Chapter 128
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Chapter 128: Earth Demon Qi
Just as Ji Yang was about to follow the direction of the sound, a series of urgent ringing sounds suddenly echoed throughout the mine.
The ringing drowned out the laughter.
Upon hearing the bell, disciples from other mines hurriedly emerged and started to walk towards the outside of the mine!
Ji Yang was a bit confused at the scene, but seeing all the disciples heading outside with slightly panicked expressions, he hesitated for a moment before following the crowd.
Soon, all the punished disciples in the mine reached the main hall, but they did not stop; they continued to walk outside.
It was only when they exited the mine and arrived at the camp set up outside that they finally came to a halt!
Ji Yang looked around and saw several inner disciples he did not know, all at least at the Initial Stage of Foundation Establishment, with the highest among them being at Mid Golden Core!
Upon seeing this, Ji Yang realized his cultivation level was relatively low. However, considering how long he had been in the sect, it was not as low as it seemed.
After all the disciples had exited, the familiar Elder Lu appeared again, holding a roster and starting to call names!
The roster contained the names of the disciples punished here at the mine.
“Yu Jing!”
“Present!”
“Pang Yang!”
“Present!”
For every name called, a punished disciple would respond to confirm their presence, and Elder Lu would carefully tally, ensuring each person was correct before moving on.
This series of actions left Ji Yang looking bewildered.
Previously, on the flying boat, he had asked Brother Ding from the Law Enforcement Hall about some information. However, since Brother Ding was not among those punished, he knew little, and Ji Yang was quite unaware.
As for the situation at hand, Ji Yang was equally confused.
After all, during his time at the Ziying Mine, they merely counted daily task indicators and did not require such roll calls.
It was easy to imagine that there were things he did not understand.
Just as Ji Yang was about to inquire about this from other disciples, he overheard their conversations.
Looking over, he saw a disciple at the Initial Stage of Foundation Establishment with a naïve expression, who was also glancing around, likely also someone here for punishment for the first time.
“Brother Cai, why do we have to have roll call here? I’ve never heard of this before!”
The calm-faced man beside him replied leisurely, “Junior Brother, since you are new here, of course, you wouldn’t be aware of the rules. If you knew, you wouldn’t have this question.”
The newcomer slightly cupped his fist and replied, “Please enlighten me, Brother!”
The man glanced at the progress of the roll call, estimated the time before his own name would be called, and slowly spoke, “Do you know about the energy of the earth demons?”
Upon hearing this, the young man showed a puzzled expression, his big eyes wide with confusion.
“Ah, never mind, I’ll explain it to you in detail!”
“The so-called energy of the earth demons is similar to the evil energy from above the nine heavens; one exists below and the other above. Both are things of heaven and earth, but ordinary cultivators are generally unaware of them. However, our He Dao Sect should have specialized books introducing them; you definitely haven’t gone to the library to thoroughly read the introductory knowledge, right?”
The disciple nodded shamefully in response, then continued to listen carefully.
“The earth demon energy, in theory, should exist deep underground, and ordinary cultivators cannot come into contact with it. Even high-level cultivators would not attempt to delve deep into the earth.”
“This is because there are neither cultivation resources down there, nor are there countless dangers! For instance, above the earth demon energy, there are surging undercurrents, extremely high-temperature magma! Along with rare spiritual beasts and even True Spirits that exist in these places! Even high-level cultivators would find it quite troublesome to deal with.”
Listening to the long string of knowledge, the disciple looked puzzled and then asked again, "Brother Cai, since the energy of the earth demons is so far away, how is that related to our roll call?"
Brother Cai smiled slightly, "Hehe, Junior Brother, you don’t know. Although the energy of the earth demons is far away, the Xuan Iron Mine is extraordinary by nature. Even the lower-grade Xuan Iron Mine can attract the energy of the earth demons before any special treatment is applied. This effect is especially pronounced at night!"
"When night falls, the energy of the earth demons rushes up from deep underground, attracted by the Xuan Iron Mine. If a cultivator gets too close, they will face various disturbances. If your mental cultivation is not strong enough, endless risks will follow."
“If you become immersed in it, you may be disturbed by the energy of the earth demons, causing your cultivation level to regress and even leading to the loss of rationality or other serious consequences!”
“Once, there was a disciple at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment who did not heed advice and wanted to leave early. At night, while the formations were closed, he used a special method to enter and stayed inside for a night. Do you know what happened?”
The newcomer gasped, "What happened?"
"Hmph, the result was that after the disciple came out, he was tainted by the energy of the earth demons, his cultivation regressed, and his True Essence was damaged. He died before reaching a hundred!"
"Did you think that the formations at our sect’s Xuan Iron Mine only prevent enemies? In fact, the greater concern is the energy of the earth demons. The formations hide the dangers within, so we mine during the day and rest at night. Overall, the sect is looking out for us!"
The newcomer was shocked but then frowned, saying, "But I still have so much more to mine for my daily task! How long will it take to finish?"
Brother Cai patted him on the shoulder to comfort him, "Sigh, we’re all in the same boat. Since we are here, we might as well endure it. After we get out, we can live well!"
"Thank you for your guidance, Brother, but I have another question."
"Go ahead!"
"If the energy of the earth demons is so dangerous, why does the sect still send us here to mine? Can’t we create some protective Talismans or magic tools to resist the energy of the earth demons, even if we are punished?"
"Hmph, if it were really the energy of the earth demons, even those of us at Foundation Establishment stage wouldn’t be able to withstand it, let alone those at the Golden Core Stage or the Nascent Soul Stage. The Xuan Iron Mine may attract the energy, but it only pulls in a small amount. Higher-level cultivators with better mental cultivation can withstand it, but we at Foundation Establishment stage certainly cannot."
“The sect has tried before, but resisting the energy of the earth demons consumed too much, with expenses and gains unequal! Besides, the energy of the earth demons only disturbs us at night; during the day, we can work without issue. So, when the time reaches the hour of the dog, the sect simply seals the mine with formations, reopening it the next day at the hour of the rabbit."
“I see.”
The newcomer suddenly realized, looking at Brother Cai with admiration.
Brother Cai felt quite proud, enjoying the admiration from the junior.
“Cai Jing! Cai Jing!”
“Is Cai Jing present?”
It wasn’t until Elder Lu called out twice that Brother Cai reacted, quickly answering!
Ji Yang, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, also began to understand.
He had not expected such circumstances to exist.
Having only recently joined, he lacked such knowledge.
But he had heard of the evil energy from above the nine heavens, said to be formless and intangible, found high above where ordinary cultivators could not reach, and high-level cultivators found it difficult to resist.
He never imagined that there was a corresponding energy of the earth demons deep underground!
