Chapter 95: Elder Zhang

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Lin Yang flew out of Huangfeng Valley alongside Elder Zhang, heading first to the nearest spiritual vein. This location lay to the north of Huangfeng Valley, deep within a remote mountain range—an extremely isolated area nestled among rugged peaks, almost devoid of human presence.

Elder Zhang flew slightly ahead of Lin Yang, his expression unusually stern, almost as if his face were frozen. This left Lin Yang unsure how to start a conversation, making the atmosphere quite awkward.

So Lin Yang finally asked, “Elder Zhang, how much farther until we reach the spiritual vein?”

“Not far. At our current speed, about half an hour’s journey,” Elder Zhang replied.

“And which is the largest spiritual vein in Huangfeng Valley?” Lin Yang inquired further.

Elder Zhang turned his head, giving Lin Yang a curious look.

“The largest one lies to the west, in the Qingyang Mountain Range. The spiritual vein there is located at the heart of the mountains, where all the spiritual energy converges into one vein,” he explained.

Lin Yang continued, “How many spirit stones does Huangfeng Valley extract each year?”

Since he needed one of the four veins and had to pay an annual rent of 100,000 spirit stones, he was naturally worried about potential losses.

“Each vein yields about 50,000 to 60,000 spirit stones annually. The largest, the Qingyang vein, can produce between 90,000 and 100,000 spirit stones each year,” Elder Zhang answered frankly.

Hearing this, Lin Yang felt like he was about to take a huge loss. No wonder Elder Linghu was so straightforward at the start—it seemed he had been set up. Seeing that Lin Yang needed a vein, he simply extorted him.

Moreover, Lin Yang couldn’t protest. At best, he could only seize the Qingyang vein to minimize his losses.

“Damn, these old foxes,” Lin Yang muttered, feeling inexperienced and completely outmaneuvered by these cunning elders.

“Forget it. Since I’ve already spoken, I might as well turn the tables on these old foxes when the time comes,” he thought, though frustration wrinkled his face deeply.

“So, what’s the name of the vein we’re heading to?” Lin Yang asked again, bored.

“We’re going to the Shilin Mountain Vein,” Elder Zhang replied. “Its annual yield is about 60,000 spirit stones, which is quite decent.”

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“I see. But why is it called Shilin Mountain?” Lin Yang asked, intrigued by the unusual name.

“That’s because the mountain peaks there are all bare, standing upright like trees. Hence, it’s called the Stone Forest Mountain Range,” Elder Zhang explained.

Thus, the two of them arrived quickly amid their awkward conversation.

As Elder Zhang had described, each peak rose straight like bamboo shoots, standing tall like towers. The cliff faces looked as if they had been sliced cleanly with a blade. Strange trees grew atop these cliffs, their branches and trunks wrapped tightly around the mountainsides. Their fine roots spread over the entire peaks, binding them firmly at the midsection. This not only secured the mountains but also absorbed abundant nutrients.

Monkeys could be seen climbing along the trunks on the cliffs, swinging from branch to branch. Some even leaped through the air, gliding far before landing on lower branches. Their agile movements, hundreds or even thousands of meters above ground, were heart-stopping to watch, yet the monkeys appeared perfectly at ease.

After passing through the lengthy stone forest, they reached the center where all the peaks had been blasted away, revealing a vast pit. Several small houses surrounded the pit, with people coming and going occasionally.

Floating in the air, Elder Zhang scanned the vein below, then turned to Lin Yang.

“Lin Zhenren, what do you think of this spiritual vein?”

“Let me take a look,” Lin Yang said, descending and maximizing his perception to scan the entire mouth of the pit and the surrounding peaks for possible hidden passages.

He found no secret routes. It seemed this was not the place rumored to have a teleportation formation.

“The terrain here isn’t suitable for array formations,” Lin Yang reported as he rose back up.

“Then let’s head to the next spiritual vein,” Elder Zhang said, turning and leading Lin Yang away.

Below, the disciples working the vein dared not move. Lin Yang’s reckless search had penetrated their senses completely, placing them under his spiritual scrutiny.

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It was as though all their actions were laid bare beneath someone’s watchful eyes; every movement of their bodies was clearly sensed, and they could do nothing to resist. This made the disciples feel the true meaning of danger—the terrifying sensation of losing control over one’s own life.

Only after Lin Yang’s overwhelming presence departed did they dare speak.

“Foreman! Foreman!” one disciple who had been mining spirit stones rushed out anxiously and hurried toward a stout man.

“What happened just now?” he asked.

“Relax. We heard that person came to inspect the vein and has already left. There’s nothing to fear,” the foreman replied dismissively before returning to his work.

The disciple sat down, his back damp with sweat, and wiped his brow, trying to calm himself. After a moment, he drank some wine to steady his nerves.

Being that close to Lin Yang’s spiritual awareness felt like drowning underwater, constantly pressured by the weight of his perception. It was so terrifying that the foreman nearly lost control of himself—and he was a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator. Whoever had come must have been at least a Golden Core Zhenren.

“No idea what that big shot was doing here, but he sure scared me,” the foreman muttered, raising his cup shakily, barely keeping from spilling it.

Lin Yang swiftly followed Elder Zhang, now heading toward the closer Qingyang Vein, located northwest of the current mining site. Flying quickly northwest, they soon left the stone forest behind, entering desolate mountain ranges scarcely inhabited by humans.

The spiritual energy here was sparse, resulting in only ordinary wild beasts roaming the land, not妖兽. The region was extremely barren, utterly lacking any distinguishing features.

It was hard to believe such a desolate place could harbor the largest spiritual vein.