Cultivation Begins From The Desert

When Cao Wenjin arrived at the Spirit Stone mine, the number of cultivators mining inside had already reached as many as seventeen.

Upon discovering the soaring Spiritual Qi originating from the appearance of the Spirit Stone mine, his face first lit up with joy, then dimmed with a hint of sadness.

Discovering a Spirit Stone mine is certainly good news, but it would have been better if this discovery had been made decades earlier.

Now that the mine is discovered, not to mention whether the Yellow Sand Sect can travel thousands of miles to mine it,

even if they manage to do so, extracting all the Spirit Stones here isn't a matter of a few years or a decade, but at least several decades or even a century.

And his lifespan wouldn't hold out until then!

"I am Cao Wenjin, and now everyone inside must listen to me. I am giving you the time of a cup of tea to all come out. Anyone who doesn't comply will be treated as disobeying military orders!"

The cold voice, supported by Cao Wenjin's powerful magical power, quickly resonated in the ears of everyone inside the mine.

The moment Zhouyang, who was controlling a Flying Sword to mine, heard this voice, a look of regret flashed in his eyes, but he without hesitation immediately retracted his Flying Sword and turned to leave the cave.

He had been painstakingly mining for more than half an hour, yet he hadn't found the desired top-grade Spirit Stones. However, he had managed to mine a considerable amount of middle-grade Spirit Stones, amounting to thirty or forty pieces after cutting, which was no small gain.

When seeing Zhouyang present as well, Cao Wenjin's eyes clearly showed a hint of surprise as he looked at Zhouyang and directly asked through voice transmission, "Zhou Family boy, was it you who discovered the Spirit Stone mine?"

He had always believed Zhouyang to be a person of great destiny, and seeing Zhouyang here, he instinctively assumed it was Zhouyang who discovered the Spirit Stone mine.

Upon hearing Cao Wenjin's inquiry, Zhouyang's thoughts were swirling, but in the end, he transmitted his response, "Senior is mistaken, I was not the first to discover the Spirit Stone mine. I only came to inspect after noticing the soaring Spiritual Qi phenomenon."

"Is that so?"

Cao Wenjin's facial expression stiffened, and then his gaze shifted to the other cultivators who came out. His eyes narrowed as he sternly asked, "Who among you was the first to discover the Spirit Stone mine? Stand out and clarify!"

Upon hearing Cao Wenjin's question, Zhouyang and others who arrived later stepped back a few steps in unison, leaving a middle-aged man with Sixth-Layer Foundation Establishment cultivation standing in place, his face pale and unsure of what to do.

Seeing this, Cao Wenjin directly asked the middle-aged man, "Was it you who discovered the Spirit Stone mine?"

"In response to the ancestor, indeed it was I who discovered the Spirit Stone mine," the middle-aged man admitted in a low voice, his eyes avoiding contact as he bowed his head.

Cao Wenjin nodded in satisfaction and continued to ask, "How did you discover it?"

"Ancient Master, to be frank, the area I was defending was attacked by several Tier Three demon beasts simultaneously, leaving me overwhelmed and fleeing using Sword Control.

"Upon reaching this place while fleeing, I noticed that although there was no Spirit Vein here, the Spiritual Qi was significantly denser than in ordinary places, which led me to suspect that there might be a Spiritual Ore Vein underground, prompting me to cleave the mountain rocks open for inspection."

"Unexpectedly, as soon as I struck with a sword, the Spiritual Qi that had accumulated for countless years in the underground Spirit Stone mine surged out, breaking the ground and forming the phenomenon of Spiritual Qi soaring into the sky!"

Zhouyang dared not lie in front of a Golden Core Stage cultivator, and the middle-aged man certainly dared not either, so he recounted the process of discovering the Spirit Stone mine honestly.

After hearing the middle-aged man's account, Zhouyang compared it with what he discovered upon arrival and basically confirmed that the man wasn't lying.

Actually, whether the middle-aged man was lying or not was unimportant, because the Spirit Stone mine was right there, and the fact that he discovered it was already enough.

Therefore, Cao Wenjin simply nodded gently and looked at everyone, saying in a deep voice, "This place will be sealed for the time being. The Spirit Stones you have mined earlier will be treated as your fortune, and I won't confiscate them. Now, return immediately to assist in eliminating the remaining Tier Three demon beasts on the oasis. We will discuss other matters once everything is settled!"

Although they had long expected that Cao Wenjin wouldn't confiscate the gains within the Spirit Stone mine, Zhouyang and others were still overjoyed when they heard the news, responding in unison, "Yes, we will obey Senior's orders!"

In the following one or two days, Zhouyang and the other Foundation Establishment cultivators were busy hunting down the remaining Tier Three demon beasts on Rhino Horn Continent, collecting the Spiritual Objects from the oasis.

After sealing the Spirit Stone mine, Cao Wenjin also returned to sit and recuperate above the Tier Five Spirit Vein.

The two "Golden-Horned Rhinoceroses" had opened up a cave mansion on the mountain to live in. To accommodate the enormous beings of the two Tier Five demon beasts, the cave mansion was naturally large. However, the owners of the cave mansion had now become Cao Wenjin.

After searching the cave mansion, Cao Wenjin not only acquired several types of Tier Four and Five Spiritual Objects but also discovered a cold spring within it. The cold emitted by the spring was extremely potent, unbearable even for Foundation Establishment cultivators if they remained nearby for too long, yet this coldness had the effect of tempering the body for physically strong demon beasts.

However, neither the Spiritual Objects nor the cold spring was what Cao Wenjin cared most about; what caught his interest the most was a golden rhinoceros horn, about one and a half yards long.

This half piece of the golden rhinoceros horn was placed on a stone platform in the corner of the cave hall where the two "Golden-Horned Rhinoceroses" resided. It looked similar to the rhino horn Cao Wenjin had cut from the "Golden-Horned Rhinoceros", but the aura it emitted was many times stronger.

When Cao Wenjin saw this half horn, he seemed to see a giant beast over a hundred zhang long, a sky-piercing beast with a golden horn on its head, the horn's tip pointing skyward. Its domineering and majestic presence radiated from it, making even a late-stage Golden Core cultivator like him feel a chilling trepidation, almost wanting to kneel and worship.

"A Tier Six Demon King! This broken horn is from a Tier Six Demon King! The two 'Golden-Horned Rhinoceroses' are descendants of that Tier Six Demon King!"

Cao Wenjin looked at the broken horn on the stone platform with his eyes full of shock.

Earlier, when he saw that the "Golden-Horned Rhinoceros" actually possessed a high-tier spiritual artifact suitable for demon beasts, he suspected that the two "Golden-Horned Rhinoceroses" were related to a Tier Six Demon King.

Now seeing the broken horn on the stone platform, he could surely guess the origin of the "Golden-Horned Rhinoceros'" bone ring artifact.

"But, since these two 'Golden-Horned Rhinoceroses' are descendants of a Tier Six Demon King, why would they bring their tribe to reside in the desert oasis?"

"With the protection of a Tier Six Demon King, wouldn't it be better for their tribe to occupy a large territory in the Broken Cloud Mountain Range and reside there?"

"Could it be... could it be that the Tier Six Demon King has fallen, and these two 'Golden-Horned Rhinoceroses', along with their tribe, were driven out of the Broken Cloud Mountain Range by other demon kings after losing the protection of the demon king?"

The more Cao Wenjin thought about it, the brighter his eyes became, and the more he felt his speculation had a high possibility of being true.

If his conjecture were true, the Yellow Sand Sect would really strike it rich after killing the two "Golden-Horned Rhinoceroses" this time!

You must know that the Rhino Horn Continent is a super large oasis. Although its area is not as large as the giant oasis where the Yellow Sand Sect is located, the resources produced on it are in no way inferior to that giant oasis.

Not to mention anything else, just that Spirit Stone Ore, with its undeveloped reserves, is a very substantial income.

And the broken horn in front of him, it's the hardest solitary horn from a Tier Six Demon King, it's no problem to use it for refining a Tier Six Spiritual Artifact.

If this item were to be auctioned in the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm, the spirit stones obtained could be enough to purchase a "Jade Liquid Golden Pill"!

Thinking of this, even someone with Cao Wenjin's mental cultivation could not help but press his hands together, praying to the Ancestor Masters of the Yellow Sand Sect: "Blessings from the Ancestor Masters, may the younger generation's speculation be true! If it is true, then my Yellow Sand Sect can not only preserve the sect's heritage, but maybe also regain the glory of the sect's heyday due to this gain!"

With this thought, Cao Wenjin's eagerness to return was not so urgent anymore.

Moreover, after just experiencing a fierce battle, the cultivators on the Rhino Horn Continent, from himself to the ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators, all need time to meditate to heal and recover magical power.

With all this considered, it would take at least three to five days to fully recover.

However, Cao Wenjin never expected that his momentary greed would bring a fatal disaster upon himself!

It is said that the Golden Roc, whose true form is a Tier Five high-grade demon beast "Golden-winged Thunder Eagle", after being entrusted by the "Fire-Scaly Demon King", immediately found the direction and headed straight towards the Rhino Horn Continent.

The "Golden-winged Thunder Eagle" is famous for its speed, and the Golden Roc, as the one with the highest cultivation among the Golden-winged Thunder Eagles in the Broken Cloud Mountain Range, can outrun even ordinary Nascent Soul Stage cultivators and Tier Six Demon Kings at full speed.

The Rhino Horn Continent, although several hundred thousand li away from the "Fire-Scaly Demon King's" Heaven-Reaching Peak, was just a few days' journey for it.

It rushed tirelessly, taking less than three days to arrive outside the Rhino Horn Continent.

At this time, Cao Wenjin had not yet recovered from the battle with the two "Golden-Horned Rhinoceroses", with his strength not even reaching seventy percent of his peak.

Therefore, when he sensed the immense presence of a Tier Five High-Grade Demon Beast quickly approaching with the Golden Roc, you can imagine how colorful his face turned.

"A Tier Five High-Grade Demon Beast is attacking! Everyone immediately leave the oasis and return to the sect!"

"Repeat, a Tier Five High-Grade Demon Beast is attacking! Everyone immediately leave the oasis and return to the sect!"

With urgency and panic, the voice, driven by the powerful magical power of a Golden Core Stage cultivator, quickly spread over hundreds of li.

After warning twice, Cao Wenjin no longer cared whether the other cultivators heard his warning or followed it, and directly set up Bai Yun to escape outside the oasis.

He knew very well that in his current state, even if all the cultivators in the oasis gathered, they were likely no match for the Tier Five High-Grade Demon Beast.

In such a case, it was better for him to escape first and lure the Tier Five High-Grade Demon Beast away, so that the other cultivators in the oasis would have a better chance of survival.