CHAPTER 627: CHAPTER 626: SPIRIT STONE VEIN ON THE FRAGMENT

For the first time in his life, Hu Jun felt like retreating.

He had always been good at scheming and taking shortcuts. Even during the near clan-annihilating chaos of the world collapse, Hu Jun managed to seize an opportunity to carve out a slim chance of survival for himself.

After arriving on this land, he didn’t give up his old tricks. Hiding in the shadows and stirring up trouble, he believed he had power in his grasp after a successful backstab, only to be immediately faced with a bizarre contagion crisis.

Eventually, every cultivator on this land fell to the bizarre powers, yet Hu Jun continued striving for power and seeking a way to survive.

His plan was ideal—conceal the bizarre aura, rob other fragments encountered, and if lucky enough to discover another world, use disguise to infiltrate, establish a foothold, and then expand his domain.

The first step of the plan was a quick success; a fox demon skilled in pharmacology discovered that the cultivators’ bodies, after turning bizarre, underwent some peculiar changes. Through multiple attempts, medicine pills made from such bodies could temporarily conceal the bizarre aura.

Hu Jun was overjoyed, everything was set, all that was needed was favorable winds!

However, year after year passed, and the once spiritually rich world was declining before his eyes. The favorable winds were nowhere to be found.

He still refused to give up, convincing his clan members to take turns keeping watch, hoping to encounter a miracle in the vast void. Thus, when he sensed another cultivator’s presence, Hu Jun was almost insanely excited!

Following the plan replayed countless times in his mind, he swallowed an elixir to muddle through, hopeful of seeing a new world. Yet, he discovered it was just a Void Hunter who could easily kill bizarre beings formed from high realm cultivators, as if those bizarre auras that terrified cultivators posed no threat at all!

Have we been drifting in the void for untold years, and the outside world has developed to such an extent?

If bizarre beings can’t be threats, won’t my dream of dominating a new world be dashed?

"Master is amazing!" Hu Zhile knew the Venerable Family was formidable but never realized they could be this extraordinary. It took her a moment to react, her face full of admiration.

Her hands trembled with excitement; she had been genuinely worried upon hearing about the bizarre presence here.

This journey was out of the Venerable Family’s kindness, wanting to help resolve her curse issue; the risk wasn’t necessary.

No one expected that upon encountering the bizarre beings, the Venerable Family, with some unknown special powers, made the foe collapse and flee immediately. They easily slew ten bizarre beings, leaving no trace of pollution on the remaining bodies.

With that, they could walk across this world fragment unopposed!

"Heh heh, just a trivial skill." Jiang Yuan waved dismissively in a nonchalant manner upon receiving the big fox’s sincere compliment. However, he felt a bit proud inside; showing off was indeed euphoric, hahaha!

Hu Jun’s heart clenched at the sight, yet he had to brace himself to lead them to see the Spirit Stone Vein.

He had no doubt that once the medicine pill’s effect wore off, and the slightest bizarre aura leaked from him, this young fellow cultivator would turn around and obliterate him.

What to do?

Don’t panic, definitely must not panic!

The urgency was to temporarily send them away, retrieve more pills, and quickly calm the incited clan members. The new world was dangerous, and unity was their best chance for survival!

Yes, find an excuse to leave first...

"Fellow Daoist, please look, beneath this mountain lies a rich Spirit Stone deposit. The entrance is just below; please follow me."

Hu Jun quickly devised the next step of his plan, composed himself, and led them to descend into the deep mountains, pointing to a massive dark cave at the foot of the barren mountain, explaining: "Currently, manpower is insufficient, and it’s quite a struggle just to suppress the bizarre. Naturally, mining was halted. It used to be bustling here, brightly lit with ores being mined, carts full of Spirit Stone Ores, truly exhilarating."

[Spirit Stone Vein remnants of the collapsed world fragment: Due to the collapse, the root of the remaining vein was severely damaged, with about three million Spirit Stones’ worth of minable content.

If integrated as part of the courtyard, special plants can be cultivated on the mountain to absorb and recombine, restoring the root, allowing it to regenerate into a sustainable Spirit Stone mine. Note: If mined to less than two million Spirit Stones, the root cannot recover and will become a dead mine.]

Jiang Yuan looked at the details that popped up in the system, eager to act.

Quickly eliminate all bizarre creatures, complete the contract pet’s side quest, and reclaim this land to farm! Plant trees on the barren mountain, nurture the vein, and then we, too, will be landowners with our mine!

"Fellow Daoist, feel free to explore. I’ll excuse myself to find my clan and share this great news." Hu Jun made a gesture of invitation, beaming, "From now on, the Spirit Stone deposit belongs to you. My clan and I await your good news. Oh, by the way, if you wish to hunt bizarre creatures, you may search the lake and forest over there where they often gather."

Hu Zhile used her right hand to form a spell for illuminating the dark cave and said, "Hu Daoist, please do as you wish. Once my master is done, where will we meet you?"

"My clan and I reside in the palaces you saw earlier. I’ll prepare and wait for your esteemed arrival!"

Hu Jun took a respectful bow, bidding farewell, and hurriedly flew back towards the hall.

Jiang Yuan squinted his eyes as he watched him walk away, then called Hu Zhile into the cave to ask her opinion about eliminating obsession. The main purpose of this trip was to let her release her resentment, so everything naturally had to follow her preferences.

On the other side, Hu Jun looked back nervously every few steps, afraid that someone might follow. After hurriedly reaching the palace, he pocketed the remaining Medicine Pills and rushed to the underground passage.

Once transformed into something strange, neither human cultivators nor the fox demon clan liked brightness, preferring dark and damp places even if the sun wasn’t shining overhead.

The secret passage dug during the two clans’ war period led from underneath the palace to the vicinity of the spirit stone mine in the deep mountains. It provided a way to escape during attacks and allowed miners to stay out of the light as much as possible.

Since the passage wasn’t part of the original structure, it wasn’t adorned with fine materials. In the pitch-black earthen tunnel gathered groups of peculiar fox demons, eyes glowing yellow-green, whispering complaints filled the surroundings.

"That young man is quite powerful. I was nearly killed with just one hit!"

"Where did Hu Jun find this helper? Trying to wipe us out, what’s the benefit for him?"

"Damn it, he really predicted it. Just like he did in those days, claiming he wanted to hide strange auras to deceive other cultivators. We laughed at his wild ideas, thinking he liked staying up there as if he were sick. Didn’t expect he actually waited it out!"

"The immediate priority is figuring out a way to resolve our crisis! Hu Jun swallowed the Medicine Pill and can pretend to be a normal cultivator, what about us? Should we just wait to be destroyed?"

"The Medicine Pills are all with Hu Jun! He also found a formidable ally to wipe us out, what can we do now?"

"Where’s Hu Da’an? Quick, find a way to make more Medicine Pills!"

"Peh! You think it’s like molding mud balls? Making them just like that, it’ll take time and raw materials!"

"Weren’t there ten corpses just now..."

......

Sighs, curses, and complaints mixed with discussions, filling the passage with intense unease.

"Why are you standing around dumbfounded? Quickly, take those corpses and make Medicine Pills!" Hu Jun entered in a defensive posture and called out loudly, "My plan is about to succeed. Now I need ten clan members to swallow the Medicine Pills to deal with those Otherworld cultivators!"

Many peculiar fox demons turned around, eyes full of distrust, looking at him.

"You agreed I’d be on watch above while you hid in this passage. Why did you run off to the forest over there?" He preemptively reproached them, "I painstakingly managed to summon an Otherworld Void Hunter. If everything goes well, he’ll take our entire clan to a new world!

Originally, we agreed he’d kill human peculiarities. Who would’ve thought you’d ignore orders and hide in the forest to nap? You weren’t wiped out only because I racked my brains to intervene, otherwise, would you still be able to stay here safely?"

The murmurs gradually decreased, and the passage grew more silent.

"Elder Ninth, what is your plan?"

"What exactly is a Void Hunter? That young man is quite powerful!"

"Will he take us to the new world? What’s the price for that?"

......

Facing various doubts, Hu Jun’s lips curved slightly upwards, knowing he was already mostly successful.

The long years of drifting have left these fox demons yearning for a safe and stable new world. After becoming peculiar, they’re even more afraid of dying; with fear, comes control.

"All of you, calm down and listen to my detailed explanation." His hands pressed down in the air, his gaze swept over his clan members cloaked in strange auras in the darkness, countless tendrils extending wildly, adding to the oppressive eeriness of the cramped passage.

"The Void Hunter is a cultivator from the Otherworld who possesses great treasures and can shuttle freely through the void in search of treasure. You saw earlier; that kid has quite the knack for dealing with peculiarities, so we must proceed with utmost caution to successfully reach his world.

First, I need to select a few helpers, with sufficient strength. At critical moments, we must use extraordinary measures to control that kid while also acquiring the coordinates of his world.

Secondly, you all must act according to my plan, follow my commands. I bribed that kid with the spirit stone vein, convincing him that our Snow Mountain Fox Race are righteous cultivators, trying all these years to fend off peculiarities, inviting him to lend a hand.

Therefore, aside from the selected helpers, all other clan members should quietly remain in the passage. Don’t want to be treated as peculiarities and destroyed? Then obey my orders and stay put!

Hu Da’an, pick a few helpers, hurry up and make Medicine Pills from those corpses. We want the entire clan to leave this hell, we need enough Medicine Pills to hide our auras. Once we set foot in the new world, we’ll have whatever we want!"

Besides cunning, Hu Jun possessed considerable strength, and now fully unleashed his pressure to assert dominance.

However, there were still peculiar fox demons unwilling to buy into his promises, "I personally experienced that Void Hunter’s methods. If I hadn’t run fast, I’d have been dead! The world he lives in will surely be dangerous for us. How can we have whatever we want there?"