Chapter 100 Metal-Devouring Beast (Demon Beast)

Strictly speaking, the Mysterious Iron Vein was not located within the Chen Clan's territory.

The 3 of them flew on their swords for a full 3 days, covering over 10 1000 li, before finally arriving at the location of the Mysterious Iron Vein.

After Eldrin arrived at the Darkiron Ore Vein, he discovered its location was in a desolate area at the edge of Yu County—barely over 3,000 li from Boyang County.

Baiyang County was 1 of the 3 counties of Yang Province. Though it did not belong to the same province as Bian Province where the Chen Family resided, the 2 regions bordered each other and were considered quite close geographically.

The 2 prefectures were demarcated by the 3,000-li Bianyang Mountain Range, which carved through the lands like a primordial serpent. While this colossal barrier remained insurmountable for mortals, to cultivators it stood as little more than a stone's throw across the windswept peaks.

"Is this the place?"

Gazing at the barren mountains before him, Eldrin’s eyes flickered with a trace of unrest.

"This is where I discovered the Aurithium vein, but unfortunately, a Metal-Devouring Beast (Demon Beast) resides here. I dared not venture deeper recklessly."

Beside them, Lior’s eyes glimmered faintly as he exchanged a glance with Eldrin, both revealing looks of delight.

The Dark Iron Vein was a precious find. To protect this coveted prize, it was necessary to deploy a Second-Order Grand Formation. The presence of demonic beasts indicated that a Spirit Veil must already exist here, saving the Chen Family the effort of cultivating 1 anew.

"Be careful. Since there's a Dark Iron mineral vein, there might be second-level demonic beasts lurking around."

Eldrin (Person Name) cautioned in a low voice. To avoid alerting the demonic beasts, he refrained from summoning his sword to ride, instead advancing toward the mountain range on foot.

After entering the mountain range, the 3 carefully surveyed the area and discovered a low-grade, second-tier spirit vein running through the mountains. Over a 100 Metal-Devouring Beasts (Demon Beast) inhabited the spiritual peaks, led by 1 that had even reached the high-grade, second-tier level.

A Metal-Devouring Beast (Demon Beast) at the Foundation Establishment, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm), and it even leads a whole demon beast tribe.

"It appears this Dark Iron Vein is genuine."

Eldrin spoke, a faint smile gracing his features.

The Metal-Devouring Beast (Demon Beast) feeds on metals and ores, showing particular fondness for dwelling near metallic veins. This species cultivates its power by devouring metallic substances—the higher the quality and greater the quantity consumed, the more profound their cultivation base becomes.

Hidden here was actually a second-grade, superior-tier Metal-Devouring Beast (Demon Beast)—this likely confirmed the existence of the Mysterious Iron Ore Vein beyond doubt.

"They say the Metal-Devouring Beast (Demon Beast) constantly devours metals, making its physical toughness often rival magical treasures of equivalent rank." The Third Elder furrowed his brow and couldn't resist asking, "A second-rank, superior-grade Metal-Devouring Beast—are you confident you can handle it?"

"No matter."

Eldrin nodded confidently and declared with certainty, "Had it been before my journey to the Celestial Ruins Mountain, I truly would have been powerless. But now that I've broken through to Foundation Establishment, Mid Stage, I am more than capable of dealing with it."

"Good."

Lior nodded with a faint smile. "Leave those first-order demonic beasts to me."

The 2 made their decision without hesitation and immediately charged into the spiritual mountain before them. With their natal immortal swords summoned, they caught the Metal-Devouring Beasts completely off guard. In mere moments, they had slain a dozen or so of these demonic creatures.

"Roar——"

Such a brazen slaughter quickly drew the reaction of the Metal-Devouring Beast (Demon Beast). With an earth-shaking roar, the Foundation Establishment, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm) Metal-Devouring Beast (Demon Beast) charged forth in furious retaliation.

Eldrin's eyes narrowed slightly. The Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss swept through the air, transforming into a blade light spanning over 70 feet as it cleaved down with tremendous force.

To this day, his breakthrough had reached Foundation Establishment, Mid Stage (Cultivation Realm). His true essence and magical power now rivaled even that of a cultivator at the 7th layer of Foundation Establishment. Naturally, the might of the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure) had grown by another 3-tenths.

Faced with such a divine sword, even the Metal-Devouring Beast (Demon Beast) dared not meet it head-on, instead swinging its massive dark iron rod to strike.

The massive dark iron rod, over 10 feet in length, was forged entirely from unrefined crude iron. Though merely rough-hewn and unpolished, its extraordinary sturdiness allowed it to withstand Eldrin’s strike—the blade merely chipping a notch into its surface.

"To think there are so many rough iron blanks."

Eldrin (Person Name) furrowed his brow slightly before relaxing it again. What a pity he hadn't yet gathered the dual energies of Li Fire and Geng Metal—if he had, his Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure) would have advanced to the second-tier superior grade. Such crude black iron would likely be severed with a single strike.

Seeing that relying solely on the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure) would make it difficult to subdue this demonic creature quickly, Eldrin (Person Name) summoned the Violet Sun Cauldron.

Eldrin's profound magical power now surged through the artifact, amplifying its might. The Violet Sun Crucible blazed with intensified radiance as Violet Sun True Fire cascaded downward, engulfing the Metal-Devouring Beast in its scorching fury.

As the saying goes, true gold is forged in fire. Although the Metal-Devouring Beast (Demon Beast) possessed an extraordinary physical form, it dared not allow itself to be tempered by this Violet Sun Truefire.

At the critical moment, it spat out its demon core. A golden, gleaming demon core shot forth with immense force, its vast magical power pushing back the Violet Sun Truefire as it slammed directly toward the Violet Sun Cauldron.

This strike carried an unstoppable force, as the vast and mighty inner core surged forth with astonishing power, crashing toward the Violet Sun Furnace and actually suppressing even the Violet Sun True Flame.

Eldrin's eyes flickered slightly. Although the Violet Sun Trueflame within the Violet Sun Crucible possessed remarkable power, the artifact's defensive capabilities were relatively weak. If this strike were to land squarely, the Violet Sun Crucible would likely suffer severe damage. Naturally, he had no intention of letting that happen.

His eyes narrowed as he unleashed the Divine Gold Thunder supernatural power. This was the first time he had activated this ability in combat, and with a single strike, it revealed astonishing might.

Boom!

In an instant, a thunderclap tore through the heavens and earth.

A brilliant flash of lightning illuminated the void, like a thunder serpent from the highest heavens sweeping across the sky. It struck down from the firmament, heading straight for the Metal-Devouring Beast's (Demon Beast) inner core.

The Metal-Devouring Beast (Demon Beast) was struck with horror and immediately sought to retract its inner elixir, but alas, it was already too late.

The Divine Lightning of Geng Metal flashed with thunderous speed, instantly striking the demon beast's core. To everyone's astonishment, it dimmed the radiance of the Metal-Devouring Beast's inner core, sending it tumbling down from the sky.

Suffering such a devastating blow to its inner core, the Metal-Devouring Beast (Demon Beast) immediately spat out a mouthful of blood and nearly collapsed on the spot.

Yet, being a creature with an exceptionally resilient physique, the Metal-Devouring Beast (Demon Beast) forcibly suppressed its injuries. Gripping its Black Iron Staff, it charged forward in a desperate attempt to reclaim its Inner Core.

But how could Eldrin let him have his way? With a surge of primal energy, he instantly retracted the demon beast's inner core and began kiting his opponent.

This Metal-Devouring Beast (Demon Beast) possessed an extraordinary physical body, yet its true essence paled in comparison to Eldrin (Person Name). Unable even to take flight and lacking any long-range magical treasures, it could only endure the onslaught in utter defenselessness.

Eldrin fought while retreating, swiftly battering the Metal-Devouring Beast until it was covered in wounds. In just 30 moves, he seized an opportunity and beheaded the demon with a single sword strike.

Meanwhile, Lior also concluded his battle. After cultivating the Mingyuan Daozhe Art, his cultivation had advanced with astonishing speed. Having just broken through to the second level of Foundation Establishment not long ago, and with his innate immortal sword in hand, slaughtering a few first-order demonic beasts was as effortless as cutting through melons and vegetables.

After the battle concluded, the group cleared the battlefield and discovered the Mysterious Iron Vein within the Spirit Mountain.

"It appears to be a miniature Dark Iron vein."

As a Tier 2 Formation Master, Eldrin roughly deduced the terrain's layout before speaking with a faint smile.

"Fortunately, it's only a miniature vein." Lior's face brimmed with excitement as he spoke fervently, "Had it been a small-scale spiritual vein, it might have alerted the Zifu Immortal Clans. We'd never have been able to defend it."