The Mine.


    The Qingfeng Sect, despite their best efforts, had arrived too late.


    When the contingent of Golden Core elders, led by Shangguan Hong, reached the mine, it was nearly deserted.


    The five Golden Core elders floated above the mine, their spiritual senses scanning the area.


    As it turned out, Li Xingtian was right about the teleportation formation''s instability. The elders'' spiritual senses immediately picked up several miners who were still within their range.


    One of the elders spoke up. "There are still miners nearby who haven''t escaped."


    "You go after them. I''ll search here myself." Shangguan Hong''s eyes were lowered, his voice calm.


    "Alright..."


    The other elders understood that this was Shangguan Hong''s only chance to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. He might appear calm, but his heart was likely burning with rage.


    He had the most to lose from this incident. Leaving this place to Shangguan Hong was probably the best course of action.


    Shangguan Hong descended, and the first thing he saw upon landing was Elder Mo Chen''s mummified corpse.


    He reached out, carefully examining the body.


    Shangguan Hong quickly concluded that Elder Mo Chen had been drained dry.


    While still alive. His blood and energy had been sucked dry, leaving him defenseless.


    Only a demonic cultivator at least at the late-stage Golden Core could have done that.


    "Useless trash!"


    Shangguan Hong barely managed to restrain himself from blasting the corpse into ashes.


    He needed to remain on good terms with the sect, so he couldn''t make things too difficult.


    Shangguan Hong took a deep breath and walked towards the mine.


    He could only hope that everything inside was still intact, the formations stable, and the blood pools still filled with energy.


    Those were the key to his breakthrough.


    Time was running out. Shangguan Hong''s talents were average. He had clawed his way to the position of elder in the Qingfeng Sect through hard work.


    He''d endured countless insults and humiliations.


    Now... was it all going to end here? Shangguan Hong couldn''t accept it.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    He didn''t even need to enter the mine. Shangguan Hong knew the truth as soon as his spiritual sense swept through the tunnels.


    But he went in anyway, refusing to give up hope.


    The blood pools were dry, and the formations were shattered.


    Shangguan Hong stared at the scene, as if trapped in a nightmare.


    So close... he was so close...


    Even the worst-quality Nascent Soul would be enough.


    Shangguan Hong stood there for an unknown amount of time.


    The sound of the other four elders returning with six miners snapped him out of his trance.


    One of the elders glanced at the sacrificial altar, sighed inwardly, and tossed the captive miners forward.


    "This is all we could find."


    Shangguan Hong''s eyes, bloodshot and wild, looked up, like a starving beast.


    The miners couldn''t withstand the pressure of the Golden Core cultivator, nor could they bear his terrifying gaze.


    "I''ll talk... I''ll tell you..."


    Shangguan Hong ignored them. He grabbed one of the miners and began a soul search.


    One of the elders was about to speak, but another stopped him with a shake of his head.


    Soul searching was extremely damaging to both the victim and the caster.


    Shangguan Hong ignored the consequences and searched all six miners.


    When he finished, Shangguan Hong coughed up blood.


    "...Demonic cultivator... Top-tier demonic cultivator capable of controlling blood pools."


    Shangguan Hong wiped the blood from his lips. "There was a man and a woman wearing masks. The man was at least at the late-stage Golden Core and knew a supernatural ability."


    "The swordsmanship of the masked man did not resemble that of a demonic cultivator. But it might have been a deception."


    Shangguan Hong took out a brush and quickly drew the face of the man that the miner had briefly seen.


    The picture depicted a middle-aged man with a beard and a blank expression.


    Li Xingtian had been wearing a disguise when he infiltrated the mine.


    "They were fast and decisive." Shangguan Hong added, "That face might not be his real one."


    "Late-stage Golden Core? And a supernatural ability?" One of the elders frowned. "The sect leader is in seclusion, and Qingfeng Sect doesn''t have any supernatural abilities. Even if we find them, we might not be able to defeat them."


    "Moreover, there are three of them. If the other two are also Golden Core, and possess supernatural abilities, the five of us might not stand a chance."


    "Based on your soul searches, they might just be demonic cultivators trying to take advantage of the situation. They''re not necessarily our sworn enemies."


    "Starting a war might not be worth it. Besides, we have our own secrets to keep."


    Shangguan Hong''s eyes burned into the elder who had spoken.


    After a long silence.


    Shangguan Hong spoke. "You''re right. But we can''t stop here! The formation hasn''t been damaged too badly. It can be repaired. As for the blood, we''ll capture more! Capture as much as we can!"


    "From now on, all five of us will defend this place. We''ll summon disciples and create a powerful formation. Even if they know supernatural abilities, they won''t leave alive!"


    The other four elders fell silent.


    In the past, they had carried out minor activities discreetly. But even then, other demonic cultivators had caught on and taken the lead.


    Now, they were openly seizing people, which would inevitably lead to exposure.


    They had only intended to use Shangguan Hong''s plan to assist their own cultivation, giving them a chance to reach the Nascent Soul stage.


    But they didn''t want to risk their lives and reputations.


    Unlike the aging Shangguan Hong, they had more time to live.


    But facing Shangguan Hong''s rage, their silence was the loudest form of protest.


    "Brother Pei... have you forgotten that I saved your life?"


    "Brother Zhao, your spiritual root talent is inferior to mine. Reaching the early Golden Core stage and becoming an elder is your ultimate goal? Don''t you want to continue further on the path of cultivation?"


    "Brother Li... my little daughter..."


    "Brother Wang..."


    Shangguan Hong''s gaze swept over the four elders, a strange smile on his face.


    "Do you really think we can stop now and be safe?"


    "Don''t you know that the path of cultivation is a constant life-or-death struggle?"


    "Only by pushing forward can we sleep soundly at night!"


    Elder Li couldn''t hold back any longer.


    "From now on, we need to plan everything carefully! We need to deliberate!"