In the gloom of the mine shaft, two inconspicuous figures huddled in a corner, speaking in hushed, deep tones filled with what seemed like profound sentiment.

"The two of you, for this trip to the other side, Yun'er will temporarily be handed over to us three brothers to look after," a middle-aged man of the Wood Clan commanded casually, approaching from a distance and pausing to examine the rock face in this section of the cavern.

The Mo dL Jing was deeply embedded within the rock. To gauge the quantity of Mo dL Jing in any given area, one only needed to observe the density of the grooves scored into the rock wall.

A cursory glance at this area revealed densely packed grooves, clearly indicating it was a prime digging spot, undoubtedly holding more Mo Tu Jing within the rock than the surrounding sections.

After the middle-aged Wood Clan member shouted his initial command, the two other Wood Clan members beside him—who shared about seventy percent of his resemblance—smiled coldly, fixing their gazes upon the two dust-covered Human Clan Celestial Masters huddled in the corner, their expressions brimming with blatant provocation.

All three Wood Clan members were at the Shi Fang Tian Ru Wei realm. The difference was that these three emanated an aura as distant and immutable as a mountain, suggesting their Jing Yuan must have already been condensed, which accounted for such imposing presence.

Generally speaking, among those sharing the Shi Fang Tian Ru Wei realm, those whose Jing Yuan had been condensed were significantly more formidable than those who had not. After all, once the internal Jing Yuan was condensed, the power unleashed during activation received a dramatic boost, far surpassing that of ordinary elemental force.

Under the cold scrutiny of the three Wood Clan members, the old man with the perpetually indifferent expression suddenly flared with murderous intent, poised for a desperate fight.

"Let's go. There is Mo Tu Jing everywhere in this mine; we’ll just shift to another location," just as he was about to lose control, the usually stoic elder reached out and tugged at his sleeve. Without waiting for further argument, he pulled the man away and headed toward the exit. The three Wood Clan members trailed behind them, the faint sunlight seeming to slither like venomous snakes in their wake.

"Big Brother, these two are truly timid; they didn't even dare to fight back," one of the Wood Clan members grumbled with disappointment.

The one who had shouted earlier also looked thoroughly let down. "I'm very disappointed too. If they had fought, we would have had a legitimate reason to kill them and confiscate the Mo Tu Jing they gathered."

"Big Brother, why don't we find a deserted spot to strike?" suggested another with sinister intent.

The leading Wood Clan fellow shook his head. "The mine is infested with Tie Mu Yun's crystal worms. If we get discovered, Tie Mu Yun definitely won't let it go. The rules he established do not permit others to be violated."

"Sect Master, why did you stop me?" After leaving that area, Li Hentian's resentment had not subsided, and he frowned deeply.

Gu Dan sighed softly. "Although those three Wood Clan members are in the Ru Wei realm just like us, their internal Jing Yuan has been condensed. Moreover, there are three of them, and they are Wood Clan members possessing innate divine abilities. If we engaged them in battle, we would certainly be the ones to suffer the loss."

"But Sect Master…" Li Hentian opened his mouth, wanting to protest further.

Gu Dan waved his hand, indicating he understood completely, and managed a wry smile. "We have to endure this, no matter how frustrating it is. Yun'er is not in our Five Elements Continent; the Dead Star Domain is teeming with masters, and those at the Shi Fang Tian realm are everywhere. In such a strange place, if you and I wish to survive well, we must restrain our former tempers."

"I can't swallow this insult!"

"Then channel your energy into gathering Mo Tu Jing. Once we amass enough Yuan Jing to purchase the Source of Life and condense our internal Jing Yuan, we will settle the score with those three!"

Li Hentian fell silent for a long moment before nodding grimly, letting out a cold snort. "I look forward to that day arriving soon. And Tie Mu Yun as well—we have to hand over eighty percent of the Mo Tu Jing we gather to him! That man is simply too greedy!"

"Just bear with it. Only when we reach that level of cultivation will we have the right to confront them," Gu Dan sighed.

Stars dotted the void like flickering fireflies. Within the sea of stars, Ji Changkong's silhouette streaked past like a bolt of light.

"Why did you change direction?" Ji Yuan transformed into another stream of light, flying alongside him. When no outsiders were around, Ji Yuan was always exceptionally lively and talkative.

"I have some personal matters that need handling," Ji Changkong's expression was somewhat grim, and a cold, sharp smile touched the corner of his mouth. "If not the Star Abyss, where are we going?"

"Snow Cloud Star. My two closest kin are there. It seems Leo didn't handle things for me; I'll have to take a trip myself." At his Tong Shen realm, merely thinking about Gu Dan and Li Hentian would cause the two elders to instantly manifest in his Sea of Consciousness.

He had originally planned to head toward the Star Domain, but after sensing the two elders, he discovered they were still on Snow Cloud Star, and moreover, in a mine. He immediately abandoned his plan to quickly reach the Black Prison Star of the Star Domain and decided to reach Snow Cloud Star at the fastest possible speed.

Gu Dan and Li Hentian were the closest kin in his life. He could never forget the guidance and care these two elders had shown him. Upon learning that their current environment was not reassuring, he decided without hesitation to bring the two of them out first.

"Line up and present all your Mo Tu Jing. Pay eighty percent according to the rules to Lord Tie Mu Yun. Don't try any tricks; the Lord can sense the amount of Mo Tu Jing on your person. Be honest," a thin young man of the Human Clan, whose cultivation rested at the Nie Qing realm, bellowed with the false authority of an underling before the mine entrance.

At the mouth of the mine stood ten Human Clan Celestial Masters, all clad in cyan robes and possessing Nie Qing realm cultivation. Tie Mu Yun, whose cultivation was at the Ru Yi realm, stood among these green-robed guards, his face gloomy, his narrow eyes flashing with a cold, deep light, scrutinizing everyone emerging from the mine like a viper.

Gu Dan and Li Hentian mixed in with the crowd, heads bowed, arriving at a rock platform. They took out the Mo Tu Jing they had painstakingly collected over the years and laid them out one by one on the stone surface.

On the grayish-green rock platform, piles of Mo Tu Jing were stacked, each pile radiating a dark, blackish fluorescence, with wisps of earth energy perpetually swirling around the Kui Tu Jing.

After placing their Mo Tu Jing, Gu Dan and Li Hentian moved to a corner to wait for the green-robed guards to make their selections.

"After this haul, we can exchange for the Source of Life, hehe," Gu Dan smiled and said to Li Hentian beside him, "Hentian, keep your temper in check. Once we condense our Jing Yuan, we can leave this Snow Cloud Star."

"Yes, we have indeed spent a long time on this star. It is time to depart," Li Hentian nodded, anticipation flickering in his eyes as well.

Several green-robed guards stepped out from beside Tie Mu Yun and began sorting through the piles of Mo Tu Jing, separating the high-quality crystals into one stack and moving the lower-grade material to another pile.

"This isn't right!" Suddenly, Li Hentian's expression shifted, and he exclaimed, "Wasn't it eighty percent we had to pay? Why has it become ninety percent this time?"

"Indeed, why has the rule changed?"

"If it's ninety percent, we'll only get one percent after all these years—that's too little!" Many people began to voice their discontent together, protesting the unfairness.

Tie Mu Yun's expression was sullen, his eyes exceptionally sharp. He cast a cold glance at Li Hentian and casually said, "You have an objection?"

"You set the rule. Eighty percent was already a significant amount; ninety percent drastically reduces our yield," Li Hentian forced down the rage boiling in his heart and spoke calmly. Thanks to Gu Dan's instruction, his temper had mellowed considerably over the years; otherwise, given his old nature, even knowing he was outmatched, he might have chosen to fight to the death.

"This is the new rule, and I set it. I just forgot to inform you earlier," Tie Mu Yun sneered indifferently.

Many people were filled with anger but dared not say more. If they had known it would be ninety percent, they never would have entered the mine. Tie Mu Yun likely understood this, which was why he waited until they emerged to use force to oppress them.

"You two," Tie Mu Yun pointed a finger at Gu Dan and Li Hentian, "You won't get even one percent from this haul. You damaged too much Mo Tu Jing—my crystal worms saw it all. Now get out, and don't let me see you again." Gu Dan and Li Hentian's faces changed drastically.

They had toiled and mined for years precisely to gather enough Yuan Jing to exchange for the Source of Life. Now, with Tie Mu Yun's actions, all their hopes were dashed.

This time, even Gu Dan was enraged, shouting, "Is this your way of doing things? As the master of this place, you arbitrarily change the regulations and seize our share using baseless excuses. Aren't you afraid that if this matter gets out, the Three-Eyed Clan will hold you accountable?"

"The powerhouses of the Three-Eyed Clan only listen to me; they wouldn't even spare a glance for characters like you," Tie Mu Yun replied carelessly. "I'll count to three. If you aren't gone by then, don't ever expect to leave." Tie Mu Yun let out a cold laugh and began counting, "_!"

"Hentian, let's go." Before Tie Mu Yun could reach two, Gu Dan suddenly grabbed Li Hentian and forcefully pulled him away. He knew Li Hentian's temper and feared he couldn't restrain himself from fighting. The disparity in realm and strength was too vast; the two of them combined didn't stand a chance. If they fought, they would walk right into a trap and meet certain death.

"Two!" Tie Mu Yun continued shouting. Li Hentian stood there with a cold face, his old temper flaring, refusing to move no matter how much Gu Dan pulled.

"Think of Changkong! He might need our help, Hentian!!" Gu Dan urged in a low voice.

Li Hentian's body seemed to soften; all his resolve crumbled. He sighed quietly, his face filled with humiliation, and followed Gu Dan out, his teeth grinding so hard it sounded like he wanted to devour someone.

"Three! I finished counting for you. Tie Mu Yun, is it? Kneel down immediately and apologize to them. I will grant you a chance at reincarnation; otherwise, I will let you perish, vanish from this world!" Just then, an icy voice boomed down from the highest heavens of Snow Cloud Star. A tiny light spot, like a speck of starlight, shot past the sky beyond Snow Cloud Star and dove straight toward their location.