These miners numbered in the hundreds. Most of them were ordinary people, and those Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators among them had their dantians sealed off, making it impossible for them to use their mana. The pile of Yin Mountain Sect corpses instilled terror in all the miners. They had no idea what fate awaited them! As for these Daoists in front of them, were they as brutal as the Yin Mountain Sect, wantonly slaughtering people like them? Some of these miners were captured from other sects, while others were ordinary people abducted by the Yin Mountain Sect to work the mines. In any case, nobody had a positive view of the Yin Mountain Sect. The reason these people were still alive was precisely because they were not allied with the Yin Mountain Sect. This is why those from the Shenxiao Dao Sect hadn’t killed them. Looking at the people before him, Yu Yuanhua said coldly, "I don’t care who you are or why you are here, but all of you will mine for Shenxiao Dao Sect for ten years! After ten years, you can go wherever you want. We will not restrict your freedom like the Yin Mountain Sect did." As soon as Yu Yuanhua finished speaking, the atmosphere in the crowd changed. The miners, previously numb, suddenly showed expressions full of hope, each one revealing a longing for freedom. Standing beside Yu Yuanhua, Li Yunjing nodded upon seeing this scene. The Shenxiao Dao Sect’s principles were more aligned with righteousness, at least leaving some hope for these people. Ten years later, perhaps not many of these people would survive, but those who did would surely gain their freedom. This was the Shenxiao Dao Sect’s promise. Moreover, their daily treatment would be much better compared to the previous rule of the Yin Mountain Sect. And Li Yunjing could guarantee that their living conditions would greatly improve, and incidents of abuse would be significantly reduced. This is the substantial difference between the righteous and the Demon Dao. As for treating these miners well and unconditionally like humans? That was simply impossible! The Shenxiao Dao Sect’s members weren’t fools. They had fought hard to conquer Yellow Dragon Ridge. And without miners, should the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators themselves dig out spirit stones from the ore veins? If the sect ordered Li Yunjing to do this, he would be wholly dissatisfied! Of course, openly opposing was not an option for Li Yunjing, though shirking work was inevitable. So, these miners couldn’t be let go. They still needed them to continue working! And ten years later, Shenxiao Dao Sect would naturally send their own mining team to ensure normal operations here. By then, whether these people were here or not wouldn’t matter. The ten-year period Yu Yuanhua proposed was a well-considered decision. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel•fire.net This battle wouldn’t be over in just a year or two; however, within ten years, it would likely come to an end. Even a colossal sect like Shenxiao Dao Sect couldn’t sustain high-intensity combat with so many sects indefinitely. Among the captives, someone suddenly shouted, "Senior! I am from the Myriad Swords Sect. I was captured by the Yin Mountain Sect and enslaved in this mine." Li Yunjing looked over to see an elderly man with gray hair, stooped posture, and tattered clothes, looking weathered and worn. Yu Yuanhua frowned and said after some thought, "Step forward!" The man, overjoyed, quickly stepped out of the line. Yu Yuanhua surveyed the crowd and asked, "Is there anyone here from sects or noble families within the Great Ming Dynasty?" After this inquiry, there was some commotion in the crowd, but no one spoke up, indicating there were no other forces from the Great Ming Dynasty here. Don’t even think about it, that would be a dead end! "Reporting to Senior! This junior is Zhou Xu, a disciple of the Myriad Swords Sect’s Myriad Swords Hall, at the ninth level of the Qi Refining Realm." The man named Zhou Xu replied respectfully. Next, Yu Yuanhua started asking him questions about the Myriad Swords Sect, including the position of the sect, who the sect leader was, and what mission had brought him to the border... He asked a total of ten questions! These were all matters only someone from the Myriad Swords Sect would know. Anyone who hadn’t been in the Myriad Swords Sect couldn’t possibly answer all the questions correctly. This man was indeed from the Myriad Swords Sect, and naturally, he answered fluently, matching Yu Yuanhua’s knowledge almost exactly. This improved Yu Yuanhua’s mood. The forces within the Great Ming Dynasty had all been recruited by the Shenxiao Dao Sect to participate in the war. It could be said that including the Myriad Swords Sect and other powers, they all had their contributions to Shenxiao Dao Sect. Finding a captive from the Myriad Swords Sect, Yu Yuanhua couldn’t treat him roughly or like the other miners. "Here are 100 Qi Replenishing Pills. Take them to restore your body! Also, don’t leave yet. Stay and help our people get familiar with everything here. In two or three years, once we confirm your identity with the Myriad Swords Sect, we will send you back." Yu Yuanhua pointed a finger, sending a red light into the man’s lower dantian, breaking the seal on his mana restriction. He then handed him a small gourd and spoke indifferently. "Thank you, Senior! I will do my best to serve the Upper Sect!" The man was delighted. Although he wanted to return to his sect as soon as possible, he understood that during this special period, the Shenxiao Dao Sect wouldn’t have time to send him away. He was very satisfied with this arrangement. These many elixirs were enough to stabilize his cultivation. "Hmm! Zhou Xu, now take these miners back to rest! There’s no work today. After eating, no one is allowed to wander around the valley." Yu Yuanhua instructed. Zhou Xu nodded and immediately began relaying the Shenxiao Dao Sect’s orders to the miners. Before long, the miners lined up in two rows and returned to their quarters. Outside the quarters, two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators from the Shenxiao Dao Sect stood guard, sufficiently controlling the situation to ensure no one could escape. After giving some instructions, Yu Yuanhua had his fellow disciples burn all the enemy corpses. As a renowned righteous sect, the Shenxiao Dao Sect naturally wouldn’t use the Yin Mountain Sect disciples’ corpses to craft special puppets. Even some of the confiscated demonic magical artifacts needed to be carefully selected, as forbidden items were absolutely not allowed within the sect. For example, the Ghost Banner used by Li Yunjing’s enemy was particularly powerful because it involved harming innocent lives. Therefore, such magical artifacts were also destroyed. Soon, the disciples of Shenxiao Dao Sect handed over many forbidden items, all of which Yu Yuanhua incinerated with Samadhi True Fire. As for whether there were any secretly hidden forbidden artifacts? That depended on whether they could hide them well! Anyone caught would face the sect’s severe punishments without exception! Their fate would be a stint in the Divine Prison to suffer. Even someone as bold as Li Yunjing didn’t dare to hide any items forbidden by the Shenxiao Dao Sect’s laws; he handed them all over. Afterward, Yu Yuanhua led several formation experts, including Li Yunjing, to rearrange the Mountain Protection Array at Yellow Dragon Ridge. This formation was the Samadhi True Fire Array. It was Yu Yuanhua’s specialty formation. This was a formidable array, and once it was reconfigured, even Golden Core Realm cultivators would find it difficult to break through in a short time. With such defenses, Yu Yuanhua felt much more at ease and ordered the wounded to begin their recovery. As for the five fallen Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, that was something that couldn’t be helped.