Mountain Venerable and Sea Immortal

The broken wall leans precariously, charred wood lies scattered, and the wind blowing through the valley still carries a lingering trace of the battle.

Shen Yue and Su Lingyue led about ten fellow disciples to Lingxian Valley to clean up the battlefield, repair houses, and turn over the soil. When they reached the broken seal at the valley entrance, a disciple swung an iron hoe and dug it three feet into the ground. The tip of the hoe suddenly struck a layer of warm and dense spiritual energy, which made his wrist go slightly numb.

"What is that?"

A junior disciple standing nearby suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

Before anyone could react, a clear, melodious hum resounded through the valley, and the soil beneath their feet collapsed with a deafening roar. A rich, milky-white spiritual energy burst forth from the ground, rising gracefully into the sky. Under the bright sunlight, the spiritual energy condensed into tiny, crystalline fragments, with rainbow shadows swirling and dancing around it, lingering for a long time.

The news quickly reached the Elder Hall of Taiqing Palace. Immediately, Elder Wudao, along with several other elders, arrived on clouds, releasing their divine senses to probe deep into the earth's veins for a thorough investigation.

"It's the Hidden Crystal Spirit Vein!" In less than half an incense stick's time, several elders exclaimed in unison.

"It is indeed the Hidden Crystal Spirit Vein." The Grand Elder Wudao withdrew his divine sense, his expression becoming increasingly solemn. "Although this vein is far less vast and magnificent than the main vein at the mouth of the Guixu Sea, it excels in the purity and abundance of its spirit stones, enough to sustain the entire Laoshan sect's disciples for more than ten years of arduous cultivation. Furthermore, because it is adjacent to the Guixu Holy Land, its spiritual energy carries a trace of the unique peaceful spiritual charm of the ancient Guixu. After cultivators absorb it, it will greatly benefit their efforts to stabilize their Dao heart and break through cultivation bottlenecks."

Elder Guanhai followed up with a resolute statement: "According to the centuries-old rules of the cultivation world in the East Sea, a spiritual vein belongs to the sect that owns it. This Hidden Crystal Spiritual Vein is located within the Lingxian Valley of Laoshan Mountain, and it is rightfully our sect's private property. No one else has the right to touch it."

The other elders nodded in agreement.

"Return to Taiqing Palace immediately and inform the sect leader to discuss a solution!" As soon as Elder Wudao finished speaking, a faint spiritual light rippled around him, and he prepared to lead the group away.

Unbeknownst to anyone, two ragged figures with venomous expressions were observing everything from the overgrown weeds outside the valley. They were Hai Lan and Su Chen, whose cultivation had been crippled and who had been expelled from their sect by Laoshan. Hidden in the shadows, their fingernails dug deep into their palms, their eyes filled with hatred and malevolence.

"The Hidden Crystal Spirit Vein... Such a great opportunity, and it actually benefited Laoshan and Lin Yan!" Hailan whispered through gritted teeth, her voice trembling.

A ruthless glint flashed in Su Chen's eyes as he lowered his voice and said, "Don't rush. If we can't have it, we'll never let Laoshan hold onto it so easily! Immediately send the message to the Burning Heaven Sect and the Azure Cloud Sect. Which of the four major sects isn't greedy? Once the news spreads, Laoshan will be surrounded on all sides, and we can avenge ourselves!"

The two exchanged a glance and silently retreated into the dense forest. Using pre-prepared secret communication talismans, they sent the news of the spiritual vein's appearance to the four major sects of the East Sea.

In just one day, news of the Hidden Crystal Spirit Vein spread like wildfire throughout the cultivation world of the East Sea.

Inside the Blazing Fire Hall of the Burning Heaven Sect, magma churned and heatwaves surged. After receiving the report from his messenger disciple, Sect Master Lie Cang slammed his fist on the fiery jade table before him, shattering it. His red hair stood on end, and flames roared around him: "What a force to be reckoned with, Laoshan! Not content with monopolizing the treasures of the Void Returning to Nothingness, they even hid a spiritual vein!"

He looked up at the steps below and sternly ordered, "Fire Howl, gather three thousand elite fire cultivators and follow me to the Laoshan Sea Realm. Make Laoshan hand over the ownership of its spiritual veins. If they dare to disobey, raze Lingxian Valley to the ground!"

"We will obey the sect leader's orders!" Huo Xiao clasped his hands in acceptance and turned to mobilize his troops. Instantly, flames soared into the sky over the Red Reef Islands, and the fiery ships lined up and sped towards the Laoshan sea area.

Inside the Sword Inquiry Hall of the Qingyun Sect, sword energy was palpable, and clouds and mist swirled. Sect Master Shen Qinghan lightly stroked the scabbard with his fingertips. After listening to the report from his scouts, his eyes were as cold as ice: "The Guixu Spirit Vein should rightfully be shared by the righteous sects of the East Sea. It is against the rules for Laoshan to monopolize it."

He looked at Chu Linfeng, the Eastern Border Sword Guardian, beside him, and said calmly, "You will lead the elite sword cultivators of the sect to guard the western airspace of Laoshan. Without my order, you must not act rashly, but you must also never let Laoshan monopolize this vein."

"Yes, Sect Master." Chu Linfeng bowed and accepted the order. A moment later, streaks of snow-white sword rainbows pierced the sky and loomed over the border of Laoshan Mountain, their sword aura intimidating and menacing.

Above the Misty Jade Terrace of the Water Moon Pavilion, misty vapors swirled, and lotus boats swayed gently. Pavilion Master Su Wanli gazed at the spiritual energy of Lingxian Valley reflected in the water mirror in her hand, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. She softly said to Luo Wei beside her, "The Hidden Crystal Spiritual Vein is connected to the East Sea Water Vein. If it is disrupted by Burning Heaven and Blood Fiend, the foundation of our pavilion will definitely be affected. You take the Shadow Water Guards and secretly keep a close eye on the movements of Lingxian Valley and all sides, and report back immediately."

Luo Wei accepted the order, her figure transforming into a wisp of water mist that vanished in an instant, leaving only a sky full of smoke and waves, concealing her vigilance.

Meanwhile, on Black Reef Island of the Blood Fiend Sect, a thick fog hung in the air, and a foul wind blew incessantly. Sect Master Mo Tu, gripping his blood-red axe, listened to the Bone Demon's report, then threw his head back and laughed wildly, his ferocious aura sweeping across the entire island: "Spirit stones and spiritual veins are meant for the strong! Issue my order: everyone lie in ambush on the outskirts of Spirit Immortal Valley. Wait until they're both severely weakened, then we'll strike and seize all the spiritual veins and treasures!"

The Bone Demon gave a sinister smile, accepted the order, and left. Countless evil cultivators concealed their auras and, like ghosts, surged towards the dense forest surrounding the Spirit Immortal Valley, their malevolent energy surging.

In an instant, Laoshan was surrounded by powerful enemies, and layers of oppressive power pressed down on it, causing the spiritual energy of the entire mountain range to stagnate.

Inside the main hall of Taiqing Palace, Elder Wudao presided over a meeting where the elders were arguing heatedly. One hot-tempered elder slammed his fist on the table, his face stern: "The four sects are clearly bullying the weak! The spiritual veins belong to our sect; we will not yield even a fraction of them. Anyone who dares to invade, we will immediately suppress and kill them!"

Some elders shook their heads repeatedly, their faces full of worry: "If we fight against the four major sects at the same time, we will definitely suffer heavy losses. It would be better to allocate a few spirit stones to temporarily end the war."

As the two factions remained deadlocked, everyone's gaze turned to Lin Yan, who stood silently to the side of the hall.

Lin Yan stepped forward, bowed, and looked up with a firm gaze: "Sect Leader, Grand Elder, and all Elders, I personally explored the Spirit Immortal Valley before. My divine sense detected that the Hidden Crystal Spirit Vein is connected to the root vein of the Guixu Seal. If the outer sects are allowed to mine it, the spiritual energy of Guixu will be disrupted, and the seal will loosen. At that time, evil spirits will emerge, and the East Sea will be devastated."

He clenched his fist, the inkstone and the Dingyuan Pearl faintly glowing: "This vein concerns the survival of Laoshan, and even more so the safety of the East China Sea. We will not yield an inch, nor will we part with a single mine!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a hurried message came from outside the hall. The disciple, looking flustered, reported loudly, "Grand Elder! Something terrible has happened! The fire cultivators of the Burning Heaven Sect have arrayed themselves in the East Sea, demanding that we hand over the spiritual veins! The Azure Cloud Sword Cultivators have sealed off the western airspace, the Blood Fiend Sect's evil cultivators are lurking outside the valley, and the Water Moon Pavilion's secret guards are also making unusual movements around the area!"

The expressions of everyone in the hall changed drastically, and the atmosphere instantly became extremely tense.

Lin Yan turned to look outside the hall, his gaze sharp, and spiritual energy slowly rose around him: "Sect Leader, Grand Elder, this disciple is willing to go to Spirit Immortal Valley, guard the valley entrance, and defend the spiritual veins and the Guixu seal to the death!"

Sect Leader Xuan Yangzi looked at Lin Yan's resolute figure, nodded slowly, and said in a deep voice, "Order the entire sect to enter a state of combat readiness and assist Lin Yan in guarding Lingxian Valley! Our Laoshan Sect, with its thousand-year-old spirit, will never allow outside sects to bully us!"

A sudden burst of spiritual light appeared in the hall, and all the elders stopped arguing and accepted the order.

Outside Lingxian Valley, murderous intent surged from all directions; inside the valley, Laoshan disciples stood ready for battle.

A hidden crystal spiritual vein has completely ignited the ambitions of the various sects in the East Sea. The undercurrents of last night have turned into today's clash of swords, and a conflict concerning the ownership of the spiritual vein and the survival of the sects has officially begun.