txolops Chapter 320 The Defeat in Mining
Chapter 320 The Defeat in Mining
"It's not me suppressing it," Chen Jinshu said with a faint smile, his tone revealing a hint of weakness that was hard to conceal.
"It is this cave full of stardust that is suppressing your bloodthirsty aura."
As she spoke, she changed her fingering, and the sound of the piano changed again.
'Dong dong ding ding ding!'
This time, the music was no longer simply a sound of attack; it had a touch of ethereal beauty.
The moment the piano music began, all the stardust suspended in the air simultaneously burst forth with dazzling silver light.
They moved swiftly, arranging themselves into mysterious arrays in mid-air, enveloping the entire cave.
The array patterns emitted a faint starlight, intertwining to form a huge star pattern that slowly rotated.
"Starry Sky Demon Suppression Array..." Sand Scorpion looked up at the array patterns, his eyes filled with shock.
"This is an ancient magic-suppressing array! How did Fellow Daoist Chen manage to set up such an array?"
Zhao He was also stunned, and almost dropped the short blade in his hand:
"My God... Is the fairy trying to trap that old demon here to die?"
Bloodhand Old Demon's face had become extremely ugly. He could feel that the pressure emanating from those star array patterns was constantly suppressing his cultivation and the Blood Demon Banner.
The light on the Blood Demon Banner grew dimmer and dimmer, and the cracks on the banner became more and more obvious.
"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath, his gaze towards Chen Jinshu filled with ferocity and apprehension.
"Little girl, I underestimated you!"
He gritted his teeth and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood essence, which landed on the Blood Demon Banner.
The Blood Demon Banner seemed to come alive, emitting a sharp shriek, and its blood-red light surged, forcibly pushing back the silver light of the stardust.
Taking advantage of this brief gap, Bloodhand Demon suddenly retreated, his figure flashing in the cave before appearing at the entrance.
"withdraw!"
At his command, the four Blood Fiend Sect disciples immediately followed him, turning around and fleeing out of the cave.
Chen Jinshu did not pursue them.
She breathed a sigh of relief, her hands slipped off the strings, and she collapsed to the ground, feeling utterly exhausted.
The stardust suspended in the air, no longer guided by the music, fell one after another, scattering on the ground with a tinkling sound.
"Senior!" Zhao He rushed over and helped her up.
"Are you OK?"
"It's nothing." Chen Jinshu waved his hand, his voice weak but still relatively steady.
"It's just that the energy expenditure was too great; I'll be fine after a short rest."
The sand scorpion also came over, looked at the stardust covering the ground, then glanced in the direction of the cave entrance, and let out a long sigh of relief:
"I never expected that old demon would possess such a treasure as the Blood Demon Banner. If it weren't for your use of Star Sand to set up the formation today, we would have truly perished here."
Chen Jinshu didn't speak, but took out a pill from his storage bag, swallowed it, closed his eyes, and began to regulate his breathing.
Sha Xie and Zhao He exchanged a glance but did not disturb her.
A moment later, Chen Jinshu opened his eyes, and his complexion regained some color.
She stood up, looked at the stardust scattered on the ground, glanced at the cave wall, and said in a deep voice:
"Collect the star sand as soon as possible, then leave this place. Although the Bloodhand Demon has retreated, he will never let this go."
Sand Scorpion nodded, took out several jade shovels and jade boxes from his storage bag, and distributed them to the two of them.
The three of them dispersed and began collecting stardust from the cave walls.
Those stardust particles are embedded in the rock and need to be carefully pried off with a jade shovel before being placed in a jade box for preservation.
While collecting the materials, Chen Jinshu kept an eye on any activity coming from the direction of the cave entrance.
She knew that although the Bloodhand Demon had temporarily retreated, given his nature, he would eventually make a comeback.
By then, it probably won't be something that can be resolved by delaying for the time it takes to burn an incense stick.
She must restore her cultivation as soon as possible and make thorough preparations.
……
Outside the cave, under a gray-yellow sky, the Blood-Handed Demon stood on a boulder, his face so gloomy it seemed as if water could drip from it.
He glanced down at the Blood Demon Banner in his hand. A crack about an inch long had appeared on the banner, stretching from the top to the bottom.
"Damn it!" he cursed fiercely, then put the Blood Demon Banner into his sleeve.
"That little girl can actually draw upon the power of the Star Sand and the Moon... If I had known this earlier, I should have taken her down with swift and decisive action back in Flowing Sand City!"
A Blood Fiend Sect disciple cautiously stepped forward and whispered, "Uncle-Master, that Star Sand Mine..."
"Don't touch that area yet." Bloodhand Old Demon waved his hand, his eyes flashing with blood-red flames.
"That little girl's formation is indeed quite sophisticated; forcing her way through would be counterproductive. We'll wait until she comes out before making our move."
"It's impossible for her to have all the treasures in this secret realm by herself."
He raised his head, looked at the gray sky, and a cold smile appeared on his lips: "Little girl, we have a long future ahead of us."
……
Zhao He was quick and skillful, and he would target those protruding, easy-to-mine star sand crystals. He would dig out a small piece with each shovel, and his movements were as nimble as a monkey.
As he dug, he muttered to himself, "I'm rich! I'm rich! This small piece can be exchanged for at least a hundred spirit stones. If I dig for a whole day, it will be enough for me to use for several years of cultivation resources to break through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm."
Sand Scorpion, on the other hand, was much more composed. Although his injuries had not yet healed and his mining movements were not fast, each shovel stroke was neat and precise, and the sand he dug out was also large.
He laughed and said, "I spent a few years in the mines of the Northern Region in my early years and learned some mining tricks. After this star sand is mined, it should be stored in a jade box as soon as possible, otherwise the star power will slowly dissipate."
Chen Jinshu listened and silently kept it in mind.
She dug for about an hour, and her hands and feet were already very sore.
This kind of meticulous work is inherently exhausting, and coupled with the fact that her spiritual energy was already depleted and had not fully recovered, a fine layer of sweat appeared on her forehead.
Seeing that her face had turned pale again, Zhao He stopped what he was doing, took out a large gourd from his storage bag, and handed it to her.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, take a rest for a while. This is honey-brewed pear juice that I traded with a merchant from the Western Regions when I was traveling in my early years. Drinking it will help restore some of your strength."
Chen Jinshu took the gourd, uncorked it, and smelled it. Sure enough, there was a sweet pear fragrance mixed with a faint scent of medicinal herbs.
Without being polite, she tilted her head back and drank a few mouthfuls, feeling a warm sensation rise from her stomach, making her feel more comfortable throughout her body.
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Zhao."
"Don't mention it." Zhao He waved his hand, sat down on a rock, took a few gulps of water from his waist, wiped his mouth and said, "To be honest, I really admire you, fellow Daoist, for today's battle. The name of that Blood Hand Old Demon is well-known in the Southern Frontier. Even we rogue cultivators from the Eastern Region would avoid him if we heard of him. But you, fellow Daoist, drove him away directly."
Zhao He suddenly thought of something, pointed to the depths of the mine, and asked curiously:
"Fellow Daoist Chen, I just noticed that the deeper we go, the brighter the luster of the stardust becomes. Do you think there might be something even more precious hidden deep within this mine?"
Chen Jinshu looked in the direction he was looking, and indeed, the rock walls deep inside the mine shone with a more intense silver light than the outer walls, and there was a faint, almost imperceptible fluctuation of star power coming from the depths.
"I felt it too. The stellar energy fluctuations deep inside are several times stronger than those on the outside. Perhaps there really is something good there."
Sand Scorpion pondered for a moment, then said:
"Back in the day, I heard from old miners in the Northern Region mines that some star sand veins would condense into something called star sand mother crystal, which is the essence of star sand. A single grain weighs ten thousand jin and can be used to refine the core of star attribute magic treasures."
Zhao He's eyes lit up: "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go in and take a look!"
The three of them packed their things and went inside.
The deeper you go into the mine, the narrower it becomes, gradually shrinking from five or six zhang wide at the beginning to about one zhang wide.
The stardust on the cave walls became increasingly dense, shimmering with silver light, illuminating the entire passage as if it were daytime.
A strange tremor began to appear in the air, as if some force was pulsating deep within.
After walking for about half an hour, the three emerged from the narrow passage and found themselves in a domed underground cavern with a diameter of more than ten feet.
In the center of the cave stands a stone pillar as thick as a water bucket, crystal clear and shining with dazzling silver light. It is a giant piece of star sand mother crystal!
"Good heavens..." Zhao He gasped, his legs went weak and he almost knelt down.
"How many spirit stones would this whole piece be worth?"
The sand scorpion was also stunned, muttering to itself:
"In all my years, this is the first time I've ever seen such a complete star sand mother crystal. If this were auctioned off, it could probably be exchanged for a medium-sized spiritual vein."
Chen Jinshu stood at the cave entrance, his gaze fixed on the star sand mother crystal, but a strange feeling welled up in his heart.
A slight warmth spread between her brows, and a gentle tremor emanated from the depths of her consciousness.
That was the Mysterious Female Treasure Furnace pulsating. It would only react in this way when it encountered a spiritual object that played an important role in the treasure furnace. It seemed that this Star Sand Mother Crystal was definitely an extraordinary object.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, what's wrong?" Zhao He asked with concern when he saw her unusual expression.
Chen Jinshu shook his head, took a deep breath, and said, "You can collect the star sand from outside. As for this mother crystal... I want to handle it myself."
Zhao He and Sha Xie exchanged a glance and nodded knowingly.
Although they were curious, they were able to enter the mine entirely thanks to Chen Jinshu defeating the Blood Hand Demon, and Chen Jinshu had not intended to monopolize the Star Sand before. Now that she said she wanted to handle the Mother Crystal by herself, the two of them naturally had nothing to say.
"Then we'll gather star sand outside, fellow Daoist, please feel free to do as you please." Sand Scorpion cupped his hands in greeting and pulled Zhao He, who wanted to take a few more glances, out of the room.
After the two had walked away, Chen Jinshu slowly walked toward the star sand mother crystal.
The closer you get, the more you can feel the immense stellar power emanating from the star sand mother crystal.
The power was like the essence of moonlight and starlight condensed, gentle yet boundless. She stood three zhang away, looking up at the huge crystal that was a full zhang tall.
The Mysterious Female Treasure Furnace trembled more and more violently in the sea of consciousness, emanating a strong desire.
Chen Jinshu closed his eyes and concentrated, activating the Mysterious Female Treasure Furnace.
A faint golden light shone from between her brows, gradually transforming into a small, ancient-looking stove the size of a palm.
This small stove is dark gold in color, with intricate and mysterious patterns engraved on its body. The mouth of the stove is deep and bottomless, exuding a vast and ancient aura.
As soon as it appeared, all the stardust in the cave seemed to be summoned and drifted toward the furnace opening.
Chen Jinshu held the Mysterious Female Treasure Furnace in his palm. With a thought, a powerful suction force suddenly burst forth from the mouth of the furnace.
The star sand mother crystal emitted a buzzing sound, and its surface began to peel off layer by layer, turning into countless silver light spots as fine as dust, which were then sucked into the treasure furnace.
First came the outer star sand, then the mother crystal itself. The entire star sand mother crystal was peeled off layer by layer from the outside to the inside and absorbed into the Mysterious Female Treasure Furnace.
In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the giant mother crystal, which was ten feet tall, disappeared, leaving only a thin layer of grayish-white powder in its place.
Chen Jinshu retrieved the treasure furnace and probed it with his divine sense, only to be stunned.
The spiritual plant space of the Mysterious Female Treasure Furnace, which was originally empty, is now filled with star sand, forming a small mountain three zhang high!
The stardust, as large as a small mountain, shimmered with silver light, illuminating the entire spiritual plant space. Even the spiritual plants in the spiritual fields absorbed this star power, and their leaves began to glow with a faint silver luster.
Chen Jinshu: "...That's too much."
She originally thought that digging up a few dozen kilograms would be a good harvest, but she didn't expect that the Xuanpin Treasure Furnace would swallow the entire Star Sand Mother Crystal, along with the large quantum sand attached to the surrounding rock walls. In one fell swoop, she probably plundered most of the Star Sand mine in the entire Chenguang Secret Realm.
A layer of silver light shone on the walls of the Mysterious Female Treasure Furnace, as if it was very satisfied with this "feeding". It trembled slightly twice and then quieted down.
Chen Jinshu, both amused and exasperated, put away the treasure furnace. When he opened his eyes, all that remained in front of him was a bare cave.
She patted the dust off her robes and turned to walk out.
Zhao He and Sha Xie were laboriously collecting star sand while lying on the rock wall. When they saw Chen Jinshu come out, Zhao He exclaimed with delight:
"Fellow Daoist Chen, how is it? That mother crystal..."
"I've already taken it," Chen Jinshu said frankly, his tone tinged with embarrassment.
"I will distribute the stardust inside to the two of you as previously agreed, so you don't need to bother collecting it anymore."
Zhao He was stunned, and almost dropped the jade shovel in his hand:
"They...they took it away? It was such a big one..."
Sand Scorpion also looked shocked. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he just shook his head with a wry smile:
"Fellow Daoist Chen's methods are indeed extraordinary; I admire them."
Chen Jinshu took out a small pile of star sand from his spiritual plant space, weighing about ten kilograms, and divided it into two portions, handing them to the two of them:
"Consider this my compensation to you two."
Zhao He took it and saw that it was quite heavy, weighing at least seven or eight pounds. He immediately beamed with joy.
"That's enough! This is enough cultivation resources for me to break through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. Thank you for your generosity, fellow Daoist!"
Sand Scorpion accepted it as well. Although his injuries had not yet healed, this batch of Star Sand was indeed precious. Selling it could at least get him a thousand-year-old ginseng to prolong his life.
After resting for another half hour, Zhao He suggested that they take another walk around the outer perimeter of the mine to see if there were any scattered specks of sand that had been missed.
Chen Jinshu did not go any further. Instead, he found a flat rock at the entrance of the mine, sat down cross-legged, and continued to regulate his breathing to recover his spiritual energy.
Half an hour later, Zhao He and Sha Xie returned, both with satisfied smiles on their faces, clearly having made a considerable haul.
"That's enough, we should go."
Chen Jinshu opened his eyes, stood up, and said, "The secret realm will close in a few days, and we haven't yet explored the opportunities in other places." (End of Chapter)