Chapter 4928

Jinjiao Ridge is one of the Wang family's strongholds in the interior, stretching for tens of thousands of miles. It possesses a Grade 6 spiritual vein over a hundred miles long, abundant in spiritual energy.

This place was once the territory of the Beiming family. After the Beiming family was annihilated, Jinjiao Ridge fell into the hands of other forces. After changing hands multiple times, Jinjiao Ridge is now the Wang family's territory.

The Wang family has stationed over a thousand cultivators here, who cultivate ironwood and spiritual herbs. Wang Zonglang and Wang Lihe are responsible for overseeing this area, with the younger generation of the family now grown and taking on important responsibilities.

The estate is vast, adorned with exotic flowers, rare plants, waterwheel corridors, pavilions, and towers.

Wang Lihe was seated in a stone pavilion, as a fair-faced middle-aged man reported to him.

“Keep our clansmen in check,” Wang Lihe instructed, his expression grave. “There's no need to engage in direct conflict with the Tianji Sect.”

The Tianji Sect was founded by Divine Monarch Tianji. It is renowned throughout the Xuanying Continent for its puppet and mechanism arts, and its legacy spans over 70,000 years. At its peak, it boasted six Integration-stage cultivators, enjoying unparalleled prestige.

The Tianji Sect has suffered several major calamities, with its Integration-stage cultivators either perishing during great heavenly tribulations or being killed by foreign races. Several millennia ago, Revered Master Tianji advanced to the Integration stage, and the Tianji Sect once again revived and prospered.

The Wang family's influence in this region is far less than that of the Tianji Sect, so there is naturally no need to provoke the Tianji Sect without good reason.

As the saying goes, one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. The Wang family's establishment of a stronghold here naturally squeezed the living space of other forces, and over time, friction with the Tianji Sect was inevitable. Fortunately, both the Tianji Sect and the Wang family exercised restraint, and conflicts among the younger generation were kept within certain limits.

“Yes, Ancestor Lihe,” the middle-aged man readily agreed.

“By the way, where is Youxin?” Wang Lihe remembered something and asked casually.

Wang Youxin is a descendant of Wang Mousen. He possesses dual spiritual roots of Metal and Fire, and previously cultivated the *Heaven-Burning Blade Scripture*, but has since switched to cultivating the *Eight Desolations Demon-Slaying Spirit Scripture*.

The family has over 100,000 members. After Liu Hongxue refined the Nine Dragon Pills, the number of well-qualified family members increased dramatically, with no fewer than thirty possessing dual spiritual roots. Among Wang Mousen's descendants alone, there are four with dual spiritual roots. He values Wang Youxin quite highly.

“He's been stuck at the Mid-Spirit Transformation stage for many years,” the middle-aged man explained. “He went with Youyun and a few others to the Thunderdove Mountain Range to hunt demonic beasts, hoping to overcome his bottleneck there.”

“I see. You may go now and attend to your duties.” Wang Lihe nodded, dismissing the middle-aged man.

The Thunderdove Mountain Range stretches for tens of thousands of miles. Two Grade 6 Golden Thunderdoves once appeared here, wreaking havoc in the region, until a Void Refinement-stage cultivator from the Tianji Sect intervened and eliminated them. The abundant demonic beast resources here now attract many high-level cultivators to hunt.

Deep within the Thunderdove Mountain Range, a narrow, elongated valley resounded with a tremendous boom, shaking the ground and mountains.

A piercing shriek echoed as a massive, entirely green giant owl flew out of the valley, its body covered in fresh blood, and many of its feathers falling off.

The green giant owl flapped its wings, transforming into a hazy green hurricane, and swept away into the distance.

It had only flown a dozen miles when a golden-red blade qi shot out from the valley, heading straight for the green giant owl.

The golden-red blade qi was several hundred zhang long. Wherever it passed, over a dozen small hilltops were sliced in two, raising clouds of dust.

The golden-red blade qi was incredibly fast, appearing before the green giant owl in just a few flashes.

The green giant owl opened its mouth and spat out a beam of green light, while fiercely flapping its wings, sending out a hazy green hurricane to meet the golden-red blade qi.

Neither the green light nor the green hurricane could stop the golden-red blade qi.

After another piercing shriek echoed, the golden-red blade qi sliced the green giant owl in half. As a miniature green owl, its nascent soul, just left its body, a yellow-glowing gourd descended from the sky, emitting a stream of yellow mist. It enveloped the miniature green owl, pulling it into the yellow gourd, where it vanished.

Five cultivators, four men and one woman, flew out of the valley. Leading them was a tall, red-robed young man.

The red-robed young man had sharp, defined eyebrows and bright eyes. In his hand, he held a golden-red longblade, its surface adorned with flame-like spiritual patterns that flickered with continuous spiritual light.

This was Wang Youxin, a Mid-Spirit Transformation stage cultivator, a Grade 5 artifact craftsman, and a blade cultivator.

Had he not been stuck at a bottleneck, with his aptitude and status, he would not have needed to come here to hunt demonic beasts.

A round-faced, big-eyed maiden in a yellow dress stood beside Wang Youxin. Her skin was fair, and tens of thousands of silver-sheathed insects continuously circled around her.

This was Wang Youyun, also at the Mid-Spirit Transformation stage, who cultivated Earth-attribute techniques.

“We finally dealt with this demon beast,” Wang Youyun said with a smile. “It almost got away.”

Wang Youxin nodded, just about to say something, when a mound of earth swelled up in the distance, and a small, entirely white ferret burrowed out from underground. The white ferret was covered in blood and injured.

“A Snowcloud Mink!”

Wang Youxin became interested. Snowcloud Minks have keen senses of smell, are skilled at finding spiritual herbs, are docile by nature, and are highly favored by female cultivators. They are perfect gifts.

This particular Snowcloud Mink was a low-grade Grade 5 beast. Sensing something was wrong, it radiated a bright yellow light and burrowed back underground.

“Chase it! Don't let it escape,” Wang Youxin said hurriedly, storing the green giant owl's corpse. Wang Youyun then cast an Earth Evasion technique and led them in pursuit.

A thousand zhang beneath the surface, an earthy yellow light barrier enveloped the five of them. Wang Youxin's divine sense locked onto the Snowcloud Mink, which was just a hundred miles away.

“Speed up! I want to capture this beast alive and give it to Ruyi,” Wang Youxin urged, explaining that he was pursuing a female cultivator from an immortal cultivation family.

Wang Youyun formed a hand seal and sped up their evasion.

The Snowcloud Mink moved deeper underground, its speed considerable.

Three thousand, five thousand, ten thousand zhang deep, Wang Youxin and the other four relentlessly pursued it.

After more than an hour, Wang Youxin was surprised to find that the Snowcloud Mink had vanished into thin air. His divine sense could not detect its aura, which was truly strange.

Either the Snowcloud Mink possessed other evasion techniques, allowing it to instantly flee hundreds of miles away, or it had hidden itself within a spatial rift, or perhaps another cultivator had captured it into a spirit beast bracelet.

“Could there be a secret realm here?” Wang Youxin wondered, then flipped his hand, producing a red-glowing spherical bead, and infused it with spiritual power.

The red bead emitted a dazzling red light. Using the treasure, Wang Youxin observed the area ahead. He found no entrance to a secret realm or spatial rift, but he did find the Snowcloud Mink.

The Snowcloud Mink was less than fifty miles away from them. At such a close distance, his divine sense was surprisingly unable to detect its presence. This was truly peculiar.

Could there be a special metallic ore vein here, or perhaps a formation?

The Snowcloud Mink accelerated its evasion speed. After escaping to a depth of over 100,000 zhang underground, it could no longer descend further, as if it had hit a copper wall or iron barrier.

Seizing this opportunity, Wang Youyun accelerated their escape, and the five of them attacked the Snowcloud Mink in unison.

The Snowcloud Mink was only a low-grade Grade 5 beast and no match for them. Soon after, it was captured alive. Wang Youxin placed the Snowcloud Mink into a Sky Demon Pouch, which is specifically used for storing untamed spiritual beasts and birds.

“There might be a special ore vein or a formation here!” Wang Youxin said with a frown. “Our divine senses were affected here.”