Chapter 157: Fighting a False Core Cultivator?

Fellow Taoists, this Skyfire Gold-Stone vein is quite substantial. Once we clear out the Golden-Scaled Black-Horned Lizards, this old man will only take sixty percent, and the remaining forty percent will be distributed among you all. Additionally, apart from the tier-three beast king, all the other Golden-Scaled Black-Horned Lizards we hunt will be given to everyone.

Real Master Huogian spoke once more.

Real Master, forgive me. I have had many matters pressing upon me lately and will be unable to assist you.

The rogue cultivator who had previously sold the star tree was the first to speak. With that, he bowed deeply to Real Master Huogian by way of apology and made to walk out of the hall.

Real Master, forgive me. I have been away from home for quite some time now and need to rush back to my clan.

Immediately, another person stood up, offered apologies, and prepared to leave.

The remaining people exchanged glances, and another person rose to their feet.

Real Master Huogian was not in the least bit flurried. He flicked his fingers slightly, and the figures that had just stood up successively retreated to their places.

With the Earth-Sovereign Covenant in place, certain people should believe it now. Not every fellow Taoist thinks the way you do. My master has everyone's safety in mind.

Seeing Real Master Huogian produce the Earth-Sovereign Covenant talisman, the cultivators present all wore expressions of satisfaction.

Mu Yicheng, a native cultivator of Red-Crystal Ore City.

However, none of them paid much mind to this detail.

Along the way, in order to avoid certain fierce beasts, they even intentionally took detours.

During this process, Shen Lian noticed that Gong Zhongze, who was guarding the side, did not step forward to join them in signing the covenant.

As he said this, he winked playfully at Shen Lian.

The Scarlet-Fire Swimming Fish exploded among the various cultivators. Although their resistance was not entirely coordinated, they had nonetheless formed a posture of striking back at one another.

Following quietly behind, skimming a few pieces of Skyfire Gold-Stone was still feasible.

Oh, it seems I am being forced onto a pirate ship.

When Shen Lian and Xue Zishou had both returned to their seats, the former spoke with a smile, as though waking from a dream. This old man thanks you all in advance.

Real Master Huogian manipulated his arts once more, causing the ravine in the valley to vanish and transforming it back into a verdant expanse of lush vegetation.

Something is wrong. Why are they all tier-one Golden-Scaled Black-Horned Lizards?

Aside from the Earth-Sovereign Covenant lacking a bit of potency, he sensed no other anomalies.

Real Master Huogian watched as everyone gazed about, and spoke with a smile.

It fell far short of the Earth-Sovereign Covenant he himself inscribed; some of the lines within the seals were even blurred.

A faint wisp of scarlet smoke manifested around Real Master Huogian, which quickly enshrouded him and sank into his body, causing his aura to plummet to a very weak state.

A dignified pseudo-core real master had even produced an Earth-Sovereign Covenant; did such sincerity need any further elaboration?

Xue Zishou scratched the back of his head, a look of surprise crossing his eyes.

Real Master Huogian left the choice entirely to the cultivators present.

The group briefly introduced themselves; they were all veteran Foundation Establishment cultivators who had reached the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment many years ago.

Next, after I open the entrance and exit, I must use a formation to reseal the passageway once more, lest our commotion attract other fierce beasts and cultivators.

Real Master Huogian transformed into a streak of scarlet light and sped toward a distant valley, and the rest quickly followed.

He discovered that this Earth-Sovereign Covenant was somewhat flawed.

Real Master Huogian is truly circumspect in his actions—a paragon for our generation of cultivators.

Seeing this, the crowd did not dare to act presumptuously. One after another, they stood up, bowed to Real Master Huogian, and then took their seats once again.

On the flying boat, Xue Zishou found a corner for himself, produced a few small dishes of food, and drank with quiet satisfaction, paying no heed to the others.

The Earth-Sovereign Covenant instantly erupted with its might.

In the blink of an eye, torrents of fire blasted forth amongst the crowd. Because they had no prior defense and were standing in such close proximity,

As great masters of Foundation Establishment, bypassing the ordinary tier-one and tier-two black-horned lizards on the periphery was effortless. Moving along the winding, dim hunting trails, the group rapidly pressed deeper into the interior.

How does everyone think we should proceed? Shall we fight our way straight in from the outside, or bypass the small lizards, slip into the deepest recesses, and dispatch the lizard king first?

If that were the case, there would indeed be nothing to suspect.

He sensed that not far ahead lay the very end of the ore vein.

Shen Lian, among others, also received Real Master Huogian's voice transmission.

At this moment, Real Master Huogian's brow furrowed as well, and he too was scanning his surroundings with divine sense.

This bead was wreathed in clusters of flames, every single stream of fire resembling a swimming fish and emanating a terrifying aura.

Even if this level of the Earth-Sovereign Covenant were breached, Shen Lian estimated it would merely inflict a severe backlash and heavy injury, entirely short of being fatal.

Skyfire Gold-Stone did indeed exist here, but it had already been mined.

We have arrived. After discovering this place, this old man set up the Myriad Mountains and Myriad Phenomena Formation here to conceal the entrance and exit of the ravine.

The Real Master is truly steadfast and prudent.

That day, amidst the dense and boundless forests, a streak of scarlet light emerged from a distant mountain col and then swiftly plunged into a patch of jungle.

With the covenant, everyone can treat one another with true sincerity.

You all play along; I will not participate.

After using his divine sense to inspect the covenant that had merged into his sea of consciousness, he found its coercive pressure to be roughly forty percent—and certainly less than fifty percent—of the covenant he had established with Qiyu.

One of the men, named Qi Guangsen, had attained the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment seventy years prior. The aura about him appeared quite aged, clearly indicating he was on a downward slope.

Yet now, as they journeyed all this way, they had not encountered a single tier-two beast, which was highly abnormal.

Real Master Huogian, seated at the front, narrowed his eyes at this scene, looking as though he had fallen asleep.

The cultivator who had previously sold the beast eggs spoke first.

At this moment, Real Master Huogian, who had been smiling all along, produced a fiery pearl in his palm.

Soon, after passing through a fissure, the surrounding rock walls revealed traces of mined tunnels. Judging by their age, however, they had been abandoned for a very long time, making such a sight entirely normal.

Since the Real Master shows such sincerity, if this junior were to remain unaccommodating, it would truly show a lack of manners.

Shen Lian observed the restrictions within the pavilion; Real Master Huogian acted with extreme caution, so such behavior could be considered quite normal.

At these words, the gazes of the remaining cultivators turned sharp. Though the probability was slim, it did not mean zero.

With a pseudo-core master leading a group of ninth-layer Foundation Establishment masters, how could these minor lizards in the ravine possibly block their path?

Real Master Huogian continued with a chuckle, Before that, everyone still needs to gain a brief understanding of the situation.

After examining the covenant, the crowd began pricking their fingers to bind it with their blood.

At this thought, he dispatched his spirit puppet into the earth and stone. Having made his preparations, he was quite curious to see what game Real Master Huogian was playing.

Throughout the entire process of hunting the Golden-Scaled Black-Horned Lizards and excavating the ore vein, none of our fellow Taoists shall launch attacks against one another.

Presumably, the other cultivators had also received corresponding voice transmissions.

Upon emerging from Huogu Market, as they ventured deeper into the mountains, Real Master Huogian did not dare to travel ostentatiously. Instead, he piloted the flying boat, skimming along the mid-level altitude of the mountain contours.

The Tianzhu Mountain mining region was vast beyond measure, its mountains rolling and undulating. The prolonged history of mining had given rise to numerous fissures deep within the ranges.

The remaining cultivators followed suit, each displaying their respective aura-concealing techniques.

With the Real Master taking the lead, in my view, why don't we first encircle and slay that lizard king? Cleaning up the ordinary tier-one and tier-two black-horned lizards afterwards will become much easier.

With the covenant binding them, this trip would undoubtedly be much safer.

Instantly, water-like ripples spread across the valley, and the vegetation and boulders developed wrinkles before rapidly distorting into a mass of chaos.

Fellow Taoists, enter the ravine while I reset the formation.

Ah, Real Master, you...

Shen Lian followed in the middle of the group, sweeping his divine sense into the ravine. Golden-Scaled Black-Horned Lizards were indeed present, but the depths of the ravine were pitch black, and even his divine sense could not reach the end.

Assured by the covenant, the group wasted no more time and headed out of the market.

Once outside the market, Real Master Huogian waved his hand to summon a scarlet flying boat, and the group successively boarded the vessel.

Qi Guangsen stroked his beard as he spoke, being the oldest among the Foundation Establishment practitioners present.

Shen Lian paused briefly on the ground outside the market to recall his spirit puppet into his body before leaping up onto the flying boat.

Real Master, please open the formation. I must confess, I truly could not find where the ravine was located.

Gong Zhongze stood blocking the entrance with a calm expression.

However, it was not enough to completely dissipate the aura of a tier-three beast king.

Either there was no tier-three beast king here, or it had been slain long ago.

I too have pressing matters that cannot be delayed. Forgive me, senior.

The two had barely reached the entrance when they were intercepted by Gong Zhongze, who was guarding the doorway.

It is still a possibility.

Puff, puff, puff...

The other cultivators also nodded in agreement.

You fellow Taoists have guessed correctly.

When Real Master Huogian produced the exotic fiery pearl, the crowd had no time to react whatsoever.

At the same time, a flash of scarlet light saw ten figures drop abruptly to the ground.

Shen Lian held little interest—and indeed no inclination—as to whether Real Master Huogian was capable of refining artifact embryos.

Farewell.

Although the others remained silent, they harbored the exact same sentiment.

Very well, count me in on this. Who am I to refuse when my power is lacking? I might as well be obedient.

Immediately afterwards, the once lush valley revealed a winding, deep fissure from which a dense demonic aura billowed.

Let us sign the covenant according to the Real Master's terms.

Detecting the arrival of the Scarlet-Fire Swimming Fish, they instinctively executed their respective arts to defend themselves. Yet, against such a pre-refined exotic treasure that required no active incantation, how could they possibly react in time?

Yet...

Watching Xue Zishou depart, Shen Lian also rose from his seat. He was here to investigate the Red-Crystal Fire Ants, not to participate in some mining expedition.

Besides, if Real Master Huogian departed, it would be all the more convenient for him to investigate.

Yet the far end of the tunnel bore no trace of any intense black-horned lizard aura. The aura of a tier-three beast king was potent; even if it had been slain, within such an enclosed space, it could not dissipate in a short span of time.

As they walked, Qi Guangsen spoke up. His divine sense swept across the surroundings—a colony of Golden-Scaled Black-Horned Lizards could not possibly consist solely of tier-one beasts; there should be at least a dozen or twenty tier-two ones.

...

Xue Zishou spread his hands, then took two steps back with an expression of utter terror.

Please, fellow Taoists, follow this old man.

Realizing the presence of the covenant, he chose not to dwell on it further.

The contents of the transmission were simple: Real Master Huogian had acquired the ability to forge artifact embryos, and if they participated in this extermination operation, he would personally refine an artifact embryo for them once.

I wish senior and all fellow Taoists a triumphant success.

Ha...

It was not that he lacked interest in the ore vein, but rather that he had no interest in going along with these people.

To be safe, everyone must still sign the Earth-Sovereign Covenant.

The Earth-Sovereign Covenant was passed around among the cultivators for inspection. When it reached Shen Lian's hands, he swept it with his divine sense.

Whether it was the lizard king or the ore vein, both held immense attraction for the cultivators. Coupled with the constraint of the Earth-Sovereign Covenant, everyone nodded and pushed forward once again.

When the crowd entered the valley, Real Master Huogian cast a stream of spiritual light that landed upon a verdant plot of land.

Xu Qianzong, a rogue cultivator from the vicinity of Black-Gold Ore City, who advanced to the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment twenty years ago.

Counting my servant, there are ten of us in total. Next, we must unite our efforts to slay the demons and mine the ore.

Having concluded the covenant, Xu Qianzong spoke with a smile.

...

Shortly after, he retreated back to his seat.

Having reached their current stage of cultivation, aura-concealment arts were hardly rare novelties among the cultivators present.

Such fierce beasts preferred dark environments; if a tier-three beast king truly existed, it would naturally hide in the deepest depths.

At this juncture, Real Master Huogian spoke solemnly.

On occasion, someone would strike down a blocking black-horned lizard and store its carcass within their spatial magic tool.

However, owing to the binding nature of the Earth-Sovereign Covenant, he did not dwell on it deeply.

The place where I discovered the tier-three lizard king is right at the very innermost part.

At this moment, everyone was using their divine sense to inspect the surroundings, Real Master Huogian included.

At this time, Xue Zishou stood up from his seat and stretched lazily.

Real Master Huogian and all the cultivators alike vomited mouthfuls of fresh blood, clutching their heads in miserable shrieks.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators fared even worse, suffering the additional blow of the Scarlet-Fire Swimming Fish. Under this double strike, their faces turned as pale as paper, and their conditions grew utterly withered.

That elderly Daoist Qi Guangsen crashed directly into the earth and stone, his breathing clearly fading as life slipped away.