What once required centuries to achieve was accomplished in an instant thanks to the sudden appearance of the former Patriarch of the Aura Divine Cult. The vital essence within all seven hundred and nine acupoints overflowed; he could clearly sense that the sheer abundance of energy within him was incomparably greater than before. Even before entering the Yuan Crystal Mine, he was completely satisfied, having gained benefits far exceeding his wildest expectations!

Fire Phoenix and Xiao Han were equally astonished. They knew the Metal-Stone Worms consumed Yuan Crystals, as well as all manner of stone and metal, but they had no idea that once melted, these worms possessed such a wondrous utility.

It was for this very reason that, while engaged in combat, the two saw Ji Changkong bathing in the dripping, milky-white liquid and took no action.

Having suffered at the hands of the Metal-Stone Worms before, they even suspected that the resulting liquid might harm them, thus unwittingly benefiting Ji Changkong. Of course, once the former Patriarch of the Aura Divine Cult departed and Ji Changkong was beaming with joy, they realized something suspicious was afoot and pressed him for answers.

Ji Changkong naturally offered few words, merely smiling and stating that the essence derived from the melted Metal-Stone Worms was beneficial to his body, without detailing the exact nature of those benefits. Although Fire Phoenix and Xiao Han harbored doubts, they didn't press further, immediately beginning to discuss whether they should venture into the Yuan Crystal Mine.

The former Patriarch of the Aura Divine Cult had fled. Theoretically, there should be no further dangers within the Yuan Crystal Mine. After a brief consultation, the two decided to risk an exploration below.

This time, Ji Changkong did not object; instead, he eagerly accompanied them deep into the pitch-black tunnel. Perhaps because all the Metal-Stone Worms were gone, the tunnel no longer exuded an eerie, chilling aura, which further convinced the trio that no danger lay ahead.

After traveling for some time, they descended deep underground. Led by Fire Phoenix, they navigated through winding and crisscrossing tunnels until they finally arrived at a massive cavern filled with black stone and iron-rich soil.

The cavern spanned a hundred meters in diameter, exceptionally wide, yet utterly devoid of light. Fortunately, all three possessed extraordinary cultivation and used flames for illumination, barely allowing them to make out the cavern's features.

Within the cavern, the walls were riddled with small, pitted holes, clear evidence of recent mining activity. Some holes were minuscule; upon closer inspection, they were only the size of soybeans. The trio recognized them instantly: these tiny openings had been drilled by the Metal-Stone Worms. "This is it," Fire Phoenix nodded, reaching out to press against a dark stone wall. Flames danced from her hand, quickly heating the rock face until it melted.

Xiao Han paused for a moment, then without ceremony, drew forth an arm-length ice sword. The sword was two fingers wide, utterly crystalline, and razor-sharp. With a thought, Xiao Han rapidly began slicing into the rock wall.

Accompanied by a "crackling" sound, the black and red exterior of the rock began to peel away. Soon, a distinct "ding" resonated from the ice sword. Xiao Han’s expression brightened, and she intensified her cutting, increasing the frequency of the sword’s movement.

A moment later, Xiao Han reached out and retrieved a fist-sized Yuan Crystal. This crystal was rhomboidal, presenting a stunning, translucent brilliance within the dark cavern. "Excellent! This really is a Yuan Crystal Mine!" Xiao Han rarely smiled, but now her movements grew bolder, causing the rock walls to grind with a "kaka-ka" noise.

As blocks of black and red hard stone yielded, multiple openings appeared before Fire Phoenix. With a sweep of her hands, she conjured illusions, threads of fiery energy forging a path forward. Suddenly, Fire Phoenix's brow twitched, and she lunged forward, wrenching a Yuan Crystal as thick as a human arm free from a fissure in the rock wall.

Seeing Fire Phoenix and Xiao Han fully engaged in mining, Ji Changkong chuckled lightly and ceased holding back. His main body, Demon Body, and White Bone Skeleton all sprang into action, each choosing a different direction to begin extracting Yuan Crystals.

These Yuan Crystals were lodged deep within the fissures of the hard rock walls; extracting them required splitting the surrounding stone. The walls of the Yuan Crystal Mine—composed of stones of an unknown, incredibly hard composition—made rapid excavation difficult even for those at the Celestial Boundary of the Ten Directions.

During the extraction process, Ji Changkong’s main body and Demon Body required immense expenditure of strength, and the Yuan Crystals were not ubiquitous; often, after exhausting considerable energy, they might yield only a tiny shard.

Here, the peculiar energies contained within the Yuan Crystals seemed to be obstructed by the rock walls, making them utterly imperceptible; success relied entirely on luck.

The main body and Demon Body, working together, spent half an hour to acquire only a single Yuan Crystal.

However, the White Bone Skeleton, through some unknown means, managed to procure five Yuan Crystals for him, one of which was as large as a washbasin!

Xiao Han and Fire Phoenix were deeply focused on mining, paying him no mind. After a moment's hesitation, he covertly transformed both arms, causing sharp claws to protrude stealthily.

With his back turned to Xiao Han and Fire Phoenix, he tested the mining with these sharp claws. To his astonishment, the hard rock wall yielded beneath his fingernails as if it were mere paper; his claws could easily slice into it.

A surge of excitement coursed through him as he realized that his transformed arms were sharper than any conventional divine weapon, possibly even surpassing the Dragon Shine Great Saber!

His mining speed immediately accelerated. With the invulnerable sharpness of his two claws digging in, he soon secured a Yuan Crystal the size of a human head. Several days later.

Fire Phoenix and Xiao Han reluctantly stopped, sitting down slowly, faces etched with exhaustion, to meditate and recover their vital energy.

Ji Changkong's Demon Body had expended its power and had long since retreated into the Heaven Origin Pearl to slumber once more. Only he and the White Bone Skeleton continued to labor, pushing forward in one direction.

With his two arms transformed, the mining had become significantly easier. He no longer needed to continuously condense his vital essence; merely maintaining the elongation of his two claws allowed him to continue indefinitely.

However, perhaps because their earlier efforts had been too aggressive, for the next period, he needed to spend one or two hours just to extract a single Yuan Crystal.

The further they went, the scarcer the Yuan Crystals seemed to become. Towards the end, he might spend half a day to find just one.

The White Bone Skeleton faced the same slowdown in acquisition speed.

After a few more days, Fire Phoenix and Xiao Han recovered. They did not immediately resume mining but walked to a passage Ji Changkong had opened. Fire Phoenix remarked, "The distribution of Yuan Crystals is irregular. One place might hold a great abundance, or it might be extremely sparse. We have clearly exhausted the easily accessible ones; achieving the previous rate of extraction now seems impossible." "How much Yuan Crystal did you get?" Xiao Han was more concerned about this aspect. "And you?" Ji Changkong asked with a slight smile.

"I obtained over five hundred Yuan Crystals. Of course, some pieces are quite large and don't match the standard block size used for trading. If cut into normal dimensions, it would amount to perhaps over six thousand pieces," Xiao Han glanced at Fire Phoenix. "She is slightly better than me, perhaps only around eight thousand pieces. And you?" "Calculated by normal block size, I have about thirteen thousand pieces. Heh heh, having more manpower gave me the advantage." Ji Changkong replied with a gentle smile.

He was, of course, not telling the truth. The quantity he mentioned only accounted for what the White Bone Skeleton had acquired. The Demon Body yielded three thousand, and his main body obtained a total of twenty-seven thousand. In total, he had accrued forty-three thousand Yuan Crystals within this mine shaft.

"Lucky fellow," Xiao Han snorted, clearly envious. "We should stop now; continuing to mine will yield diminishing returns. If I want more Yuan Crystals, I’d have to breach even more rock walls, which isn't necessary right now." "Since this Yuan Crystal Mine is unknown to most people, let’s leave it here for now. When we run low later, we can return to put in the hard work," Fire Phoenix evidently reached an understanding with Xiao Han; they were in agreement.

Having obtained forty-three thousand Yuan Crystals, Ji Changkong was already satisfied. Hearing their suggestion, he immediately nodded in assent: "Fine, I got what I wanted anyway." "Good, I'll lead the way. Let's leave now." Fire Phoenix acted without hesitation, heading directly back the way they came.

Ji Changkong followed silently, but his mind was a flurry of calculations. The route they took in was complex, involving changing tunnels over three hundred times to reach this point. Now, returning, it was hard to say if Fire Phoenix might manipulate the path. If she altered the route, or if she destroyed or forcibly changed one or two tunnels later, finding this place again might prove difficult.

As expected, Fire Phoenix seemed determined to prevent him and Xiao Han from memorizing the route. On the way back, she took numerous turns, not retracing their original path, spending an extra hour navigating the tunnels before they reached the entrance tunnel.

Ji Changkong and Xiao Han were aware of Fire Phoenix’s intention. They said nothing, but quietly mapped both the incoming and outgoing routes in their minds, adding a layer of caution and secretly resolving to map an accurate path for themselves the next time they visited. Upon exiting, Fire Phoenix immediately took to the sky, seemingly unwilling to give the others time to contemplate the tunnel environment.

After Ji Changkong and Xiao Han caught up, Fire Phoenix initiated conversation to distract them, asking Ji Changkong, "What is that second body of yours? Its cultivation method seems different from your main body's?" "Mm, it formed accidentally. It doesn't possess much power, just an added failsafe for survival," Ji Changkong replied casually.

Fire Phoenix then deliberately engaged Xiao Han with questions about her merchant background, seemingly to prevent them from memorizing the tunnel layout so she could later claim sole possession of the mine’s Yuan Crystals.

After all, a Yuan Crystal Mine like this was a treasure to any race or clan; everyone desired absolute ownership.