39: Chapter 39 Ancient Mine Opens, Treasure-Hunting Rats Enter the Cage!

Taichu Ancient Mine.

This ancient Forbidden Ground, silent for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, was now emanating a heart-palpitating aura.

Grey-black mist continuously churned and surged from the earth, enveloping the entire forbidden area.

From a distance, it looked as if the earth had cracked open a giant maw, spewing foul breath towards the sky.

On the wasteland before the entrance to the ancient mine, a sea of people had already gathered.

Dense crowds of Cultivators converged from all directions.

A rough glance suggested there were at least ten thousand!

Banners of various Holy Lands, aristocratic families, and Loose Cultivator factions fluttered in the wind.

Flying boats, Spirit Beast mounts, and all manner of Magical Artifacts filled the sky.

At this moment, Lin Yi and his group, escorted by Grand Elder Wang Hong,

arrived unhurriedly at the outskirts of the ancient mine.

"Whoa! This spectacle is almost on par with the Prodigy Conference of the Three Thousand Realms!"

The chubby Xu Chen, munching on a spirit fruit, mumbled an exclamation, his words indistinct.

The moment they appeared, the surrounding Cultivators grew restless.

"The Holy Son of Tianxuan! It's the Holy Son of Tianxuan, Lin Yi!"

"Whoa! Even he came?"

"Nonsense! With such a huge Opportunity from the disturbance at the Taichu Ancient Mine, how could he not come?"

"I heard something, though. Yesterday at the auction, he spent a million High-Grade Spirit Stones on a pile of worthless rocks!"

"A million High-Grade Spirit Stones? On worthless rocks? This... what kind of godly move is that?"

"What do you know! That's what you call vision!"

Discussions rose and fell.

But ultimately, everyone's gaze converged on Lin Yi.

To be precise, they converged on the two young women beside Lin Yi.

Su Yuxi was peerlessly beautiful and elegant, her aura transcendent like an immortal.

Chu Wanqing was radiant and captivating, her figure alluring.

One stood to his left, the other to his right.

This scene made countless male Cultivators present grind their teeth in envy.

"Why him!"

A Loose Cultivator pounded his chest in frustration.

"I Cultivate desperately, risking life and limb, and can't even find a Dao Companion!"

"And him? He gets to have one on each arm!"

A companion beside him patted his shoulder, speaking earnestly:

"Brother, face reality!"

"The gap between people can sometimes be bigger than the gap between people and dogs!"

"Who are you calling a dog?"

"I'm comforting you."

"..."

Lin Yi paid no heed to these discussions.

His gaze pierced through the crowd, landing on the direction of the ancient mine's entrance.

The entrance to the Taichu Ancient Mine was a massive fissure, a hundred zhang wide.

The rock walls on both sides of the fissure were carved with densely packed ancient runes.

Those runes emitted a dim, obscure light—they were the Restrictions sealing the ancient mine.

At this moment, the glow of those runes was visibly weakening at a speed discernible to the naked eye.

The Restrictions were about to be lifted.

"Senior Brother Lin, this ancient mine looks really creepy."

Xu Chen shrank his neck, the spirit fruit in his hand no longer seeming appetizing.

"Don't be afraid."

Lin Yi patted his shoulder.

"If we encounter danger, you just need to run a little slower."

Xu Chen was taken aback. "Why run slower?"

"Because you're the chubbiest, you'll run the slowest. The monsters will chase you first, so we'll be safe."

"Senior Brother Lin! Are those even human words!"

Xu Chen's chubby face fell, and he almost burst into tears.

The corner of Su Yuxi's mouth lifted slightly, a rare hint of a smile appearing.

Chu Wanqing even laughed out loud, her silvery-bell-like laughter drawing sidelong glances from those around.

Just as the group was chatting and laughing,

Lin Yi's gaze suddenly sharpened.

He saw a familiar figure.

At the very forefront of the ancient mine entrance, Ye Chen stood there, clad in black combat attire, his face ashen.

Beside him followed two guardians from the Yaoguang Holy Land, their auras both at the Peak of the Saint realm.

The crushing defeat at the auction house yesterday clearly hadn't made him retreat.

Instead, it had ignited the most fanatical obsession deep in his bones.

The current Ye Chen was like a wounded beast.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his entire body exuded a reckless, ruthless aura.

He pretended to be calm, not turning his head, not looking at Lin Yi.

But his tightly clenched fists betrayed the turmoil in his heart.

His knuckles were white, veins bulging.

Lin Yi opened his System panel; Ye Chen's information appeared once more.

[Ye Chen's Current Status: Dao Heart damaged, Luck greatly diminished!]

[Target Locked: Taichu Ancient Mine core region—ancient divine source!]

[Action Plan: Obtain the divine source at all costs, repair the Ancient Desolate Holy Body, resolve the Source Heaven Master lineage's 'inauspicious late years' curse.]

[Note: This person views the Taichu Ancient Mine as his final chance for a comeback. His mindset is extreme, his behavior unpredictable.]

Lin Yi closed the panel, a faint curve lifting the corner of his mouth.

His final chance for a comeback?

No, this was his last chance to serve as free labor for me.

"Rumble——"

At that moment, the earth trembled violently.

At the entrance of the Taichu Ancient Mine, those ancient sealing runes shattered simultaneously.

Transforming into scattered light that dissipated into the air.

A thick, almost tangible aura of decay gushed forth from the depths of the fissure.

Accompanied by a deep, muffled roar from the depths of the earth.

The entrance to the Taichu Ancient Mine officially opened!

"It's open! The ancient mine is open!"

"The Opportunity is inside, charge!"

"First in, first served! Brothers, let's go!"

Countless Cultivators surged towards the entrance like madmen.

In the sky, dozens of streams of light were the first to dart into the fissure.

Those were the vanguard teams of the major Holy Lands and aristocratic families, the strongest and fastest.

Following closely behind were groups of Loose Cultivators and Disciples from smaller factions.

Though weaker in strength, they had the advantage of numbers, huddling together for warmth.

The scene became extremely chaotic.

Some Cultivators even started fighting right at the entrance over positions.

"Move! I was here first!"

"Get lost! I've been waiting for three days!"

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

Several Loose Cultivators directly wrestled into a tangled mess at the entrance, various Magic Treasures flying about.

This scene.

Was exactly like a Blue Star supermarket opening its doors, with aunties scrambling for discounted eggs.

Xu Chen watched, dumbfounded. "This is way too savage, isn't it?"

Lin Yi gave it a cursory glance before withdrawing his gaze.

His attention remained locked on Ye Chen.

Sure enough.

The moment the ancient mine opened, Ye Chen was the first to move.

Stepping on a strange footwork, Source power swirling around him, he transformed into a black stream of light.

At an extremely fast speed, he charged deep into the ancient mine.

The two guardians followed closely behind; the three vanished into the fissure in the blink of an eye.

"Saint, should we enter as well?"

Wang Hong stepped forward and inquired.

"No rush, Elder Wang."

Lin Yi looked in the direction Ye Chen had disappeared and replied softly.

"The road is long. Let's wait a little longer!"

Lin Yi was in no hurry to set off.

He turned his head slightly, looking at Su Yuxi and Chu Wanqing beside him.

Su Yuxi's expression was calm, but a hint of Battle Intent flickered in her beautiful eyes.

As the Reborn Empress, she was no stranger to the Taichu Ancient Mine.

Some of the Opportunities within were also things she needed.

Chu Wanqing, on the other hand, was both excited and nervous.

Her beautiful eyes kept darting back and forth between the ancient mine entrance and Lin Yi.

"Brother Lin Yi, is it really dangerous inside?"

"Dangerous?"

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow slightly and spoke calmly:

"For others, perhaps."

"But for your Brother Lin Yi? Well, you know how it is!"

"The timing is about right. Let's go!"

Having said this, Lin Yi placed his hands behind his back and strode towards the entrance of the ancient mine.