"The people from Xuanyin Sect must have come prepared; our mine's array is definitely no match."
"Therefore, we must ambush them on the way!"
Xu Feng looked at the 30 Golden Core Stage guards who had followed him, a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
Most of these Golden Core Cultivators in the guard team were loose cultivators recruited from the outside, essentially no different from the security guards in residential communities in his previous life.
The guard team looked unhappy upon hearing Xu Feng's words.
"Sir, will the people from Xuanyin Sect fight to the death when they come?" One of the Golden Core guards asked.
"Listen to me, I will do my utmost to protect your lives during the fight."
"Conversely, if you desert in the face of the enemy, that group from Xuanyin Sect will not show any mercy to you."
"Remember, the disciples of Xuanyin Sect are rewarded for killing you, so don't even think of begging for mercy," Xu Feng said with a grim expression.
"Set the ambush here, and when it's time for you to act, do not hesitate to use your strongest Divine Skills," Niu Yibao added from the side.
He, too, was concerned about the quality of this group of Golden Core guards.
"Brother Xu, we are still over 2000 li away, and they are estimated to arrive here in a quarter of an hour."
Niu Yibao reported the location of the group of Xuanyin Sect disciples through his Soul Connection to the Qingfeng Gourd.
Listening to the report, Xu Feng reached into his chest and touched the little Golden Armored Spirit Turtle.
"The enemy this time is quite strong," Xu Feng connected with the Golden Armored Spirit Turtle's soul.
The Golden Armored Spirit Turtle's voice echoed in his soul, essentially meaning they should fight if they can, and escape if they cannot.
Receiving his turtle son's response, Xu Feng's lips curled up slightly.
"Big brother Xu, there's only a thousand li left."
Niu Yibao's voice was somewhat tense.
"I know, you can get ready to use your great Divine Skill," Xu Feng said, staring in the direction of the Xuanyin Sect disciples.
Because it was night, the people from Xuanyin Sect had all concealed their auras, and even their escaping lights were hidden.
At that moment, Xu Feng's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
An ominous red short sword suddenly appeared out of the void behind Xu Feng, flashing with a strange red light aiming towards his Golden Core.
Before Xu Feng could react, a golden shield suddenly covered his entire body.
The short sword, flickering with strange red light, was fixed onto the golden shield.
A woman in a dark red robe with a shapely figure and a masked face appeared behind Xu Feng, looking quite surprised.
Seeing that her strike had missed, she withdrew her sword, and her figure once again disappeared into the void.
"Treasure Light Gourd, show yourself!"
Niu Yibao's angry voice sounded.
A gourd radiated a strong light, suddenly spreading around.
In the air a hundred zhang away, the masked woman was exposed.
"Wood Dragon's Wrath!"
Behind Niu Yibao, a Qingfeng Gourd suddenly lit up, and a wood dragon tens of zhang long burst out from the earth, roaring towards the masked woman.
"Wind Dragon, trap her!"
Another Treasure Gourd's mouth lit up.
A sudden gust of wind rose, turning into a wind dragon and sweeping toward the masked woman.
Caught between the dual assault of the wood dragon and wind dragon, the masked woman turned around, giving them a cold glance. She then suddenly unleashed the Blood Burning Escape Technique, converging towards the direction of the Xuanyin Sect disciples in the distance.
"Big brother Xu, are you alright?" After the woman fled, Niu Yibao quickly came over to ask.
"I had a shield, I'm fine."
After coming to his senses, he wanted to take action, but seeing Niu Yibao angrily fight for him, he stopped.
He wanted to see for himself the strength of his sworn younger brother.
"Just now, I was scared to death. If I had been the target, I'd probably be lying on the ground already," Niu Yibao said with lingering fear.
"Don't worry, I'm here," Xu Feng gently patted Niu Yibao on the shoulder.
At this moment, Niu Yibao's expression suddenly turned strange.
"Brother Xu, those Xuanyin Sect disciples have retreated."
"That's normal. After all, our Guard Team consists of Golden Core Stage cultivators, plus the divine might of your Treasure Gourd, we've already startled the snake by hitting the grass."
"If a real fight were to happen, they feel they wouldn't have the advantage."
After finishing his words, Xu Feng led the guards to retreat.
Outside Mine No. 38, Foundation Establishment Stage miners kept coming out of the mine, handing over their only Storage Bags to the guards.
These Storage Bags were then sent to the headquarters specially designed for collecting Spiritual Ores.
More and more Foundation Establishment Stage miners emerged from the mine, and the town gradually started bustling.
The taverns began to overflow, and the noisy sounds of boisterous drinking filled the air.
"How much Spirit Stones can these miners earn in a year?"
Looking at the Foundation Establishment Stage miners coming out of the mine, Xu Feng asked out of curiosity.
"Normally, about four hundred Spirit Stones a year."
"The most skilled Foundation Establishment Stage miners can earn up to six hundred a year, all hard-earned money," said the deputy manager of Mine No. 38.
Hearing this, Xu Feng nodded, looking at this group of Foundation Establishment Stage miners, as if seeing the scene of workers leaving a construction site in his previous life.
"Brother Xu, I just saw on the Communication Magic Artifact that our Purple Gold Vein's Mine No. 49 has been wiped out."
"The two disciples stationed there and all 50 Golden Core Guards have been killed; now Mine No. 49 has fallen into the hands of the Xuanyin Sect," said Niu Yibao, holding the Communication Magic Artifact with a grim look on his face.
"How many years has it been since the last war between the Immortal Sects?" Xu Feng suddenly asked.
"Over 8,000 years," Niu Yibao replied and then froze.
"Yeah, it's been stable for over 8,000 years. Suddenly seeing the death of fellow sect brothers is still not something one gets used to."
"Don't worry too much, let's just focus on our cultivation and figure out how to keep ourselves safe."
At this point, Xu Feng suddenly thought of Xu Ming, who was at the very front-line vein.
"Is there any news from the large Spirit Stone mines closest to the Xuanyin Sect's territory?"
"Yes, there was a big battle yesterday, with losses on both sides."
"The most impressive was Xu Ming, who belongs to the same family as Brother Xu."
"Alone with a sword, he faced six Outer Disciples from the other side. Before reinforcements arrived, he even left one of their Outer Disciples behind."
As he said this, a trace of joy appeared on Niu Yibao's face.
"By the way, is Xu Ming closely related to you, Brother Xu?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Feng smiled.
"That's my younger brother."
He spoke with a hint of pride.
"If the younger brother is so formidable, Brother Xu must be even more impressive," said Niu Yibao happily.
"Haha, I'm still a bit short."
"You're too modest, Brother Xu."
Three days later, outside Mine No. 38.
Xu Feng stood with his foot on a corpse, his gaze fiercely fixed on the Xuanyin Sect Outer Disciples in the distance, who wore expressions of fear.
"With these little tricks, you dare to come?"
In the sky, Niu Yibao rode on the Qingfeng Gourd, watching those few people with vigilant eyes.
"Brother Xu, should we kill them?" Niu Yibao communicated telepathically.
"Create a flaw, let them all go and try to lure some big fish."
Afterwards, Xu Feng deliberately tangled with the few, letting them find an opportunity to all escape.
"These are all nameless disciples on the Xuanyin Sect's list, killing them wouldn't yield many rewards."