At least one or two hundred thousand cloud beasts hovered above the rift valley, and there were undoubtedly even more within. If they were provoked...
Every heart in the group trembled with fear.
"There is a secret passage ahead, and below it lies the entrance to the ore vein. Things will actually be somewhat better once we get inside; this stretch through the secret passage is the most perilous. Everyone must proceed with extreme caution. No one is permitted to act on their own or expose our trail—otherwise, I will not hesitate to throw you down!"
Yin Xingge surveyed the group with a chilly stare, thick with warning.
The others wore solemn expressions. None dared gamble with their own life.
The secret passage was cut into the rocky wall of the grand rift valley. Descending from there meant walking almost directly alongside the roosts of the cloud beasts. Relying only on Qin Sang and the other two to manipulate the astrolabe as they had before would not suffice to unleash its full power, leaving them very likely to be detected.
All ten poured their spiritual power into the astrolabe at once. A dark gleam suddenly expanded from the device, enveloping the entire party. Once the astrolabe stabilized, the group vanished on the spot along with it.
"Move!"
Yin Xingge led the way, with the rest following closely on his heels.
As they drew nearer to the grand rift valley, they could even see the cloud beasts' feathers clearly with the naked eye.
In appearance, these creatures closely resembled demon beasts known as Lingyun eagles, though their beaks and talons looked even more ferocious. Their bodies were a full twofold larger than Lingyun eagles, and their plumage was far darker, like overlapping feather-shaped plates of meteoric iron.
The starker difference lay in their eyes, which were as ink-black as their plumage. Their gaze lacked even a shred of the vibrancy found in living creatures. Perhaps a trace of beastly instinct lingered within, but even that was overwhelmed by a violent, murderous aura.
Recalling the records he had reviewed earlier, Qin Sang knew these cloud beasts were descendants of Lingyun eagles that had been corrupted by cloud beast spirits. After countless years of evolution, aside from bearing a likeness to Lingyun eagles, they no longer had any connection to them at all.
These eagle-like cloud beasts possessed strength comparable to Qi Refinement stage cultivators, but this was only the uppermost tier of the grand rift valley. Deep within its chasm, it was said there were beings capable of matching Core Formation stage cultivators.
The secret passage sat upon the cliff face of the rift. Having known its location, they found it easily. In truth, it was merely a narrow stone ledge, only wide enough for a single person to pass, angling downward into sightless depths.
Walking single file into the secret passage with countless cloud beasts wheeling overhead, even Qin Sang could not help feeling apprehensive. He kept his senses firmly locked onto the nine people ahead.
If anyone dared make an abnormal move, Qin Sang would kick them out without hesitation, without even waiting for Yin Xingge to act.
*Whoosh! Whoosh...*
Several cloud beasts swooped low overhead and landed on a boulder not far in front of them.
They seemed to sense the presence of their own kind nearby. Turning their heads, they took a look, but saw nothing. They turned back in confusion and began preening each other's feathers.
Fortunately, these cloud beasts were not very powerful and could not see through the astrolabe's disguise. The party froze where they stood, drenched in cold sweat.
A Qi Refinement cultivator swallowed hard, unable to resist asking via voice transmission, "Senior Yin, what should we do now?"
"Wait!"
Yin Xingge glared back fiercely, his tone frosty.
The man dared not utter another word. The strange, discordant cries of the cloud beasts echoed through the rift valley, grating on everyone's nerves. Rooted to the spot, no one dared stir. After waiting a full two hours, the cloud beasts finally finished smoothing their feathers, spread their wings, and merged back into the 'black cloud' with harsh squawks.
"Quickly!"
Yin Xingge urged repeatedly. The group hurried down along the secret passage, passing a second layer of the 'black cloud,' then a third, and a fourth...
At last, a bend appeared in the passage ahead, cutting into the cliff face.
Scrambling into the cave, everyone let out a long breath of relief.
"Fellow Daoist Mu, Fellow Daoist Qin, Junior Sister Yunqiong, manifest your magic tools. If a cloud beast blocks the way, strike it down with thunderous force—give it no chance to struggle. Above all, do not strike the mountain rock, lest we alert those outside."
Hearing Yin Xingge's reminder, Qin Sang directly summoned the ebony sword. This was no place to hide his strength. Furthermore, the sword's greatest trump card lay in its ability to merge person and blade, cloaking its form in shadow. As long as he took care not to expose that technique, keeping it in reserve for self-defense would suffice.
Yunqiong Sanren tossed out an orb of glaze. Its light shone like a rainbow, flowing like water as it drifted upward, then unfurled into a small expanse of canopy. It was none other than her renowned magic tool, the Five-Colored Glaze.
The glaze commanded the five elements and could transform spiritual power into rain. It sounded somewhat similar to Qin Sang's Five Elements Cloud, but the raindrops manifested by the Five-Colored Glaze were made to kill, brimming with lethal intent!
It was only because space inside the secret passage was so cramped; otherwise, the Five-Colored Glaze could blanket half the sky. Once trapped beneath it, no matter which way an enemy fled, they could not escape the strangling downpour.
Yin Xingge unfurled an immortal net woven from meteoric iron. When cast, it resembled a thundercloud, perfectly complementing Yunqiong Sanren's Five-Colored Glaze.
This magic tool was named the Cloud Thunder Golden Net, imbued with the power of lightning cords. However, its greatest strength lay not in attacking with lightning, but in binding opponents with those cords to prevent their escape—making it ideal for this situation.
As for Mu Yifeng's Nine Fire Divine Blade, Qin Sang had seen it before. Nine fire dragons coiled around the blade, which possessed extraordinary sharpness.
The magic tools the three had brought forth were all top-grade, and their power was formidable. Joined by Qin Sang's ebony sword, the four of them coordinating their efforts could instantly slay any cloud beast they encountered, even one comparable to the Foundation Establishment stage.
The remaining six Qi Refinement stage Shadow Guards only needed to focus on manipulating the astrolabe.
Sure enough, they ran into stray cloud beasts along the way. The four cultivators' teamwork grew increasingly seamless. The Cloud Thunder Golden Net shot out lightning cords to bind the beast, and Qin Sang and the other two seized the opening to strike together. Nothing went amiss along the route. After slaying several cloud beasts in succession, they finally reached the entrance of the ore vein.
The entrance was set into the rock wall of the secret passage. To the naked eye, it appeared to be an ordinary stone wall, and sweeping spiritual sense across it revealed nothing out of the ordinary either. In reality, it was sealed with restrictions placed by high-ranking cultivators of Xuanlu Pass, requiring a special restriction implement to open.
They were already deep underground. Moving with utmost caution, they dared not make the slightest sound. Yin Xingge produced a small green seal and pressed it silently against the stone wall.
The seal dissolved into a wisp of Nether-Azure Qi that seeped entirely into the stone. Then, like melting ice, the rock quietly dissolved away, revealing a cavern.
The party filed in one after another. Taking in the sight beyond the cavern, they could not help but marvel in astonishment.
Whether formed by nature or wrought by human hands, the earth deep below had been hollowed out entirely, opening into a colossal cavern no smaller than the rift valley outside. At the bottom of the expanse, red fluorites flickered with faint specks of light, like so many mayflies.
These fluorites were merely ordinary gemstones, an associated mineral that grew alongside Qianyang quartz.
The surface Qianyang quartz had already been mined clean. Vigilant, the group descended to the bottom of the chamber, located the marked tunnel, and dove down into its depths. After descending an unknown distance, they finally felt the temperature inside the tunnel begin to rise.
Chapter 206