At the depths of the mine.
A secluded passage.
Gu Qing Shan crouched down in a dark corner, took out the Chao Yin sword and asked: “Chao Yin, I’m going to try and see if I can borrow your power”
——if [Jade Cultivation Deep Shadow] can allow me to use my swords’ abilities and even improve them by one level, that would simply be unimaginably powerful!
Gu Qing Shan circulated his Huang Quan Origin power and infused it into the mask.
The Samsara Wicked Mask called [Jade Cultivation] began to exude an eerie power.
Suddenly, the Chao Yin sword began sobbing in a stifled voice.
“What’s the matter?” Gu Qing Shan asked in surprise.
The Earth sword’s heavy mountainous voice resounded: 「 You can’t, Gu Qing Shan, your mask can absorb our powers, but this absorption is an immense demerit to us 」
Luo Bing Li’s voice also followed up: “If the Earth sword and I were to combine into the Abyssal Soul Artifact, we would be able to resist this mask—— but now that the Earth sword and I are in a separated state, if you used the mask on us, it would harm our foundations from the perspective of Law”
Gu Qing Shan asked: “Shannu, what about you?”
Shannu replied: “Gongzi, I’m not afraid of the mask, so if you want to take a Thaumaturgy from me, you can do it”
Gu Qing Shan was startled and asked: “Then, would you get hurt?”
Shannu replied: “I won’t, but I might fall into a long slumber”
“How could I do that?” Gu Qing Shan sighed and concluded: “It seems that everything within the Wraith realm is wicked in one way or another. I can’t easily use them”
He gave up on that thought and began heading into the deepest parts of the tunnel.
“Xiao Seng, you can go out now” Gu Qing Shan muttered.
Zhao Xiao Seng abruptly appeared.
He quickly sensed the chaotic situation of the mine.
The situation outside was still under riot, with the mining cultivators attempting to kill each other in order to take the minerals for themselves, the fluctuations of energy could be felt even here.
“Benefactor Gu, where are we? What’s going on with those wraith cultivators?” he asked.
“We are currently inside a mine; we need to lay low for a bit, the situation right now is a bit chaotic” Gu Qing Shan said.
Zhao Xiao Seng took a deep breath.
In the air, the stench of blood was getting increasingly thicker, desperate cries and screams kept on resounding without a stop.
There were people dying at every waking moment.
“Amitabha” Zhao Xiao Seng truly couldn’t help himself, displaying a sorrowful expression and clasping his hands together into a praying motion: “May these people be led away to a better place after death, Namo Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva” (TN: it’s a Buddhist prayer)
Gu Qing Shan whispered: “Someone’s coming”
The two of them both retracted their power fluctuations.
Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps could be heard, just before a cultivator wearing a yaksha mask leapt out from the darkness.
His clothes were full of blood marks, the pickaxe in his hand still dripping with blood. As soon as he saw Gu Qing Shan, he laughed maniacally: “Bahahaha, Old Fifth Chen, you coward, so you were hiding in this branch mine—– hand over all the Cloud Pattern Immortal Jade you dug up or I’m going to kill you!”
Gu Qing Shan’s expression didn’t change at all as he reached his hand to grab his sword from the void of space.
Zhao Xiao Seng held his hand down.
“What is it?” Gu Qing Shan leisurely asked, but his tone contained some killing intent.
Zhao Xiao Seng appeared sorrowful and whispered: “This man’s heart of killing might be intense, but he is still a living being. Why don’t benefactor Gu just give the minerals to him and avoid falling into Huang Quan after death due to accumulated killing karma”
Gu Qing Shan was surprised, then changed his tone: “Fake monk, I really didn’t expect you to actually have such a kind heart”
He pulled back his hand and kicked his basket over.
Gu Qing Shan wasn’t someone who lived to kill, so when his companion had asked for it, he would also not kill.
—–since Zhao Xiao Seng had asked me not to kill, he definitely has a way to reasonably resolve this matter.
The cultivator on the other side caught the basket and counted, muttering under his breath: “Right, the Cloud Pattern Immortal Jade mine had only just been discovered half an hour ago, being able to dig up this much is already your limit”
After saying that, his killing intent faded somewhat.
“Amitabha, benefactor has received the minerals, please leave now” Zhao Xiao Seng said.
The cultivator was about to leave, but then he looked back at Zhao Xiao Seng.
He turned towards Gu Qing Shan, then at Zhao Xiao Seng again, displaying an expression of abrupt understanding.
“Old Fifth Chen, you sly dog, you actually brought a helper into the mine!”
The cultivator decided not to leave and instead stepped forward again.
“What now?” Gu Qing Shan asked Zhao Xiao Seng in a whisper.
Zhao Xiao Seng smiled bitterly, keeping up his praying motion: “This one’s greed and killing heart had both acted up, let me talk to and persuade—-”
He was abruptly cut off from the other side.
That cultivator shouted with a voice filled with killing intent: “Oi, monk over there, what did you dig up here?”
“Amitabha, benefactor, there is no need for you to be so obsessed with mere rocks, in truth—–”
The cultivator cut him off again, insulting him: “I don’t need your damn nonsense, baldie. Hurry up and hand over whatever ore you’ve hidden away!”
Zhao Xiao Seng became silent.
A large metal club abruptly appeared in his hand.
The large metal club flew like a bolt of lightning——
Bam!!!
Intense wind picked up, the ground shook.
Immense violence ensued.
Some pebbles and dust were even falling from the roof of the tunnel.
Gu Qing Shan stood waiting silently for a few moments before walking up to pick up the yaksha mask.
——-this cultivator’s mask was the same as old Fifth Chen, both only equipped with an ability to find minerals.
It seems that everyone in the mine was the same rank without any clear distinction.
He couldn’t help but ask: “Xiao Seng, didn’t you say you wanted them to be led by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva?”
“Leading them is the Bodhisattva’s matter, but sending them on their way is Xiao Seng’s matter” Zhao Xiao Seng replied.
Apparently feeling that his words were a bit belligerent, Zhao Xiao Seng put the metal club away and awkwardly followed up: “Benefactor Gu, I’m actually not bald, it’s just that my hair is a bit thin. And since my heart seeks Buddhism, I purposely shaved my head”
Gu Qing Shan was speechless.
So that was the real reason why you attacked.
He was asking about the ore, who cares about your hair?
You’re just too sensitive!
Gu Qing Shan looked at the mass of pulpy flesh on the wall, then sighed: “It would have been better to just let me erase him with my sword, at least it wouldn’t be like what you did here, splattering blood all over the place”
“Amitabha, Xiao Seng’s anger was indeed roused, but he dared call me baldie, this alone Xiao Seng cannot forgive”
“…Zhao Xiao Seng”
“Yes?”
“I think that even after the Apocalypses are over, you still wouldn’t be able to tonsure…”
Gu Qing Shan waved his hand, summoning the basket back in front of them.
Gu Qing Shan took out a long piece of green jade from inside the basket and commented: “It seems this entire riot was caused by the discovery of this ‘Cloud Pattern Immortal Jade’ ore vein”
Zhao Xiao Seng explained: “I know this kind of ore. It contains 500 times as much spirit energy as regular spirit stones, a type of crucial currency among high-levelled cultivators”
Gu Qing Shan nodded: “No wonder they were all so maniacal—– if this was truly an ore of such value, someone would most likely come to suppress this riot very soon”
While they were talking, a loud voice resounded throughout the entire mine.
“All mining cultivators are to stop your struggling. You have 30 breaths’ worth of time to leave the mine, anyone still inside will be killed without question!”
Gu Qing Shan glanced at Zhao Xiao Seng.
“Amitabha, benefactor Gu, I leave everything else to you now. If there is an issue when it comes to battle or time, you’re welcome to call me for help” Zhao Xiao Seng said.
“I understand ‘battle’, but what do you mean by ‘time’?” Gu Qing Shan asked.
“Other than delivering living beings from torment, if there is any mistake you make during your time with the wraiths, Xiao Seng would be able to use temporal magic to aid you a bit”
Zhao Xiao Seng’s figure disappeared without a trace.
He seems to have a connection with the Cang Hai Heavenly Ark that allowed him to return to that treasure at a moment’s notice.
Several breaths’ worth of time had gone by while they talked.
Gu Qing Shan quickly picked up a pickaxe, carried the basket on his back, then headed to the entrance of the mine with a set of tattered clothing.
