Speaking of which, Shi Mu and the others encountered sandstorms two or three times along the way, but none of them were as massive as this time.
"Looking at the scale of this sandstorm, I'm afraid it won't stop today. Let's rest here for the night and continue our journey tomorrow." Jin Xiaochai looked at the entrance of the cave and said.
The others heard the words, responded, and each found a place to sit down.
Shi Mu looked at the cave in front of him. There were obvious traces of man-made digging, and the hole inside was so dark that he couldn't see the bottom. He didn't know where it led.
There was a slightly surprised look on his face, this seemed to be a mine.
Not only here, there are many similar mines along the way outside the Black Rock Mountains. Judging from the traces here, it seems that they were mines from a long time ago, and they have been abandoned for at least hundreds of years.
Others also looked at the environment of the cave with some curiosity.
"This is an abandoned spirit stone mine. Along the way, I saw other mines that were the same." Jin Xiaochai noticed everyone's expressions and said.
"Lingshi Mine!" Shi Mu was slightly startled.
Based on the fact that he had read some barbarian classics in the Barbarian Holy Snow Palace, the barbarian wilderness was rich in various metal mineral deposits, but he had never heard of it being rich in spiritual stones.
If the barbarians were rich in spiritual stones, how could they be in such a barren state now?
"Is this happening?" Moning and the other three people's faces were also full of surprise.
"These things are recorded in some hidden histories of the sect. Only the elders can read them. It's not surprising that you haven't read them." Jin Xiaochai said.
"According to the hidden history records of the sect, thousands of years ago, the Barbarian Wasteland was a fertile land, especially rich in Five Elements Spiritual Stones. Even the major sects in the center of the continent also sent people to mine here. Later, the Spiritual Stones here gradually
After being dug out, the land gradually lost its vitality, and it became as desolate as it is now." Jin Xiaochai continued.
Hearing this, Shi Mu and others nodded thoughtfully.
Shi Mu couldn't help but think of what he saw at the Gate of Barbarian Warriors, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
Thousands of years ago, the barbarian wilderness was probably just like the forbidden land, with lush vegetation and green mountains and rivers. However, after thousands of years, the vast sea turned into mulberry fields.
Although everyone is successful in cultivation, they can only live a hundred years longer than ordinary people, which is too small compared to this world.
The dust was howling outside, and everyone was in a low mood.
Hu Yanxi is sad,
Qiang Guan Xi leisurely,
The sky is full of anger,
Kill them all and abandon the wilderness.
Sincerity is both brave and martial,
Always strong and invincible.
Since the body is dead, God has given spirit,
His soul is like a ghost.
The earth is desolate and sad,
My hometown is no longer empty of garrison buildings.
Bai Shuixiu, who had been sitting silently, suddenly hummed a song softly. Although the song was melodious, it conveyed an artistic conception of the impermanence of life and the ruthlessness of the road.
Everyone was infected by the singing and joined in one after another.
Only Jin Xiaochai stared blankly outside the cave, wondering what he was thinking.
After singing the song, several people looked at each other and smiled, and the atmosphere in the cave became more lively.
"Hey, I didn't expect that Junior Sister Bai not only has great skills, but also has such a beautiful singing voice. Speaking of which, this is the first time I heard Junior Sister Baishi singing." Qian Xiong smiled and praised.
"Senior Brother Qian is joking. It's just a little tune from my hometown. I can't help but hum a few lines when I'm moved by the scene." Baishuixiu said with a smile.
"I see. Speaking of which, I still don't know where Junior Sister Bai's hometown is?" Qian Xiong moved his body and got closer to Bai Shuixiu.
The two started chatting softly. Qian Xiong looked rough, but he was very good at talking and making witty remarks. After a while, Bai Shuixiu was made to giggle and his flowers were trembling.
When Mourning saw the two of them looking like this, a hint of darkness flashed in his eyes, and he turned his head to the other side.
Shi Mu saw the expressions of the three people in his eyes, and a smile appeared on his face. He then stood up and walked deeper into the mine. He was farther away from the others and sat down cross-legged.
Cai'er squatted on his shoulder, squinting her eyes and seemed to have fallen asleep.
The sky outside soon became completely dark, Qian Xiong and Baishui Xiu also stopped chatting and each found a place to rest.
Time passed slowly, and the cave became completely quiet, with only the sound of gentle breathing echoing.
Shi Mu, who was sitting cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes, and a picture appeared in his mind.
In a huge underground cave, a river of hot red magma flows slowly, and heat bubbles emerge from the magma from time to time.
In the rolling hot magma, there are some fiery red fish swimming.
"Shitou, come here quickly, there are good things deep in the mine!" The parrot's voice rang in Shi Mu's heart.
Shi Mu raised his eyebrows and looked at the people around him.
Although the surroundings were pitch black and pitch black, it had no effect on him at all.
Jin Xiaochai, Mo Ning and others were either asleep or meditating at this moment.
He quietly stood up and walked silently towards the depths of the mine.
Shi Mu's figure disappeared into the depths. Jin Xiaochai, who was leaning against the stone wall, suddenly opened her eyes and glanced in the direction Shi Mu was walking. A strange color flashed in her beautiful eyes. Then she stood up and quietly
Followed.
Shi Mu moved away from the resting place and immediately quickened his pace.
The depth of this mine was beyond his expectation. He walked for a full quarter of an hour, but there was still no sign of the end.
The mine gradually goes downwards and extends underground. The road twists and turns, but fortunately there is only one road, so you won't go the wrong way.
The further you go down, the higher the temperature of the air becomes.
It's no wonder that the depths lead to an underground magma place.
Shi Mu walked for another half-quarter of an hour. The passage was blocked by a huge stone in front of him. There were only a few small holes, and there was a faint red light shining through them. It was obvious that Cai'er passed through here.
Naturally, these rocks could not stop him. Shi Mu gently moved them with both hands, and the huge rocks were easily pushed aside, and an entrance was quickly opened.
Shi Mu walked over and came to the underground cave. A wave of heat that was so hot that it was almost maddening hit his face.
It seemed that every time I took a breath, the air I breathed into my body was boiling hot.
"Shitou, why are you here!" Cai'er flew over from the side and landed on Shi Mu's shoulder, shouting impatiently.
Shi Mu didn't answer. With his physique, standing here at this moment felt a little unbearably hot.
With a thought in his mind, he ran the Red Ape Fire Sutra and inhaled the waves of heat into his body. The burning sensation immediately disappeared without a trace.
Shi Mu's face suddenly became happy. Inhaling the hot magma here, the Qi embryo in his Dantian suddenly felt ready to move.
"Quack, it's too hot here, and Cai'er can't stand it either. You can suck the heat away and it'll be much cooler!" Cai'er flapped her wings and shouted.
"Cai'er, what is the good thing you just said?" Shi Mu asked without paying attention to Cai'er's nonsense.
"You really have no vision. Fortunately, you are still the number one true disciple of the Black Demon Sect." Parrot looked at Shi Mu sideways and said.
Shi Mu glared at the parrot.
"Okay, okay, I'm saying that's not enough. Hey, have you seen those fish swimming in the magma? They are spiritual creatures created by the convergence of the fire essence accumulated in the magma for thousands of years and the underground evil energy." The parrot's neck shrank.
Shrinking, he said with a bit of complacency.
"Fire Yuan Jing..." Shi Mu raised his eyebrows and his eyes lit up.
As far as he knew, the Fire Essence was a rare treasure that was coveted by fire-attribute warlocks and warriors who practiced fire-attribute skills. Only high-grade fire-attribute spiritual stones could contain Fire Essence.
"Stop talking so much, Shitou, catch me a fire fish first." The parrot said anxiously.
"You can also absorb the fire essence?" Shi Mu was a little surprised.
"Of course, don't look at me like this, Cai'er is also a fire-attributed spirit beast. Compared with Suzaku and Phoenix, it's actually about the same..." the parrot boasted without blushing.
Shi Mu ignored the parrot's bragging, chanted a spell in his mouth, waved his arm lightly, and a white chain shot out from his hand, which was the Qi Ring Spell.
The white chain pierced into the magma like lightning. In a flash of white light, it caught a chopstick-long swimming fish and flew over.
The parrot let out a cheer and was about to open its mouth to bite.
Shi Mu's hand glowed with red light and he grabbed the swimming fish in his hand.
Shi Mu ignored the parrot's scream of dissatisfaction and carefully looked at the fish in his hand, his eyebrows suddenly raised.
The body of the swimming fish is red in color and translucent, but it is as light as a feather when held in the hand.
He looked at it twice and threw it to the parrot with a wave of his hand.
Cai'er bit the fire fish with one mouthful, raised her neck a few times and swallowed it. A faint red light suddenly appeared on her body, and the color of her feathers seemed to be a little more fiery red.
After Shi Mu threw the fire fish to the parrot, he immediately caught another one.
He quickly circulated the Red Ape Fire Sutra, and a red light emitted from his hand, wrapping the fire fish.
The fire fish kept struggling, but could not break free at all. After a moment, its body shattered with a "snap" and turned into a stream of hot red fire gas, which was inhaled by Shi Mu.
Shi Mu's eyes lit up. When the fire energy entered his body, he activated the Red Ape Fire Sutra and quickly integrated it into the Dantian Qi embryo.
The Qi embryo in the Dantian suddenly surged, became a little larger in size, and became a lot darker in color.
He was immediately overjoyed. He didn't expect that a mere fire fish transformed from the Fire Essence could be so nourishing, which was enough to keep up with his half-month's hard training.
"Shitou, don't just take advantage of yourself. I discovered this place first. Catch a few more fire fish for me first." Cai'er shouted.
Shi Mu glanced at Cai'er angrily, and the white chain came out again, rolled out a few fire fish, and threw them to the parrot to eat slowly.
The white chains continued to pierce into the magma, catching fire fish one after another.
There were a lot of fire fish in the lava, and Shi Mu's movements were very light, so he did not disturb other fish.
He simply sat down cross-legged on the ground and activated the Red Ape Fire Sutra to refine these fire fish.
Streams of red fire energy flew into Shi Mu's body and merged into the Dantian Qi embryo.
The air embryo grew stronger and stronger, and its shape gradually changed from an oval to a round shape, as if a fireball was rolling slowly, instead of bursting out one or two powerful mana fluctuations.
(Part of the lyrics in this article are excerpted from Qu Yuan's "Nine Songs? National War")