Chapter 717: Set up a grave on the spot, play the suona, and present offerings to the Crane Spirit Tree

"Quick... evacuate quickly!"

"Everyone, retreat beyond a thousand miles from the mine!"

"I have already reported this to the Sacred Land, and the elders are on their way!"

A hundred miles away, the remaining cultivators of the Xuanji Sacred Land looked towards the distance in terror, trying to maintain order.

The miners who escaped with them seemed to have walked through hell, still shaken with fear.

Before everyone's eyes, the mine that had stood for countless years vanished.

In its place was a dense layer of reddish-brown haze spreading.

Centered around the mine, dozens of kilometers were engulfed in a vast expanse, resembling a sandstorm or rolling fog, exuding an eerie aura.

All creatures touched by the fog met a gruesome death, their horrific state sending chills down one's spine, leaving them horrified.

The commotion at the mine couldn't escape the notice of Chen Xun, Black Bull, and other hidden forces.

Numerous powerful divine senses pierced through the air, attempting to probe what was happening deep within the mine through the haze.

These divine senses varied in strength, but most were at the Unity realm, with only a few at the Great Ascension stage, all spies left by various forces nearby.

They wanted to understand the situation immediately and relay the information back.

However, something unexpected happened.

The haze contained some peculiar magical energy.

Not only could it devour the flesh and blood of living beings, but it also blocked divine senses, acting like an acidic mist that could harm them, corroding upon contact.

The cultivators were terrified, quickly withdrawing their divine senses, drenched in cold sweat, not daring to act rashly.

Chen Xun and Black Bull naturally noticed this as well, their eyes gleaming with interest, whispering, "Bull, this is intriguing. This mine is indeed not as simple as it seems."

"Moo!"

Black Bull widened his eyes, secretly amazed.

Chen Xun patted Black Bull, chuckling softly, "Let's go in and take a look before the experts from the Xuanji Sacred Land arrive. After all, the Wanshou Mountain Range is unclaimed, and we shouldn't miss anything in the Wild Heaven Region. Let's cultivate well."

"Moo moo~"

Black Bull let out a deep call, nodding vigorously. It glanced at Chen Xun, understanding that their path to immortality depended on their opportunities in the Wild Heaven Region.

However, due to the strange nature of the haze, Chen Xun and Black Bull did not go in person. Instead, they each condensed a clone using the power of the Five Elements Law, merging into the void and disappearing from the spot.

In an instant, their law clones delved into the haze, heading deeper inside.

But just as they touched the haze.

The haze seemed to come alive, constantly rolling, raising endless waves of fog, attacking the man and the bull, trying to engulf them.

"Heh, is that all?"

Chen Xun snorted coldly, his gaze growing colder. In a single thought, purple lightning spread from beneath his feet, surging in all directions.

These lightning bolts, infused with the power of laws, transformed into a purple barrier, crackling with destructive energy, aiming to shatter the reddish-brown haze.

Unexpectedly, at the moment the lightning power touched the haze, an unexpected change occurred!

The seemingly fragile haze did not collapse; instead, the powerful purple lightning shattered and dissipated, the purple barrier breaking instantly, offering no resistance.

The lightning laws within the lightning were quickly absorbed like nourishment.

After absorbing the lightning laws, the surrounding haze seemed to deepen in color, growing even more frenzied.

They lunged at Chen Xun and Black Bull, attempting to devour both clones entirely.

Chen Xun was not worried; instead, he was intrigued, "Oh? It can actually refine my lightning laws? Interesting."

His eyes shone even brighter, his interest in the haze growing.

It should be known that he was at the Tribulation Crossing stage, and even this clone could suppress a Great Ascension stage expert.

Moreover, his lightning laws were comparable to a heavenly tribulation; ordinary creatures or strange entities would be obliterated upon contact, let alone devour and refine it.

Unexpectedly, the haze was not afraid at all; instead, it suppressed and refined it.

This further confirmed the extraordinary nature of the haze, solidifying Chen Xun's suspicion that there must be a great secret below.

"Moo? Moo!"

Black Bull was also dumbfounded, letting out a couple of nervous calls, becoming vigilant.

It knew Chen Xun's strength well, and the fact that even the lightning power was devoured by these strange things indicated their complexity.

With a low roar, it unleashed a burst of divine light of the Five Elements, forming a formation to protect the surroundings, trying to resist the haze and prevent it from approaching.

With a casual wave, Black Bull isolated a space around them, with the haze furiously crashing against the formation, unable to break through in a short time.

Their attempts to devour were not easily successful.

Seeing this, Chen Xun stopped using the lightning power and instead extended his hand, gathering the power of the Five Elements Law in his palm, forming a small cage that passed through the formation, capturing a wisp of haze for careful study.

Chen Xun wanted to refine and decompose it, to understand what these things were.

After a while, when Chen Xun spent considerable effort refining the wisp of haze in his palm, he showed a look of surprise.

"It's actually transformed from the qi of the Five Elements?!"

Raising an eyebrow, Chen Xun furrowed his brows, murmuring in confusion, "It's the power of the Five Elements, but not ordinary Five Elements power. Strange, too strange! I've never seen anything like this..."

Hearing Chen Xun's words, Black Bull became excited, snorting hot air and nudging him.

Could this be some legendary Five Elements treasure? They had heard of many such auction items before.

But at the myriad clans auction, all were super wealthy participants, and their assets were not substantial enough to attend such grand auction events in the grand world.

They tried to get things for free whenever possible, having been in the grand world for less than ten thousand years, unable to compete with others' tens of thousands of years of accumulated wealth, so they didn't bother seeking trouble, deciding to leave it for later.

At this moment, Black Bull also used the power of the Five Elements Law, extending a hoof to capture and refine some haze, showing a similar look of shock.

"Moo! Moo~"

Black Bull hesitantly called out, indicating it hadn't seen such a thing either.

However, since these haze could be refined by the power of the Five Elements Law, they posed no danger to Chen Xun and Black Bull.

Chen Xun narrowed his eyes slightly, saying calmly, "Let's not worry about it for now. Let's go inside and take a look. Since these things are emerging from beneath the mine, it means the source is within the mountain!"

"I want to see what exactly is producing this, daring to show no respect to me, the Dao Ancestor!"

"Moo!"

Black Bull nodded, following Chen Xun's steps, disappearing into the haze.

They found a mine tunnel that hadn't collapsed and ventured inside, as if taking a leisurely stroll, feeling no tension or fear.

Inside the mine, corpses were strewn everywhere, mostly miners devoured by the haze, their blood drained, leaving only skin and bones, dying in a miserable state.

Chen Xun and Black Bull did not pause for these.

But after delving a thousand meters into the mine, they suddenly stopped beside a corpse.

"It's him!" Taking a closer look at the shriveled remains, Chen Xun whispered, his expression somewhat complex.

Black Bull recognized the person's identity through the aura.

The corpse was none other than Wan Zeqian, the man they encountered when they first entered the mine, who was in the Void Refinement phase.

They clearly remembered that when they met, this person spoke of the strangeness of the place, wanting to escape.

Unexpectedly, in such a short time, he ended up in such a tragic state, buried on the spot...

Chen Xun and Black Bull shook their heads slightly, sighing. At this point, there was no time for lamentation.

While the corpse was still fresh, they decided to play a mournful tune on the suona, erect a grave, and offer some Crane Spirit Tree tributes.

After all, they had crossed paths, and certain rituals in the world of immortals shouldn't be forgotten. As compensation, they would take care of the deceased's belongings, quite respectfully.