Chapter 144: Spiritual vein exhausted, Black Dragon Tower appearsThe Dragon Qi seemed to sense Xu Hei's transformation, and the entire Moon-supporting Pagoda began to change along with it.
"Boom!"
An ocean of Spiritual Qi was drawn from the spiritual vein and injected into the pagoda. The sheer volume was so immense that even half of the spiritual vein began to wither.
The pill furnace melted faster, its three legs completely gone, and the lid disappeared.
The shape of the Moon-supporting Pagoda gradually transformed into that of a dragon, resembling a coiling Flood Dragon ascending to the sky, gazing at the stars, and staring into the heavens.
At this moment, it was no longer the Moon-supporting Pagoda but had become a Flood Dragon Pagoda.
Xu Hei's cultivation surged rapidly, climbing to sixty percent of the early stage before gradually slowing down, edging closer to the mid-stage.
"I finally understand why that True Dragon senior said my path would be a hundred times more difficult than others..."
Xu Hei recalled the events of the Mountain Movers Sect and couldn't help but sigh.
If they had dared to stand firm, they would have perished under the iron hooves of the Qin army long ago.
But without the courage to stand firm, they couldn't preserve the Dragon Qi within the spiritual vein.
If one day Xu Hei faced a situation where he would surely die unless he bowed his head, what should he do?
The path of transforming into a dragon is by no means a simple one.
It's like the rare sword cultivators among humans, who must either bow their heads and die or refuse and never become sword cultivators. It's the same principle.
This is destined to be a path of nine deaths and one life.
…………
Outside, in the sect's plaza.
The elders and disciples of the Mountain Movers Sect were reaching the end of their lives one after another.
Some sat in place and turned into stone statues, while others fled desperately, but the outcome was the same.
"Sin, sin!"
The Demon Monk Ku Xuan clasped his hands together, reciting a chant for the deceased, scattering paper money to send off the souls.
For each person who died, he performed a ritual, treating everyone equally regardless of their cultivation level.
The only Core Formation Stage patriarch eventually gave up resisting, choosing to sit and pass away, his soul returning to the mountains, ending his life.
"Xiao Chou, go with them. This is your master's last wish, and also the last wish of the Mountain Movers Sect!"
Shi Xuan looked at Xiao Chou and spoke softly, "As long as you remember that you were once a disciple of the Mountain Movers Sect, that's enough."
"Everyone, give up resisting. Let us return our lives to this mountain!"
Shi Xuan's voice rang out clearly as his body turned to stone, becoming a statue that merged into the mountain.
The remaining elders also sat down, offering their physical bodies and souls to the mountain.
"Xiao Chou, there's no need to hate anyone. We died as early as last year."
Elder Hai, who guarded the Artifact Refining Room, looked at him calmly and said, "Live well. Shi Longzi's spirit in heaven will also find peace."
He sat cross-legged at the entrance of the Artifact Refining Room, his body turning to stone, his soul returning to the earth.
Just like the past two hundred years of guarding, his soul remained here forever.
From this moment on.
The Mountain Movers Sect was completely annihilated.
Xiao Chou unclenched his fists and bowed deeply to the mountain before him.
Now, he was the only survivor.
Xu Qingfeng sighed and said, "I won't force you. If you don't want to join, I can decide to let you go."
"Boss, but..." Zhang Tie wanted to say something, but Xu Qingfeng waved his hand, "My mind is made up."
They had set up a massive formation to prevent anyone from escaping and leaking information.
Their intelligence and individual abilities were invaluable, but Xu Qingfeng still took the risk and let Xiao Chou go.
Xu Qingfeng left a token on the ground and said, "Once you've thought it over, you can use this token to contact me. I'll send someone to pick you up. If you don't want to, just destroy the token."
With that, he no longer paid attention to Xiao Chou and headed towards the only remaining Artifact Refining Room.
The others also gathered around.
Xu Qingfeng was indifferent to the Mountain Movers Sect's assets, but he was particularly interested in the Artifact Refining Room.
To be precise, it was the spiritual vein beneath the Artifact Refining Room and the trace of Dragon Qi hidden within it.
This was their ultimate goal!
The alliance wanted to grow and prosper, and the fortune brought by Dragon Qi was indispensable.
They had previously captured a Dragon Qi and suppressed it beneath their headquarters, which made them invincible. The more Dragon Qi, the better.
Xiao Chou was about to intervene, but Zhang Tie grabbed him from a distance and flung him away.
"Did you really think I couldn't handle you?" Zhang Tie's eyes were filled with mockery.
The gap in cultivation was too great, not something personal will could overcome.
Xu Qingfeng stood in front of the stone door, observing for a while before his brow furrowed slightly.
He vaguely noticed that the underground spiritual vein was depleting at an alarming rate, and the concentration of Spiritual Qi here was about a third of what it should be!
"Break it for me!"
Zhang Tie charged forward, and cracks spread across the walls of the Artifact Refining Room, the formation shaking violently.
"Something's wrong!"
Xu Qingfeng's expression darkened. This was the formation left by the Mountain-moving Patriarch two hundred years ago, and it shouldn't be so easily broken. How could it be so simple today...
"Boom, boom, boom..."
Suddenly, the earth emitted a deafening roar, shaking violently, as indescribable waves of terror surged from the Artifact Refining Room.
The next moment.
"Roar!"
A resounding dragon roar echoed through the heavens, shaking the universe.
"This is Dragon Qi!"
Xu Qingfeng's face lit up with joy.
"Open!"
He no longer hesitated, shouting loudly. Zhang Tie also used all his strength, crashing into the stone wall. With the combined efforts of the two Core Formation Stage cultivators, the defenses of the Artifact Refining Room were completely breached, the formation collapsed, and all the walls turned to dust!
In fact, the formation left by the Mountain Movers Sect's patriarch was not so easily broken.
However, the half spiritual vein maintaining the formation had been drained, unable to keep the formation at its peak.
……
Inside the Artifact Refining Room, the evolution of the pagoda reached its final stage, and the Dragon Qi completely fused!
Even Xu Hei, without hesitation, dove into the pagoda.
"Bang!"
The Artifact Refining Room shattered, and a blinding golden light illuminated the world.
Then, the golden light rapidly dimmed, gradually turning into black light, and beneath that black light stood a pagoda three meters tall.
This pagoda resembled the legendary Flood Dragon, its dragon head pointing upward, piercing the heavens, its entire body as black as ink, with layers of black-gold dragon scales on its surface, extremely eerie.
"Where's the Dragon Qi?"
Xu Qingfeng took out a compass, searched around, and locked his gaze on the strange Black Dragon Pagoda before him.
Everyone could see that this pagoda was extraordinary!
"Fellow Daoist, could you show yourself? We mean no harm!"
Xu Qingfeng clasped his hands and said, knowing that someone was hiding in the Artifact Refining Room and vaguely guessing their identity. S~eaʀᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
His goal was only the Dragon Qi and the spiritual vein.
"Whoosh!"
The Black Dragon Pagoda suddenly rose from the ground, a terrifying gust of wind blowing everyone away. Even Xu Qingfeng and Zhang Tie were forced back ten meters, their faces filled with shock.
"What kind of magical treasure is this?"
Xu Qingfeng's mind was shaken. He raised his hand and shouted, "Fellow Daoist, we can discuss matters. Why remain silent? Stop!"
A giant "Stop" character appeared above the Black Dragon Pagoda.
But as soon as the "Stop" character appeared, it was shattered by an indescribable force, and that force rushed straight at Xu Qingfeng.
"Poof!"
Xu Qingfeng's expression changed as he took a heavy blow to the chest, spitting blood and flying backward.