飘零影音

Arc 15: Heavenly Secret Realm | Chapter 285: Succeed

A multitude of demon worms instantly transformed into a red cloud, rushing toward the five cultivators like a raging inferno!

In the blink of an eye, the demon worms pounced on the five men, covering them from head to toe.

At that moment, the five young cultivators looked like five fiery figures, letting out piercing cries of agony.

After just a few breaths, the demon worms once again soared into the air, like a cloud of flames retreating back to the mountainside, leaving behind only a few crimson skeletons that shook slightly before shattering into pieces.

Those cultivators had perished just like that!

Xu Ziqing was filled with immense shock.

These cultivators were all stronger than him, yet with just a single use of fire, they had been turned into perfect nourishment, instantly devoured by the demon worms!

At that moment, he couldn’t help but draw in a cold breath.

How could one deal with such evil worms…?

Before long, the area returned to calm. Xu Ziqing suppressed his growing fear and slowly extended his divine sense.

At this point, he dared not be careless; he moved inch by inch, carefully searching that seemingly desolate plain… Sure enough, he found many remnants of skeletons, like those crimson remains, but likely due to the passage of time, they had turned to dust, merging with the red earth, which was why he hadn’t noticed them earlier.

Now that he looked closely, he realized that this place wasn’t rarely visited; rather, anyone who came here had been harmed by the demon worms and had turned to scorched earth.

The evil worms across the mountain began to stir rapidly, once again taking on the appearance of a red volcano.

But Xu Ziqing was deeply troubled, uncertain about what to do next.

…Was he to give up?

No.

Xu Ziqing pondered again; the Flame-Eating Demon Worms had been startled by the flames. As for devouring those cultivators, it was likely due to their cultivation techniques… Considering this guess wasn’t unfounded, all of them were disciples under an elder who sought the Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Mushroom, and they were naturally fire cultivators. Since this mountain had demon worms emitting fiery energy, those seeking treasures here, in the eyes of anyone without a broken diagram, would certainly see it as a place rich in fire, with fire cultivators making up the majority.

He had always been cautious, and upon seeing the tragic state of those cultivators, he couldn’t help but think further.

However, Yun Lie was different.

While Xu Ziqing was lost in thought, Yun Lie suddenly wrapped his arm around Xu Ziqing and leaped out. With a flicker of his eyes, two chilling sword intents suddenly erupted, swiftly cutting toward the mountain!

Xu Ziqing was taken by surprise, his face changing drastically. “Senior Brother, you…”

He almost said that his senior brother was reckless, but in the end, he held his tongue.

After all, even if his senior brother was possessed by madness, he believed deeply that he would not act impulsively.

And indeed, that was the case.

Logically speaking, Yun Lie’s sword intent was exceedingly fierce; upon striking the mountain, it would undoubtedly alarm the Flame-Eating Demon Worms, which should rush over to attack and devour them.

But the demon worms were indeed startled by the sword intent, yet they merely retreated from the area where the sword intent pointed; they did not come out to attack people like before.

Xu Ziqing was quite surprised and asked, “Senior Brother, how did you know they wouldn’t come over?”

Yun Lie paused for a moment, as if in thought, then replied, “Naturally, I know.”

Xu Ziqing was momentarily taken aback, his feelings somewhat complicated.

It couldn’t be said… Is this a sign that my senior brother’s spirit is returning? If he regains his memory, it wouldn’t be surprising that, with his years of experience and vast knowledge, he knows more about the nature of this thing than what is recorded in ancient texts.

However, since my senior brother has already found a way, there’s no need to think too much; first, we must obtain the essence of Geng Metal.

Where Yun Lie’s sword intent struck, there was no loud noise, but the densely packed Flame-Eating Demon Worms began to crawl away to the sides, leaving a blank area of about three feet in diameter.

That empty space was also red, but it had no traces of the evil fire, revealing dark red ore, clearly in a state where most of its fiery energy had already dissipated.

Seeing this, Xu Ziqing tilted his head and asked, “Senior Brother, can you sense the exact location of the essence of Geng Metal?”

Yun Lie nodded slightly. “It’s within the mountain, entering from here.” He had already targeted it when he unleashed his sword intent.

Xu Ziqing understood. But to enter from here, they would have to use a concealment technique. The wood concealment method he practiced could not be used here, but his senior brother’s metal concealment technique could. He smiled and said, “I’ll need my senior brother to assist me.”

Yun Lie didn’t say much; he directly walked forward and slightly leaned down. “Get on.”

Xu Ziqing cooperated, swaying his body slightly until he was on Yun Lie’s back. It wasn’t the first time he had been carried by his senior brother, so he was very experienced and skilled. Because the concealment technique was narrow, he also nestled closely, wrapping his hands and feet around Yun Lie’s neck and waist to help him perform the technique.

Thinking back to the awkward situations from before when his senior brother had carried him made him smile.

Yun Lie didn’t think too much about it; for him, as long as Xu Ziqing was near him and didn’t leave, it made no difference. Thus, after carrying Xu Ziqing, he instantly transformed into a mass of black light and shot toward that empty space.

When the black light touched the empty area, it dove right in, feeling as if it were swimming freely, without any obstruction.

Xu Ziqing was enveloped in a faint glow, but his divine sense was probing around, observing the surroundings and searching for the exact location of the essence of Geng Metal.

Inside the mine was pitch black, but the cultivator’s divine sense swept through, revealing everything clearly.

Naturally, he quickly spotted the ore inside.

Normally, the Evil Flame Gold Ore was a kind of reddish-gold stone with an overlay of evil flames, varying in size; the more refined it was, the stronger the evil fire and the more pure its color.

However, the Evil Flame Gold here had already had its evil fire sucked away by the Flame-Eating Demon Worms, and its color was no longer reddish-gold. Instead, it was divided into two layers—red on top, now turned dark red; gold on the bottom, appearing even more dazzling and brilliant.

This was due to the Flame-Eating Demon Worms continuously absorbing the fiery energy over the years, causing what originally needed to be refined to differentiate to naturally form this layered state.

Above was the flame stone, and below was the Geng Metal.

Indeed, after the separation of the Flame Gold Stone, there are two types of supreme materials: one is the Evil Fire Stone, and the other is the Yang Fire Gold Stone. However, if the Yang Fire Gold Stone continues to be refined, the Yang fire dissipates, allowing the extraction of Geng Metal.

At the same time, with each year of accumulation and refinement, Geng Metal can condense into the essence of Geng Metal.

As Yun Lie burrowed deeper, the distribution of the ore began to change.

After passing through the layers of fiery gold above and the ore below, the Flame Stone gradually decreased, while the Geng Metal increased. Continuing to delve deeper, the Flame Stone slowly vanished… until, in the depths, there was only a sea of gold, with no trace of red light in sight.

Xu Ziqing knew that they were approaching the core of the mine, and the quality of the Geng Metal was getting better and better, even starting to approach what he had obtained earlier in the White Jade Palace. At the same time, his eyes began to struggle to remain open.

Suddenly, Yun Lie spoke, “Close your eyes.”

Xu Ziqing complied, but his divine sense didn’t retract. He then noticed that Yun Lie’s eyes had turned deep black again, and the demonic energy around him was gradually emanating.

Even using the Metal Concealment Technique made it somewhat difficult as they approached that kind of spiritual object.

Ten zhang, eight zhang, five zhang… three zhang, two zhang, one zhang!

Suddenly, a depression appeared ahead, naturally forming a hollow space.

And within that hollow, a golden object the size of an adult’s fist was quietly suspended!

It was indeed the essence of Geng Metal!

This was the first time Xu Ziqing had seen another type of essence from the Five Elements, and it was precisely the Geng Metal essence that countered his Yi Wood essence—this made him feel somewhat breathless. However, once he thought of his senior brother obtaining the innate treasure sword, he felt a surge of excitement.

The two of them had come to this secret treasure despite the dangers, precisely for this essence of Geng Metal, and now they could finally obtain it—how could he not be overjoyed!

Without considering anything else, Xu Ziqing hurriedly exclaimed, “Senior Brother, quickly collect it!”

Yun Lie replied solemnly, “Hold on tight.”

Xu Ziqing immediately reacted, quickly releasing several green vines to firmly bind himself and Yun Lie together without any slack, saying, “I’m ready; Senior Brother, go quickly!”

Yun Lie also sensed this and leaned forward, raising his hand to unleash an invisible sword intent, which then split in mid-air into two, then four, ultimately forming hundreds of sword intents, weaving a dense net of swords that spread out to capture the essence of Geng Metal!

The essence of Geng Metal already possessed a certain spirit. Although it was calling to Yun Lie, it also wanted to test him and was reluctant to submit easily. Although it was caught in the sword net, it didn’t yield; instead, it charged left and right, unleashing countless sharp golden energies that fiercely stabbed at the sword intent!

The tiny sword intents and needle-like golden energies intertwined and neutralized each other.

One was a heavenly spiritual object, and the other was a sword cultivator’s intent; neither would back down, both being quite stubborn.

However, the essence of Geng Metal, despite having spirit, had limited will. In contrast, Yun Lie, after entering the demonic state and refining the Seven Emotions Demonic Flower, was constantly refining himself and becoming more resilient.

Thus, this struggle didn’t last long. The essence of Geng Metal’s spirit quickly succumbed, and its golden energy was nearly exhausted.

The net of sword intent immediately closed in, binding the essence of Geng Metal tightly.

Then, Yun Lie waved his hand, and the sword intentionally flew back, bringing the essence of Geng Metal into his hand.

Being so close to the essence of Geng Metal, Xu Ziqing didn’t dare to open his eyes any wider.

However, as his divine sense swept over it, he noticed it was filled with sharp golden energy, complementing his senior brother perfectly. He couldn’t help but feel extremely delighted and immediately said, “Congratulations, Senior Brother, on obtaining this treasure! When it merges with the Rong Shuijing Crystal, you’ll be able to forge a superb nascent sword. By then, with your innate treasure sword in hand, your cultivation will greatly increase…”

He had been looking forward to this for a long time and spoke animatedly, completely unaware that he had been shifted from Yun Lie’s back to his embrace.

It turned out that Yun Lie also sensed his overflowing joy and had turned him around to embrace him.

In the next moment, he blocked Xu Ziqing’s lips, tangling with him.

Even Yun Lie himself didn’t know why he suddenly wanted to do this.

Translator: Lynn

Translations are not 100% correct. Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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