"Go see what's happening with that mining ghost!"
Ye Yunfei emerged from the earth below the treasury and then broke through to the surface.
In the distance, a large crowd had gathered around a mining shaft. Thick, inky-black mist continuously spilled out from the shaft, accompanied by an icy chill that pervaded the area, forming a thick layer of frost around the shaft's entrance.
Six or seven miners, their bodies completely blackened, lay dead and scattered inside and outside the shaft entrance.
Clearly, this shaft was the ominous mine!
"How many miners have died inside?"
The Gan Family Elder from earlier stood by the shaft, his face gloomy as he asked.
When mining in the Northern Frost Ancient Mining Area, the greatest taboo was encountering these ominous mines. If one was encountered, it had to be buried immediately, and further excavation stopped, to prevent any terrifying entity from emerging within.
"Elder, we must fill this shaft in immediately, and we cannot continue digging nearby," a middle-aged man said to the Elder.
"This shaft has already yielded many Law Crystals; the mineral deposits are rich. We cannot abandon it lightly. Let's assess the situation first before deciding," the Elder said, shaking his head.
Right at that moment.
BOOM!
The shaft began to tremble violently. A massive plume of black mist erupted from below the shaft entrance, like a long, black dragon.
"Aaahh…!"
Around the shaft, many low-ranking warriors engulfed by the mist immediately began to scream, dissolving into pools of bloody pus in mere moments.
"This black mist is poisonous! Evade it, now!" the Elder shouted. He flicked his sleeve violently, striking at the billowing mist and forcing a portion of it back down into the shaft.
But the next moment, even more black mist sprayed from the shaft entrance.
"Aaah…!"
Some miners nearby were touched by the mist and immediately clutched their throats, screaming in agony. In moments, dozens more miners died.
"That's concentrated baleful energy; it can erode the flesh and rapidly damage the internal organs. Cultivators without sufficient strength will die swiftly upon contact," Ye Yunfei observed clearly from a distance.
"Everyone, disperse!" the Gan Family Elder bellowed.
"Fine! I'll see what's down there, then!" Furious, the Elder drew a long saber. With one slash, he aimed his blade at the shaft entrance.
BOOM!
The saber rapidly enlarged, becoming dozens of meters long in the blink of an eye—a giant blade. With one chop, it split the ground open, creating a fissure in the earth. Even more black mist began to roll and erupt from within.
BOOM! BOOM!
Next, the Elder chopped repeatedly, widening the ground fissure until it finally formed a pit, a hundred meters deep!
At the bottom of the pit were densely packed Law Crystals embedded within mud and stone, seemingly numberless! Clearly, the quantity of crystals in this shaft was remarkable!
"So many Law Crystals!" Some Gan Family experts standing beside the Elder had their eyes lighting up.
"Look! Some of those Law Crystals seem to have things sealed inside!" One expert pointed at the crystals and cried out.
Everyone looked. Sure enough, many Law Crystals contained sealed objects. They were creatures with ferocious, hideous appearances!
"Flying Sky Yin Monkeys!" Hidden within a distant pocket of space, Ye Yunfei saw clearly: the creatures sealed within the Law Crystals at the bottom of the pit were more than a dozen Flying Sky Yin Monkeys!
It was said the Flying Sky Yin Monkey race hailed from the Netherworld, belonging to a class of malevolent, sinister beings. They were strange, bizarre, and vicious. Who would have thought over a dozen of them were sealed within this shaft?
Two of the Law Crystals sealing Flying Sky Yin Monkeys had already been shattered, constantly gushing out large amounts of black, thick mist. So, this black mist originated from the Flying Sky Yin Monkeys!
"What kind of beings are these?" The Gan Family Elder at the shaft surveyed the dozen or so sealed Flying Sky Yin Monkeys, frowning.
Ye Yunfei recognized their origin at a glance, but this Gan Elder did not. Flying Sky Yin Monkeys were a rare, extremely bizarre race. They seldom appeared in the human-inhabited worlds.
"Previously, the Venerable Li Mo from Celestial Dragon Monastery was sealed within this Northern Frost Ancient Mining Area. Now, there are more than a dozen Flying Sky Yin Monkeys from the Netherworld sealed here as well. Just what kind of place was this ancient mining area in the ancient past?" Ye Yunfei couldn't help but wonder inwardly.
"Never mind that for now. Figure out how to get those Law Crystals first," Ye Yunfei thought to himself.
The quantity of Law Crystals in this shaft was vast. Since he had encountered them, Ye Yunfei had no intention of letting them go. The Ziwei Sect was developing rapidly and was in dire need of vast wealth.
Then, Ye Yunfei stealthily shifted his position, heading toward the bottom of the deep pit. The closer he got to the bottom, the more he felt an overpowering, intense baleful energy assailing him. It not only invaded his flesh but also sought to penetrate his Soul Sea, corroding his Soul Body!
However, Ye Yunfei had cultivated the Greenwood Emperor Body. A wave of green, vital energy surged from his core, successfully repelling that baleful force. Simultaneously, his Soul Tree manifested within his Soul Sea, extending numerous branches and leaves to protect his Soul Body.
Moments later.
Ye Yunfei reached the bottom of the pit. Without hesitation, he materialized and began swiftly collecting the Law Crystals here. Crystals were rapidly snatched and stored away by Ye Yunfei. At this moment, he was still employing the Hidden Shadow Secret Art, so he remained in a state of invisibility.
"What's going on?! It seems like someone is down there, harvesting the Law Crystals!"
At this point, the Gan Elder and his entourage noticed the rapid decrease of Law Crystals at the pit's bottom and the continuous spatial disturbance there. They knew something was amiss.
"Elder, there really is someone hidden below collecting Law Crystals! This is our Gan Family shaft. Who dares do such a thing!" The Gan Family members roared in fury.
"Down!" The Elder's figure flashed as he rushed down towards the pit bottom. The Gan Family entourage also charged downwards.
Ye Yunfei was prepared. With a wave of his hand, over a thousand Earth Dragons simultaneously materialized, lunging toward the Gan Family members.
BOOM!
At the same time, vast amounts of earth energy converged from all directions, solidifying into one thick earthen wall after another, blocking the Gan Family group's path forward.
Ye Yunfei accelerated his actions. Employing a great mystic art, his two hands enlarged into giant palms. He grabbed huge handfuls at a time, digging and collecting Law Crystals at a stunning speed. As for the Law Crystals sealing the Flying Sky Yin Monkeys, Ye Yunfei purposely did not disturb them. Flying Sky Yin Monkeys were extremely bizarre creatures; at his current strength, he had no desire to provoke them.
"Who are you?! Daring to cause trouble at our Gan Family's mine shaft! Are you tired of living!" The Gan Family Elder continuously blasted one Earth Dragon after another apart, roaring repeatedly. However, there were simply too many Earth Dragons. For the moment, he couldn't breach their blockade.
"Hmm? This Law Crystal here seals a black long saber! By the looks of it, its grade is exceptionally high, and its power must be truly terrifying!"
Just then, Ye Yunfei suddenly noticed one particular Law Crystal containing a black long saber sealed within. It was clearly of an extremely high level! It was undoubtedly a very impressive magical treasure!
Ye Yunfei naturally had no reservations. With a flick of his hand, he stored that Law Crystal away.
The moment Ye Yunfei put away this crystal containing the black saber, the over a dozen Flying Sky Yin Monkeys sealed in the other Law Crystals suddenly opened their eyes simultaneously. Venomous stares fixing squarely on Ye Yunfei, they revealed anger, as if Ye Yunfei had taken something precious that belonged to them!