Evan Lin nodded. Just then, a guard clad in golden armor appeared. Spotting the middle-aged man, the guard bowed respectfully and called out, "Lord Nolan!" The man responded with a faint smile, acknowledging the greeting.
Then the guard walked up to Evan Lin and said, "Here are your mining tools. You’ll get a new set every month. Remember, don’t use brute force or martial skills—Immortal Stones are fragile and break easily, but the surrounding ore is insanely tough. Get this wrong, and if you shatter any Immortal Stones you find, you’ll be punished."
Evan Lin glanced at the so-called mining tools and realized it was a storage belt. Scanning it with Divine Sense, he was a bit shocked—there were at least hundreds of hoes, shovels, and all sorts of digging implements inside. Hearing the guy say these might not even be enough for a month and that he’d have to swap them out, Evan’s heart sank. This was seriously inhuman labor.
After the guard left, Evan Lin casually picked a tunnel and headed inside. Lord Nolan watched Evan’s back and smiled to himself. “To have a genius like this show up in Coldriver City—what a stroke of luck. Newly ascended and already close to Heavenly Immortal combat power, that’s no small feat. Of course I can see through his method of suppressing his strength. Let’s see what surprises he’ll bring me.”
Evan Lin had no idea his true strength had already been seen through by the middle-aged man. Right now, he was heading deeper into the mine. The cavern was huge—at least the size of several training yards. Judging by the piles of ore stacked like small mountains in the distance, it was clear just how massive and wide this place really was.
The first hundred meters inside the mine were still brightly lit, but the deeper he went, the darker it became. After walking for about half an hour, Evan Lin noticed the mine had completely changed. Up till now, there’d only been one main tunnel, but suddenly several smaller branches appeared, each one pretty narrow.
Evan Lin picked a random passage and stepped inside, finding it already damp and chilly. Every hundred meters or so, he’d spot a side chamber about two meters wide—probably rest spots for miners.
But the lighting here was terrible—resting in this environment would be a pain. Evan Lin kept going, and before long, he reached the end of the tunnel. With his sharp eyesight, he could see everything around him—and what he saw left him stunned.
At the tunnel’s end were countless dried bones, and the space had clearly widened out. In several spots, massive heaps of waste ore were piled up, never hauled away.
Evan Lin did a quick count—there were at least a thousand skeletons here. That meant over a thousand Immortals had died in this huge mine. As for what cultivation realms they’d reached, he had no way of knowing.
Using Divine Sense, Evan Lin scanned the mine and found a spot up ahead that was surprisingly clean—no bones at all. He walked over, but as he got closer, he realized someone was leaning against the stone wall: a figure with long, tangled hair.
The stranger’s hair completely covered his face, making it impossible to see his features. But Evan Lin could instantly tell this was someone far stronger than himself—and definitely alive, not just another corpse.
Finding a living person in a place filled with bones was shocking, to say the least. Evan Lin figured he shouldn’t stick around—this mine was huge, so he could easily pick another tunnel. No need to hang out in a place like this, especially with some half-human, half-ghost freak lurking here.
Evan Lin quickly turned to leave, but after only a couple steps, a raspy voice sounded behind him. "Kid, you came all this way—now you want to leave? I haven’t tasted human flesh in hundreds of years. Looks like today I finally get to feast again. Heaven must still favor me."
No doubt it was the long-haired guy talking. Judging by what he said, he really did eat people—those bones might just be leftovers from his meals. The thought sent a chill down Evan Lin’s spine.
Maybe this mine wasn’t abandoned because it ran dry, but because this monster showed up and ruined the place. Not that Evan Lin had time to dwell on it—right now, surviving this encounter was all that mattered.
Stopping in his tracks, Evan Lin slowly turned around. The guy was barely two meters behind him. "Who are you, anyway? I’ve got no beef with you, so why eat me? You’ve been stuck here for centuries—did something happen? If you need help, maybe I’d consider it. But eating people out of nowhere? That’s just nuts."
"Kid, you dare talk to me like that? Are you tired of living?" the monster snarled.
"You’re already planning to eat me—how am I supposed to live? Who are you, anyway? Surviving for centuries in this mine is impressive. I bet you’ve got some kind of story, right? Why not tell me? Maybe I can help." Evan Lin shot back.
"Help me? With your measly Earth Immortal cultivation? Kid, let’s be real—I haven’t spoken to anyone in hundreds of years. Today’s the first time I’ve said this much. You should feel honored to die here." the monster sneered.
The shock in Evan Lin’s heart grew. He hadn’t expected this guy to see through his suppressed strength so easily. That meant the elder was at least a Heavenly Immortal, maybe even a Golden Immortal.
"Who are you, really? Why are you trapped here? If you’re going to eat me, at least let me die knowing what’s going on. I don’t want to die for nothing." Evan Lin said. The guy was strong, sure, but Evan wasn’t worried—he was certain the monster needed something from him and was just trying to scare him.
"Who am I? Everyone who knew my name is dead. You think you’ll live after I tell you? See all those bones? I killed every one of them, and slowly ate their flesh. Do you know what human meat tastes like? It’s the most delicious food in the world. Too bad you’ll never get to try it." the monster continued.
Evan Lin felt his anger rising. This stubborn old freak really thought he could just eat him? "Old man, you think you can eat my flesh whenever you want? I came here ready for anything. So what if you’re strong? You’re still stuck in this tiny hole, hiding for centuries while your enemies roam free outside. Bullying weaklings—what’s that worth? You’ve been here for hundreds of years. Pathetic."