Breaking through the illusion of the mortal world

Chapter 186 Seizing the Mine

Before long, Lu Ming and his group entered the interior of Tianqi Valley.

A hazy, murky light enveloped the surrounding area, and the spiritual energy in the world was extremely thin, far from sufficient for cultivators to regulate their breathing. The soil beneath their feet was dry, hard, and cracked.

Twisted, dark gray shrubs grow everywhere, crumbling at the slightest touch.

This is the Valley of Abandoned Heaven, the place of exile in Kyushu.

Lu Ming and his eleven companions concealed most of their escape light and sped along the undulating ravines.

Xia Linxian raised his hand and gently turned the Sea-Suppressing Pearl, a faint protective aura shielding everyone:

"The spiritual energy here is depleted, and spells cannot be replenished from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Remember to absorb the spiritual power of spirit stones at all times to maintain your condition."

As they walked, their pace gradually slowed down.

Not a single spiritual herb could be seen along the way; the air was filled only with the heavy smell of blood and dust.

As they walked, they observed the distribution of things within the valley.

This valley was not an unclaimed wilderness; several small towns could be seen in the distance, seemingly marking the boundaries of different powers.

Human cultivators, exiled from the human race, occupy one side of the land, while the demon beast horde occupies the deep mountain valleys; the two sides seem to be at odds with each other.

In many places, traces of the great war are still faintly visible, with skeletons scattered everywhere.

A whistling wind swept through the hollow skeleton, making the sound even more desolate.

After traveling several miles, the sounds of fierce fighting came from an open earthen slope ahead.

A dozen or so cultivators, dressed in tattered clothes, were wielding polished bone blades and dimly lit magical artifacts, locked in a fierce battle with a group of sharp-toothed demonic beasts.

The cultivators here mainly focus on martial arts and combat techniques. Occasionally, a few cultivators hastily form spell hand seals, but the spells they cast are greatly weakened.

It's difficult to harm a tough-skinned monster.

Only in life-or-death situations do they dare to unleash powerful spells and supernatural abilities.

Below the mine slope, black ore is exposed outside the soil layer.

The human and demon races are clearly vying for control of this mine.

The demonic beasts had the upper hand in numbers, and several cultivators had deep gashes torn open on their sides and shoulders by sharp claws.

Their clothes were soaked with blood, and they retreated step by step, about to be devoured by the beasts.

Seeing this, Lu Ming was about to help when Cheng Hao stopped him.

"Since this place is called a deadly place, Junior Brother Lu must not act rashly."

After Chenghao finished speaking, he took a step forward, and his surging blood and qi trembled slightly, with an invisible wave of energy spreading outward.

The domineering energy swept across the entire area, causing the giant ape demons at the forefront to lose their balance and tumble and fall several feet away, their bones creaking incessantly.

"Retreat!" Upon seeing this, two newly transformed demon beasts fled without looking back.

The other demonic beasts instinctively sensed the terrifying power they could not resist. They shrieked a few times and hurriedly retreated into the dense forest of dead trees, disappearing without a trace in a moment.

The fighting on the field suddenly stopped. All the cultivators stood still, staring blankly at Lu Ming and his group who had suddenly made their move. Their expressions were tense, and they dared not breathe.

Having lived here for years, they couldn't believe that someone would be so kind as to save them; they assumed it was another group coming to steal their resources.

"Hey, who's in charge here? Come up and talk to me," Chenghao shouted at them.

A middle-aged man dressed in animal armor strode out, bowing deeply and saying, "I am Shi Jian, and I am in charge of this mine."

"I am deeply honored by the presence of you esteemed immortals. I would never dare to conceal anything I know. May I ask what business you have summoned me for?"

Xia Linxian said in a calm tone, "We are just passing through this place. We heard that Tianqi Valley has a special landscape, so we thought we would like to take a look around."

"We know nothing about the local customs and boundaries of the valley, and would like to inquire about some information from you all."

"Are you immortals from the outside world?" Shi Jian asked in surprise, looking at Xia Linxian and his group.

"Yes."

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Shi Jian's face lit up with joy, and he quickly stepped aside to gesture for someone to lead the way:

"This mine is open and unobstructed, and the monsters may turn back at any time, so it is not advisable to stay here for long."

"The city in front is where our human race lives. The city lord governs most of the territory, and ordinary outsiders have no chance to visit him."

"Today, the city lord happens to be in the city at leisure. If you would be so kind as to step into the city, I will tell you in detail about all the big and small matters in the valley."

The injured cultivators nearby echoed his sentiments, speaking with utmost respect.

Tianqi Valley is closed off year-round, and very few high-level cultivators from the outside world set foot there. Being able to befriend such a powerful figure is an immense opportunity for their entire clan.

Perhaps this will allow us to escape this desperate situation.

Mo Yuan turned his head and whispered a few words to the people around him: "We were going to find out the terrain and key passages in the valley anyway. Going into the city to discuss it in detail will save us the trouble of searching around outside."

Xia Linxian nodded gently in agreement.

"By the way, what is this black ore?" Lu Ming asked, picking up a piece of ore at random.

Lu Ming could feel that his spiritual energy flow became somewhat sluggish when he picked up the ore.

"This item is called Spirit-Slaying Ore, a specialty of the Abandoned Valley. There are secret caravans outside that specialize in collecting it."

"This is also the only resource that can be exchanged for spirit stones and treasures from the outside world," Shi Jian replied respectfully.

Lu Ming picked up a few pieces at random, and without asking any more questions, followed the group.

The group followed Shi Jian and walked along the smooth mountain road toward the city.

Along the way, you can see boundary markers made of stacked stones.

The mines, residences, and defensive passes are clearly delineated.

The cultivators passing by on the road, upon seeing Shi Jian from afar, all subconsciously lowered their heads and moved to the side, not daring to look directly at him.

Upon reaching a fork in the road, several heavily armored cultivators stood guard.

Shi Jian took the initiative to explain: "These men are the commanders of the pass. They are responsible for coordinating the manpower in the mine and patrolling the border."

Lu Ming glanced at the few Golden Core cultivators, then looked at the highest point of the city in the distance, where a stone platform standing alone above all the houses was particularly eye-catching.

The city itself wasn't very large, not even as grand as some ordinary cities.

Shi Jian followed his gaze and immediately lowered his head, his tone carrying a hint of respect:

"That high platform is the residence of our city lord. The allocation of all mineral veins and the channels for trading with external caravans throughout the entire human territory are all decided by the city lord alone."

"Ordinary clansmen are not even allowed to approach within a hundred paces of the platform, let alone ascend it to meet the city lord."

"Any cultivators passing by along the way, when passing the city lord's mansion, must lower their heads and not look directly at him."

"The same applies when you meet the city lord; you must not look him in the eye or call him by his name."

"Even if you see him from afar, you must immediately stop what you are doing, kneel down and worship, and only get up after the city lord has gone far away." Shi Jian spoke more and more cautiously.

"Tch!" Lu Ming scoffed at the city lord's many rules, "What's your city lord's cultivation level? How dare you put on such an air?"

Shi Jian immediately looked terrified and said to Lu Ming in a respectful voice, "This immortal must not do this. Your cultivation is unparalleled, so naturally you have nothing to fear."

"I am still a novice with no cultivation, and my life and death are entirely in the hands of the city lord. I hope the immortal will understand."

Before long, the entire city was revealed, and the black-armored cultivators of the same level that had been seen on the road were stationed on both sides of the city gate.

The city was filled with rows of houses, and the flow of people was orderly, not the chaotic place of exile that outsiders imagined.

Shi Jian led his group straight toward the high platform hall in the center of the city. Pedestrians along the way stopped and stared, but no one dared to approach and speak to them. They just watched from afar.

Once he reached the bottom of the high platform's stone steps, Shi Jian could no longer proceed at will.

He stood with his head bowed, announced to the boy outside the hall that he was being summoned, and waited quietly for the summons from inside the hall.

Eleven people stood at the foot of the stone steps, looking up at the grand hall that stood high above the entire city.

This city can be seen at a glance; within this desolate land, social hierarchy has long been etched into everyone's actions and very being.

Lu Ming asked Chu Tianyi, puzzled, "Senior Brother, why do the cultivators here seem so strange? What are they afraid of?"

"Actually, this is not bad. This place is a place of exile, and most of the people exiled here are vicious criminals."

"The best way to deal with these people is through harsh laws and strict hierarchical systems," Chu Tianyi explained to Lu Ming.

Chu Tian patted Lu Ming on the shoulder: "Not all forces are as enlightened as the Dao Academy."

"Some third-rate forces have sect leaders who are only at the Nascent Soul stage, yet they hold absolute power of life and death over their lower-level disciples, who naturally tremble with fear."

"When you were in the Qi Refining stage at the Dao Academy, your senior brothers and sisters who were at the Nascent Soul or Deity Transformation stage would chat and laugh with you. This is something that other small forces would never even dare to dream of."

"Although the Taoist temple is large, it does not represent the entire world. You will understand as you see more in the future," Chu Tianyi explained with a smile to Lu Ming.

"I understand..." Although Lu Ming understood, he still felt that this was not a good idea.

He disliked this kind of rigid class distinction, this disregard for humanity, this power of life and death…

From the deep mountains in the distance, the low roars of demonic beasts could be faintly heard; that was the place where demonic beasts roamed.