"Boom!"
An intense heat emanated from outside the Demon Cave, and a colossal dragon's roar echoed through the heavens and earth.
It's unclear what formidable enemy the Demon Slaughter Sect provoked; the enormous Fire Dragon, with eyes like golden flames, was unparalleled and swept across all directions with a terrifying heat that seemed capable of burning mountains and boiling seas.
The Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Demon Slaughter Sect struggled to fend off this Fire Dragon and were beaten into a retreat.
"Enough, Fire Dragon Child!"
"Still not retreating? Do you really think my Demon Slaughter Sect is as soft as clay? If you dare invade further, aren't you afraid of incurring the Sect Leader's wrath?!"
While desperately blocking the Fire Dragon's attack, the Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Demon Slaughter Sect shouted angrily.
"Wrath? After today, there will be no more Demon Slaughter Sect in this world!"
Above the Fire Dragon, an elder with a Cyan Jade Hairpin, long sleeves fluttering, and an immortal air and Daoist demeanor, spoke in a cold voice.
Upon hearing this, the Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Demon Slaughter Sect's face changed drastically.
He promptly formed a hand seal and chanted a spell, and a Dharma Seal resembling a blue bird abruptly rose in his right hand, as if summoning something, but received no response for a long time.
Seeing this, his face suddenly turned pale, and without hesitation, he pointed a finger, causing a square-shaped Dharma Seal, with black bats swirling around it, to appear.
"Sqawk!"
With the emergence of this Dharma Seal, invisible sound waves instantly rang through the void, akin to the roar of a terrifying creature, striking fear into the heart.
"Bang!"
The elder with fluttering sleeves atop the Fire Dragon slightly stiffened, seemingly caught in a daze.
But above his head, a Dharma Seal engraved with a jade-green lotus automatically materialized, emitting a faint fragrance in the void, and with the elder's nostrils twitching, he inhaled the lotus scent and quickly regained his clarity.
Yet in that fleeting moment, the Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Demon Slaughter Sect was already piloting a black bronze mirror, flying swiftly toward the north.
"Stop him!"
Just then, a large group of cultivators dressed in red Daoist Robes suddenly appeared outside the Demon Cave, each holding an Array Banner, and combined to set up a Grand Array, seemingly intending to block him.
But the Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Demon Slaughter Sect merely snorted coldly, and the black bronze mirror radiated ten thousand beams of demonic light, tearing apart the Grand Array, and fled northward, vanishing from sight.
"Martial Uncle, we are incompetent, allowing that Insect Daoist to escape!"
Among the cultivators, a burly disciple over thirty, with a broad mouth, hurriedly cupped his hands towards the elder above.
"No matter, I didn't intend to capture him; that old fellow possesses numerous ways to preserve his life, and without at least two Foundation Establishment cultivators, we couldn't take his life."
"Now, both our Flame Dragon Sect and the Celestial Essence Sect are besieging the mountain gate of the Demon Slaughter Sect. I provoked him verbally to urge him to abandon the Demon Star Cave early so we can loot it. Otherwise, once the Demon Slaughter Sect is defeated, we won't be the sole beneficiaries of this Demon Star Cave; we'll have to share the spoils."
The elder waved his hand lightly.
"Martial Uncle, you are wise!"
The burly disciple suddenly understood.
This expedition is about seeking wealth behind allies' backs, not killing.
"No need for more words. Quickly enter the mine, and plunder all the mined Demon Star Stones, leaving none behind, then publicly declare it was that Insect Daoist's doing."
The elder instructed swiftly.
"Yes, Martial Uncle!"
The disciple cupped his hands to accept the command, but halfway through speaking, he seemed to recall something and asked again: "Martial Uncle, there are still hundreds of disciples from the Cyan Wood Sect reduced to miners in the mine. How should they be disposed of?"
"What Cyan Wood Sect? That's the Cyan Wood Demon Sect!" The elder sneered, then continued: "Success and failure are part of the natural cycle; should we help them rebuild their sect?"
"Before the Celestial Essence Sect arrives, send all the miners to the Flood Dragon Cave. Those you can't send, kill them on the spot to prevent them from divulging our presence and leaving evidence, so the Celestial Essence Sect won't stir up trouble later."
"Anyway, after the Demon Slaughter Sect is destroyed, hundreds more miners will appear here, so there's no shortage of workers to mine Demon Star Stones."
With a wave of his hand, the elder decided the fate of hundreds of miners.
Upon hearing this, the burly disciple's heart shivered.
The Flood Dragon Cave is a Spirit Cave of the Flame Dragon Sect, containing a naturally formed Stone Vein with a Stone Flood Dragon that produces special "scales," exceptional materials for Artifact Refining.
However, harvesting scales from the Stone Flood Dragon is extremely risky, with nine deaths for every survival.
When in pain, the Stone Flood Dragon devours humans!
But if its cultivators with too high cultivation enter, the Stone Flood Dragon will hide into the Earth Vein, vanishing without a trace, so for many years Flame Dragon Sect has cautiously and painstakingly captured Loose Cultivators to enter the cave for harvesting.
The risks of the Flood Dragon Cave exceed those of the Demon Star Cave; he already foresaw that this group of miners won't live long.
However, a thriving sect and rich mines would increase resources for disciples like him, advancing their cultivation further.
With this thought in mind, he said no more and, after saluting, led the junior disciples and sisters towards the mine.
Following Martial Uncle's instruction, the disciples he brought were all loyal and steadfast individuals.
...
...
"Flame Dragon Sect, are you from Flame Dragon Sect, senior brother?"
"We are disciples of the Cyan Wood Sect. Years ago, I accompanied my master to visit Flame Dragon Sect and seemed to have met senior brother once?"
"Is that Junior Martial Uncle Fire Dragon from the Flame Dragon Sect above? Has Martial Uncle won? Could you let us go?"
The miners below were unaware of the conversation between the two from the Flame Dragon Sect.
Some bold and naïve individuals stepped out, daring to shout loudly.
But all they received in return were indifferent faces.
Disciples of the Flame Dragon Sect, holding crimson lanterns, searched for person's Qi blood, quickly locating each of the miners, and with a wave of mana, knocked out the miners from the Cyan Wood Sect and transported them onto the Dharma Boat.
"What are you intending to do?"
"The Flame Dragon Sect is also a sect under the Celestial Palace, what are you trying to do?!"
"Aren't you afraid of the Celestial Palace's inspectors?"
As time passed, some realized something was wrong, shouting angrily, scolding the disciples of the Flame Dragon Sect.
But the Flame Dragon Sect acted ruthlessly, not listening at all, directly knocked them out and took them away, like pigs and dogs.
Those with higher cultivation, knowing the intricacies, quickly went down the mine, praying that the concealment of the Demon Fiend would help them evade the gaze of the Person-Finding Lantern and survive this ordeal.
But it was all in vain.
The mana cannot be released, unable to activate the Dharma Seal, making them no different from ordinary people, how could they outrun cultivators?
Within the time it takes for half a stick of incense to burn, over half of the hundreds of miners were captured.
...
And at that moment, deep within the cave, in the darkness, a pair of eyes were fixedly staring at a jade green Token.
"Just a little more, just a little more!"
Gu Yuan could feel that within the Token, there was a broad and majestic power stirring restlessly, like a cannonball about to be fired, scorching and swift.
This power was extremely terrifying, in Gu Yuan's perception, it far exceeded the strength of the Cyan Wood Sect's Leader.
The Leader of the Cyan Wood Sect, after all, had the strength of a Late-stage Foundation Establishment.
But on the Token, that gray mist was like a huge net, imprisoning everything, making it difficult for this power to connect with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, locking it firmly within the Token.
As if the fuse of the cannonball had been extinguished midway.
But fortunately, over the long passage of time, this gray mist had become fragile to the extreme.
Just one last bit, and it would break.
Hearing the commotion above the cave, Gu Yuan couldn't care for the severe pain in his five viscera, doing his utmost to draw on the mana within him, activating the Dharma Seal, gathering a faint spark of flame at his fingertip.
This flame, like a candle flickering in the wind, was dim to the extreme, unable even to dispel the darkness in the cave, barely illuminating Gu Yuan's pale face.
Droplets of sweat, as large as beans, fell from his forehead.
His face was like gold paper, pale to the extreme, his body trembled from the pain, and his lips quivered uncontrollably.
His five viscera bled, his meridians were like being torn apart by a thousand cuts, the bones in his wrist broke inch by inch, unprecedented pain surged like a tide, making Gu Yuan feel as if his nerves would break any second.
His vision was beginning to blur, his consciousness starting to show signs of collapse.
"Pfft!"
He bit down hard on his tongue, licking the warm bloodstains, forcing himself to gather some concentration.
"There's no time left, it seems like the Celestial Essence Sect already has cultivators coming this way. Prepare to leave, just kill the remaining ones!"
Just then, outside the cave, came the cold voice of an elder, and then with a wave of his large hand, countless black magical lights suddenly appeared, like deadly arrows, shooting towards the inside of the cave.
The methods resembled those of the Insect Daoist of the Demon Slaughter Sect.
...
"Ah!"
In the darkness, screams echoed continuously.
"Swish!"
One by one, the magical lights shot rapidly towards the depths of the cave.
Gu Yuan already felt the fluctuation of Spiritual Qi and the whistling of magical lights tearing through the air.
The black magical light, aimed straight at his forehead.
A mere inch away.
Death was just a step away.
But at that moment, as he supported his trembling right hand, raising the faint flame, he finally touched the black web of mist.
In the years of darkness, the gray mist that persisted for an unknown time finally broke.
The flame at the pale fingertip seemed to reignite the fuse of the cannonball.
"Boom!"
The terrifying power surged like a tide, illuminating all directions.