The Demon Slayer Martial Saint Begins with Insect Refining

Chapter 260 Mystic Ice Gold Mine

In the Xuanjin Mountains, the cold wind howled, and the drifting snowflakes almost buried the entire mountain range, turning everything into a vast expanse of white.

In this mountain range, a small town sits atop the mountain, like a tree rooted in white earth, nestled on the Xuanjin Mountain Range.

The town was set up by the Beast King Sect. It was square and orderly, with walls made of bluestone about ten feet long. It was no more than a hundred feet long and no more than three feet high. There were no ordinary people in the town, only martial artists coming and going, and disciples of the mountain guards.

This is a town that was born out of mining. It has more than 500 guards and no less than 3,000 other martial artists and miners.

During the war, Yao Qingqing and others did consider taking advantage of this large mine, but before they could act, Xiang Ge and Yuan Hong made arrangements, activating a large formation that formed a defensive triangle with Han Ying Peak.

For a time, it became a garrisoned place, difficult to conquer.

At this time, half of the three thousand miners in the city were selected, and all the martial artists above the Bone Forging Realm became city guards. In addition, five hundred disciples of the Mountain Guard were added, bringing the total number to over a thousand.

Yuan Hong was alone in the city when the Sky-Piercing Sparrow brought news of the progress made in various places outside Cold Shadow Peak over the past few days, and a smile brighter than a chrysanthemum appeared on his face.

"In just a few days, most of the lost territory has been recovered. The area under the jurisdiction of Cold Shadow Peak is now in a state of strife. It won't be so easy for the demonic path to take it back."

Yuan Hong had previously been in charge of guarding Hanying Peak, so he naturally knew this place very well.

The demonic sects attacked suddenly, seizing a lot of resources in one go. There was nothing that could be done, as the speed of reinforcements was too slow.

However, now that the mountain-guarding disciples and inner and outer disciples have occupied various locations, there are constant sentry posts and communication. To take over a place, it would take several times the previous number of troops or combat power.

Their troop strength is alright, but in terms of combat power, they can only be Danqiao Realm martial artists.

But were Yuan Hong and his men afraid?

Xiang Ge was stationed in the four towns, Long Qiushui was located at Hanying Peak, and Su Yan had even concealed his whereabouts, so much so that even Yuan Hong did not know where he was.

With such a dispersed distribution, anyone can quickly rush to the scene if something happens in any of the locations.

bang
While they were pondering, a loud rumble suddenly came, and the great formation was being attacked, with intense fluctuations of spiritual energy spreading outwards.

Yuan Hong's gaze turned cold, and a sneer appeared on his face. He immediately flew out and looked up at the sky. His pupils dilated instantly, and he couldn't help but show a look of shock.

Dozens of Nine Nether Ships and Flying Vultures were in mid-air, with demonic disciples gathered behind them, their eyes gleaming with ferocity and greed.

"Activate the full formation, release the Sky-Piercing Lark!"

Yuan Hong held the broad Xuan Tu sword in his hand, took a step forward, and hovered in mid-air, standing in the void.

Behind them, disciples from both the inner and outer sects, along with the mountain guards, stood atop the city wall, activating the great formation. A layer of mixed yellow protective material enveloped the entire mining town, connecting it to the underground Xuanbing Gold Mine.

He shook the beast-storing pouch at his waist, and the towering body of the Floating Mountain Ape immediately appeared, standing a hundred meters tall outside the city wall, its enormous copper bell-shaped eyes staring at the Nine Nether Boat.

"Yuan Hong, it's actually you guarding this place!"

On the Nine Nether Boat, Ji Wenchuan, an elder of the Mad Blade Sect, leaped out, his eyes burning as if he wanted to pierce through Yuan Hong.

"So it was you, you old devil! I thought you died in the Ten Thousand Mountains."

Yuan Hong narrowed his small eyes, and his words were not so kind.

Ji Wenchuan and he had a past relationship. Back then, when they were fighting for treasure in the Ten Thousand Mountains, they were truly 'friends through thick and thin', and he almost fell into the other's hands.

"Whether you are in charge or not, today is the perfect time to send you on your way."

Ji Wenchuan had no time for idle chatter; he simply wanted Yuan Hong dead.

His robes fluttered, and behind him emerged a true essence—a mad golden ape, a hundred meters tall, with eyes like fire, which shot out hundreds of golden light blades with a wave of its hand.

Golden blades of light fell upon the formation, like raindrops hitting a lake, spreading golden ripples. In just one exchange, the formation began to shake.

The Nine Nether Boat pressed forward, unleashing a barrage of attacks like hundreds of meteors falling from the sky.

The flying eagle's wings were like blades, slashing out a hundred-meter-long blade of air that crashed directly into the formation.

Yuan Hong's face darkened, and the Beast Subduing Marks appeared one after another on his body. A total of four hundred Beast Subduing Marks transformed into chains, linking him with the Floating Mountain Ape.

"Roar"

With a mere thought, the Floating Mountain Ape roared, then raised its arms high, unleashing a surge of demonic energy. Instantly, hundreds upon hundreds of boulders rose from the ground, enveloped in dense demonic energy.

The Floating Mountain Ape waved its hand in attack, and hundreds of giant rocks rushed towards it.

For a moment, the sky seemed to burst into fireworks, with a continuous roar, surging spiritual energy, and dazzling light that made people dare not look directly at it.

"brush"

Just then, a dark shadow flew in from the side, its whole body shrouded in purple shadows, its figure like a cunning mountain demon, its sharp claws aimed straight at Yuan Hong's body.

Yuan Hong's body suddenly glowed with an earthy yellow light, his protective layer as thick as a mountain. He slashed fiercely with his Xuan Tu Sword, and with a clang, he blocked the attack.

He felt a lingering fear, his face turned ashen, and he stared intently, gritting his teeth as he said, "The Bishan Sect is a shameless bunch."

If Yuan Hong hadn't been so experienced in combat and hadn't held back his strength, the attack just now would have been enough to seriously injure him.

"Fuyue Peak's body refinement is unparalleled; I truly admire him."

Xiao Weizhi of Bishan Sect retreated to Ji Wenchuan of Kuangren Sect, his eyes gleaming coldly as he spoke with a forced smile.

If it were an ordinary Danqiao realm cultivator, that sneak attack would have succeeded.

Ji Wenchuan sneered, "No matter how powerful you are, you'll die today."

Yuan Hong glared at him coldly: "Just the two of you? Do you really think you've got me cornered?"

Ji Wenchuan laughed loudly: "Do you, Yuan Hong, really think you can wait for reinforcements? There are more than just these two thousand disciples of the demonic path."

He wasn't some soft-hearted, compassionate, righteous person; once he decided to launch a sneak attack, he wanted to maximize his gains.

He sent people to attack four towns, including Ma Wang Town and Bai Shan Town, as well as several second-tier spiritual veins. The attacks were a mix of feints and real attacks, making it difficult to distinguish between them. In any case, the goal was to draw the attention of the Beast King Sect.

Yuan Hong's face darkened. Although they had considered that the demonic path would try every means to attack them, they had not expected it to be such a desperate gamble.

If this battle fails, even a feint attack will deplete our forces.

"Fellow Daoist Ji, further words are useless. We'll destroy him. You take the Floating Mountain Ape, and I'll take Yuan Hong. As for the mountain's protective formation, let the Nine Nether Ship smash it to pieces..."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a clear, cold voice rang out.

"So, you're absolutely certain that my Beast King Sect has no one left?"

Ji Wenchuan and Xiao Weizhi were shocked and broke out in a cold sweat. Suddenly, they saw an overwhelming red wave sweeping over them like a thick fog.

Su Yan arrived in mid-air, his aura so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

"W-How did you get here?!"

Ji Wenchuan was shocked. Su Yan glanced at him and suddenly waved his hand.

The Heavenly Fiend Mother Locust flew out, and countless fiend bees pressed down on Ji Wenchuan.

"Stop them."

Ji Wenchuan immediately gave the order: the Flying Vulture Beast, the Nine Nether Boat... everyone launched an attack to try and shoot down these insects.

It shattered with a single blow, transforming into malevolent energy that spread across the sky.

Under the cover of this malevolent aura, the remaining ferocious bees instantly pounced on a flying eagle beast.

A series of piercing screams echoed from the swarm of bees, a mixture of the screams of demonic disciples and the cries of flying vultures. A chill ran down everyone's spine; if they had seen it clearly, they would have witnessed the demonic disciples and flying vultures reduced to skeletons in the blink of an eye, their flesh and blood completely devoured.

Ji Wenchuan and Xiao Weizhi were terrified. Seeing that the red swarm of bees was about to spread to the other Nine Nether Ships, they immediately took action to intercept it.

An attack, like a long river, swept out and headed straight for the swarm of bees carrying malevolent energy.

However, before the attack could reach the swarm, the Heavenly Fiend Locust stood in its path, its shin-shaped sickles, imbued with malevolent energy, slashed lightly and completely shattered the attack.

This attack was incredibly swift, startling both Ji Wenchuan and Xiao Weizhi.

Only Su Yan knew that the Heavenly Fiend Mother Locust had already reached its transformation period, and its strength was already several times stronger than that of an ordinary third-tier calamity beast. It was impossible for Ji Wenchuan and his companion to be at a disadvantage.

"kill"

Ji Wenchuan was shocked. The true meaning of the Mad Blade Golden Ape behind him transformed into a golden blade, unleashing a hundred-foot-long blade of light with a force that could cleave the heavens.

Xiao Wei's mountain demon transformed, its claws growing to a hundred feet in size, like a mountain-crushing behemoth, heading straight for the Heavenly Fiend Mother Locust.

The Heavenly Fiend Mother Locust inhaled and exhaled malevolent energy, suddenly flapping its wings. A blood-red tornado rose out of thin air, forming three walls. The malevolent energy swept in continuously, eroding everything that came near.

"Junior brother, I'm here to help you."

Seeing that the two were locked in a stalemate with the Heavenly Fiend Mother Locust, Yuan Hong immediately flew over.

Before the person even arrived, the Xuan Tu Sword had already unleashed a terrifying sword intent.

Ji Wenchuan's face darkened, and he raised his hand to wave a flag, which spun around and turned into a hundred meters long, like a shield infant blocking the sword intent.

With a resounding crash, the sword struck the flag, leaving three cracks.

This is a third-tier spiritual weapon, but it might not last long under Yuan Hong's attack.

Yuan Hong grinned: "Let's see how long you can last."

The Floating Mountain Ape strode forward, its arms, as strong as pillars of heaven, already clenched into fists, its aura solidified like a mountain.

"Uncle-Master, I'll take care of the cooking."

Su Yan's voice suddenly came, and then all sorts of weapons appeared in the air, one after another. There were not only swords and sabers, but also third-tier spiritual weapons such as the Tiger Head Seal, the Black Crystal Blade, and the Three Beasts Flag.

The aura was real, and the imposing presence was terrifying.

Amidst this vast expanse of soldiers, the Devouring Soldier Netherworld's form appeared and disappeared intermittently.

"The soldiers fell"

As soon as Su Yan uttered the words "Soldiers Fall," countless sword flashes and axe strikes rained down.

Those Nine Nether Ships and flying eagles were riddled with holes in an instant.

Bitter!

Xiao Weizhi was already panicked. Faced with such an attack, he immediately tried to block the illusory weapon.

But before they could intercept it, the Heavenly Fiend Mother Locust had already rushed in front of them.

He was too busy to defend himself and still wanted to try to stop them, but unexpectedly, a "plop" sound came and the sharp mouthparts had already pierced through his body.

A terrifying suction force came, and all his strength and true essence seemed to have been torn open, making it impossible to mobilize even a fraction of them.

Looking further, his blood and qi seemed to be gushing out like a flood, and in an instant, his whole body looked like a withered skeleton.

Looking at Ji Wenchuan, he was even more unlucky. He dodged Yuan Hong's attack and desperately tried to escape while holding onto the protective flag.

However, the next moment, the Devouring Soldier Youming had already stopped him.

It flashed by like a shadow, and the small flag snapped in two. The remaining half was being devoured by the maw of the Devouring Demon.

Several illusory swords condensed in front of him, unexpectedly piercing through his body and pinning him in mid-air.

Without the two people's obstruction, the swarms of evil bees engulfed every demonic disciple on the Nine Nether Ship.

The screams were incessant, each scream signifying the fall of a demonic martial artist.

Yuan Hong stood there, stunned, and gasped: 'Too ferocious! Both of these monstrous insects are at the third tier, and they possess such power…'

I knew Su Yan was exceptionally talented, but seeing it in person was a different story.

No wonder I heard that Xiang Ge gets beaten every day. If such a disciple were overlooked, he would be beaten even more than before.

His master was able to suppress him under Fuyue Peak for five hundred years.

Su Yan completely ignored the screams. Although the Heavenly Fiend Mother Locust had reached a bottleneck, every bit of blood and energy it absorbed would benefit its foundation.

Moreover, the more abundant one's Qi and blood, the more concentrated the malevolent Qi, and the more malevolent bees and blood bees one can breed.

"Uncle-Master, are you alright?"

Su Yan approached Yuan Hong, who shook his head and immediately praised, "You young people are quick to act, you didn't even get tired, how could you possibly get injured?"

He changed the subject abruptly, asking, "Ji Wenchuan said that other demonic disciples have launched attacks in various locations. What's the situation?"

Su Yan smiled and said, "The area within a radius of three hundred miles has been thoroughly investigated by my Blood Bees. Their every move is under the monitoring of the Blood Bees. Except for a few stronger ones who were only repelled, the rest have been wiped out."

His trump card is the blood bee.

The Heavenly Fiend Mother Locust can now control more than 100,000 blood bees. She can scatter them one by one, spreading them across a radius of 300 miles. Then, with the help of the Insect Sense Seed, she can descend to investigate, making it almost impossible for demonic traces to escape.

Of course, the area around Cold Shadow Peak is mostly snow-capped mountains and bitterly cold places. Under such conditions, the number of blood bees lost is extremely large, but compared to the success of the battle, this loss is insignificant.

Yuan Hong narrowed his eyes slightly: "Your insect bloodline is probably approaching the fourth rank. If it undergoes a transformation, it might even reach the fifth rank."

His insight was also sharp. He thought, "In ancient times, there was an insect called the Divine Fiend Insect. Its body was filled with fiendish energy, and wherever it passed, death was inevitable. If you can find one or two remnants or the original source, I bet you can advance to the next level."

Su Yan became interested, raised his eyes slightly, and suddenly said, "Actually, it's already on the verge of transformation, it just needs some materials."

"what material?"

Yuan Hong, wanting to lend a hand, picked up the conversation and continued to ask.

"These four things: Myriad Fiend Crystal, Soul Spirit Silkworm, Blood-Dripping Mystic Crystal, and Heavenly Abyss Ore."

Yuan Hong raised an eyebrow, then suddenly grinned and said, "You've come to the right person."

Su Yan's face lit up with joy: "Does Martial Uncle know the whereabouts of these things?"

"Know two things"

He held up two fingers and said, "The Nine Peaks Sect has a Heavenly Abyss Mine, a top-grade third-tier mine. Heavenly Abyss ore is produced there. Although it's not cheap, it will definitely be included in this exchange. With your merits, you can exchange for it."

"And the other thing?"

"The other thing lies with the old demon Shi Ze."

Su Yan looked surprised: "The Danqiao Realm martial artist from the Hundred Caves Witch Clan who attacked the city that day?"

“Yes, the old demon tribe has passed down the tradition of refining the Soul Spirit Silkworm for generations. Even if it’s not on him, it must be within the tribe.”

(End of this chapter)