93: Chapter 93 Ancient Mine Entrance, Life or Death on the Brink

On the dawn of the third day, the sky was not yet bright.

Outside the east gate of Chaos Valley, ten figures stood silently in the morning mist.

After two days of preparation and coordination, the exploration team was fully armed. Everyone exuded a carefully adjusted aura—a sign that they had brought their condition to its Peak.

Lin Ye stood at the forefront of the team, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

Tie Shan carried the ancient Zhenyue Shield on his back, its surface gleaming with a dull bronze luster in the morning light. Shadow Killer’s figure was faint and indistinct, as if he could merge into the shadows at any moment. At the tip of Flame Dance’s Flame Jade Staff, a crimson gemstone glowed faintly, a sign that her fire-type energy was highly compressed. Holy Light’s Holy Light Scepter flowed with a soft white light, his healing power ready to be unleashed.

Chen Hao was adjusting his bowstring, the newly replaced dragon tendon string emitting a faint hum at his fingertips. Shi Potian was loosening his shoulders, dark golden veins faintly visible on his skin from his Tyrant Bloodline. Lu Ming was checking the Formation Flags and Formation Plate, each flag engraved with dense runes. Qin Ruoxue held a real-time updated intelligence scroll, recording the latest developments on the periphery of the Ancient Mine.

Su Qingyue stood beside Lin Ye, holding her Ice Jade Staff diagonally, surrounded by a faint, chilly moonlight aura. Zhao Wuji appeared somewhat nervous, constantly checking the three life-saving items in his Storage Pouch—the Diamond Protection Talisman, the Thousand-Mile Escape Talisman, and the Substitute Puppet.

"Are you all ready?" Lin Ye asked.

"Ready!" the nine replied in unison.

"Let's go."

Without further words, the ten-person team left Chaos Valley, stepping into the morning light and heading north.

According to the established route, they would first teleport to "Northwind Town" on the northern border of the Yan State, and then hike the final hundred miles to enter the outer area of the Primal Ancient Mine.

At the third quarter of the Chen hour, the teleportation Formation in Northwind Town lit up.

The ten appeared in this border town. Compared to when they passed through three days ago, it was significantly livelier—players in a hurry could be seen everywhere on the streets, most heading towards the Ancient Mine. Teahouses and taverns were packed with people, all discussing the news of the Ancient Mine opening.

"Did you hear? The Six Kingdoms Alliance sent a vanguard of three hundred people in yesterday!"

"Not just them, the Yaoguang Holy Land also made a move; I saw a team of Holy Land Cultivators heading north."

"Our Rogue Alliance has also organized a few teams, but at most, we only dare to hang around the periphery; we don't dare go deep..."

"Nonsense, that’s a forbidden zone of life! Yesterday, a Rank 45 team of eight went in, and only three came back. It's said they encountered a group of Rank 50 elite monsters!"

The discussions reached their ears, and the team's expressions turned more solemn.

"It seems the news has completely spread," Qin Ruoxue said in a low voice. "Heavenly Secret Pavilion intelligence shows that in the past three days, at least five thousand players have rushed here from various places, attempting to enter the Ancient Mine."

"Five thousand people..." Zhao Wuji clicked his tongue. "Won't it be packed inside?"

"No," Lin Ye shook his head. "The outer area of the Ancient Mine is vast, equivalent to half the size of the Yan State. Five thousand people scattered inside wouldn't even make a splash. Moreover—"

He looked at the northern sky: "Most people only dare to operate on the very periphery. Those who truly dare to go deep into the transition zone or even the core area are one in a hundred."

Everyone followed his gaze.

The northern horizon was shrouded in a strange scene: the sky seemed to be divided into two halves; the south was normal blue sky and white clouds, while the north was a gray, chaotic color. The two colors formed a clear dividing line in the sky, as if someone had drawn a line across the firmament with a giant brush.

That was the range of the Chaos mist.

Even though they were still a hundred miles away, everyone could feel the special aura coming from the north—ancient, vicissitudinous, carrying a faint pressure, as if a sleeping giant beast was slowly waking up.

"Let's go."

The team did not stay in Northwind Town and went straight out of the city to the north.

The further north they went, the more obvious the environmental changes became.

The vegetation became sparse, the trees twisted in shape, and the leaves turned from emerald green to dark green or even gray-black. The ground color gradually deepened from yellowish-brown to dark red, as if it had been soaked in blood for thousands of years.

The Spiritual Qi composition in the air was also changing.

Conventional Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi began to mix with a gray energy flow—chaos spiritual qi. This energy possessed strong erosive properties; if ordinary Cultivators were exposed to it for a long time, it would cause their Qi, blood, and Divine Power to slowly decline, and in severe cases, even affect their sanity.

Lu Ming timely activated a small Jingchen Formation.

Ten Formation Flags were inserted around the team, forming a pale golden light barrier with a diameter of three zhang. The light barrier isolated the chaos spiritual qi while purifying the air inside. However, maintaining the Formation required constant consumption of Spirit Stones—about ten Medium-Grade Spirit Stones every two hours.

"At this rate of consumption, the Spirit Stones we brought are only enough to last five days," Lu Ming calculated.

"Five days is enough," Lin Ye said. "If we cannot complete our core objective within five days, it means this exploration has failed, and we must retreat."

Everyone nodded.

The team continued to advance.

Two hours later, they arrived at the formal boundary of the outer Primal Ancient Mine.

Before them was a shocking sight.

The dark red earth was like an endless sea of blood, extending to the edge of the horizon. Black strange rocks stood sparsely on the ground; those rocks were twisted and bizarre, some resembling kneeling human figures, others like struggling beasts, and some simply indescribable.

Plants emitting a faint glow grew in the rock crevices—those plants were twisted in form, with jagged or tentacle-like leaves, emitting pale blue, eerie green, or ghastly white light, appearing particularly strange in the dim environment.

Further away, three huge mine entrances were like three giant mouths, opening into black voids. Around the mine entrances were scattered abandoned mine carts, rusted tools, collapsed supports, and... piles of white bones.

Those white bones were piled into small hills, including those of humans, Yao Beasts, and many strange, unidentifiable species. Some bones still had tattered clothing or armor fragments hanging on them, swaying slightly in the wind, making a rustling sound.

The air was filled with a mixed smell: the smell of rust, decay, a faint bloody scent, and a hint of... sulfur.

"This is the entrance to the Ancient Mine," Qin Ruoxue said, checking the map. "According to the plan, we will take the 'Main Mine Tunnel' in the middle."

She pointed to the three mine tunnels: "The left mine tunnel is marked as 'Abandoned Mine Tunnel' on the map, with an unstable internal structure and a high risk of collapse; the right mine tunnel is marked as 'Unknown Mine Tunnel' with no information; the Main Mine Tunnel in the middle is dangerous, but at least there is some basic information."

Lin Ye nodded, his gaze sweeping over the piles of bones around the mine entrance.

Among those white bones, some still retained faint energy fluctuations. He stepped forward and crouched down to examine a relatively complete human skeleton.

The clothing on the skeleton had mostly rotted away, but judging from the remaining fragments, it seemed to be some kind of standard armor. The skeleton held a severely rusted iron pickaxe, and rune traces could be faintly seen on the head of the pickaxe.

[Item: Ancient Miner's Iron Pickaxe (Damaged)]

[Type: Tool / Artifact]

[Description: A mining tool used by ancient miners of the Primal Ancient Mine. It is very old and severely rusted.]

[Rank: None (Damaged)]

[Attribute: None]

[Special Effect: None]

[Appraisal Information: This item is at least three thousand years old. The runes remaining on it belong to a lost mining technique, 'Quake Ore Art', which can precisely separate Ore from rock strata through vibration.]

"Three thousand years ago..." Lin Ye stood up. "It seems the ancient records are correct; a mining civilization did exist here."

He looked around at the piles of bones: "And the destruction of this civilization was very sudden. Most of these corpses maintain the posture of their final moments—some were still digging, some were running away, some were fighting."

"What caused their destruction?" Su Qingyue asked softly.

"Maybe a mining disaster, maybe an invasion by foreign enemies, maybe..." Lin Ye paused, "Something from deep within the mine came out."

The atmosphere became heavy for a moment.

"Alright, don't scare yourselves." Shi Potian patted his chest. "Whatever is in there, let's just fight!"

Lin Ye shook his head: "In the Ancient Mine, recklessness is equivalent to suicide. Everyone listen up: after entering the mine, advance according to the Formation practiced during training. Tie Shan leads the way, Shadow Killer scouts fifty zhang ahead, and the others remain vigilant."

"Yes!"

The ten-person team walked toward the Main Mine Tunnel in the middle.

The mine entrance was five zhang high and three zhang wide. The tunnel walls showed traces of artificial excavation, but the surface was covered with a layer of dark red moss-like substance, which wiggled slightly as if it had life.

[Item: Blood Creeping Moss (Third-Rank Material)]

[Type: Special Plant / Alchemy Material]

[Description: A mutated moss that grows in areas rich in chaos spiritual qi, living by absorbing blood and Soul residue.]

[Attribute: Yin Attribute +20]

[Effect: Can be used to refine 'Blood Soul Pill' (temporarily increases Qi and blood limit), 'Corrosive Poison Potion' (causes continuous poison damage)]

[Collection Difficulty: Medium (requires special tools)]

"Blood Creeping Moss..." Lu Ming frowned. "This thing usually grows in places with massive death. It seems there are quite a few lost Souls in this mine."

Lin Ye did not collect this moss—now was not the time.

He stepped into the mine first.

The temperature inside the cave dropped sharply, at least ten degrees lower than outside. The air was filled with a thicker smell of decay and sulfur, mixed with a hint of... sobbing?

It wasn't the wind.

It sounded like the low weeping of countless people coming from the depths, ethereal and eerie.

"It's the 'Mine Tunnel Echo'," Qin Ruoxue whispered. "Ancient books record that the mine tunnel structure of the Ancient Mine is special, capable of transmitting sounds from the depths to the entrance. But this sound..."

She didn't finish, but everyone understood—the crying was too real, so real that it made one's heart hair-raising.

The light inside the cave was extremely dim, with only the faint light penetrating from the entrance and the ghastly red light emitted by the Blood Creeping Moss on the tunnel walls. Visibility was no more than ten zhang.

"Illuminate."

At Lin Ye's command, ten Illumination Pearls lit up simultaneously.

These Rare-grade Illumination Pearls could emit a soft white light, each capable of illuminating a radius of thirty zhang for twelve hours. Using ten at once illuminated the mine tunnel for a hundred meters ahead as if it were daylight.

The scene in the mine tunnel appeared clearly before their eyes.

This was a main tunnel sloping downward, with stone slabs paved on the ground, but the gaps between the stone slabs were already covered with Blood Creeping Moss and another kind of black vine. There were niches carved into the tunnel walls, containing long-extinguished mine lamps.

Most eye-catching were the sides of the mine tunnel—every ten zhang, there was a stone statue.

Those stone statues were carved in the likeness of miners, holding pickaxes, facing the depths of the mine, maintaining the posture of walking or digging. But the expressions on the stone statues were extremely distorted, as if in fear, or as if struggling.

"These stone statues..." Chen Hao raised his longbow, aiming at a stone statue. "Something feels wrong."

"Don't touch them," Lin Ye warned. "Keep moving forward."

The team maintained their Formation and moved deeper along the mine tunnel.

As they went deeper, the sobbing sound became clearer, as if echoing right in their ears. The air also grew colder, and their breath condensed into white mist.

After walking for about a mile, the mine tunnel began to have fork roads.

Qin Ruoxue checked the map: "Ahead is the first marked point—'Miner Camp Ruins'. According to the map, there should be a temporary camp established by ancient miners there, which may contain some items."

"Proceed with caution."

After walking another half-mile, the area ahead suddenly opened up.

The end of the mine tunnel connected to a huge natural cave, twenty zhang high and about a hundred acres in area. In the center of the cave, dozens of tattered tents, collapsed wooden houses, and scattered toolboxes were piled together, forming a camp ruin.

In the center of the camp, there was even a well—the wellhead was built with stones, and the well rope had long since rotted and broken.

"This is it," Qin Ruoxue confirmed.

Lin Ye signaled the team to stop, and he expanded his Divine Sense to scan the entire camp.

The Divine Sense fed back a large amount of information: there were a large number of bones scattered in the camp, mostly human, with a small number of Yao Beasts. Some toolboxes still contained unused pickaxes, mine lamps, ropes, and other items. In a large tent in the deepest part, there seemed to be a faint energy fluctuation...

"There's something," Lin Ye said in a low voice.

He was about to investigate further when a sudden change occurred.

Large amounts of gray mist suddenly surged out from the cracks in the rock walls around the cave!

Those mists wiggled as if they had life, rapidly filling the entire cave, compressing the light of the Illumination Pearls to a range that could only illuminate three feet around them. Sharp hissing sounds came from the mist, as if countless living beings were wailing.

[Warning: Encountered unknown enemy!]

[Name: Soul-Devouring Mist Demon (Elite)]

[Rank: 50]

[Type: Spirit / Gregarious Creature]

[Attribute: Qi and Blood ??? / ???, Attack Power ???, Defense ???]

[Trait 1: Physical Immunity (Damage from physical attacks is reduced by 90%)]

[Trait 2: Mental Erosion (Attacks carry mental damage, continuously lowering the target's Divine Sense)]

[Trait 3: Atomized Form (Can disperse into mist, difficult to lock onto)]

[Trait 4: Soul Devouring (Can devour part of the target's Soul after killing them, permanently increasing own attributes)]

[Quantity: ???]

"Soul-Devouring Mist Demon!" Lu Ming's face changed drastically. "Retreat quickly! This thing specifically counters physical classes!"

But it was too late.

The gray mist surged like a tide, instantly swallowing the team.

In the mist, countless twisted human faces appeared, opening their mouths to let out silent roars. Those faces were male and female, old and young, all with expressions of extreme pain and resentment.

"Ah—!" Tie Shan suddenly held his head and screamed.

His Zhenyue Shield was useless against this kind of spirit attack; the Mist Demons penetrated physical defenses directly, impacting his Divine Soul. Tie Shan's eyes quickly turned red, and his Qi and blood dropped wildly at a rate of 500 points per second.

"Holy Light! Heal!" Lin Ye shouted.

The Holy Light Scepter lit up, and Holy Light enveloped Tie Shan, but the effect was weak—Holy Light healing was mainly aimed at physical damage, and its protection effect against mental attacks was limited.

"Ice Seal!" Su Qingyue waved her staff, and cold air swept through.

The frost-white ice mist collided with the gray mist, emitting a sizzling sound. Some Mist Demons were frozen and fell as ice crystals, but more Mist Demons surged out from the cracks in the rock walls, as if endless.

Chen Hao's arrows passed through the mist, causing only weak damage. Shi Potian's giant axe strikes were like cutting into thin air, with ninety percent of the force being immunized.

Flame Dance's fire Spells had slightly better effects; flames had a certain restraint on spirits, but her mana was limited, and she could not continuously release large-scale skills.

Shadow Killer tried to sneak into the shadows, but found that the mist was everywhere; his stealth skill was severely interfered with, and he was forced to reveal himself as soon as he tried to sneak.

The most dangerous were the support group.

Lu Ming quickly set up the Jingchen Formation, trying to disperse the mist, but the Formation was hit by a large number of Mist Demons as soon as it took shape; the Formation Flags shook violently and were on the verge of collapse. Qin Ruoxue released a reconnaissance Spell, but was backlashed by the Mist Demons' mental attack, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth. Zhao Wuji was so scared that his face turned pale, and he scrambled to activate the Diamond Protection Talisman—a pale golden shield enveloped his whole body, keeping him temporarily safe.

But the situation of the others was getting worse and worse.

"This won't work!" Lin Ye's brain worked rapidly. "Physical attacks are ineffective, Spell attacks have limited effects; we must find a way to restrain them!"

He recalled his previous life's experience in dealing with spirit-type monsters: thunder-type, light-type, Buddhist Cultivation Techniques, special Soul artifacts... but they had none of these now.

"Unless..."

A flash of light appeared in Lin Ye's eyes.

He channeled his Chaos Divine Power, attempting to mobilize the Chaos Law.

Chaos is the original state of the world before the heavens and earth were opened, containing everything and capable of restraining everything. Theoretically, Chaos Power should be effective against spirits, but he had never tried it.

"Chaos Soul Suppressing Seal!"

Lin Ye formed seals with both hands, and the Chaos Divine Treasure within his body operated at full power.

This was a prototype skill he created by combining the Chaos Law after opening his Divine Palace of the Lungs (Metal), specifically designed to target Divine Soul attacks.

However, it had previously only been a theory and had never been used in actual combat.

As the Dharma seal solidified, a Chaos-colored radiance rippled around Lin Ye.

The light was neither scorching nor cold, as if it had returned to some primordial state, encompassing all things while simultaneously annihilating them.

He pushed his palms forward.

A Chaos-colored halo expanded from him as the center; wherever it passed, the gray mist melted rapidly like snow meeting the sun!

Those Mist Yao emitted shrill screams, their forms twisting and dissipating within the Chaos halo.

The halo's coverage continued to expand: thirty zhang, fifty zhang, eighty zhang...

The mist in the entire cave was swept away!

[System Prompt: Your self-created skill 'Chaos Soul Suppressing Seal' (Prototype) has increased in perfection!]

[Skill Name: Chaos Soul Suppressing Seal (First Layer)]

[Type: Active Skill / Divine Ability Prototype]

[Rank: Legendary (Growth-type)]

[Consumption: 50,000 Divine Power, chaos origin source x 1 strand]

[Effect: Releases a Soul Suppressing Domain formed by Chaos Power, dealing devastating damage to all spirit-type, Soul-type, and mental-type enemies within range.]

[Current Effect: Domain radius 100 meters, damage to spirit-type enemies +500%, comes with 'Soul Seal Mark' (enemies marked receive +50% Divine Soul damage).]

[Cooldown: 30 minutes]

[Note: This skill is an exclusive Divine Ability prototype of the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body and can be further perfected as the Realm increases.]

After the halo dissipated, the cave returned to clarity.

On the ground lay fifteen thumb-sized, translucent gray crystals, with mist flowing inside them, and distorted faces could be vaguely seen.

[Item: Soul Crystal (Rare)]

[Type: Artifact Refining Materials / Soul-type]

[Description: The core condensed after the death of a Soul-Eater Mist Yao, containing pure Soul Power.]

[Attribute: Soul Power +100]

[Effect: 1. Can be absorbed directly to permanently increase Divine Sense limit (limit +50 points/piece, effective up to 10 times); 2. Used as a main material to refine Soul artifacts or mental defense Magic Treasure; 3. Auxiliary material for Alchemy, can be used to refine Medicinal Pill that increase Divine Sense.]

[Quality: Fine (Single piece)]

[Set Effect: Collecting ten pieces can trigger 'Soul Power Resonance', increasing success rate by 20% during refining.]

The crisis was resolved, but the squad had paid a heavy price.

Lin Ye knelt on one knee, panting heavily.

The previous strike had consumed one-third of his Divine Power and even used a precious strand of chaos origin source—the core power of his Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body, which was irreplaceable and required long-term Cultivation to recover.

Su Qingyue was pale; she had overdrawn her strength to release a wide-range freezing Spell to protect the support group, and her Divine Power was nearly depleted.

Chen Hao's quiver was half-empty, the enchantment runes on his arrows having been largely consumed while attacking the Mist Yao.

Flame Dance's staff glowed dimly, unable to release high-level Spells in the short term.

Holy Light's healing Divine Power was mostly exhausted, and he was currently chugging spirit recovery pill.

Lu Ming's Formation Flag had three damaged, and the Jingchen Formation was temporarily unusable.

Qin Ruoxue had suffered mental backlash; although she had taken a Soul recovery pill, her Divine Sense was still damaged and required time to recover.

Zhao Wuji's Vajra Protection Talisman had been used once, with two remaining.

But the most serious thing was—

"Tieshan! Shadow Killer!"

Shi Potian's roar jolted everyone awake.

Lin Ye turned his head abruptly to see two bodies lying on the ground at the edge of the cave.

Tieshan's Zhenyue Shield lay to the side, with several cracks appearing on the shield's surface.

His eyes were wide open, his pupils dilated, and he no longer had any breath.

Shadow Killer lay ten steps away from him, his Shadow Twin Blades dropped, his body curled up, and a painful expression still lingering on his face.

Above the two of them, the gray halo representing a player's death rotated slowly.

[System Prompt: Team member 'Tieshan' (Level 48) has died.]

[Death Penalty: Level -1, current level 47; equipment durability reset to zero; backpack item drop rate 30% (Actual drops: Zhenyue Shield durability to zero, Earth Vein Heavy Armor durability to zero, Intermediate blood recovery pill x 12, Medium-Grade Spirit Stone x 50); Resurrection cooldown: 24 hours (in-game).]

[System Prompt: Team member 'Shadow Killer' (Level 47) has died.]

[Death Penalty: Level -1, current level 46; equipment durability reset to zero; backpack item drop rate 30% (Actual drops: Shadow Twin Blades durability to zero, Shadow Cloak durability to zero, Poison Sac x 3, Low-Grade Spirit Stone x 80); Resurrection cooldown: 24 hours (in-game).]

Silence.

A deathly silence enveloped the cave.

Although they knew this was a game and they could respawn at a resurrection point after death, seeing teammates fall with their own eyes still delivered a strong shock.

Moreover, the death penalty was so severe: level reduced by 1, equipment durability reset to zero—this meant that even if Tieshan and Shadow Killer respawned, they would need a massive amount of resources to repair their equipment, and their strength would drop significantly.

"They..." Chen Hao's voice was dry.

"They will respawn at the Yan State resurrection point." Lin Ye stood up slowly, his voice low. "But we have already lost two important combatants."

He walked to Tieshan's corpse and picked up the Zhenyue Shield.

The cracks on the shield's surface were shocking, and its originally dull luster had completely disappeared, turning into a common bronze color.

The equipment information displayed: [Zhenyue Shield (Damaged), Durability 0/650, requires a Great Master-level blacksmith to repair, repair Materials: Black Iron x 10, Mountain Essence x 1, repair cost approximately 50,000 Spirit Stone.]

Shadow Killer's twin blades were also severely damaged.

"This is the Ancient Mine." Lin Ye put down the shield and looked at everyone. "In the battle just now, if we had reacted a second slower, or if I hadn't realized the Chaos Soul Suppressing Seal, it wouldn't have just been two people who died."

His gaze swept over everyone: "Does anyone still think this exploration is easy?"

Everyone was silent.

"If anyone wants to quit, you can go back now," Lin Ye continued. "I won't blame you. The danger of the Ancient Mine far exceeds expectations; even the entrance area has level 50 elite groups, and the depths will only be more dangerous."

The silence lasted for ten seconds.

Shi Potian was the first to speak: "I'm not leaving! Tieshan and Shadow Killer's revenge hasn't been avenged yet! I'm going to smash all these damn Mist Yao to pieces!"

Su Qingyue walked to Lin Ye's side, not saying a word, but her firm gaze said it all.

Chen Hao nocked an arrow again: "Continue."

Flame Dance gripped her staff: "I was just warming up."

Holy Light applied healing to everyone: "I will do my best to protect everyone."

Lu Ming began to repair the Formation Flag: "The Formation can be adjusted, I have a new plan to deal with spirit-types."

Qin Ruoxue wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth: "Intelligence work cannot be abandoned halfway."

Zhao Wuji... Zhao Wuji's face was still pale, but he gritted his teeth: "I, I'm not leaving either! At worst, I'll just use another Vajra Talisman!"

Lin Ye looked at everyone and nodded.

"Good. Then we will do three things now."

He pointed to the Soul Crystals on the ground: "First, collect the loot. Fifteen Soul Crystals, distributed according to contribution, but Tieshan and Shadow Killer's share must be saved for when they respawn."

Su Qingyue stepped forward and carefully collected the Soul Crystals.

"Second, rest and recover. We will rest here for one hour to recover our state, repair equipment, and adjust tactics."

Everyone found a place to sit, started taking Medicinal Pill, and circulating their Cultivation Technique.

Lin Ye walked toward the large tent deep in the camp—the energy fluctuation he had sensed with his Divine Sense just now had come from there.

The tent was already tattered and barely maintained its shape.

Lin Ye lifted the torn cloth curtain to reveal a stone table inside, with some items scattered on it.

The most eye-catching was a yellowed animal skin booklet, with "Miner's Log - Seventh Team" written in ancient seal script on the cover.

Lin Ye picked up the booklet and opened it.

The handwriting was scribbled, written with some kind of mineral pigment; although it was from a long time ago, it was still clear:

[Heavenly Calendar Year 3742, July, first entering the Ancient Mine.]

[By order of the Elder Council, the Seventh Miner Team of three hundred people entered the third level of the Ancient Mine to mine 'primordial life stone'. The chaos spiritual qi here is dense, and we need to take 'Qingzhang Pill' every three days to resist the erosion...]

[August, discovered abnormalities.]

[Strange sounds came from the depths of the mine tunnel, sounding neither human nor beast. Some team members reported seeing shadows moving, but inspections yielded nothing...]

[September, first disappearance.]

[Miner Wang Wu disappeared in the seventh mine tunnel, only his pickaxe was found. The pickaxe head was stained with black mucus, never seen before...]

[October, panic spreads.]

[The number of missing persons increased to twelve. Someone claimed to have seen 'ghost shadows in the mist', and rumors of a curse began to circulate within the team...]

[November, people from the Elder Council arrived.]

[Three Foundation Establishment Stage stewards entered the mine to investigate; only one returned three days later, severely injured and dying, only saying two words before passing: "Quick... run..." ]

[December, disaster struck.]

[Black mist surged from the depths of the mine tunnel; wherever it passed, living things turned to white bones. The captain ordered a retreat, but the mine tunnel collapsed, and the way back was cut off...]

[Final record: We are trapped in this camp, and the black mist is closing in. Food is running out, and Medicinal Pill are exhausted. If anyone comes later and sees this log, remember—do not go deep, do not touch 'those things' in the depths of the mine tunnel. They... have awakened.]

The log ended here.

Lin Ye closed the booklet, his heart shaken.

The destruction of the ancient miner civilization was indeed related to the things in the depths of the mine tunnel.

That "black mist"... sounded very much like the Soul-Eater Mist Yao from earlier, but the power described was even more terrifying.

He put away the log and continued to check the other items on the stone table.

A palm-sized black token, with a pickaxe pattern engraved on the front and the character "Seven" on the back.

[Item: Seventh Miner Team Token (Special)]

[Type: Quest Item / Credential]

[Description: The identity token of the Seventh Miner Team of the ancient miner civilization; holding this token can open certain specific mechanisms.]

[Effect: Unknown]

[Note: This object seems to be related to a secret in the depths of the Ancient Mine.]

A box of unused Qingzhang Pill, but the Medicinal Pill had long since expired and turned into gray powder.

A few pieces of low-quality primordial life stone Ore, only the size of a fingernail, far from reaching the usage standard.

There was also a hand-drawn simple map, marking the distribution of mine tunnels around the camp, as well as a few red cross marks—likely danger zones.

Lin Ye collected all these items.

One hour later, the squad finished resting.

Although their state had not fully recovered, they had at least recovered 70% of their combat power.

The equipment had been simply repaired and could continue to be used.

"Tieshan and Shadow Killer's positions need to be adjusted." Lin Ye reorganized the Formation. "Shi Potian, you are now concurrently the main tank, but don't easily activate Overlord Body; that is our trump card. Chen Hao, move forward and take care of close-range support. Everyone else's positions remain unchanged."

"Additionally, according to the miner's log I just found, there are more dangerous things in the depths of the Ancient Mine. Everyone must be more vigilant in the subsequent actions."

He showed the Seventh Miner Team Token to everyone: "This might be a key item; everyone, pay attention to similar clues."

The rest ended, and the squad prepared to continue deeper.

But just as they were about to leave the camp, a dull rumbling sound suddenly came from the depths of the cave.

Boom— Boom— Boom—

It sounded like heavy footsteps coming from the extremely deep underground, and every step made the cave vibrate slightly.

Gravel on the rock wall fell down with a rustle.

"What sound is that?" Zhao Wuji asked nervously.

Lin Ye expanded his Divine Sense, extending it in the direction of the sound source.

His Divine Sense passed through hundreds of zhang of rock layers, vaguely "seeing" a huge silhouette—the thing was three zhang high, humanoid in shape, but its body was made of rock and metal, and dark red light emanated from its joints.

It was walking slowly in a mine tunnel, every step shattering the ground stone slabs.

[Name: Ancient Mine Guardian (Leader)]

[Rank: ???]

[Type: Puppet / Guard Unit]

[Attribute: ???]

[Warning: Target Rank is too high, unable to detect detailed information! Recommended Rank: 60+]

Lin Ye quickly retracted his Divine Sense.

"Run!" he hissed, "A big guy is coming, we are no match for it!"

The squad quickly evacuated the camp and continued downward along the mine tunnel.

The rumbling sound behind them got closer and closer, as if that Guardian was chasing them.

After running for about half a mile, three fork roads appeared ahead.

Qin Ruoxue checked the map: "The left leads to the 'First Mine Layer Intersection', which is our second marked point. The middle and right are unknown."

"Go left!"

The squad rushed into the left mine tunnel.

This mine tunnel was narrower than the main road, only allowing three people to walk side by side.

The cave walls were covered with traces of artificial excavation, as well as a large number of ineffective lighting runes.

Not long after they entered, a heavy crashing sound came from the main mine tunnel behind them—the Guardian had reached the fork.

But fortunately, it seemed to have chosen the middle path, and the rumbling sound gradually faded away.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and slowed their pace.

"What was that thing just now?" Shi Potian said with lingering fear, "Even from that far away, I felt immense pressure."

"Ancient Mine Guardian, it should be a defensive Puppet left behind by the ancient miner civilization." Lin Ye analyzed, "Judging from the energy fluctuations, it's at least a level 60+ Leader unit, not something we can deal with right now."

"Level 60..." Chen Hao smiled bitterly, "Then running is indeed the only option."

While speaking, a light appeared ahead.

It was not the light of a lighting pearl, nor the red light of blood moss, but a pale blue, soft glow.

Everyone approached cautiously.

The end of the mine tunnel connected to a smaller cave.

In the center of the cave stood a three-zhang-high stone tablet.

The tablet was carved entirely from some kind of white jade, with pale blue light patterns flowing on its surface.

The inscription was written in ancient seal script, but no one recognized it.

And around the tablet, dozens of skeletons were scattered.

These skeletons were different from the ones at the entrance—they were all wearing relatively complete armor, holding weapons in their hands, surrounding the stone tablet, as if they were guarding it, or perhaps... worshiping?

Most eerily, these skeletons were all kneeling on the ground, facing the stone tablet, with their hands pressed together, having died while maintaining the same posture.

"This is the 'First Mine Layer Intersection'." Qin Ruoxue confirmed by checking the map, "But the map doesn't mark this stone tablet."

Lin Ye approached the stone tablet.

When he was three zhang away from the tablet, the inscription suddenly lit up, and the pale blue light flared brilliantly!

At the same time, an ancient and majestic Divine Thought was transmitted directly into his mind:

"Latecomer..."

"Since you have reached here, you have witnessed the calamity of my clan."

"Beneath the stone tablet, a corner of the 'Truth' is sealed. But to know the truth, you must pass a test."

"Choose—turn around and leave, and you can remain safe; touch the stone tablet, and you will face the phantoms of the past."

"Life and death... are your own responsibility."

The Divine Thought dissipated.

Lin Ye turned back and looked at his teammates.

Everyone was looking at him, waiting for his decision.

The stone tablet emitted an alluring light, as if it were telling ancient secrets.

And those kneeling skeletons silently warned of danger.

Is safety first, and retreat temporarily?

Or take a risk and touch the stone tablet that might reveal part of the truth of the Ancient Mine?

In the cave, there was only the sound of everyone's breathing and the faint humming of the flowing light from the stone tablet.

And in the deeper mine tunnels, in the darkness, it seemed as if something was slowly opening its eyes.