Chapter 1081: Entering the Mine

The mountains were scorched and barren, the stones stained blood-red.

This was the Primordial Star. Shi Hao strode forward, nearing the ancient mine that loomed ahead.

Throughout history, this mine had been infamous, devouring countless lives of powerful experts. By now, no one dared to venture inside recklessly—only slaves were sent in.

Of course, even slaves’ lives mattered, and no one was willing to waste them so extravagantly. Typically, the slaves purchased by major factions were used for mining in the surrounding areas, not for entering the depths of the ancient mine.

Now, the mountains teemed with figures—all slaves, clad in tattered clothes, toiling day after day just to survive.

Shi Hao became one of them. However, unlike the others who hacked away at the mountains, he did not stop along the way. Instead, he marched straight toward the heart of the region.

This mountain range was bizarre—its rocks were incomparably hard, so much so that even a Heavenly Deity would struggle to break through them in one strike. For ordinary cultivators, this was a monumental task.

As he advanced, deep pits dotted the ground, with shadowy figures laboring below.

These were the results of the slaves’ backbreaking efforts. The rocks here were as hard as powerful magical artifacts.

Some had once believed that these astonishing stones would make excellent materials for forging weapons, fetching astronomical prices outside. Yet, once removed from this place, the rocks crumbled easily.

Only here did these stones, grains of sand, and mountains retain their extraordinary nature.

Later, people realized that this phenomenon was due to the Primordial Ancient Mine. It constantly emitted a mysterious force, influencing everything around it.

As Shi Hao pressed on, the land grew quieter and more desolate, with fewer and fewer people the deeper he went.

Whoosh!

A black whirlwind swept past, reducing stone peaks to dust and riddling the mountains with countless holes—a terrifying sight.

Fortunately, it lasted only a moment before dissipating.

Shi Hao widened his eyes in shock, struggling to comprehend. With his Heavenly Eye, he saw clearly that the black whirlwind had appeared out of nowhere, summoned by a distortion in the void.

“That’s the power of the domain. Don’t be surprised by anything abnormal near the Primordial Ancient Mine!” someone warned.

Shi Hao remained silent. This was the Primordial Ancient Mine—if the anomalies outside were already so terrifying, what horrors awaited inside?

A pang of fear for his life struck him, but did he have a choice now?

The Wang Clan was forcing him forward. If he turned back, they would never allow it.

“Brother, wait!”

From behind, voices called out as a group hurried to catch up.

These were experts dispatched by other major factions—noble clans, ancient sects—numbering several dozen in total.

Exploring the Primordial Ancient Mine was a joint effort among the great families and sects, and all were heading toward it.

Clearly, these were elite warriors cultivated at great expense, now deployed as deathsworn.

Yet, despite their fearlessness, the mine’s infamous reputation made even their hearts tremble. Thus, they advanced together.

Finally, they stood mere dozens of miles from the mine’s entrance.

The group halted, their hearts pounding as they stared at the pitch-black maw ahead.

This area had been barely excavated, as few dared to venture this far, let alone act recklessly.

Now, they saw only scattered slaves searching for divine materials within the great fissures of the earth.

In ancient times, this region had occasionally yielded Life Stones and other rare treasures—even immortal metals—coveted by all sects.

But such finds were now exceedingly rare.

“Ah—!”

A sudden scream pierced the air as a streak of rainbow light flashed, reducing several slaves to bloody mist before they vanished entirely.

The light had erupted from a distortion in the void—another manifestation of the mine’s unstable, mysterious energies.

It seemed like a warning, forbidding trespass.

Advancing another thousand zhang, the black abyss of the mine became clearly visible, its darkness chilling, like a bottomless pit.

Surprisingly, a few slaves still toiled here, diligently searching.

Shi Hao sighed. Though slaves, they were skilled experts, forced to labor for survival, hoping to earn their freedom with rare finds.

“Ah—!”

Another scream rang out as Primordial Chaos Qi surged from the mine. Overjoyed, the slaves rushed to collect it—only to be crushed instantly.

Even prepared as they were, the group felt their courage waver.

Those who had died were no weaklings, yet here, they were obliterated without resistance.

Silence fell. Only Shi Hao and the few dozen behind him remained, staring at the abyss a thousand zhang away.

The mine was unfathomably deep, its depths seemingly breathing.

The group paled as faint tidal sounds echoed from the entrance.

Shi Hao stepped forward again, and the others followed, faces grim.

“Do we really have to go in? Throughout history, almost none who entered the Primordial Ancient Mine ever returned!”

Someone swallowed hard, fear gripping them.

But they had no choice. Their overseers watched from afar—turning back meant certain death.

“What’s there to fear? I’ll go first!”

A bold figure clad in black-gold armor charged ahead, vanishing into the mine like a streak of dark light.

Gasps erupted—not just from the group, but from the distant observers as well.

Splat!

In an instant, a mist of blood bloomed, painting a ghastly scene. The warrior had perished instantly.

Shi Hao sensed the mine’s terror—it was like the maw of a primordial beast, waiting to devour all who entered.

Yet, he also detected a serene aura—immortal energy!

Perhaps, as the Wang Clan had claimed, only those with immortal energy could survive here.

“There’s no turning back now. The mine has locked onto us with some mysterious force!” someone cried in horror.

“Nonsense! It’s just the domain’s natural influence. Don’t spread panic!” another snapped.

Hum!

The void twisted as a rain of radiant light, like celestial feathers, suddenly engulfed the area.

“Ah—!”

Screams erupted as over twenty were pierced through, blood gushing from countless holes—even their brows. They died with eyes wide open, unable to resist the domain’s immobilizing force.

Half their number had fallen in an instant.

Shi Hao’s instincts flared as the light rain targeted him, but the immortal energy within him repelled it.

Without hesitation, he unleashed both strands of immortal energy and strode forward. There was no retreat now.

The survivors, though lacking immortal energy, had been lucky enough to avoid the deadly rain.

Step by step, Shi Hao advanced until he stood before the abyss.

Then, he stepped in—plunging straight down.

“He… he went in!”

The others hesitated, faces ashen.

“We’re dead if we turn back anyway. As deathsworn, we knew this day would come!”

With that, they leaped in after him—only for screams to erupt mid-fall as their bodies shattered, raining blood and bone into the depths.

From afar, the watching elders paled at the gruesome sight.

Shi Hao descended for what felt like an eternity before finally landing. Blood and bone fragments rained down around him—all that remained of those who had followed.

Here, an overwhelming killing intent filled the air. Without his immortal energy shielding him, he would have been crushed instantly.

The mine was a place of contrasts—some areas pitch-black, others shimmering with color, still others veiled in immortal mist.

Not far from Shi Hao stood a humanoid figure—an ancient, withered man in Taoist robes, his white hair spilling endlessly onto the ground.

His golden pupils burned like twin suns, radiating terrifying pressure.

Shi Hao shuddered. Had he encountered a resident of the mine so soon?

To his shock, the Ten Thousand Spirit Diagram had activated on its own, enveloping him in a protective glow against the elder’s aura.

Without it, Shi Hao sensed he would have exploded under the elder’s gaze alone.

“A corpse?!”

He realized with a start that the elder, though his eyes seemed alive, was long dead—a relic of an unfathomably distant past.

This only deepened his dread. How powerful must this being have been in life, for his corpse alone to exude such pressure—enough to crush Heavenly Deities?

It was unimaginable.

What horrors lay deeper in this mine?

This was merely the entrance. The mine stretched endlessly into the darkness.

“What era did this elder belong to?”

The man’s robes were ancient in design, woven from the legendary Heavenly Cicada’s molt—a priceless treasure in itself.

A peerless divine garment!

Such materials were near impossible to find.

Could he take it?

After a moment’s thought, Shi Hao dismissed the idea.

The elder’s presence was too overwhelming. Even in death, he radiated majesty, like an emperor who had once ruled the heavens.

Without the Ten Thousand Spirit Diagram, Shi Hao would never have survived this proximity.

Then, from the mine’s depths, a melody drifted forth—ethereal, haunting, as if sung by a celestial maiden lost in sorrow.

“That voice… it sounds alive. Not an echo, not a corpse. And it carries immortal energy. Who—or what—is she?”

Shi Hao’s heart raced. The mysteries of the Primordial Ancient Mine had only just begun to unfold.