Chapter 207: Secret Passage

At least tens of thousands of cloud beasts hovered above the rift, and there were undoubtedly many more inside. What if they were disturbed…? Fear gripped everyone’s hearts.

“There’s a secret path ahead. The entrance to the ore vein is located below it. Once we’re inside the ore vein, it will be somewhat safer. This section of the secret path is the most dangerous part. Everyone must be extremely careful. Absolutely no unauthorized actions or revealing our presence, or I won’t hesitate to throw you down!” Yin Xingge stared at everyone, his gaze filled with a strong warning. Everyone’s expressions turned solemn; no one dared to joke about their own lives.

The secret path was situated on the great rift’s stone wall. Descending from there meant moving almost directly alongside the cloud beast clusters. Operating the astrolabe with just Qin Sang and two others, as they had done previously, would not fully unleash its power, making detection by the cloud beasts highly probable.

All ten individuals simultaneously channeled their spiritual energy into the astrolabe. A sudden dark light emanated from the astrolabe, enveloping them. Once the astrolabe stabilized, everyone, along with the astrolabe, vanished from their spot.

“Go!” Yin Xingge led the way, with everyone following closely behind.

As they drew closer to the great rift, they could even discern the cloud beasts’ feathers with the naked eye. These cloud beasts bore a striking resemblance to a demonic beast known as the Sky-soaring Eagle. However, their beaks and talons were noticeably fiercer, their bodies twice as large, and their feathers significantly darker, resembling dark iron plumage. A more significant difference was in their eyes, which were as black as their feathers and devoid of any vitality. Any lingering animal instinct seemed to be completely overshadowed by an aura of violence and slaughter.

Qin Sang recalled earlier information, realizing these cloud beasts were in fact Sky-soaring Eagle descendants contaminated by cloud beast essences. After countless years of evolution, they bore no relation to Sky-soaring Eagles whatsoever, except for their appearance. These cloud beasts, closely resembling Sky-soaring Eagles, possessed strength comparable to Qi Refinement stage cultivators. However, this was merely the uppermost layer of the great rift; it was rumored that beings comparable to Core Formation stage cultivators resided in its depths.

The secret path was located on the great rift’s cliff face. Everyone knew its position and found it easily. In reality, it was merely a narrow stone passage, wide enough for only one person, sloping downwards with no end in sight. They entered the secret path in single file. Overhead, dense masses of cloud beasts hovered, and Qin Sang couldn’t help but feel a shiver of dread. His attention remained firmly fixed on the nine individuals ahead. If anyone dared to make an unauthorized move, Qin Sang would not hesitate to cast them out, even without Yin Xingge’s intervention.

“Whoosh! Whoosh…” Several cloud beasts swept past above their heads and landed on a rock not far ahead. They seemed to sense the presence of their kind nearby, turning their heads for a quick glance. Seeing nothing, they turned back in confusion and began preening each other’s feathers. Fortunately, these cloud beasts were not powerful enough to see through the astrolabe’s disguise. Everyone froze, drenched in a cold sweat.

A Qi Refinement stage cultivator swallowed hard, unable to resist asking via spiritual transmission: “Senior Yin, what do we do now?”

“Wait!” Yin Xingge glared fiercely back at him and said coldly. The person dared not speak again. The strange cries of the cloud beasts echoed through the rift, unsettling everyone. They remained motionless, frozen in place, for a full hour. Finally, the cloud beasts finished preening their feathers, flapped their wings, and, with guttural caws, blended back into the ‘black cloud’.

“Quick!” Yin Xingge urged repeatedly. Everyone swiftly descended the secret path, passing the second, then the third, and fourth layers of the ‘black cloud’… Finally, they saw the secret path ahead take a turn and disappear into the cliff face. Everyone hurriedly rushed into the cave, letting out a collective sigh of relief.

“Fellow Daoist Mu, Fellow Daoist Qin, Junior Sister Yun Qiong, bring forth your magical artifacts. If we encounter cloud beasts blocking our path, kill them instantly with decisive force, giving them no chance to struggle. And most importantly, do not disturb the mountain itself, lest we alert those outside.”

Upon hearing Yin Xingge’s reminder, Qin Sang immediately summoned his Ebony Sword. This was no time to conceal his abilities. Furthermore, the Ebony Sword’s ultimate trump card lay in the ‘unity of man and sword, vanishing without a trace.’ As long as this particular ability wasn’t revealed, it could be reserved purely for self-defense.

Daoist Yun Qiong tossed out a sphere of glazed glass. Its light shimmered like a rainbow, flowing like water, ethereal as it rose, then extending and spreading to form a small canopy. This was Daoist Yun Qiong’s renowned magical artifact, the Five-Colored Glaze. The glazed glass commanded the five elements and could transmute spiritual energy into rain. While this sounded somewhat similar to Qin Sang’s Five-Element Cloud, the raindrops created by the Five-Colored Glaze were imbued with lethal intent, designed solely for killing! The narrow confines of the secret path were a limiting factor; otherwise, the Five-Colored Glaze could have directly obscured half the sky. Once enveloped by it, there would be no escaping the strangling rain formation, no matter the direction of flight.

Yin Xingge, meanwhile, unfurled an immortal net woven from profound iron. When activated, it billowed like a thundercloud, perfectly complementing Daoist Yun Qiong’s Five-Colored Glaze. This magical artifact, named the Cloud Thunder Golden Net, contained the power of lightning restraints. Its primary strength, however, was not offensive lightning strikes but rather tightly binding opponents to prevent their escape—a perfectly suited ability for their current predicament.

Qin Sang had previously witnessed Mu Yifeng’s Nine-Flame Divine Edge. Nine fire dragons encircled the divine edge, making it extraordinarily sharp. The three had summoned top-grade magical artifacts, all of considerable power. With Qin Sang’s Ebony Sword added to the mix, the four of them, working in concert, could instantly slay any cloud beast equivalent in strength to a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator. The remaining six Qi Refinement stage shadow guards simply needed to focus on operating the astrolabe.

As anticipated, they encountered cloud beasts that had strayed into the path. The coordination among the four grew increasingly precise. The Cloud Thunder Golden Net swiftly deployed lightning restraints, binding the cloud beast, while Qin Sang and the other two seized their opportunity to strike. They proceeded without incident, successively slaying several cloud beasts until they finally reached the entrance to the ore vein.

The entrance was situated on the secret path’s stone wall. To the naked eye, it appeared as an ordinary rock face, and even spiritual sense detected no anomalies. In truth, it was sealed by prohibitions established by high-level cultivators from Xuanlu Pass, requiring a special forbidden artifact for activation.

They were now deep underground. Everyone moved with extreme caution, not daring to make the slightest sound. Yin Xingge produced a small green seal and pressed it silently onto the stone wall. The green seal transformed into a mass of ethereal green energy, which completely seeped into the stone wall. The wall then quietly melted away like ice, revealing a cavern.

Everyone filed in. Upon witnessing the scene beyond the cavern, they couldn’t help but gasp in amazement. It was unclear whether it was naturally formed or man-made, but the deep underground had been entirely hollowed out, creating a massive space comparable in scale to the rift outside. At its bottom, red fluorite stones emitted scattered glows, resembling countless mayflies. These fluorite stones were merely ordinary gemstones, found as companion minerals to Gan Yang Quartz.

The surface Gan Yang Quartz had already been completely mined out. Everyone cautiously descended to the bottom of the space, found the marked passage, and began to delve deeper. After an unknown depth, they finally felt the temperature inside the passage begin to rise.