Qin Chu felt that no matter what was going on with the Ink Spirit Flame, as long as it didn't harm him, it counted as being subdued.
Having achieved his big goal, Qin Chu still had smaller goals: the Spirit Stones in the pit needed to be dug, and the Spiritual Plants in the outer area of the pit also needed to be collected. Since he had the Opportunity to enter first, he had to make good use of it.
Qin Chu first worked in the pit. He thought this might have been a small Spirit Stone mine that was destroyed by the birth of the Ink Spirit Flame. After digging in the pit for over a full day, Qin Chu finally climbed out. He had dug up all the visible Spirit Stones; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he dug three feet deep.
After the Spirit Stones were dug, Qin Chu began to collect Spiritual Plants and Spirit Medicines in circles around the outer perimeter of the pit.
At this time, Qing Yi and Qin Lingxi, who were outside the Forbidden Land, were filled with worry, because Qin Chu had been inside for a very long time. Additionally, the Vermilion Bird Sacred Clan's old rivals had arrived. It was the people of the Blazing Thunder Sacred Clan, led by their Clan Chief Lei Tianding. He brought a large number of people. Although they weren't attacking yet, Qing Yi and Qin Lingxi knew that he would absolutely not remain idle and would definitely make a move, as the enmity between the Blazing Thunder Sacred Clan and the Vermilion Bird Sacred Clan was too deep.
Lei Tianding already knew about Qing Yi and Qin Lingxi's arrival. He didn't know Qing Yi's identity, mainly because Qing Yi wore a bronze mask in front of others. However, Lei Tianding knew the masked person's strength; he was definitely someone who could move unhindered among sixth-stage King Realm cultivators. He couldn't take down Qing Yi and Qin Lingxi by attacking now, so he needed to make some plans.
Qing Yi and Qin Lingxi also wanted to make a move. Qing Yi could hold off Lei Tianding, and Qin Lingxi could kill members of the Blazing Thunder Sacred Clan, but they had to wait for Qin Chu. If they started fighting first, and something happened to Qin Chu, no one would be there to look after him.
"Why isn't Qin Chu out yet? How long has it been?" Qin Lingxi's face was full of worry.
"Don't worry. Qin Chu can withstand the Soul attacks inside the Forbidden Land, so he can establish himself there. He can handle some dangers. Even if there's a King Realm Yao Beast cultivator, if he wants to retreat, it would be very difficult for the opponent to keep him," Qing Yi said. He had confidence in Qin Chu because Qin Chu had killed King Realm cultivators before.
"That damn kid! Next time, I'll definitely not let him go off on his own again!" Qin Lingxi let out a breath.
Qin Chu was incredibly comfortable now. He was the only one stirring things up in the vast Forbidden Land. All the Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills were his. He made a huge profit this time. He wouldn't have to worry about Medicinal Pills even after entering the King Realm, and he had gathered several thousand Spirit Stones, as that pit was a collapsed Spirit Stone mine.
Qin Chu thought that once the commotion died down, the Vermilion Bird Sacred Clan could send people to dig again. However, there was also a problem: the Sword-North Forest was open during extraordinary times, but not otherwise. If they forced their way in, it would lead to a war.
Not thinking too much, Qin Chu continued to scour the ground, collecting all the Spiritual Plants and Spirit Medicines in the Forbidden Land into his Storage Ring.
Checking the sky, it hadn't gotten dark yet, so Qin Chu turned back to continue checking for anything he might have missed.
The darkest hour before dawn arrived. Qin Chu released his Vermilion Bird Sacred Fire for defense and then entered the Forbidden Land.
Upon entering the Forbidden Land, the Ink Spirit Flame within Qin Chu's head appeared. Although it was very weak, its fiery glow enveloped Qin Chu's head, effectively adding another layer of defense to his head. Because the Ink Spirit Flame's energy was close to Qin Chu's head, the Vermilion Bird Sacred Fire did not attack.
Qin Chu was surprised for a moment, because he felt that his condition was completely unaffected. Before, with only the Vermilion Bird Sacred Fire for defense, his head was still attacked. Although it didn't cause dizziness, there was still a slight feeling of disorientation. Now, it was completely gone.
After some thought, Qin Chu withdrew the Vermilion Bird Sacred Fire, trying to rely solely on the Ink Spirit Flame's energy for defense.
After the Vermilion Bird Sacred Fire was withdrawn, his condition remained unchanged, which made Qin Chu realize that the Ink Spirit Flame could defend against the Soul attacks of the Forbidden Land.
"Very good!" Qin Chu muttered softly, then walked towards the outside of the Forbidden Land.
As he was about to leave the Forbidden Land, Qin Chu found a spot, walked to the closest point to the canyon within the Forbidden Land, then performed the Sparrow Flight technique, flashing twice into the canyon.
When Qin Chu left the Forbidden Land, the Ink Spirit Flame also returned to Qin Chu's mind.
Seeing Qin Chu return, Qin Lingxi hugged him and gave him a hard thump on his back.
"Auntie, I'm fine. I had a great harvest this time," Qin Chu said with a smile.
"What great harvest? If you can't satisfy Auntie, then just wait for your punishment!" Qin Lingxi scolded Qin Chu impatiently. She had been too worried these past two days.
"I encountered an exotic fire and subdued it. My Vermilion Bird Sacred Fire has grown much stronger, and I also got a lot of Spirit Stones and Spirit Medicines," Qin Chu said.
"Exotic fire, Spirit Stones… Tell me slowly, what exactly happened?" Qin Lingxi's eyes were full of surprise.
Qin Chu then told Qin Lingxi and Qing Yi about what happened after he entered the Forbidden Land.
"You mean, everything inside was cleaned out by you?" Qin Lingxi's eyes were filled with shock.
"I can't say that. There might still be Spirit Stones in that pit, but they're not on the surface and require mining. Without the surface Spirit Stones as a guide, others might not discover them. We can come back again later, but it will be difficult, as this is the Sword-North Forest," Qin Chu said after thinking for a moment.
"There's nothing that can't be solved. Your grandfather is a half-step Venerable Realm cultivator, not restricted by the seventh-stage. Suppressing a sixth-stage King Realm cultivator is no problem. We're not saying we'll suppress them, but negotiating with the Yao Beast King for mutual benefit after mining is feasible," Qin Lingxi said.
"Then there's no need for us to stay. Let grandfather bring people over later to communicate with them and then mine here," Qin Chu said.
"We can't just leave. Our enemies are right in front of us. We must kill some of them. Qing Yi, what do you think?" Qin Lingxi looked at Qing Yi. With her enemies in sight, she couldn't swallow her anger.
"The two of us can do it. Even if we can't win the fight, if we want to leave, Lei Tianding can't stop us. But Qin Chu can't! Qin Chu, you hide. When we go to fight, you quietly retreat," Qing Yi said, looking at Qin Chu. His biggest concern was Qin Chu's safety.
Qin Chu nodded, "Then Auntie and Uncle Qing Yi, please be careful."
"Okay, we won't ambush them. After dawn, we'll openly attack. Whoever owes us must pay it back," Qing Yi said.
Qin Lingxi looked at Qin Chu, "Remember, don't leave the area marked on the map. Auntie can confirm that the Sword-North Forest's inhabitants are nearby. If human cultivators cross the boundary, they will definitely attack."
Qin Chu nodded. He knew that the Sword-North Forest was not a soft target; if it were, it would have been flattened by cultivators long ago, being so close to Sky Sword City.
As the sky gradually brightened, Qin Chu stealthily moved to the side of the canyon. His hidden position allowed him to observe the entire battle and retreat at any time!