Regarding the discovery of the Yangyuan Stone vein behind Ironwood Village, Lin Zhentian decided to implement the strictest blockade. Only a handful of people, such as Lin Xiao and Lin Dong, knew about it.
After all, this matter was extremely important to the Lin family. If they could truly exploit this mineral vein, the Lin family's strength would undoubtedly skyrocket. By then, even long-established families in Qingyang Town, like the Lei family, would seem insignificant.
Of course, before commencing exploitation, the first priority was to maintain secrecy. Otherwise, if the Lei family were to find out, they would naturally devise all sorts of methods to sabotage it. They might even directly pull in the Xie family to join forces against the Lin family – all entirely plausible scenarios.
After confirming the existence of the mineral vein behind Ironwood Village, Lin Zhentian immediately summoned five or six divisions of the Lin family's forces to Ironwood Village. Defensive measures were meticulously organized, transforming the entire village into a solid stronghold.
Furthermore, Lin Zhentian also mobilized nearly a thousand workers from other Lin family villages to Ironwood Village. The vast majority of these people were used to cut down Ironwood trees, primarily as a cover. Only a select few, loyal to the Lin family, were secretly dispatched to the back mountain to mine the vein.
Of course, before mining could begin, the two Black Iron Demonic Leopards at the bottom of the valley had to be dealt with. Otherwise, the mining operations could not proceed smoothly.
Those two Black Iron Demonic Leopards had occupied this place for many years and possessed the strength of the Heavenly Yuan Stage. Moreover, their fur was as hard as iron, and their movement technique was as fast as lightning, making them extremely difficult to deal with even for experts of the same Heavenly Yuan Stage.
To deal with these two Black Iron Demonic Leopards, Lin Zhentian and his group had made thorough preparations. Furthermore, from the looks of it, the old master had clearly decided to personally take action. Facing two Black Iron Demonic Leopards, even a slight lack of caution could lead to extremely heavy casualties.
On a clearing at the mouth of the valley, Lin Dong looked down at the two Black Iron Demonic Leopards below. His gaze then shifted slightly, and he saw three figures swiftly leaping down from the cliff face, lightly tapping their toes on some protruding rocks before finally landing steadily at the bottom of the valley.
"Roar!"
The moment Lin Zhentian and the other two charged into the valley floor, the two Black Iron Demonic Leopards vigilantly detected their presence. Immediately, a low roar echoed through the valley.
"I'll handle one, you two deal with the other. Fight to the death, don't let them escape, or there will be future trouble!" Lin Zhentian's sharp gaze fixed on the two Black Iron Demonic Leopards leaping fiercely onto the rocks. He let out a low shout, then violently charged forward. Dazzling Yuan Power erupted from his body. Within this powerful ancient Yuan Power, two streams of Yin and Yang energies flowed, displaying an extremely harmonious interplay.
"Late stage of the Heavenly Origin Realm. Grandfather's strength is probably just one final step away from intertwining Yin and Yang and forming an Origin Pill." Seeing Lin Zhentian's imposing aura, Lin Dong nodded slightly to himself. However, as soon as he thought of the difficulty of entering the Origin Pill Realm, his brows couldn't help but furrow. Possessing the strength of the Heavenly Origin Realm could indeed earn one the title of a master, but it was far from enough to be considered a powerful expert capable of shaking an entire region.
In the Great Yan Dynasty, only those who truly stepped into the Origin Pill Realm could be called powerful experts.
In Qingyang Town, while masters of the Heavenly Origin Realm were few, they weren't exactly rare. Families like the Lei and Xie clans each had four or five Heavenly Origin Realm masters guarding them. However, Qingyang Town itself didn't possess a single Origin Pill Realm powerful expert.
From this, it was clear that the so-called step of Yin and Yang Intertwining and condensing into a pill was incredibly difficult to overcome.
While Lin Dong was distracted by these thoughts, the battle below had already begun. Potent Origin Power surged forth, sending dust and rocks flying, creating an extraordinary momentum.
Although the Black Iron Demonic Leopards were somewhat troublesome, to be fair, according to Lin Dong's estimation, the true strength of these two demonic leopards was at the early stage of the Heavenly Origin Realm. Lin Zhentian had already entered the Heavenly Origin Realm many years ago, and both Lin Xiao and Lin Keng possessed strength at the middle stage of the Heavenly Origin Realm. The chances of victory in this confrontation were naturally very high.
And just as Lin Dong had predicted, facing the combined assault of Lin Zhentian and the other two, the two demonic leopards, after an initial flurry of sharp counterattacks, gradually began to show signs of defeat. Their roars became incessant, and they were clearly in distress.
"Bang!"
In the mountain valley, a dull thud suddenly echoed. Lin Dong's gaze immediately snapped over, and he saw Lin Zhentian's two fingers heavily strike the head of one Black Iron Demonic Leopard. Potent Origin Power instantly erupted. Lin Zhentian's two fingers were like sharp blades, directly piercing through the hard skull of the Black Iron Demonic Leopard, taking its life with just a single touch.
"Pure Origin Finger!"
Seeing that familiar move, a hint of astonishment flashed in Lin Dong's eyes. As expected of a late-stage Heavenly Origin Realm master, the power of this Pure Origin Finger was countless times stronger than when he himself executed it. At the very least, Lin Dong didn't believe for a moment that he could pierce the head of a Heavenly Origin Realm demonic beast with a single finger.
As Lin Zhentian struck down one Black Iron Demonic Leopard, the remaining Black Iron Demonic Leopard let out a furious roar.
"Ooh!"
As the Black Iron Demonic Leopard's cry echoed, roars from numerous fierce beasts reverberated from the surrounding jungle. Judging by the situation, they had clearly been drawn here by the Black Iron Demonic Leopard's call.
Hearing the rumbling footsteps of the fierce beasts, Lin Zhentian's expression darkened slightly. He hadn't expected this demonic leopard to be able to summon other fierce beasts. While these fierce beasts might not be as formidable, a large number of them would still be a major nuisance.
"Roar!"
As Lin Zhentian frowned, a crimson figure suddenly streaked across the top of the mountain valley. A low tiger's roar emanated, and instantly, the chaotic beast horde in the jungle halted, no longer charging out.
“Haha, it seems this Fire Python Tiger also has some skill.” Seeing this, Lin Zhengtian breathed a sigh of relief. Not far away, Lin Xiao and Lin Keng immediately made their move, one after the other, each delivering a punch that killed the remaining Black Iron Demonic Leopard.
“These brutes are truly difficult to deal with.”
Looking at the two Black Iron Demonic Leopards lying on the ground, Lin Xiao and Lin Keng dusted off their hands, their faces showing lingering awe.
“Xiao Yan, well done.”
Above the valley, Lin Dong patted Xiao Yan beside him, smiling.
Xiao Yan affectionately rubbed against Lin Dong, then suddenly roared towards the ground below, and unexpectedly leaped down the cliff face. It then appeared beside the corpses of the two Black Iron Demonic Leopards. Its maw opened, followed by a frenzied tearing and biting. Finally, it found two black crystals within the two corpses, its tongue coiled around them, swallowing them whole.
“This little brute truly has knowledge; it even knows that these creatures possess core crystals within their bodies. Its intelligence is quite high…” By the end of his sentence, Lin Zhengtian also furrowed his brows. Ordinary demonic beasts couldn't possibly possess such high intelligence.
“Father, this last bit of trouble has been resolved. Shouldn’t we start work on this mineral vein now?” Lin Keng said with a smile, his eyes burning with anticipation.
“Mm.”
Lin Zhengtian nodded with a squinting smile, saying, “Tomorrow, I will have Lin Mang go to Yan City, first to find some merchant guilds and open up a sales channel. By then, as long as we extract Yang Yuan Stones, we can transport them out for sale.”
As soon as his voice fell, Lin Zhengtian clasped his hands behind his back, a faint smile on his face, and spoke softly, “This is how the wheel of fortune turns, heh heh. The Lei and Xie families have suppressed my Lin family for so many years; from now on, it’s time for them to pay their debts!”
Hearing these words, a hint of coldness also flashed in the eyes of Lin Xiao and Lin Keng. The years of forbearance had also filled them with a bit of suppressed resentment.