Chapter 876: Underground Cavern

Shadowless felt an indescribable sense of strangeness towards this rogue cultivator, Niu Meng, as he called himself. Setting everything else aside, there was a certain unspoken understanding between them at times. For instance, at this moment, facing the unknown entrance, a single sentence and a glance were all it took for them to decide on a course of action. No lengthy explanations or further discussions were needed; both understood the other's intentions.

Shadowless would lead the way to scout, while Niu Meng would guard the rear and keep watch. Collaborating with someone like him was undoubtedly effortless.

If Niu Meng hadn't been here, Shadowless might not have considered exploring deeper. His main mission for leading the team was to protect the Cloud River Realm cultivators under his command as they collected Core Flame, a duty that naturally included ensuring their safety. Exploring unknown paths would also entail significant delays, as he would have to immediately report back to the pass to have other True Lake Realm cultivators dispatched to assist him in the investigation. But with Niu Meng by his side, such delays were unnecessary.

Scanning his Cloud River Realm subordinates, Shadowless pointed out half of them: "You will come down with me. The others will stay outside as backup. If there's any anomaly, report back immediately!"

"Understood!" Everyone assented. Even the female cultivator, usually prone to flirtation, now looked extremely serious. On normal days, Shadowless was approachable, and they could chat and joke with him, but now, with orders given, obedience was the only option.

"Lord Shadowless, I'll go in first," a Cloud River Realm Eighth-Level cultivator volunteered, moving to step into the dark pit as he spoke.

"Move aside!" Shadowless pulled him to the side, then was the first to leap into the pit on the stone platform. The pit entrance, like a beast's maw, swallowed his figure. "Follow," a voice echoed from below. The selected Cloud River Realm cultivators then quickly followed Shadowless's lead, one by one leaping inside.

Lu Ye went in last. Once he entered, only a few cultivators remained at the surface, spreading out to keep a vigilant watch in all directions.

Below the stone platform entrance, there was a series of stone steps descending into the unknown. The steps were clearly man-made, smooth and level, remaining as sturdy as ever despite the erosion of time.

The group of seven or eight, with the two True Lake Realm cultivators at the front and back and the Cloud River Realm cultivators in the middle, moved stealthily like cats, making no sound as they walked. The downward passage was wide enough for seven or eight people to walk abreast. The deeper they went, the darker it became, but all of them were accomplished cultivators; by channeling spiritual energy into their eyes, they could enhance their vision sufficiently to observe their surroundings.

Shadowless, leading the way, did not conceal his presence. He walked, then paused, seemingly having made some discoveries. Lu Ye, who was at the very back, soon realized what he had found. As he passed the spots where Shadowless had paused, Lu Ye clearly saw strange carvings on the stone walls lining the passage. The patterns of the carvings were not uniform, appearing arbitrary; some were flowers, some were weapons like knives and spears, and some were human figures or fierce beasts. It seemed they were left by workers from a long-gone era, and didn't contain any particular information. However, among all the carving patterns, the most frequently appearing symbol was the great sun in the sky. Within these sun patterns, many human figures were depicted kneeling on the ground in worship. Regardless of the origin of this place's former inhabitants, based solely on these patterns, they seemed to greatly revere the sun in the sky.

They continued downwards, unsure of how deep they had gone. Then, at a certain point, a low exclamation suddenly came from ahead. Lu Ye, who was at the rear, couldn't help but quicken his pace.

The moment he stepped off the stone steps, the sight before him left Lu Ye momentarily stunned. Suddenly, there was an enormous cavern, so vast that its end was out of sight. Fiery red magma flowed and surged like rivers through channel-like depressions, its glowing light clearly illuminating the cavern's interior for everyone. What truly amazed them was not the cavern's immensity, but the discovery of a city-like structure within it! Roughly styled houses, varying in height and densely packed, were scattered throughout the city. These houses were carved from sturdy stone, and many had collapsed due to disrepair over the years, with only a few remaining intact. Within this underground cavern, there was actually an ancient city, crisscrossed by magma-filled channels that acted like its moats.

Judging solely from the current scene and their previous experiences, this city had been uninhabited for many, many years. But what astonished everyone was who would possibly live in such an environment! Even a True Lake Realm cultivator like Shadowless couldn't stay here for long; he would constantly need to channel spiritual energy to resist the intense heat of the surroundings, which would consume a great deal of energy. To suddenly find a dilapidated city in such a place was truly unbelievable.

"What's that up there?" A cultivator suddenly looked up at the ceiling. Above their heads was naturally the underground rock ceiling, which was glowing red from the oppressive heat of the environment. Yet, on that rock ceiling, at regular intervals, specks of light continuously flickered.

Shadowless and Lu Ye simultaneously flew upwards and quickly returned, each holding an irregular, fist-sized crystal in their hands.

"Fire Spirit Stones!" Shadowless was stunned.

Most spirit stones are unaligned, but many special environments can nurture spirit stones with specific elemental affinities. Just like this place, with its intense heat and rich, active fire spiritual energy, Fire Spirit Stones could be born over countless years. These stones are of little use to ordinary cultivators. However, for cultivators like Lu Ye, who practice fire-attribute techniques and whose spiritual energy is fire-aligned, cultivating with these spirit stones is far more efficient than using regular ones. Moreover, elemental spirit stones have other uses that ordinary spirit stones cannot replace. Therefore, in terms of value, elemental spirit stones are much more precious than ordinary ones. Assuming the same quality and size, one elemental spirit stone can be exchanged for three to five ordinary spirit stones. Such items are typically held as strategic reserves by the two major factions. Lu Ye had once tried to find Fire Spirit Stones in the Heavenly Mystery Treasury but hadn't found a single one. It wasn't that the Treasury didn't sell them, but rather that any stock they had was immediately snapped up by cultivators from the two major factions. It's the same situation as with the Core Flame.

The presence of Fire Spirit Stones in the rock ceiling above this city implies the existence of a complete fire spiritual vein above, as such stones could not be nurtured otherwise. And looking up, the glowing Fire Spirit Stones on the rock ceiling were as numerous as stars, clearly indicating a vast quantity. It was no surprise that this place, untouched for thousands of years, could have nurtured such an abundance of Fire Spirit Stones.

"Lord Shadowless, should we mine them?" A cultivator asked, his face flushed, perhaps from excitement. Faced with such an opportunity, everyone was naturally tempted. If all the Fire Spirit Stones above were mined, even if they were equally divided later, everyone would gain immense benefits. Shadowless pondered for a moment, then said, "Since we've encountered them, we naturally can't miss this chance."

"Then... shall we proceed now?"

"Go ahead, but remain vigilant at all times!" Shadowless waved his hand. Several cultivators immediately soared upwards, heading towards the rock ceiling.

"Brother Niu, what are your intentions?" Shadowless turned to look at Lu Ye. He couldn't help but feel a bit strange, seeing that Brother Niu seemed rather unmoved by this easily attainable wealth.

"I'll scout around and see if there are any dangers."

Only then did Shadowless understand Lu Ye's intention, and felt grateful: "Then I'll trouble Brother Niu!" Indeed, his own people were reliable! This Brother Niu wasn't uninterested in the Fire Spirit Stones; he was just being more cautious in his approach. "Don't worry, Brother Niu's share won't be less," Shadowless added. Since the other person was willing to scout around and take unknown risks, he certainly wouldn't be stingy. They were currently cooperating, and while their division of labor was different, his share of the benefits should not be reduced.

Lu Ye nodded, then started walking into the city. After a few steps, he suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "It would be best to have them hand over all the mined Fire Spirit Stones to you for safekeeping. This will make the final tally easier and prevent any suspicion later. During the collection process, if someone secretly hoarded some, it wouldn't be appropriate to check everyone's storage bags. Rather than causing awkwardness where everyone loses face, it would be better for Shadowless to keep them all and distribute them later."

Shadowless immediately understood Lu Ye's meaning and nodded: "Brother Niu's consideration is thorough; we'll do as you suggest."

Only then did Lu Ye flash away, entering the city. Shadowless then also flew upwards, joining his Cloud River Realm subordinates and relaying the order for them to hand over all mined Fire Spirit Stones to him. The Cloud River Realm cultivators didn't show much resistance to this, understanding Shadowless's intention. The cultivators were highly efficient. Fire Spirit Stones were extracted one by one, and whenever a certain quantity accumulated, they would bring them to Shadowless for counting and submission.

While they were busy with their fervent mining, Lu Ye also made a discovery. Inside a half-collapsed stone house, Lu Ye looked at a stool in front of him with a strange expression. It was nothing else but that this stool... was actually carved from a Fire Spirit Stone! The craftsmanship wasn't refined, rather quite crude, but its material was extraordinary! The reason he had actively volunteered to scout this underground city was because the place was unknown. Although it had been untouched for many years, there might still be hidden dangers, so it was better to explore thoroughly first before thinking about benefits. The path of cultivation is often fraught with thorns; it's always wise to be cautious. He just hadn't expected to stumble upon such a discovery by simply walking around and looking.

"Who on earth used to live in this city, to actually use such a valuable item as a stool? Weren't they afraid of burning their bottoms? Or perhaps, everyone who lived in this city cultivated fire-attribute techniques?" These were remnants from a distant past; without special clues, it was now impossible to verify anything.

Lu Ye stepped forward, collected the stool, then looked around to confirm there were no other valuable items before leaving.