Chapter 244: Island Hideout, Starshifting Blackstone Vein
Just after Chen Xun and the others left, Yu Yiwei walked up to Yu Chen and examined his condition. Her face was full of worry as she said, "Fifth Brother, I'm afraid we can't go to the secret realm."
Yu Chen's face was slightly pale, and he stopped forcing himself, coughing twice. "The senior has already sold me the Calm-Sea Carp. The opportunity in the ancient secret realm is not as important as meeting those three seniors."
"Fifth Brother, were they really that easy to deal with?!" Yu Yiwei exclaimed in surprise. They sold the Calm-Sea Carp just like that? "I wonder what was the price you paid?"
"Seventh Sister, don't delve too deeply into this." Yu Chen glanced at her sideways. "I have my own considerations."
"Yes, Fifth Brother." Yu Yiwei lowered her head, clasping her hands together, muttering under her breath, "Can't even express concern."
Uncle Chu glanced at the two and said, "Young Master, shall we set sail now?"
"Mm, let's return." Yu Chen sighed softly, casting a deep look in a certain direction.
"Understood."
Uncle Chu asked no further questions. This was the young master's secret, but the aftermath of forcibly using the God-Killing Artifact to break through the will of the purple aura was not insignificant. It even cost them the chance to visit the secret realm.
"The young master has such remarkable courage," Uncle Chu silently praised.
Yu Chen stood on the deck of the large ship with one hand behind his back, his eyes calm like still water, but his heart was surging with excitement.
Boom!
Boom!
With a single order, the dark sea became turbulent, and the Yu family's fleet began their journey back.
...
In the Forbidden Sea's Demon Nest, there was a deserted island, but it was devoid of spiritual energy. Even if there had been spiritual veins, they had long been eroded by demonic energy.
The Forbidden Sea was no place for cultivation, and no cultivator dared to linger on such islands.
But today, a massive ship skimmed the surface of the sea, slowly docking at the shore.
On the island grew all sorts of strange plants, with towering purple trees frequently seen. However, compared to the trees on the ship, these seemed insignificant.
If one looked closely, many places on the island were hung with deep black jade slips, absorbing the five elements' energy from the Forbidden Sea.
This was Chen Xun and his group's old hideout. The surrounding mist formed a natural barrier, and they had stayed here for more than thirty years without being disturbed.
"Old Ox, Little Red." Chen Xun stepped onto the shore, laughing heartily. "We're home, we're home."
"Moo~~" The big black ox bellowed, rubbing against Chen Xun.
Little Red lay on the big black ox's back, his small, sneaky eyes darting around, his mouth grinning widely.
This place might seem dangerous and eerie to outsiders, but it was their home. There was no safer place in the Forbidden Sea.
Little Red greedily inhaled the air here. Compared to fishing and exploring in the Forbidden Sea, their own island was much safer.
Thanks to the feeding from his two elder brothers, Little Red had already advanced to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, starting with millennia-old spiritual herbs.
Every day, Little Red ran around noisily with Chen Xun and the big black ox, never mentioning this matter, but the gratitude was deeply etched in his heart.
In this world of cultivation, he might never encounter two brothers who treated him so well again.
Smack!
"Brother Xun?!" Little Red was lost in thought when a slap startled him, his fur bristling. Brother Xun always liked to slap him and Brother Ox suddenly.
"What are you thinking? Go mine."
Chen Xun, one arm wrapped around the big black ox's head, raised his chin slightly. "Once your Brother Ox finishes setting up the large teleportation array, no one in the world will be able to stop us!"
"Moo~~" The big black ox happily wagged its tail. He had been yearning for the teleportation array's creation method for over a thousand years.
"Got it, Brother Ox! Let's set up one on the Tian Duan Plains when we get the chance!" Little Red's eyes gleamed as he stood up from his crouch. "If anyone chases us, we'll just teleport straight back to Tian Duan..."
"Ah, ah, Brother Xun!!"
Little Red cried out in pain as Chen Xun grabbed his big ear and lifted him onto his back. Weakly, Little Red lay on Chen Xun's back, growling lowly.
Chen Xun laughed heartily as he walked along. "Old Ox, let's go mine some Starshifting Blackstones."
"Moo~~"
The big black ox bellowed, casting a mocking glance at Little Red, and they slowly headed deeper into the island.
In the center of the island was a large pit. Embedded in the dark purple stone walls were twinkling star-like ores, part of a Starshifting Blackstone vein that they had already mined quite a bit from.
After wandering the Forbidden Sea for decades, they finally discovered this mineral vein on the island.
Chen Xun, the big black ox, and Little Red stood by the pit, full of spirit and pride. The island had no owner, and the mineral vein was all theirs!
Chen Xun's eyes sparkled as he pulled out a deathly aura-infused mountain-splitting axe and leapt into the air, shouting, "Brothers, time to work!"
"Moo!!" The big black ox jumped to its feet, transforming its hooves into palms, and leapt into the pit, more excited than anyone. After all, the future teleportation array depended on it.
"Brother Xun, Brother Ox, I'm coming!"
Little Red's body expanded, a red glow radiating from him. The surroundings were instantly filled with flying dust and stones. As the main mining force, he had never backed down.
"Roar!"
A massive figure, like a shadow, descended into the pit. With the wind swirling around its four hooves, it frantically dug, and soon large chunks of Starshifting Blackstone were unearthed.
"Moo?!" The big black ox's eyelid twitched—Little Red was a beast when it came to physical labor.
"Brother Ox, how's that?" Little Red's body was huge, making Chen Xun seem like a dwarf in comparison. "When it comes to mining, I, the Beigong Red Lion, am a pro."
As soon as he finished speaking, he swung his paw again, causing the pit to shake.
"Moo~~" The big black ox snorted, raising its thumb in approval.
They didn't dare use spiritual energy while mining, as it could damage the vein. When they first started, unaware of the risks, they had shattered quite a few precious ores, leaving their eldest brother crying in heartbreak.
"Dammit, Little Red, be gentler!" From a small mine tunnel in the distance, a black head poked out, covered in dirt, as Chen Xun cursed and shouted, "What if you collapse the whole thing?!"
"Got it, Brother Xun!" Little Red shouted back, his head shrinking slightly, and he eased up on his mining force.
"Moo moo~" The big black ox stood aside, chuckling—Chen Xun's dirt-covered look was truly hilarious.
"Old Ox, how dare you mock me! With strength enough to move mountains!" A black shadow surged up, stirring a cloud of dust as a wave of murderous intent shot toward the big black ox.
"Moo~~~ Moo!"
The big black ox cried out, realizing it was a sneak attack by Chen Xun! It flailed helplessly, unable to fight back, and was completely defeated.
Little Red, terrified, had his fur standing on end and quickly buried his head into a big hole. He hadn't seen anything—just a miner doing his job.
Soon, the big black ox calmed down too, still muttering "moo" under its breath as it resumed chatting with Little Red.
Clang! Clang!
The sound of mining began to reverberate through the island's mineral vein with a steady, rhythmic cadence. Little Red loved mining—it was safe, and he got to chat with Brother Ox.
Though Little Red had the advantage of size, his endurance couldn't match that of the big black ox or Chen Xun, so when he rested, he sorted through the mined stones.
Chen Xun worked alone in his tunnel, occasionally jotting things down in a little notebook.
Whenever there was a crack in the rocks, he'd swing his mountain-opening axe. The mine often collapsed, burying him alive, only to be dug out later by the big black ox and Little Red...