Xuan Tie Jing, produced within Xuan Tie ore veins, condenses the essence of Xuan Tie. It takes tens of thousands of years for a piece of Xuan Tie Jing the size of a fist to form.
The output of Xuan Tie Jing from each vein is extremely scarce.
The He family rewards miners with one spirit stone for every 100 jin of Xuan Tie ore they excavate.
However, for Xuan Tie Jing unearthed, the price reaches 100 spirit stones per jin.
If it can be sold elsewhere, the price can increase by more than 100 times.
A piece of Xuan Tie Jing the size of a fist weighs at least five jin. Even if honestly handed over to the He family's stationed cultivators, one can receive over 500 spirit stones.
For Qi Refining rogue cultivators, this is already a fortune.
When the leader of the mine thugs obtained such a treasure, the best course of action was naturally to keep it for himself.
They had successfully smuggled in flying swords, so why would a fist-sized ore be any different?
At this moment, in a mining tunnel, a subordinate of the mine thugs, after removing his trousers, timidly approached the leader.
"Boss! Go easy on me."
The subordinate glanced at the fist-sized ore in the leader's hand, feeling extremely nervous. He had never experienced anything this large in his life.
"Slap!"
The leader of the mine thugs casually slapped, the sound crisp and loud.
"Hmm! Don't worry, after we get out, I'll buy you the best healing medicine."
As the leader spoke, he spat on the ore and then aimed at a certain chrysanthemum...
"Ah! Ah! Ah..."
A heart-wrenching howl echoed through the mine tunnel, causing rocks and soil to fall from the cave walls.
An hour later, the mine thugs and their group, carrying sacks full of ore, walked towards the mine exit.
"Hurry up, try to look natural."
The leader of the mine thugs patted his subordinate, who trembled slightly with every step.
"Boss, it hurts so much!"
"Bear with it a little longer. Once we're out, I'll treat you to the best food and drinks. Look, haven't I also inserted a flying sword into myself?"
The leader of the mine thugs put his arm around the subordinate's shoulder as they walked out.
When their group reached the exit and handed over all their ore baskets to the guards for weighing and pricing, along with previously submitted ore, they had a total of 80 spirit stones.
Then they entered a stone chamber, removed their clothes, and underwent inspection.
This He family cultivator might have had peculiar hobbies, or perhaps it was due to his profession, but he was nicknamed "Miao Ren Feng" (Peeking Man Phoenix).
And this "peeking" indeed revealed a problem.
"There's smuggling!"
Miao Ren Feng immediately reached for the mine thugs' subordinates.
"Attack!"
The leader of the mine thugs was also decisive. He reached behind him and drew out a magical artifact flying sword, stained with blood and filth.
"Ah!"
Miao Ren Feng let out a scream, and his head was severed.
"Run!"
The leader of the mine thugs grabbed his clothes and threw them on, about to bolt. The other subordinates had nothing valuable hidden in their clothes and fled naked.
Just then, the He family's stationed cultivators also reacted and immediately moved to surround them.
The ten He family stationed cultivators had an average cultivation level of Qi Refining Stage Eight or higher, and each possessed a magical artifact. Some even wore expensive enchanted robes, making them fully armed.
In this brief moment, several subordinates of the mine thugs were already cut down.
Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, the leader of the mine thugs pulled out a talisman from his pocket and slapped it onto himself.
The talisman emitted a glow that enveloped him, carrying him into the air as he flew away.
"Flying Talisman!"
"Alas, we can't catch up."
Several He family guards could only return to handle the aftermath of the battle.
When they retrieved a piece of Xuan Tie Jing the size of a fist from a subordinate of the mine thugs, everyone's expression changed drastically.
"So it's a piece of Xuan Tie Jing!"
"Quick! Send this piece of Xuan Tie Jing back to the clan."
The guards realized that the news had leaked from the miner who had just escaped and needed to be sent back quickly to prevent it from being snatched.
However, just as the guards prepared to leave, they saw a beam of light rapidly approaching from the distance.
As the light drew closer, they realized it was a Foundation Establishment expert flying on a sword.
Only when cultivators reach the Foundation Establishment stage can they fly on their swords.
Qi Refining cultivators could only fly with the help of specialized flying artifacts or talismans, but these were very expensive and unaffordable for most cultivators.
The Foundation Establishment cultivator flew to the He family's stationed cultivators and stopped, staring at them coldly.
Although the He family cultivators did not recognize the newcomer, they quickly bowed and paid their respects.
"Hand over the Xuan Tie Jing to me, and I will spare your lives."
These He family cultivators were not unyielding or righteous individuals. They immediately and honestly handed over the Xuan Tie Jing.
The Foundation Establishment cultivator took the Xuan Tie Jing, examined its authenticity with his divine sense, and with a flip of his hand, the Xuan Tie Jing disappeared from his grasp.
Then, a sword light rose from the Foundation Establishment cultivator, streaking through the sky like a meteor.
In their haste, the He family's stationed cultivators could only widen their eyes before seeing their heads roll to the ground.
The Foundation Establishment cultivator killed the He family cultivators with a single sword strike, then released a fireball, burning the corpses to ashes.
This Foundation Establishment expert was also skilled in murder and treasure-snatching. After dealing with the corpses, he thoroughly searched the few houses at the outpost, obtaining over 1000 jin of Xuan Tie ore.
Still not satisfied, he unleashed several spells at the mine entrance, causing it to completely collapse and seal.
This way, with no one to report, it would take at least a month for the He family to know about the situation.
At the same time, Xiao Fei, inside the mine tunnel, suddenly heard a series of dull roars. The entire mine tunnel was shaking, and cracks appeared on the walls in many places, causing collapses.
"The mine tunnel has collapsed!"
"Run!"
Someone shouted, and everyone fled towards the exit, only to find the mine tunnel already blocked.
"We're doomed!"
These mining tunnels were relatively rudimentary, lacking any safety measures.
Even without attacks, collapses occurred from time to time. Now, with violent bombardment, large sections of the tunnel had caved in.
Some unlucky miners were directly buried within.
These low-level Qi Refining cultivators were stronger than ordinary people, but far from being able to move mountains and fill seas. Now trapped in the mine tunnel, they were powerless.
Each person in the mine tunnel carried only a day's worth of dry rations and water. After the initial panic, some had already begun to rob others for food.
Several acquaintances joined forces, using their mining picks as weapons to rob other isolated cultivators.
Xiao Fei was stopped by three cultivators and obediently handed over his portion of dry rations and water.
Afterward, he encountered several more groups of miners robbing for food within the tunnel.
By this time, lone miners were also seeking to join groups for protection.
Xiao Fei had no intention of joining a group for the time being. He had been walking through the mine tunnel, trying to find a place to hide.