I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

Following protocol, Qin Yuan and his group did not go directly to the Liuyun Sect's mountain gate, but instead went to the nearest mine where the accident had occurred—the "Qingqu Mine" located in the northern part of the Cuiyun Mountains.

At the entrance to the mine, disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sect stood guard, but they looked anxious. Upon seeing the flying boat and attire of the Taiyi Immortal Sect's Sky Patrol Guards, they quickly stepped forward to pay their respects.

"Where is the person in charge here?" Zhao Zheng asked as he stepped forward.

A middle-aged cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage stepped forward tremblingly: "Reporting to the sect's envoy, the steward, Uncle Liu... he went down into the mines to investigate three days ago and has not returned since... I fear he has met with misfortune!"

Qin Yuan frowned: "Take us to the entrance of the mine."

The entrance to the mine was deep and dark, with gusts of cold wind blowing. The spiritual light that should have been unique to the spirit stone vein appeared dim and murky, instead exuding a faint, unsettling chill.

Qin Yuan probed with his divine sense and immediately sensed a familiar, but thinner and more mixed, remnant of Yin Sha soul power, which was of the same origin as the Yin Puppet Soul Core of Black Wind Valley!

"As expected, it's related." A cold glint flashed in Qin Yuan's eyes. He turned to the Foundation Establishment cultivator and said, "Immediately send a message back to your sect to seal off this mine and the other affected mines. No disciple is allowed to approach. At the same time, have your sect leader come here to see me immediately."

"Yes...yes!" The cultivator was so frightened by the unintentional pressure emanating from Qin Yuan that his face turned pale, and he scrambled off to deliver the message.

Qin Yuan said to his team members, "The residual aura inside the mine is from the same source as Black Wind Ravine. Li Zhen, set up a blockade and warning array at the entrance to prevent anything inside from coming out and to prevent outsiders from breaking in. Sun Ying and Wang Shan, come with me to investigate. Zhao Zheng and Su Wan, stay outside to keep watch and provide support for the people from Flowing Cloud Sect."

"Captain, the situation inside is unclear. You should go down there yourself..." Zhao Zheng said with some concern.

"It's alright." Qin Yuan waved his hand and took the lead towards the gloomy mine entrance. Sun Ying and Wang Shan followed closely behind, fully alert.

The mine's interior was intricate and complex, with obvious signs of mining, but at this moment, the tunnels were deathly silent, save for the sounds of dripping water and the echoing footsteps of the group. The deeper one went, the stronger the chilling atmosphere became, and a faint stench of decay permeated the air.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a large mining cave appeared ahead. In the center of the cave, more than a dozen shriveled corpses lay scattered about, dressed in the robes of Liuyun Sect disciples. Their deaths were consistent with the rumors; their life force and spirit had been drained, leaving only skin and bones.

At the end of the cave, on the rock wall, there was a narrow opening, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, with very recent signs of human excavation. It slanted downwards, its bottom unseen, and intense Yin energy was constantly surging out from it!

On the rocks at the edge of the cave entrance, there are some dark red, twisted runes that look like they were drawn with dried blood, which faintly echo the aura of the mark on the Yin Puppet Soul Core!

"Captain, this entrance... is new! It's not the original mine tunnel!" Sun Ying whispered.

Qin Yuan walked to the strange cave entrance and probed inside with his divine sense. He felt that the evil aura below was thick and bottomless, and there was a faint array blocking his divine sense.

"It seems that someone is using the mining disaster at Liuyun Sect as a cover to secretly cause trouble here, and may even be... using the essence and soul of miners and cultivators as materials for some kind of refining." Qin Yuan's voice was icy.

Just as he was about to investigate further, a sharp, piercing shriek suddenly came from deep within the cave! Immediately afterward, several dark figures shot out of the cave like ghosts, carrying a thick stench of blood and a murderous aura, rushing straight at the three of them!

Five monsters, even more ferocious in appearance, covered in dark red blood patterns, and with an aura between the peak of the Nascent Soul stage and the early stage of the Divine Transformation stage, were revealed! They were neither human nor beast, with ghostly green soul fire burning in their eye sockets, sharp claws and teeth, and astonishing speed!

"Blood Fiend Corpse Puppet!" Sun Ying exclaimed in horror. This was an evil object that was even more vicious than the Yin Puppet and had higher requirements for its creation. It required the essence and soul of living people as a catalyst and was fused with earthly evil spirits to create it. It was extremely cruel!

Five blood-fiend corpse puppets instantly surrounded the three of them, and a stench filled the air!

Qin Yuan's eyes sharpened. Instead of retreating, he advanced, his fingers forming a sword shape. The spiritual light at his fingertips flowed, carrying a trace of the "Mysterious Yuan Demon-Slaying Finger" and striking the brow of the corpse puppet at the forefront with lightning speed!

Meanwhile, his cool voice echoed through the mine:

"It seems that this 'mining disaster' at the Flowing Cloud Sect was actually a deliberately staged breeding ground. Today, we'll just have to dismantle this den!"

Five blood-fiend corpse puppets rushed in, bringing with them a foul and malevolent aura. The limited space inside the mine blocked their escape route in an instant!

Sun Ying and Wang Shan's expressions changed drastically. They immediately stood back to back, unleashing their full spiritual power. Sun Ying's figure blurred, creating several afterimages that were difficult to distinguish from the real ones. The slender dagger in her hand gleamed with an eerie light, attempting to disrupt the corpse puppet's senses. Wang Shan let out a low roar, his body seemingly swelling slightly, his skin turning a rock-like grayish-white. He clenched his fists, condensing earth-yellow spiritual power into a thick fist aura, which he slammed head-on into a corpse puppet!

However, the Blood Fiend Corpse Puppet was too fast and its movements were too strange. It twisted its body in mid-air to avoid Wang Shan's fist energy, and its sharp claws left bloody afterimages as it went straight for Wang Shan's heart! On the other side, Sun Ying's afterimage was also easily seen through by the two corpse puppets. One of the corpse puppets opened its mouth and spat out a stream of foul-smelling blood. The foul blood ignited upon contact with air and turned into a ghostly green flame, forcing Sun Ying to retreat repeatedly. A corner of his Taoist robe was stained and instantly corroded into a large hole!

These corpse puppets were clearly specially crafted; they were not only ferocious but also knew how to cooperate easily, far surpassing ordinary puppets!

Just as the two were in grave danger, Qin Yuan made his move.

His seemingly slow, sword-like pointing motion, however, was incredibly precise, as the spiritual light emanating from his fingertips struck the first corpse puppet between the eyebrows with unparalleled accuracy!

"puff!"

With a soft sound, like a hot knife slicing through solidified fat, the dark red, hard bone plate on the corpse puppet's forehead was easily pierced. The spiritual light drilled into its skull, striking directly at its core soul fire!

"hiss--!"

The corpse puppet let out a piercing, agonizing scream, its forward momentum abruptly halting. The eerie green soul fire in its eye sockets flickered wildly, and then with a muffled "bang," its entire head exploded from the inside out, scattering dark red, foul-smelling fluid mixed with broken bones everywhere! The headless corpse swayed, collapsed to the ground, twitched a few times, and then lay still.

One-hit kill!

But the other four corpse puppets were already upon him, two on each side, their claws and fangs gleaming with a sinister, cold light, attacking Qin Yuan's head, throat, heart, and dantian respectively! Their coordinated attack sealed off all angles of evasion!

Qin Yuan's expression remained unchanged, and he didn't even move a step. His spiritual power suddenly surged, and the powerful and pure spiritual power of the Nine Revolutions Profound Origin Technique spread out like a tide, forming an extremely solid protective aura around him with a faint nine-colored halo!

"Ding! Ding! Hiss! Hiss!"

The claws and teeth of the four corpse puppets fiercely gripped and bit into Qin Yuan's protective aura, producing a crisp sound like metal clashing and a teeth-grinding friction sound! An attack that was powerful enough to tear apart the protective aura of an ordinary early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator could only leave a few shallow ripples on Qin Yuan's protective aura, failing to even break through the outermost layer of aura!