Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

Above the Black Wind Mountains, the aftershocks of the Golden Core battle were like the end of the world. Every collision between the dazzling sword light and the overwhelming ghostly energy caused the mountains and rivers within hundreds of miles to change color and the spiritual energy to boil.

Even thousands of miles away on Qingyun Mountain, one could vaguely feel that heart-palpitating pressure. The aura of the mountain-protecting array rippled violently from time to time, as if it might collapse at any moment.

Within the sect, all disciples were on high alert, working day and night in shifts, daring not to slack off in the slightest.

However, amidst this oppressive atmosphere and panic, a hidden yet resolute force is quietly taking action.

Behind Qingyun Mountain, in a secluded valley. The night was as dark as ink, and the mountain wind howled.

Shi Tie, along with Sun Hao, Xiong Meng, and five other carefully selected elite warriors from the Battle Hall, who were most skilled in concealment, escape techniques, and offensive operations, gathered here like ghosts.

Everyone wore specially made concealment robes and bronze ghost masks that blocked divine sense from detecting them, their auras were extremely suppressed.

"Listen up, all of you!" Shi Tie lowered his voice, his large, bell-like eyes scanning the crowd from behind his mask, his tone more serious than ever before.

"This mission is a direct order from our sect leader! Success is the only option; failure is not an option! And, absolutely no one can reveal their identity! Anyone who lets us down and ruins the sect's important affairs will be the first to be skinned alive!"

"Don't worry, boss! We know what's important!" Sun Hao replied in a deep voice, gripping a short blade that exuded a faint chill.

Xiong Meng silently patted the heavy black iron shield on his back and said in a deep voice, "Whoever blocks my way, I'll smash them to pieces!"

Shi Tie nodded in satisfaction, took out a faintly glowing animal hide map, spread it on the ground, and pointed his finger at a marker about eight hundred miles away from Qingyun Mountain, located on the southeastern edge of the Black Wind Mountain Range, near the "Weeping Blood Wasteland".

"This place used to be a small 'Azure Jade Spirit Stone Mine' secretly controlled by the Zhao family of Blackstone City. The quality was good, and the reserves were decent. Now that the Zhao family is gone, the mine manager and guards are either dead or have fled, and it has been idle for almost half a month."

"According to the information that Zhao Yuanming gave us and our reconnaissance a few days ago, there are only a few dozen terrified miners and a few low-level rogue cultivators taking advantage of the chaos occupying that place. They are not a threat."

He raised his head, his gaze sharp: "Our mission is to take advantage of the chaos outside, when no one is paying attention to this secluded corner, and quietly sneak in to take control of the mine!"

"Clear out the weaklings, appease the miners, and resume small-scale mining! Most importantly, set up the 'Minor Sumeru Illusion Array' given by the sect leader to hide the entire mine!"

"Boss, taking over the mine is one thing, but how do we transport the extracted spirit stones back? It's all so chaotic right now..." a disciple nicknamed "Skinny Monkey" asked in a low voice.

"Good question!" Shi Tie grinned and pulled out a few inconspicuous, dusty bags from his storage bag. "See these? These are the 'Concealing Storage Bags' that Junior Sister Xiao Cao just made. They can greatly conceal the fluctuations of spiritual energy in spirit stones."

"Each time you mine spirit stones, Sun Hao and Skinny Monkey, the two of you with the best skills, will take turns using teleportation talismans to secretly send them back. We've already scouted the route, trying to avoid places where people might be. Remember, it's better to be slow than to be exposed!"

"Understood!" Sun Hao and the skinny monkey nodded emphatically.

"Action!" Shi Tie waved his hand, and eight figures, as if blending into the night, silently glided out of the valley and sped off towards their target.

Several days later, at the edge of the Bloodstained Wasteland, at the Jade Mine.

The once relatively orderly mine is now a scene of devastation. Fences have collapsed, workers' sheds are damaged, and scattered ore and dried blood are everywhere.

Dozens of emaciated miners with vacant eyes were listlessly pounding on the mine wall under the watchful eyes of several rogue cultivators carrying worn-out swords and with fierce expressions. Their work was inefficient.

"Damn it, this place is so sparsely spiritually rich! We've been digging for ages and haven't even found a few good spirit stones!" A scarred rogue cultivator cursed as he kicked a miner to the ground. "You all better work harder! Otherwise, you won't get any food tonight!"

The miners dared not speak out against their anger and could only bury themselves in their work.

Just then, something unexpected happened!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Several black shadows, as fast as lightning, shot out from the shadows of the mine without warning! Before the scarred rogue cultivator and the other overseers could react, their throats were slashed by the cold blades. Their eyes widened, and they collapsed, clutching their bleeding necks.

"Enemy attack!" The remaining rogue cultivators screamed in terror, but their voices were cut short as they were smashed into a bloody pulp by a heavy shield that attacked from behind.

Shi Tie's burly figure appeared in the center of the mine like a demon god, unleashing his undisguised mid-Foundation Establishment aura. His voice boomed like thunder: "Listen up, everyone! We are the heroes of 'Black Wind Stronghold'! This mine belongs to us! Anyone who doesn't want to die, behave yourself!"

The miners were terrified and knelt down in a panic.

Sun Hao, Xiong Meng, and the others quickly secured all entrances and exits and cleared the battlefield. Meanwhile, Skinny Monkey, along with two others, rapidly inspected the mine according to the ore vein map provided by Zhao Yuanming.

"Boss, the small fry have been cleared out. The mine is basically intact, and the main ore veins haven't been damaged, but a lot of tools have been lost," Sun Hao reported back.

Shi Tie nodded, walked up to the group of terrified miners, and tried to make his voice sound as fierce as possible: "You, were you once members of the Zhao family?"

A daring old miner looked up tremblingly: "Yes...yes, Your Majesty...the Zhao family...the Zhao family is gone..."

"Hmph! Now that the Zhao family is gone, you'll all be working for my Black Wind Stronghold from now on!"

Shi Tie waved his hand dismissively, "Work hard at mining, and you'll all have plenty to eat! Anyone who dares to slack off or leak a single word will suffer the same fate as those guys just now! Do you hear me!"

"We heard you! We heard you! Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing our lives!" The miners kowtowed repeatedly, as if they had been granted a pardon. For them, it didn't matter who they worked for; as long as they had food to eat and could survive, that was enough.

After calming the miners down, Shi Tie immediately instructed Sun Hao to bury the "Minor Sumeru Illusion Array" plate, which was meticulously crafted by Zhao Qingyan and infused with a trace of Shen Mo's divine consciousness, in the core area of ​​the mine.

The moment the array was activated, an invisible wave swept across the area, making the entire mine appear even more desolate and lifeless from the outside, as if it had been completely abandoned, with even the fluctuations of spiritual energy barely perceptible.

"It's done!" Shi Tie breathed a sigh of relief, clapped his hands, and said, "Sun Hao, you stay here with two people to supervise and keep watch. According to the plan, Skinny Monkey will come to collect the spirit stones every ten days. I'll take the rest of you back to report. Remember, if you encounter any suspicious situations, immediately activate the array plate to conceal yourself and send a signal for help!"

"Don't worry, boss!" Sun Hao clasped his hands in acceptance of the order.

When Shi Tie quietly returned to Qingyun Mountain with news of the initial success, another exploration concerning the future of the sect was also underway in the Liuyun Secret Realm.

Deep within the secret realm lies an area that has never been marked before. This is no longer the familiar Cloud Valley or Blade Forest, but a strange "Golden Stone Forest".

Countless enormous, angular metal ores stood like a forest, radiating an incomparably sharp aura of metal. The air was filled with the faint clanging of metal against metal. Ordinary Qi Refining disciples would probably have their protective spiritual energy torn apart by the invisible sword energy here.