528: Enemy situation

“Welcome, Fellow Daoists!”

A booming voice echoed through the mine tunnel.

Walking towards them was a burly man, nine feet tall, with bronze skin on which Dragon patterns faintly moved. With each step he took, the ground trembled slightly, and his vital Qi and blood swirled around him like a True Dragon, clearly a Two-Step Dao Ancestor who had proven his Dao through Body Cultivation.

And he was precisely the City Lord of Ninety-Third Fortress—Ancient Barbarian Dao Ancestor!

Behind him, eight Cultivators of various forms stood silently.

A young man in green robes held an ancient guqin; a white-haired elder leaned on a coiled-Dragon staff; a beautiful woman wore a red veil; a middle-aged scholar held bamboo slips, on which characters moved like living things... These eight were all One-Step Dao Ancestors, yet at this moment, they all held their breath, their gazes fixed intently on Five Thunder Elders.

These people came here mainly because of the arrival of Five Thunder Elders. After all, Five Thunder Elders’ cultivation was not only powerful, but he also came from Main City Number One, giving him an extraordinary status.

“Ancient Barbarian greets the five Seniors!”

Surprisingly, Ancient Barbarian, also a Two-Step Dao Ancestor, solemnly performed a Junior’s bow. His rugged face was filled with respect, a stark contrast to his usual dignified City Lord image.

Gold Thunder Elder stroked his beard and smiled, a look of reminiscence in his eyes. “Fifteen thousand epochs have passed in a blink, and you, young man, have also reached this Realm.”

“If Senior hadn’t saved me back then, would there be today’s Ancient Barbarian?” City Lord Ancient Barbarian’s voice trembled slightly.

The gray-robed Wood Thunder Elder stroked his beard and chuckled, “I remember back then you were only at the Half-Ancestor Realm, besieged by three Chaos Ancient Beasts…”

“Seventy percent of your bones were broken,” Fire Thunder Elder interjected, a cluster of thunderfire dancing on his fingertips.

“You were sprawled in a cave like a dead dog,” Water Thunder Elder added.

“Now you at least look like a City Lord,” Earth Thunder Elder concluded.

The five elders recounted the embarrassing incident from back then, one after another. Far from being annoyed, Ancient Barbarian laughed heartily, clearly indicating a deep friendship with the five elders.

“As fellow Human Race members, seeing you in danger, it was natural to save you.” Gold Thunder Elder waved his hand, ending the conversation. “Let’s talk about the current situation.”

Ancient Barbarian’s expression became serious. “Five Seniors, all Fellow Daoists, please follow me. The banquet is ready, and we can discuss while we eat.”

This time, Five Thunder Elders did not refuse.

Xu Qing and the others certainly wouldn't refuse. At this moment, Xu Qing was very low-key, blending in with the Dao Ancestors, inconspicuous.

However, Xuanzhen, being a veteran Dao Ancestor, knew some people, so these social matters were left to Xuanzhen to handle.

They passed through the mine tunnel, where unmined Ancestral Crystal Ore could be seen embedded in the rock walls, emitting a faint glow.

Xu Qing lightly touched the rock wall, feeling the surging power of the Ancestral Vein. The quality of this ore vein was even higher than that of the Chaos Ancient Mine outside Eighty-First Fortress City.

“This ore vein was originally a Medium Grade Chaos Ancient Mine. As we dug deeper, we discovered ruin river sand, and after further exploration, we found the Ruin River Ancient Mine beneath!”

At this moment, the young man in green robes holding the ancient guqin explained.

Xu Qing thanked him and then asked, “I am Xu Qing. May I ask what Fellow Daoist’s name is?”

“So Fellow Daoist is Xu Qing!” The young man in green robes was surprised to hear this.

He had long heard of Xu Qing’s great name. After all, this was an invincible Dao Ancestor who, while in the Half-Ancestor Realm, had fought and killed a One-Step Body Cultivator Dao Ancestor, then devoured a Two-Step Dao Ancestor, and made a powerful Breakthrough.

Although the other party was currently only a One-Step Dao Ancestor, his combat power had probably already approached or even reached that of a Two-Step Dao Ancestor.

“I am Green Guqin. I am fortunate to meet Fellow Daoist today. Another day, let us drink until we drop!” the young man in green robes said.

“Definitely!”

Hearing the other party’s name, Xu Qing smiled and agreed.

This Green Guqin was also a man of deep affection. From birth, his Family had paved his way, and his wife was his childhood sweetheart, having grown up together.

However, on the day he was about to make a Breakthrough to Dao Ancestor, he encountered an attack from Tianyang aliens. His wife, to save him, died in front of him, with only a wisp of her remnant soul preserved by hiding in the ancient guqin.

Because the Dao injuries she suffered were too severe, she had not been able to revive for so many years. Later, he heard that the Holy Temple had Dao medicine for this, so he came to Ninety-Fourth Fortress City to become a Deputy City Lord, accumulating merit.

After a few turns, the view suddenly opened up.

In the center of a naturally formed cave, a banquet table carved from a single piece of Chaos Divine Jade glowed with a warm luster, laden with delicacies.

Most striking was the Thunder-Patterned Purple Sandalwood wine jar in the center. Xu Qing noticed that Five Thunder Elders’ eyes were fixed on the wine jar, unable to look away.

“Everyone, please take your seats,” Ancient Barbarian announced loudly. “Conditions are limited, so please bear with us. Furthermore, with the Black Crystal Blood Flame Clan lurking, we can only have a light drink today.”

“When the day comes, I will host a grand feast for everyone, and we can drink to our hearts’ content!”

“Hahahaha! Good!”

“Of course!”

Everyone laughed in agreement, and the cave immediately became lively.

After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere of the banquet gradually became solemn.

Gold Thunder Elder put down his wine cup and said in a deep voice, “Ancient Barbarian, tell us about the situation with the Black Crystal Blood Flame Clan. Tell everyone everything you know.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere at the banquet became heavy.

“Alright!” Ancient Barbarian Dao Ancestor put down his wine cup. “Among their thirteen Dao Ancestors, three require special attention.”

He held up a finger. “First and foremost, of course, is that Three-Step Dao Ancestor—Black Yuán Dao Ancestor!”

As this name was uttered, several gasps of cold air were heard at the table.

Five Thunder Elders’ brows also furrowed slightly. Xu Qing noticed that even Xuanzhen Dao Ancestor beside him had a solemn expression.

“I didn’t expect it to be him!”

Gold Thunder Elder frowned.

“Some of you here might not be familiar with this person.” Ancient Barbarian looked around at everyone. “Although Black Yuán is a newly promoted Three-Step Dao Ancestor, in the south of my Eternal, more than ten Dao Ancestors have fallen at his hands, including one Three-Step Dao Ancestor.”

“Now that his Realm has made a Breakthrough, his strength is even greater than before.”

A silence fell over the banquet.

“Everyone, rest assured.” Fire Thunder Elder suddenly slammed the table. “That Black Yuán will be handled by us five old fellows!”

The heavy atmosphere immediately eased considerably.

Ancient Barbarian continued, “The remaining two who need attention are Black Contract and Black Cave Dao Ancestors. These two have been cultivating in the Two-Step Dao Ancestor Realm for many years, only a hair’s breadth away from Three-Step.”

He looked at the two Dao Ancestors at the table who had been silent.

“However, with this Venerable One and Fellow Daoists Star and Dust acting as restraints, there should be no problem. As for other enemies, we have a numerical advantage, so defending the ore vein will not be an issue.”

Hearing this, everyone’s expressions relaxed considerably.

Only Five Thunder Elders, Ancient Barbarian, and the two Dao Ancestors, Star and Dust, who were named, had a trace of solemnity flash in their eyes.

This subtle expression was keenly captured by Xu Qing, who was quietly drinking his wine.

He swirled his wine cup, the amber liquid reflecting the faint light from the cave ceiling.

The worries of these veteran Dao Ancestors were not without reason. After all, the truly troublesome enemies were probably not those on the surface.

But what did he fear? His current strength, he didn’t even know what step it had reached.

This was a good opportunity to test his skills. He hoped that the Tianyang aliens who came this time wouldn’t be too weak, otherwise, it would be too unchallenging.