In a grand and lavishly decorated room with a towering ceiling, three important figures from the Sky Piercing Sect had gathered.
This was the Great Hall of a powerful Sect Master in the Mid Stage Nascent Soul Realm, much larger than the Three Elder's temples combined. The room was adorned with luxurious items, including glass figurines, gold statues, and a few High-Grade spirit stones.
"Grand Elder Meng Buyan, I have already dispatched some of my disciples to investigate the sudden surge of Spiritual Qi in Mount Apo."
Meng Buyan, also known as the Grand Elder, was an elderly man with a long white beard and a gentle, wrinkled face that spoke of his countless experiences.
Despite his age, he exuded an elegant and wise demeanor. He wore traditional red and white Hanfu clothing, adorned with a Yin and Yang symbol, which added to his dignified and wise appearance.
Grand Elder Meng Buyan slightly nodded his head.
"Excellent, Elder Qi Long. What were their cultivation realms?"
Elder Qi Long quickly replied, "Two of them are at the Mid Stage of the Core Formation Realm, and the other three are at the Late Stage of the Foundation Realm."
Elder Qi Long is an older man with a different build and temperament than Grand Elder Meng Buyan. While Meng Buyan is wise and calm, Qi Long is more like a beast with his bulky body.
Grand Elder Buyan turned to Fairy Xi Niu and asked for the responses from the White Flower Sect and Three Head Snake Sect.
Fairy Xi Niu had an ethereal beauty and wore a luxurious Hanfu made from expensive silk, linen, wool, and cotton, dyed in a soft azure color that complemented her pearly white jade skin.
With a graceful movement of her hand, she produced a couple of tokens made of low-grade spirit stones. One token flickered faintly, while the other did not.
"The White Flower Sect mobilized their disciples to Mount Apo, but the Three Snake Sect did not respond."
Grand Elder Meng Buyan sighed. "It's no surprise. The Three Head Snake Sect is still at odds with the Snake Devouring Sect."
"The discovery of the Earth Grade Spirit Stone Mine has led to increased resource expenditure and a rise in casualties, they were spending more resources than gaining. Even the number of disciples getting killed doubled day by day thanks to the Snake Devouring Sect." Elder Qi Long added.
The two powerful sects, whose sect masters have reached the peak of Mid Stage Nascent Realm, are locked in a battle for ownership of the mine, which lies between their borders.
While other sects may appear indifferent, they are actually biding their time, waiting for an opportunity to seize the mine from both factions.
"With resources becoming scarce on the continent, even a single Earth Grade Spirit Stone Mine is considered a valuable treasure. I hope our Sect Master returns soon. It's been a couple of months, he should be here by now," Grand Elder Meng Buyan said, pausing to glance at the empty honorary seat reserved for their Sect Master.
Grand Elder Meng Buyan shifted his gaze from the honorary seat to the figurine made from Essence Spirit Stone, prompting Elder Qi Long and Fairy Xi Niu to do the same.
"While we search for resources, the Sect master's Pavilion holds a treasure trove of Spirit Stones," they said, sighing and shaking their heads.
Meanwhile, In the dense forest of Mount Apo, the Sect Master of Sky Piercing Sect, who has reached the peak of Mid Stage Nascent Soul Realm, is currently fleeing from dozens of pursuers.
"Argh! If I hadn't been tricked by two Mid-Stage Nascent Soul Realm opponents, I could have easily defeated these dogs. Damn it!"
Jin Boqin grunted as a dagger struck his arm, causing blood to flow from the wounds.
Due to the lack of Spiritual Qi from his earlier battle with two cultivators in the Mid Stage Nascent Soul Realm, Jin Boqin was unable to concentrate the Spiritual Qi on his Dantian to heal his wounds, which was temporarily blocked for unknown reasons.
Despite using his movement technique, he was unable to widen the distance between him and his pursuers, as they were also skilled in using movement techniques.
"If only I had been more careful, I still have my treasure and some Elixir to consume to help me regain my Spiritual Qi!"
After he bested the two cultivators in Mid Stage Nascent Soul Realm thanks to his powerful skill and battle experience, he acted arrogantly and hence was caught in the trap set by his enemies.
Fortunately, he was quick to act and managed to escape but lost his left hand in the process, temporarily rendering his Dantian useless.
Chased for two days by dozens of cultivators without his Spiritual Qi, his body is reaching its limits.
This is now slowing him down and shortening the distance between him and his pursuers.
Jin Boqin finally saw the end of the cursed forest as the light ahead grew closer.
As he approached the border of the Sky Heaven Piercing Sect, he sneered, confident that he would encounter a few disciples in the Golden Core Formation Realm and an Outer Sect Elder.
However, to his surprise, he was greeted by a field of cultivated crops, including sunflowers, corn, and wheat, instead of the expected Torii!
"What?! How can this be?!" he felt a surge of disbelief in his weary heart.
His question was quickly answered by a group of cultivators behind him.
"HAHA! How could the Sect Master of Sky Heaven Piercing Sect be so foolish?"
Jin Boqin clenched his left hand and gritted his teeth, veins bulging in his neck and forehead.
"The trap you fell into also includes Misty Mind Technique!"
Jin Boqin's eyes narrowed. The Misty Mind Technique is a Rare Manual Rank. While not lethal, in situations like his current one, it can be quite bothersome.
"You thought you reached the border of your Sky Piercing Sect? Hah! This technique is effective even for you. Your sense of direction and smell has been altered!"
Jin Boqin sensed his impending demise.
He never imagined he would be killed by lower-level cultivators in the Late Stage Core Formation Realm.
His own arrogance was to blame.
"My Sky Heaven Piercing Sect will avenge my death! If you don't kill me, I will destroy your Snake Devouring Sect!"
The men laughed as Jin Boqin struggled. One of them taunted him, "
"Keep running. We'll give you a one-minute head start!"
Jin Boqin almost choked to death.
Despite being insulted, Jin Boqin, a Mid Stage Nascent Soul Realm cultivator and respected Sect Master, had no choice but to flee.
He vowed to seek revenge once he found a solution to his predicament.
He charged through the field of sunflowers, corn, and wheat, determined to survive and fight another day.
In just thirty seconds, Jin Boqin, with his suppressed Spiritual Qi, reached the end of the field and saw a towering obelisk and a mausoleum uphill ahead, mesmerized by the structure.
"Hey, esteemed sect master, time's ticking! You have 20 seconds before we come after you again!"
Jin Boqin snapped out of his daze and sprinted uphill. As he reached the obelisk, he hesitated at the sight of the dark, wide entrance.
Even the sunlight couldn't penetrate the darkness. But the shouts of his pursuers spurred him on, and he cautiously advanced, clenching his left hand.
Meanwhile, Akira, who had ascended from the deepest part of the First Floor of the dungeon, was exhausted.
Suddenly, his System prompted him, startling him.
Akira immediately opened the message tab and found thirteen cultivators entering the one-mile vicinity of the Dungeon.
Akira's heart clenched as he read the information presented to him.
A nascent soul realm cultivator, huh?
[Thirteen Cultivators were detected to enter the outer barrier of the Dungeon]
[Notification: 1 Cultivator in Nascent Soul Realm entered the Dungeon. The Master Dungeon received 100 Qi Points]
[Notification: 12 Cultivators in Core Formation Realm entered the Dungeon. The Master Dungeon received 240 Qi Points]
It seemed like a Core Formation Realm Cultivator worth 20 Qi Points. Not bad.
Akira nodded in satisfaction.
[Display the guests' movement? Yes or No]
Akira casually interacted with the System.
He sighed as the translucent tab displayed the current movements of cultivators.
Although the Nascent Soul Realm cultivator is in pursuit, he won't bet his safety in just a hitch.
While reading the barrier description earlier, he discovered how to manually activate and deactivate the barrier.
He then shifted his focus to the translucent tab, where he saw a Middle-Aged man covered in wounds, missing his right arm, and wearing tattered and blood-soaked Hanfu.
The man appeared motionless, like a patient in need of special care.
"As expected, the Dungeon's self-sustainable environment and scenery far surpassed that of the outside world."