Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 563 - 563 562 Mica Star Stone【Happy New Year】

563: Chapter 562 Mica Star Stone【Happy New Year】 563: Chapter 562 Mica Star Stone【Happy New Year】 PS: Do not deem New Year’s visits by guests as late, for on sunny warm days we seek meetings.

Only the affectionate breezes make it difficult in spring, yet even the tenderest greens and blooms demand poetry.

………

The four continued onward, doubling their caution.

By approximate distance, Longxu Gully was already nearly a thousand miles from Loulan City, and human cultivators typically patrolled within a region extending no more than fifteen hundred miles westward from Loulan.

This was the result of countless years of experience accumulated by many cultivators.

Further ahead, the number of undead creatures only increased, and they no longer concealed themselves beneath the sand but swaggered openly between the sand dunes, posing challenges that their small team alone could not handle.

As they patrolled this route, the pattern was clear: the closer to Loulan, the fewer the undead creatures appeared, and the more they ventured westward, the more they encountered, turning this stretch of one to two thousand miles of sand dunes into a buffer zone between the undead and humans.

Several days later, they encountered the only human exploration team they would see on this patrol; about twenty adventurers were mining under an exposed layer of ore.

“It’s Mica Star Stone, a very precious cultivation material.

This ore is not abundantly found, so once discovered, it’s mined thoroughly.” Nan Xiangye was quite knowledgeable, not having been idle even three months prior.

The twenty-plus individuals were all cultivators, mostly lesser cultivators who hadn’t reached Tongxuan, here to gather enough resources for their cultivation and thus forming the core mining force; there were five true cultivators, four at Tongxuan and one at God Sensing, who were the leaders of this expedition.

The God Sensing cultivator, upon spotting them, flew over from a distance to greet them with considerable humility and politeness, fully aware that his group of around twenty stood no match for these elite sect cultivators and needed to curry favor.

“May I ask which patrol team the esteemed senior brothers are from?

I am Wang Gandang, and I presume to request a meeting.”

Seeing Hou Niao remained indifferent, Nan Xiangye knew this was his cue, “Gui Team, just passing by.

How long has Daoist Wang been mining here?

Have you noticed anything unusual?”

Since the patrol routes of Loulan City were not fixed, even someone like Wang Gandang who had been around for many years couldn’t claim to know all about these sect cultivators.

As loose cultivators, it was difficult to establish relations with major sect cultivators who came here to protect humanity, whereas they were here to make a fortune—a completely different concept.

Very respectfully, “Just so the senior brothers know, we have been here for over a month, and mining is nearing completion.

Thanks to the senior brothers’ blessings, we haven’t encountered anything unusual; otherwise, we wouldn’t still be here.”

Nan Xiangye nodded, “In that case, just be careful not to stay too long to avoid any accidents.”

Wang Gandang came closer, pulling out a Spatial Bag, “We were lucky this time, the quality and quantity of the Mica ore are good, here’s a little token of my appreciation…”

Nan Xiangye accepted it smoothly, not the least bit embarrassed.

They, risking their lives patrolling the desert against undead creatures, hardly earned any income; their endeavors were a form of cultivation.

Their only gratuity came from these explorers’ tributes, which was hardly extortion but rather a mutual respect.

They rightly accepted it, as the explorers gave willingly, knowing that in times of need, these cultivators were their saviors—not a matter to be taken lightly.

This time, after offering the tribute, they could follow the Gui Team when they returned, adding a layer of protection, which was more than appropriate.

Hou Niao observed dispassionately, neither stopping nor supporting them, as these matters really didn’t warrant concern—things were the same everywhere.

Watching the four patrol cultivators leave, the adventurers felt a mix of envy, frustration, and even a hint of jealousy.

Wang Gandang sighed, feeling somewhat disheartened, “Let’s get back to work, striving to catch up and leave with them when they return.

They have their duties, and we have ours; rather than coveting the fish in the pond, better to retreat and weave nets.

Once you achieve something, such opportunities will naturally come your way.”

Gui Team’s four members continued their winding journey forward, their spirits even more focused because the further they strayed from Loulan City, the deeper they ventured into the desert’s heart.

A hundred miles forward, they encountered two Hundred-Eye Monsters and easily exterminated them; another hundred miles later, they found three more, which also required little effort.

Having mastered the search techniques and overpowering with their strength, battles against the undead creatures became monotonous.

As for abilities, the undead creatures had rather simplistic powers.

Their divine abilities would increase over time and only when the energy dispersed throughout their body exceeded a hundred spots would they acquire more powers.

The undead creatures they currently faced didn’t even qualify as true Hundred-Eye Monsters.

After the battle, there was nothing noteworthy; there were no spoils except for piles of bones scattered on the ground.

This was an enigma in the human Cultivation World—the source of power for these undead creatures remained a mystery.

Why did they leave nothing behind after their death and Dao vanished?

In the Cultivation World, where energy was balanced, how could such powerful undead creatures leave nothing more than ordinary rotten wood upon their deaths?

The group cleaned up the battlefield, assuring nothing was overlooked, before planning to embark again.

They were now less than a hundred miles from their final destination, which meant they were nearing the end of their outward journey.

Nan Xiangye looked at Hou Niao, who seemed lost in thought, “Senior Brother?”

Hou Niao furrowed his brows, “Since leaving Wang Gandang’s mining team, we’ve encountered two groups of undead creatures.

Link the places where they appeared…”

Yuan Shangyuan’s expression changed, “These three locations form a straight line!”

Hou Niao soared into the sky, “Follow me!”

The three teammates quickly followed.

This might be a conjecture, but it was indeed possible, an apparent aim for these two groups of undead creatures seemed to be directed toward the location of Wang Gandang’s mining team.

They had no obligated duty to rescue, but now that they knew, they couldn’t just ignore it; this was their responsibility as humans, regardless of whether they knew those people or ever revered them.

The four of them sped back at full velocity, quickly creating a gap in speed.

Hou Niao was nowhere to be seen, Yuan Shangyuan and Nan Xiangye moved side by side, and although Fairy Huang lagged slightly behind, at least the three could still see each other.

But Hou Niao had vanished completely into the distance.

This moment fully showcased the disparity in their strengths.

Yuan Shangyuan cautioned, “Don’t fall too far behind; the three of us should maintain formation.

As for Niao, he doesn’t need us to worry about him.”

The trio quickly regrouped and sped shoulder to shoulder.

A two hundred-mile journey was but a matter of moments for them.

They hadn’t yet reached the mining site when the intense surges of spiritual waves from ahead reached them, indicative of a fierce battle raging, as if thousands of troops were engaged in combat.

Nan Xiangye’s Flying Sword was already restless, swirling above his head, ready to plunge into battle upon arrival; Yuan Shangye’s Dharma Form also perched on his shoulder, poised to strike; even Fairy Huang was ready with her Magic Artifact in hand.

A dozen breaths later, the trio arrived at the battlefield, only to be shocked to find utter disarray, countless broken bones strewn across the ground, and the bodies of six or seven human cultivators.

However, there were no undead creatures left standing.

Had they really missed the battle?