“The inheritance has concluded—all shall leave this realm!”
At that moment, a voice like the resonant sound of the Great Dao boomed once more. Immediately, the entire thousand-zhang stone platform was enveloped in a curtain of light. An inexplicable force pulled everyone into the void, drawing them into a teleportation array.
Lin Xiao felt himself being tugged by an immense power, unable to resist. The next moment, his vision blurred, plunging into darkness as if he’d entered a chaotic abyss, all sights before him vanishing.
After an indeterminate time, Lin Xiao emerged from this state. His groggy mind began to clear, and his dimmed eyes regained focus.
Hu Yue, the young commander of the Tiger Guard, and everyone else from the chaotic burial ground’s stone platform were gone.
What appeared in his sight was a massive mountain within a range of peaks. At its waist was a vast opening carved out, where dozens—perhaps hundreds—of people bustled about.
These individuals were tirelessly chiselling away at enormous stone blocks extracted from the cave, keeping only the parts with a more refined hue. A separate team used storage rings to transport these purer stones.
Clearly, this was a mining vein, and the group was hard at work extracting its bounty.
“Good heavens, it’s a Heavenly Shift Stone mine!”
Staring at the polished and sorted stones ahead, Lin Xiao jolted in shock. This was indeed a Heavenly Shift Stone mine. The roughly refined block in front of him weighed at least a hundred jin—hundreds of times more than the Heavenly Shift Stone he’d obtained in the chaotic burial ground.
Though not fully purified, further refinement could yield dozens of jin of Heavenly Shift Stone.
And this was just one block.
This vein likely produced countless such blocks daily, its value beyond estimation.
At that moment, Lin Xiao’s sudden appearance drew the gazes of everyone present, their eyes glinting with cold intent.
“Who are you, daring to trespass into the Nether Sky Demon Palace’s restricted zone?” An elder overseeing the site turned around, barking coldly at Lin Xiao. His voice thundered, and an overwhelming pressure radiated from him.
“A Martial Venerable!” Lin Xiao’s heart skipped a beat. A mere overseer of this mining area was already at the Martial Venerable realm.
Perhaps to safeguard their various inheritances, the teleportation from the chaotic burial ground’s stone platform had scattered everyone to different locations. He’d been sent here alone, avoiding the trouble of being mobbed by a crowd.
Yet, he’d landed right at someone else’s mine entrance.
“Hmph, trespassing into the Nether Sky Demon Palace’s vein—are you seeking death?” From behind, a youth stepped forward, exuding the aura of a third-tier Martial King, intimidating in its own right.
This youth was only in his early twenties.
Two more elders advanced as well, their Martial King auras pressing outward.
This was a critical site for the Nether Sky Demon Palace. Even a junior intruder couldn’t be spared—they wouldn’t tolerate any other faction prying into this Heavenly Shift Stone mine.
“This might be a major faction!” Lin Xiao inwardly marvelled. Of all the places to be teleported, why here? If it were a weaker faction, just one of those extracted Heavenly Shift Stones would tempt him, let alone an entire vein.
But precisely because of its importance, how could such a place allow outsiders to wander in so easily?
“Everyone, this is a misunderstanding. My teleportation array malfunctioned, and I ended up here by mistake. I mean no harm,” Lin Xiao explained, readying himself to pull out the Void Sky Phoenix Wings and flee at any moment.
He wasn’t familiar with this Nether Sky Demon Palace faction. Given the significance of this site, there might be even stronger experts present—running was the safest option.
“Then where were you trying to go?” The Martial King youth sneered mockingly.
Teleported to the wrong place?
The excuse was laughably childish. Even if they believed it, it wouldn’t matter.
“The Holy City—do you know which direction it’s in?” Lin Xiao asked tentatively. Even if they were enemies, getting a sense of direction from them would be useful.
“Heh, are you digging your own grave, kid? The Holy City lies tens of thousands of miles southeast and is our sworn enemy. Are you here to scout for them?” The Martial King youth sneered again, and the dozens—hundreds—of others radiated cold hostility.
“Oh?” Lin Xiao blinked, caught off guard. The Holy City and the Nether Sky Demon Palace were sworn enemies? That was unexpected. Mentioning a location had accidentally named their foe—there’d be no amicable resolution now.
Still, it was fortunate he’d learned the Holy City’s direction: tens of thousands of miles southeast. He’d been teleported an astonishing distance.
“I don’t know how you slipped past our layers of defences to get here, but if you don’t want to suffer, spill everything you know. No matter who’s behind you, you won’t escape today!” The Martial Venerable elder waved a hand, his tone carrying an undeniable authority.
Yet he’d relaxed slightly. Even if someone lurked behind Lin Xiao, they couldn’t stir up much trouble.
The moment Lin Xiao appeared, the elder had shouted, alerting the Nether Sky Demon Palace’s powerhouses. He could already sense several figures of higher status approaching.
“Whoosh!” “Whoosh!” “Whoosh!”…
Sure enough, in Lin Xiao’s line of sight, figures streaked in from all directions. Seven arrived, riding wings of elemental energy, surrounding him from every angle. Two more appeared, soaring through the air without any visible wings.
Lin Xiao’s pupils shrank. One of these two emanated spiritual energy fluctuations stronger than Ye Fenghua’s back in the day. Based on the Devouring Spirit Emperor’s experience, this was a fifth-tier advanced Spirit Controller.
The other bore no spiritual energy, only an overwhelming, sovereign pressure that dominated all directions. His presence alone weighed heavily on Lin Xiao.
“A Martial Monarch!”
Lin Xiao’s heart trembled. Only a Martial Monarch could fly unaided and exude such an aura.
This place was extraordinary indeed, guarded by a Martial Monarch and a fifth-tier advanced Spirit Controller.
Among the elders arriving on elemental wings was a high-tier Martial Venerable, his presence formidable as well.
“I’ve stumbled into a major mine!”
Lin Xiao sighed inwardly, unsure whether he was terribly unlucky or extraordinarily fortunate to end up in such a critical location.
The Martial Monarch’s aura swept outward as he scanned the surroundings. Finding no hidden powerhouses, he snorted dismissively, “Hmph, I didn’t expect a mere Heavenly Martial realm brat to dare trespass into the Nether Sky Demon Palace’s restricted zone. Truly ignorant of the heights of heaven and the depths of earth!”
His gaze turned to the elder on the ground. “Lu Shan, how did you let an ant slip in here?”
