Deterrence, First-Tier Superior-Grade Dark Iron Spirit Metal
Boom! Boom! Rumble...
Only when the thunderclap from the Crimson Fire Divine Sword breaking the sound barrier rang out did the cultivators from the various factions who had been berating the Kong Household suddenly feel that something seemed amiss with their throats.
They all reached up to touch their throats and found their hands covered in blood. At the same time, they felt traces of pain. Only then did they realize that the skin and flesh of their throats had been cut open at some unknown point. A little deeper, and they might all have died with their throats slit.
Every accusation came to an abrupt halt. They stared in terror at Kong Wenxuan and the Crimson Fire Divine Sword circling around him, too frightened to say another word.
They knew he had been warning them. Otherwise, he could have killed every one of them with a single strike before any of them realized what was happening, leaving them no time even to react or defend themselves.
Even the cultivator from the Shrike Lao Household, who had been watching the spectacle from the sidelines all along, now stared at Kong Wenxuan in shock, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Compared with the unaffiliated households and factions living beyond the pass, the people of the Shrike Lao Household undoubtedly knew more about the Kong Household. They knew that a sword cultivator of remarkable ability had recently emerged among the Kongs.
By standing aside and watching these factions from beyond the pass berate the Kong Household, he may well have been hoping to use the opportunity to probe the depths of the Kong Household and Kong Wenxuan.
In the end, Kong Wenxuan's Sword Qi Thunderclap strike shocked not only the cultivators who had been hurling accusations, but him as well.
"Everyone!" Seeing that the crowd had been cowed, Eldest Uncle Kong Yushuo stepped forward and swept them with a stern gaze. "Our Kong Household's task was only to draw away the Second Tier Bronze-Iron Wolf Demon formed by the Lang Household's guardian formation and to fight our way into this main peak.
"We had no duty to keep an eye on the Lang Household's people!
"Now our Kong Household has fulfilled its task admirably. The Dark Iron vein here, as well as the resources and spirit items, all belong to our Kong Household. You have no right to interfere.
"Now, please leave!"
Hearing Kong Yushuo's words, the crowd dared not voice their anger. They looked at Kong Wenxuan and the four divine swords circling around him with deep apprehension. Yet they were clearly unwilling to be frightened and driven off by a few words from the Kong Household, and they could not bear to lose face like that.
At that moment, the cultivator from the Shrike Lao Household finally sorted out his thoughts and stepped forward to ease the situation. "Everyone, please calm down. None of us wanted the Lang Household's people to escape.
"But the Lang Household has held Wolf Fang Mountain for more than a hundred years. No one knows what escape routes they arranged. This certainly isn't the Kong cultivators' responsibility, nor is it ours.
"Rather than standing here trying to determine whose responsibility it is, everyone should hurry and send people to search the surrounding area. You might still catch up with the Lang Household's fugitives."
Seeing the Lao Household's representative step forward, the various parties visibly softened and seized the chance to back down.
"Hmph, we'll give your Lao Household face today."
"Right! Right! The important thing is to hurry and send people after the Lang Household's fugitives!"
"This isn't over..."
One by one, the cultivators left, some tossing out a few threats and others offering a few polite words.
The Shrike Lao Household's cultivator then turned to placate the Kong Household. "Fellow Daoists of the Kong Household, please forgive them. They're all households or factions established beyond the pass, and they're worried that the Lang Household's fugitives will take revenge on them later, so their words may have been a little harsh.
"We're all allies who joined forces to breach the Lang Household's ancestral grounds. We'll have to watch out for one another when facing the Lang Household's revenge in the future. We can't fall out over this little unpleasantness."
Eldest Uncle Kong Yushuo's expression softened as well. Acting as though he had not noticed the Shrike Lao Household's cultivator deliberately watching from the sidelines earlier, he smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Lao, please forgive us too. My nephew Wenxuan has the straightforward temper typical of a sword cultivator and likes to let his sword do the talking. He bears no ill will toward any of you."
"Haha... of course! Of course! I like straightforward people." The Lao cultivator looked at Kong Wenxuan and said, "This must be the phoenix of your Kong Household. With a phoenix like him, your Kong Household has hope of flourishing and becoming a True Spirit Lineage!"
"Haha, thank you for your praise, Fellow Daoist Lao. May your auspicious words come true." Eldest Uncle Kong Yushuo beckoned to Kong Wenxuan. "Wenxuan, come and greet Fellow Daoist Lao."
Kong Wenxuan immediately stepped forward and saluted him. "Greetings, Fellow Daoist Lao."
"Good! Good! Greetings to you too, Fellow Daoist Wenxuan. What a fine sword cultivator, what a fine young man..." The Lao cultivator laughed heartily and returned the salute, looking at Kong Wenxuan with admiration. He seemed to think very highly of him and offered several more words of praise.
Seeing that everyone else had already left, the Lao cultivator did not linger either. He took his leave, saying, "The Lang Household's ancestral grounds have only just been taken. I imagine you have plenty to arrange, and our Lao Household is busy as well, so I won't delay you any longer. I'll take my leave now.
"Once this matter is over, our two households should get better acquainted."
Eldest Uncle Kong Yushuo readily agreed to it all.
With the Lao cultivator's departure, only the Kong Household remained on the collapsed highest peak of Wolf Fang Mountain. There had originally been some "hyena" cultivators there as well, but the sudden collapse of the mountain and the Metal Qi shooting in all directions had either killed or scared them away. For the time being, no one dared snatch meat from the Kong Household's bowl.
Eldest Uncle immediately ordered everyone to hurry and inspect the Dark Iron spirit mine for first-tier superior-grade Dark Iron spirit metal.
Originally, the Dark Iron spirit mine had lain deep within Wolf Fang Mountain. Excavating it to find first-tier superior-grade Dark Iron spirit metal would have been troublesome. They would have needed to bring in professional miners, and no one knew how much time and effort it would have taken to extract.
Now, however, the Lang Household's self-destructive sabotage had shattered the Dark Iron vein and exposed large portions of it. A great deal of Spiritual Qi and Metal Qi had even leaked out, causing the vein's quality to decline rapidly. But this had also exposed some first-tier superior-grade Dark Iron spirit metal that had originally been hidden deep within the vein, making it easier for the Kong Household to find and collect.
In less than half a day, the Kong Household had gathered more than a dozen pieces of first-tier superior-grade Dark Iron spirit metal from the shattered, exposed vein, more than enough for Kong Wenxuan to refine the White Metal Divine Sword.
As for first-tier middle-grade and lower-grade Dark Iron spirit metal, there was even more: dozens upon hundreds of pieces.
Unfortunately, this harvest was like draining the pond to catch the fish. The Lang Household had directly destroyed this Dark Iron vein of fairly good quality on Wolf Fang Mountain. Unless some special method could stop the Spiritual Qi and Metal Qi from continuing to seep out, the vein would likely turn into ordinary iron within a few months.