Chapter 49: Reaping Another Wave

Eighth Mining Tunnel, inside the stone cave.

At this moment, Cheng Buzheng was inside the cave. After circling the area, he conducted a thorough inspection.

Then, he retreated to the cave entrance and, following his habit, meticulously explored inch by inch. Seeing no traps, he finally felt at ease.

Next, Cheng Buzheng focused his attention on the two guarding cultivators.

He saw that both were at the third level of Qi Refinement. They were sitting cross-legged in the cave, one to the north and one to the south, forming a wedge formation to guard against sudden attacks.

The cave was silent, and the two were resting with their eyes closed.

However, Cheng Buzheng knew that if even the slightest disturbance occurred, they would certainly notice.

If they called for help at that moment, his only option would be to flee.

Furthermore, he was unsure if the situation at the third mining tunnel had been discovered yet. Judging by the worst-case scenario, he did not have much time left.

In the blink of an eye, these thoughts flashed through Cheng Buzheng's mind.

With a flip of his right hand, the Amethyst Drill spun rapidly in his palm. He silently injected his dharma power into it; as the power flowed in, the purple spiritual light grew increasingly intense.

Meanwhile, the two cultivators guarding the raw spirit stone ore noticed nothing unusual and continued to rest with their eyes closed.

With a thought, Cheng Buzheng acted.

A surge of dharma power transformed into a layer of spiritual energy to shroud the cave entrance, while simultaneously, a purple glow permeated upward from beneath the ground.

At that exact moment, the two sensed the fluctuation of dharma power. They sprang to the ground without hesitation and shouted in unison

"Enemy attack!"

"Help!"

But not a single sound escaped.

Upon seeing the curtain of spiritual energy at the cave entrance, the two immediately knew that an enemy cultivator had entered the cave.

However, they did not simply wait to be captured; they prepared to surge their dharma power to shatter the spiritual curtain.

At that moment, the purple glow descended, enveloping them both.

They suddenly found that their bodies were difficult to move, and even channeling their dharma power became an ordeal. They desperately tried to force their energy to flow, causing their faces to turn crimson and a trace of blood to leak from the corners of their mouths.

Cheng Buzheng did not stop. He flicked the Amethyst Drill upward, sending it shooting out as a streak of purple light.

*Bang!*

Rocks flew and dust swirled. A palm-sized hole appeared in the ground not far from the cave entrance as the purple light burst through.

Instantly, the air exploded. The air itself seemed to become tangible, creating ripples that undulated through the space.

Because of its frantic rotation, the eighty-one blade-like fins of the Amethyst Drill were no longer visible; it appeared as a ring of purple light, slicing through the ripples in the air as it charged toward the guarding cultivators.

Seeing the incoming Amethyst Drill, the small-eyed cultivator in front felt his soul depart his body. He struggled to channel his dharma power, but his hands did not stop moving; he knew that if he gave up resistance, he would surely die.

*Crack!*

The small-eyed cultivator failed to cast his spell before death. His body was sliced into two halves, and a large amount of blood sprayed in all directions.

The stout cultivator behind him witnessed his companion being cut in two. A profound chill gripped his heart. His dharma power surged, and the speed at which he formed hand seals surpassed the peak of his life.

Just as the Amethyst Drill was about to arrive, he finally managed to cast the Vajra Shield.

A brilliant golden shield enveloped him.

Seeing the spell successfully cast, the stout cultivator felt a momentary sense of relief, his face pale as he said

"Senior, could you... give me a way to live!" He looked toward the cave entrance with desperate longing and hope.

Hearing this, Cheng Buzheng ignored him.

*If you do not pull up the roots, the spring breeze will bring them back to life!*

Carrying immense momentum and radiating a misty purple light, the Amethyst Drill sliced through the tangible air and slammed into the golden defensive shield.

The shockwave battered the surrounding rock walls, causing them to tremble and rocks to tumble. Once the power of the shockwave was exhausted, it dissipated into nothingness.

The Amethyst Drill collided with the golden shield.

*Pop!*

The golden shield, along with the stout cultivator inside, was sliced in two.

Before dying, the stout cultivator spat out a vicious curse

"May... you... die... a... horrible... death!"

Cheng Buzheng did not care. If curses worked, there wouldn't be so many high-level cultivators in the cultivation world.

Which high-level cultivator does not walk upon a mountain of corpses, with a trail of blood and slaughter behind them?

They achieved their current cultivation through countless resources and flesh and blood.

In the cultivation world, how could someone like Cheng Buzheng obtain spirit stones, spiritual items, and cultivation-advancing pills without such means?

He did not delay. He stripped the two of all their spiritual items and then set them ablaze, reducing them to two handfuls of ash.

Killing and arson were basic operations; if one did not possess a strong heart, it was better not to step into the cultivation world. Otherwise, the ultimate result would be nothing more than becoming a stepping stone for others.

He did not possess the "Holy Mother" ideology of saving the world; he only wanted to strive for his grand cause of longevity. Therefore, whenever he had the certainty, he would fight to the utmost to obtain cultivation resources.

Cheng Buzheng did not linger. He knew that every minute and every second was extremely precious right now.

He walked quickly to the raw spirit stone ore. With a wave of his sleeve, a surge of dharma power wrapped around the small pile of ore.

Then, a flash of yellow light appeared.

Cheng Buzheng and the spirit stone ore vanished from the cave.

Underground, he fled toward the fifth mining tunnel while his divine sense enveloped the spirit stone ore, his soul connecting to the small plate deep within his sea of consciousness.

In an instant, the small pile of spirit stone ore turned into ordinary stones, and the panel floating above the small plate in his sea of consciousness changed.

[Master of the Heavenly Jade Plate: Cheng Buzheng] [Realm: Third Level of Qi Refinement] [First-Tier High-Grade Cultivation Method: Starry Sky Manual (Ultimate) +] [First-Tier High-Grade Spell: Concealment Technique (Ultimate) +] [First-Tier Low-Grade Spell: Amethyst Drill (Ultimate) +, Earth Escape Technique (Ultimate) +] [Spiritual Power Value: 1123]

After several rounds of forcibly "shearing the sheep," the spiritual power value on the panel had once again surpassed one thousand. He was greatly pleased, while secretly looking forward to the next pile of spirit stone ore.

With this much spiritual power, he estimated that he wouldn't need to worry about spiritual power for a short while; after all, there were no better deals like this on the outside.

As he fled, he scattered the ordinary stones to clean up all traces of his presence.

Before long, Cheng Buzheng reached the fifth mining tunnel and, following a familiar path, fled directly toward the spirit stone ore storage area.

While fleeing underground, Cheng Buzheng sensed that many cultivators were currently rushing toward the stone cave, shouting loudly.

Because the rock layers provided too much insulation, he could only hear the sounds but could not make out the specific words.

His brow furrowed. He knew that the worst-case scenario had likely occurred. He quietly fled upward, stopping at a distance of one zhang beneath the rock layer.

Only then could he clearly hear the voices above.

"Everyone... hurry to the spirit stone ore storage point! That thief has appeared again!"

"Quick... faster! The third mining tunnel has already been struck!"

"Hurry and support the mine foreman! Perhaps the foreman needs our support right now!"

...

Hearing this, Cheng Buzheng sighed softly. He knew the news had already spread and it was too late to act. He could only give up. If he tried to target the spirit stone ore again, he would likely fall into the trap set by the mine foremen.

"Forget it!

If I keep shearing the sheep, the losses might outweigh the gains. The risk is too high compared to the reward; it is not worth such a gamble."

With a thought, a streak of yellow light swirled strangely one zhang beneath the rock layer and fled directly toward his secret chamber.

(End of Chapter)