[Ore Investigation]
The night was thick, the stars and moon veiled by dense clouds. Like a silent shadow, Lin Ye slipped past the edge of the Tianyuan Sect encampment’s spirit barrier.
With the aid of his clan’s secret movement technique and the system’s “Concealment” skill, he evaded the sentries’ spiritual perception with ease and silently made his way toward an abandoned mining area just outside Qingshi City.
Though the mine appeared derelict, Lin Ye instantly detected the lingering pulse of spiritual energy—an aura he knew all too well.
He knelt and picked up a broken piece of ore, letting his demonic energy seep into it. Immediately, he felt a faint yet unmistakable vibration.
“…This energy—it’s nearly identical to the batch of spirit crystals Blackstone Hall once unearthed.”
Within the stone’s grain, faint threads of interwoven red and blue energy shimmered—exactly the telltale sign of what the system had once labeled a “Spirit-Energy Crystal Vein.”
Lin Ye’s gaze sharpened.
This vein could very well be part of the same massive mineral system as the one beneath Blackstone Hall.
And Tianyuan Sect was secretly tapping into it—methodically and deliberately.
[Cruel Exploitation]
He ventured deeper.
Soon, near a mine tunnel left partially exposed, he witnessed a scene that made rage flicker behind his eyes.
A dozen emaciated, ragged workers were dragging heavy carts of ore, their bodies barely able to keep up. Towering above them on a raised platform, several Tianyuan Sect disciples held whips in hand, striking down without hesitation whenever someone slowed.
“Move it! Can’t lift three hundred pounds of ore? Are you pigs?”
“If you don’t meet quota by tomorrow, you’re going into the Spiritfire Pit!”
The crack of whips, the cries of the miners.
Lin Ye clenched his fists, nails digging into his palm. As he looked upon those gaunt faces, he saw echoes of his own suffering in the mines of Blackstone Hall.
“The same methods… the same cruelty…”
Cold light flared in his pupils.
This was no longer just a battle for cultivation resources. It was the trampling of life and dignity—a crime born of absolute power.
[Purpose of the Crystals]
Swallowing his fury, Lin Ye continued observing.
The heart of the mine was protected by spirit formations and guarded by several high-level figures with intimidating auras. He dared not get too close, opting instead to survey the perimeter.
Even so, a few chilling patterns emerged:
—All high-grade spirit crystals were sealed inside specially marked containers, then rushed away aboard spirit airships.
—The transport routes were tightly guarded secrets; even the collectors had no idea where the crystals were going.
—On more than one occasion, Lin Ye noticed the airships heading toward the Northern Mountain Range—where a Tianyuan Sect restricted zone known as Sealed Demon Cliff was located.
Lin Ye’s heart sank.
“The Tianyuan Sect isn’t harvesting these crystals for cultivation alone…”
“A massive formation? Forbidden ritual? Or… a seal?”
A vague, oppressive tension pressed against him—as if he stood on the shore, moments before a tidal wave surged.
[Chapter End]
A sudden gust stirred the skies above the mine, and a streak of green light cut across the darkness.
Lin Ye immediately stepped back, vanishing into the shadows.
It was the flight path of a patrol steward—an inner sect enforcer.
He knew he couldn’t linger.
But tonight’s discovery had already redrawn the map in his mind—of Tianyuan Sect’s ambitions, of the storm gathering behind their silence.
“If this vein is part of a greater spiritual nexus… the Tianyuan Sect might be sitting atop a force that could reshape the balance of the entire continent.”
“I need to go deeper.”
A flash of cold determination crossed Lin Ye’s eyes.
Vengeance was no longer his only goal.
He had to stop what was coming.
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Will Lin Ye’s investigation be discovered? Will he risk infiltrating the mysterious “Sealed Demon Cliff,” or remain hidden in the shadows? The true nature of Tianyuan Sect’s scheme may prove far more terrifying than he ever imagined...
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