After stowing the Stone Beast Pearl, Wen Qingye continued forward.

Jumbled noises echoed constantly from all around, reverberating without end.

Wen Qingye walked for a long time without any unexpected finds. Most of what he found were just some Top-Grade Primordial Stones, a far cry from what he had been hoping for.

THUMP! THUMP!

Suddenly, a series of vigorous striking sounds echoed from up ahead. Wen Qingye could tell from the sound and its rhythm that this person’s cultivation was by no means low.

’It’s him!’

This was Qiu Ming, the very person Wen Qingye had seen on Celestial Profound Mountain and one of the geniuses from the foremost Ancient Country, the Dayan Dynasty.

At that moment, he was furiously hammering the ore in front of him with his bare fists. His forehead was slick with sweat, and his eyes held a look of sheer determination.

Qiu Ming seemed to notice Wen Qingye as well. He looked up, his bright eyes meeting Wen Qingye’s, and a smile touched the corners of his lips. "It’s you?"

Wen Qingye chuckled, his gaze falling on the spot Qiu Ming was relentlessly striking. "You could dig another hundred feet like that and still not find a single Primordial Stone."

"Is that so?" Qiu Ming seemed unconvinced.

"Yes," Wen Qingye said seriously.

Seeing Wen Qingye’s earnest expression, Qiu Ming gave a wry smile. Seemingly convinced, he let out a sigh.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Just then, a violent wind suddenly began to churn around them.

The piercing yin wind felt identical to the one from the first form of Wen Qingye’s Undying Seal Technique. It was bone-chillingly cold, sending a shiver to the very core.

"The yin wind is flaring up!" Qiu Ming’s expression changed drastically as he spoke to Wen Qingye. "We have to get out of here, now!"

Wen Qingye’s brow furrowed. He was, of course, familiar with yin wind. It was formed from death qi, which could only be generated from the undecayed corpses of cultivators with exceptionally profound cultivation. ’But why would there be yin wind in this mine cave?’

But this was no time for him to dwell on it.

After speaking, Qiu Ming shot off into the distance. A few breaths later, he noticed Wen Qingye hadn’t followed and turned back to shout, "Hurry up! We can’t stay here! Even an expert at the Destruction Realm would find it difficult to block the yin wind here!"

Wen Qingye nodded and quickened his pace to follow Qiu Ming.

The chilling wind at their backs was like a cold hand, grasping for the two running figures.

The two of them raced toward the end of the passage. After sprinting for some time, they finally reached a fork in the road. They took one of the paths and ran for the time it takes an incense stick to burn before finally coming to a halt.

Qiu Ming casually leaned against the stone wall, panting heavily, while Wen Qingye slowly sat down.

Qiu Ming breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright," he said. "We’ve run far enough. The yin wind shouldn’t be able to reach us here."

"Mm." Wen Qingye nodded. His eyes swept over their surroundings before he said with a smile, "This spot isn’t bad."

Hearing this, Qiu Ming scanned their surroundings again and paused, stunned for a moment. This place looked no different from any other. He had no idea why Wen Qingye would say that.

After catching his breath, Qiu Ming said to Wen Qingye, "My name is Qiu Ming. I’m from the Dayan Dynasty."

"Wen Qingye, from the Celestial Martial Country," he replied with a nod. "I’ve heard of you."

Qiu Ming laughed nonchalantly. "Yes, I imagine my name is quite well-known."

Wen Qingye’s eyes swept over Qiu Ming. ’Sixth Level of the Yin-Yang Realm, and his token is number four. That means there are three Registered Disciples ranked higher than him.’

Qiu Ming looked at Wen Qingye and continued, "These days, none of the Registered Disciples in the entire Celestial Profound Sect dare to speak much with me. You’re pretty brave, though."

"And why is that?" Wen Qingye asked.

"It’s a long story," Qiu Ming sighed softly. "But it’s not a secret, so there’s no harm in telling you. Besides, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a real heart-to-heart with anyone."

"My Dayan Dynasty selects its talented disciples through a tournament. The top five hundred get the chance to come cultivate at the Celestial Profound Sect. During one of those matches, I accidentally injured the Crown Prince of our Dayan Dynasty’s Left General. Not only did it cost him his chance to come to the Celestial Profound Sect, but it was also a great public humiliation. Ever since then, the Left General’s Crown Prince has been using his father’s influence to relentlessly suppress me."

Wen Qingye nodded. ’So the Left General’s Crown Prince is a narrow-minded and vengeful person,’ he thought.

Qiu Ming gazed at the rocky ceiling and laughed optimistically. "I feel like them suppressing me like this just gives me more motivation. It will only make me grow faster."

Wen Qingye gave Qiu Ming a strange look. His intuition told him that Qiu Ming was holding something back, some other hardship he hadn’t mentioned. Since he didn’t elaborate, Wen Qingye wouldn’t ask.

The two fell into silence. Qiu Ming’s head was bowed, his fists tightly clenched, while Wen Qingye contemplated how exactly the yin wind had formed.

"The yin wind should have stopped by now. I’m going to go on ahead and take a look," Wen Qingye said with a smile as he stood up. "I think this is a good spot. If you mine for Primordial Stones here, you’ll definitely have a great harvest. Trust me."

With that, Wen Qingye strode forward.

Qiu Ming watched Wen Qingye’s retreating back, then glanced around again, hesitant.

......

’Yin wind only appears where death qi is particularly dense. Could there be a severe concentration of it here in Four Eyebrow Mountain?’

Wen Qingye walked deeper into the Four-Eyebrow Mountain Mine Cave, his eyes constantly scanning his surroundings. He used his Spirit Communication Eye Secret Technique, giving him a panoramic view of the Primordial Stones in the area.

FLASH!

Suddenly, Wen Qingye sensed a red light flickering from the stone wall to his left. This dazzling glow was different from the others—it was exceptionally brilliant.

’A real treasure!’

Wen Qingye’s heart leaped. ’A red light this intense must mean the treasure is extraordinary.’ At that thought, he hurried toward the glow.

The red light grew increasingly intense in Wen Qingye’s eyes. He was now deep within the Four-Eyebrow Mountain Mine Cave, an area few people dared to enter.

The depths of Four Eyebrow Mountain were known to be prowled by numerous Demon Beasts, most of them notoriously ferocious.

ROAR!

Just then, the stone wall not far ahead suddenly shattered, and a huge black pincer shot out from the opening.

Startled, Wen Qingye slammed his foot down, the force of the impact cracking the ground beneath him.

The rubble crumbled away, and the owner of the pincer finally appeared before Wen Qingye.

It was a giant scorpion. Its entire body was blue, but its eyes glowed green. The sharp barb on its tail glinted with a chilling light.

’A Blue Scorpion! A Demon Beast at the Third Layer of the Yin-Yang Realm!’

Wen Qingye watched the Blue Scorpion, his expression turning grave.

HISS!

A massive, hooked object—its tail—arced toward Wen Qingye, its barb carrying a cold glint.

Instantly on alert, Wen Qingye leaped back without a second thought.

CRASH!

Dust and rock fragments flew into the air. A massive crater now marked the spot where Wen Qingye had just been standing.