Chapter 1953: Underground Anomaly

“They killed a famous subordinate deity without leaving a trace,” He Lingchuan mused, stroking his chin. “That’s an incredible feat.”

Killing a god is far more complex than killing a person. Furthermore, heavenly deities possess a myriad of detection methods. Regardless of the true culprit, anyone capable of eluding Revered Lingxu’s inspection is certainly no ordinary individual—and there’s no doubt that Revered Lingxu would personally conduct the examination.

This incident suggests that even the subordinate deities serving Revered Lingxu are not safe, highlighting the rapid escalation of conflicts within the divine realm.

“Moreover, they’ve lost nearly a thousand Dragon Punishment Pillars and are now desperate for more of this treasure,” he continued. “If we use the Dragon Punishment Pillars to fan the flames, now would be the perfect time.”

“Then it’s settled,” Fang Canran said cheerfully. “How much can you supply me?”

He asked in a businessman’s tone, but He Lingchuan understood that the question was about how many Dragon Punishment Pillars he could produce.

He Lingchuan held up six fingers.

“That many?” Fang Canran gasped, then immediately became overjoyed. “Excellent, the more the merrier!”

“How many days until delivery?”

Seeing his eagerness, He Lingchuan thought for a moment and replied, “Three days.”

As long as there were sufficient materials, Da Fang Hu, the skilled craftsman, could easily produce Dragon Punishment Pillars.

“In three days, I’ll host a farewell banquet for Brother Fang.”

This wasn't He Lingchuan's first time entering a mine, but the White Tower Mine was over ten times more complex than the Dark Crystal Mine in the Upside-Down Sea. It was an enormous, multi-layered, three-dimensional, intersecting labyrinth.

The village chief summoned an old miner to guide them. The man was a native townsman who had worked in the mines for over a decade, surviving several collapses.

Without such an experienced guide, no one would dare venture into this mine.

The old miner explained that the mine had a long history, having been abandoned several times. They had relentlessly explored until they rediscovered the ore vein, which was why the underground sections were particularly intricate.

The air at the bottom of the mine was stagnant and heavy with a damp, musty smell. In some areas, they had to stoop to pass through. He Lingchuan lit up some fluorescent spores, and the group followed the old miner for an hour, seeing only signs of excavation everywhere.

Several collapses had turned parts of the mine shafts into dead ends.

However, small crystals had begun to appear on the walls, sparkling beautifully under the light of the fluorescent spores.

Luo Xie reached out and touched them, saying, “These are indeed nascent dark crystals. They typically grow upwards from deeper below, so there should be more further down.”

He continued, “This area was originally submerged underwater. It seems geological changes or a shift in an underground river caused the water to drain away completely.”

Illuminated by the fluorescent spores, they saw various marks on the stone surface he indicated, some bluish-gray, others grayish-white.

Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be seashells embedded in the rock.

As they proceeded, these markings became more frequent. Occasionally, they encountered large rocks with clear waterlines, though the ground was now dry. Luo Xie’s theory seemed plausible.

Suddenly, their path was blocked.

The old miner stopped before a large pile of rubble, shaking his head. “It was clear two days ago,” he lamented, “but it collapsed just these past two days!”

The tunnel was completely blocked, making passage impossible.

He Lingchuan asked him, “How much further?”

“Just past this pile of rubble, then about a hundred zhang more, and you’ll be there,” the miner replied.

He Lingchuan flicked his wrist, and a furry little squirrel appeared, perched on his palm.

It was alive and curiously peered around.

The others scrutinized him, unable to figure out where he had hidden the creature before.

“An Earth Essence,” Luo Xie blurted out.

This was the Earth Essence that the Heavenly Demon had brought into the Upside-Down Sea to survey the Dark Crystal Mine. After He Lingchuan and Liu Qingdao defeated God Zhaoyou, it pledged allegiance to Granny Zhu. He Lingchuan had borrowed it from Granny Zhu for his current mining exploration.

“I brought you here to determine the distribution and reserves of dark crystals in this cave,” He Lingchuan said to the squirrel, gesturing towards Luo Xie. “He needs to draw up an excavation plan, so work closely with him.”

The little squirrel nodded and prepared to move onto the ground. He Lingchuan then added, “There’s a cave further ahead from here; please clear a path for me.”

The small creature then crawled to the collapsed section, flicked its tail, and burrowed into the pile of sand and rocks.

The fallen rocks and sand blocking the passage began to crackle and groan. Then, to the old miner’s astonishment, they started to deform, coalescing from a loose, amorphous mass into a massive python that slithered deeper into the mine shaft.

The group followed behind the sand python. Whenever it encountered a collapse or too many fallen rocks, it would simply swallow them whole, leaving a perfectly clear passage behind, without even a speck of sand.

As the old miner had mentioned, an anomaly appeared about a hundred zhang further into the mine.

A large hole had been breached in the stone wall. The old miner explained that they had broken through it while exploring the vein, and an unusual object lay within.

Despite the small appearance of the hole, as they squeezed through, they discovered it opened into an incredibly spacious underground palace!

It was likely an enormous, hollow grotto originally, later converted into an underground palace built directly upon the dark crystal ore vein.

Within this underground palace, dark crystals were embedded everywhere in the rock walls, ranging in color from pale green to deep blue, and even hints of red.

There were also various corals, diverse in shape, form, and breathtakingly beautiful. The most exquisite, a blood-red coral, stood over a zhang tall, resembling a flourishing small tree.

Illuminated by the fluorescent spores, it resembled a magnificent crystal palace.

However, He Lingchuan noticed that the blood corals weren’t naturally growing on the rock; they had been deliberately arranged.

It seemed the owner of this underground palace had a fondness for coral and had intentionally collected such a large quantity. It was notable because White Tower Town was situated in the middle of a landmass, whereas coral only grew in the sea.

There were few signs of artificial excavation. The reason it was called an underground palace was due to the numerous stone lamps scattered everywhere, each with a concave groove. Luo Xie touched one, filled with curiosity. “What are these for?” he asked.

“For holding luminous pearls,” Fang Canran explained. “The original owner of this palace used them for illumination.”

“I see,” Luo Xie thought, though he didn’t voice the question, “How do you know that?”

As if reading his mind, Fang Canran added, “I’ve handled several luminous pearl lamps before, all relics from ancient immortal dwellings, and they bear a strong resemblance to these.”

The old miner led them onward. “Look ahead!” he urged.

The group followed him around a massive natural pillar and then froze in astonishment.

Lying on the ground was a complete skeleton, remarkably long, at least two zhang from head to tail.

“A python?” Weng Xing blurted out, then corrected himself. “No, wait!”

It did resemble a giant python, but it possessed four claws with exceptionally sharp tips. Furthermore, a single, unbranched, pointed horn protruded from its forehead.

“It’s a flood dragon,” Fang Canran said, stepping closer to examine it. He gently tapped the skeleton twice, producing a sound like clinking jade. “This flood dragon had some cultivation, but it wasn’t fully grown yet. Hmm, the fatal wound is right here.”

Behind the flood dragon’s skull were two perfectly round holes, one large and one small. The larger hole’s diameter was wider than a human palm, while the smaller one was three fingers wide. It was unclear what weapon had inflicted them.

The old miner pointed deeper into the underground palace. “There are more inside,” he exclaimed, “and they’re even bigger!”