Bai Zihe was indeed surprised.
But...
He did not act rashly.
He was currently inside the Haotian Pagoda, and Qin Changkong had not detected the Haotian Pagoda immediately, which indicated that the Haotian Pagoda's concealment was indeed very effective.
Therefore, he did not need to act rashly, otherwise, he would reveal himself.
"I refuse to believe it!"
Qin Changkong was certain of his guess, but seeing no response, his face turned extremely grim.
The matter of the spirit stone vein was too significant.
It was right before his eyes, and he could guess that Bai Zihe was here, yet he couldn't find him. This feeling was exceptionally unpleasant.
So...
"Whoosh!"
Qin Changkong suddenly sat down cross-legged and began to circulate his energy.
"Buzz..."
The next moment, a powerful divine sense filled the empty mine cave, meticulously probing every inch of the area.
He had a feeling.
Bai Zihe was definitely here, hiding through some means.
As long as he could find Bai Zihe's hiding place, he would definitely be able to drag him out, and then he would obtain an enormous amount of spirit stones!
"Buzz!"
"Buzz buzz..."
The powerful divine sense continuously flowed.
Every inch of land was thoroughly examined by Qin Changkong at this moment.
Inside the Haotian Pagoda.
Bai Zihe was also slightly tense.
Qin Changkong possessed the strength of the Tribulation Crossing Realm, which was no small matter.
He guessed.
Even if he used his "Heaven Splitting Earth Shattering" move, he might not be able to kill Qin Changkong, and Qin Changkong would not give him the chance to use it.
"Little Pagoda..."
Bai Zihe said in a low voice, "Won't he find you?"
"Of course."
The Haotian Pagoda said speechlessly, "Please believe in professionalism."
"This Qin Changkong... is just a mere Tribulation Crossing Realm cultivator. When I recover to my peak, if I don't wish it, even an immortal might not be able to find me!"
This.
Bai Zihe was greatly astonished.
The Haotian Pagoda indeed had an extraordinary origin; even immortals could not see through its disguise. He was safe!
Therefore...
Bai Zihe also sat down cross-legged inside the Haotian Pagoda, preparing to cultivate.
He did not know how long Qin Changkong would stay here, but it was clearly not appropriate to go out now. Instead of waiting, he might as well cultivate more.
"Whoosh..."
The next moment, a pile of spirit stones flew to Bai Zihe's front, all floating before him. Spiritual energy overflowed from them, entering Bai Zihe's body.
"Whoosh!"
Just then.
The spirit stones suddenly flew up.
Bai Zihe did not understand, but he sensed that it was the Little Pagoda making the move.
"Whoosh..."
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
The next moment, the spirit stones arranged themselves in a regular, mysterious pattern. As they accumulated, they eventually formed a formation.
"Buzz..."
The moment the formation took shape, a powerful spiritual energy vortex swept towards him.
Bai Zihe was stunned on the spot.
The density of the spiritual energy was... unprecedented, even more potent than when he first arrived at the spirit stone vein.
What was happening?
"This is called a 'Spirit Gathering Formation'."
Seeing his expression, the Little Pagoda knew he didn't understand. It explained, "Simply put, if it's set up outside, it can gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, forming a small blessed land rich in spiritual energy, convenient for cultivation."
"If there are enough spirit stones..."
"It can even form its own system, continuously releasing spiritual energy."
Bai Zihe was overjoyed.
Wasn't this the best place for cultivation?
No wonder.
He suddenly remembered the formation that Xiao Junlin had set up before, which also drew out the spiritual energy from countless spirit stones, and was much faster than him absorbing them one by one.
And the Spirit Gathering Formation...
It was originally a formation used for cultivation, and it was countless times faster than Xiao Junlin's previous method!
Therefore...
"Slurp!"
The next moment, Bai Zihe greedily began to absorb the spiritual energy.
Instantly.
The spiritual energy transformed into a tangible form, converging into visible long dragons that entered Bai Zihe's body.
Bai Zihe immediately felt the fullness in his meridians and the might in his dantian.
"Splash..."
"Splash splash..."
The true essence transformed from spiritual energy was like seawater, surging endlessly and ceaselessly.
As time slowly passed.
Bai Zihe discovered that the true essence in his dantian was accumulating at an extremely rapid pace.
In less than a few minutes, it was almost full.
Yes.
In just a few minutes, Bai Zihe had reached the late stage Great Perfection of the Integration Realm, on the verge of breaking through to the Mahayana Realm!
But he couldn't break through yet; he still lacked the comprehension of the laws of heaven and earth!
This was not a big problem.
The next moment.
Bai Zihe immersed himself in cultivation using the Wordless Heavenly Tome.
In the spirit stone mine cave.
Qin Changkong was furious.
He had meticulously and earnestly probed every inch of the spirit stone mine cave three times!
However...
He still couldn't find any trace of Bai Zihe, nor did he detect any signs.
It was as if Bai Zihe had vanished into thin air, or as if Bai Zihe had never appeared in this mine cave.
How was this possible?
Xiao Junlin's corpse was lying right here!
"Arghhh..."
Qin Changkong went berserk, roaring madly, "Bai Zihe, I don't care if you're still here or not! I, Qin Changkong, swear again!"
"Even if I have to dig three feet deep, I will find you!"
"Arghhh—"
The next moment, Qin Changkong's formidable true essence erupted.
"Rumble!"
The mine cave collapsed violently. The surface walls, the ceiling, and the ground all turned into dust at this moment, stirring up a dense fog.
However, the scene Qin Changkong had imagined did not appear.
In his opinion.
If Bai Zihe was still here, hidden within some treasure, then when he launched a full-scale attack, the treasure should have shown some reaction.
Such as...
Being indestructible!
Or...
Trying to escape!
But there was nothing. His divine sense was fully released, and he found no anomaly whatsoever.
Thus.
Qin Changkong gritted his teeth and transformed into a stream of light, disappearing into the sky.
After he left.
The Haotian Pagoda said to Bai Zihe, "That person is gone."
However...
Bai Zihe was already immersed in cultivation and had no mind to pay attention to matters outside.
Seeing this.
The Haotian Pagoda continued to lie dormant in the dust, allowing Bai Zihe to cultivate properly.
Heavenly Mountain Sword Sect.
Qin Changkong returned to this place with a heart full of rage.
A mine cave filled with spirit stones, with at least millions, tens of millions of pieces!
Yet he had made a wasted trip, gaining nothing!
No.
Qin Changkong could not accept this outcome.
Bai Zihe...
According to the information he had obtained earlier, he was a cultivator in the Integration Realm, posing no threat to him.
The only thing to be wary of was Ji Xian Yuan's command.
Before he obtained the spirit stones, or before he had the strength to contend with Ji Xian Yuan, he must not clash with her.
Therefore.
Capturing Bai Zihe had to be done as quickly as possible, and as secretly as possible.
Thus.
Qin Changkong quickly summoned all his disciples.