"Although that's the case, lately the sect has increased the monthly tribute of Flame Scale Ore, and the mines are currently short-staffed. If someone dies here and the inspectors find out, we'll definitely be in trouble," the thin-browed cultivator persuaded.

The long-haired male cultivator frowned, cursed under his breath, and then ordered a nearby Qi Refining Realm guard, who was also eagerly watching the fight below, to go down immediately and use a magic artifact to capture the stone lizard back into its cage.

Speaking of which, what exactly is going on in the Western Region? Weren't they in chaos a few years ago with the Great Sects constantly fighting among themselves? How come now they are united against outsiders?" the portly cultivator asked with some confusion.

"Who knows! But ah, those Rong people are all uncivilized Wild Men. We used to ignore them when they kowtowed to us, but now they dare bare their teeth at our great Da Qin. They must have gone mad. I suspect that before long, the mines will have no small number of Rong people coming. Then we can set up another betting game to see what's so special about them," the long-haired male cultivator said with a laugh as his eyes gleamed.

Just then, the thin-browed cultivator suddenly turned his head towards the side and called out to someone in the corner.

"Hey, I remember you, kid, you're from the Southern Border, right? Tell us, who is tougher, the people from the Southern Border or the Beirong people?"

Upon hearing this, Wulu, who was holding a jar of Spiritual Wine, hurriedly came forward with a flattering smile and answered:

"In response to Lord Gong, of course, the people from the Southern Border are a bit more formidable."

"Oh? Since that's the case, I'll have you go up and fight with the Rong people when the time comes to see if what you say is true," the long-haired male cultivator said upon hearing this.

"Ah, Lord Gong, please don't make it difficult for me. With my meager skills, anyone could easily defeat me, and then no one will serve you gentlemen this Spiritual Wine," Wulu said with a wry smile.

"Haha, you slicker, alright, come fill up the cups, and then you can leave," the long-haired male cultivator laughed loudly and waved his hand.

Wulu quickly stepped forward and expertly filled the cups with Spiritual Wine. Yet, as he turned to leave, a fleeting coldness flashed across his face.

Just at that moment, a voice that was both familiar and surprising echoed in his mind.

"Brother Wulu, lurking here and bending over backward, what treasure have you set your eyes on this time?"

Hearing this voice, Wulu shuddered inwardly, Yuan Ming's face flashed through his mind, and he instinctively looked around, but he did not see Yuan Ming.

He quickly realized his situation, hastily covered up the look of surprise on his face, and hurriedly walked back to the corner, placing the wine jar down and standing obediently.

At the same time, he silently said in his mind, "Brother Yuan? Are you transmitting to me through Divine Soul Power? When did you learn such a secret technique?"

"It's been a long time since we parted, how could I not have made some progress? But Brother Wulu, you were enjoying your time in the East Sea, so why have you come here and started acting as a mine slave?" Yuan Ming continued through the soul crow he had transformed into.

"Well, that's a long story, and it's not convenient to reveal too much. You'd better not ask too much, Brother Yuan. But your being here, could it mean..." Wulu babbled a few words, trying to change the subject.

"Hehe, Brother Wulu, don't worry. I am not trapped here, and I am still a free man. I came here for some personal matters and to try and rescue the mine slaves from their dire conditions. It's just a coincidence that I ran into you. But now that I see Brother Wulu here, I fear my plans might be delayed for a while, lest I interrupt your arrangement," Yuan Ming said half-truthfully.

Upon hearing this, Wulu, who understood the gravity of the situation, replied, "Rescuing the mine slaves? Haha, Brother Yuan is truly a model of our fellow Immortals. This act would save hundreds of cultivators from dire straits, and it shouldn't be delayed because of me. Please go ahead, Brother Yuan, don't worry about me."

Yuan Ming smiled inwardly, realizing instantly that Wulu wasn't as comfortable as he appeared, and that something unexpected must have occurred during this infiltration.

However, he did not point this out but instead invited, "Since that's the case, why don't you also contribute, Brother Wulu, and help me liberate all the mine slaves here?"

Wulu pondered for a moment, then nodded, "That sounds good, but I wonder if you have a way to deal with the Core Formation Cultivator stationed here?"

"You don't have to worry about that; I have a plan. But about you, Brother Wulu, I see you need to serve the Foundation Establishment cultivators here. Should I help you find a chance to get away when we coordinate our efforts?" Yuan Ming asked.

"No need, I have a way to slip out and discuss the plan with you," Wulu replied.

"Good, then when you find the opportunity, go find a cultivator named Zuo Qinghui among the mine slaves. He's under my command and is currently pretending to be captured, mingling in the mine. You can discuss the specifics of the plan with him," Yuan Ming continued.

Wulu waited a moment, and when Yuan Ming stopped speaking, he silently memorized the name "Zuo Qinghui" and also secretly pondered his plan.

Meanwhile, after their conversation, the soul crow flew out of the Combat Arena and began to explore the structure of the entire mine.

His talk with Wulu about freeing the mine slaves was no idle chat—anyone who believed, admired, or revered him could provide him with Desire Power. With so many mine slaves in the mine, if he could guide and assist them a little, and then free them all at once, he could gain a significant amount of Desire Power.

With his current strength, and the help of other mine slaves, dealing with the Foundation Establishment cultivators at this place was not difficult, but the only problem was Elder Hai, the Core Formation cultivator stationed here.

After flying around the mine with soul crows, Yuan Ming had already sketched a map of the terrain in his mind.

The mine was structured like an ellipse, broadly divisible into four areas: the Guiyuan Sect cultivators' residence in the east, the cultivator mine slaves' dwelling in the south, the common mine slaves' dwelling in the north, and the largest area in the west, which was the distribution point for the mineshafts.

Aside from the Flame Scale Ore, some ordinary ores were mined by the common mine slaves.

In terms of managing the common people, the Guiyuan Sect cultivators were not very concerned, delegating most tasks to those commoners willing to align themselves with them, leaving only a few Qi Refining cultivators in charge overall.

If there was to be a rebellion, these common people would undoubtedly be of little use, but as an important source of Desire Power, Yuan Ming would not ignore them either.

Unlike with the commoners, the Guiyuan Sect's management of cultivators was stricter—they not only suppressed mana with magic artifacts, but mine inspections were also led by cultivators, and there were several Foundation Establishment cultivators responsible for patrolling and guarding every night.

The only exit from the entire mine that led to the outside world was located on the eastern side of the residences of the Guiyuan Sect cultivators. If the mine slaves wanted to escape, they would inevitably have to overcome numerous obstructions from the Guiyuan Sect cultivators.

Furthermore, Yuan Ming discovered that the layout of the buildings throughout the mine seemed to be arranged according to a certain formation pattern.

Through analysis, he deduced several node locations of this formation and manipulated his split soul to become a soul crow to trail the clue, indeed finding a gray-white stone pillar under a cliff deep in the mine.

Later, he found several similar formation nodes, recorded their locations, and after a brief calculation, turned his gaze towards the four-story building at the center of the mine.

Being the residence of the "Core Formation cultivator" with the highest cultivation in this mining site, this tall building was clearly shielded by a profoundly mystical formation.

However, Yuan Ming's split soul was essentially a condensation of Soul Power, and unless it was a formation specialized in shielding Divine Soul Power, it would not be affected by any formation.

The soul crow flew into the tall building without any hindrance. However, after searching up and down several times, he did not find Elder Hai's figure inside the building, nor anything else suspicious.

This puzzled him greatly.

When his split soul first arrived here in the daytime, he had sensed someone watching the mine from above this building, but now the building was empty.

However, considering this place was the residence of a Core Formation cultivator, Yuan Ming didn't think any disciple would break in casually.

With a hint of skepticism, he searched the corners of the building again and eventually found a secret door behind the stairs on the first floor that led directly underground.

The soul crow immediately flew through the door, passing a flight of stairs leading downward, and suddenly the space opened up.

This was a spacious room with large and small porcelain bottles and pottery jars placed on stone platforms on both sides. Some contained unknown elixirs, while others had transparent or semi-transparent bottles filled with strange liquids emitting an unusual scent.

The entire room was immaculately clean, showing no trace of blood or dust. However, lying face-up on the central stone platform was a dark black corpse that had been slit open.

The blood inside its body seemed to be bound by some special magic, not flowing out, and through the large cut in the chest, the internal organs were clearly visible.

The lobes of the lungs contracted and expanded, and the heart "thumped" and "thumped" as it beat, until at this moment, Yuan Ming was startled to discover that this "corpse" was still alive.

However, the "corpse's" eyes were devoid of light. Clearly, prolonged torture had tormented his Divine Soul to the point of unbearableness, having lost the desire to live.

The soul crow scrutinized the "corpse's" face, sweeping its gaze over his shoulder, and noticed a red tiger head tattoo.

At this, Yuan Ming was struck with a thought and instantly recalled that this man was Mu Li, with whom he had once undertaken a mission at Biluo Cave.

After Biluo Cave was destroyed by the Dawn Alliance, its disciples were captured, and unexpectedly, he had been sold here where he suffered such brutal treatment.

Yuan Ming sighed inwardly, considering their acquaintance and unwilling to see him suffer, he wanted to help him find a complete release.

But just then, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching from outside the door, causing a slight shock in his heart.

Shortly after, with a slight "creak," a door in the depths of the room was pushed open.

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