107: Mine, Golden Phoenix Pond, Nameless Forbidden Land

Passing through the edge of the basin filled with destructive Qi, Lin Feng finally arrived at the core area of the Gold Marrow Island Secret Realm.

The scene before him grew increasingly bizarre; the earth seemed to have been cast with molten metal by a giant god, solidifying into various grotesque and twisted shapes.

The sharp gold Evil Qi in the air was almost tangible, scraping against his protective spiritual light with a "hissing" sound, causing his consumption to increase sharply.

According to the map information provided by the Golden Scale Merchant Guild in his mind, and his observations along the way, the core area was roughly divided into three directions.

Straight ahead was the entrance to an enormous mine, deep like the maw of a Vicious Beast.

The entrance was covered with strange, jagged rocks, and thick gold essence Qi, mixed with even more violent gold Evil Qi, continuously spewed out, forming a faint golden mist.

That was his primary objective for this trip—the gold essence mine area!

gold essence, an Advanced Artifact Refining treasure material capable of tempting even Nascent Soul Cultivators, was exactly what his mission required and an excellent material to strengthen his "Startling Thunder" sword embryo!

Even if he only obtained the ten catties of High Grade gold essence required for the mission with a slight surplus, it would be enough to greatly increase the potential of his Natal Flying Sword.

'The mission is paramount, but the sword embryo cannot be missed either.' Lin Feng made his decision, making this his first choice.

Far to the left, an area shimmering with multicolored radiance was faintly visible.

Even from a great distance, he could feel a gentle yet vast spiritual energy, different from the gold Evil Qi.

It was marked as "Golden Phoenix Pool," rumored to be the place where a True Spirit Phoenix fell.

Colored stones enhancing Comprehension Ability? Falling Phoenix Grass cleansing Spiritual Root? Regardless of how much truth the legends held, their allure was unparalleled.

However, Lin Feng knew that such a treasure land would undoubtedly be a contested area, and at this moment, countless Foundation Establishment elites and even Late Stage powerhouses were gathered there, making it fraught with danger.

'Unless necessary, I will not venture there for now.' He suppressed the longing in his heart.

To the right, however, was a stretch of deathly silence.

The map only marked it with a crimson skull symbol and the words "Forbidden Ground," without any detailed information.

That pure, deathly silence, which even devoured light and gold Evil Qi, instead made Lin Feng most wary.

The unknown often meant danger far beyond one's understanding.

'Absolutely not something I can touch at this stage.'

After a moment of thought, Lin Feng no longer hesitated.

His figure transformed into a faint blue stream of light, cautiously flying towards the entrance of the massive mine.

The closer he got to the mine, the more obvious the signs of battle became.

The ground was covered with craters from spell attacks, sharp sword marks, fragments of shattered Magical Artifacts, and dried, blackened bloodstains.

Clearly, countless brutal battles had already erupted in the struggle for the gold essence within the cave.

The mine entrance was even more ravaged, its terrain broken and uneven.

Lin Feng descended, and his powerful Divine Sense meticulously swept over every inch of the ground like mercury.

Soon, in the deep crevices of some blasted rocks or at the bottom of certain inconspicuous pits, he discovered a few overlooked pieces of Medium Grade gold essence, about the size of a fingernail, and even a small piece of High Grade gold essence, hidden extremely deep and almost fused with the rock!

"Indeed, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it.

The struggles of those before me have benefited me instead." Lin Feng smiled slightly, unceremoniously collecting these "found" items into his storage.

Although the quantity was not large, it accumulated, and the quality was quite good.

Just as he was meticulously searching, a heart-palpitating spiritual energy storm suddenly erupted from deep within the mine ahead!

It was as if the deathly silence before a landslide or tsunami had been broken; violent roars, piercing shrieks, furious howls, and desperate screams mixed together, forming a destructive wave that rapidly surged outwards from the depths of the mine!

Lin Feng's internal alarm bells rang wildly, and he instantly circulated the Turtle Breath Qi Concealment Art to its extreme, his aura seeming to completely merge with the cold metal ground beneath his feet.

His figure, like a ghost, slid behind a pile of jagged, interwoven dark metal pillars that had been severed by some immense force.

His gaze, like a hawk's, pierced through the gaps, firmly locking onto the source of the sound.

Smoke and dust filled the air, spiritual light flashed explosively!

Seven or eight figures, like projectiles blasted by a violent force, fiercely fought their way out of the mine!

At the core of the struggle was a strange piece of metal, about the size of a baby's fist, entirely crimson like molten glass, yet radiating a brilliant, dazzling light like the sun, causing the surrounding gold Evil Qi to yield and submit!

It seemed to possess a living core, intensely vibrating in the air, darting left and right.

Each pulsation caused the Void Realm to hum, yet it was tightly entangled and pulled by four or five spiritual energy chains of different colors, coming from different Cultivators, like a pack of wolves fighting over a beating heart!

"crimson gold essence! It's a crimson gold essence!" Lin Feng's pupils suddenly contracted to pinpricks, his breathing almost stopping!

This was no ordinary crimson gold essence, but an essence that had given birth to a trace of spiritual Origin!

Its value was immeasurable, enough to drive a Golden Core Immortal Master mad, and even attract the attention of a Nascent Soul Old Ancestor!

If it could be perfectly melted into the "Startling Thunder" sword embryo... what would be born would be a Natal supreme treasure with growth potential!

Those contending for this crimson gold essence were clearly two factions, but their battle lines had already become blurred and chaotic in the fierce struggle.

One side consisted of three people, their robes fluttering, their Magical Artifacts emanating spiritual light.

Even in intense battle, they maintained a certain elegance and arrogance characteristic of a prominent Family.

The leading figure, Nangong Yu, a handsome young man in brocade robes, possessed a Peak Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer cultivation, with a somewhat sinister look.

In his hand was a precious fan with a jade bone frame and feathers flowing with wind-thunder patterns—the Wind-Thunder Fan!

Each swing did not merely produce wind blades, but rather drew upon the thin yet violent thunder spiritual power in the Secret Realm, transforming it into cyan-purple wind-thunder snakes that roared and lunged at their opponents.

Wherever they passed, the ground was scorched and exploded, their might terrifying!

Beside him was an old man with a withered face but eyes as sharp as an eagle's, a Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer Cultivator, likely a Family Dao Protector.

He did not actively attack but fully activated an ancient, heavy, earthy-yellow great seal—the Earth Seal!

The great seal floated above the heads of the three, casting down solid, hazy yellow light screens that firmly protected Nangong Yu and another female Cultivator.

No matter how violent the external attacks, the light screen, though rippling, remained as stable as a rock, demonstrating extremely strong defensive power.

The female Cultivator was beautiful, dressed in flowing cloud sleeves, and possessed a Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer cultivation.

She did not use conventional offensive Magical Artifacts but held an ancient, burnt-tail zither, her slender fingers plucking rapidly!

What she played was not pleasant music, but silent rhythmic waves!

These waves were incredibly bizarre, capable of directly penetrating the light screen of the Earth Seal, ignoring physical defenses, and directly attacking the opponent's Divine Soul!

This caused the Loose Cultivators besieging them to frequently freeze, show expressions of pain, and reveal numerous flaws.

The other side appeared to be a mixed bag, about four or five people, likely several small groups temporarily united by common interest.

Leading them was a burly, one-eyed man with a full beard and a menacing aura, a Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer Cultivator.

He wielded a massive, door-sized ghost-head blade, its blade entwined with eerie black Qi.

Each strike carried the sound of ghosts wailing and wolves howling, powerful and heavy, capable of briefly cleaving through the wind-thunder snakes and fiercely striking the Earth Seal's light screen, causing violent tremors.