349: Chapter 349 Everyone's Family Has a Mine

"Hmm? Senior, is... is it you?" Lin Bei looked closely and discovered that the person before him was actually an acquaintance!

The man in the black robe did not look old, appearing like a youth, yet his entire body exuded an incomparably vicissitudinous aura.

His gaze fixed on Lin Bei for a breath, and then he nodded slowly.

"I remember you; you were the one who dug me out..."

This person was none other than the man surnamed Chen that Lin Bei had dug out in the Spirit Refining Secret Realm back then!

He still remembered how the other party looked when he first emerged, covered in red hair, which had scared him quite a bit...

"So he had already arrived in the Immortal Realm. No wonder there was never any trace of him on the Ancient Mainland..."

Lin Bei had never forgotten this mysterious person, and he would occasionally inquire about him while on the Ancient Mainland.

Hearing the other party's words, Lin Bei revealed a trace of awkwardness and hurriedly changed the subject. "Senior, why did you suddenly appear here?"

Back then, he was just a small Early Stage of Spirit Refining Cultivator, but now he was already a True Immortal.

Yet, the feeling the black-robed man gave him remained the same: unfathomable!

Therefore, he still addressed him as "Senior."

There was a trace of surprise in the black-robed man's eyes, and only after a few breaths did he reveal a faint smile. "You have progressed very quickly. Very good..."

"I was just deducing a method to return to the Ancient Mainland, and then my body followed my intent, and I appeared here!"

"Deducing?" Lin Bei's pupils constricted slightly. He realized he had underestimated the methods of these top experts. "It seems I must be doubly careful when using the Immortal Ascension Ladder in the future..."

After that thought, he smiled and pointed to the wooden ladder behind him that he hadn't put away yet.

"This ladder can indeed lead directly to the Ancient Mainland. If Senior needs it, please feel free to use it!"

"However... the area below is my Heavenly Court territory, so I ask that Senior please do not come into conflict with it!"

The black-robed youth glanced at the Immortal Ascension Ladder with some surprise, then nodded. "Rest assured!"

While speaking, he took out a stone and handed it to Lin Bei. "As a transaction, I give this to you. In times of danger, it might save your life!"

Lin Bei looked at the other party's firm gaze and knew there was no need to refuse. He reached out and took the stone. "Then many thanks, Senior!"

A faint smile appeared on the black-robed youth's lips. He flashed onto the Immortal Ascension Ladder and stepped downwards.

"In the future, do not address me as Senior. My name is Chen Dongnan! You can just call me Brother Chen!"

"Chen Dongnan?" Lin Bei watched the other party's figure disappear on the wooden ladder and waited for a full stick of incense time before putting away the Immortal Ascension Ladder.

"Boss, what is this guy's background? He looks quite formidable..." Kunkun poked its head out and asked cautiously.

"Him?" Lin Bei did not answer, but instead looked at the Fire Bird. "Tell me, are there any Cultivators from the previous epoch still alive on the Ancient Mainland?"

"The Ancient Mainland? Are you talking about the Ancient Mainland?" The Fire Bird's eyes rolled around, and finally, it replied very definitively, "No!"

"Eh?" Lin Bei, however, heard another layer of meaning in its words.

"Dead bird, are you hiding something from me?" He slapped Kunkun on the head. "Speak! Where would such Cultivators be? If not on the Ancient Mainland, could they be in the Immortal Realm?"

"The Immortal Realm?" The Fire Bird shook its head like a rattle-drum. "Cultivators who survived the Great Destruction will be directly obliterated if they are perceived by the Heavenly Dao!"

"Therefore! They can only hide in the Silent Realm, which is difficult for the Heavenly Dao to perceive!"

"The Silent Realm?!" Just the name alone caused Lin Bei's gaze to narrow slightly.

He was just about to ask for details when he suddenly turned his head to look at the horizon. Two streams of silver light tore through the sky and appeared before him.

"Huh? We actually encountered two here that meet the requirements. Come on, follow me to mine!"

The newcomers were wearing standard silver armor and appeared to be guards. Their words were filled with an air of unchallengeable authority.

"Mining?!" Lin Bei was stunned.

He had long heard that in some places, Cultivators who had just ascended from the Lower Realm would be captured to mine! Did this evil practice exist here too?!

But then he thought, no! He didn't ascend properly; he came to the Immortal Realm through the Immortal Ascension Ladder, and the location was random. How could he be discovered by Immortal Realm Cultivators as coming from the Ancient Mainland?

"You two? Who are you? Where are you taking us to mine?" The two before him were both Late Stage True Immortals, whom Lin Bei could swat to death with a wave of his hand.

But he chose not to strike, instead showing a look of fear on his face and asking with some trepidation.

"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask!" One of the silver-armored guards snorted coldly, his gaze sweeping over Lin Bei and Wu Dalang. "Follow behind us, and if you think about running... hmph hmph!"

Excitement flashed in the Fire Bird's eyes. "We won't run! We won't run! We definitely won't run!" It knew that with Lin Bei acting like this, he was definitely planning to scam someone!

"You? Just a Void Immortal, it doesn't matter!" The other silver-armored guard sneered and turned to lead the way.

"Hmm?" Listening to the other party's words, Lin Bei seemed to understand a little. What they needed were True Immortals, and they should be Early Stage True Immortals specifically.

"Follow up!" His voice rang out in Wu Dalang's mind, and he stepped forward first, following behind the silver-armored guards.

"Heh! Consider yourselves sensible!" The other silver-armored guard who had remained in place sneered and also followed behind them.

Half an hour later, Lin Bei's gaze narrowed as he looked at a mountain Peak in the distance. Nearly a hundred people were gathered there!

"It seems we've arrived!" He guessed silently in his heart. Sure enough, the two silver-armored guards led them straight to that mountain Peak.

At the top of the mountain, there was a huge man-made platform. On it, nearly a hundred people were vaguely divided into seven camps, each with a similar number of people, all numbering over a dozen.

In front of each camp sat a young man. These seven people had different expressions and demeanors; some were arrogant, some were cold, and some had a look of disdain on their lips...

In short, based on Lin Bei's experience, none of them were good things!

Behind every young man, without exception, stood several silver-armored guards. Further behind them were several Cultivators with expressions of panic. These Cultivators had one thing in common: they were all Early Stage True Immortals!

"Young Lord!" The two silver-armored guards headed straight for one of the young men. "We hadn't reached the city yet when we encountered these two True Immortals on the way!"

"Good!" The young man swept a glance at Lin Bei and the other, then cast his gaze toward the other six young men sitting in the field. "My Tianshu City's eight Early Stage True Immortals are complete! You all should hurry up!"

Behind him, there were originally six Early Stage True Immortals, and with Lin Bei and the other, there were eight. In the other six camps, the number of Early Stage True Immortals was still less than eight.

Thus, Lin Bei and the other also joined the waiting queue. Not long after, through Wu Dalang's roundabout questioning, he finally understood the general situation.

The Immortal Realm is divided into four major regions: East, West, South, and North. Within each region, many Immortal Domains are divided. This place is the Beidou Immortal Domain, located in the Southern region.

The Beidou Immortal Domain has seven cities, and their rulers are all Peak Immortal King experts! The seven camps in the field are from the Seven Cities of Beidou.

Not long ago, a mineral vein suddenly appeared nearby, and they gathered here today to compete for the ownership of the mineral vein.

"So, capturing us was to act as hired thugs?" Hearing Wu Dalang's introduction, Lin Bei couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Lord Emperor, that's not it..." Wu Dalang continued to explain, "The Seven Cities of Beidou have long had an agreement not to resort to force easily!"

"Every time a new mineral vein is discovered, they generally adopt a method of 'civilized fighting' to determine ownership..."

"Hmm? Every time?" Lin Bei had no interest in civilized fighting or martial fighting, but he keenly grasped this word. "Could it be that mineral veins frequently appear here?"

Wu Dalang nodded. "Lord Emperor, the Beidou Immortal Domain is a mineral-rich Immortal Domain that is quite famous in the entire Immortal Realm; otherwise, there wouldn't be seven Peak Immortal King experts entrenched here!"

"I heard them say that the rulers of most cities in the Immortal Realm are only Late Stage Immortal Kings..."

Hearing this, Lin Bei's eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. "In other words, these seven guys, they all have mines at home?"