"I used some special channels to look into the geomantic maps near our private mine and discovered that not far from the mine, there's a mineral vein belonging to the City Lord's Manor. Apparently, it's a vein with the potential to yield premium-grade ore — so valuable that even the City Lord's Manor has never had the heart to extract it, keeping it untouched to this day." Wu You spoke slowly and deliberately.
"What do you mean by that? Are you saying those rare ore stones we found actually belong to the City Lord's Manor?" The young demon's face went pale with shock, though a trace of disbelief still lingered in his eyes.
"That's right. I've thought it over carefully. At best, the private mine we've been digging could be considered tangentially connected to a mid-grade vein. There's absolutely no way it could have produced such an astronomically large quantity of premium-grade ore. Most likely, during the extraction process, the tunnels veered off from the original vein's trajectory and accidentally breached the City Lord's Manor's premium-grade vein. Places where multiple mineral veins converge and intertwine are not without precedent. It's just that we've been lucky — mining secretly for so long without the City Lord's Manor's guards ever catching wind of it." Wu You spoke solemnly, his words measured and heavy.
This time, even the other demons' faces changed one by one.
There was no doubt about it. Backed by the Holy Ancestor of Blue Falls Lake, the City Lord's Manor was the most powerful force in all of Blue Falls Lake. Other factions, no matter what connections they had behind the scenes, would never dare to openly oppose the Manor.
The lot of them were merely cultivators at the Spirit Severing or Deity Transformation stage — to provoke a power they had to look up to was courting a fate too grim to contemplate.
Even the delicate-faced demon woman's expression lost all trace of reluctance, replaced instead by undisguised panic.
"So don't hold on to any foolish hopes. This time, managing to escape Blue Falls Lake with our lives intact would already be the best outcome. And that batch of ore — the reason I'm only seeking out outsiders and offering it at such a low price is precisely for this reason. The enormous sum of demon stones we stand to gain from selling it might just become our final lifeline. Of course, if we do manage to flee successfully, I'll naturally distribute those demon stones to everyone." Wu You seemed to have already thought everything through, laying it all out one point at a time.
Hearing Wu You's final words, the other demons' expressions finally eased somewhat, and they hurriedly voiced their agreement.
As for tomorrow's transaction, none of them were particularly worried.
After all, the deal was inherently covert, and the exchange wouldn't take place in some desolate wilderness — neither side could afford to pull any tricks. If they attracted unwanted attention, they'd all be doomed.
But even so, Wu You prepared contingencies for every possible scenario, issuing detailed instructions one by one and having his subordinates carry them out to the letter.
The others naturally raised no objections. They agreed immediately and then filed out of the hall in small groups.
…
At that moment, Han Li was riding in a beast-drawn carriage, heading straight toward the eastern city gate.
After several hours, the carriage passed through the gate and continued along a gravel road for a long stretch before finally arriving at a lush, dense forest near the lakeshore.
The moment the carriage halted, Han Li drifted lightly out of the vehicle and cast his gaze toward the forest.
At the edge of the dense woodland, a winding footpath appeared and disappeared among the trees, leading deep into the secluded interior.
Han Li's eyes shifted, settling on an enormous, ancient tree beside the path.
Nailed to the main trunk was an inconspicuous yellow wooden plaque, on which three elegant characters in ancient script were inscribed in pale black ink!
"Guangyuan Studio"
Han Li murmured the ancient characters on the plaque under his breath, then strode forward with a faint smile toward the path disappearing into the forest.
He had gone only thirty or forty zhang into the woodland, taking several turns, when the entrance behind him vanished without a trace.
And just then, a tall, gray-robed elder appeared on the path ahead.
His face was ruddy as fire, and his eyes were narrow and long!
He leaned against a large tree by the roadside, cradling an ancient book with a silver cover, his head bobbing as he read with obvious absorption.
Han Li swept his spiritual sense over the elder with a casual glance, finding him to be merely a Deity Transformation cultivator. He furrowed his brow slightly, then continued walking forward without breaking stride.
As he passed the old man, he released just a trace of his Spirit Severing aura and swept past in a blur without so much as turning his head.
The elder did not raise his head the entire time, remaining absorbed in his ancient book as though lost in a trance.
But the moment Han Li's figure truly vanished around the bend in the path, the gray-robed elder lifted his head, and his face was drenched in cold sweat.
"What an overwhelming spiritual pressure — that's no ordinary Spirit Severing cultivator. I need to tell the others further ahead not to bother intercepting. This one has earned the right to enter the Guangyuan Studio," the old man muttered to himself. His finger suddenly traced several rapid strokes across the silver cover of his book.
A few pale black runes materialized briefly before flickering and sinking into the silver surface, disappearing without a trace.