132: Ore vein ownership

Outside Netherworld Valley, the Imperial Army's camp stretched for ten li, with banners flapping in the biting wind. The General Who Guards the Nation stood atop the camp gate, his brows tightly furrowed as he gazed at the faintly visible black mist barrier at the mouth of the valley.

"Great General, the people from Beyond Heaven are here." The Lieutenant General pointed to a team of riders galloping in the distance. The leader was Dark Blade, followed by Cheng Lingsu and thirty Luowang Assassinss, each carrying a heavy quiver on their backs.

A hint of complexity flashed in the General Who Guards the Nation's eyes—he had originally intended to monopolize the netherworld ore vein, but now he had no choice but to rely on the power of Beyond Heaven. He dismounted, cupped his hands, and said, "Lord Dark Blade, Miss Cheng, I've troubled you."

Dark Blade nodded faintly and tossed a jade bottle to the Lieutenant General: "This is the antidote refined by Miss Cheng. Have the soldiers take it in advance to prevent the Netherworld Cult's poison Gu. In half an hour, proceed as planned."

Cheng Lingsu added, "The quivers contain poisoned arrows dipped in seven star begonia pollen. After being shot into the black mist barrier, they will explode on their own, dispersing the Gu poison. But remember, although the cult members hit by the pollen will stiffen, they are not harmless; you must finish them off quickly."

The General Who Guards the Nation took the jade bottle and said in a deep voice, "This general understands."

*** Half an hour later, at the mouth of Netherworld Valley.

The black mist barrier suddenly churned violently, and eerie roars could vaguely be heard from within. The Netherworld Old Freak stood behind the barrier, looking at the Imperial Army arrayed outside, a cruel smile playing on his lips: "Little brat General Who Guards the Nation, with just your meager forces, you think you can break into my Netherworld Valley? Today, I'll let you taste the flavor of 'Ten Thousand Gu Devouring Heart'!"

He formed a hand seal, and countless illusory poisonous insects instantly appeared in the black mist, rushing towards the Imperial Army's camp.

"Fire!" the General Who Guards the Nation commanded.

The Imperial Army archers fired in unison, a rain of arrows like locusts, carrying a faint purple halo (seven star begonia pollen), shooting into the black mist barrier. With a sizzling sound, the black mist melted like ice and snow in the sun, and the illusory poisonous insects scattered.

"How is this possible?!" The Netherworld Old Freak was greatly alarmed; he had never seen a method that could counteract the Ten Thousand Gu Devouring Heart.

Just then, Dark Blade's figure flashed, transforming into an afterimage as he charged towards the barrier. His black and white twin swords combined, unleashing a Sword Qi tens of zhang long, forcefully splitting open a gap in the barrier.

"Kill!" The Luowang Assassinss surged into the gap like a tide, firing poisoned arrows in rapid succession. The Netherworld Cult members inside the valley, who had just rushed forward, were hit by the pollen and instantly stiffened in place, their eyes filled with terror but unable to move. They were quickly cut down by the advancing Imperial Army.

Cheng Lingsu followed closely, her silver needles flying, occasionally piercing the corpses on the ground—she was finishing off those cult members who were pretending to be stiff.

The black mist barrier rapidly dissipated under the erosion of the seven star begonia pollen, revealing the palace of white bones within the valley. The Netherworld Old Freak stood before the palace, a huge illusory Gu King formed by black mist around him, roaring as it pounced on Dark Blade.

"Dark Blade, face your death!"

Dark Blade did not dodge, black and white Dragon Qi condensed on his twin swords: "You? Not enough."

The twin Dragon Qi clashed with the illusory Gu King, erupting in a deafening roar. The illusory Gu King shattered inch by inch, and the Netherworld Old Freak spat out a mouthful of black blood, flying backward and crashing into a pillar of the palace.

"Cult Master!" A Shadow Slave rushed forward, dragging his injured body, and shielded the Netherworld Old Freak.

Dark Blade pierced the Shadow Slave's heart with a sword, his gaze coldly fixed on the Netherworld Old Freak: "Surrender, and you may keep your corpse intact."

The Netherworld Old Freak let out a tragic laugh and pulled out a black porcelain bottle from his Huai. "You want to capture me? Dream on! This Netherworld Valley will be your grave!" He violently threw the porcelain bottle to the ground, and the black liquid that gushed out instantly transformed into countless tiny Gu worms, spreading in all directions.

"Oh no, it's the 'Corrosive Heart Gu'!" Cheng Lingsu's face changed dramatically. "This Gu is omnipresent; those infected will have their heart meridians gnawed into a sieve!"

She quickly took out a handful of medicinal powder from her medicine box and scattered it into the air. The powder dispersed with the wind, forming a faint golden light barrier that blocked the Gu worms. "Quickly, splash strong liquor on the ground! This Gu fears fire!"

The Imperial Army soldiers quickly splashed the strong liquor they carried onto the ground. Dark Blade flicked his finger, shooting out a Sword Qi that ignited the liquor. A raging fire blazed, and the Corrosive Heart Gu let out a mournful shriek in the flames, quickly turning to ashes.

Seeing his last resort also foiled, a hint of despair flashed in the Netherworld Old Freak's eyes. He suddenly rushed towards the depths of the palace, seemingly attempting a final struggle.

"Stop him!" Dark Blade's figure flashed, and he gave chase.

In the depths of the palace, there was actually a secret passage leading underground. Dark Blade pursued to the end of the secret passage and discovered that it was a massive mine shaft, with the Ore inside glowing with a faint blue light—it was the netherworld ore vein!

The Netherworld Old Freak stood in the center of the Ore vein, frantically absorbing the energy from the Ore, his Aura surging: "Jun Xiaoyao! I won't let you off even if I become a ghost!"

Dark Blade's eyes turned cold, and his twin swords struck out simultaneously. The black and white Sword Qi, like two flashes of lightning, pierced through the Netherworld Old Freak's chest. His body slowly fell, his eyes still filled with unwillingness and resentment.

*** Three days later, at the entrance of the netherworld ore vein.

The General Who Guards the Nation and Dark Blade stood opposite each other, the atmosphere heavy.

"Lord Dark Blade, the Netherworld Old Freak is dead. According to our agreement, the Ore vein will be split 70-30, Beyond Heaven taking seven tenths and the Imperial Army three tenths." The General Who Guards the Nation suppressed the unwillingness in his heart and said in a deep voice.

Dark Blade, however, shook his head: "The Young Lord has commanded that the Ore vein belongs exclusively to Beyond Heaven. The Imperial Army may take the treasures seized within the valley as compensation."

"What did you say?!" The General Who Guards the Nation's face changed dramatically. "Jun Xiaoyao is going back on his word!"

"Going back on his word?" Dark Blade sneered and threw out a secret letter. "Great General, you secretly colluded with the Netherworld Old Freak, intending to use the 'Corrosive Heart Gu' to slaughter the Imperial Army and then frame Beyond Heaven. How do you explain that?"

The secret letter clearly contained correspondence between the General Who Guards the Nation and the Netherworld Old Freak; the handwriting and seals could not be faked. The General Who Guards the Nation's face turned ashen; he had not expected Beyond Heaven to know even this.

"You... what do you want?"

"It's simple." Dark Blade's tone was cold. "The Ore vein belongs to Beyond Heaven. The Great General will report to the imperial court that the Netherworld Cult has been annihilated by the Imperial Army, and the Ore vein is temporarily under the custody of Beyond Heaven. Otherwise, this secret letter will appear before His Majesty."

The General Who Guards the Nation trembled all over, finally gritting his teeth and saying, "Alright! I agree!" He knew he had no choice.

*** Beyond Heaven Headquarters, study.

Jun Xiaoyao toyed with a blue Ore brought back from the netherworld ore vein. The Ore felt cool to the touch and contained immense energy.

"Young Lord, people have been dispatched to take over the netherworld ore vein. Cheng Lingsu said that the energy in the Ore can be used to improve weapons, and Ouyezi is currently researching it," Zhao Gao reported. "The General Who Guards the Nation has reported to the imperial court as requested. His Majesty has issued an imperial decree commending Beyond Heaven and also bestowed a batch of gold, silver, and jewels."

Jun Xiaoyao said indifferently, "Keep the gold, silver, and jewels as funds for The Net. Tell Ouyezi to expedite his research and strive to forge armor from the Ore that can withstand attacks from the Land Immortal Realm."

"Yes." Zhao Gao added, "The System prompts that the Young Lord's prestige has greatly increased after annihilating the Netherworld Cult, and a new summon can be performed."

Jun Xiaoyao looked up, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes: "Activate summon."

[System Prompt: Randomly matching character... Match successful!]

[Character panel generating...]

A light blue screen unfolded:

[Name: Guo Jing]

[From World: 'the legend of the condor heroes', 'the return of the condor heroes']

[Realm: Mid-stage Terrestrial Immortal Realm]

[Martial Skills and Cultivation Techniques:]

1. 'Nine Yin Manual': All-encompassing, with top-tier Internal Skill and external Martial Skill, capable of both rigidity and flexibility.

2. 'Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms': An ultimate rigid and pure yang palm technique, infinitely powerful, capable of breaking all Evil Arts in the world.

3. 'Reciprocal Combat Skill': Allows for dual-tasking, capable of simultaneously performing two Martial Skills.]

[Loyalty: 100% (System forcibly bound)]

[Additional Item: black iron heavy sword (unsharpened, requires Ouyezi to forge)]

Jun Xiaoyao looked at the panel, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. Guo Jing, a Mid-stage Terrestrial Immortal Realm expert, coupled with the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms, was undoubtedly a great asset to Beyond Heaven. Especially his pure yang palm technique, which happened to counter those sinister Evil Arts.

"Good." He nodded. "Have him wait in the front hall."

[System Prompt: Character has been teleported to the front hall.]

*** In the front hall, a robust man dressed in coarse cloth stood with his back to the door, his figure burly and his Aura steady. Hearing footsteps, he turned around, his face honest, but his eyes revealing integrity and steadfastness.

"Guo Jing greets the Young Lord." He bowed to Jun Xiaoyao, his voice resonant.

Jun Xiaoyao pointed to a chair: "Sit. You specialize in palm techniques. Beyond Heaven happens to lack someone to manage the Martial Hall and teach the Disciples some basic kung fu."

Guo Jing paused, then said, "As long as I can help the Young Lord, Jing'er will not shirk. It's just... Jing'er is slow-witted, I fear I may not be up to the task."

"No matter, you'll have Marshal of the Unruly and Dark Blade to help you," Jun Xiaoyao said calmly. "Your Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms are supremely rigid and pure yang, perfectly countering sinister Evil Arts. In the future, if we encounter forces similar to the Netherworld Cult, you will be the one to act."

"Yes, Young Lord." Guo Jing respectfully assented.

Jun Xiaoyao looked at Guo Jing's honest demeanor, a faint smile playing on his lips. With Zhao Gao's ruthlessness, Dark Blade's sharpness, Cheng Lingsu's medical and poison skills, and now Guo Jing's uprightness and combat power, Beyond Heaven was like a tiger with wings.

Outside the window, the sun shone brightly. Jun Xiaoyao knew that with the annihilation of the Netherworld Cult, Beyond Heaven's reputation had resounded throughout the Jianghu. But this was not enough; what he wanted was the resources and influence of the entire Jianghu. Next, it would be time for those so-called Holy Lands and Sects to make their choice.