99: Chapter 99 Late Stage of Void Refinement

"Good dog, you actually didn't embezzle anything this time?"

"You've learned to be good, huh."

"Since you found this mine and helped organize the Spirit Stones so diligently,"

"I won't treat you unfairly."

"Come here~"

"A reward for you."

Zhao Yi was quite generous; he took out five High-Grade Spirit Stones and placed them in front of Approximate.

Approximate's eyes lit up, and it wagged its tail frantically, kicking up clouds of dust.

"Alright, alright, you'll wag your tail right off if you keep that up."

Zhao Yi put away the Spirit Stones. This really was a bountiful harvest.

But now, a multiple-choice question lay before him: should he improve his Cultivation first, or continue digging for Spirit Stones?

In the branch mine, wisps of chilly wind blew through, but they did not catch Zhao Yi's attention.

The hesitation lasted only a moment before Zhao Yi made his decision.

"Cultivation is the foundation of everything. Approximate, act as my Protector!"

He didn't bother picking a spot; he placed his pitch-black life-bound Magical Artifact brick underneath and then set up the thatched shed on top of it.

That would do.

Watching Zhao Yi enter the thatched shed, Approximate's eyes were full of confusion.

What does it mean to be a Protector?

Meanwhile, inside the shed, Zhao Yi was already summoning the System.

"System."

【Miner: Zhao Yi】

【Cultivation: Early Stage Void Refining (Can be upgraded)】

【experience points: 1368 / 400】

【Rewards: None】

"Upgrade my Cultivation!"

As soon as Zhao Yi's words fell, a massive amount of Spiritual Qi, mixed with a chilly aura, seemed unable to wait any longer and rushed directly into the divine infant.

The divine infant, which had been covered in spots, looked as if it had been washed; it quickly became smooth and clean.

This wasn't the end; the thumb-sized divine infant began to expand like a balloon being inflated.

In a short amount of time, it was filled to the size of an adult.

"Truly abnormal."

"Too violent."

"But, I like it."

After reaching the Nascent Soul, every Realm was a chasm. Just between the Early Stage and Middle Stage of Void Refining, Zhao Yi felt the difference was like heaven and earth.

Now, he could easily handle ten Early Stage Void Refining Cultivators.

"Hiss~"

This comparison of strength shocked Zhao Yi.

Good thing he hadn't been courting death and provoking that Mahayana Stage Ah Da; it was only because the Immovable Void Technique was abnormal that he was still alive, otherwise the grass on his grave would probably be three feet high by now.

"System."

【Miner: Zhao Yi】

【Cultivation: Middle Stage Void Refining (Can be upgraded)】

【experience points: 968 / 800】

【Rewards: None】

"Continue?"

Looking at the System panel, Zhao Yi actually felt a little timid.

"Is this Breakthrough happening too fast?"

He sensed himself; it seemed there were no mishaps.

Zhao Yi laughed at himself.

"I'm just pathetic."

"Back when I couldn't break through my Cultivation and was trapped at the Qi Refining Third Layer, I still dared to borrow four thousand Spirit Stones to take a gamble."

"Now that the System Breakthrough has never failed, I'm actually afraid."

"I'm going to be ruined."

"System, upgrade my Cultivation."

Cultivating fast?

Fast is right; if it's not fast, it's mediocre.

What does Zhao Yi have to fear?

Approximate had originally been pacing back and forth outside the thatched shed,

but when Zhao Yi prepared to break through to the Late Stage Void Refining, it seemed to sense something and actually transformed into golden characters, returning to the back of Zhao Yi's divine infant's head.

In the mine, time lost its meaning.

"This?"

Zhao Yi looked at himself with eyes closed in Cultivation, then looked down at himself.

The divine infant was now no different from the physical body; both could survive outside for long periods. The only difference was that the physical body was a material entity, while the divine infant was an energy entity.

"Late Stage Void Refining."

"Truly amazing."

"Hm?"

"What is that smell?"

A scent of blood wafted over.

Zhao Yi opened his eyes and quickly exited the thatched shed.

"Who?"

"Come out!"

Outside the thatched shed, it had actually turned into a sea of blood.

Or to be more specific, a boiling sea of blood.

If Zhao Yi hadn't used the Spiritual Artifact brick to cushion the ground beneath him, his closed-door Cultivation would likely have been interrupted by this sea of blood.

"How could there be blood in the mine?"

Zhao Yi followed the surge of the blood sea and saw the source.

It was exactly the place where he had dug out the Top-Grade Spirit Stone.

"What does this mean?"

"Did I dig into an artery?"

Having just broken through to the Late Stage Void Refining, Zhao Yi was incredibly bold.

Encountering this situation, not only did he not leave, but he instead packed up the thatched shed, used the brick as a boat, the great sumeru treasure hoe as an oar, and paddled over to the mine wall.

"I don't care if you're bleeding or not, don't hinder me from digging for Spirit Stones."

"Digging you!"

The great sumeru treasure hoe struck the mountain wall,

and the mountain rocks fell into the sea of blood, causing a sizzling sound and rising wisps of white smoke.

Zhao Yi saw the wall he was digging tremble, and more blood flowed out.

"Something's not right."

"Run!"

Zhao Yi felt as if he had been locked onto; his heart was in a panic, and his legs wouldn't listen to him.

"Damn it, stupid legs, what are you afraid of?"

"I know the Immovable Void Technique; saving my life is no problem."

"I also have the Spirit Stone Traverse Art; escaping is no problem, so move!"

Believe it or not, this kind of self-suggestion was quite effective, and Zhao Yi successfully broke free from that strange influence.

His legs were like wind-fire wheels, and he crashed straight out of the mine.

This crash was like hitting a hornet's nest; the originally boiling blood seemed to come alive,

turning into dense masses of blood monsters and surging toward Zhao Yi.

"Demons?"

In the Lesser Strange Spirit Stone Mine, Zhao Yi had seen Lesser Strange Demons, so he wasn't surprised that Spirit Stone-associated demons would appear in the mine.

But why were demons appearing in the Jishan Spirit Stone Mine now?

Wasn't this going to make him take the blame?

Steadying his figure in the mine, Zhao Yi held the brick in his right hand and the great sumeru treasure hoe in his left,

looking carefully at the blood-red monsters. They resembled roosters from Earth, but they had no feathers and were completely blood-red and bald.

And their strength was not low; most were at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.

A hairless Blood Chicken Demon was still a Blood Chicken Demon.

Looking at these Blood Chicken Demons, Zhao Yi thought to himself: "Trouble."

Those who came to the Jishan Spirit Stone Mine to dig for Spirit Stones were basically Qi Refining Stage Cultivators;

these Foundation Establishment Stage Blood Chicken Demons were completely beyond what they could handle.

"Die!"

Seeing one Blood Chicken Demon flying toward him, Zhao Yi smacked it with his brick.

It was smashed directly into blood.

But the thing that horrified Zhao Yi happened: that wasn't blood at all!

Those were shrunken Blood Chicken Demons, and the number had increased to an exaggerated thirty or forty.

"Damn, a Foundation Establishment Early Stage demon was smacked into dozens of Qi Refining Stage demons by one brick of mine?"

This near-fission method made Zhao Yi's scalp tingle.

"I don't believe it."

He couldn't cast Spells in the mine, so Zhao Yi could only use physical attacks.

"One brick."

"Two bricks."

"Three bricks."

"Very good!"

It took three bricks to kill one Blood Chicken Demon, so Zhao Yi turned and left.

"Too time-consuming, I need to get out and think of another way."

Inside the mine, the Cultivators who had originally been digging rushed out in a swarm.

People were not stupid.

Even before the Blood Chicken Demons arrived, the thick, bloody stench had already filled the entire mine.

Any normal person would know to run now.

Of course, there were those who were stubborn and overly curious, insisting on watching the commotion; that was just courting death.

Along the way, Zhao Yi had already seen dozens of Cultivators submerged and devoured by the Blood Chicken Demons.

At the mine entrance.

Ah San and the others were dumbfounded, watching the Cultivators rushing out of the mine like madmen.

"What on earth is going on?"

"There, there are demons."

"The mine is full of blood demons, dense and packed; it scared me to death."

This Foundation Establishment Cultivator was one of the few who had been overly curious but had managed to run away.

At this moment, his face was pale. After throwing the extracted Spirit Stones into the Formation frame, he collapsed,

and one could tell at a glance that he had been frightened quite badly.