This was an extremely strange sensation.
The whole world seemed to have been disassembled. The tall and heavy stone walls before him transformed into patches of gray fog, and Gu Yuan's vision seemed to extend all the way to the end of the world.
Of course, this was an illusion; Gu Yuan's sight couldn't possibly reach the world's end.
Yet, the entire cave had turned into gray fog, and everything within the cave was captured in his gaze.
His perspective soared higher, as if he had arrived in a higher dimension.
Amidst the gray fog, there were various color dots, quietly flickering, indicating a mysterious aura.
Most numerous were the white dots, scattered like stars across the gray fog in the cave, densely packed.
Gu Yuan knew that these white dots represented the lowest level of opportunity to leave the Demon Star Cave, the Demon Star Stones.
After several explorations, Gu Yuan had already discovered the stone bottle's ability.
The stone bottle produced a peculiar liquid at regular intervals; dropping this liquid into the eyes enabled the viewing of nearby "opportunities."
Or rather, "methods of salvation," "abilities of deduction."
The opportunities spotted weren't random but indicated a "method of salvation" based on the most urgent matter in Gu Yuan's heart.
The most urgent matter in Gu Yuan's heart was leaving the Demon Cave and returning to cultivation.
White dots represented the most ordinary opportunity to leave, the Demon Star Stones.
As long as Gu Yuan noted the location of these dots and collected enough Demon Star Stones, he could seize the chance to leave the Demon Star Cave.
Under his feet, there was a cluster of green dots.
The green light represented a stronger opportunity than the white, with thirty Demon Star Stones amassed, allowing direct accumulation for a chance to leave the Demon Star Cave.
Gu Yuan relied on the ability of the stone liquid to spy on Senior Brother Yangg's plans, thus remaining secretly vigilant.
In the distance amidst the gray fog, there was a cluster of light fog between green and gray, which was gradually dissipating and vanishing from Gu Yuan's sight.
The disappearance of the light fog indicated the vanishing of an opportunity or that it had been acquired.
The disappearance of this fog was due to Gu Yuan having already obtained the opportunity.
It was a "Cave Mansion" left by a miner who had died long ago; the miner seemed skilled in the Path of Artifact Refining, using Demon Star Stone Ore residues and Demon Evil Qi to craft a unique "Spirit-Eroding Lime."
This Spirit-Eroding Lime could erode mana, directly infiltrate the eyeball, immensely treacherous, sinister in nature, a malicious hidden weapon against cultivators.
If Gu Yuan utilized this item, there was a slight possibility he could kill the defending cultivators of the Demon Slaughter Sect and escape this place.
But the probability was low, placing it between white and green.
Opportunities aren't static.
Over the past May, Gu Yuan checked several times, but the highest light points were only green.
This made him cautious to act.
The probabilities were too low, full of uncertainties.
The Demon Slaughter Sect was part of the Demon Sect, acting unpredictably and ruthlessly, though promising the captive miners a method to leave the Demon Cave. Yet who knows how true it is?
Moreover, even if the Demon Slaughter Sect adhered to its promises and allowed a change in allegiance, future cultivation might not be so simple.
If it were simple to leave here and cultivate unimpeded, the light points wouldn't just be green.
Gu Yuan didn't know the grades above the green light points, but he had a feeling that the green wasn't the limit.
There must be better ways.
He was only twenty years old and had been in the mine for half a year; he could afford to wait.
He had a feeling the Demon Slaughter Sect wasn't a good place, and he mustn't easily pledge allegiance unless absolutely necessary!
Yet even after watching for a long time, he still couldn't find other color light points.
"Looks like... I still need to wait!"
Gu Yuan sighed deeply in his heart, but he was helpless.
His vision had its limits, and the stone liquid's duration also had limits; now trapped in the Demon Star Cave, he could only inspect this cave's range.
Though the cave was large, seeking opportunities above green wasn't that easy. The stone liquid emerged about once a month; he searched five times but found nothing.
"Boom!"
Just as Gu Yuan was about to give up, a roar suddenly came from outside the cave.
Accompanied by this roar was a terrifying fire dragon, obscuring the sky, fierce and imposing, embodying tremendous power, charging towards the cave.
"Who dares!"
"To intrude on the Demon Slaughter Sect's treasure land!"
A voice suddenly rang out from outside the cave, and numerous black "insects" swarmed like waves, densely packed, resembling a black net, standing before the fire dragon.
"Boom!"
The fire dragon, arrogant, its eyes like gold flames, radiated cold spiritual nature, directly penetrating through the insect swarm, its tail swaying, slapping onto the cave.
In an instant, the ground shook, smoke and dust billowed, and the demon fiend obscured the sky.
The immense power nearly shattered the entire stone cave, countless rocks crumbled, and screams echoed from within the cave.
"Flame Dragon Sect, you have a lot of nerve!"
Outside the cave, an elder in a black robe with a three-foot-long white beard beneath his chin suddenly raged and rushed upward.
"Buzz! Buzz!"
Meanwhile, faint array lights glimmered inside the stone cave, halting its collapse.
In the Demon Star Cave, demonic miasma pervaded, eroding the arrays, so deploying a grand array here would consume enormous resources. Therefore, the Demon Slaughter Sect simply did not set up a grand array but rather stationed a Foundation Establishment cultivator to guard the area.
However, to prevent the cave from collapsing, a simple "Thick Stone Array" was placed here to maintain the cave's stability.
At this moment, it was the Thick Stone Array that was taking effect.
But Gu Yuan's attention was no longer on the array or even the battle outside. His eyes burned, staring intently into the depths of the cave.
There, a point of opportunity, glowing with a sliver of golden light amid pure silver, was continuously flickering, illuminating the surroundings.
"Boom!"
The effect of the stone liquid ended, and Gu Yuan returned from the strange state, seeing no more glowing points, only a large cloud of dust, chaotic screams, and, in the cave's depths, miners with varied expressions, fixated on the battle above.
They were all waiting for the outcome of this battle.
However, Gu Yuan didn't hesitate.
He hurriedly hid Senior Brother Yang's corpse, leaving a backhand in the pit where thirty Demon Star Stones were buried, and then quickly headed deeper into the cave with the Spirit-Eroding Lime.
The deepest part of the Demon Star Cave's underground is the most profound and terrifying source of demonic miasma. Without reaching the Golden Core stage, no one could escape from the mine's depths. Moreover, the cave was filled with evil qi, affecting cultivation, so the Demon Slaughter Sect's stewards wouldn't stay in the mine for long. Generally, the miners could move freely.
As long as they submitted the Demon Star Stones on time.
...
Gu Yuan tried to control his pace, neither hurried nor slow, quietly walking toward the depths of the cave.
The Demon Star Cave was vast; without intent, one would hardly meet others.
The miners usually had their small groups, given that leaving the Demon Cave required an "Oath of Allegiance," no one would let down their guard.
Everyone cautiously divided their areas, focusing on mining.
Moreover, with the battle continuing above, no one noticed Gu Yuan as he quietly made his way deeper into the cave.
But things were far from simple.
The deeper into the cave he went, the thicker the demonic miasma became. Gu Yuan felt his internal organs filling with blood, as if about to melt.
Immense pain engulfed his body.
The black demonic miasma was like a heavy leaden cloud, shrouding everything.
Everything in sight was black; a normal person would never venture this deep.
Gu Yuan, after just a few breaths within the demonic miasma lead clouds, felt like he was about to turn into a cloud of blood mist.
Yet he gritted his teeth and forced himself to endure.
"It's here!"
Breaking through the lead-like demonic miasma, he could see massive dust clouds mixing with the demonic miasma. Behind the dust clouds, a stone wall cracked, revealing a person-sized crevice.
Through the opening, a crystal-clear jade-like skeleton lay peacefully within a crack in the stone.
And in the skeleton's right hand, there was a palm-sized token.
The token was cyan, with intricate leaf-like patterns, resembling vines, spread across the entire token, emitting a faint glow.
However, a mass of gray mist enveloped the token, suppressing its glow.
"This is it!"
Gu Yuan's eyes lit up, knowing this was the opportunity indicated by the stone liquid!
He stepped forward and reached out to take the token.
"Poof!"
Yet the demonic miasma grew denser, and with just one step, Gu Yuan felt sharp pain in his internal organs and couldn't help spitting out a mouthful of crimson blood.
His internal organs had already begun to show signs of melting!
Backing down now would mean failure!
Gu Yuan forcibly gathered his mana, enduring the excruciating pain inflicted by the Spirit-Breaking Ring on his meridians, using his last bit of mana to protect his internal organs. He then quickly stepped forward and grabbed the token before retreating rapidly.
"Poof!"
Even so, Gu Yuan still felt as if his internal organs were doused with sulfuric acid, blood polluting his abdomen.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and he couldn't help but spit out another mouthful of fresh blood.
The demonic miasma invaded his body, corroding his internal organs.
If he didn't get treatment or break the Spirit-Breaking Ring, he would be at risk of death.
Yet his eyes remained exceptionally bright, shining with vitality in the dark cave!