While the others searched, Yang Kai wasn't idle either. With his Divine Sense sweeping outward, every piece of Celestial Polarity Divine Stone in the area was laid bare—none could hide.
The Scarlet Star members were well aware of the drill. Each time someone found a Celestial Polarity Divine Stone, they brought it straight to Yang Kai before turning back to hunt for more.
The Celestial Polarity Divine Stones deep underground were clearly different from those found on the surface. Their quality was exceptionally high—the lowest grade among them was Fourth Grade, and most were Fifth Grade.
"Sixth Master, over here!" Guo Ziyan suddenly called out from roughly a hundred zhang away, his voice sharp with excitement. He had clearly found something.
Yang Kai turned toward the sound and flickered to his side in an instant.
"Sixth Grade! Sixth Master, this is definitely Sixth Grade!" Guo Ziyan's face blazed with manic fervor as he pointed at a Celestial Polarity Divine Stone embedded in the cavern wall.
The divine radiance emanating from the stone had nearly solidified into a tangible substance, rivaling the Celestial Polarity Divine Light that had erupted from the underground tunnel.
Yang Kai reached out and touched it, sensing for a moment, then nodded. "It really is Sixth Grade."
Guo Ziyan's breathing grew heavy, and he nearly wanted to weep. When in his entire life had he ever seen a natural treasure of such lofty quality? True, the Celestial Polarity Divine Light they had encountered earlier was also Sixth Grade, and if one had the ability, one could use that light to condense Metal Force. But that pure Celestial Polarity Divine Light was extremely dangerous to work with. The Celestial Polarity Divine Stone before him was different—it contained Sixth Grade Celestial Polarity power within, making the condensation of Metal Force far safer.
But even through his excitement, a wave of dejection crept in. He thought back to his younger years—no connections, no backers, and mediocre talent at best. Forced into a corner, he had condensed materials of only Second Grade, achieving just a Second Grade Open Heaven breakthrough. At best, his cultivation would stall at Fourth Grade in this lifetime.
If time could flow backward, he would never have made such a hasty choice. He would have waited for his own opportunity.
The Scarlet Star group now had many Emperor Realm cultivators who hadn't even condensed their Dao Seals yet, or who had only just begun to refine them. Within the Great Ruins Boundary, there were abundant opportunities—natural treasures here far surpassed what the outside world offered, and chances abounded. As long as they could leave the Great Ruins Boundary alive, breaking through to Third or even Fourth Grade Open Heaven was entirely within reach.
Compared to his Second Grade starting point, their future achievements would naturally be far greater.
"Dig it out," Yang Kai ordered.
Guo Ziyan nodded, composed his scattered emotions, and dove into the work. Before long, he emerged with a grinding-wheel-sized Celestial Polarity Divine Stone cradled in both hands.
"Sixth Master, this piece is more than enough for one person to condense Metal Force, with plenty left over," Guo Ziyan said, his spirits high. Though this Sixth Grade treasure didn't much concern him personally, having extracted it with his own hands was thrilling enough.
A Sixth Grade material was worth at least fifteen million Open Heaven Pills. If he had that many pills, his cultivation expenses would be covered for life.
"Not bad," Yang Kai said flatly, and tucked the stone away without ceremony.
They didn't have much time. Once the ocean of Celestial Polarity Divine Light on the surface above had fully erupted, the thousands of cultivators gathered at Celestial Polarity Mountain would descend to scavenge. So everyone picked up the pace.
Each person reaped enormous rewards. Celestial Polarity Divine Stones were tucked away one after another, and Sixth Grade specimens were not uncommon. The underground cavern was vast beyond measure, with passages stretching in every direction—no one knew how large an area it covered.
With only the dozen-plus members of Scarlet Star, it was impossible to strip the place clean. But having gained the first-mover advantage, their harvests would be nothing to scoff at.
After agreeing to regroup at the same spot later, Yang Kai had Yue He lead the Scarlet Star group in one direction while he ventured off alone toward another.
He pressed forward with his Divine Sense fully extended, ignoring any Celestial Polarity Divine Stone below Third Grade and collecting only those of Third Grade or higher.
The cavern was truly immense. Yang Kai flew forward for an entire day without reaching its end. Forking tunnels appeared at irregular intervals, enough to leave anyone disoriented.
By now, the people on Celestial Polarity Mountain had surely made their way down. But a subterranean space this vast was more than enough for all of them to scour.
Another full day passed before he finally reached the dead end.
Over these two days, Yang Kai's harvest had been staggering enough to make anyone green with envy. He had collected over a hundred pieces of Fourth Grade Celestial Polarity Divine Stone, more than thirty of Fifth Grade, and a full four of Sixth Grade.
In terms of value, the Celestial Polarity Divine Stones alone that he had found over these two days were worth roughly one hundred million Open Heaven Pills. And that was only his personal haul—Yue He and the dozen-plus Scarlet Star Disciples, while certainly not matching his output, would have brought in a considerable sum as well.
The only fly in the ointment was that he hadn't found a single Celestial Polarity Divine Stone of Seventh Grade or higher.
He had assumed there would be materials of Seventh Grade or above beneath Celestial Polarity Mountain. Perhaps they truly didn't exist, or perhaps his luck had simply been poor and he had searched in the wrong direction.
Changing course now to search elsewhere would be far too late. Over two thousand cultivators had poured into the mountain. No matter how many treasures lay in this underground maze, they wouldn't last long.
He wondered whether anyone else had found Seventh Grade stones.
Yang Kai mused for a moment, then seemed to think of something. A soundless grin spread across his face as he clasped his hands behind his back and strolled back the way he had come, the picture of calm composure.
Halfway back, a group of a dozen people came into view from ahead. The moment they spotted someone, they were visibly startled, and their leader barked, "Who goes there?"
At that shout, every warrior in the group covertly circulated their power, muscles coiled and ready to strike.
Yang Kai walked toward them at an unhurried pace, neither slowing nor making any hostile gestures. His relaxed demeanor left the group uncertain of what to make of him.