Chapter 980 - Ancient Spiritual Vein

The young man stepped forward with a playful grin, and his words flushed the faces of the two Earth Profound Realm cultivators red with embarrassment.

He wasn't wrong. It was indeed shameful for the two cultivators at the Earth Profound Realm to gang up on someone at the first-level Spirit Profound Realm. But so what?

Who would care about reputation if they could seize the treasures? After all, strength was everything in this world.

"Who are you to interfere?!" the Profound Cloud Sect's disciples shouted. Who did this man think he was to meddle in their affairs? Anyone who dared meddle in their conflict with Liu Wuxie would be an enemy of the entire group.

"And who do you think you are to bark around here?" the youth's eyes turned cold, unleashing an oppressive pressure outward.

Exclamations rang from the surroundings. "Earth Profound Realm!"

No one had expected this mysterious youth to also be at the Earth Profound Realm. Things got interesting now.

Mu Yuanyi's sudden arrival had caught everyone off guard, but even he had failed to kill Liu Wuxie. Then, the tide had shifted again when Yuan Zilong appeared, placing Liu Wuxie at a clear disadvantage.

Just as the situation turned dire, another figure arrived, appearing out of nowhere to support Liu Wuxie.

Yuan Zilong and Mu Yuanyi's faces grew darker. They lost the upper hand when a third cultivator at the Earth Profound Realm appeared. Their brief advantage only lasted for a few breaths before being shattered.

"Brother Han, great to see you again," Liu Feng rushed over and embraced the newcomer.

The newcomer was none other than Han Feizi. They had been separated after entering the sacred ground. Over the past few months, Han Feizi had obtained numerous treasures and broken through to the Earth Profound Realm only days ago.

Han Feizi nodded slightly in greeting, and Liu Wuxie returned it calmly. He had sensed the former's presence earlier but hadn't sought him out. He preferred not to involve others in his affairs unless necessary.

That was the same for Han Feizi. This was why Han Feizi's intervention came as a surprise to Liu Wuxie. This meant Han Feizi couldn't stand by and let him die.

Though he didn't know about the Han Clan's duties as Spirit Guardians, he was now certain there was a mysterious connection between him and the Han Clan.

"Garbage," Han Feizi sneered, pointing at those who opposed Liu Wuxie. "Is this all you people have got? Ganging up on someone whose cultivation is significantly weaker? Let's see how all of you are going to kill us now."

No one dared to respond. Under the reprimand of an Earth Profound Realm cultivator, silence was the only answer.

Yuan Zilong and Mu Yuanyi exchanged glances, hesitation flickering in their eyes. Han Feizi's unexpected appearance had disrupted their momentum, throwing their rhythm into disarray.

Han Feizi shouted impatiently, "What are you waiting for? Get on with it already!"

He stood ready to fight at a moment's notice.

Mu Yuanyi and Yuan Zilong found themselves in a dilemma. They knew their chances of winning were slim if they fought, but they would become a laughingstock if they backed off.

"Big Brother, what should we do now?" Yuan Ziping asked, his voice filled with anxiety.

He had gone to great lengths to persuade his elder brother, hoping to eliminate Liu Wuxie and let Ruan Ying return to his side. But things had taken multiple turns.

"Liu Wuxie, I didn't expect you to have a backup," Yuan Zilong said, exhaling. He regretted not waiting longer before stepping in.

In truth, he had no feud with Liu Wuxie, and there was no reason for him to make an enemy out of Liu Wuxie for the sake of some treasures. If he hadn't stepped out, Han Feizi wouldn't have either. The latter had only acted after seeing Liu Wuxie in danger.

"Do you eally think I have no friends?" Liu Wuxie sneered.

Tens of thousands of people had entered the sacred ground, and many thirsted for his blood. But they didn't know that Liu Wuxie also had allies.

The Profound Cloud Sect's disciples grew impatient and urged Mu Yuanyi to act, not wanting to miss the opportunity.

"Senior Brother Mu, hurry up!"

Liu Wuxie would grow stronger with the passing months, and no one would be able to kill him then.

Mu Yuanyi bit his lips. He naturally wanted to kill Liu Wuxie, but fate had intervened.

"Get lost if you're not going to fight!" Han Feizi said, waving his hand. These people would embarrass themselves if they stayed here any longer.

His words embaradded everyone on Mu Yuanyi's side, their faces flushing red with shame.

"Let's go!" Mu Yuanyi swiftly left with the Profound Cloud Gate disciples, knowing when to retreat.

That left Yuan Zilong alone, standing awkwardly.

"Big Brother, let's go as well," Yuan Ziping said. Now that Mu Yuanyi was gone, and knowing his elder brother couldn't defeat Liu Wuxie, he felt afraid.

Moreover, Han Feizi was Liu Wuxie's sworn brother and would join the fight if required.

Yuan Zilong and Mu Yuanyi each had their own agendas and neither wanted the other to claim the reward. They both knew that a battle now would be unwise. That's why Mu Yuanyi left after a brief hesitation.

"Liu Wuxie, until next time!" Yuan Zilong cupped his fists together and left with Yuan Ziping.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

With that, the crowd dispersed as well.

Liu Wuxie led his companions back into the courtyard. Everyone was happy and thankful to regroup after several months.

"Brother Han, it looks like you had quite the harvest these past few months," Liu Wuxie remarked, glancing meaningfully at Han Feizi.

Han Feizi was only at the Spirit Profound Realm when they had separated. But now, he had broken through to the Earth Profound Realm in just a few months.

"I'm just lucky," Han Feizi shrugged. "I fell into a cave and found a few strange fruits. I ate them, and boom—this happened."

However, he didn't know that those opportunities were what others dreamed of.

Liu Feng and Liu Xin'er's eyes sparkled. They, too, dreamed of stumbling upon such fortune.

Liu Wuxie gave Han Feizi a thumbs-up.

In contrast, Liu Wuxie had risked his life every time he had obtained a treasure.

He had escaped with the four seasonal treasures only by refining the heavenly tree's essence. And he had faced cultivators at the Earth Profound Realm and twelve fiends, and nearly lost his life while obtaining the Thunder Saint Pearl.

On the other hand, Han Feizi had stumbled upon the treasures by luck. How unfair!?

The group spent the next few days in seclusion, and more cultivators flooded the city. Some planned to challange Liu Wuxie after learning he was there, but they gave up when they heard that Liu Wuxie had someone at the Earth Profound Realm with him.

Half a month passed quickly, and Liu Wuxie focused on guiding Liu Feng and Liu Xin'er. Their cultivation soared under his guadance.

Liu Feng reached the fifth-level Spirit Profound Realm, and Liu Xin'er reached the third level.

Before regrouping with Liu Wuxie, Liu Feng would've needed at least ten years to reach the fifth-level Spirit Profound Realm. As for Liu Xin'er, her talent was even lower. Not to forget, Liu Wuxie had helped her join the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy.

On this day, Liu Wuxie sat cross-legged, cultivating in the room that Ruan Ying had prepared for him in advance. Liu Feng and Liu Xin'er reached a bottleneck, and they could only depend on themselves for their next breakthrough.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," Liu Wuxie said, opening his eyes and standing up.

When Ruan Ying came in, Liu Wuxie asked, "What is it?"

"Master, Lu Liang and the others discovered an ancient spiritual vein. Many cultivators are heading there now. Should we go there as well?" Ruan Ying asked.

An ancient spiritual vein likely contained many supreme-grade spirit stones.

"Where is it located?" Liu Wuxie asked.

Only one month remained, and he wouldn't mind making a trip over if it wasn't too far.

"About five days from here," Ruan Ying replied. That wasn't exactly nearby, given their speed.

"Good, we'll leave now!" Liu Wuxie said without hesitation, as supreme-grade spirit stones were too valuable for him to ignore.

While he had some high-grade spirit stones, they became less useful with each breakthrough, since every new advancement demanded terrifying quantities. More importantly, supreme-grade spirit stones carried dao runes, ideal for comprehending dao techniques.

He had already mastered four dao techniques: the Great Five Elemental Palm, Great Dragon Aspect Art, Frost Dao Art, and the Spatial Dao Art.

The Golden Flame Strike remained a half-formed dao technique.

With enough supreme-grade spirit stones, Liu Wuxie was confident he could master a light-attribute dao technique. He had already absorbed enough light laws but lacked a matching dao technique to channel them.

So, Liu Wuxie explored and developed it on his own.

He wanted to master many dao techniques, such as Conversion Art, Light Dao Art, Yin-Yang Dao Art, and Poison Dao Art. But his progress was hindered by time and dao runes, not divine force.

Light represented healing, and the Light Dao Art was not an offensive but a healing technique. As long as he didn't die immediately, he could rely on the Light Dao Art to heal his injuries with time, no matter how severe.

Liu Wuxie gathered Liu Feng, Liu Xin'er, and Gu Yu over. When they learned Liu Wuxie planned to leave the city, Han Feizi raised both hands in support. He was never the type to linger in one place.

Most cultivators in the city also began to leave as they had also likely received the same news. The discovery of an ancient spiritual vein was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it could even be a complete vein.

Whoever claimed it would gain unimaginable wealth, and no one knew how many supreme-grade spirit stones were inside a vein. Even someone at the higher levels of the Earth Profound Realm would covet such enormous wealth.

After all, cultivators at the high levels of the Earth Profound Realm also had to rely on supreme-grade spirit stones to cultivate. High-grade spirit stones were no longer suitable at their level.

The group of six left the city swiftly, with Fiery trailing close behind. Guided by Ruan Ying, they soared into the sky, their figures fading into the horizon.

Shortly after Liu Wuxie's departure, Mu Yuanyi and Yuan Zilong emerged from their residences.

"Liu Wuxie's left. He must've found a treasure. Let's follow him!" Not everyone had yet received word about the ancient spiritual vein.