Chapter 076: The Amethyst Rock Mine

Within the cave, the most formidable young talents of the Windfeather Immortal Sect and the Starfall Sword Sect faced each other at a distance, their auras sharp and intense, the tension palpable as if swords were drawn. After Le Feng summoned the azure-handled Firefeather Fan, the spiritual power surging around him rose dramatically, approaching the fifth level of Qi Refinement. It was clear he had reached the peak of the fourth level. This secretly astonished Wan Fushan and the others; with Le Feng’s potential, he might one day threaten Yun Yuanhang’s position as senior brother.

The fan in Le Feng’s hand was the mid-grade magical weapon, the Firewind Fan, awarded for eliminating bandits. With his peak fourth-level Qi Refinement strength and this powerful artifact, he was like a tiger with wings, far mightier than during the earlier bandit campaign.

Nie Han’s expression grew grave. The strength of his opponent was troublesome, yet his excitement only grew. His sword trembled faintly, then steadied with even greater force. A silver, chilling light shimmered along the blade, the sword’s energy condensing further, causing Nie Han’s aura to swell as if about to break through a critical threshold.

Nie Han, too, had reached the peak of the third level of Qi Refinement!

Le Feng was moved. In just two months, Nie Han’s cultivation had not only advanced by a whole stage—he truly deserved his reputation as a sword prodigy unseen in the Starfall Sword Sect for a century.

As the two clashed in spirit, reaching their limits—

Suddenly, a swarm of bats burst from the cave’s depths, led by several demonized bats. At the same time, the Bat King’s frenzied shriek echoed from outside, the sounds of battle growing clearer.

Lin and Wan Fushan were caught off guard, chaos breaking out. Le Feng sensed danger, rapidly retreating. He tossed the Firewind Fan, which transformed into a cloud of flame several meters long, incinerating a swath of bats into charred corpses that fell to the ground.

Even as he attacked, Le Feng held power in reserve, secretly circulating spiritual force for protection, wary of Nie Han’s possible strike.

Unexpectedly, Nie Han did not take advantage but instead swept his sword, a beam of sword energy like a rainbow slicing through the air, killing two demonized bats at the edge of the group.

The disciples of both sects joined forces, swiftly clearing out the invading bats.

Le Feng breathed a sigh of relief. The Nie Han he had guarded against never struck. In fact, this elicited a sense of admiration from Le Feng. Such a forthright opponent was worthy of respect.

“This isn’t the place for a proper duel. When the time comes, I, Nie Han, will challenge the Windfeather Immortal Sect,” Nie Han said coldly. With that, he led the two sword sect disciples deeper into the cave.

“Brother Le, why didn’t you stop them?” Wan Fushan whispered, careful that Nie Han wouldn’t hear.

Le Feng hesitated. Meanwhile, the Bat King’s shrieks outside grew ever more piercing.

“We follow them!” Le Feng finally decided against a direct clash, thinking, “Senior Brother Yun and the others are risking their lives to hold off the Bat King, buying us precious time. If I fight Nie Han now and we can’t end it quickly, heavy casualties will follow, rendering their efforts wasted.”

The group sped after Nie Han and the three sword sect disciples.

The two sects advanced together, slaying countless bats along the way. When they reached the cave’s depths, the space opened up to reveal a vast amethyst rock mine.

The mine spanned several acres, composed almost entirely of deep purple stone. In some areas, crystalline purple ore shimmered with an alluring luster.

“Amethyst ore! And there’s some amethyst crystal ore too!” one of the sword sect disciples exclaimed in excitement.

Le Feng and the others were equally stunned, their excitement barely contained.

“To think there is so much amethyst ore. This must be a mine once excavated by the ‘Starfeather Sect’ when they explored this secret realm.”

Wan Fushan’s greasy, round face was alight with excitement, his eyes gleaming. Xu Xuan was similarly shocked.

Amethyst ore was a valuable material in the cultivation world, useful primarily for forging magical weapons. Ordinary amethyst ore was valuable enough, but the higher-grade “amethyst crystal ore” was an extremely rare material, suitable for crafting treasures even more powerful than magical weapons. Even in the outside world, it was a rarity.

Across the mine, dozens of fist-sized amethyst crystal rocks lay clustered in some corners. There were also some half-crystallized amethyst stones.

However, the mine’s upper reaches and ceiling were shrouded with a dense swarm of bats, including several demonized ones. Above ten meters, the mine’s ceiling had been hollowed out into a massive bat nest, honeycombed with passages where countless young bats could be glimpsed.

Disturbed by these uninvited guests, the remaining hundreds or thousands of bats swarmed fiercely, making everyone’s scalp tingle.

Bang! Bang! Ssssh! Boom!

At the entrance, the group unleashed spells and sword techniques to fend off the dark tide of bats.

After a brief but savage fight, the bats—more ferocious and fearless than any encountered outside, nearly suicidal in their attacks—kept coming.

Prolonged battle drained Le Feng and the others; sweat beaded their foreheads, their spiritual power waning.

The three sword sect disciples, though powerful in attack, lacked endurance—always a swordsman’s weakness.

Hundreds of bats remained, attacking in a frenzy, utterly disregarding their own lives.

Xu Xuan felt the pressure mount. Beside him, Yu Qin and Yang Xiaoqian were panting, nearly exhausted. Even Senior Brother Lin’s attacks grew feeble.

He glanced at the enormous nest, which sheltered more than ten thousand infant bats—some just born, no larger than a thumb.

“So these bats are sacrificing themselves to protect their offspring…” Xu Xuan realized, as did the others.

Driven into a corner by the desperate onslaught, the nine companions were pressed against the cavern wall, the situation perilous.

“Hold on, everyone! Only a few hundred bats remain. Once we endure this, the amethyst ore and crystal here will be our greatest reward!” Le Feng called, his face drenched with sweat, the Firewind Fan in his hand wreathed in a dim, flickering fire, its power much diminished.

Nie Han gritted his teeth, his face hard and resolute. His sword flashed coldly, each strike slaying several bats.

Yet the prolonged battle sapped the group’s morale and strength; their fighting spirit plummeted.

After a while, Yang Xiaoqian, at the first level of Qi Refinement, slumped powerlessly against the stone, her beautiful face streaked with blood.

Yu Qin’s cheeks were pale, her movements sluggish, her spiritual power nearly depleted, yet she fought on, her jewel-bright eyes shining with resolve.

Xu Xuan shielded her, his face emotionless as a machine, his eyes sometimes flaring with icy light.

He moved with hands and feet, every joint vibrating in minute, uncanny ways, as if every inch of his body had become a weapon.

Suddenly, a piercing, grating wave of sound tore through the air—a group of over ten demonized bats burst from the nest, leading the remaining hundreds in a storm-like assault.

In an instant, the mine entrance and everyone’s vision were filled with a swarm of black.

The combined sonic onslaught from the demonized bats nearly paralyzed all the cultivators except Le Feng and Nie Han, leaving them frozen in place.

To protect their young, to defend their newborns, every bat resolved to perish with their enemies—a final, suicidal assault.

A surge of awe shook Xu Xuan’s heart.

In his vision, the purple demonized bats’ fangs and blood-red, icy eyes drew closer, brimming with murderous intent.

Hundreds of bats, mad with the will to die, descended upon them. In the next moment, they would be swallowed up.

At this dire moment, aside from Le Feng and Nie Han, the others were nearly incapacitated, faces filled with despair.

Even Le Feng and Nie Han, faced with the demonized bats’ suicidal attack, seemed powerless.

Perhaps they might survive, and maybe Xu Xuan as well, but the rest…

The shrill, mind-numbing sound waves sent Xu Xuan’s blood surging, his mind wavering, hallucinations flickering—he nearly lost control of his body.

He glanced at Yu Qin, pale and trembling, yet still fighting on.

“There is only one way…”

Xu Xuan drew in a deep breath, focusing his essence and blood, compressing his energy to the utmost. He invoked the spiritual secret of the “Awe” transformation, the ninth stage of the Dragon-Serpent Art, merging it into his mind.

In that instant, his essence, energy, and blood seemed to vanish, becoming a formless force beyond the limits of flesh.

With a shout, his gaze flashed like divine lightning, his hands forming claws. One foot rooted to the ground, the other lifted behind like a tail, his body arched supple as a serpent, bent forward, motionless—transformed into a dragon-like statue.

Suddenly, an intangible, formless spiritual might radiated from his figure, as upright and ancient as a barbarian king.

In his senses, all was silent; the world’s movements slowed to a crawl.

His mind drifted, transcending mortal shackles. He saw the terror in the bats’ eyes, even caught the tremors of Nie Han and Le Feng.

In that moment, time seemed to stop.

The swarming bats, wild and ferocious, rushed up to Xu Xuan—so close they could touch him. Yet they froze briefly, seized by terror.

In a trance, Xu Xuan’s tall figure stood in the desolate world, an intangible spiritual might emanating from his dragon-shaped stance—a primordial aura that awed all living things.

From afar, he seemed neither snake nor dragon, but something in between—the transformation of dragon and serpent!