Chapter 371: Tracking

The ebony sword effortlessly sliced off a thin layer of rock. It was indeed much sharper than Kong Xin's blue-light sword.

Kong Xin watched the ebony sword display its power and couldn't stop praising it. "What a fine sword! Fellow Daoist, every one of your magical artifacts is so formidable, I'm truly impressed!"

Qin Sang calmly replied, "I merely got lucky acquiring a few handy magical artifacts; I don't deserve your praise, Fellow Daoist. If I were to encounter such perilous places a few more times, I fear no amount of artifacts would save my life. Don't you agree?"

Qin Sang's words were barbed, containing a veiled warning.

Kong Xin gave an awkward laugh and swore to the heavens, "Fellow Daoists, you've just checked; the cave not far ahead is indeed the exit, and you'll soon confirm it! I absolutely bear no ill will. I only resorted to this drastic measure because I was afraid of revealing the information prematurely, just in case. If I'm lying, you may deal with me as you see fit! I swear, this is a one-time occurrence, and it will not happen again!"

The ebony sword danced, slicing off rock fragments one by one.

Gradually, specks of light began to appear on the rock face. They were chunks of Cold Gold Ore Mother, embedded irregularly but beautifully within the stone.

Qin Sang continued his work, chipping off each piece of Cold Gold Ore Mother and placing them on the open ground in front of everyone.

Because the ebony sword was sharp enough, Qin Sang worked quickly. In less than a quarter of an hour, he had completely cleared a layer of the rock wall.

At this point, the malevolent spirits had just begun to gather strength. Although everyone had been forced to reveal most of their hidden abilities, the situation was far from critical. With strength still remaining, they urged Qin Sang to continue.

Unexpectedly, when Qin Sang tried to dig deeper, he found only stone inside, with no more Cold Gold Ore Mother.

Qin Sang was unwilling to give up. He selected a dozen more spots, plunging the ebony sword several zhang deep each time, but ultimately confirmed that there was indeed no Cold Gold Ore Mother within.

This mineral vein had only a single layer!

Everyone couldn't help but feel greatly disappointed.

It wasn't that they disliked the small harvest; after all, the amount of Cold Gold Ore Mother from this layer was quite substantial. The extracted ore would be equally divided among everyone present, with each person receiving a head-sized portion.

Once refined into Cold Gold, its value would be considerable.

However, compared to their expectations, this amount was simply too little to be satisfactory.

The most disappointed person was undoubtedly Kong Xin.

The others had simply stumbled upon this opportunity, so acquiring the Cold Gold Ore Mother was an unexpected bonus. They quickly recovered from their disappointment.

"Humans die for wealth, birds for food. It's probably better that there's only one layer of ore," said the cultivator surnamed Bao with a chuckle. "That way, no one will be reluctant to leave and end up trapped and killed by these malevolent spirits once exhausted. Let's divide these and hurry on our way..."

The cultivator surnamed Bao said cheerfully, glancing at the pile of Cold Gold Ore Mother on the ground, then looking at Kong Xin, "Fellow Daoist, you mentioned earlier that everyone who saw it would get a share, an equal split. You won't go back on your word, will you?"

Kong Xin adjusted his mindset and forced a smile, "Of course not! However, I didn't exert much effort. These Cold Gold Ore Mothers were all extracted by Daoist Qingfeng with his precious sword, so we should ask for his opinion."

Qin Sang chuckled, "Without all of you Fellow Daoists fending off the malevolent spirits, my flying sword, no matter how sharp, wouldn't have been able to work so smoothly. Let's just divide it equally."

However, during the distribution, the old and young master-disciple pair stated that the disciple's strength was low, and they wouldn't presume to take two shares.

Seeing the master and disciple's tact, the others naturally had no objections. The quality of the Cold Gold Ore Mothers was nearly identical, so everyone quickly divided them equally and then rushed out of the cave.

By then, malevolent spirits outside the cave were layered upon layered, making the entire grotto seem like a realm of ghosts.

Everyone worked together to break through, and with some minor scares, they reached the entrance of another cave.

This time, Kong Xin hadn't lied; this cave was not a dead end. As for whether it was the true exit, that remained to be verified.

They set up various restrictions to hinder the spirits' pursuit while also battling and killing the spirits that caught up. Fighting and retreating, they finally managed to escape after putting some distance between themselves and the horde.

"Phew!"

Everyone breathed heavily, still feeling a lingering sense of dread.

The strength of these malevolent spirits wasn't high, but their numbers were astonishing; they were ceaseless and inexhaustible. Fortunately, they used the advantageous terrain to their benefit and avoided being completely surrounded.

It was hard to imagine what a terrifying sight it would be if tens of thousands of spirits on the surface were to gather and occupy several mountain ranges.

Thinking about it now, what the cultivator surnamed Bao said was indeed true.

If the mineral vein had been larger, and everyone had been reluctant to leave, lingering for a longer time, they might have neared exhaustion. If a powerful malevolent spirit had suddenly appeared then, it was highly probable that someone would have perished inside.

"Fellow Daoist Kong, please continue to lead the way! I hope you're not lying this time!" the red-clad woman said coldly, staring at Kong Xin.

The others, intentionally or not, had also surrounded Kong Xin.

Kong Xin gave a dry laugh and repeatedly said, "How could I! How could I! Whether it's true or false, you'll all know very soon..."

Kong Xin walked in front, while Qin Sang and Yun Youzi continued to bring up the rear.

Not long after they set off, Qin Sang's figure suddenly paused slightly. A playful expression appeared on his face as his gaze swept over the backs of Kong Xin and the others. After a brief moment of thought, he followed them.

Inside the grotto.

The malevolent spirits, having lost their target, gradually settled down and returned to the grotto. Some began fighting among themselves, while others continued to wander aimlessly.

Just then, a figure materialized out of thin air, glanced at the excavated cave, and let out a cold snort.

Unsure by what means, he managed not to alert the wandering spirits, but his movements were extremely cautious, staying close to the rock walls as he eventually pursued the direction the group had taken.

This person didn't notice that within the blood mist, a zombie, seemingly unusual, was blended among a group of spirits, watching him leave with its dark eyes.

Like the malevolent spirits, zombies are also inanimate beings. Blending among these unintelligent spirits, they wouldn't provoke an attack unless they initiated one themselves.

Qin Sang had released this zombie during the malevolent spirits' attack, taking advantage of the chaos. Its purpose was to serve as an early warning, allowing him to detect any powerful spirits in the deeper parts of the grotto that might far exceed their collective strength, and then escape in time.

Later, he hadn't had a chance to retrieve it before leaving, so it remained there.

It was just a zombie, not as difficult to refine as a malevolent corpse, and its greatest use was as cannon fodder for scouting. It wouldn't be painful to discard it.

Qin Sang hadn't expected such an unexpected gain.

By now, he was a considerable distance from the zombie, and his senses had become very weak. He could only vaguely perceive through the zombie that an uninvited guest was trailing them, but he didn't know the person's cultivation level or identity.

However, since this person dared not show himself openly and resorted to such shadowy tactics, their cultivation was probably not very high.

Whose accomplice were they?

Or just a stranger who happened to be taking the same path?

Qin Sang walked at the back, silently observing the actions of those ahead, unable to discern anyone suspicious.

Seizing an opportunity, Qin Sang informed Yun Youzi about the tracking.

Yun Youzi was also somewhat surprised. He frowned as he scrutinized Kong Xin and the others, but couldn't make sense of it.