Breaking through the illusion of the mortal world

Chapter 70 Trip to Ling Sha Mountain

The biting wind whipped at my face, but it couldn't dispel the turmoil churning in my heart.

His gaze fell on the road ahead, his fingertips lightly tapping the scabbard of the Cloud Snow sword at his waist. The sword trembled slightly in the scabbard, as if resonating with him.

The path of cultivation is inherently about defying fate and fighting against heaven, earth, and man.

Being soft-hearted and lenient will only lead to utter ruin.

He had already learned this principle during the trial of conscience back then, and the blood of the Northern Wilderness today is merely etching it even deeper.

After traveling swiftly for another half day, the Ling Sha Mountains were now in sight, as indicated by the map on the jade slip.

It was a continuous stretch of dark mountains, sharply contrasting with the surrounding white snow, and the wind whistled through the treetops.

The air was filled with a faint, pungent odor, and also carried a subtle, almost imperceptible chill.

Following the map, Lu Ming quickly found the location of the Li family's mine.

That was the entrance to a valley on the outskirts of Lingsha Mountain.

On the snow at the valley entrance, clear signs of mining are visible, and a snow-covered path winds its way into the mountains, disappearing into the depths of the dark peaks.

Lu Ming landed outside the gate. Two guards wielding pickaxes immediately approached him warily. Their auras were only at the late stage of Qi Refining, so they were likely guards from the mine.

"Who goes there?" a guard shouted sternly, his grip on the pickaxe tightening slightly.

Lu Ming took out the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion mission jade slip, condensed a wisp of spiritual power at his fingertip and injected it, and the mission information and acceptance mark immediately appeared on the surface of the jade slip.

"I have accepted a mission from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion to deal with the monster attacks on the mines."

The guards examined the jade slip, their expressions instantly becoming respectful. They quickly bowed and said, "So you are a celestial master sent by the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion! Please come in quickly, the steward is waiting in the stronghold."

As we entered the stronghold with the guards, we saw many miners gathered under the sheds, some sitting and some standing, all with worried expressions on their faces, creating a somber atmosphere.

After walking all the way to the largest stone house in the center of the stronghold, the guard announced his arrival and led Lu Ming inside.

A middle-aged man in a brocade robe with a short beard paced anxiously around the wooden table in the stone house; he was the manager of the place.

Upon seeing Lu Ming enter, he stopped in his tracks and quickly glanced at Lu Ming.

He lingered briefly on the young man's face and the aura that seemed to indicate he was in the early stages of Foundation Establishment, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and spoke in a fairly polite tone.

"My name is Li Mao, and I am the manager of this Spirit Fiend Mine. Are you the immortal master who accepted the demon-slaying mission?"

"Indeed, Lu Ming." Lu Ming returned the greeting, skipping the pleasantries and getting straight to the point, "Please, Steward Li, describe the situation of the demon beast in detail, as well as the location where it last appeared."

Seeing that Lu Ming spoke crisply and without beating around the bush, Li Mao also put aside his distracting thoughts, invited him to sit down, and then said with a solemn expression: "Fellow Daoist Lu, you may not know this, but that beast is elusive and really difficult to deal with."

It first appeared about a month ago. At first, it was just a night watchman who inexplicably fell into a coma. After waking up, he was listless and even his cultivation level had declined.

Later, their activities became increasingly rampant, even directly attacking the mines. Three Foundation Establishment guards have already fallen victim to their attacks, and when they were discovered, they were already dried corpses, their spiritual power and essence of flesh completely drained!

He raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, his eyes filled with fear: "That thing is so fast that it disappears without a trace, and it can be found nowhere when it hides in the shadows."

The attack carries a chilling aura that can directly erode the protective aura, rendering ordinary spells ineffective.

We organized several raids, but before we could even see its true form, it escaped using the complex terrain of the mine, resulting in significant manpower losses.

Li Mao raised his hand and pointed to the depths of the valley, his tone becoming more somber: "It last appeared three days ago, when it attacked a mining team deep in the No. 3 mine pit."

Fortunately, the person leading the group was a late-stage Foundation Establishment guest elder from the family. He managed to scare the enemy away with a protective magic artifact, but the guest elder also suffered a hidden injury and is still recovering.

The No. 3 mine pit has long been sealed off.

Lu Ming listened quietly, tapping his fingertips lightly on the edge of the table, already having made up his mind.

Its appearance is like a ghost, it is good at hiding, it corrodes spiritual power, and it absorbs vital essence, exactly as described in the mission description.

He looked up and asked, "Manager Li, do you know the approximate rank of this demon? And what are its obvious weaknesses?"

Li Mao shook his head with a wry smile, looking ashamed: "I am very ashamed. I have fought it several times, but I have not even been able to see its specific form, let alone its level and weaknesses."

It was only vaguely discerned that it feared strong light and was afraid of the power of masculine thunder and fire.

But the depths of the mine are dark and slippery, making it difficult to track even with methods of control, let alone inflict serious damage.

Lu Ming nodded, stood up and said, "In that case, I will go and investigate Mine No. 3. Please ask Manager Li to send someone to guide me to the mine entrance."

Seeing that Lu Ming remained calm and composed after hearing such a dangerous description, Li Mao's unease lessened slightly, and he quickly stood up:

"Thank you for your help, Fellow Daoist Lu! I will send someone to guide us right away."

Fellow Daoist, please be extremely careful. If things become unavoidable, do not act rashly. Simply activate the distress talisman, and we will do our utmost to assist you!

A moment later, a young guard led Lu Ming deeper into the valley.

The entrance to Mine No. 3 is located at the foot of a mountain wall. The huge opening resembles the gaping maw of a ferocious beast, pitch black, with wisps of chilling air emanating from within, mingling with the cold mountain wind.

The entrance to the cave was locked with thick iron chains and several talismans for warding off evil spirits were pasted on it, but the spiritual light on the talismans had already dimmed.

"Immortal Master, this is the place. I will not go in."

The young guard stared at the dark mine shaft, his voice trembling, his eyes filled with fear, and he took repeated steps back.

"It's alright, you can go back now."

Lu Ming waved his hand, and only after the guards' figures disappeared at the end of the snow path did he raise his eyes to stare at the entrance of the mine, a sharp glint in his eyes.

He did not rush inside, but instead carefully explored the entrance to the mine.

Although the wind and snow covered most of the traces, his divine sense, having been tempered by the Martial Ancestor ten thousand times, was already far beyond that of others in the same realm, and he was even more sensitive to energy fluctuations.

Before long, he felt a faint chill on the shady side of a rock at the edge of the cave entrance.

This aura was completely different from the surrounding cold; it had a bone-chilling, corrosive quality.

"This is it." Lu Ming slightly raised his fingertip, and a wisp of sword energy suddenly shot out. With a "clang", the thick iron chain binding the entrance of the cave broke in response, and the dim talisman turned into flying dust.

Lu Ming's blood and qi surged, and the fused spiritual power and true qi flowed slowly through his meridians, transforming into a light protective shield that enveloped his body.

He placed his hand on the hilt of the Cloud Snow Sword and stepped into the thick darkness.