Chapter 1045

In the wind, the sound of chatting and laughing still drifted.

In the heavens and earth, that black boat was also whistling.

Flying rapidly toward the spirit mine on the ground.

Looking from afar, the appearance of this spirit mine was a giant deep pit, with a range of a full thousand miles.

Over the deep pit, a barrier flashing with black light was shrouded, sealing this place.

As for the surroundings of the spirit mine, all that could be seen was wilderness, with few people.

Following the approach of the black flying boat, among the eight or nine cultivators on the boat, there was a youth with a handsome appearance who coughed lightly.

He was clearly the leader of the crowd on this boat in terms of identity and status, so everyone looked over immediately.

After gathering all the gazes, the youth spoke indifferently.

"Relax well in a while. This mission was hard for everyone. I didn't expect those remnants to be hidden among the commoners, but we still found traces, so it can be considered a successful completion of the family mission."

"It's just a pity that to find their traces, we had to destroy several commoner cities. This matter can be small or big..."

The youth sighed.

The cultivators around, upon hearing this, spoke one after another.

"Brother Haishan is kind-hearted."

"Brother, the death of those innocent commoners is ultimately the responsibility of those divine remnants. Slaughter was not our original intention. Even the family will understand this matter."

"That's right, searching for divine remnants is the long-standing decree of the Immortal Capital. We can all prove that this matter was for executing the mission, not our responsibility."

The youth nodded. After expressing some regret, he swept his gaze, looked at a beautiful woman beside him, and smiled slightly.

"Let's not talk about this. Among the thirty-five spirit mines of the family, this place is the most tranquil. Speaking of which, it's my first time here, but arriving here means arriving at Junior Sister Ling's territory."

Others beside him, upon hearing this, also smiled and nodded, transmitting words.

"That's right, Senior Lingfeng, who guards this spirit mine, is a family consultant and the ancestor of Junior Sister Ling's lineage. When we pay respects to Senior Lingfeng in a while, I hope Junior Sister will put in a good word so that he can give us some pointers."

"Although he is an outside-surname consultant, with Senior Lingfeng's cultivation base, I think even slight pointers would be of great benefit to us."

Amidst the echoing sounds of chatting and laughing, the Ling-surname woman looked at by everyone smiled slightly.

"Brother Haishan praises me too much. Little sister is just borrowing the protection of the ancestor; how can I compare with everyone."

"The ancestor, as a consultant, guarding this place, is also an opportunity given by the families everyone is from."

"However, since Brother Haishan has spoken, after I see the ancestor later, I will definitely beg him to give everyone more quotas to enter the small world to absorb spiritual energy."

"Hoping to let everyone have a good rest here."

The woman spoke softly. Although her words carried humility, she was quite pleased in her heart by the words of these family cultivators.

Just like this, amidst their chatting and laughing, the boat they were on floated outside the spirit mine.

Following everyone flying out one by one, the Ling-surname woman bowed to the youth named Haishan and walked out first, transmitting to the ancestor with a jade slip.

Others had relaxed expressions, their hearts anticipating the next rest, waiting for the spirit mine's forbidden array to open.

But as time passed, the spirit mine's forbidden array still existed, without any traces of opening, and the Ling-surname woman also had her brows furrowed slightly.

Her transmission to the ancestor also didn't have any response.

"Strange..."

The Ling-surname woman thought for a moment and looked back at the people traveling with her.

"The ancestor should be cultivating. Brother Haishan, you are a direct descendant of the family and should possess the authority to open the spirit mine's forbidden array. Why don't you strike to open it?"

The youth who was the leader of the crowd, upon hearing this, looked at the forbidden array in front of him.

Blocked by the light of the forbidden array, he couldn't see or probe the specifics.

He pondered slightly and shook his head.

"Although I possess the authority, this is after all guarded by Senior Ling, so entering rashly doesn't conform to etiquette."

"Since Senior Ling is cultivating, we will just wait a while."

Others, upon hearing this, all echoed.

The Ling-surname woman nodded, took out a jade slip, and continued to transmit, even trying to transmit to the ancestor's servant, but there was no response at all.

This kind of situation was the first time she had encountered it. Gradually, some panic also rose in her heart, worrying that an accident had occurred, but thinking of the ancestor's cultivation base and personality, she felt the possibility of an accident was infinitesimal.

And these people didn't notice that at this moment, across the forbidden array, a cold gaze was sweeping from within.

Sweeping over them.

"Three at the fourth stage of Void Returning, four at the second stage of Spirit Repository, one at the third stage of Spirit Repository, and the strongest is at the fourth stage of Spirit Repository."

Within the spirit mine, Xu Qing, who was absorbing the spiritual energy here, opened his eyes slowly. After gazing at the outside world, he murmured in a low voice.

If he wanted to kill these people, it would be easy.

However, if it wasn't necessary, Xu Qing didn't want to kill randomly. After all, killing too many would ultimately cause some subsequent trouble.

And not killing these people, they might report the abnormality of this place, but this abnormality was only the closure of the spirit mine. Because they didn't know the specifics, even if their family sent people to probe, it wouldn't be immediate, and it would likely still take time.

But if these people were slain, then hindered by techniques like bloodline, I fear it would be discovered by their family before the matter of the spirit mine.

In this way, as long as the other party didn't appear to be seeking death, Xu Qing didn't choose to strike, but continued to absorb.

The spiritual energy here was now very scarce. Xu Qing estimated it, expecting that in about another hour, he could absorb it all.

And absorbing spiritual energy, while it could be of some help to the improvement of his cultivation base, Xu Qing's focus was to borrow the spiritual energy here to bolster his own Seven Extreme Dao.

Especially space and time.

These two extremes, in Xu Qing's judgment, were not developed enough by himself.

So his focus was to try to comprehend the vortex he saw when he passed through the Primordial Sea during the process of spiritual energy absorption and bolstering.

He had already been doing this in the bubble small world, and now, borrowing the absorption of spiritual energy, he continued to comprehend.

During this period, he would also absorb the Liaoxuan Holy Liquid.

Making his comprehension go more smoothly.

Just like this, time passed.

It's just that many times, Xu Qing didn't want to cause extra trouble, but the wind would arrive on its own.

Half an hour later, outside the forbidden array, the youth named Haishan gradually felt suspicion in his heart and spoke to the Ling-surname woman beside him.

"Junior Sister Ling, even if Senior Ling is cultivating, there should be servants by his side. Have you contacted the servants?"

The Ling-surname woman's unease in her heart was now stronger than before. Upon hearing this, she nodded.

"I contacted them, but... there was no response either."

Others, seeing this, all had changes in their expressions, and one by one, they instinctively looked toward the youth named Haishan.

Haishan narrowed his eyes and spoke slowly.

"Since Senior Ling is cultivating, we shouldn't continue to disturb him. Let's leave."

Saying this, his body flickered, and he stepped onto the black flying boat.

Others hesitated, but all flew up one by one. It was just that the Ling-surname woman had even stronger unease in her heart. She wanted to speak, but after seeing Haishan's serious expression, she didn't dare to speak.

Just like this, the crowd took the boat and flew away rapidly.

After flying to a certain range, the boat stopped. The youth named Haishan on it narrowed his eyes, looked back at the spirit mine in the distance, and murmured in his heart.

"The Ling family ancestor and his servants have no news. Either it's really cultivation or other matters, or they are out. If they are out, it wouldn't be to the point of not being able to reply. So it might be that due to some reasons, they are unable to spare any attention.

Of course, there is another possibility, and that is that an accident occurred."

"But the forbidden array seal remains intact, without any traces of shattering, which shows that even if an accident occurred, it hasn't spread outward."

"And we were so close just now, staying for half an hour, and weren't affected, and there was no obstruction when we left..."

"All of this..."

Haishan pondered and suddenly spoke to the Ling-surname woman beside him.

"Junior Sister Ling, does your ancestor have any enemies? When was the last time you contacted him?"

The Ling-surname woman, upon hearing this, hurriedly responded.

"The ancestor acts stably, basically all enemies have been dealt with by him, and these years he has been guarding this place, almost never going out."

"The last contact was a few days ago, after we just finished the mission, I contacted the ancestor to come back."

Haishan was thoughtful, secretly thinking that looking at it this way, the probability of an accident is not high, and even if something really happened, it was in the initial stage. Although it was a trouble that could make Senior Ling unable to spare attention, it was definitely at the Sovereign level.

But... this also represents merit!

"If I just report the abnormality of this place, then if everything here is as usual, it is my own wrong analysis, and this matter will definitely cause the family's dissatisfaction with me."

"So..."

Haishan pondered and secretly thought that I would just take a rough look from afar, it should be fine.

Thinking of this, he stood on the boat, suddenly took out a jade slip, squeezed it fiercely, borrowed his authority as a direct descendant, locked onto the spirit mine forbidden array in the distance, blood light flashed in his eyes, and he looked over fiercely.

Under this look, following the locking of authority, in his eyes, the blurry forbidden array immediately became a bit clearer.

And through the forbidden array, after seeing the scene inside, his expression suddenly changed drastically.

He saw brokenness everywhere, saw a pair of cold eyes like death!

He only looked for a moment, and he shook all over, sprayed blood, and his cultivation base roared.

"Run!"

Without any hesitation, Haishan felt intense shock in his heart, frantically stimulated the boat to go far away, and at the same time wanted to take out the family jade slip to report and ask for help.

Others, not knowing the specifics, but seeing Haishan like this, also had their expressions change drastically.

But... before Haishan could take out the jade slip, a cold voice echoed in the heavens and earth.

"You shouldn't have looked at that glance."

Following the transmission of the voice, in the eyes of Haishan and the others, the sky was replaced by a giant hand, the surrounding space became grids, and the flow of time seemed to be stretched.

Finally, total darkness.

And the giant hand squeezed fiercely.

Form and spirit destroyed, along with the black magic boat, all turned into flying ash.

The surroundings suddenly became quiet.

A moment later, the spirit mine's forbidden array rippled. Xu Qing, who had finished absorbing spiritual energy, appeared within, and walked out in one step.

Gazing at the heavens and earth.

"Fifth Star Ring..."

Xu Qing murmured.

His body flickered, and he went far away in an instant.