Nine Yang Life and Death Transformation

Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the sword's blade was gleaming and smooth as a mirror, with several large, elegant characters engraved on it—"Devouring Yuan Sword." Immediately afterward, Wu Feilong began to refine the Devouring Yuan Sword using a special method. After a short while, he successfully established a wondrous connection with the sword.

Just then, a miraculous thing happened. The Devouring Yuan Sword actually fed back its true essence to Wu Feilong, with a continuous stream of true essence flowing into his body through the sword. Feeling this powerful replenishment, a satisfied smile appeared on Wu Feilong's face. This sword could not only absorb the true essence of others, but also store the absorbed true essence and feed it back to himself, truly a rare treasure.

On the other side, the sea monster whale, whose pain had just subsided somewhat, seemed to understand. It opened its enormous mouth, big enough to swallow a small mountain, and Wu Feilong seized the opportunity, his figure blurring as he transformed into a streak of light and flew out.

Seeing this, Zhang Daojing, who had been hovering in the air closely observing the situation, became extremely anxious and hurriedly shouted, "Disciple, how are you? Are you injured?"

Hearing his master's concerned inquiry, Wu Feilong steadied himself and replied loudly, "Master, I'm fine, you don't need to worry!"

The sea whale gently slapped the water's surface with its broad fins, making a crisp sound, as if thanking Wu Feilong. Then, it turned and its massive body slowly disappeared into the water, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

The two hurried back to the Lieyang Sect. As soon as they stepped into the sect, they saw that it was filled with a large number of soldiers, each with a solemn expression and holding weapons, as if facing a formidable enemy. Upon seeing this, Wu Feilong's heart skipped a beat, and his heart jumped into his throat.

Could it be that... his secret theft of the spirit stones has been exposed? He pondered to himself, his mind racing through every detail of the entire operation. However, no matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't figure out where he had left any clues that would have been so easily discovered.

Despite his turbulent inner turmoil, Wu Feilong forced a calm demeanor and strode inside. On the way, he casually grabbed a passing disciple and asked in a low voice, "What's going on here? Who is this?"

The disciple hurriedly bowed and said, "Reporting to the Sect Leader, the person who has come this time is the young prince of the Wuping Prince's Mansion—Wu Feilong!"

Upon hearing this answer, Wu Feilong was startled again, but quickly regained his composure. He thought to himself, since things have come to this point, I might as well go and see for myself. So he nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "Then I must have a good look at this young prince."

Normally, Wu Feilong would not bother with such matters. But today, for some reason, a strange premonition compelled him to find out what was going on.

When he stepped into the reception room, he found it already packed with people. Seated in the very center was none other than Wu Feilong, the renowned young prince of the Wuping Prince's Mansion, flanked by the sect leader of the Lieyang Sect and a group of highly respected elders.

Just then, Mu Sheng, who was sitting to the side, saw Wu Feilong walk in and quickly stood up to greet him, introducing him to the people behind him: "Sun Kang, this is the young prince of the Wuping Prince's Mansion."

Upon hearing this, Wu Feilong quickly and respectfully bowed deeply, saying, "Greetings, Young Prince." When he raised his head and his gaze fell upon the "Wu Feilong" before him, he couldn't help but inwardly admire him. The man had handsome features, sharp eyebrows, and bright eyes, exuding an imposing aura; furthermore, his cultivation level had reached the fifth level of the Golden Core realm, which truly surprised him.

A disciple brought over a chair and had Wu Feilong sit next to the elder.

Wu Feilong spoke up: "Sect Master Mu, everyone in your sect is strong and healthy. We have a business opportunity we would like to explore with your sect."

"Please speak freely, Your Highness."

“Some unexpected events have occurred at the Longshan Mine, resulting in the tragic deaths of a large number of miners. Currently, the soldiers fighting on the front lines urgently need Yuan Stones as supplies, but it is difficult to find suitable miners to undertake this heavy task in a short time. Therefore, we hope that your clan can take over this arduous task of mining Yuan Stones.” As he spoke, the young prince looked at everyone with earnest eyes.

Upon hearing this, Wu Feilong abruptly stood up and said with a solemn expression, "Young Prince, as far as I know, there seems to be an extremely terrifying monster at the Longshan Mine. Do you intend for us to go there and die in vain?"

The young prince was startled, wondering how the man had obtained such important confidential information. However, he maintained a calm demeanor and smiled slightly as he replied, "Indeed, the monster did appear at the Dragon Mountain Mine. But you need not worry, the beast has been successfully suppressed and will not pose any threat to you."

Wu Feilong snorted coldly, clearly not believing the young prince's words, and continued to press, "I've heard rumors that anyone who goes to the Longshan Mine never returns!"

At this moment, the sect leader, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up: "Young Prince, this matter is of utmost importance, concerning the lives of hundreds of people in our entire sect. We hope you can give us a clear explanation."

Facing the skeptical gazes of the crowd, the young prince took a deep breath and solemnly promised, "Sect Leader Mu, Sect Master Wu, I guarantee with my personal integrity that everything I have said is true. As long as your sect can successfully complete this mission, I hereby swear that from this day forward, the Lieyang Sect will become the closest ally of my Wuping Royal Mansion, and will no longer be just an unknown third-rate sect, but will receive the full support of my Royal Mansion and leap into becoming a renowned sect in the martial arts world!"

Wu Feilong knew very well that although the pie in the sky offered by the young prince seemed quite tempting, the true state of the mysterious and terrifying Devouring Worm was still unknown. If the worm had already been killed, that would be fine, but if it was still lurking deep within the mine, then accepting this mission would undoubtedly be suicide. However, with the current strength of the Lieyang Sect, it was simply no match for the powerful imperial court, let alone dare to easily offend a powerful force like the Wuping Prince's Mansion. Therefore, despite his doubts and reluctance, Wu Feilong was now in a dilemma and had to carefully consider his next move.

"Young Prince, as the saying goes, even close brothers should keep clear accounts. I don't understand..."

The young prince scrutinized Wu Feilong with great interest, secretly pondering how this man dared to be so bold, interrupting repeatedly, yet the elders and sect leader present hadn't refuted him—this was truly baffling. For a moment, the young prince was filled with curiosity and doubt about Wu Feilong's true identity.

The young prince announced in a loud voice, “I’m giving you a deadline of one month. You must mine 100,000 spirit stones. If you mine more than that, the excess will be yours. But if you fail to meet the target, you will have to make up the difference yourself. Is this arrangement satisfactory?”

Wu Feilong narrowed his eyes slightly, pondered for a moment, and then replied, "This matter is of great importance. Please allow me to go and investigate the site first, and then make a decision after I have a clear understanding of the specific situation."