I am destroying the protagonist in the fantasy world!

Chapter 126: The Spiritual Mine Appears, and the Heroes Conspire

Lei Yi closed the map and rubbed his tired eyes. The sky outside the window was already turning pale. Despite a sleepless night, he felt no fatigue at all. The news of the spiritual mine burned like a flame in his heart.

The Jianghu Conference may seem calm, but undercurrents are surging. Rumors of the spiritual mine have long been circulating among the major sects, but due to uncertainty about the authenticity of the news, they are all holding back, waiting for an opportunity to act. Lei Yi knows that if he wants to gain an advantage among the numerous forces, he must seize the initiative.

He stood up, opened the window, took a deep breath of the dewy morning air, and turned to Dongfang Liuli and said, "Liuli, I plan to go to Yunmengze myself. That's where the rumored spiritual mine is most likely to appear."

Dongfang Liuli put down the teacup in her hand, her worry evident in her words: "The terrain of Yunmeng Lake is complex, filled with miasma, and even lurks ferocious beasts. If you go there..."

Lei Yi held her hand and said softly, "I know what's going on. Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as possible." He knew that Dongfang Liuli's worries were not unreasonable, but the spiritual mine was a serious matter and he had to go there in person.

After comforting Dongfang Liuli, Lei Yi left the inn with Guard Luo. However, their every move was watched by a pair of cold eyes in the dark.

"Chief, that boy really went to Yunmengze!" In a teahouse opposite the inn, a thin figure was reporting the situation to the leader of Jindao Village.

"Hmph, I knew this brat wouldn't stay quiet." The leader of the Golden Blade Village snorted coldly, a greedy glint in his eyes. "Pass the order down, keep a close eye on Lei Yi's movements, and report immediately if you find any trace of the spiritual mine!"

Unaware that he was being tracked, Lei Yi followed the markings on the map, heading towards Yunmengze. Along the way, he deliberately avoided densely populated towns and chose to travel on secluded paths. However, he still underestimated the tracking capabilities of the jianghu.

"Sir, we seem to be followed." Guard Luo looked around vigilantly and spoke in a low voice.

Lei Yi smiled slightly and said nonchalantly: "Don't worry about it, we just need to hurry on our way."

At the same time, Dongfang Liuli, who was at the inn, also received news from her intelligence network: "The matter of the spiritual mine is most likely true, but Yunmeng Lake is just a cover. The real entrance to the spiritual mine should be..."

Dongfang Liuli's heart sank when she saw this. She quickly wrote a letter and handed it to her confidant, saying, "Make sure to deliver this letter to the young master as quickly as possible!"

At dusk, Lei Yi and Guard Luo were resting in a cave. Guard Luo suddenly handed Lei Yi a letter: "Sir, this is..."

Lei Yi took the letter, opened it, and his expression suddenly became serious. "Oh no, we've fallen into a trap!" Lei Yi handed the letter to Guard Luo, his face solemn. "Yunmengze is a cover. Someone deliberately leaked the news to lure us there."

Guard Luo took the letter, quickly skimmed it, and his expression darkened. "It's Captain Song! He's teamed up with several smaller factions and set up checkpoints along the route to Yunmengze, waiting for us to fall into his trap."

"Oh, it seems I still underestimated these people in the martial arts world," Lei Yi sneered, "They didn't even think about it. If I dared to come, how could I be unprepared?"

They immediately changed their route, abandoning the journey to Yunmengze and heading towards the true entrance to the spiritual mine mentioned in Dongfang Liuli's letter. It was a rugged and difficult path hidden among the mountains, little known to the public.

Along the way, Lei Yi and Guard Luo overcame numerous obstacles and finally reached their destination after a few days. However, when they arrived at a small town near the spiritual mine, they found that the situation was worse than they had imagined.

The town was bustling with activity, yet unusually quiet, a sense of oppression hanging heavy in the air. The innkeeper trembled with fear, speaking haltingly, as if deeply afraid of something. Lei Yi keenly sensed that the town was under the control of a powerful force.

"Sir, how many rooms do you want?" The boss lowered his head, not daring to look directly into Lei Yi's eyes.

"Save the best room for us. Also, I have something I want to ask you." Lei Yi observed his surroundings calmly. "Have there been any unpleasant people coming to town recently?"

Upon hearing this, the boss' body trembled noticeably, and he stammered, "No... no, sir, you are joking..."

At this moment, a burst of arrogant laughter came from outside the inn, "Hahaha, I'm the Golden Sword Village to book the whole place today, everyone get out!"

Lei Yi and Guard Luo exchanged a glance, each seeing a hint of solemnity in the other's eyes. The Golden Blade Village had unexpectedly arrived even faster than them.

The leader of the Golden Blade Village swaggered into the inn, followed by a group of ferocious minions. He immediately spotted Lei Yi sitting in the corner, and a sinister sneer flashed in his eyes. "Hey, isn't that Mr. Lei? What? You're also interested in this spiritual mine?"

Lei Yi slowly stood up, a cold smile on his lips, "It seems we have the same idea."

The leader of the Golden Blade Village sat across from Lei Yi, his eyes scanning the surroundings greedily. "I advise you to be sensible and go home obediently, otherwise..."

Before he could finish his words, the door of the inn was pushed open again, and a trembling figure was pushed in. It was Master Li, the person Lei Yi had been looking for. Master Li was roughly thrown to the ground at Lei Yi's feet, looking around in horror. His clothes were tattered, and his face was covered with scars, clearly having suffered inhuman torture. The leader of the Golden Sword Village laughed unscrupulously, "Old Li, I'll give you one last chance. Tell me how to open the spiritual vein, and I can spare your life!"

Master Li was trembling all over, his eyes filled with fear and despair. He knew the cruelty of the Golden Blade Village leader and that falling into their hands would be a fate worse than death. However, he also understood the disaster that would follow if the secret of the spiritual vein was revealed.

"I... I don't know what you are talking about..." Master Li lowered his head, his voice trembling, but with a barely perceptible determination.

"If you don't accept my toast, you will be punished!" The leader of the Golden Blade Village roared and kicked Master Li in the chest. Master Li curled up on the ground in pain, with a trace of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.

"Ahem..." Master Li coughed painfully and spoke intermittently, "If I want to open the spiritual vein, I must find... find..."

"What did you find?" The leader of the Golden Blade Village grabbed Master Li Kuangshi by the collar, with a fierce look in his eyes.

"Found... the Eye of the Spiritual Vein..." Master Li uttered these few words with difficulty, his eyes glancing intentionally or unintentionally at a table in the corner of the inn. On the table, a teacup sat, its shadow cast on a stain on the tabletop, forming a strange shape.

The leader of the Golden Blade Village didn't notice Master Li's subtle movements; his attention was completely drawn to the words "Eye of the Spiritual Vein." "Eye of the Spiritual Vein? What is that? Where is it?!"

Master Li closed his eyes and sighed, "I don't know... I only know that if I find the eye of the spiritual vein, I can open the spiritual vein..."

The leader of the Golden Blade Village was obviously very dissatisfied with this answer. He was about to get angry when there was suddenly a commotion outside the inn.

"Listen up, people from the Golden Blade Village! Hand over Master Li Kuangshi, or don't blame us for being rude!"

The men that Guard Luo had sent out to gather information had returned, bearing warnings from other factions in the town. Though arrogant, the leader of the Golden Blade Village didn't dare to offend all of them at once. He glared at Master Li and left the inn with his men.

Lei Yi calmly helped Master Li up and handed him a glass of water. "Mr. Li, are you okay?"

Li Kuangshi glanced at Lei Yi with gratitude. He knew that the young man had noticed his little trick. He took the water cup, took a sip with trembling hands, and whispered, "Young Master Lei, be careful of the Golden Sword Village. They..."

Before Master Li could finish his words, a loud noise suddenly came from outside the inn, followed by the exclamations of the crowd and the sound of weapons clashing.

"Oh no! They're coming!" Guard Luo's face changed and he drew his sword. "Sir, you go first. I'll hold them off!"

"Let's go together!" Lei Yi's eyes were firm as he stood side by side with Guard Luo. He knew that the real battle had just begun.

Outside the inn, the Golden Blade Village's troops had already surrounded it, their swords flashing and their cries of killing deafening. Lei Yi and Guard Luo fought hard, but the enemy was outnumbered and they gradually lost ground.

At this moment, the roof of the inn suddenly collapsed, and a black shadow fell from the sky and landed in front of Lei Yi and Guard Luo.

"Want to leave? Not that easy!" The man who came was none other than the leader of the Golden Blade Village. He held a large, golden sword in his hand, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent. "Today, none of you will leave here alive!"

After saying this, he raised his sword high and chopped it down towards Lei Yi. At the critical moment, Lei Yi suddenly threw the teacup in his hand at the leader of the Golden Sword Village and quickly retreated with Guard Luo.

"boom!"

The teacup hit the forehead of the leader of the Golden Sword Village accurately. The leader of the Golden Sword Village roared, and the big knife in his hand deviated a little and fell heavily on the ground.

"Rumble--"

The earth suddenly shook violently, and countless cracks appeared on the walls of the inn, as if they would collapse at any time.

"What's going on?!" The leader of the Golden Blade Village looked around in confusion, and even forgot to swing the big knife in his hand.

“Spirit…Spirit ore…” Miner Li’s face turned pale, his voice trembling, “Spirit ore…it…it…”

Before he could finish his words, a huge crack suddenly appeared in the floor of the inn, swallowing him, the leader of the Golden Blade Village, and the others inside...

Lei Yi and Guard Luo stood at the door of the inn, staring at everything happening before their eyes in amazement, and for a moment they even forgot to escape.

"This..." Guard Luo swallowed his saliva and muttered to himself, "What on earth is going on?"

Lei Yi didn't answer. He clenched his fists tightly, his eyes flickering with an inexplicable light. He knew that this was just the beginning, and the real challenge was still to come...

"Master, what should we do now?" Guard Luo asked anxiously.

Lei Yi took a deep breath, looked towards the spiritual mine with a determined gaze, and said word by word: "Go... to the Eye of the Spiritual Vein..."

The earth shook, sand and rocks flew everywhere. Amidst the ruins of the inn, only a bottomless crack remained, like a gate to hell, swallowing up all greed and desire.

Lei Yi and Guard Luo were stunned by this sudden change. They stared at the crack, their hearts filled with fear and confusion.

"Young Master, what...what on earth is going on?" Guard Luo's voice trembled a little. He had never seen such a strange sight.

Lei Yi didn't answer. His brows furrowed as he kept thinking about what Master Li had said before: the Eye of the Spiritual Vein. Could this be the power of the Eye of the Spiritual Vein?

"Young Master, look!" Guard Luo exclaimed, pointing to the distance.

Lei Yi looked in the direction Guard Luo pointed and saw streaks of light streaking across the distant sky, landing near the Spirit Mine. These people, dressed in various colors, clearly came from different factions, but they all had one goal: to seize the Spirit Mine!

"It seems that we are late." Lei Yi muttered to himself, with a trace of solemnity in his eyes.

At this moment, a man in black hurriedly ran to the crowd of the remaining forces of the Golden Sword Village and whispered a few words to a strong man dressed as a one-eyed dragon. The one-eyed dragon was the second-in-command of the Golden Sword Village. After the disappearance of the Golden Sword Village leader, he became the backbone of this group.

"What?!" The second in command's face suddenly turned very ugly after hearing the report from the man in black. "Are you telling the truth?"

The man in black nodded tremblingly and said, "Absolutely true! I saw it with my own eyes, inside the spirit mine... inside..."

"What happened inside? Tell me quickly!" the second in command roared impatiently.

"It seems like... something is about to come out from inside..." said the man in black with a trembling voice.

Upon hearing this, the second in command's expression suddenly became even uglier. He tightened his grip on the hilt of the knife, his eyes filled with fear.

Not only the Golden Blade Village, but other forces also received similar news. For a moment, the originally tense atmosphere suddenly eased. Everyone looked at the bottomless crack vigilantly, their hearts filled with anxiety and fear.

Lei Yi saw all of this and realized this was an opportunity. He turned to Guard Luo and said, "Let's go and take a look!"

Guard Luo was shocked when he heard this and quickly tried to dissuade him, "Sir, no! The situation is unclear right now, so it's best for us to wait and see what happens!"

Lei Yi shook his head and said with a firm look in his eyes: "Wealth and honor are sought in danger! Opportunities are hard to come by, and once lost, they will never come back!"

After saying this, he ignored Guard Luo's attempts to stop him and headed straight towards the Spirit Mine. Guard Luo had no choice but to follow closely.

As Lei Yi walked, he carefully observed the situation around him. He found that although all forces were wary of the unusual movements inside the spirit mine, their eyes were still greedily staring at the spirit mine, and it was obvious that they had no intention of giving up the fight.

Lei Yi knew that he had to find the eye of the spirit vein before anyone else, otherwise once the secret of the spirit mine was revealed, it would cause a bloody storm!

He quickened his pace and headed deeper into the spirit mine. However, he didn't know that a pair of eyes were staring at him intently...

"Brother, that kid seems to be going deep into the spiritual mine!" The second in command of Jindao Village pointed at Lei Yi's back and said to a burly man beside him.

The burly man was none other than the leader of the Golden Sword Village. He snorted coldly, a fierce glint in his eyes. "How dare this brat come to our Golden Sword Village and act wildly? He must be tired of living! Come on, let's catch up and kill him!"

After saying that, he led the troops from the Golden Blade Village and chased in the direction of Lei Yi...