Chapter 499: Discovery

Fu Ren was indignant, his head snapping up in a fury. "Qing Luan, are we just going to stand here and watch them take everything we worked so hard to find? They’ve already stolen an entire Celestial Essence Ore Vein from us."

Qing Luan froze, then lowered her head without a word.

Fu Ren suddenly spun around, glaring furiously at Xuan Ye. "Xuan Ye, tell me what we should do! Just say the word, and I’ll charge out there and take back our ore vein."

’This is infuriating! Absolutely infuriating!’

Ever since they entered the Ancient Ruins of the Abyss, they had discovered quite a few things. But every single time they got their hands on something first, it was always snatched away. It happened with the Fire Source Ore Vein, it happened with the Half-Immortal Soldier before, and now, it looked like the small amount of ore they had just managed to find was about to be stolen too.

’Humiliating! It’s just too humiliating!’

’No matter what, I’m going all out today!’

However, upon hearing Fu Ren’s outburst, Xuan Ye didn’t speak. He simply shook his head grimly. "Fu Ren, we’re no match for them."

There was nothing to be done. This was a world where the strong ruled and might made right. Here, even with Shen Daoxing and Liu Ying, the Cyan Nether Sword Sect only had six people.

The Celestial Sound Sect, on the other hand, had sent four steward leaders alone, all of them mid-stage Refining Dust Realm masters. Even the weakest among them was at the Fourth Layer of the Refining Dust Realm, with a cultivation base slightly higher than Qing Luan’s. The rest were powerhouses at the Fifth and Sixth Layers.

In the Refining Dust Realm, the difference of a single layer was like the gulf between heaven and earth. An expert with a higher cultivation could completely crush those with lower cultivation, even taking on five or six opponents at once.

Take Sikong Ao, for example. With his cultivation at the Seventh Layer of the Refining Dust Realm, even seven or eight mid-stage Refining Dust experts working together would be no match for him.

Besides, the Celestial Sound Sect had plenty of ordinary Stewards with them as well.

Even the weakest among them were masters at the Earth Profound Realm or higher.

The Cyan Nether Sword Sect was completely outmatched. Charging out to fight them head-on would be suicide.

Suddenly, Xuan Ye shook his head again. Even with him, a master at the Fifth Layer of the Refining Dust Realm, it was hopeless.

Fu Ren froze, then let out a cry full of frustration, "Qing Luan! Xuan Ye!"

But he said nothing more.

He knew it too. There were simply too many people from the Celestial Sound Sect this time; their small group was no match at all.

Just as Fu Ren fell silent, a man emerged from the mine tunnel above. He had a fair, handsome face, yet he exuded a distinctly effeminate air.

Dressed in white robes, he appeared elegant and suave, but his every gesture carried a sinister undertone. He gently waved a fan, his fingers held in a delicate, orchid-like pose.

Despite his effeminate demeanor, Qing Luan and Xuan Ye’s expressions turned grim the moment they saw him.

The newcomer was none other than Xu Shaoqing, the Southern Steward Leader of the Celestial Sound Sect and one of the strongest of the four steward leaders present. Though his cultivation was at the Fifth Layer of the Refining Dust Realm, the same as Xuan Ye’s, his methods were terrifyingly unpredictable and utterly ruthless. It was said he once killed three other masters of the same layer in a single night.

Qing Luan’s fingers twitched, and she quickly guided the paper crane in the mine tunnel above to hide behind a large rock, letting it settle gently to avoid detection.

At the same time, Qing Luan moved quietly to the entrance they had used to descend. Chanting a string of incantations, she flicked her sleeve, sending a paper talisman flying into the opening. With a flash of light, the entrance was concealed, turning into what looked like an ordinary rock wall.

After Xu Shaoqing emerged, a gaunt, pale-faced man with a sinister expression slowly walked out into the mine tunnel.

Seeing this man, Qing Luan and Xuan Ye exchanged a glance, their expressions growing even more tense.

This was Huo Fei, the Western Deacon Leader of the Celestial Sound Sect. Although his cultivation was slightly weaker than Xu Shaoqing’s at the Fourth Layer of the Refining Dust Realm, his senses were exceptionally sharp. He could detect any living thing, no matter how small.

He was rumored to possess a miraculous Tracking Divine Technique; once he locked onto a target, they could never escape his grasp, no matter where they fled.

Instantly, Qing Luan turned to the others, placing a finger to her lips to signal for absolute silence, lest they be discovered.

Everyone immediately held their breath.

Fortunately, their subterranean chamber was a good distance below the upper mine tunnel, making them difficult to detect.

After arriving, Huo Fei glanced around curiously. Finding nothing, he waved his hand, signaling the Celestial Sound Sect disciples to carry out the Fire Source Ore.

Then, he turned and followed Xu Shaoqing out of the mine tunnel.

Seeing this, everyone couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

However, just as everyone let their guard down, Huo Fei, who was about to exit the mine tunnel, suddenly spun around. His sharp eyes stared coldly in their direction.

With a sudden POP, Qing Luan gasped and spat out a mouthful of blood.

The image they had been watching vanished abruptly, leaving only the afterimage of Huo Fei’s piercing glare.

Qing Luan’s paper crane in the mine tunnel above had been instantly shattered.

"This is bad!"

Qing Luan cried out, her head snapping up as she realized what had happened.

「The next moment.」

"BOOM!"

A tremendous explosion rocked the entire cavern. The stone ceiling above them suddenly shattered, sending debris flying in all directions.

Then, the figures of Xu Shaoqing and Huo Fei, along with a group of Celestial Sound Sect disciples, descended into the opening.

Huo Fei slowly turned his head, his sinister gaze sweeping over the members of the Cyan Nether Sword Sect. The corners of his mouth curled into a smile. "Heh heh heh... I knew there were a few little rats hiding down here."

Xu Shaoqing’s eyes were cold as he slowly looked toward Xuan Ye. "Xuan Ye. Fancy meeting you here. We meet again!"

As he spoke, Xu Shaoqing glanced around, his eyes naturally falling upon the Red Lotus Earth Fire and the shimmering Treasure Artifacts on the rock wall behind the nearby anvil.

A smile spread across Xu Shaoqing’s face. "Heh heh heh... Xuan Ye, it seems you’ve found quite a few nice things for us this time. Excellent! Just excellent! We, the Celestial Sound Sect, will be taking all of these Divine Weapons and Treasures. Heh heh heh!"

Before Xuan Ye could even respond to Xu Shaoqing’s words, Fu Ren, who was standing to the side, erupted in fury. He stepped forward angrily. "On what grounds! Our Cyan Nether Sword Sect worked our asses off to find these treasures! Why should we just hand them to you? You already stole a Fire Source Mine from us, and now you have the gall to steal these Treasure Artifacts? Hasn’t your Celestial Sound Sect gone too far?!"

Hearing this, Xu Shaoqing raised an eyebrow. He slowly turned his gaze to Fu Ren, and upon recognizing him, a mocking smile spread across his face. "Heh heh heh... Huo, it seems we have someone here who doesn’t understand the situation."