70: Chapter 70 First Exploration of the Mine

Morning mist flowed through the forest, and the scent of pine and cypress from the Coniferous Forest, mixed with the damp chill of the earth, rushed towards him.

Lin Xuan rode a rented grey-maned Spirit Beast, its hooves clip-clopping against the mountain path. This horse was provided by the Sect's Spirit Beast Hall for a daily rental of five contribution points; it was steady on its feet and sufficient for a journey of this distance.

He held the reins with one hand while his other hand habitually rested on the startling thunder whip at his waist, his gaze scanning the increasingly dense, towering trees of the Coniferous Forest on both sides of the road like a hawk.

The Coniferous Forest was located on the southeastern edge of the Sanyang Sect's territory and was named for the cold-resistant pine, cypress, and fir trees that covered it.

The mountain wind here blew ceaselessly all year round, creating a unique wailing sound as it swept through the sea of trees.

The Yao Beast ranks here were generally not high, but they were diverse in species and varied in habits, occasionally harassing surrounding villages and passing merchants.

Along the way, he occasionally encountered a few Low Grade needle-haired porcupines and grey-shadow martens. To conserve Spiritual Qi, he avoided them whenever possible. If he couldn't avoid those blocking the path, he would resolve the issue with an instant Palm Thunder or a casual strike of his whip, never lingering, maintaining his travel efficiency, and tossing the corpses into his Beast Taming Space.

Just past noon, the sunlight barely managed to pierce through the dense Coniferous Forest canopy, casting mottled patches of light on the ground.

The entrance to the abandoned mine in the southeast direction appeared in his field of vision.

The cave entrance opened halfway up a shaded hillside, obscured by large patches of withered vines and several fallen dead pines; it would have been extremely difficult to discover if not for the clear marking on the map.

The entrance was about two people tall, and the edges bore clear but severely weathered traces of manual excavation, appearing pitch-black like the silent mouth of a giant beast.

Lin Xuan stopped behind a thick, ancient pine about thirty zhang away from the entrance, concealing his aura until he was almost one with the surrounding environment, and observed quietly.

Before long, a few ants the size of fists with dark golden carapaces crawled out of the entrance.

Their mouthparts were sharp and serrated, gleaming with a cold metallic light, and their six slender legs moved rapidly as they worked together to drag a shimmering Ore back into the cave.

"Gold-Eroding Ant, confirmed." Lin Xuan thought silently.

He did not rush in recklessly. The mine's terrain was complex and enclosed; if he were to be trapped inside, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Come out." He moved his mind slightly.

His shoulder sank as the Herb-Seeking Mouse leaped out from the Spirit-Taming Tower Space, its small nose immediately twitching as it activated its Spirit Energy Tracking talent to the fullest.

A moment later, it transmitted information through the contract: the life auras inside the cave were as dense as stars, numbering at least two hundred, and deep inside there was a more powerful, scorching metallic life source like a small fireball—undoubtedly the queen.

Furthermore, the gold Spiritual Qi inside the cave was exceptionally dense, mixed with several faint fluctuations of spiritual plants, as well as the aura of a deeper, more stable mineral vein.

Almost simultaneously, the ground near his feet arched slightly, and the Pangolin poked half its head out, dark golden thunder patterns quietly circulating on its scales.

It conveyed its interest in the complex underground rock structure—the crisscrossing mining tunnels, possible hollows, and certain particularly hard "clumps" within the rock layers.

With the intelligence gathered, Lin Xuan's tactical plan became clear.

"Lure and kill in batches, utilize the terrain."

He first used the Breath Concealment Technique to lower his presence to the minimum, then took a small piece of the most ordinary "red copper Ore" scrap he had bought at the market from his Storage Pouch and gently placed it five zhang outside the entrance.

Subsequently, he quickly retreated to a relatively open junction behind him. It was about two zhang wide and over one person tall, sufficient to cast the Thunder Net Technique, and there was a retreat path to his side and rear.

The metallic aura emitted by the red copper Ore had a natural attraction for the Gold-Eroding Ants.

Soon, three or five worker ants poked their heads out and crawled out, followed by a dozen more.

After discovering the food, more worker ants swarmed out from the cave, gathering more than twenty in a short amount of time.

Lin Xuan held his breath and focused, waiting patiently.

When the majority of the ant swarm's attention was focused on the red copper Ore, he suddenly withdrew the Breath Concealment Technique and dashed out like lightning!

"Hiss—!"

The Gold-Eroding Ant swarm immediately discovered this intruder, emitted a sharp hiss, abandoned the Ore, and transformed into a dark golden stream rushing toward him!

Lin Xuan did not retreat but advanced, his hands rapidly forming seals in front of his chest as Thunder Spiritual Energy surged!

"Thunder Net Technique!"

A blue-purple lightning net with a radius of three zhang formed in an instant, covering the charging ant swarm head-on!

"Zzzzt—!"

The lightning net descended, precisely covering twelve or thirteen Gold-Eroding Ants. The electric light danced on their dark golden carapaces, and the powerful paralyzing effect caused them to instantly stiffen and fall to the ground, their six legs twitching.

The remaining seven or eight Gold-Eroding Ants that had bypassed from the sides were extremely fast and were already close at hand!

Lin Xuan flicked his right hand, the startling thunder whip appearing in his grasp, and just as he was about to swing, a thought stirred in his mind.

His left hand quickly wiped across the Storage Pouch at his waist, and between his fingers, he already held three self-made, Low Grade "lightning strike talisman"s.

"Go!"

Amidst a low shout, the three Talismans ignited without wind, transforming into three silver bolts of lightning the thickness of a thumb that shot out!

"Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!"

The three Gold-Eroding Ants charging at the front were struck by the lightning, small patches of charred black exploding on their carapaces, and the impact caused their movements to stall.

Although it failed to be fatal, it successfully interrupted their pouncing rhythm.

Taking advantage of this gap, Lin Xuan swung the startling thunder whip, and with two "pop" sounds, shattered the joints of two Gold-Eroding Ants.

At the same time, he activated the Thunder Flash Step, his figure sliding sideways to avoid the pounce of another, and with a backhand Palm Thunder, he killed it instantly.

Twenty Gold-Eroding Ants were completely wiped out within a dozen breaths under the combination of the Thunder Net Technique, lightning strike talismans, and whip techniques.

"Although the Talismans lack power, they excel in being instant, and the interference effect is quite good." Lin Xuan nodded slightly, gaining a new understanding of the practical application of his self-made Talismans.

He followed the same method and successfully lured and annihilated the second and third waves of Gold-Eroding Ants.

When the fourth wave of over thirty Gold-Eroding Ants fell near the entrance, the movement coming from deep within the mine suddenly changed.

A low, rumbling "rustling" sound, as if countless metallic limbs were rubbing against the rock walls, approached, and a thick, nauseating metallic stench permeated the air, mixed with a hint of corrosive acidity.

Lin Xuan's expression tightened; he stepped back a few paces, on full alert.

The first to swarm out of the entrance were over forty massive Soldier Ants.

Each one was the size of an adult hare, with thick, dark golden carapaces marked with black stripes, mouthparts like two crossed black iron shears, and six legs with sharp, hook-like ends that scraped against the rocks with a teeth-grinding sound as they crawled.

Under the layers of protection from the Soldier Ants, a giant ant the size of a small calf, with a bloated, drum-like abdomen, slowly appeared.

Its entire body was dark gold, the naturally formed silver patterns on its carapace as complex as runes, its head was huge, and a pair of compound eyes were scarlet as blood, emitting a cold and cruel light—it was the queen!

As soon as the queen appeared, it let out a sharp hiss with extreme penetrating power!

The remaining seventy or eighty worker ants swarmed out from every junction, instantly forming a semi-encirclement around Lin Xuan.

"The number exceeds the estimate..." Lin Xuan's eyes were grave, his right hand quietly pressing against the only Medium Grade "Explosive Flame Talisman" in his bosom, but he did not trigger it immediately.

He needed to first test the depth of this queen.