381: Chapter 375 Fearing to alert the enemy and attract a beast tide

He stole a glance at Chen Zhiwen and, finding no signs of anger, breathed a slight sigh of relief, though the clothes on his back were already soaked with sweat.

"Therefore, the Disciples of the Ore Seeking Hall dare not act rashly, fearing that they might alert the enemy and invite a beast tide."

Ye Yuhang lowered his head deeply, explaining at a rapid pace.

He was terrified that Chen Zhiwen would blame them for their incompetence, so he gripped the corners of his clothes tightly, waiting for the final verdict.

After listening, Chen Zhiwen nodded slightly.

He was not the type of tyrant who was unreasonable and only knew how to suppress his subordinates blindly.

Faced with a second-order Yao Beast leader, it was indeed inadvisable for those mining Disciples, who were only at the Qi Refinement Stage and Golden Core Stage, to fight head-on.

If they were to rush forward out of greed for merit, leading to the deaths of a large number of Disciples, that would truly be a loss that outweighed the gain.

Moreover, the energy of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect must now be focused on dealing with the Deng and Pu families.

They could not afford to create complications in the rear.

"It was right for you to hold your ground. The current situation is delicate, so caution is fine."

Chen Zhiwen's tone softened slightly.

He picked up the spiritual tea on the table and took a sip, his deep gaze fixed on Ye Yuhang, with a hint of approval and reassurance in his eyes.

Hearing this, Ye Yuhang felt as if he had been granted an amnesty.

He let out a long, heavy breath.

His whole body felt as if it had collapsed, and his previously taut nerves finally relaxed.

"Yuhang, listen carefully."

Chen Zhiwen put down the teacup and leaned forward slightly.

The gentleness on his face instantly vanished, replaced by the unique dignity and dominance of someone in a high position. An invisible pressure immediately enveloped the entire hall.

Ye Yuhang shuddered.

He immediately straightened his back, perked up his ears, and did not even dare to breathe loudly.

"If this time, in your search for mines, you can truly find even one piece of Immeasurable Mysterious Crystal for the Sect."

Chen Zhiwen said, enunciating every word.

His gaze was locked tightly onto Ye Yuhang's eyes, as if he wanted to see through his Soul, and his tone was filled with unquestionable certainty.

"I will take it upon myself to waive all the debts your Family owes the Sect!"

Chen Zhiwen threw out his first heavy bargaining chip.

He waved his hand, his wide sleeves stirring up a gust of wind, demonstrating his absolute authority as the Grand Elder of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.

Ye Yuhang's eyes widened, and his breathing instantly became heavy.

In order to Cultivate him as a miner, the Ye Family had long since been buried in debt.

This huge debt was like a mountain, pressing down so hard that generations of the Ye Family could not catch their breath.

Now, with a single sentence, Chen Zhiwen had given them a chance to turn things around.

"Not only that."

Watching Ye Yuhang's excited appearance, a slight, imperceptible sneer curled at the corner of Chen Zhiwen's mouth.

He knew well that to make someone work for him with absolute devotion, simply waiving punishment was not enough; one had to offer sufficiently tempting benefits.

"If you can mine more Immeasurable Mysterious Crystal, enough to satisfy me."

Chen Zhiwen's voice became full of temptation.

He seemed to have transformed into a demon god tempting Mortals to fall, every word fiercely stirring the deepest greed in Ye Yuhang's heart.

"I will grant your Ye Family permanent possession of an affiliated island with abundant Spiritual Qi around Heavenly Sword Island, for your Family to manage for generations!"

Chen Zhiwen finally played his trump card.

He stared intensely at Ye Yuhang, waiting for his reaction. He knew that no Cultivator Family could refuse this condition.

The hall was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

Ye Yuhang stood there blankly, his brain seemingly struck by a thunderbolt.

An island! To manage for generations!

This meant that the Ye Family would completely escape the fate of a Loose Cultivator Family and truly become a prestigious clan under the protection of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.

This was something his ancestors never dared to dream of.

"Thank you, Grand Elder! The entire Ye Family is willing to sacrifice everything for the Sect, even to the point of death!"

Ye Yuhang's knees went weak, and he knocked his head heavily on the bluestone floor.

Blood trickled from his forehead, but he was completely unaware. His voice became hoarse and roaring due to extreme excitement, and tears streamed from his eyes.

He had long been tired of the days of drifting outside, living from hand to mouth.

Moving the Family to live under the protection of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect had always been his greatest wish.

Now, this wish finally had the possibility of being realized.

In fact, regarding that "Immortal Carp Spitting Spring" formation.

Ye Yuhang still hid a massive secret in his heart.

He lay on the ground, his body trembling slightly from excitement, but inwardly he was secretly rejoicing that he had held something back.

According to the records in the Ye Family's ancestral secret manual for vein seeking.

Once the Immortal Carp Spitting Spring formation is formed, the actual probability of producing Immeasurable Mysterious Crystal is not 50%.

It is as high as 70%!

However, he did not dare to be too full of himself.

The Cultivation world is unpredictable; if they didn't find the Mysterious Crystal in the end and angered this decisive and ruthless Grand Elder, the Ye Family would likely face annihilation.

Keeping a 20% margin was his survival wisdom as a low-level Cultivator.

"Go down and prepare. This matter is classified as the Sect's highest secret."

Chen Zhiwen waved his hand, issuing an order to leave.

He closed his eyes again, appearing somewhat weary, and no longer looked at Ye Yuhang, who was kneeling on the ground.

Ye Yuhang respectfully kowtowed three times.

Only then did he carefully retreat from the hall, turn, and disappear into the night, his steps so light that he felt ten years younger.

The hall returned to its cold silence.

Chen Zhiwen sat alone for a while, just about to get up and return to the back hall to Cultivate.

Suddenly, his vast and keen Divine Sense detected a trace of extremely subtle Spiritual Qi fluctuation.

This fluctuation came from the side room's courtyard.

That was the place where he had just arranged for Huang Xia to rest.

Chen Zhiwen's eyes instantly turned as cold as frost.

He stood up abruptly, his figure flashing and turning into an afterimage, silently sweeping out of the hall.

On his own turf, someone dared to engage in underhanded tricks; this touched his reverse scale.

Inside the side room's courtyard.

The moonlight was like water, spilling onto the bluestone slabs.

Nie Chunxia, dressed in a water-green palace gown, was holding Huang Xia's hand, sitting on a stone bench.

She had a gentle smile on her face, like a neighborly sister caring for a Junior.

But Chen Zhiwen's Divine Sense clearly captured a wisp of Nie Chunxia's extremely condensed Spiritual Qi, which was quietly probing into Huang Xia's body along her wrist.

That wisp of Spiritual Qi was like a wandering snake, heading straight for Huang Xia's Dantian.

"What are you doing?"

Chen Zhiwen did not appear, but a cold, bone-chilling voice exploded directly in Nie Chunxia's ears.

He walked slowly out of the darkness, his face so gloomy that it seemed water could drip from it. The surrounding air temperature plummeted, as if they had instantly entered the dead of winter.

Nie Chunxia trembled violently.

She released Huang Xia's hand as if she had been electrocuted.

That face, which was usually cold, arrogant, and bright, was now filled with undisguisable shock and panic.

What had she just probed?

A mutated Ice Spiritual Root!

And it was a top-grade Ice Spiritual Root with extremely high purity and almost no Impurities!

Such a Heaven-Defying Aptitude was a Genius rarely seen in ten thousand years, even in a super Sect like the Heavenly Star Sect.

"I... I was just..."

Nie Chunxia stood up, stammering as she tried to explain.

She lowered her head, not daring to look directly into Chen Zhiwen's eyes, which seemed capable of devouring people. Her hands nervously twisted her silk handkerchief, and she had completely lost her usual composure.

She knew she had committed a major taboo.

Privately probing a Cultivator's Dantian and Spiritual Root was tantamount to provocation and prying into someone's biggest secret in the Cultivation world.

If it hadn't been for their friendship, Chen Zhiwen would have been capable of killing her instantly at that moment.

"I just saw that this girl was cute and wanted to give her a defensive Magical Artifact."

Nie Chunxia bit the bullet and found an excuse.

She hurriedly took out a bracelet emitting a soft blue light from her storage ring and shoved it into the hands of the bewildered Huang Xia, her hands trembling slightly.

"Curiosity can sometimes lead to fatal disasters."

Chen Zhiwen did not expose her clumsy lie.

He walked between the two, shielding Huang Xia behind him. His tone was chilling, and every word was a warning squeezed from between his teeth.

Nie Chunxia's face was pale, and she nodded, biting her lower lip.

She knew Chen Zhiwen's methods well.

Once this man turned hostile, he would be absolutely more cold-blooded and ruthless than anyone else.

"However, since you have already seen it, I will not hide it from you."

Seeing that the reprimand was enough, Chen Zhiwen's tone softened slightly.

With his hands behind his back, he looked at Nie Chunxia with a deep gaze, and a new plan had already quickly formed in his mind.

Nie Chunxia raised her head, looking at him with complex eyes.

She waited for Chen Zhiwen's next words, but her heart was still churning with stormy waves. She never expected that Chen Zhiwen would bring back such a terrifying Genius after going out once.

"After the war ends, I will teach her the 'Heavenly Elemental Cloud Water Technique'."

Chen Zhiwen calmly stated his arrangement.

He looked at Nie Chunxia, his eyes flashing with calculating light. This Cultivation Technique was extremely special and had miraculous effects on Ice and Water Spiritual Roots.

"At that time, I will need you to personally take action and help her open up all her Meridians."

Chen Zhiwen ordered in a tone that allowed no refusal.

He slightly lifted his chin, looking down at Nie Chunxia from a superior position, binding her completely to the chariot of Huang Xia's growth.

Nie Chunxia was stunned for a moment.

How clever she was; she instantly understood Chen Zhiwen's intention.

This was both a punishment and a reprimand for her reckless behavior just now, and also a disguised form of trust and entrustment.

Helping someone open their Meridians was not only time-consuming and labor-intensive but would also greatly consume one's own True Essence.

"I understand, I will do as you say."

Nie Chunxia gave a bitter smile and softly agreed.

She looked again at the ignorant and innocent Huang Xia hiding behind Chen Zhiwen, her heart filled with mixed feelings. Then, she bowed slightly and turned into a beam of light, leaving the courtyard.

Only Chen Zhiwen and Huang Xia were left in the courtyard.

Huang Xia held the blue bracelet in her hand, her eyes scanning back and forth between Chen Zhiwen and the direction in which Nie Chunxia had left.

Although she was young, her mind was very delicate.

"Senior Brother, is this Senior Nie... very close to you?"

Huang Xia asked cautiously.

She blinked her clear, large eyes, a hint of gossip on her face, mistakenly believing that the confrontation between the two just now was some kind of flirting between Dao Companions.