Chapter 163: Hidden Interception
"Hurry up! All of you, dig faster!"
"Only when you’ve dug enough Vermilion Demon Red Ore will you get the chance to experience the bloodline transplant."
"Once the bloodline transplant is successful, you’ll become disciples of our Stone Demon Sect."
In a mine shaft, a disciple of the Stone Demon Sect urged the miners to dig faster, constantly reminding them of the promise the sect had made.
The miners, it seemed, were spurred on by the talk of the bloodline transplant and the chance to become Stone Demon Sect disciples.
They began to work even harder.
A couple of miles away from the mine entrance.
A figure was steadily advancing.
’It should be just ahead.’
This figure was Yang Yingjie, and he had come here to find the last material he needed.
According to the information he had gathered, there was a Vermilion Demon Red Ore mine ahead. The list of materials Fang Yun had given him showed a particularly high demand for this ore.
There were no such mines for Vermilion Demon Red Ore in the territory of his Celestial Cloud Sect. Despite searching for a long time, Yang Yingjie had only managed to collect a tiny amount of the ore, and its quality was poor.
Compared to the Vermilion Demon Red Ore, the other materials were much easier to find. He had gathered some of them in the sect’s Disciple Marketplace on the very day Fang Yun gave him the list.
’To be safe, I should slow down a bit more.’
This was the territory of the Stone Demon Sect, an Evil Sect at the Foundation Establishment level, located within the domains of the Celestial Demon Sect.
According to his intelligence, the Stone Demon Sect only had five Foundation Establishment Demons. Even so, an Evil Sect of this level was not a place a mere Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivator like him could come and go as he pleased. He had to be careful.
After slowing his pace, it was easier to conceal himself.
And with his sensitivity to Demon Power, he could detect any anomalies sooner.
’Found it!’
As he advanced slowly, Yang Yingjie spotted the entrance to the Vermilion Demon Red Ore mine in the distance at dusk.
In front of the mine entrance stood two disciples of the Stone Demon Sect.
At a time like this, he would have to wait for an opportunity if he wanted to get the Vermilion Demon Red Ore.
He didn’t know how many forces the Stone Demon Sect’s Demons had deployed near the mine. With insufficient information, revealing himself alone would not be a wise choice.
Yang Yingjie knew that all he could do now was wait.
Wait for the Stone Demon Sect Demons carrying the Vermilion Demon Red Ore to leave, then ambush them on the road.
This was the safer approach.
So his task now was to find a place to hide and wait patiently.
As night fell, Yang Yingjie’s figure was hidden in a tree by the roadside.
’This is a good spot. Not easily discovered, and the view is excellent.’
There were wheel tracks on this road; it must be the path the Stone Demon Sect Demons used to transport the Vermilion Demon Red Ore.
While resting in the tree, Yang Yingjie first took a Grain Avoidance Pill.
It was an essential pill for anyone traveling away from home.
Disciples like him who went out on missions always prepared a large supply of such pills.
He ended up waiting for two days.
Yang Yingjie felt his luck was pretty good. While hiding and waiting, he had been prepared to wait for three to five days.
The fact that a team was now transporting Vermilion Demon Red Ore back to the Stone Demon Sect was undoubtedly a good thing for him.
’A total of three Stone Demon Sect Demons. First, I need to figure out their Cultivation levels.’
Yang Yingjie did not act rashly. He first had to ensure he had the strength to defeat this transport team.
Given the size and scale of the Stone Demon Sect, the Demons in the transport team shouldn’t be very strong.
First, Vermilion Demon Red Ore wasn’t a particularly rare ore.
Second, ordinary cultivators rarely had a use for Vermilion Demon Red Ore. Otherwise, Yang Yingjie wouldn’t have collected so little after searching for so long.
Finally, this was Celestial Demon Sect territory. All the powers here, big and small, were under the protection of the Celestial Demon Sect and had to hand over a certain amount of resources to them each year.
Therefore, there were almost no cultivators like Yang Yingjie who would try to ambush and steal Vermilion Demon Red Ore.
A flying dagger, a Lower Grade Magical Artifact, shot out under Yang Yingjie’s control and struck the rump of the demon ox pulling the cart, making it jump in pain.
"Who?!"
"Who’s there?"
The Stone Demon Sect Demons, who had been laughing and chatting just moments before, reacted instantly, all turning to look in the direction the flying dagger had come from.
A simple transport mission like this should have been free of any problems.
They never expected to encounter trouble on a task like this. The power used in that flying dagger felt strange—it seemed like both Demon Power and Spiritual Power.
One at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, two at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.
Based on the Demon Power fluctuations of the three Stone Demon Sect Demons, Yang Yingjie instantly assessed their strength.
A normal Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivator would have found it difficult to make such a judgment; one had to be sufficiently sensitive to Demon Power.
’They’re just mid-stage Qi Refining Demons. I can definitely take them!’
Without any further hesitation, Yang Yingjie struck again.
"It’s a Spirit Refiner!" the leader, the Qi Refining Sixth Layer Demon, immediately shouted. "Report to the Elder, quickly!"
The moment they saw Yang Yingjie, they knew they were in trouble.
This was a Qi Refining Ninth Layer Spirit Refiner. With the strength of the three of them, they were likely no match for him.
And the facts proved them right.
Yang Yingjie first used Magic to quickly dispatch one of the Qi Refining Fifth Layer Demons. Then, the other Qi Refining Fifth Layer Demon fell to his red, scissor-shaped Upper Grade Magical Artifact.
The last one, the Qi Refining Sixth Layer Demon, tried to flee, but Yang Yingjie gave him no chance to escape.
A black rope wrapped around the Qi Refining Sixth Layer Demon’s ankle, pulling him to the ground. Then, his head was severed by Yang Yingjie’s red scissors.
After finishing off the three Stone Demon Sect Demons, Yang Yingjie skillfully harvested their heads and the mutated parts of their bodies.
Since they weren’t Demons from the Celestial Demon Sect, killing a Qi Refining Sixth Layer was worth twenty-five Contribution Points, and a Qi Refining Fifth Layer was worth fifteen.
That was fifty-five Contribution Points right there.
For the reward of fifty-five Contribution Points alone, Yang Yingjie felt the last two days of hiding had not been in vain.
There was far too much Vermilion Demon Red Ore on the transport, and it was too heavy. He certainly couldn’t take it all.
He could only select a small portion of the highest-quality ore to take with him.
’I’ve finally gathered all the materials. Now I can ask Junior Brother Fang to refine the Magical Artifact for dealing with Demons.’
Just as Yang Yingjie was preparing to leave, he heard a furious roar from the distance.
"Damn you, Spirit Refiner! Stop right there!"
Yang Yingjie felt that these people, after accepting the bloodline transplants from Demon Beasts and turning into Demons, were all a bit unhinged.
He wasn’t an idiot.
’You tell me to stop, so I should just stop?’
The old Demon rushing toward him from the distance possessed the Cultivation of the Qi Refining Tenth Layer. Even though the Stone Demon Sect was just a minor Evil Sect, he didn’t believe he could definitely defeat this Qi Refining Tenth Layer Demon.
When you were out in the world, overconfidence was not a good thing if you wanted to ensure your safety.
However... Yang Yingjie thought of the single-use Magical Artifact he had purchased from Fang Yun.
’Now that I’ve gathered all the materials, it’s the perfect time to test the power of this Upper Grade Magical Artifact.’