173: Chapter 173 Submission

"Roar...!"

The fierce battle continued within the cave. Ye Jing did not act himself, instead watching the Yao Beasts he had tamed continuously surround and attack the Golden Corrosion Insect Queen.

He thought to himself that the Demonic Beast Grotto-heaven opened up by the Immortal Willow was truly useful; he could summon and use the Yao Beasts he had placed by his juniors' sides at any time.

This way, he wouldn't need to exert so much effort to deal with these insects himself.

Hei Feng's sharp teeth pierced through the Queen's outer carapace. A viscous golden liquid dripped from the corners of its mouth, carrying a dense metallic Qi.

The Golden Corrosion Insect Queen let out a shrill roar, her body erupting with intense golden light as she tried to break free from Hei Feng's Bite.

However, Xiao Yu's lightning had already coiled around her wings, spreading throughout her body and scorching her flesh, making it impossible for her to control even a fraction of her spiritual power.

Xiao Chi stood guard to the side, his surrounding flames incinerating any Golden Erosion Insects that tried to swarm closer into ash.

These Golden Erosion Insects were quickly subdued.

Ye Jing stood with his hands behind his back in the center of the cave, watching the battle with a gratified gaze.

He stepped forward slowly. Looking down at the subdued Golden Corrosion Insect Queen, he said sternly, "Will you submit to me, or die?!"

His words were direct, causing the Queen to hiss. Yao Beasts had always yielded to the strong, and she quickly lowered her head.

The Golden Erosion Insects that had been attacking the Fire Crystal Armor also gradually ceased their assault, obediently prostrating themselves on the ground.

Seeing this, Ye Jing did not hesitate and immediately used one hundred points of Immortal Light to tame her.

After the taming was complete, Ye Jing had the three Yao Beasts release the Golden Corrosion Insect Queen.

The Golden Corrosion Insect Queen broke free from her restraints and then flapped her wings, flying to Ye Jing's side.

Ye Jing took out crimson blood fruits and Spirit Beast Pellets as rewards for the three Yao Beasts, then waved his hand to send them back to the Demonic Beast Grotto-heaven to rest.

The Golden Corrosion Insect Queen was not interested in the spiritual fruits and Medicinal Pills in Ye Jing's hand, and she followed him honestly.

After dealing with the Golden Corrosion Insect Queen, Ye Jing finally turned his gaze toward the pit. He could clearly sense that besides the exposed gold Ore on the ground, there were even denser fluctuations of metallic spiritual energy coming from further ahead.

Clearly, that was the location of the spiritual mine he was looking for. It had previously been occupied by the Golden Erosion Insect swarm, making it impossible for him to proceed, but now that he had subdued the Golden Corrosion Insect Queen, this spiritual mineral vein naturally belonged to him.

Several caves of varying sizes were located there.

Ye Jing took out a Talisman and threw it inside to probe the area. Seeing no signs of Yao Beasts, he slowly walked into the depths of the cave.

The further in he went, the denser the metallic spiritual energy became.

Before long, a patch of Ore shimmering with golden light appeared before his eyes.

That was extremely high-purity Gold Spirit Mine, and its reserves appeared to be abundant. If mined, it would be an excellent material whether used for Cultivation or for refining Magical Artifacts.

"As expected, it is a high-quality spiritual mine," a hint of joy flashed in Ye Jing's eyes.

Then he felt a bit troubled. He had found the spiritual mine, but how was he to transport it back home?

Furthermore, this place seemed relatively close to the Lingxiao Sect. If those Sect Disciples found out he had discovered a mine containing so much Gold Spirit Mine, it would be troublesome.

While fretting, he looked at the covetous Golden Corrosion Insect Queen behind him and thought of her talent for digging, as well as the Teleportation Arrays in the Tiangong Market.

He immediately had an idea. Why not bury this pit underground and use the Golden Erosion Insects' digging ability to mine the Gold Spirit Mine within the tunnels, then use a Teleportation Array to send it to Lingyun Valley?

Moreover, the Golden Erosion Insects possessed a special Divine Ability that could mask the properties of metallic spiritual mines. Underground, they should be able to better isolate it from the probes of other Cultivators.

This way, he could turn this spiritual mine into a resource for the Ye Family.

Thinking of this, Ye Jing flew out of the cave and began his old tradition, summoning all the Golden Erosion Insects.

Then he raised the sword in his hand and slashed repeatedly at the massive cave.

He hovered above the cave, his sword glowing with a faint spiritual power. His movements were as agile as a shadow, and the sword light flashed brilliantly.

Every time he swung his sword down, it carried powerful spiritual energy.

With a loud "boom," the rocks at the edge of the cave shattered, and rubble tumbled down, kicking up a cloud of dust that filled the air.

Ye Jing's sword strikes followed a rhythmic pattern, each hit landing precisely on a key location at the cave's entrance. He needed to completely block the entrance while avoiding any impact on the Gold Spirit Mine deep inside.

After the sword lights intertwined, the originally deep pit was gradually covered by the surrounding rubble, leaving only a narrow slit barely large enough for the Golden Erosion Insects to enter and exit.

This was a marker he had intentionally left to facilitate directing the Golden Erosion Insects' mining in the future.

Seeing this, Ye Jing commanded the Golden Corrosion Insect Queen to take her offspring and guard the Gold Spirit Mine well. Aside from the Ores in the cave that contained metallic spiritual energy which were not to be touched, she could take whatever else she wanted.

The Golden Corrosion Insect Queen vibrated her wings happily upon hearing this and led her offspring into the crevice.

Seeing this, Ye Jing thought to himself that he should go find the Market Master of Tiangong Market, Bai Qian, to ask for a few more Teleportation Arrays.

His figure blurred as he flew out of the desolate valley, heading toward Tiangong Market on his sword.

Before long, at Tiangong Market.

The Market Master's Pavilion.

Ye Jing had built up quite a reputation in Tiangong Market by now, so the Cultivators in the pavilion were mostly familiar with his face.

Inside the residence, an Immortal Attendant said respectfully to Ye Jing, "Boss Ye, the Market Master is currently entertaining an esteemed guest. Please wait a moment."

Ye Jing saw that the attendant merely brought him to the courtyard and left him to wait.

After an unknown amount of time, the pavilion doors opened, and Bai Qian's voice drifted over: "Head of the Li Family, I apologize for not seeing you out!"

Ye Jing saw that Bai Qian's esteemed guest was a man dressed in a purple robe. His cultivation was restrained, but it was unfathomably deep.

He had an arrogant gaze and nodded slightly. His eyes swept coldly over Ye Jing, who was waiting to the side, but he said nothing and strode away.

After the man left, the smile gradually faded from Bai Qian's face as he said to Ye Jing, "Boss Ye, what business do you have with me?"

Ye Jing noticed the Market Master's dismissive attitude but did not show any dissatisfaction. He was currently just a Qi Refining Cultivator, someone insignificant in the eyes of these Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

He bowed and said, "Market Master Bai, I have come to request another Teleportation Array."

Upon hearing this, Bai Qian's brow twitched slightly, his tone becoming somewhat suspicious.

He did not invite Ye Jing inside, instead standing in the courtyard and asking indifferently, "A Teleportation Array? Boss Ye, what do you need so many Teleportation Arrays for?"

Although Bai Qian had many Teleportation Arrays, a shop usually only needed one at most. Why would he need several?

Seeing this, Ye Jing said, "Business for the goods in my shop has been improving lately, and the stock I previously accumulated is nearly sold out. I have contacted several suppliers, but they are quite scattered, so I need to add another Teleportation Array."

Hearing this, Bai Qian didn't harbor much suspicion. After all, this old man truly had some skill; the shop he opened had attracted many Cultivators to his Tiangong Market.

He then nodded and said, "In that case, I will give you one. But let's get this straight beforehand: the rent for the Teleportation Array is fifty Spirit Stones a month, payable monthly."

Ye Jing nodded. "I will keep that in mind."