Chapter 5545: Xiao Family

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

It was quite impossible for those below tier 5 Emperors to complete it. Some unlucky ones would not even be able to produce a pound of it in 100 years.

As they progressed, strength waned; achieving a pound in a year became an unattainable goal, and a millennium seemed a monumental target.

In most trading places, individuals mostly had to dip into their own pockets to exchange for treasures.

“Let’s not deliberately inquire about information; let’s explore this place for a while first!” Jian Wushuang transmitted his voice quietly.

He noticed the change in Gong Miaoyi’s expression, worried that she might reveal something inadvertently.

It would be troublesome if someone recognized him now.

Gong Miaoyi regained her cool expression and nodded.

The two of them, holding their tokens, obtained a private chamber and began to engage in mining.

Departing from the Daoist temple, they could move freely. In order to quickly understand the situation in this place, the two chose to split up.

Jian Wushuang entered a narrow and dark cave.

There were many small mines here, all of which were left behind by the predecessors after countless eras of mining.

Jian Wushuang dived in.

Glancing around, he saw no one.

Then, he continued forward.

This place was like a maze; intersections appeared from time to time. After an hour of walking, Jian Wushuang finally reached the end.

At the end, three people were manipulating treasures to mine ores. Their brows were furrowed, and their bodies, despite being tier 4 Emperors, were extremely emaciated, with a waxen yellow complexion.

There was still some semblance of humanity left.

Just as Jian Wushuang was sighing, a palm appeared on his shoulder.

“It’s you? Black Aura!” The person recognized him.

Jian Wushuang’s heart skipped a beat. Many memories related to the Black Aura were fragmented. Worried about exposing his identity, he remained silent. When he turned to look at the other person’s face, he felt relieved.

Fortunately, he knew this person.

“Brother Shangyang! What are you doing here?” Jian Wushuang pretended to be surprised.

“Haha, since you’re here, why can’t I be!” Shangyang laughed, “Come, this is not the place to talk. Don’t be in a hurry to mine; there’s plenty of time. Let me introduce you to some big brothers.”

This Daoist Shangyang was very enthusiastic.

The two were acquainted, having teamed up a few times when besieged by the righteous path.

Both were practitioners of the demonic path.

However, the Black and White Auras, focused on gathering malevolent energy and cutting through all directions.

Shangyang, once a disciple of the Hehuan Sect, became a lone cultivator after the sect was destroyed. Because he constantly plundered high-quality furnaces, he quickly attracted the attention of righteous powerhouses.

During one siege, the Black and White Duo Auras saved him.

Shangyang brought Jian Wushuang to a more open area where several people were mining, including two tier 5 emperors.

“Come, Black Aura, let me introduce you. This is City Lord Feng!” Shangyang boasted as he introduced, “City Lord Feng arrived earlier than us, but the mines he opened are about to deplete!”

City Lord Feng, a handsome man with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, exuded a heroic aura.

“Black Aura greets City Lord Feng!” Jian Wushuang understood; this was a way of paying respects, and it seemed that things were not as simple here.

Where there are people, there will be conflict.

And there will also be the martial world!

Invisible, though there was no fighting, there were worldly affairs.

Making friends is something needed everywhere.

With friends, the road becomes broader.

“Well, I’ve heard about you. From now on, follow me. There’s still a place here. You can mine with Shangyang!” City Lord Feng nodded, then ignored Jian Wushuang.

Shangyang quickly thanked and then led Jian Wushuang to a corner to start mining.

“Brother Black Aura, there are some things you may not know. In the mines, to quickly extract ores, you need to occupy advantageous positions. Look here; compared to where you were just now, this place is at least three times more abundant. Your mining speed will be much faster!” Shangyang explained.

Jian Wushuang understood it now.

No wonder he was brought here to kowtow and acknowledge his big brother.

So, that was the reason.

Within the mine, the distribution of ore was not uniform; some areas had more, while others had less.

The place he had just seen belonged to the lowest level of the mine.

This area could be considered middle-tier.

As for the higher tiers, they were dominated by those tier 5 Emperors.

To reach that place, one needed the strength of a tier 5 Emperor at the very least.

Moreover, an introduction was required.

Jian Wushuang didn’t particularly care about this, but since he was here, he had to follow the unspoken rules. Stirring up trouble might lead to exposure and risks.

“Work hard. We’ve just arrived; let’s mine at least a pound in the first year!” Shangyang was full of enthusiasm.

His situation was not easy.

He was captured and needed to mine 20 cubic Space Fire Abyssal Stone. Even at the fastest pace, it would take thousands of years.

Compared to some cultivators sentenced to mine hundreds or even thousands of portions, it was already quite rare.

As for Jian Wushuang’s ten portions, it was pitifully few.

Jian Wushuang infused a trace of the Origin Source of the Dao of Darkness into the treasure, and then felt the power of the Space Fire Abyssal Stone entering the treasure.

“Interesting!” Jian Wushuang raised an eyebrow.

He instantly grasped the principle behind it.

This treasure was called the Mining Soldier.

Indeed, it was the perfect choice for mining.

Internally, it contained the power of a black hole, capable of devouring all substances or erasing them.

Visibly, it devoured the Space Fire Abyssal Stone and other materials on the stone wall, then removed impurities, leaving only particles of the Space Fire Abyssal Stone.

Those particles were extremely fine.

As for the energy he consumed, if calculated according to the ordinary tier 4 Emperor of the Four Great Secret Realms, it would indeed take a year to devour a pound of Space Fire Abyssal Stone.

However, that was without rest.

Initially, continuous consumption was possible; not to mention a year, even a hundred years without stopping was fine. But as time passed, several years would require a period of rest.

A significant amount of time would be wasted in between.

This also resulted in many Emperors wearing down their consciousness, unable to mine even a pound of Space Fire Abyssal Stone in a hundred years.

According to the information he obtained from Wu Zuo, Nie Yuan had been here for 50,000 years.

Nie Yuan was sent to the mines because he offended the ‘Xiao Family’ in Hanzhou.

The Xiao Family risen to prominence in recent years, mainly because of a son-in-law in the Xiao Family.

The son-in-law had quite a background, and when Jian Wushuang learned about it, he was astonished.

Vice Hall Master Wu Shan!

A Vice Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall willingly becoming the son-in-law of a local Emperor family was truly surprising.

The Xiao Family was already a prestigious family, but it was only a superpower in Hanzhou. With Wu Shan’s influence, it became a superpower within the Northern Region.

With this relationship, the Xiao Family could dominate the entire Northern Region.

As for Nie Yuan, he was unlucky.

He came to Hanzhou for secluded cultivation with his disciple, and the disciple accidentally offended a Xiao Family member. That Xiao Family member happened to be Wu Shan’s nephew.

At first sight, he took a liking to Nie Yuan’s disciple, Qing Luo.