Chapter 247: Chapter 159: Steward Xiao, an Anomaly in the Spirit Ore

Qingyang County’s rating was even changed from a peripheral region to a relatively dangerous one.

’This is just false intel. There aren’t any Demon Cultivators in Qingyang at all.’

Xiao Chen looked at the alert bulletin in his hand, feeling it didn’t match reality at all.

Strangely enough, a full five days had passed since the Demon Cultivator invasion began.

Many places within the Lingyuan Sect’s territory had been harassed to varying degrees.

Yet, within the borders of Qingyang County, not a single Demon Cultivator had shown up.

For the first two days, Chang Shunping had been so worried he’d hidden inside his home’s Defensive Array, not daring to emerge.

But after five days, Qingyang remained peaceful and quiet, as if the hundreds of Demon Cultivators mentioned in the bulletin simply didn’t exist.

In fact, the Divine Fire Sect had, of course, long since heard of the strength Xiao Chen had previously displayed.

Therefore, before this invasion, they had specifically marked Qingyang County as a high-risk area on their maps, warning any Demon Cultivators who lacked sufficient strength to stay away.

This undoubtedly left Xiao Chen a little disappointed. He had originally thought he could get some combat practice and farm some points on the side.

But this proved that passively waiting for opportunities was a dead end.

Encountering three Demon Cultivators who came to him of their own accord had already been a rare event.

Such a thing wouldn’t happen often.

If he wanted to earn points, he would have to become a Demon-slaying Guard and go on the offensive.

.

「On the twenty-third day of the first month」

A team leader at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining stage suddenly ran over to report, "Steward Xiao, something unusual has happened in the Spirit Ore mine. Some miners were burned by a sudden burst of Fire Qi while digging."

"We’ve currently halted all digging in that tunnel, but it seems Fire Qi has started to leak out from inside."

Xiao Chen was stunned for a moment before remembering that he was still the steward of the Qingyang Spirit Ore mine.

Ever since he’d arrived, he had never been involved in the mining operations and had almost forgotten he also held this title.

So he asked directly, "How were situations like this handled in the past?"

’When dealing with something you don’t understand, it’s best to rely on the experience of those who came before.’

The team leader shook his head. "Before... nothing like this has ever happened before."

’Huh?’

As he stood up to go have a look, Xiao Chen asked about the current situation, "Are many people injured? How are they?"

The team leader hesitated for a moment before answering, "Right now, there are nine with minor injuries and two with serious injuries."

"That many?"

Xiao Chen was taken aback. This was no small matter; it accounted for a tenth of the Spirit Ore mine’s total workforce.

The team leader immediately explained, "It happened too suddenly, without any warning at all."

"We went in to rescue them the moment we realized what was happening, but we were still a little too late."

"But for now, the other tunnels aren’t affected. I will lead the excavation myself to ensure this month’s quota isn’t impacted."

Xiao Chen frowned upon hearing this. "If you’ve discovered an anomaly, why would you continue digging?"

"Get everyone from the other tunnels out of there. Halt all digging until we figure out the cause."

Then, he strode over to the tunnel where work had been halted. "I’m going in to take a look. You don’t need to come with me."

Just by standing at the mouth of the tunnel, Xiao Chen could feel the Fire Qi surging out from within.

Although the Fire Qi here was still very faint, there was no telling what the conditions were like deeper inside.

He therefore chose to enter alone. That way, if he encountered any emergencies, he wouldn’t have to be distracted with rescuing someone else.

Compared to the mine tunnels in the Flame Pool Secret Realm, the tunnels of the Qingyang Spirit Ore mine were undoubtedly much narrower.

Most sections were only wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side, and some narrow spots would only allow a single person to pass.

This was because the surrounding rock walls were composed of a sturdy material called Yellow Vein Rock, which possessed a natural and considerable resistance to Magic.

The Qingyang Stone was hidden within this Yellow Vein Rock, making it very difficult to mine in the first place.

Excavating a wide tunnel was an even greater challenge.

As Xiao Chen ventured deeper, the surrounding Fire Qi grew increasingly dense.

Before he had even reached the end of the tunnel, the heat had already reached a level capable of burning a late-stage Qi Refining Cultivator.

By the time he could clearly see the pickaxes dropped on the ground and the freshly excavated gap in the rock face, the density of the surrounding Fire Qi was nearly comparable to that in the depths of the Flame Pool Secret Realm.

No wonder the cultivators had been injured. After all, back when they went to the Flame Pool Secret Realm, the Li Huo Sect had specifically held a screening to select disciples capable of resisting the Fire Qi.

’I’ve never heard of Qingyang Stone containing Fire Qi before.’

Xiao Chen stood at the end of the tunnel and reached out to touch the Yellow Vein Rock before him.

Wisps of Fire Qi swiftly invaded through his fingertips, burrowing into his body.

But before it could have any effect, it was immediately absorbed by the Fire Storage Treasure Talisman. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

’So the problem really was something they dug up.’

Judging from the current situation, someone must have accidentally unearthed something containing Fire Qi during the excavation.

His spirits lifted. Xiao Chen casually retrieved an Upper Grade Flying Sword from his Storage Bag, using it as a tool to continue excavating.

CLANG!

That single strike immediately unleashed an exceptionally dense surge of Fire Qi.

Had any ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator been here instead, they would have likely suffered for it.

Luckily, Xiao Chen had Magic protecting his body. Not only could he completely absorb the Fire Qi, but he could also use the opportunity to cultivate his Treasure Talisman.

Although the Yellow Vein Rock was tough, it couldn’t withstand the sharpness of an Upper Grade Magical Artifact.

As a result, his excavation progressed rapidly. Large amounts of rubble fell with every swing of the sword.

But then, something even stranger happened.

After digging inward for about six zhang, the surging Fire Qi suddenly vanished.