Chapter 48: The Vast Sea

The light gate is very unstable; sometimes the crack is three meters high and one and a half meters wide.

Sometimes the time gates were less than a foot wide.

After using his domain ability to locate the light gate, Lu Yu arrived at its position in the blink of an eye.

The electromagnetic issue mentioned by Zhou Zhen is probably caused by the spatial rift right in front of them.

However, cracks can’t just appear out of nowhere, right?

“What would it be like inside?” Lu Yu always felt that this crack couldn’t have simply appeared like that.

If it’s a black hole, stepping in and getting trapped would mean certain death.

If you don’t go inside, there might be treasures within, and you’d end up standing outside a treasure mountain, empty-handed and hesitant.

“Damn it, if I really have to die like this, then so be it,” Lu Yu gritted his teeth, and with one step, he entered the crack as it widened to its maximum.

In an instant, darkness enveloped everything, as if time itself were flowing away. Countless stars swiftly streaked across his vision, tracing thousands of lines of light.

However, this was merely a change that occurred in one second.

When Lu Yu opened his eyes again, he found himself standing on a vast plain.

There wasn’t even a crack in the door beside him.

“Damn it. There’s really no way back. Am I really going to be trapped here forever?”

Lu Yu grimaced, his head aching.

He glanced around.

The sky here is filled with only stars, no moon. No matter how you look at it, it resembles a place of exile, desolate enough to shock anyone.

The plain beneath his feet stretched endlessly, composed of countless black stones, devoid of the slightest hint of vitality.

“The Monster Hunting Plains will open, and after two hours, all participants will be automatically teleported back to their original locations.”

A voice began to sound in Lu Yu’s ear.

This time, the voice was simply heavenly.

It will automatically return to the mine in two hours, so there’s nothing to worry about.

“Wait, automatically teleporting the entrant?” Lu Yu suddenly caught a few words from the sound, his expression subtly shifting.

“Other than me, is there anyone else who can enter here?”

Lu Yu figured it out in an instant.

Just as Lu Yu was speaking, footsteps could be heard approaching from behind him.

“That’s right. Besides you, of course there are others who can come in? I really didn’t expect someone to come in so quickly again.”

A deep voice sounded, carrying a tone of coldness and mercilessness.

Lu Yu turned around and saw a man standing there who was about the same height as him.

The man stood there, as if a chill were emanating from him, causing the surrounding air to turn cold.

Lu Yu’s back went cold with just one glance.

This person didn’t seem particularly remarkable at first glance, with a tall and upright posture like a spear, yet his breath was eerily heavy, resembling that of a wild beast.

Lu Yu’s eyelids twitched slightly, and his muscles instinctively tensed throughout his body. Because he saw that the man’s hands were still dripping with blood.

That definitely wasn’t his blood; judging by the smell of blood, it seemed more like human blood.

At this moment, the man looked at Lu Yu in surprise and also felt the uniqueness of the person before him.

Not of the same kind, yet they seem more like the same type of person.

“You are the first person I’ve met here,” said the man, his lips curving upward slightly. “I don’t have a name. But you can call me Canghai.”

The man extended his hand as he spoke.

“I still think that sometimes it’s better not to mention one’s name.”

Lu Yu smiled and extended his hand.

The two men shook hands cautiously, each sensing the other’s physical discomfort, yet deliberately pretending not to notice and releasing their grip indifferently.

“How did you get in here?” Canghai asked, loosening his grip. He showed no surprise at all that Lu Yu did not reveal his name.

Canghai’s facial muscles seemed rigid, as if he had never smiled before, tightly drawn together.

An unstable void crack. What about you?

“It seems we entered from the same place,” Cang Hai said, staring at Lu Yu. “Let me guess, you must have found it in a mountain range of black stones, right?”

“That’s the same for everyone,” Lu Yu said with a laugh as well.

The Sea of Sorrow did not mention what Black Stone Mountain was, so Lu Yu decided not to talk about it either.

“I suppose you, Brother Lu, must know what Blackstone Mountain is about.”

“It seems you already know,” Lu Yu said with a smile, still unwilling to reveal anything.

“Of course I know about the Star Spirit Mine, a one-of-a-kind place,” Canghai said, pulling a piece of paper from his pocket to wipe the blood from his hand.

Saying this, Canghai glanced at the watch on his wrist and said, “Since you’ve managed to get in here, there’s no need for too many questions. Everyone knows about the mine. So, you must have accumulated quite a bit of Star Spirit Stones by now.”

Lu Yu nodded and said, “It’s been okay, I guess. I’ve been spending quite a bit recently, so I haven’t saved up much.”

Cang Hai was clearly someone who understood the abilities of the魔猿, so Lu Yu didn’t bother hiding anything.

Lu Yu wanted to hear what Canghai really wanted to say.

“So, Brother Lu must have also taken control of that mine,” Hai continued, asking.

Lu Yu didn’t know what Canghai was trying to get at with his incessant probing. He spoke in a deep voice, saying, “Friend, if you have something to say, just say it straight out. There’s no need to beat around the bush here.”

“Tsk, turns out you have quite the temper.” Canghai’s eyes flickered with a cold gleam as he said, “Since that’s the case, I won’t bother saying much else either. Here, no need for anyone to inquire about each other’s identities. What I mean is, I don’t want others probing into my affairs. If you don’t speak up, I’ll assume by default that, just like me, you’re also someone who possesses a Star Spirit Mine.”

Canghai paused for a moment and said, “It’s not that easy to take control of the mine. Both you and I will face great challenges. I have a suggestion: from now on, everyone should use only stardust crystals for transactions here.”

“Using starling stones?” Lu Yu understood what Haihai meant, his expression shaken as he asked, “Do you want to build this place into a high-end trading platform?”

“Exactly!” Canghai nodded as he saw Lu Yu understood. “As long as you occupy the mine, regardless of whether you’re the lord of a city, you will surely grasp the city’s lifeline. However, this mine isn’t something you can simply claim as your own. You should be well aware how many people have their eyes on these mineral resources. Only with powerful strength can you truly protect the mine, right? Therefore, when it comes to formidable power, aside from your personal abilities, I believe a part of it also comes from your battle souls and skills. Using star spirit beads to trade for rare star soldiers and skills, don’t you think this is somewhat devaluing the attributes of these star soldiers?”

Lu Yu had already guessed that the unstable light gate would probably only appear within the mine.

He frowned and said, “Only the owners of mines from various cities have the qualifications to enter here. So, what you’re saying is that you want to turn this place into a high-end trading venue where everything here is traded exclusively using star-spirit stones?”

“That’s right,” Canghai said, a slight smile appearing on his face. “Once others realize that transactions are made using star spirit stones, they naturally won’t bring in inferior star weapons anymore. By trading better mutated star spirit beads, warrior souls, or star weapons here, can’t we become even stronger ourselves? Only in this way can we defend the mine. I believe everyone coming here will agree to such transactions.”

“This is a good suggestion,” Lu Yu thought, slightly moved.

Perhaps the advantages of this place are not obvious at the moment.

However, as more people enter, there will gradually emerge an invisible constraint formed by the trading rules. I believe that by then, no one will bring in truly supreme Star Weapons.

At least here, you can more easily find powerful weapons.

“However, I have a question. With the Mutated Essence Pearl, how can you distinguish between rare and common ones?”

Lu Yu showed a surprised expression while asking.

For him, nothing could escape his gaze through the Eye of Truth.

Without the Eye of Truth, how could one possibly know whether the soldier souls or the mutated Star Spirit Beads brought in are rare?

“You can’t tell the difference, of course. However, if you hold the Mutated Spirit Pearl and attempt to establish a connection with either the Mutated Spirit Pearl or the Soldier’s Soul and Star Soul, you will learn which monster dropped these items, along with the monster’s level and its skills and attributes when it was alive.”

Lu Yu was taken aback and said, “I actually didn’t know that. I’ve mostly relied on the mutated Star Spirit Beads and soldier souls I obtained myself, and rarely bought any, so I haven’t paid much attention to these matters.”

“The Star Spirit Beads from powerful monsters after their deaths can be traded using Star Spirit Stones. As for who buys them and whether one can obtain skills from them, that’s all down to luck. As for the Soul of Weapons, I’m sure there will be people selling those too. I believe many would be willing to sell Souls of Weapons dropped by powerful monsters, because, wouldn’t everyone wish to obtain a rare Star Weapon from the Soul of Weapons dropped by a powerful monster?” Canghai didn’t see anything wrong with this and continued, “Since you don’t object, I believe many others won’t either. I’ve already arranged for someone to carve the stone tablets inscribed with the regulations. Tomorrow, I’ll bring it in and just place it here.”

“It turns out everything was already prepared,” Lu Yu said with a smile. “I still have a question about this place. When I entered, I heard a voice saying this is the Demon Hunting Plains. Yet, so far, there hasn’t been a single demon creature here. So, is this place just left empty like this?”

“At least for now, I haven’t seen any sign of life.”

Lu Yu looked around and felt that this place was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

However, now there is nothing unusual to be seen here, only an eerie silence.

After Lu Yu expressed no objection, Canghai fell silent.

But sat aside to cultivate.

Lu Yu’s star soul is different; it doesn’t improve without combat.

Therefore, cultivation was not meant for him.

Lu Yu walked in all directions, yet all he could see was an endless plain, stretching as far as the eye could reach.

You can’t see the end of the horizon, nor any buildings, not even trees.

Lu Yu decisively ran in one direction, eager to see what he might find.

After running for an hour, the surroundings were still an endless plain.

Lu Yu carefully noticed that there were some differences on the ground.

The ground was scattered with some human remains and several broken animal bones.

It seems as if the years have been too distant, almost eroded and vanished.

“Monster Hunting Plains, Monster Hunting Plains!” Lu Yu murmured to himself, saying, “Could it be that in the past, this place was filled entirely with monsters? Then, where have the monsters gone?”

Lu Yu continued forward and discovered a deep pit underground.

At the bottom of the deep pit, there is no light to be seen, nor can one tell how deep it is.

Lu Yu took out a Star Spirit Pearl that shimmered with a faint glow and threw it downward. The pearl fell lower and lower until even the slightest glimmer of starlight could no longer be seen.

“The bottomless pit?”

Lu Yu glanced at the time as he spoke; it was almost two hours.