Chapter 114: Collecting the Spirit Crystal Ore

Several extended mineral stones he had spotted early on still lay quietly there. Liu Junhuai picked one up, shook it lightly, and found it nearly identical to the two he had in his collection.

Suppressing his excitement, Liu Junhuai finally took note of his surroundings.

At this moment, he stood at the entrance of a vast canyon. Entering it, his eyes met a milky white mist, spilling out in billowing clouds from within the canyon, slowly creeping up the slopes and dispersing into a gentle, delicate haze that floated softly, enshrouding the entire gorge.

The inky-blue path, the orderly arrangement of nearby ridges, and the distant, elegant mountains were all concealed beneath this veil of mist. Were it not for Liu Junhuai’s celestial perception, nothing would have been visible.

The land was blanketed in thick, damp, cool fog.

Inside the canyon, darkness prevailed, punctuated only by the faint flicker of colorful lights, adding an aura of mystery. Standing there, one could always hear the clear, resonant drip of water, as if it were singing a melodious, enchanting tune.

The path leading deeper into the canyon was winding and tortuous. Above, stones resembling icicles hung, their surfaces smoothed by rainwater, feeling remarkably pleasant to the touch. Some stones were translucent, others a clay yellow, some grayish-blue, and others a deep crimson.

Perhaps because the spirit crystal ore lay hidden within the mountain itself, Liu Junhuai’s celestial perception could not detect its presence.

Surveying the diverse stones throughout the canyon, Liu Junhuai felt no urgency. His intuition told him that this terrain was perfectly suited to the growth environment of mineral deposits.

Seated cross-legged, he regulated his breath while circulating his cultivation technique, silently restoring his primordial energy.

As he gradually felt his energy replenish, he activated his heavenly eye. His two pupils began to converge slowly, the jade stones before him blurring until they transformed into a sphere of white light.

This white light expanded and contracted continuously, morphing into various shapes. After a long while, the white faded, becoming translucent and slowly taking the form of a mirror standing before him.

Liu Junhuai’s celestial perception condensed into a focused beam, fixating on the mirror-like apparition. As his perception solidified, a sharp crack sounded—the mirror shattered, leaving his vision clear and unobstructed.

Looking around, he immediately spotted several stones identical to the extended spirit crystal ore outside the canyon.

Following the inner side of the rock wall lined with these extended ores, his heavenly eye swiftly detected more.

Deeper within the mountain, a hundred zhang from the rock wall, Liu Junhuai finally beheld a cluster of genuine crystal ores, as if piled up from white jade.

He threw his head back and laughed wildly, like a child, for a full ten breaths before remembering the people waiting in the chaotic space.

After entering the chaotic space and gathering everyone, he called Ah Jiu to his side. Pointing toward the genuine crystal ores, Ah Jiu readily accepted the task and immediately darted to the foot of the rock wall.

Ah Jiu’s four formidable claws struck the wall with earth-shattering force. Amidst a thunderous roar, stones flew and tumbled, revealing a nearly ten-zhang-deep cavern before them. Everyone watched dumbfounded—such raw power had just carved out such a vast cave with a single claw strike!

Casually flicking his long tail, Ah Jiu swept half the rubble from inside the cave. A second sweep cleared it entirely.

Thus, with a dozen or so strikes, a hundred-zhang-long tunnel had taken shape. Seeing the distance had diminished enough, Liu Junhuai recalled Ah Jiu.

Watching Ah Jiu return proudly, Liu Junhuai smiled and took out a jade bottle containing the Golden Infant Elixir.

Ah Jiu’s eyes brightened, abandoning any pretense. In a few strides, he approached Liu Junhuai, nine mouths wide open, dripping molten-red saliva.

Signaling Ah Jiu to open one mouth, Liu Junhuai let a drop of the Golden Infant Elixir flow down Ah Jiu’s throat. Immediately, Ah Jiu’s aura surged fiercely; violent, potent energy spewed from his nine mouths, gradually coalescing into an energy vortex around his body.

As the vortex spun faster and grew larger, it eventually formed a massive energy sphere, which Ah Jiu swallowed with a single gulp.

Repeating this cycle, the energy spheres outside Ah Jiu’s body grew purer, while the energy inside ceased to leak out. Meanwhile, Ah Jiu’s form swelled outward until it became a perfect sphere. Then, with a sudden burst, Ah Jiu shot into the air.

Leaping dozens of zhang high, Ah Jiu emitted a piercing cry. His body crackled like popping beans and crashed heavily back to the ground, stirring clouds of dust.

Now, Ah Jiu’s aura was far more powerful than before. Every movement radiated a thick, oppressive majesty.

Feeling the changes within, Ah Jiu excitedly circled Liu Junhuai, repeatedly playfully ruffling his hair with great affection.

Leaving Ah Jiu to his antics, Liu Junhuai hurried into the cavern.

Activating his transformation technique, he conjured an enormous hand that blotted out the sky and struck the cave wall. Stone fragments fell as a patch of white jade color gradually emerged.

After a few gentle strikes, the true nature of the spirit crystal was finally revealed. Those behind him erupted in cheers, while two young girls grabbed Liu Junhuai’s arms, jumping with joy.

Liu Junhuai pulled out the mining tools refined by Mo Sitong. The group spontaneously formed teams and took turns working as miners.

Though the spiritual energy inside the cave was still somewhat inferior to that of the chaotic space, it was already astonishing beyond belief. So much so, Liu Junhuai set up several seals at the cave entrance to prevent spiritual energy from leaking out.

With Ah Jiu patrolling outside, there was no fear of intrusions by other cultivators.

Because the genuine crystals were exceedingly precious, everyone worked with great care, so progress was slow. Fortunately, with many participants rotating shifts, it did not hinder the recovery of their primordial energy.

Among them were two ordinary people. Liu Junhuai assigned them light tasks like inventory, which exhausted them to the point of being unable to straighten their backs.

After all, all the miners were cultivators, whose speed was hundreds of times faster than ordinary humans, but their stamina could not keep pace.

Thus, after more than ten days of digging, the entire genuine crystal mine was completely extracted by the dozen or so people, leaving no residue. Even the scattered extended ores outside were cleaned up thoroughly.

Should any cultivators stumble upon this place, they would find no clue of what mineral treasure had once been here.

Everyone returned to the chaotic space, and Liu Junhuai spent another day before finally exiting the Crane Crown Ridge mountain range.

He summoned Wu Wanren, and the two hurried nonstop toward the Celestial Mechanism Sect, as they had been away so long without news of the sect alliance’s progress.

Upon entering the Celestial Mechanism Sect, it was evident that many unfamiliar cultivators had arrived.

Through Xiao Qingtian’s explanation, they learned that many new members had joined the sect alliance. Cultivation sects from foreign territories had also sent contingents to attend the ceremony. In just a few days, the sect alliance conference would commence.

Xiao Qingtian said, “The situation with Yanfu Palace remains unchanged. Those twelve cultivators have received covert messages from Cheng Kelei and show no signs of suspicion. The Northern Region Chu family sent people to gather intelligence. During their days at Celestial Mechanism Sect, the five members of the Western Region Chu family acted separately, investigating and interrogating everywhere. Due to the Sect’s stringent defenses, news of the capture of Zhi Gongjian has not leaked. Strikingly, those five left excitedly. Unbeknownst to them, they were under strict surveillance by people Xiao Qingtian arranged, and judging by their behavior over these days, they are at least informants of the Bloodshed Alliance. My conclusion is that the Chu family is part of the Bloodshed Alliance!”

Liu Junhuai was not surprised; this was all within his expectations. What startled him was how quickly they had identified the Chu family suspects.

Because many sects had come to the Celestial Mechanism Sect, Xiao Qingtian had been busy with greetings and farewells, weary of the daily flattery. Liu Junhuai’s arrival allowed him a rare half-day respite, delegating social duties to several deputy sect leaders.

Moreover, Xiao Qingtian attached great importance to whether Liu Junhuai could join the sect alliance. Upon hearing of his arrival, he was overjoyed, knowing that Liu Junhuai had Wu Wanren with him, which meant they already had their home sect’s approval.

Liu Junhuai said, “Senior Xiao, my home sect has, in principle, agreed to my joining the sect alliance in a personal capacity. Of course, they have also assigned personnel under my command. Once Yanfu Palace is subdued, the news of our joining will be announced at the new sect’s founding conference. Additionally, please have the sect leader send a few senior members to assist me in establishing the sect. After all, I am too young and lack any experience in sect governance or discipline.”

Liu Junhuai’s words were sincere. He also knew that the more he interacted with the Celestial Mechanism Sect, the more Xiao Qingtian would trust him. From Wu Wanren’s words, Xiao Qingtian was a person one could engage with, though sometimes his role as sect leader made him overly protective of sect interests, which outsiders often saw as stinginess or greed.

Xiao Qingtian was naturally pleased to have Liu Junhuai increasingly reliant on him. He had confidence in Liu Junhuai’s future development, partly because the formidable backing behind Liu Junhuai promised direct benefits.

Each harbored their own modest ambitions, and their alliance destined them to be the two most crucial figures in opposing the monstrous Bloodshed Alliance. Their partnership would play an irreplaceable role in shaping the future of the cultivation world. In the Western Region and indeed throughout the entire Star Sky Continent, they would make significant contributions.

Xiao Qingtian felt immense satisfaction now, having gained an exceptional ally in both intellect and ability. Liu Junhuai made him feel he had found a true confidant in the Western Region to help combat the Bloodshed Alliance.

“Junhuai, don’t call me senior anymore. It sounds too formal. Besides, how would I address your master when I meet them? If you like, just call me Uncle Xiao from now on. Things with Wanren can be handled separately,” Xiao Qingtian offered warmly, extending a hand of friendship.

Fortunately, Liu Junhuai was quick-witted. “Then I will call you Uncle Xiao from now on. By the way, Uncle Xiao, what happened to Haotian, the Second Elder of the Sea Heaven Pavilion?”

Xiao Qingtian replied, “Right now, the current head of Sea Heaven Pavilion is here at Celestial Mechanism Sect. He just mentioned this matter. Haotian hasn’t acted against him yet. The head plans to deal with him publicly at the sect alliance conference. After the recent Shangyu Trade Association incident, Sea Heaven Pavilion suffered huge losses. The head despises Haotian utterly. Perhaps this is Haotian’s just punishment!”