Beneath Yulian Waters

After collecting the snake demon's body from under the Yinyan sparrow's talons, Chen Jinshu headed straight for the Qingling River region beside Yulian City. When she stood on the riverbank again, she immediately noticed something different about the spiritual energy in the area.

A faint magnetic field had formed, with many streams of spiritual energy gently converging toward the center. The spiritual aura here was also slightly denser than it had been in the nearby mountains. Still, it was only at a first-rank level of concentration—very thin.

"There should be some kind of resource within this river."

There had to be a reason why that old Taoist had placed the snake demon here.

The snake demon's cultivation was near the late stage of Qi Refining. At that level, unless it possessed an extremely potent bloodline, it would need to reach at least the Foundation Establishment stage before evolving into a flood dragon.

For it to strengthen its bloodline so quickly and even develop dragon horns indicated that something in the river possessed dragon-type spiritual attributes.

"Time to dive in and look around."

With a Water-Avoiding Pearl in her mouth, Chen Jinshu jumped into the river and swam downstream. At first, her vision was blurry, but once she channeled spiritual energy into her eyes, the view beneath the surface became crystal clear.

"The water quality's not bad."

There were many spirit fish and ordinary fish in the river, but most had just barely reached the level of spirit beasts. Other than a faint spiritual presence, they held limited value.

To a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Chen Jinshu, they were practically worthless. The locals of Yulian City likely weren't strong enough to capture these fish, which explained why the creatures thrived without fear.

Soon, Chen Jinshu followed the changes in the river's spiritual energy and its flow until she discovered a large underwater cave, about three zhang (10 meters) wide. Inside were several discarded snake skins, along with broken rocks and fish bones.

"This must be the snake demon's lair. I didn't expect it to be this large."

The lair was located about twenty to thirty zhang (~60–100 meters) below the river surface—quite deep.

Just then, she spotted a few flashes of red light coming from inside the lair. She swam quickly, rummaging through the lair, and soon uncovered five blood-red stones. They were semi-transparent, resembling red jade, but with more luster.

"What kind of spiritual material is this?"

Chen Jinshu tried to recall anything similar from the mineral and spiritual material records she had read, but nothing matched these blood-colored stones.

"They resemble Bloodstones, most likely formed from the long-term refinement of demonic beasts' essence blood after death."

She guessed that these stones were directly linked to the snake demon's evolution. It was likely these very stones that had stimulated its dragon bloodline, allowing it to form dragon horns before reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

"I'll call them Flood Dragon Bloodstones for now."

After collecting the five stones, Chen Jinshu noticed something else unusual in the snake demon's lair—the spiritual energy here was much more concentrated than in other areas.

"It's the core Spirit Eye of the spiritual vein."

All spiritual veins have a core area—a Spirit Eye—where spiritual energy is most abundant and constantly evolving. In higher-grade veins, Spirit Crystals may even form. These crystals are incredibly valuable, useful not only for cultivation but also for advancing a spiritual vein's level. Such rare items are usually never taken, unless the spiritual vein is dying and someone needs to extract its last bit of value.

"This snake demon really knew how to pick a good spot."

Chen Jinshu sighed, then swam back to the surface. The Spirit Eye wasn't something she could take—it belonged to the people of Yulian City and the wandering cultivators secretly cultivating in the area. It was not ownerless, and taking it might cause the vein to wither, entangling her in unwanted karmic consequences.

Half an hour later

After dismantling the formation outside the city, Chen Jinshu arrived at the City Lord's mansion.

"Senior, may I ask… was the snake demon eliminated?" the City Lord asked with a respectful smile.

"Yes. It was raised by a demonic cultivator."

"A… a demonic cultivator? What level? If he comes for revenge, we…"

The City Lord paled. If the one who raised such a powerful demon beast came seeking vengeance, would they survive?

"Don't worry. I've already killed him. But his background is still unclear. From now on, be extremely cautious. If anyone comes asking questions, say nothing. Otherwise, no one will be able to protect you."

"Many thanks, Senior, for saving us. I've prepared wine and food—please, join us."

"No need. I'm leaving now. If something comes up, just call for me."

"By the way—where exactly is the Aquamarine Ore Vein you reported?"

Suddenly remembering, Chen Jinshu turned and asked.

"It's about 500 li east of here. Several rogue cultivators are already there, waiting to assist you with the inspection."

"Alright, I'll head there now."

With that, she disappeared. Her mission had been to eliminate the snake demon or gather intel. The demon hadn't been as strong as expected—it was the cultivator behind it who posed the real threat. Now, she needed to verify the ore vein's size and quality.

Half an hour later

When Chen Jinshu landed at a thatched hut, she was met by three rogue cultivators watching her with guarded eyes. They were clearly trying to gauge her identity and purpose.

"I'm a disciple of Xuanming Sect. Here to inspect the ore."

"We greet you, Senior!" the three immediately lowered their heads in deference.

"Good. Take me there."

The group led her to a three-zhang-deep mining pit, filled with tools and aquamarine-colored glowing stones embedded in the walls. With a wave of her sword, she cut off a piece and examined it carefully.

"Decent quality."

"The City Lord told us to stop at three zhang depth. After reporting it to your sect, we haven't dug any further."

"What about the ore already mined? Our sect is acquiring it."

"The ore's with the City Lord. We were only given about ten jin (5 kg) as a share."

"That'll do. I'll go settle with him later."

Chen Jinshu nodded. This deal wasn't for her sect—it was for her spiritual herb garden. The water-element spiritual energy in this aquamarine ore was excellent. If buried in soil, it would enhance the water aura for spirit plants.

Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, explosions echoed from the direction of Yulian City.

"What happened in the city?!" The three rushed outside.

From five hundred li away, they could still see thick black and white smoke rising over the city. The situation clearly wasn't good. The three men immediately took off toward the city.

"You'll only be going to your deaths," Chen Jinshu called out, stopping them.

Given the situation, it was highly likely that the organization behind the old Taoist had finally arrived.