lin Brothers are skilled at controlling Desolate Beast. They are rare brothers among cultivators, and they are quite clever and have unique methods of controlling Desolate Beast.
Li Hong and Xu Tao are usually the ones who launch the frontal assault in the team. The two are agile and have a fearless nature when facing the enemy.
Seeing Deng Shouchong introduce himself to Xu Long with such familiarity, everyone couldn't help but feel a renewed sense of apprehension towards him.
When Old Pavilion Master Huang destroyed the spiritual vein, he thought the operation would be a waste of time and effort, but he did not expect that Fellow Daoist Deng was well prepared.
This Mo Yu must have been lying in ambush above the canyon from the beginning. He must have known that Old Huang would be unwilling, so he had Mo Yu use a large Spirit-Gathering Array to control the dissipation of the spiritual veins.
Deng Shouchong's face remained calm, but he was also inwardly relieved. Although he had detected Xu Long's whereabouts through a secret method, Old Huang's suicidal actions were indeed beyond his expectations.
What shocked him even more was that Xu Long had actually used a large Spirit-Gathering Array to control the spiritual vein!
He secretly felt fortunate that Xu Long had intervened; otherwise, his image of being a master strategist would have been ruined in front of everyone. And Xu Long was quite sensible, not revealing the "relationship" between him and Deng Shouchong.
When Deng Shouchong met Xu Long, the two exchanged a knowing smile. Having reached the passage from the canyon, Deng Shouchong casually and naturally put away the Dharma banner in his hand, then spoke first:
" Old Huang was about to perish with everyone, but fortunately Fellow Mo Yu's formation controlled the spiritual vein. I will not take a single Spirit Stone, but you all must include Fellow Daoist Mo Yu's share!"
Upon hearing Deng Shouchong's words, everyone's expression changed. The original plan was for five people to share the Spirit Stone, but now that there was one more person, it meant that they would receive one less share of Spirit Stone.
The importance of the Spirit Stone in the Land of Exile is self-evident, and Mo Yu's sudden addition to the group made everyone feel a little strange.
Ma Fang was the most impatient. After Deng Shouchong, he and the others looked at each other, and for a moment no one voiced any objection.
The crowd gathered at the passageway was enveloped in a slightly somber atmosphere.
"Fellow Daoist Deng, now that we have the Spirit Stone, shall we proceed with the next step of our plan?"
Seeing that no one spoke, Xu Long changed the subject to Deng Shouchong beside him, taking their silence as agreement.
This question was ambiguous, because Xu Long had no idea what Deng Shouchong and his group's next plan was, but Ma Fang and her group certainly did.
Therefore, Xu Long asked this question in order to avoid revealing any flaws in front of Ma Fang and the others, and also to find out Deng Shouchong's background. Sure enough, after this question, everyone's attention was diverted to Deng Shouchong.
"You can all rest assured, I, Deng, have promised to take you to Phoenix City, and I will never break my word!"
When Xu Long asked a question, Deng Shouchong didn't think much of it. In his mind, he already regarded Xu Long as one of the same people as Ma Fang and the others. Although Xu Long joined halfway, their goals were the same, and they all had to rely on Deng Shouchong!
Phoenix City!
Xu Long's gaze sharpened, his mind racing. He had used Divination Talisman to find these people in a Red Land, and had followed them closely all the way until now, when he had seized the spiritual vein. Their common destination seemed to be the Phoenix City that Deng Shouchong mentioned!
Although this Land of Exile was vast and boundless, most of it was deserted. Upon suddenly hearing the name of a city, Xu Long felt a surge of emotion.
He thought: If he wanted to find information about the Land of Exile and the news of the Ancestral Spirit, he had to go to places with many people to inquire. Therefore, Xu Long decided to go and explore Phoenix City, which Deng Shouchong mentioned. In this Land of Exile, he could not possibly search for the news of the Ancestral Spirit alone.