A sharp, mournful cry pierced the air, shaking the magma lake into a frenzy of churning rock, sending fragments of crimson stone from the cavern roof splashing into the molten flow, raising searing waves. The vast cavern itself trembled, giving the distinct impression of an earth tremor. Gui Ming’s sudden, ferocious strike had hit the core of the Elemental Phoenix, and while it wasn't an instant kill, it inflicted devastating trauma.

This Elemental Phoenix had long been a local overlord, and it hadn't suffered such a heavy loss in ages. Reacting instantly, it flapped its wings, composed entirely of flame, sending torrents of scorching fire rolling toward Gui Ming. Gui Ming, having fully anticipated a desperate counterattack from the critically wounded Phoenix, met the assault with grim composure, unleashing the Netherworld Grand Art—inherited from Lei Dong—to its absolute extreme.

The Netherworld Grand Art was fundamentally a technique of the Ghost Clan, only later adopted by human cultivators to form a distinct school among them. For Gui Ming, possessing good talent and half of the Netherworld Ghost Physique, its application became significantly more potent. Instantly, ghostly miasma and black fog billowed forth, accompanied by howling icy winds, managing to nearly suppress the Phoenix's fierce flames.

Of course, had Gui Ming failed to land that initial surprise strike and severely wound the Phoenix’s core, the tables would surely have turned in this environment saturated with the basic fire element of the Five Elements. Regardless, Gui Ming had seized the advantage, playing the host rather than the guest, bombarding the Elemental Phoenix with a continuous stream of Netherworld-series spells. Normally, after gaining a slight edge, Gui Ming might have relaxed his vigilance. But these were not ordinary times; failure in this battle meant not only the loss of his own life but also endangering his sworn brother, Gui Ci. Recalling this fact spurred Gui Ming into even greater effort, forcing the Elemental Phoenix into a steady retreat.

With the balance shifting, Gui Ming fought with mounting ferocity. Above the magma lake, the ghostly aura and icy winds spun violently, and under the chill of the spectral energy, the searing, bubbling magma actually began to slowly solidify into crimson rock.

The Elemental Phoenix, critically wounded from the outset, was incapable of turning the tide. After a mournful cry, it attempted to flee.

But how could Gui Ming allow it to escape? His form dissolved into a shadowy mist, clinging tightly to the beast. Braving the Phoenix's final, desperate burst of life energy, he drove a Ghostly Miasma Palm through its defenses, slamming it directly onto the life core, where the volatile ghostly energy immediately fractured the core into several pieces.

The Elemental Phoenix managed only a final shriek before its life rapidly extinguished, dissolving into a pile of ash that scattered across the crimson rock cooled by the eerie ghostly miasma. Gui Ming, having expended immense energy in the relentless assault, couldn't help but let out a long, joyous roar after slaying the stronger foe through inferior means—a sound so powerful it caused debris to rain down from the cavern ceiling.

Having vented his exhilaration, he reached out and collected the shattered elemental core pieces from the ashes, along with the Fire Essence used to lure the enemy. Just as he prepared to turn back and report to his Master, a saying came to mind: a phoenix never nests in barren ground. Although this Elemental Phoenix was entirely distinct from a true phoenix, the place where this Nascent Soul-level elemental life form resided must surely harbor some extraordinary treasures.

With a reverse sweep of his palm, he struck the solidified crimson rock, which cracked open with a sharp report, revealing a pit several zhang wide. He followed with two more strikes, blasting a pit over ten zhang deep. Gui Ming swept his divine sense around and was overcome with joyous astonishment. Within the shattered magma fragments, numerous glittering objects were embedded.

At that moment, Lei Dong arrived overhead, leading a group of people. Gui Ming immediately dropped to a kneeling bow, proclaiming joyfully, “Master, your subordinate has not failed in his duty; the Elemental Phoenix has been slain.” As he spoke, he reverently levitated the Fire Essence and the elemental core.

Lei Dong’s divine sense swept out, drawing the Fire Essence into his storage ring. Simultaneously, he tossed the fractured elemental core to Wu Ji. “This elemental core is valued at thirty million spirit stones. You can calculate for yourself how much you need to supplement.”

Wu Ji, grasping the elemental core that still seemed to radiate intense heat, was instantly ecstatic. Gods above, this was a mid-stage Nascent Soul fire element core! Even though it was broken, its value was incalculable. At the very least, it was far superior to the top-grade Fire Spirit Jade he had intended to bid on previously. Since he practiced fire-based cultivation techniques, this core could easily elevate his art by two levels, boosting his cultivation along with it. Trembling with excitement, he declared, “Thank you for this opportunity, Senior Ding. However, this junior does not wish to take advantage of his comrades. Although this Fire Elemental Core is broken, it is still worth at least fifty million spirit stones. This junior is willing to forgo an equivalent value of other spoils of war to claim it.”

“Very well, we will settle it during the final accounting,” Lei Dong replied nonchalantly. With his current wealth, these spirit stones were hardly worth noting. While the Fire Elemental Core was precious, it offered little direct benefit to him. He then turned to Gui Ming, his tone pleasant: “Gui Ming, this was a good fight. You are finally showing the bearing of a Ghost King. However, this action only counts as atoning for your previous failures. Do you have any objections?”

Gui Ming breathed a massive sigh of relief and hastily replied, “It was this subordinate’s error, Master. To be pardoned for my transgression, Gui Ming is already eternally grateful. Furthermore, this subordinate believes he has discovered a Fire Spirit Jade mine beneath this magma lake—I wonder if it is a rich vein?”

Fire Spirit Jade was one of the more common heavenly materials and earthly treasures in the Purgatory Domain, often found within magma flows. Ordinary Fire Spirit Jade wasn't overly valuable; a single piece of refined and cut standard Fire Spirit Jade was worth a mere few hundred spirit stones. But the crucial factor was volume. If one amassed a billion pieces of Fire Spirit Jade, the value would reach hundreds of billions of spirit stones—a figure that would drive even the Purgatory Demon King to madness.

“Since that is the case, let us begin mining,” Lei Dong said. He had already observed Gui Ming’s actions and peered down, confirming the presence of numerous Fire Spirit Jades encased within the crimson rock. He smiled. “Everyone join in. Brother Wu, Sisters Murong, don't stand idle.”

Wu Ji and the Murong sisters were already too excited to hold back. They flew down immediately, using flying swords, magical artifacts, and other tools to chip away at the rock. For ordinary humans, cracking that hard crimson rock would have been immensely difficult. But these were not ordinary people. Though Wu Ji and the others were at the Golden Core stage, in this setting, they were functionally invincible superhumans. Lei Dong reflected that even ten large excavation machines from his past life couldn't match the efficiency of a single Golden Core cultivator. Gui Ci, Gui Ming, and the Netherworld Ghost Tiger also joined the mining effort, and these Nascent Soul-level figures excavated even faster. It was logical: a full-powered palm strike from a Nascent Soul expert could shatter a small hill, let alone simple mining.

However, Lei Dong still seemed unsatisfied. He summoned the Nether Flame Ghost Banner, pinched a spell, and unleashed countless specters wielding blades and shields, swarming out like a plague of locusts. These were not Suicide Ghosts, nor Great Cannon Ghosts or Charging Ghosts. They were another troop type Lei Dong had designed and provisionally named the Blade Shield Ghosts.

As an experimental troop, Lei Dong had only refined three thousand of them. Yet, each one exuded an aura equivalent to a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. This troop had balanced combat capabilities and was originally designed as the main force for large-scale conflicts. The major weakness of this troop was its inability to effectively engage super high-tier cultivators; they would suffer catastrophic casualties without inflicting significant damage on the superior foes. However, this unit was perfectly suited for territorial conquest, mass engagements, or the sacking of a city.

Lei Dong had no immediate need to capture a city, so he hadn't utilized this unit, the Blade Shield Ghosts, on their journey thus far. Now, however, Lei Dong suddenly realized they were an excellent choice for mining, as deploying the Gluttonous Cannon Ghosts or Suicide Ghosts for this task would be farcical. Once the thousands of mid-stage Foundation Establishment Blade Shield Ghosts were deployed, the scene transformed entirely. The moderately sized magma lake was densely packed with them. Under Lei Dong’s divine command, they began smashing the crimson rock, transforming into an army of miners.

The efficiency of a single Blade Shield Ghost was abysmal. But sheer quantity often led to a qualitative change. Three thousand mid-stage Foundation Establishment Blade Shield Ghosts mining together accelerated the process by more than ten times the combined speed of everyone else. Countless waste materials were piled up at the rear of the cavern, while shining Fire Spirit Jades accumulated into small hills.

Everyone was ecstatic; this truly was a rich vein of Fire Spirit Jade, its density far exceeding expectations. It was no wonder the Elemental Phoenix had been so possessive of this location. Fire Spirit Jade was worth significantly more than mere spirit stones, especially since Fire Spirit Jade also graded into mid-grade, high-grade, and top-grade variants.

Obtaining a single top-grade Fire Spirit Jade could fetch a price in the millions. This mine not only possessed great quantity but also excellent quality. Nearly ten percent of the Fire Spirit Jades were mid-grade, and amid the rapid mining, the occasional high-grade piece would surface. Mid-grade pieces fetched several thousand spirit stones each, while high-grade ones commanded hundreds of thousands.

Such a fortune caused even Lei Dong to feel a slight stirring of emotion. The only slight disappointment was that despite its richness, the mine's overall scale seemed small; it was completely excavated in just half a day. The final tally was shocking: precisely three top-grade Fire Spirit Jades, over a hundred high-grade ones, and more than a hundred thousand mid-grade pieces, alongside millions of low-grade ones.

The final calculation put the total value at over seven hundred million spirit stones. Faced with such immense wealth, the excited Wu Ji and the Murong sisters suddenly began to tremble—not from excitement, but from fear. Wealth stirs the heart; would Senior Ding silence them to keep the secret?