He stared into the waters of the Dragon Pool, lost in thought.
Suddenly, he noticed that the water was quite unusual.
There was a faint, almost imperceptible trace of spiritual energy within the pool.
‘This pool is a mirror that can observe the outside world!’
Li Ze lightly tapped the surface of the Dragon Pool with his fingertip.
Ripples spread out, and the waters within the secret realm began to oscillate violently.
Li Ze snapped his head up as a blood-colored afterimage of the external battlefield flickered across the sky reflected in the water.
In the reflection, the Green Sword Sect’s offensive was fierce and relentless, while the Yin Yang Sect was being driven back step by step.
Soon, Luo Yi and Mo Zhengxuan joined forces.
“Yin Yang Grand Array, activate!”
A massive black-and-white Taiji pattern covered the entire battlefield.
Instantly, a layer of protective armor shimmered into existence on every disciple of the Yin Yang Sect.
Between 60% and 70% of the spells and physical strikes launched by the Green Sword Sect disciples were absorbed, only to be converted into energy for the Yin Yang Sect disciples.
The Yin Yang Sect disciples grew stronger as the battle progressed, and the tide of the war turned in an instant.
Since the Green Sword Sect could not break the Yin Yang Grand Array, their disciples could only rely on their sheer combat prowess to hold their ground in the brutal fight.
Jun Zhuohua’s voice was hoarse.
“Hmph! The Yin Yang Grand Array?”
“I might not be able to break the array from the outside, but if I kill the two of you, the formation will naturally collapse.”
“Let’s go!”
“We’re going to meet those two peak masters.”
Three streaks of light appeared high in the air.
Mo Zhengxuan murmured, “Heh, simple cultivators at Stage 3 and Stage 4 of the Soul Profound Realm actually dare to challenge me when I’m about to step into Stage 6. You truly don’t know the meaning of death!”
Mo Zhengxuan watched the three streaks of light approach.
Then, he and Luo Yi transformed into light as well, soaring up to meet them head-on.
Li Ze had not expected this.
He was minding his own business in the secret realm, so why had the two sects outside suddenly gone to war?
An idea formed in Li Ze’s mind.
With the Yin Yang Sect’s combat forces currently occupied, now was the perfect time to seize the Level 9 Spiritual Vein Core.
The core was a crystal where the spiritual energy of a vein was at its densest—a stone formed by the natural accumulation of power.
Its energy was countless times richer than that of top-grade spiritual stones.
‘If I can find a few spiritual vein cores, I won’t have to worry about cultivation resources in the future.’
‘First, I’ll go back and regroup with them, then figure out a way out.’
…
Inside the cliffside stone cave, “Senior is back!”
Qing Ruanning was the first to speak.
Li Ze briefly explained the situation regarding the massive war between the two sects outside.
When Qing Ruanning heard the details of the battle, her face turned pale instantly, and her fingers unconsciously gripped the hem of her clothes.
“Mother… and the brothers and sisters of the sect…”
Her voice trembled, and panic flashed in her eyes.
“I have to get out of here right now!”
She struggled to stand up, causing the recently healed wound on her shoulder to seep blood once more.
“Calm down.”
Li Ze pressed down on her shoulder with a firm but gentle grip that she could not break.
“Going out now will only make you a liability. The Yin Yang Grand Array has been activated, so the situation has stabilized for now.”
Cai Xiaonuo added, “Senior! I remember Peak Master Luo saying when we entered that if we encountered a life-or-death crisis, we could activate a teleportation talisman with our essence blood to leave immediately!”
She pulled a crumpled yellow paper talisman from her storage bag.
The cinnabar markings on it had already grown dull.
“You clever little thing.”
Li Ze nodded in approval, pricking his fingertip to drop blood onto the talisman. Qing Ruanning followed suit.
Three talismans rose into the air, intertwining at the roof of the cave to form a swirling portal of light.
A cold wind carrying withered leaves rushed in, making the candlelight crackle.
“Go!”
Their figures vanished instantly.
The sensation of weightlessness lasted for about 10 seconds.
When they opened their eyes again, they were standing on the scorched earth at the entrance of the secret realm.
A mist of blood filled the air, and in the distant mountains, two-colored spiritual lights collided violently.
The sounds of explosions rumbled like continuous thunder.
The flying ships of the Green Sword Sect circled at low altitudes.
A rain of arrows poured down like a swarm of locusts, only to be deflected by the Taiji light shields raised by the Yin Yang Sect disciples.
“Sister Qing!”
An old man was directing the flow of the battlefield.
Three cloud patterns were embroidered in gold thread on his sleeves, marking him as the Third Elder who presided over punishments.
The gaunt Elder Sun looked at Qing Ruanning with concern.
“It is good that Your Highness is safe!”
Qing Ruanning’s eyes reddened.
“Elder Sun…”
The elder with the three cloud patterns interrupted her.
“Peak Master Luo said that once Your Highness emerged, you were to return to the sect immediately.”
The Third Elder waved his hand to summon two guards.
“Escort Her Highness back to the sect!”
He glanced at Li Ze and Cai Xiaonuo.
“Since you two have just come out of the secret realm, you won’t be sent to the front lines. Return to the sect and protect the grounds.”
Li Ze was about to speak when Cai Xiaonuo secretly tugged at his sleeve.
The girl gave the Third Elder a sweet smile.
“Don’t worry, Elder. We will be good and help out.”
Qing Ruanning’s voice echoed from behind them.
“Senior! Xiaonuo! Take care—”
Her voice was quickly swallowed by the sounds of slaughter.
Li Ze and Cai Xiaonuo then obediently followed the elder’s orders to return toward the sect.
On the way.
“Come on, let’s go find the spiritual vein core.”
“Senior, didn’t the elder tell us to go back and protect the sect?”
“Are you silly? The sect has a mountain-protecting array. You don’t need to worry about it.”
Along the way, Li Ze explained the matter of the spiritual vein core to Cai Xiaonuo in detail.
They eventually reached the foot of the sect’s mountain.
“The spiritual vein core is hidden within the entire spiritual vein. Finding it is extremely difficult.”
“Senior, are we going to search the entire spiritual vein?”
“Well…”
Σ(°△°|||): “Senior, you aren’t joking, are you!”
If it weren’t so difficult to find, the two peak masters would have already claimed all the cores for themselves.
There wouldn’t be any left for Li Ze to find.
Li Ze was at a loss.
“Xing Yao, do you have a way?”
A lazy voice rang out inside Li Ze’s head.
“Oh! You usually ignore Xing Yao when nothing is wrong. Now, Master, how is it that you’ve suddenly thought of me?”
“Do you have a way or not?”
“I can sense the location of the core, but why should I tell you?”
Li Ze could tell that Xing Yao felt he was just using her as a tool, and she was currently angry.
“The spiritual vein core can help you recover. Do you really want to miss this great opportunity?”
“I don’t care about that!”
Xing Yao might not care, but Li Ze did.
Since he had no other choice, Li Ze continued to search for a solution.
“Then what will it take for you to help me?”
“Unless you promise me one thing!”
Li Ze was somewhat confused.
“What thing?”
“Promise first!”
“Fine. As long as it isn’t harmful to me, I can agree to it!”
“Don’t worry, Master. How could Xing Yao ever harm you?”
Soon, a woman with long, clear-colored hair appeared before them.
“Sister Xing Yao, how did you come out?”
She stroked Cai Xiaonuo’s face.
“Your mouth is as sweet as ever!”
“I am here to help find the spiritual vein core.”
“Time is short. Let’s start the search.”
A long spear appeared before them, and Xing Yao sat atop it.
“Follow me!”
They arrived at a flat, ordinary-looking patch of grass.
“We’re here. It’s right here.”
Cai Xiaonuo looked around.
“Where is it?”
‘She must be underground.’
“Master is clever. This is deep within the spiritual vein. The core is within 1 mile underground.”
Upon hearing the confirmation, Li Ze controlled the spear with his divine sense.
The spear began to spin wildly, boring into the ground like a drill.
A moment later, a crystal flashing with a dazzling, multicolored luster was unearthed by the spear.
Cai Xiaonuo caught the flying core.
“Is this the spiritual vein core? It’s so beautiful!”