The worst ore found from extinct volcanoes contains eight or nine layers of iron, meaning it's practically unrefined iron that doesn't need further smelting; it just needs to be melted and hammered to become high-quality refined iron. Currently, there's also a white-tinged ore similar to steel that has been found.

Qin Mu also recalled that the treasure book recorded that there was a volcano in the south, guarded by an immortal phoenix, containing ore that had been forged by the earth's fire for ten thousand years. It was the essence of the ore, and when forged from it, it was indestructible. When cast into armor, it was impervious to all laws.

Imagine if the volcano were located directly beneath the iron ore mine. To what extent would the ore refined after being calcined by the volcano be? However, the ore that is always in the center of the volcano must be very rare. Even so, there should be a lot left on the outer perimeter. With a little forging, that ore would be comparable to fine steel.

Judging from the minerals found so far, that extinct volcano was likely a rich mine in the past. Mining it would yield a large quantity of high-level weapons, which was Qin Mu's true objective. Fortunately, the others were perhaps unaware of Qin Mu's purpose, or perhaps they didn't want to compete with him for those resources, so no one objected.

After finalizing the plan, Qin Mu stopped caring about how they allocated the resources, adjourned the meeting, and then asked a civil official sitting in the corner, "Have you all written it down?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, we have recorded the names of the noble families and sects that came today, as well as all their words and actions," the civil official said, holding a booklet in his hands.

"Hmm, seal it up. I'll send a letter of divorce along with it to the palace." Qin Mu didn't take it, but just waved his hand and said. Then he picked up the paper and pen that had been prepared next to him and began to write.

There must have been Li Shimin's spies among the army, but Qin Mu never intended to hide it. He was always open and honest in his actions, leaving no room for criticism, which was one of the reasons why Li Shimin felt at ease.

Whether Qin Mu was at the Six Doors or in Lingnan, the talents he cultivated ultimately benefited Li Shimin. Li Shimin was aware that Qin Mu had no intention of clinging to power. Even with Li Ke, Qin Mu only treated him as an ordinary friend, teaching him without any intention of forming a close relationship or providing strong support. This was what satisfied Li Shimin the most.

With the army developing steadily, Qin Mu's own strength also increased significantly. In particular, thanks to Meng Ziyi's meticulous guidance, his righteous spirit became increasingly pure. According to the Meng family, righteous spirit becomes even more righteous when it encounters righteousness. In other words, the more upright a person is and the less evil thoughts they have, the stronger their righteous spirit becomes.

Qin Mu was indeed upright and selfless. Apart from being somewhat lustful, he felt he was almost a saint. Of course, he only coveted his wife. After things got on track, he spent most of his time handling government affairs in the rear and then traveling with his wife to make up for his shortcomings.

Although it's said that only oxen die from exhaustion, in his case, he can still diligently plow the land, demonstrating that he is a strong ox and that a piece of land is a minor issue.

"Everyone be careful," Luo Cheng warned.

Unable to resist their curiosity, they organized a team of one hundred to explore the sealed land. These one hundred were all top-tier experts, including twenty from the ten major tribes.

Firstly, out of curiosity, and secondly, because they were no longer afraid of the malevolent aura, and Sun Simiao had already prepared an antidote for the poisonous gas in the mist.

Stepping into the mist, they would naturally encounter ferocious beasts. However, this time Qin Mu and his group were well prepared. The thumb-thick triangular arrows were shot by Fang Yi'ai and other powerful experts. Even the ferocious beasts could not withstand them!

The sinews of the ferocious beasts, when used in composite bows crafted by the Mohists and fired by top experts, were no less effective than ballistae, making close-range killing of the beasts quite easy. The group advanced steadily through the mist, their bodies glowing with a soft white light that dispelled the fog and kept the malevolent auras at bay. This was the righteous energy bestowed by Meng Ziyi and Qin Mu, which suppressed all evil.

After five days of trekking through the mist and hunting over two hundred ferocious beasts, they finally emerged from the smallest canyon. Upon exiting, everyone was stunned; the scene before them was completely different from what they had imagined.

Like a secret paradise, the trees are hundreds of meters tall, making it impossible to see far into the distance. The weeds on the ground are taller than a person, the air is full of moisture, and there is even mist swirling in the distance.

After a moment of stunned silence, Yuan Tiangang's expression changed slightly as he said, "Let's leave here quickly."

As Yuan Tiangang spoke, he briefly determined the direction and led the way to the right. After walking two kilometers, Yuan Tiangang stopped.

"Senior, was there a problem there just now?" someone asked.

“There’s a gap there, where spiritual energy and malevolent energy mingle. That’s probably why the ferocious beasts found the exit. If we don’t leave quickly, we’ll have no choice but to fight if we encounter any beasts. And who knows how many beasts we’ll attract if we fight here?” Yuan Tiangang explained.

After hearing Yuan Tiangang's explanation, everyone's expression changed, and they felt a little scared. If they really attracted countless ferocious beasts, they would probably have no choice but to run for their lives.

"The spiritual energy here is violent, almost malevolent. We must be careful and avoid fighting if possible," Sun Simiao warned.

The spiritual energy is violent, which means it is not only difficult to control, but also difficult to recover from. It is very difficult to absorb enough spiritual energy from the violent spiritual energy to recover.

"The terrain here is too strange. Why don't we set up camp here first? We can explore the surrounding environment and try to climb up and take a look," Qin Mu said, looking around.

Nearby were sheer cliffs, towering mountains, so steep and sheer that they could make you lose your hat looking down. And that was all that stretched as far as the eye could see.

"This is too high. It won't be easy to climb up here," Yuan Tiangang exclaimed after looking at it.

"We don't need to climb to the top; we just need to be able to see into the distance," Qin Mu said, shaking his head slightly.

The sky here is completely shrouded in fog, and the sun is just a red disc moving across the sky. It's unimaginable how the fog here never dissipates.

“Then there’s no problem. Just be careful not to attract the attention of the flying beasts,” Yuan Tiangang agreed.

Without further ado, they quickly came up with a plan. Since everyone here was a top expert, they simply found several long spears, took turns sticking them into the mountainside, and started climbing. For safety, Qin Mu also set up a large net below, so that even if someone fell from above, they would have an extra means of survival.

For top experts, climbing is an easy task. In one hour, they climbed nearly a thousand meters before being called down.

"There's no end in sight; the mountain walls are almost identical. Further up, we enter a fog, obstructing our view and making it even harder to see clearly," the expert who climbed up reported as he came down.

After listening to the report, Qin Mu pondered for a moment, a sense of shock rising in his heart. Judging from the current situation, this place resembled a meteorite crater. Regardless of its size, its height of at least several thousand meters was enough to imagine its immense size. No wonder the place was almost sealed off, enveloped by dense fog, preventing the malevolent aura from dissipating. Therefore, creating a dozen or so low openings to draw the malevolent aura out would be the best solution.

This crater probably existed before humans existed; otherwise, such a large sinkhole would likely have caused human extinction.

After he shared his guesses, the others stopped paying attention. After all, from the outside, the area looked to be at least several hundred miles in size, and how could their group of about 100 people possibly explore it all?

"Such a huge sinkhole, how big must that extraterrestrial meteorite have been!" someone exclaimed.

"The meteorite should have landed in the very center."

"Don't even think about it. The meteorite must be huge, but countless years have passed, and there's no trace of it on the ground. Finding it would be incredibly difficult. Besides, going to the very center would mean encountering countless ferocious beasts; nobody knows for sure," Qin Mu said, raising his hand to stop the discussion.

“Let’s explore the area and see if there’s anything worth the risk of entering. If not, we’ll leave,” Yuan Tiangang suggested.

“I agree. It’s not worth taking too much risk for a little benefit. There are plenty of resources outside waiting for us to discover,” Qin Mu said seriously.

He wanted to dispel some people's unrealistic ideas. To be honest, he wasn't very interested in exploring the seal, although he was slightly curious. The reason for encouraging people to come and explore was that some people had selfish motives and wanted to know the reason for creating the ferocious beasts. That way, they might no longer be controlled by the local area and wouldn't have to stay here to share the spoils. After all, being able to keep everything to oneself is always the best.

Although the ten tribes claimed that this was an ancient war, a consequence of the deployment of powerful figures from both sides, there were always those who didn't believe in superstition or wanted to find a solution.

Seeing the sinkhole-like terrain, Qin Mu knew this was a meteorite crater, and his initial curiosity vanished. The best news was that such a towering place was inaccessible to those enormous beasts, neither able to climb nor fly over it. Of course! There was also the effect of the seal. After entering, Qin Mu discovered that the gravity here was slightly stronger than outside, and a strange force affected his divine sense, preventing it from probing very far; it was better to use his eyes.

They cleared a space, set up some traps, and began to set up camp. Of course! The traps were mainly for warning purposes; after all, traps that could directly kill ferocious beasts weren't so easy to set up.

The red sun in the sky disappeared, and the sealed land suddenly became dark. The air quickly turned cold and damp. Not long after the fire was lit, a light drizzle began to fall.

"This rain is not right!" someone said urgently.

Even if he hadn't said it, most people would have noticed the problem: when rainwater falls on the skin, it feels like being pricked by needles.

"Everyone, hide in your tents!" Luo Cheng whispered.

When faced with the unknown, it's always best to avoid it for now.

Qin Mu, however, suddenly remembered something, and his expression immediately turned extremely ugly!

"Huaidao, what did you discover?" Yuan Tiangang asked from the side.

"I suddenly remembered that some extraterrestrial objects contain special substances that are colorless, odorless, and invisible, but can be harmful to people. Prolonged exposure could be fatal! We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning," Qin Mu explained. He was thinking about radiation. Some meteorites contain radiation, and a meteorite capable of forming such a large crater must be quite large. The mutations of those ferocious beasts could very well be related to radiation.

The thought that he had eaten the flesh of a ferocious beast made Qin Mu feel a little disgusted, but then he thought that the pills had been refined with spiritual energy and that with the righteous energy's ability to exorcise evil, they should have no effect, which made him feel a little better.

“I’m afraid some people are unwilling to leave immediately,” Yuan Tiangang sighed.

"If they don't want to leave, then they can stay. I don't care if they live or die!" Qin Mu said with a gloomy face.

The thought of possibly being in a radiation zone made him very unhappy. With that in mind, Qin Mu waved his hand and bestowed a righteous aura upon Luo Cheng, the Bu brothers, and the others.

Seeing Qin Mu's seriousness, Yuan Tiangang nodded, and Luo Cheng and the others naturally had no objections.

"My lord, what's going on?" someone else asked, seeing Qin Mu make a move.

"It's nothing. They got caught in the rain, and I was just helping them get dry," Qin Mu replied calmly.

This answer was clearly unexpected, since Luo Cheng and the others could easily dry themselves if they got wet. However, thinking about it, perhaps Qin Mu was trying to win them over.

"Your Excellency is truly meticulous," the person who asked the question said with an awkward laugh.

On a drizzly night, the light from the tent fire only allows visibility to a few meters, and the distant roars of ferocious beasts are always heart-wrenching.

Almost no one slept through the long night. When the sun appeared in the sky, the sealed land suddenly brightened and became lively.

The distant roars rose and fell incessantly, like a musical movement that resounded throughout the heavens and earth, with sounds echoing from the sky.

"Let's go! Let's go! Forget the tents, we'll eat after we get out of the sealed land!" Qin Mu interrupted his subordinates who were still thinking of cooking, urging them on every day with a frown.

"My lord, what are you doing!" The court officials, of course, immediately obeyed orders, including Yuan Tiangang and the other Taoists. However, some members of the aristocratic families came over, puzzled, and asked.

"There's no need to explore any further. We've decided to evacuate immediately!" Qin Mu said solemnly.

"This..." Seeing that the people of the imperial court were taking action, and that Meng Ziyi, Yuan Tiangang and other big shots were clearly in support, and that there were several people from aristocratic families, his face immediately turned ugly.

"Of course! If you wish to stay, we will not force you to leave. It's entirely up to you!" Qin Mu said, glancing at the somewhat bewildered members of the aristocratic families.

Clearly, Qin Mu and his group's decision disrupted their plans, and several people immediately gathered together to discuss the matter.

Qin Mu ignored them and, once the group was ready, immediately led the way back the way they came.

Those members of the powerful families, though slow and hesitant, eventually caught up with Qin Mu and his group. This was not unexpected for Qin Mu; they all knew how powerful the ferocious beasts were, and even the most powerful among them had left. They were wise enough not to stay and die.

After another fierce battle, everyone finally relaxed after leaving the sealed area.

Qin Mu turned around and said loudly, "Let's get this straight: I don't care whether you organize teams to explore the sealed land in the future. But if anyone affects the defense or breaks the seal, don't blame me for being ruthless. The imperial court's law of punishing relatives is still in effect."

Qin Mu's sudden harsh words caused everyone's hearts to tighten, especially those with ulterior motives, whose expressions changed drastically. Then, one of them said with a fawning smile, "Of course! Of course!"

"Rest assured, Lord Marquis, this involves the interests of everyone. Anyone who disrupts it will become an enemy of everyone! We will arrange everything clearly without the imperial court having to take action!" A middle-aged expert from the Xiangli family said, cupping his hands in greeting.

"That would be best. I don't want to make things difficult for anyone, nor do I want others to make things difficult for me. I hope everyone can understand." Qin Mu's expression softened, and he said with a smile.

"That's right, that's right."

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