"SCREEEEEECH!!!"
A shrill, piercing shriek tore through the air. The last Level 2, Rank 8 Fire-Tailed Scorpion, after enduring a brutal gang-up, finally had its head split open by Lu Yang's blade.
Silence abruptly descended upon the entire cavern. Everyone breathed a collective, albeit silent, sigh of relief. The chaotic battle had been exhilarating, leaving several individuals with their protective spirit light barriers nearly depleted.
"Tingting… are you alright?"
Chang Gong Xiaojing flicked the azure blue sword in her hand and turned, noticing Kou Tingting had somehow gotten separated several meters away. Kou Tingting looked utterly exhausted. Chang Gong hurriedly walked over.
Kou Tingting was only at the Great Perfection stage of Qi Refining. Zheng Kai had mentioned this outing was partly intended as a pre-Foundation Building trial for her. Facing so many Fire-Tailed Scorpions, Kou Tingting had dealt with two Level 1 Late Stage ones herself, and now her true qi reserves were almost completely drained.
Zhang Fangzhou, Yao Wangtian, and Xu Rong were in an even worse state. Their cultivation levels were lower; their survival had relied heavily on their high-grade magical treasures. Fighting fiercely had taken its toll, and they were now sitting unceremoniously on the corpses of scorpions scattered across the ground. Yet, their faces glowed with intense excitement – clearly, participating in such a fierce battle at their level had been a huge thrill.
Zheng Kai had initially wanted to rush to Kou Tingting's side to offer solicitous care. Seeing Chang Gong Xiaojing get there 'first', however, he could only retreat, looking somewhat disgruntled. He scanned the surroundings. "Alright… that should be all the Fire-Tailed Scorpions in this cave cleared out, right? If we get hit with another wave like that, we won't hold up!"
Lu Yang, after repeatedly confirming there was no immediate danger, relaxed slightly. "Don't let your guard down. We shouldn't advance just yet. Recover first, then continue."
No one objected. They quickly cleared away the numerous scorpion corpses littering the area, then retreated a short distance back down the passage to a cleaner spot. Each began meditating to recuperate.
Furthermore, as the battle ended, everyone except Zhang Fangzhou and his brothers looked at Lin Feng with subtly altered expressions. Even Wei Lie and the others, who had witnessed his prowess once before, now regarded him with heightened respect. During the fight, Lin Feng had slain nearly as many Fire-Tailed Scorpions as Lu Yang himself. The sword in his hand seemed utterly indestructible; the scorpions' notoriously hard carapaces crumpled like soft clay beneath its edge. Even one of the Level 2, Rank 7 Fire-Tailed Scorpions had been effortlessly hacked into pieces by him.
Such terrifying power led Lu Yang and the others to privately speculate that the flying sword in Lin Feng's possession was at least a top-grade treasure artifact, or perhaps… even a spirit artifact…
…
Roughly an hour later, everyone had mostly recovered and they proceeded deeper into the cavern.
This time, they walked several hundred meters inward without encountering another Fire-Tailed Scorpion ambush. An undercurrent of relief flowed through the group.
If they had been traveling in a straight line, they would have long since passed through the entire Redstone Mountain. However, they had realized the cave wasn't linear; it followed a shallow, spiraling path. Lin Feng estimated they were now likely deep beneath the mountain's base.
The surrounding temperature grew increasingly oppressive. Even as cultivators, far more resilient than ordinary mortals, beads of hot sweat began to form on their skin. The light ahead intensified dramatically, as if a wall of raging flames lay before them.
Finally, after walking for what felt like an eternity, the passage abruptly opened up. A vast space, nearly the size of three basketball courts, unfolded before them. There were no further passages ahead – they had reached the cavern's end.
"Hiss… Damn, that's hot!! What… what's with this ground?! It feels like the bottom of a red-hot wok!!"
Zhang Fangzhou shrieked, hopping from foot to foot incessantly. His shoes were the thinnest among them, and now smoke was curling from their soles, smelling distinctly of scorched leather.
The others also registered the searing heat radiating from the ground. They immediately channeled their true essence or true qi into their feet to counteract the burning sensation. Even so, none dared to stand still for long, instead moving about while simultaneously surveying their surroundings.
"All this heat is radiating from here," Zhang Fangzhou continued, still hopping and staring at the ground beneath his smoldering shoes. "Could this heat be coming from magma below? Is Redstone Mountain… actually a volcano?!"
"Gasp?! Is that… Fire Spirit Grass?! Tingting, look! Is that Fire Spirit Grass?!"
Suddenly, Chang Gong Xiaojing, who had been eagerly scanning the cavern, let out a delighted cry. She grabbed Kou Tingting's left hand with her own and pointed excitedly towards the far right corner of the cavern with her right.
Kou Tingting followed her finger, her expression also brightening slightly. "Yes, it's Fire Spirit Grass. And… it looks like several of them are Level 2."
As she spoke, the two girls walked towards the spot. Lin Feng peered closely and finally discerned five or six bowl-sized, fiery-red spirit herbs growing there. They blended almost perfectly with the color of the rock wall, making them easy to miss.
"Fire Blossom Grass! And Fire Blossom Grass too! Looks like Level 2 as well!"
While Kou Tingting carefully began harvesting the Fire Spirit Grass, Chang Gong Xiaojing resumed her search. To her delight, she actually found several more spirit herbs nearby: a few clusters of crimson grass, each plant about three inches tall with a dozen or so slender, noodle-like leaves. At the tip of each leaf was a tiny, unopened bud that shimmered like a miniature spark.
"Tingting, look! Over there! That looks like Chixu Silk! A huge clump of it… also Level 2, right?"
"Huh? And there's more! That's… Tingting, look, that's…"
"That's Chigen Fern, a material for refining Cold Expelling Pills."
"Yes, yes! Exactly! Chigen Fern!! So much of it…"
From then on, Chang Gong Xiaojing became a whirlwind of excited exclamations. She practically glued herself to the cave walls, circling the chamber and discovering numerous other spirit herbs. She was clearly in her element, flitting about like a joyful little bird. This demeanor was a stark contrast to the fierce woman who had kicked down doors at the brothel that night, leaving Lin Feng quite astonished.
"Huh? Is that Chiyao Stone?!"
While the two girls busied themselves with herbs, the others were also exploring. Lu Yang's gaze swept over a spot on the left side of the floor. His eyes suddenly lit up with surprise. He stepped forward, his long blade flicking out. A fist-sized, deep crimson stone was pried from the ground and caught in his hand. Its color was markedly deeper than the surrounding rock. Once fully dislodged, it pulsed with a fiery light like a red bulb, incredibly striking.
"The quality… this might even be Level 4 Chiyao Stone, right?"
Lin Feng's eyes also shone with pleasant surprise. A Level 4 Chiyao Stone of this size was worth a considerable sum…
"Boss Lin… look! Are these all Fire Elemental Essence Ore?!"
On the other side, Yao Wangtian called out to Lin Feng. Turning, Lin Feng saw Zhang Fangzhou and his two brothers crouched on the ground, examining some protruding rocks with expressions of glee.
"Fire Elemental Essence Ore?"
Lin Feng felt another surge of excitement. He walked over and examined them closely. Several uneven, dark red stones jutted from the ground. He drew his flying sword and sliced the top off one. Inspecting the clean cut surface, he smiled slightly. "Correct! It is Fire Elemental Essence Ore! And also Level 4!!"
This cavern held not only several Level 2 spirit herbs but also so much Level 4 forging material!
A treasure trove… this truly was a treasure cave!!
…
Kou Tingting and Chang Gong Xiaojing were busy harvesting spirit herbs, with Wei Lie and Qin Xu assisting them. Lin Feng, Zheng Kai, and the others focused on digging stones from the ground and walls. For a time, everyone was engrossed in their productive tasks.
They worked diligently for a full half-hour before finally stopping. Looking back at the cavern, it was now riddled with holes and gouges, resembling a termite infestation.
"Ha! A bumper harvest… truly a bumper harvest!!"
Zheng Kai dug up the last piece of Level 4 Fire Elemental Essence Ore and stored it in his spatial ring. Unable to contain himself, he burst out laughing. He rushed over to Kou Tingting, hoping to say something charming, but noticed her delicate brows were slightly furrowed. Puzzled, he asked, "Huh? Tingting, what's wrong? Something not right?"
Kou Tingting looked thoughtful. "I did notice something odd… Among the Fire Spirit Grass and Fire Blossom Grass I harvested, I saw traces where some had been eaten. The broken stems were larger than the others. I suspect they were likely fully matured Level 3 spirit herbs… probably eaten by those Fire-Tailed Scorpions. What a pity."
Some spirit herbs are highly beneficial to demon beasts. Powerful beasts often guard rare, high-grade herbs nearby, treating them as their own possessions, waiting for them to mature before consuming them. Any creature approaching during this time would face fierce attacks.
"Is that so? That is a pity…" Zheng Kai nodded in agreement, then suddenly seemed to realize something. "Wait… that doesn't make sense. If a demon beast was smart enough to eat Level 3 herbs and leave Level 2 ones to grow… it should be incredibly powerful, right? The strongest Fire-Tailed Scorpion we encountered earlier was only Level 2, Rank 8…"
THOOM…
It was as if the very ground sought to answer Zheng Kai's doubt. The floor beneath their feet… suddenly began to violently shake!!
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
A series of sharp cracking sounds erupted from below. The floor of the vast chamber began fracturing into a spiderweb of fissures. The center point, barely ten meters from the group, suddenly bulged upwards!!
"DANGER!! GET OUT NOW!!"
Lu Yang's face drained of color as he shouted the warning. He immediately began herding everyone back towards the passage entrance.
CRASH-RUMBLE!!!
But before they could move more than a step, an enormous pincer, massive as a door plank, exploded upwards from the ground, blocking their path! Lin Feng's gaze followed the pincer upwards. A scorpion, colossal as a city bus, was hauling itself out of the earth!!
Only the upper half of this Fire-Tailed Scorpion had emerged, yet its sheer size dwarfed any they had encountered before by several times!
Lin Feng's face instantly turned ashen…
"Th… Three-Level Demon Beast?!"