For disciples of other sects, excavating the Flame Heart Stone is like gambling, like winning the lottery.
But for Lu Qingshan, it was no different from finding money.
In just one hundred days, Lu Qingshan unearthed over a hundred Flame Heart Stone from this abandoned mine.
A rough estimate puts the value of these Flame Heart Stone at around 250,000 Cosmic Sand.
This already far exceeds the entire fortune of most Eternal True God.
Of course, all these Flame Heart Stone must be handed over to the sect and cannot be taken out privately. This is because these treasure lands where the gathering missions are carried out are all the sect's property. Therefore, before coming to carry out the missions, one must first sign a contract with the sect. The contract stipulates that no one may keep any of the stones for themselves. Of course, the agreed reward will also be written in the contract.
If the contract is broken, the consequences will certainly be greater than what is embezzled. Moreover, if the sect discovers this, they will be prohibited from accepting missions, and may even be expelled from the sect.
According to the contract, he can get 30% of these Flame Heart Stone, which is about 70,000 to 80,000 Cosmic Sand. Including what he still has, it's enough to pay off the debt to the Master of Fire Saint.
"Let's continue!"
Although the area in front of him had been almost completely excavated, there were still some scattered remnants. Since he had already dug this far, Lu Qingshan had no intention of giving up. After all, this was all Cosmic Sand, and if it were exchanged for treasures to bestow upon his disciples, the return would be at least ten thousand times.
Soon, more pieces of Flame Heart Stone arrived. These Flame Heart Stone were irregular in size, and many were very small, so they could only be considered defective products. Their prices were not as high as those of genuine Flame Heart Stone, but they could definitely be sold for a few hundred Cosmic Sand.
As they dug...
Suddenly, Lu Qingshan sensed an extremely slight fluctuation sweep across his consciousness, like a drop of ink falling into a pond. Although it was very subtle and appeared to have no effect, he was still able to perceive it.
"What is that?!"
Lu Qingshan was taken aback.
The fluctuation came too quickly; almost the instant he sensed it, it immediately began to try to penetrate his mind.
However, almost at the same time, the Eye of Wisdom between Lu Qingshan's brows suddenly lit up, and the wisp of fluctuation that had tried to penetrate his mind vanished Shadowless in an instant.
Then, a scream rang out.
Lu Qingshan looked in the direction of the sound.
In the Shadow deep within an abandoned cave.
A slender, crimson creature lay limp on the ground, as if all its bones had been removed. It had sharp claws, piercing eyes, and fine red markings all over its body. However, its eyes were now dull and lifeless, and the markings on its body had darkened, clearly indicating that it had lost its life force.
"This is— the Flame Heart Snake!"
Lu Qingshan showed a hint of surprise.
Although the gathering missions are not very risky, they still carry some risk. Perhaps the sect failed to clean up properly, or perhaps these dangers were intentionally left behind to train the disciples. Therefore, some disciples of the Flame Ruins Sect perish during each gathering mission.
This Flame Heart Treasure Land naturally also carries dangers.
The most dangerous of them all is the Flame Heart Snake.
This thing is no ordinary creature. It is a companion beast of the Flameheart Mine, lurking in the deepest part of the Flameheart Mine year-round. It likes to stay in the rich ore of Flame Heart Stone. Although its attack ability is very average, it is good at soul invasion and mind control. Its attacks are very strange. Without a strong will, it is easy to fall for its attacks.
Once completely Soul Infiltration, it becomes an empty shell without a soul, becoming food for the Flame Heart Snake.
Even Lu Qingshan —if it weren't for the Eye of Wisdom, he would have been in considerable danger.
Unfortunately, the Eye of Wisdom had already completely merged into the depths of his soul. For the Flame Heart Snake to invade his soul was like Stone; even the slightest passive counterattack was a price he could not afford.
The sudden demise of this Flame Heart Snake, a being of Eternal True God Level, was clearly due to a severe backlash.
Since there was no follow-up, Lu Qingshan couldn't determine whether the Flame Heart Snake could actually harm him without the Eye of Wisdom.
However, there's no need to consider these things. The Eye of Wisdom itself is his opportunity, a treasure he obtained in the Primordial Spirit Palace, and naturally it can be considered part of his strength.
Although his willpower is currently average, he possesses the Eye of Wisdom for protection, making his soul defense absolutely top-notch. Not to mention the Flame Heart Snake, even if Chaos Great Sage were to invade his soul, he would likely perish instantly.
The Eye of Wisdom is Hunyuan matter; it cannot be touched, touched, or looked at directly.
Lu Qingshan shifted his gaze from the Flame Heart Snake, confirming that it was not faking and that it was truly dead.
If this thing were alive, it would be very valuable, selling for hundreds of thousands of Cosmic Sand. After all, many wealthy people would buy Flame Heart Snake as pets for their disciples or children. This thing is proficient in mind penetration and is a great helper in battle.
However, even a dead Flame Heart Snake is quite valuable.
This thing is practically a treasure trove. Its gallbladder is an excellent material for nourishing the soul, its skin can be used as special fire-attribute armor, and its bones are also materials for making small weapons used by the Eternal True God. A complete set would cost around 100,000 units of Cosmic Sand.
The key point is that this item is not part of the contract, and Lu Qingshan doesn't need to sell 70% of it; it's all his spoils, which is one of the sect's benefits.
"I was indeed a bit careless this time, but the harvest was great." Lu Qingshan put away the corpse of the Flame Heart Snake and planned to continue digging, as there were still some scattered Flame Heart Stone that had not been extracted.
However, at this very moment----
Footsteps sounded behind me.
The Eternal True God we encountered outside the mountain, along with six Void True God, appeared here together.
As soon as they appeared, they saw the Flame Heart Stone, which had been half-excavated from the cliff face, and the peculiar residue on Lu Qingshan's shovel—all traces of the Flame Heart Stone.
" Xue You, you've had a good haul!"
Zhong Shan's gaze fell on the rock wall in front of Lu Qingshan, and a greedy expression appeared on his face.
A single Flame Heart Stone is worth two to three thousand Cosmic Sand, and the commission can be over a thousand. Even for Eternal True God, this is a considerable fortune. Generally, the entire assets of Eternal True God are only tens of thousands of Cosmic Sand.
It was just luck.
Lu Qingshan put the Flame Heart Stone he had just unearthed into his storage space, and then said calmly.
"Junior Brother, how much have you dug?" Zhong Shan stepped forward and examined the cliff face in front of Lu Qingshan. "If you have any extra, why not share some with everyone? After all, we were the ones who came here first, and many areas were expanded by us. It seems a bit against the rules for you to start mining without even asking."
"Senior Brother Zhong Shan is right."
The next Void True God spoke up, saying, "This area is where Senior Brother Zhong Shan and we were mining. We were the ones who started mining this branch first; we were just taking a break before."
Lu Qingshan merely glanced at them without saying anything.
Zhong Shan that Lu Qingshan remained silent, Zhong Shan assumed he had given in and said with a smile, "I don't need much. Just give me half of the Flame Heart Stone you dug up, and you can take the rest. In addition, give me this place, and I will absolutely not interfere with you."
"You're dreaming! You really think this Flame Heart Treasure Land is your own?"
Lu Qingshan snorted.
"What do you mean!"
Zhong Shan's expression changed.
He didn't recognize Xue You at all, and thought he was a newcomer to the sect or a minor figure who had luckily broken through from the outer sect. He never expected the other party to be so disrespectful to him.
Zhong Shan was considered quite influential among the inner disciples of the Flame Ruins Sect.
"What I mean is, this mine belongs to the sect, not you. Get out."
" Xue You, I'm trying to reason with you politely. Don't be ungrateful. Don't think that I won't dare to attack you here. Although the sect forbids infighting among fellow disciples, it turns a blind eye to mutual fighting. Even if I suppress you and take all the Flame Heart Stone from you, no one will uphold justice for you."
"Oh, you can give it a try."
Lu Qingshan stopped digging and put away his shovel.
"Court death!"
Zhong Shan's expression changed drastically. As soon as he finished speaking, his aura surged, and the pressure of the Eternal True God was like a mountain pressing down on Lu Qingshan. The six Void True God behind him hurriedly retreated to the side. Without the group's Mechanical Flow Treasure, the Void True God were completely unable to contend with the Eternal True God.
"Senior Brother Zhong Shan has made his move!"
"That guy probably doesn't know what Senior Brother Zhong Shan is capable of."
"Even though they are both Eternal True God, the difference between them is enormous!"
Several Void True God observed from afar.
In their view, this unknown Eternal True God, Xue You, was no match for Zhong Shan Zhong Shan and would soon be defeated by his senior brother.
Neither side used the One Thought Universe technique, so the situation on the other side was clearly visible.
However, the situation turned out to be completely unexpected.
Lu Qingshan took only one step.
An aura many times stronger than Zhong Shan's suddenly erupted. As he took a step down, this terrifying aura pressed down hard on Zhong Shan's body. Even the six Void True God had already fled to a great distance felt this terrifying aura.
Faced with such a terrifying aura, they were like ordinary people facing a natural disaster, utterly powerless to resist.
Several Void True God, with almost no power to resist, involuntarily bent their knees and were forced to kneel on the ground, their faces pale and even having difficulty speaking.
Zhong Shan was the same; his aura was completely dissipated, and he bore over 90% of the oppressive force, making his steps incredibly heavy and even making it difficult to move.
"You!!"
Zhong Shan struggled to lift his head, his expression filled with disbelief.
He hadn't expected the other party's aura to be so terrifying; just how terrifying had the other party's divine body grown to?
Such a powerful Eternal True God could not possibly Wuming within the sect.
"Roll!"
Lu Qingshan only said one word.
The powerful pressure intensified for a moment, and Zhong Shan was immediately sent flying backward. His six henchmen were the same, as if they had been slapped away, disappearing into the end of the passage.
Lu Qingshan did not kill them.
Killing them is easy.
However, the sect's rules forbid members from killing each other—at least within the sect's sacred grounds, such a thing is definitely unacceptable.
His Xue You Clone was just a newcomer in the Flame Ruins Sect, without a high status, and it was not suitable for him to do such a thing now.
Looking out of the mine, Lu Qingshan dismissed it as just shooing away a few flies. He took out his shovel and moved on to his next target.
Outside the mine.
Zhong Shan and his six henchmen fled in a sorry state, their faces grim.
Zhong Shan knew that although he was a veteran inner disciple, his strength was only average among the sect's Eternal True God, and he was no match for that guy from before.
That's a monster!
His divine body must be incredibly terrifying, perhaps even approaching the legendary Infinite Divine Body, otherwise he couldn't possibly unleash such terrifying pressure.
"Senior Brother Zhong Shan, what do we do now?"
A Void True God spoke cautiously.
Zhong Shan gritted his teeth and said, "This matter cannot be resolved like this. Go and invite Senior Brother Qu Guang."
"Senior Brother Qu Guang?"
Several Void True God exchanged glances. They had naturally heard of this name; it belonged to one of the top ten inner disciples, Eternal True God Tenth Stage, and a strong contender for the sect's direct discipleship.
"If Senior Brother Qu Guang makes a move, there will definitely be no problem."
"I wonder if Senior Brother Qu Guang will come?"
"Everyone knows the relationship between Senior Brother Zhong Shan and Senior Brother Qu Guang. If Senior Brother Zhong Shan asks, Senior Brother Qu Guang will definitely help."
"That guy is going too far! We're all disciples of a sect, and he actually forced us to kneel down."
We have to teach him a lesson!
Listening to the discussions among his subordinates.
Zhong Shan gritted his teeth and took out his identity token.
Then a message was sent to one of the targets.
"Senior Brother Qu Guang, are you aware that the sect has gained an Eternal True God named Xue You —it's like this—"
"I'm certain he has quite a few Flame Heart Stone, and it seems he's found a rich mine of Flame Heart Stone. If he continues digging, he might find hundreds or even thousands of Flame Heart Stone."
"That guy's divine body is incredibly powerful; his mere aura alone makes it difficult for me to move."
"Alright, I understand. With Senior Brother Qu Guang's help, we'll surely capture it easily!"
As he put down his identity token, a hint of excitement flashed in Zhong Shan's eyes.
What just happened was extremely humiliating for him. As Eternal True God, he was swatted away like a fly by another Eternal True God.
And this happened in front of his own underlings.
If this gets out, he'll probably become a laughingstock among the inner disciples of the sect.
"Senior Brother Qu Guang's strength is top-tier even among the sect's Eternal True God. Apart from those dozen or so monstrous personal disciples, Senior Brother Qu Guang is the most powerful. Although that guy has a strong divine body, he is no match for Senior Brother Qu Guang at all."
"Senior Brother Qu Guang is still a disciple of the Great Sage Yaoguang. Even if he does something outrageous and injures the other party, the sect's enforcement hall should not pursue the matter."
" Xue You, you asked for this! Blame it on not giving me any face!"