As the cyan-gold stream of light passed over Dragon-Breaking Cliff—the border between the East China Sea and the Western Wasteland—the air suddenly turned harsh and cold.
Unlike the gentle water vapor of the East China Sea, the Western Wasteland's wind carried fine golden metal gravel, hitting Ao Xuan's Taoist robe with a rustling sound.
The land below was cracked like a spiderweb, with reddish-brown rocks exposed. Faint golden golden metal spiritual energy seeped from the cracks, yet intertwined with wispy gray-black demon qi—traces left by the beast tide and demon cultivator invasions, even tainting the innate spiritual veins with ferocity.
"Ahead lies the Golden Metal Stone Forest." Cang Lie slowed his escape speed. The Nanming Golden Metal on his silver-white battle armor glowed with faint golden flames, automatically burning the surrounding demon qi into green smoke.
"When I ruled the Western Wasteland in my early years, I often drilled the Black Armored Stone People here. The Golden Metal Altar deep in the stone forest was where I presided over meetings with the Western Wasteland's clans. If my old subordinates still survive, they must be guarding near the altar."
Yuan Hao slung his innate stone staff over his shoulder, his monkey eyes twirling as he occasionally poked the rocks below with his staff.
As soon as the stone staff touched a golden-glowing rock, it was bounced back by the golden metal spiritual energy, sparking a shower of sparks. "Whoa! This rock is harder than my staff! The Western Wasteland's spiritual energy is fierce, but way too dry—this old Yuan's fur is almost dried out!"
Ao Xuan stood atop the stream of light, his dragon pupils piercing the gaps in the stone forest, clearly seeing the crisscrossing golden metal spiritual veins underground.
These spiritual veins should have been as agile as silver snakes, but now many were blocked by demon qi, like blood vessels eroded by poison, their flow becoming sluggish.
Farther into the stone forest, faint beast roars echoed, mixed with the dull sound of rocks colliding—clearly, creatures were engaged in battle.
"There's the sound of fighting." Faint blue spiritual light emanated from Ao Xuan's fingertips, and a wisp of water fortune power spread along the ground. After a moment, he frowned slightly.
"It's the aura of the Black Armored Stone People—they're trapped by demonized beasts."
Cang Lie's expression darkened, and the Nanming Golden Metal flames around him flared suddenly. "The Black Armored Stone People are my most trusted old subordinates, refined from the Western Wasteland's innate black stone. They excel at setting up the Black Stone Trapping Formation using golden metal spiritual veins—ordinary beasts could never trap them. There must be too many demonized beasts, or demon cultivators manipulating them from the shadows!"
The three of them wasted no time, their escape light shooting toward the sound of fighting like arrows.
The closer they got to the stone forest's depths, the thicker the smell of blood and demon qi became. Broken armor of the Black Armored Stone People lay scattered on the ground—fragments of armor refined from innate black stone, which should have been as hard as innate spiritual treasures, yet now torn into pieces, their edges stained with black corrosion marks, clearly caused by the combined attacks of demonized beasts' claws and demon qi.
"Roar——!"
A deafening beast roar came from the center of the stone forest.
Dozens of "Demonized Bloodfang Wolves" were frantically tearing at a small group of Black Armored Stone People. The wolves were completely black, their fangs glowing with dark red feral light. The black demon qi they spat from their mouths fell on the stone people's trapping formation, and the formation patterns instantly turned gray-black, like rice paper stained with ink, quickly losing their spiritual light.
Only over twenty Black Armored Stone People remained. Leading them was an elderly stone man wearing tattered black stone armor, his stone body covered in deep, bone-deep cracks. Yet he still used his body as a shield, firmly protecting several young stone people behind him.
His hoarse voice was filled with determination. "Hold the formation core! Rely on the golden metal spiritual veins to hold on! When Lord White Tiger returns, he will avenge us!"
"Avenge you?" The largest wolf raised its head and howled, the demon qi on its claws condensing into sharp claw blades.
"Your White Tiger fled to the East China Sea long ago! Today, you stubborn stones will become nourishment for my advancement!"
The claw blade, tearing through the air with a shrill whistle, slashed toward the elderly stone man's head.
The elderly stone man closed his eyes, ready to detonate his own stone core and perish together with the wolf—when he suddenly heard a familiar cold shout—
"Insolent!"
A silver-white stream of light tore through the air. Cang Lie's figure appeared before the elderly stone man in an instant. His claws, condensed from Nanming Golden Metal and glowing with faint golden flames, slammed fiercely into the wolf's claw blade.
With a crisp clang, the wolf's claw blade shattered on the spot. The black demon qi melted away like snow meeting fire, and the wolf itself was sent flying backward, crashing into a golden metal rock and spitting out a mouthful of black blood.
"L-Lord White Tiger!" The elderly stone man with a rush opened his eyes, ecstasy bursting in his cloudy stone pupils, his tattered black stone armor trembling slightly.
"You've finally returned!"
The surrounding Black Armored Stone People also looked up, their despair replaced by hope. Many even forgot to control the trapping formation, stretching out their stone hands toward Cang Lie as if grasping a long-lost reliance.
Seeing Cang Lie appear, the demon wolves' eyes flashed with brutality. The leading wolf shook its head, then howled and pounced again. "You're just a deserter! How dare you meddle in my affairs!"
"A deserter?" Cang Lie sneered, and the Nanming Golden Metal flames around him surged, transforming into a ten-thousand-zhang White Tiger phantom. The tiger's roar shook the entire stone forest.
"When I left the Western Wasteland temporarily, it was to find the Golden Metal Spiritual Crystal to reinforce the Western Wasteland's defenses. Today, I return to wipe out you demon scum!"
The White Tiger phantom raised its giant paw, slamming down on the wolf pack with the power to burn the sky.
Just as the wolves were about to spit out demon qi to resist, Yuan Hao descended from the sky carrying his stone staff, earth-element spiritual energy and wood-element spiritual light coiling around the staff. He smashed it fiercely into the leading wolf's head. "How dare you bully this big guy's old subordinates? This old Yuan's staff won't allow it!"
With a dull thud, the wolf's head was crushed by the stone staff. A black-red feral core rolled out, and as soon as it touched the air, it was burned to ashes by Cang Lie's golden metal flames.
Witnessing this, the remaining wolves were terrified out of their wits, turning to flee—only to be blocked by Ao Xuan's water fortune power. A pale blue water curtain unfolded instantly, surrounding the stone forest completely. The water curtain glowed with Pangu Merit Golden Light. As soon as the wolves touched the water curtain, their demon qi was purified, and their bodies disintegrated.
In less than half an incense stick's time, the dozens of Demonized Bloodfang Wolves were all killed.
Peace returned to the Golden Metal Stone Forest, leaving only the heavy breathing of the Black Armored Stone People and the lingering smell of blood on the rocks.
Cang Lie walked up to the elderly stone man, knelt down, and the Nanming Golden Metal flames at his fingertips gently brushed over the elderly stone man's wounds.
As the faint golden flames entered his body, the cracks on the elderly stone man's body healed at a visible speed, and even the stone core spiritual veins eroded by demon qi gradually resumed flowing.
"Xuan Jia, what exactly happened in the Western Wasteland these past few years?" Cang Lie's voice was solemn.
"Why are the golden metal spiritual veins blocked by demon qi? Where are my other old subordinates—the golden metal clans, the spiritual plant tribes?"
The elderly stone man, named Xuan Jia, was Cang Lie's longest-serving subordinate. Now that he had finally recovered, his voice still trembled with fear. "Three years after you left, demon cultivators began invading the Western Wasteland. Riding on demonized beasts, they plundered golden metal spiritual veins everywhere, claiming they would 'purify' the 'useless creatures' of the Western Wasteland."
"The golden metal clans fought to the death with the demon cultivators at Burning Gold Valley to protect the spiritual veins. In the end... the entire clan was devoured by demon qi. Only a few escaped, and their whereabouts remain unknown to this day."
"The spiritual plant tribes fled into Withered Wood Abyss." Xuan Jia's voice grew hoarser.
"There's an illusion formation formed by innate spiritual plants there, which could have temporarily avoided disaster. But three months ago, a stronger demon cultivator force broke into the abyss, destroying the illusion formation and seizing the tribe's Spiritual Plant Sacred Fire... We Black Armored Stone People searched everywhere for survivors, but encountered successive waves of demonized beasts. Now only we remain."
Upon hearing this, the water fortune power at Ao Xuan's fingertips spread again, probing toward Burning Gold Valley and Withered Wood Abyss along the golden metal spiritual veins.
After a moment, he withdrew his spiritual light, his expression solemn. "The golden metal spiritual veins in Burning Gold Valley have been completely contaminated by demon qi, forming a 'Demon Gold Cave' where a 'Demonized Golden-Winged Roc' with strength comparable to a Golden Immortal resides. Although the illusion formation in Withered Wood Abyss is broken, it still retains the life aura of the spiritual plant tribe—presumably, there are still survivors hiding in the shadows."
Yuan Hao gripped his stone staff, his eyes filled with anger. "These demon cultivators have gone too far! This old Yuan is going to Burning Gold Valley right now to smash that roc to pieces!"
"Do not act recklessly." Ao Xuan raised his hand to stop him. "The Demonized Golden-Winged Roc excels in speed and golden metal divine arts, and holds the geographical advantage of the Demon Gold Cave. A head-on confrontation will only cost us manpower. Let's first go to the Golden Metal Altar—it's the spiritual vein hub of the Western Wasteland. If we can purify the altar's spiritual veins, we can not only contact more old subordinates but also use the altar's power to weaken the demon cultivators' demon qi."
Cang Lie nodded in agreement. The Black Armored Stone People also stood up one after another, tidying their tattered armor. "My lord, we are willing to be guides! There are 'Golden Metal Beacons' we left near the altar—only the Black Armored Stone People can sense them; the demon cultivators haven't discovered them yet!"
The group wasted no time. The Black Armored Stone People led the way, with Cang Lie, Ao Xuan, and Yuan Hao following closely behind, heading toward the altar deep in the Golden Metal Stone Forest.
Along the way, small carvings could be seen on the rocks—safe routes marked by the Black Armored Stone People to avoid areas with dense demon qi. Occasionally encountering a few scattered demonized beasts, they were quickly dealt with by Cang Lie's golden metal flames and Yuan Hao's stone staff, without delaying their journey.
When they reached the end of the stone forest, an altar built from golden metal rocks finally came into view.
The altar was about a hundred zhang tall, divided into three layers. Each layer was carved with delicate White Tiger patterns and golden metal runes. At the top hovered a pale golden "Golden Metal Token"—the token Cang Lie used to rule the Western Wasteland in the past. Now, however, it was wrapped in a layer of gray-black demon qi, its runes dim, and even the surrounding spiritual veins had lost their luster.
"The altar has been contaminated by demon qi." Cang Lie walked up to the altar and reached out to touch the runes. As soon as the Nanming Golden Metal flames at his fingertips touched the demon qi, a hissing sound erupted.
"We need to purify it with both Nanming Golden Metal and Merit Golden Light to awaken the altar's spiritual veins."
Ao Xuan nodded, holding out the Innate Dragon Pearl in his palm. Cyan-gold spiritual light intertwined with Cang Lie's golden metal flames, slowly pouring into the altar.
As the spiritual light poured in, the demon qi on the altar faded rapidly like snow meeting the sun. The runes lit up again, and the Golden Metal Token at the top began to tremble slightly, emitting faint golden light that resonated with the golden metal spiritual veins underground.
At that moment, the golden metal rocks around the altar suddenly trembled violently. A dull roar came from underground, and a black shadow darted out from the rock cracks, straight for the Golden Metal Token at the altar's top.
It was a three-zhang-long "Demonized Rock Lizard," its body covered in spikes, spitting black magma from its mouth—clearly a spy of the demon cultivators guarding the altar!
"Seeking death!" Yuan Hao reacted the fastest, swinging his innate stone staff infused with earth-element spiritual energy toward the lizard's head.
But the lizard twisted its body nimbly, the demon qi on its spikes condensing into a shield that blocked the staff's attack. At the same time, its long tail, wreathed in magma, swept toward Yuan Hao's chest.
"Be careful!" Cang Lie's golden metal flames quickly transformed into a shield, blocking the magma. At the same time, his claws grabbed the lizard's tail, yanking it violently and flinging the lizard against the altar's rocks.
Before the lizard could stand up, Ao Xuan's water fortune power had transformed into water chains, binding it tightly. Merit Golden Light poured in along the water chains, instantly purifying the demon qi in its body.
Deprived of demon qi support, the lizard's body turned into ordinary rock fragments, scattering across the ground.
Only a black crystal core in its head still emitted faint demon qi—a "Demon Core" used by demon cultivators to control beasts. It retained a familiar demon cultivator aura, identical to the demon qi in the "Demonized Black Ice Flood Dragon" that had caused trouble in the East China Sea years ago.
"They're demon cultivators under Luo Hu's command." Ao Xuan crushed the Demon Core, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"They're not only plundering the Western Wasteland's spiritual veins but also secretly setting up bases—clearly intending to turn the Western Wasteland into a demon cultivator stronghold."
Cang Lie looked at the re-lit altar, the golden light on the Golden Metal Token growing brighter, resonating more strongly with the distant spiritual veins. "No matter what their scheme is, I will defend the Western Wasteland. The altar has been awakened. Soon, scattered old subordinates will sense the Golden Metal Token's aura and come to converge."
Yuan Hao slung his stone staff over his shoulder, climbed to the altar's top, and looked toward the Western Wasteland's depths. "Then this old Yuan will head to Withered Wood Abyss first! If the spiritual plant tribe is still there, I'll bring them to the altar. I'll also see if I can find the demon cultivators who stole the Sacred Fire!"
Ao Xuan nodded, taking a Water Spirit Talisman from his storage bag and handing it to Yuan Hao. "This talisman can channel water fortune power to protect you. If you encounter danger, crush the talisman, and Cang Lie and I will rush to support you immediately."
Yuan Hao took the talisman, stuffed it into his chest, and grinned. "Don't worry! This old Yuan never fails!"
With that, he transformed into a snow-white stream of light, speeding toward Withered Wood Abyss.
On the altar, Cang Lie and the Black Armored Stone People began organizing the surrounding defenses, piling purified golden metal rocks into barriers and setting up simple golden metal formations around the altar. Ao Xuan stood atop the altar, the Innate Dragon Pearl hovering before him. Cyan-gold spiritual light spread along the spiritual veins, starting to repair the spiritual vein nodes blocked by demon qi.