Chapter 47: Plunder

In the blink of an eye.

The two-year term was drawing to a close, signifying that Cheng Buzheng was about to return to his sect and embark on a new journey.

Inside the secret chamber.

Cheng Buzheng sat cross-legged on an exceptionally soft pelt, his eyes slightly closed, with a layer of spiritual qi condensing around his body.

Before long, the spiritual qi surrounding him slowly dissipated. He suddenly opened his eyes, and a sharp glint flashed within those distinct black and white pupils.

Sensing the abnormally abundant magic power within his body, a smile involuntarily crept onto the corners of his mouth.

After two years of cultivation, supported by a sufficient supply of raw spirit stone ores, he had reached the peak of the third layer of Qi Refinement. He was only one opportunity away from advancing to the middle stage of Qi Refinement.

With such significant progress in his cultivation, these two years of secluded training were well worth it.

Had he remained within the sect, he would likely have only reached the peak of the second layer of Qi Refinement at most. It was evident that rapid progress in cultivation was inseparable from resources.

With a wave of his hand, the pile of raw spirit stone ores in the corner flew into a side basket with the precision of a radar.

In the blink of an eye.

The basket was filled to the brim; this was the final month's quota of raw spirit stone ores required for submission.

Afterward, Cheng Buzheng's gaze fell upon the remaining pile of raw spirit stone ores.

Seeing this.

Cheng Buzheng enveloped the pile of ores with his divine sense, connecting his soul to the small jade plate deep within his sea of consciousness.

In an instant, the small pile of ores in the corner turned into a heap of ordinary stones, while the panel floating above the small jade plate deep in his sea of consciousness underwent a change.

Master of the Heavenly Jade Plate: Cheng Buzheng Realm: Third Layer of Qi Refinement Tier 1 Cultivation Method: High-grade (Ultimate) Starry Sky Manual + Tier 1 Spells: Low-grade (Ultimate) Amethyst Carving +, Low-grade (Ultimate) Earth Escape Technique +, High-grade (Ultimate) Concealment Technique + Spiritual Power Value: 325

Seeing that his spiritual power value had increased by over two hundred, Cheng Buzheng's mood brightened significantly. This amount of spiritual power was enough for him to return to the sect and proceed with his next plan.

After all, he knew how difficult it was to earn spirit stones on the outside. As the saying goes from his previous life, "Money is hard to earn, and shit is hard to eat."

He focused his mind on the panel and suddenly felt it was a bit cluttered. With a thought, the panel flashed with spiritual light, undergoing a new transformation.

Master of the Heavenly Jade Plate: Cheng Buzheng Realm: Third Layer of Qi Refinement Tier 1 High-grade Cultivation Method: Starry Sky Manual (Ultimate) + Tier 1 High-grade Spell: Concealment Technique (Ultimate) + Tier 1 Low-grade Spells: Amethyst Carving (Ultimate) +, Earth Escape Technique (Ultimate) + Spiritual Power Value: 325

Looking at the much more streamlined panel, Cheng Buzheng felt it was no longer an eyesore and fell into thought.

"There are less than seven days left until the mission period ends. It's time to settle the accounts... and top up some more spiritual power! Then, I can return to the sect with peace of mind!"

Thinking this, he did not hesitate. He knew that the time left for him was not much.

Cheng Buzheng stood up and patted his exceptionally smooth robes.

With a thought.

A streak of yellow spiritual light flashed, enveloping him.

Like a swimming fish, Cheng Buzheng moved rapidly through the rock layers, appearing in the eighth branch mine road in no time.

Following the familiar path, he arrived beneath the stone cave where the raw spirit stone ores were originally stored.

Cheng Buzheng reached a corner of the cave, one zhang underground. He sensed that there were currently only two early-stage Qi Refinement cultivators in the cave.

The raw spirit stone ores were still stored here. He made no move; although the Earth Escape Technique possessed an inherent ability to conceal one's aura, any fluctuation in magic power would surely be detected.

After a stealthy investigation, Cheng Buzheng retreated silently. This was his first reconnaissance; he absolutely could not act yet.

One must learn from mistakes.

This time, he would not be careless. After all, this was his last chance to scavenge; there would be no more opportunities in the future.

Next, Cheng Buzheng went to the seventh branch mine road and quickly tunneled toward the familiar stone cave.

Before long, he arrived at Wang Daba's original ore storage cave.

Three zhang underground, Cheng Buzheng performed a sensory check and found that the cave was empty, and the original raw spirit stone ores had vanished.

Seeing this, Cheng Buzheng thought to himself

"It seems... he moved the ores! Last time, he was the only one whose ores I missed. This time... he moved them again. He is a cautious man!"

He let out a faint sigh and tunneled away without looking back. He knew that he wouldn't be able to find the new storage location in a short amount of time.

He proceeded through the sixth branch mine road, all the way to the first.

After checking them one by one, he discovered that most of the mine bosses had moved their ores. Only the third, fifth, and eighth branch mine roads still had their storage locations in the original places.

In these three ore storage caves, the mine bosses—most of whom were in the middle stage of Qi Refinement—usually practiced meditation inside. Even if they occasionally went out, they would immediately dispatch two early-stage Qi Refinement cultivators to guard the area.

After cautious and careful observation, there was absolutely no sign of cultivators uniting to ambush him.

In the spirit stone mine roads, only eight middle-stage Qi Refinement mine bosses could pose a threat to him.

At this moment, they were in different locations, making cooperation impossible. Furthermore, nearly a year had passed since the last incident.

The vigilance they once held had long since faded.

Cheng Buzheng pondered for a moment, a look of determination flashing across his face.

Three zhang beneath the rock layer, a streak of yellow light rapidly tunneled toward the third branch mine road.

At this moment, the mine boss was not in the cave, leaving only two early-stage Qi Refinement cultivators. This was his best opportunity to strike.

Hard bones should, of course, be gnawed on last. He knew the principle of tackling the easy tasks before the difficult ones.

Fifteen minutes later.

In the third branch mine road, three zhang underground beneath the ore storage cave, a streak of yellow light came to a halt.

After careful and cautious detection, no abnormalities were found.

Only then did Cheng Buzheng stealthily tunnel upward, stopping when he was one zhang from the ground.

Then, he flipped his right hand. The Amethyst Carving spun rapidly in his palm as the magic power in his dantian surged, pouring madly into the artifact.

Cheng Buzheng intended to strike with a killing blow, ending the battle in the shortest time possible to prevent them from having a chance to sound the alarm.

The purple light of the Amethyst Carving grew increasingly intense. With a thought.

A wave of purple light instantly spread out, enveloping the two early-stage Qi Refinement cultivators on the ground. Simultaneously, a layer of magic power formed a shroud of spiritual light at the cave entrance to ensure no cries for help could escape.

The two cultivators, one tall and one short, were shocked by the sudden change. They found that they were completely unable to move; the magic power that usually responded to their will was now incredibly difficult to manipulate.

As they tried to call out, they saw the thin layer of spiritual light at the cave entrance. Panic surged in their hearts, and they began to desperately pump their magic power.

Seeing that the purple light had already enveloped the two, Cheng Buzheng did not stop. He raised his right hand, and the Amethyst Carving spun wildly, slicing through the rock layers in its path.

*Boom!*

The air exploded, rocks flew, and stone dust filled the cave.

Through the mist-like dust within the cave, a streak of purple light rushed toward the two immobilized men.

At that exact moment.

The two men, faces flushed from the desperate exertion of their magic power, with traces of blood at the corners of their mouths, finally managed to cast their spells at the moment of crisis.

The shorter cultivator continuously performed hand seals. In the blink of an eye, an earthen wall emitting a faint yellow light appeared before them.

The taller cultivator also struck out a series of hand seals. In less than a breath, a shimmering golden giant sword materialized in front of him.

With a swipe of his finger in the air, he shouted low, "Go!"

Meanwhile, the frantically spinning Amethyst Carving, like a purple disc, emitted a hazy purple glow, leaving ripples in the air. The shockwaves slammed against the cave walls, causing a large amount of rock to tumble down.

In an instant, the two met.

*Crack!*

The golden giant sword was sliced in two by the Amethyst Carving, shattering into pieces before dissolving into golden specks of light and vanishing.