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Upon hearing Chen Mobai's words, everyone was stunned into silence.
They all knew just how terrifying the Feiming Daoist was.
His cultivation level was average, roughly at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, similar to his level before death.
But having transformed into a zombie, and possessing some of the special traits of a Golden Armored Corpse, the resilience of his corpse body far exceeded that of a common Silver Armored Corpse. Without a second-grade superior attack artifact or sword qi attacks, it was doubtful that even his skin could be penetrated.
Moreover, with the mysterious Five-Colored Lotus Lantern and a third-grade Corpse Pearl, as well as the support of the Netherworld Great Array in the Lonely Soul Ridge, even a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator would only be able to defend themselves here.
Yet, such a formidable enemy had been slain by this delicate-looking junior brother before their eyes!?
Disbelief was written all over the faces of Dan Hongyi and Mei Jingjun.
On the other hand, Yan Jinye, knowing Chen Mobai's sword cultivation realm, had an expression that seemed to say it was only to be expected.
The sword light, honed to perfection and incredibly sharp, was the bane of thick-skinned zombies.
Coupled with the Qingyang Fire Seed that this junior brother had obtained from the Divine Tree Secret Realm, which was overwhelmingly masculine and vigorous.
After a tough battle, it was understandable that he could slay the Feiming Daoist.
"Truly worthy of being my senior brother, it's only normal for you to achieve this."
Yan Jinye spoke up, silencing Dan Hongyi and Mei Jingjun, who were still a bit skeptical.
They remembered the reputation that Chen Mobai, the newly established Foundation Establishment cultivator, had in the sect.
An unparalleled sword dao genius!
Could this person be another Honghe!?
Thinking this, the way the two looked at Chen Mobai changed.
Among the previous generation of true disciples, Honghe was the most renowned. He overcame the strong while weak, slaying three second-grade demonic beasts at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and was hailed as the most outstanding genius of the Divine Wood Sect in a hundred years, with the stature of a Golden Elixir.
Chen Mobai, at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, had managed to kill the Feiming Daoist across ranks, and his achievements were not to be underestimated.
"I must thank Junior Brother Chen for saving our lives this time. After we return to the sect, I must properly thank you."
Dan Hongyi spoke, his tone completely different from before.
"This Golden Jade Axe is a top-tier second-grade artifact. Junior brother, you made the greatest contribution this time, so you should take it."
Chen Mobai looked at the Golden Jade Axe that Dan Hongyi handed over. At first, he didn't react, but after considering the customs of the Tianhe Realm and seeing the expected expressions on Mei Jingjun and Yan Jinye's faces, he accepted it without further ado.
Compared to the Five-Colored Lotus Lantern, which he didn't know how to use, the Golden Jade Axe was much simpler. Even with his beginner-level treasure appraisal skills, he could deduce the method to consecrate and use it.
It was nothing more than infusing it with spiritual power.
"Since this place was the lair that Feiming Daoist operated for over a hundred years, there might still be many treasures hidden here. Now that the greatest danger has died by Junior Brother Chen's hand, let's search thoroughly."
Seeing Chen Mobai accept the Golden Jade Axe, Dan Hongyi was a bit envious. He had personally experienced the power of this artifact; it had even breached his second-grade defensive artifact, which attested to its potency.
Unable to obtain the Golden Jade Axe, he hoped to scavenge the area, at the very least to compensate for the loss of his second-grade artifact.
"Go ahead, senior brothers. I'm injured and will wait here for you." Yan Jinye said with a wry smile, her complexion pale and her vital energy at its lowest ebb. If she didn't heal soon, her core might be damaged.
"Then I'll take care of Senior Brother Bi's body, at least to bring his corpse back to the sect."
Mei Jingjun's condition wasn't much better, and since their survival depended on Chen Mobai's rescue, she graciously left the spoils to them.
"Junior Brother Chen, let's meet back here in an hour."
After Dan Hongyi said this, he couldn't wait to take out a brass plate and flew in the direction indicated by the spoon on it.
***
Chen Mobai thought for a moment and decided to follow local customs.
After instructing Yan Jinye and the other woman to be careful, he headed towards the place where he had seen the most abundant spiritual energy.
Soon, he arrived in front of a cliff.
His sword qi burst forth, cutting through the rock's disguise.
He saw a square cave that had been excavated and cut by someone. Before even stepping inside, he felt a dense spiritual energy.
Upon closer inspection, he saw a small white jade altar in the center of the cave, identical to the one that had held the Ebony Pavilion before.
However, on this one was a silver-grey disc about thirty centimeters in diameter.
Chen Mobai recognized it at a glance as an array disc.
However, this array disc was cracked in three places, broken into four pieces, but it seemed that the Feiming Daoist had collected three of them, now missing only one corner.
After confirming there was no danger, Chen Mobai reached out and took down the silver-grey array disc.
Then, the dense spiritual energy became even richer, as if he were in a mist of spiritual energy.
A familiar sensation caused Chen Mobai's expression to change slightly.
He activated his Hollow Spirit Eyes and looked down at the small white jade altar, discovering it was actually a whole piece of spirit stone, and of no low quality, equivalent to a medium-grade spirit stone.
"This is actually a raw spirit stone."
Thanks to Yuan Chiyi, who had been stationed in a spirit stone mine for half a year, Chen Mobai had heard him mention the mining of spirit stones while drinking together.
The spirit stones used in the cultivation world were all cut into standard shapes and weights to serve as the most basic currency unit, circulating throughout the world.
But raw spirit stones, as they were mined from the earth, had irregular shapes.
However, the largest raw spirit stone Yuan Chiyi had seen during his half-year at the Lei Kingdom's spirit stone mine was only the size of a human head.
The one before Chen Mobai was as big as his chest.
A rough estimate suggested it was worth at least two to three hundred medium-grade spirit stones.
The spirit stone mines in the entire Donghuang were backed by the seven major sects.
It was impossible for rogue cultivators to trade for raw spirit stones.
Could it be possible that… Feiming Daoist owned a spirit stone mine and had mined it himself before his death.
With this thought, Chen Mobai activated his Hollow Spirit Eyes and thoroughly inspected the cave.
Finally, he found a hidden hollow.
After cutting it open, he found many books inside.
Without looking closely, he put the white jade altar, the array disc, and these books into his Storage Bag, making sure nothing was missed before he left.
After collapsing the cave, Chen Mobai went to the place where the Feiming Daoist's Ebony Pavilion had been placed.
After some effort, he dug out the large white jade altar, only to find it was not a raw spirit stone. Disappointed, he was about to leave.
"Huh!"
Chen Mobai stopped in his tracks and looked at a spot.
It was a human-shaped indentation in the cliff. If he remembered correctly, that was where Mrs. Guo had been killed by the Feiming Daoist.
Chen Mobai looked around but did not find a corpse.
Had it disappeared in the aftermath of the Golden Pearl's explosion?
But why was there not even a drop of blood or a fragment of bone?
Could it be that the center of the explosion was so hot that it turned the body to ash?
Thinking this, Chen Mobai checked the time and, with doubts in his mind, returned to the place he had left earlier.
Upon arrival, he found that Dan Hongyi had not yet returned.
Yan Jinye's complexion had improved, as she was an alchemist herself and her Storage Bag was not short of various pills.
Mei Jingjun had also used a magical tool to piece together a stone coffin, in which Bi Yiyuan's body was placed.
"My Storage Bag is almost full, so I can only carry it out."
Hearing this, Chen Mobai nodded, indicating that his own Storage Bag was also full, but since Dan Hongyi had a floating boat, they just needed to carry it outside.
After a while, as the agreed time approached and Dan Hongyi had not returned, the two women became anxious. Even Yan Jinye, who had been healing, couldn't sit still and started pacing back and forth.
Just as Chen Mobai was wondering if Dan Hongyi had encountered danger and whether he should escort the two sisters out first and call for help from the sect, Dan Hongyi finally returned.
His expression was excited, holding a piece of silver-grey ore in his hand.
"Sisters, this is a vein of Kongming Stone. No wonder that Feiming Daoist could set up a space-transferring array."
Hearing Dan Hongyi's words, Chen Mobai was shocked.
Kongming Stone, known as "Void Stone," is an essential material for crafting Storage Bags.
The Immortal Gate even listed this stone as one of the nine great treasures, and even a Golden Elixir Taoist master might not be able to obtain one.
In Donghuang, only two Kongming Stone veins had been discovered within the territory of The Five Elements Sect.
The reason the Divine Wood Sect and the Golden Light Cliff had fought to the death for fifty years was to include that Kongming Stone vein within their territory, but the other three branches of The Five Elements Sect would not agree at any cost.
The value of a Kongming Stone vein was immeasurable, and even a Golden Elixir ancestor would be alarmed.
"Let's go, we must report back to the sect immediately."
After putting the Kongming Stone ore into his Storage Bag, Dan Hongyi did not hesitate.
This discovery was too significant, even for the four of them at the Foundation Establishment stage to handle.
Chen Mobai nodded.
***
After leaving Lonely Soul Ridge, they hurried back to Giant Wood Ridge.
Because the Kongming Stone vein was so precious, the four of them went straight to the Divine Wood Hall.
Meng Hong, who was fishing, immediately went to report to the place where Ancestor Zhou was in seclusion after receiving the news.
After about half a day, Meng Hong walked in behind a young man with white hair and a youthful appearance.
"Greetings to the ancestor."
Dan Hongyi immediately saluted the young man.
Chen Mobai, Yan Jinye, and Mei Jingjun, who had never seen the Golden Elixir ancestor of the Divine Wood Sect, now realized that this young man was the sect's supreme elder, Zhou Shengqing, who was known as the first person in Donghuang.
"Greetings to Ancestor Zhou."
Chen Mobai, Yan Jinye, and Mei Jingjun followed suit in saluting.
"You are all talents of our sect, no need for such formalities."
Zhou Shengqing had a tender complexion, and his skin faintly glowed like a gem. Although he was over three hundred years old, he looked even younger than Chen Mobai.
The Golden Elixir ancestor spoke gently and, without wasting time, directly inquired about all the details of their experience in Lonely Soul Ridge.
Naturally, the first to be asked was Dan Hongyi.
The piece of Kongming Stone ore was confirmed to be real in Zhou Shengqing's hands. After questioning Dan Hongyi, he turned to ask Yan Jinye how she discovered the cave.
"It was at a small trade fair. I exchanged a bottle of pills useful for early-stage Foundation Establishment breakthroughs for an incomplete treasure map. After consulting the map archives in the sect's library, I completed the information and found the location of Lonely Soul Ridge.
By the way, Mrs. Guo was the guide who led me into that trade fair. She is a Foundation Establishment elder of the Guo family.
After I decided to explore the cave in Lonely Soul Ridge, for safety, I sought out Mrs. Guo again after Mei Sister agreed to accompany me."
After Yan Jinye finished speaking, Zhou Shengqing asked a few more questions, which she answered one by one.
"What's the background of the Guo family?"
Hearing the ancestor's question, Meng Hong, who was beside him, immediately answered.
"They are one of the founding cultivator families, with two Foundation Establishment cultivators, and are considered the top force outside our sect."
"Would exterminating them have any impact?"
Chen Mobai twitched at the corner of his mouth upon hearing this. The customs of the Tianhe Realm were indeed fierce.
"Well, that might not work. The Guo family has another Foundation Establishment cultivator named Guo Boinian."
"Who is Guo Boinian?"
Zhou Shengqing looked puzzled, as this name did not ring a bell in his memory.
"He is a Foundation Establishment cultivator from The Five Elements Sect. Although he has not returned to the Guo family for a long time, he still has to consider the impact there."
Hearing about The Five Elements Sect, Zhou Shengqing's expression cleared.
It wasn't that he was afraid, but if they had to fight with The Five Elements Sect over such a trivial matter, it would definitely affect his cultivation. He still had some hope of reaching the Nascent Soul stage and couldn't afford to waste any more time.
"Alright then, let Cang Qi and Lu Yi pay attention to this Guo family. If there's any situation, then take action."
After saying this, two Foundation Establishment cultivators that Chen Mobai had never seen before walked in.
"Greetings to Ancestor Zhou."
One of them wore brocade robes and a jade crown, with a square face and neatly trimmed mustaches.
The other was neither tall nor fat, with a sallow complexion, looking like an old farmer.
The two had completely different temperaments, but upon entering, they both first saluted Zhou Shengqing.
"Meng Hong, explain the situation to them."
While speaking, Zhou Shengqing tossed the Kongming Stone ore to the mustached cultivator, who, after examining it, became serious and solemnly passed it to the old farmer beside him.
"Share your thoughts. The vein falls under the jurisdiction of the Spirit Vein Department, and the Spirit Vein Department is under the Rewarding Good Hall. There must be some protocol."
Hearing this, Chen Mobai already knew the identities of the two men.
They must be the head of the Rewarding Good Hall and the director of the Spirit Vein Department from the Divine Wood Sect's three halls and twelve departments.
"This is our Divine Wood Sect's vein."
The head of the Rewarding Good Hall stated his position as soon as he opened his mouth.
"Other veins might be let go by the other sects, but with the Kongming Stone vein, since it's necessary for setting up teleportation arrays, even if it's within our Divine Wood Sect's territory, we might have to fight over it."
Meng Hong, however, looked worried. As the sect leader, he had to consider the overall situation.
"I think we need to first determine the output of the vein. If it's just a small vein like the one at Henshan Peak, the other sects probably won't risk starting a war with our two ancestors to make a move."
The director of the Spirit Vein Department spoke with seasoned wisdom.
"What if the vein is large?"
Zhou Shengqing asked this question.
"Then, I'm afraid we'll have to share a portion with Golden Light Cliff."
The head of the Rewarding Good Hall replied.
"Sigh, I'm a bit reluctant to let go of the Kongming Stone vein."
Zhou Shengqing said this, and everyone present couldn't help but look at each other.
Listening to the ancestor's meaning, was he considering fighting?
Chen Mobai was a bit puzzled; they could just mine the vein secretly without letting others know.
But he knew that if such a simple solution was apparent to him, the people in the hall would definitely know as well, so he wisely kept silent.
"Mojing, go and find out the size of the vein."
In the end, Zhou Shengqing made a decision, and the director of the Spirit Vein Department took his leave.
Since Mei Jingjun was a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Spirit Vein Department and familiar with Lonely Soul Ridge, she followed him out.