"Holy! This country bumpkin really can pin down such a massive beast with just his Spiritual Pressure!" Dastan exclaimed, his voice a mixture of disbelief and awe as he watched from the celestial cloud. It was now undeniable. Leyvi was the most prodigiously talented Spiritual Cultivator he had ever encountered.
The others observing from above were equally shocked by the battle unfolding below them, particularly the two newcomers, Barcas and Livana, whose faces were etched with astonishment.
On the ground, Leyvi grunted, straining with every fiber of his being to hold the moose down. Veins bulged on his forehead from the immense effort. Due to the beast's colossal size, he had to cover a vast area with his Spiritual Pressure, a feat that demanded a staggering and continuous output of mental energy. The effectiveness of Spiritual Pressure naturally diminished the wider it was spread, forcing him to compensate with sheer, raw power.
In the next moment, the sky above the pinned moose darkened with impending doom. A massive, ethereal broadsword projection materialized, exuding an intense Sword Intent so sharp it seemed to slice the very atmosphere. Alongside it, hundreds of smaller, yet equally terrifying, spears gathered, each one radiating a destructive aura that promised absolute annihilation.
ROAR!
A primal roar of terror erupted from the demonic moose. It could feel the life-threatening power concentrated in the hovering weapons above it. Fueled by sheer panic, it struggled with renewed, violent desperation, straining against the invisible force that held it down.
But it was too late. The attacks were already in motion. The spears rained down like a storm of meteors, and the Sword Intent avatar slashed downward in a single, decisive arc.
Simultaneously, Leyvi burst backward, propelling himself away from the demonic moose as fast as he could. He needed to put as much distance as possible between himself and the epicenter, ensuring he would not be caught in the cataclysmic fallout of the ultimate attacks.
Released from the crushing Spiritual Pressure, the Commander Level Demonic Moose knew it was too late to rise and flee. In a final, desperate act, it flicked its massive head, using its broad antlers as a shield to cover as much of its body as possible, hoping their legendary toughness would be enough to save it.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
The ultimate attacks landed with devastating, earthshaking force. Arriving first, the spears of destruction shattered the snow white antlers into countless pieces, their momentum barely slowing as they pierced deep into the moose's body. A split second later, the Sword Intent slash came down, cleaving through the earth and splitting the moose's head from its body in one clean, fatal stroke.
Cempaka's spears left the enormous corpse riddled with gaping holes and the ground around it torn and jagged. Valenia's slash had carved a kilometer-long scar into the landscape, a deep fissure that now began to greedily swallow the melted snow water, draining the newly formed lake.
The group hunt was over.
After the dust and chaos had settled, Leyvi emerged from the receding water, his face pale and drawn. It was clear he had expended a dangerous amount of mental energy to hold the beast in place.
The other members of the hunting party approached the slain demonic moose to survey the results of their combined efforts.
Despite the numerous scratches and bruises covering his body, Bodo did not look tired in the slightest, even after his transformation into a giant golden ape, a testament to his incredible stamina. Valenia and Cempaka, however, appeared sluggish and drained. Their ultimate attacks had placed a considerable burden on their bodies. Only Ava emerged perfectly fine, having used very little energy and escaping without a single injury.
It had been a hunt carried out with bold action rather than meticulous planning, yet they had succeeded without anyone suffering serious harm. By any measure, it was a highly successful venture.
"Hahaha! Great! This is a big one," Leyvi laughed, his weariness momentarily forgotten as he looked at the colossal prize. "Its meat will last for a while."
An hour later, with the battlefield cleaned and the massive demonic moose properly stored away, the group resumed their journey aboard the celestial cloud.
Before their departure, Leyvi had taken a moment to scan the crater where the moose had lived, hoping to find a bloodline gem left behind. Unfortunately, his search came up empty. The beast had likely been channeling all its bloodline power toward its own evolution, aiming to become a General Level Demonic Beast. This would also explain why it was significantly stronger than the other Commander-level beasts he had encountered before.
"Dohoho! Group hunting is fun! Let's do it again, Brother Leyvi! I will be more useful next time!" Bodo said, his excitement undimmed by the recent struggle.
Meanwhile, Leyvi was resting with his head pillowed on Lilian's lap. She gently fed him calming bamboo shoots to help replenish his depleted mental energy. Her generous bust also provided a pleasant shade for him to relax under.
"Hahaha. Why not?" Leyvi replied, his voice relaxed. "We can gain more battle experience like this." He firmly believed that sparring alone could not unlock one's true potential. A difficult and genuinely dangerous battle was necessary to force a cultivator to bring out their absolute best.
Valenia, Ava, and Cempaka also nodded in agreement. They did not mind participating in more hunts like this. This was especially true for Ava, who felt she had not contributed enough during the battle.
"A group of battle maniacs," Dastan muttered under his breath. Yet, he had to admit it had been a thrilling spectacle to watch. While he personally preferred to avoid such risky engagements, opting only for battles where victory was assured, he found it undeniably exciting to observe. He had been prepared to intervene and save them if the situation turned dire, but in the end, his help was not needed. They had proven more capable than he anticipated.
On his shoulder, Tantan simply shook her head in bemusement. Why struggle so much, she seemed to think, when you can just command powerful metallic beasts to fight for you?
And so, Leyvi's group continued their long journey toward the distant, looming silhouette of the colossal tree.
---
A month later, on the island in the middle of the vast, ocean-like lake, a deep quiet had settled. Since the group's departure, the area around the mine had been peaceful, no longer disturbed by the sounds of loud sparring matches.
At this moment, the bright, sunny day suddenly turned dark as a massive, geometric shadow fell over the land. A colossal pyramid descended silently from the sky, coming to a stop hovering just above the top-grade spirit stone mine.
The demonic beasts and wild animals in the vicinity were terrified by the sudden apparition and fled for their lives, likely never to return.
A few minutes later, a seamless opening appeared at the bottom center of the pyramid, and three figures dropped down from it, landing softly on the ground: one man and two women.
The man and the two women were none other than Lin Wei and his wives.
"This place was occupied recently. That is not a good sign," Lin Wei said, his voice low as his eyes scanned the surroundings. "I hope the Spiritual Vein is still here."
"How could it not be?" Lana replied, trying to sound reassuring. "Of all the places on our list, this one had the highest probability of remaining undiscovered. That is why we saved it for last."
"Well, it is obvious that someone was sent here by the random teleportation," Lin Wei said with a sigh. "Let us go in and check."
He led the way into the dark mouth of the mine, and the two women nodded, following closely behind him.
After a while, the three of them emerged back outside, their expressions a complicated mix of disappointment and frustration.
"How is this possible? The Spiritual Vein is gone. What terrible luck," Lin Wei said, his brow furrowed in deep frustration. "We only needed one more, and now it has been taken. It is going to be very difficult to find another one."
"Did the random teleportation send someone here who actually had the means to carry away a Spiritual Vein? What incredible luck on their part," Angela lamented, her voice heavy with regret. "Perhaps we should have come here first. If we had, maybe that person wouldn't have left yet."
"From the traces left inside the mine, at least seven or more people stayed here," Lin Wei told them, sharing his observation. "So it is possible they came to the island from elsewhere by some other method."
"Should we chase after them?" Lana asked, gesturing toward the colossal tree visible on the horizon. "They have definitely moved in that direction."
"No. They are probably already near the tree by now," Lin Wei replied, shaking his head. "If we get too close, it might notice us. We can't risk a confrontation before the pyramid has regained its full power. Besides the three Spiritual Veins the pyramid already marked in the past, there are still many more out there. We can use the pyramid's energy sensor, but it means we will have to put in more effort searching manually from now on." He laid out the practical constraints, his tone resigned but pragmatic.
"Sigh... why does this have to happen to us? Such bad luck," Angela complained. Lana also looked downcast, the disappointment clear on her face.
"Haha. This is just a small setback," Lin Wei said, forcing a more cheerful tone to lift their spirits. "Don't think too much about it. We still have plenty of time. Let's go!"
With that, he leaped upward, returning to the hovering pyramid. His wives followed, the trio disappearing back into the mysterious structure to continue their search.