Becoming an immortal and ancestor begins with the golden toad spitting out money.

Chapter 167 Spiritual Vein Exhaustion, Beneath the Mine

The monster opened its mouth wide, providing a path for the cultivators to leave and allowing them to see the outside world.

This place is located between Golden Wind Valley and Cold Mountain. The ground is covered with frost, making the hills look like white buns. About ten miles away is the huge snow mountain that is four or five hundred feet high.

However, the snow-capped mountains are not the boundary of this dilapidated fairyland; the sky beyond remains vast.

Clearly, even though the quality of the dilapidated fairyland has declined, its internal space is still large enough, probably over a hundred miles.

However, if the monster had opened its mouth before, the group of cultivators would have left without saying a word, but the situation is different now.

The cultivators' mission here is to rescue Long Teng, a Dao seed of the Longshan Sect.

However, they were swallowed by a monster formed from a spiritual vein as soon as they arrived, and almost died in its mouth. It would be a lie to say they weren't furious.

Now, the cultivators have seized the Frosty Gold Immortal Material from the monster's throat, which has not only weakened the monster but also increased the combat power of the cultivators.

It should be noted that, besides magic and supernatural powers, cultivators rely most on various weapons.

Due to the limitations of the dilapidated fairyland, immortal and divine treasures could not be brought in, which greatly reduced the combat power of many cultivators.

Like the white-robed high cultivator of the Taibai Dragon Clan, if he were to obtain a celestial sword from his clan, his combat power could even rival that of an immortal who has mastered a low-grade perfected celestial technique.

Now, cultivators have obtained the Frosty Gold Immortal Materials seized from monsters, significantly improving their overall strength and giving them more confidence when facing monsters formed from spiritual veins.

The other cultivators agreed, and the Dragon Mountain Sect cultivators did not object. They simply said, "If we let the tiger return to the mountain, the monster might launch a sneak attack when we find Long Teng and the others, and it might even attract more helpers. It's best to eliminate it now!"

The spirit vein monster is not actually at the level of immortals or gods. The [Xin Metal] power it possesses is merely borrowed from the power of the immortal material Cold Metal. It may just be the overlord of the transition zone between the snow mountain and the Golden Wind Valley, or it may be a subordinate of the snow mountain lord.

In any case, the monsters formed from the spiritual veins are obstacles to exploring the ruined fairyland, not to mention that it is itself a treasure trove worth tens of millions!
Su Ji also harbored murderous intent. His motivation was to comprehend the profound meaning of the transition between autumn and winter. Even if the spirit vein monster was not the mastermind behind the invasion of Golden Wind Canyon, it was still an obstacle in his way.

Moreover, the monsters within the spiritual veins may contain more than just the immortal material, Frost Gold. If one could obtain some treasures suitable for oneself or for one's friends or subordinates, it would be a great help.

Even the gods, who valued stability, did not object in the slightest.

It should be noted that the gods' exploration of the ruined fairyland has now reached a point of exhaustion. The reason for this is that some monsters in the ruined fairyland are a level stronger than outsiders.

Because of the limitations of the dilapidated fairyland, even though the gods could borrow divine treasures, they couldn't bring them in.

As for the idea of ​​divine generals or even divine lords directly taking action, that's even more impossible to realize.

In ancient times, the Undying Demon Lord and his countless demons were suppressed beneath the White Rock Mountains. Even after tens of thousands of years, it cannot be guaranteed that there are no demons here.

To prevent any accidents, the true gods not only refrain from taking action themselves, but also strictly prohibit anyone from digging into the Yin Sha Rift. Instead, they send out gods and cultivators below the level of immortals to explore ancient ruins and dilapidated fairylands.

In this way, even if ancient demons do survive, the true gods can promptly seal the Yin Sha rift...

"It's easy to invite a god in, but hard to send him away. You brought this on yourself!"

After the cultivators were ready, they formed the Azure Dragon Formation once again.

Unlike before, the first group of cultivators now each have a piece of Cold Gold Immortal Material. Even if they are not refined into Immortal-grade magic treasures, their defensive power is still higher than that of a high-grade flawless spiritual artifact. Not to mention, they can also activate the Dao traces inside to attack with Yin-cold energy.

Soon, the group of cultivators arrived at the monster's throat. As expected, the ram-headed elf was on guard against them, setting up one monster root after another there.

"kill!"

The cultivators reduced their spells and mostly began to activate the immortal material, Frosty Gold. Waves of cold air surged forward, freezing the roots of monsters along the way into ice blocks.

However, this time the monster's roots did not shatter at the slightest touch, but instead, like an ice tree, blocked the monster's throat.

Seeing this, the Third Elder of the Dragon Mountain Sect said, "The ram-headed spirit did not withdraw the spiritual power from its roots in order to stop us. It is obviously afraid of us!"

In just a short while, the balance of power shifted between the two sides, giving many cultivators a sense of exhilaration.

However, Su Ji said with a solemn expression, "The ram-headed spirit's actions are not merely to obstruct us. Either it is setting a trap, or it is taking the opportunity to escape. We must not give it any time!"

The so-called spiritual veins are primarily about the power of the spiritual veins.

Back in the Great Sun Spirit Realm, what were originally ordinary rocks became part of the Earth Yang Spirit Vein under the control of the Earth Yang Serpent Lord, who mobilized the power of Earth Yang.

Now that the treasures in the throat of the spirit vein monster have been dug out, the ram-headed elf has likely abandoned this part of the spirit vein monster's body.

"Please continue the attack, everyone. I'll go back and take a look—"

As he said this, Su Ji did the opposite and used the [Tongyou Xuanmen] to enter the outside world through the monster's mouth.

Suddenly, the entire Frosty Hills region came into view, and places that were previously in the blind spot were now revealed to Su Ji.

Then they saw the enormous monster's neck gradually lengthen, and the space between its belly and neck became thinner and thinner, as if it could be completely severed in less than a hundred breaths.

"Sure enough!"

If the cultivators had chosen to leave just now, the spirit vein monster certainly wouldn't have abandoned its head and neck to escape.

The cultivators chose to continue their attack, and the ram-headed spirit had already prepared a countermeasure. After the cultivators broke through the passage in the monster's neck, the monster's main body had long since disappeared!
So Su Ji immediately returned to the monster's throat and then informed the group of cultivators.

The cultivators were all taken aback by this.

The Shackled Spirit of Jiuxiang County looked grim and said, "We were almost fooled by the ram-headed spirit, which shows that it is quite intelligent..."

The Sun-Watching Spirit General of Jinfeng County was initially terrified, but then said with a fighting spirit, "Now that the Sun-Watching Spirit General has investigated the monster's true strength, it's time to strike while it's down and kill it!"

If the monster has no head, its combat power will inevitably decline again. You just need to seize the opportunity to strike when it tries to escape.

A glint flashed in the eyes of the white-robed cultivator from the Taibai Dragon Clan, then he nodded and said:
"To seize the opportunity, we need someone to prevent any accidents from happening. Why don't we leave some cultivators to continue feigning an attack on the monster's throat, while the rest of the cultivators are ready to stop the spirit vein monster from escaping!"

The monster's throat wasn't wide enough, making it difficult for the cultivators to attack together. Sending a few of them out wouldn't affect the progress, but the only danger was that it involved some risks.

In response, the Ninth Elder of the Dragon Mountain Sect said, "If we want the Azure Dragon Formation to maintain its invincible defense, we need at least nineteen high-level cultivators, but only five of them will be sent to stop the spirit vein monster..."

The Azure Dragon Formation is based on the Seven Mansions and structured around the Twelve Palaces, ultimately forming an invincible formation without any flaws. To break this formation, one must either exhaust the mana of the cultivators within or supply the Azure Dragon Formation to its maximum capacity.

Among the twenty-four cultivators, there were many top-tier cultivators, but only the Third Elder of the Dragon Mountain Sect and the white-robed high-ranking cultivator of the Taibai Dragon Clan could be considered invincible, thus occupying two spots.

At this moment, the spirit general of Jinfeng County stepped forward and said, "My magic power cannot activate the immortal material Cold Gold. Count me in as one of those who will go out to obstruct it!"

The Day Wandering Spirit General of Jinfeng County is powerful. Although he cannot compare to the top cultivators, he is very well-rounded. Moreover, he has an unactivated Blazing Crystal Treasure in his possession.

At this moment, the local earth god Zhang Gong glanced at Su Ji and stepped forward as well: "The monster's body should be some kind of metal ore vein, and it is very likely that it escaped from underground. I happen to have mastered the profound arts of the earth, which may be of some use..." The reason why the monster's body is so strong is because of its metal ore material, so the role of the local earth gods was very small before.

If he were to go to the outside world, the local earth god Zhang Gong would be in his element, at least his [Earth Escape Technique] would be extremely useful.

Finally, there was Su Ji, who had discovered the information, along with the three elders of Longshan Sect, the white-robed high cultivator of Taibai Dragon Clan, the day-wandering spirit general of Jinfeng County, and the local earth god Zhang Gongzheng.

Logically, the captain of the five-person team should be chosen from either the third elder of the Longshan Sect or the white-robed high-ranking cultivator of the Taibai Dragon Clan, but neither of them had this intention and directly handed over the captaincy to Su Ji.

Not to mention that the news that the monster wanted to abandon its head and neck to escape was obtained by Su Ji, the mysterious technique he used earlier that pierced through the monster's throat was enough to show that Su Ji probably already possessed an invincible status.

Perfectly, Bai Yi is skilled in both offense and defense, the Third Elder of the Dragon Mountain Sect is skilled in defense, and Su Ji is skilled in escape techniques. Therefore, the command should be given to Su Ji in the rear.

Su Ji did not shirk his responsibility, but immediately took it upon himself and made arrangements:

"The monster's head and neck are motionless on the surface, but most of its body is deep underground. Once we get out, our first priority is to investigate the underground situation, not to expose ourselves..."

From the moment it first saw the goat-headed spirit, it seemed to be asleep with its eyes closed on the high platform.

Su Ji, however, guessed that this spirit vein might not be pretending to be asleep, but was wholeheartedly controlling the interior of the ley line monster.

Judging from the fact that the monster has not left, the ram-headed elves may not have had the energy to control the outside world, let alone observe it, while manipulating the subtle changes inside. This gave them the opportunity to hide.

And so, Su Ji reached out and opened a door: "[The Mysterious Gate to the Netherworld]!"

The end of this door leads directly into the earth and rocks beneath the monster's head.

Under the influence of the local earth god Zhang Gong, the group quickly approached the monster's body from underground.

Before long, the Third Elder of the Dragon Mountain Sect sensed a series of passages, through which came and went various ice and snow evil spirits.

To everyone's surprise, the Ice and Snow Evil Spirit seemed unaware of the battle on the ground, and instead acted like a miner, transporting chunks of ore from the depths of the tunnel to the giant monster.

In response, the Third Elder of the Dragon Mountain Sect couldn't help but speculate: "Could it be that the spiritual veins have long been depleted, which is why the giant monster needs to enslave and drive the ice and snow evil spirits to mine and transport the minerals?"

After tens of thousands of years, the broken fairyland must have lost countless spiritual essences. Perhaps even a single spiritual vein would not have much power left.

Every movement of the spirit vein monster requires the power of the spirit vein.

If it is a healthy spiritual vein, it can be restored to its original state as easily as eating and drinking.

Such a spiritual vein, lacking sufficient spiritual energy, would likely consume a great deal of energy with even the slightest movement, making it essential to rely on the power of the ice and snow spirits for energy replenishment.

"So, this is a spiritual vein that is about to deplete; it's like a centipede that dies but doesn't fall down..."

Su Ji also saw through the true nature of the spirit vein monster, which gave him more confidence for the upcoming battle.

Just then, Su Ji and the others discovered a surprising scene, and the Third Elder of the Dragon Mountain Sect was so angry that he blew his beard and glared.

However, among the icy and snowy evil spirits transporting ore, there were several human cultivators, including the Dao Seed Dragon Teng whom Su Ji had met once before, and his protector.

Clearly, when Long Teng and his group were exploring the frost-covered hills between Golden Wind Canyon and Snow Mountain, they were discovered by the Ice and Snow Evil Spirits and subsequently captured by the Goat-Headed Elf, becoming workers who transported ore.

After all, Long Teng is a Dao Seed of the Longshan Sect, and the two protectors beside him are also elders of the Longshan Sect. Yet now he has been reduced to a state of hardship, which is truly speechless.

Su Ji and the others exchanged glances, all of them agreeing.

The local deity, Zhang Gong, immediately said, "The sheep-headed spirit has captured the fellow Daoists of the Dragon Mountain Sect, and now it's trying to use them to threaten us. Luckily, we discovered it in advance!"

Regardless of whether the sheep-headed spirit had this intention or not, the group had to think this way, otherwise the Dragon Mountain Sect would lose face.

The Third Elder of the Dragon Mountain Sect breathed a sigh of relief. Although they were almost devoured by the spiritual vein monster, they managed to find the Dao Seed Dragon Soar and his group.

Moreover, it was precisely because the ram-headed elves needed laborers to dig and transport ore that the cultivators of Longteng had a chance to survive.

However, this situation has taken a turn for the worse. If they were to rescue Long Teng and the others now, they would surely alert the enemy.

If they continue to wait for an opportunity, Long Teng and the others might actually become hostages of the ram-headed elf...

As a result, many people subconsciously looked at Captain Su Ji.

Su Ji already had a plan for the current situation.

"Our main task is to rescue Fellow Daoist Long Teng and his group. We cannot allow them to walk into the body of the spirit vein monster... Since there are passages everywhere in the hills, it has given us an opportunity."

"Master Zhang, you should use earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magic technique) now to inform the other cultivators to immediately attack from the direction of the mine... Please, fellow Daoist Taibai Dragon Clan, escort them!"

The local earth god Zhang Gong can use earth magic to travel to the ground, while the white-robed high cultivator can fly into the monster's mouth at top speed to notify other cultivators, and it doesn't even take thirty breaths.

So, after the local deity Zhang Gong and the white-robed Gao Xiu left, Su Ji and his group waited.

One breath, two breaths... ten breaths... twenty breaths!

"【The Mysterious Gate to the Netherworld】!"

When the time came, Su Ji and his two companions appeared in the mine, immediately arousing the hostility of many ice and snow evil spirits.

However, the Third Elder of Longshan Sect was already so enraged that he could hardly contain himself. Seeing that Su Ji and Wang Gong, the spirit general of Jinfeng County, had gone to rescue their fellow disciples, he single-handedly charged towards those ice and snow evil spirits.

"Third Elder... the Golden Toad, the Sun-Watching Spirit General?"

Long Teng had been hoping for a rescue from his fellow disciples, which was their only hope for persevering. Otherwise, he would have collapsed long ago in such a harsh and exhausting environment.

However, Long Teng never expected that the golden toad who had once dominated him on the Mountain God Temple's list of people would meet him again in such an awkward situation.

Long Teng looked bitter, but the protectors beside him didn't care about anything else; they only knew that they had finally been rescued.

"Thank you all for saving us. Let's escape before the spirit vein monster wakes up!"

Jin Feng County's Day-Traveling Spirit General grinned and said, "Fellow Daoist, if it weren't for that spirit vein monster, how could we have found you all?"

Immediately, the captured cultivators from the Dragon Mountain Sect were all greatly alarmed, with some even saying with worry, "The spirit vein monster is an existence at the level of immortals and gods. This time, it seems that many fellow cultivators will be implicated..."

Su Ji smiled as well: "That spirit vein monster is already too busy to take care of itself. A large number of fellow Daoists are on their way. Let's go through the mine tunnel and fight our way into the monster's body!"

(End of this chapter)