After carefully reading the jade tablet, Evan Lin discovered that it described some peculiar matters of the Immortal Realm. Although the introduction wasn't extensive, two points in particular caught his attention.
One point was about how powerful figures in the Immortal Realm all possess formidable magic treasures, which are mainly controlled through spiritual force. The stronger the treasure and the user's spiritual force, the greater the attack power. Magic treasures are ranked in five grades: low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, supreme-grade, and holy-grade. Even the lowest, low-grade, is considered Immortal-grade.
But magic treasures are incredibly rare—not every weapon can be refined into one. Special methods and incantations are needed. With a powerful magic treasure, even an Earth Immortal can slay a Heavenly Immortal. Cross-realm slaughter isn't uncommon.
The other point was about a place in the Immortal Realm called Godfall Valley. Once someone reaches Immortal Emperor level, they must ascend to the God Realm from there. The tablet described in detail how Godfall Valley is filled with rare treasures and supreme-grade artifacts, all left behind by Immortal Emperors who failed their ascension and perished.
The Immortal Realm has existed for tens of millions of years, with countless Immortal Emperors. Many have succeeded in ascending, but just as many have died. During ascension, powerful artifacts are needed to resist heavenly tribulations, so Godfall Valley has become the prime treasure-hunting ground for many cultivators.
But entering Godfall Valley requires Ninth-Heaven Arch-Immortal level strength. The world pressure inside is so overwhelming that ordinary Immortals can't even move, and most newcomers die shortly after entering.
Besides the crushing pressure, Godfall Valley is home to terrifying immortal beasts, some with power equal to Immortal Emperors. If you run into one, survival is nearly impossible. Those who make it out usually gain incredible treasures, but the odds are ten in, one out.
Even so, plenty of people still take their chances in Godfall Valley. If you manage to come out alive, your achievements are legendary.
Godfall Valley has a unique phenomenon: its entrance is sealed by a natural barrier that only Immortal Emperor-class power can break. However, the entrance opens naturally every three years for just three days, with the exact timing determined by heavenly omens.
Miss the opening window, and you'll have to wait for the next cycle. But those inside can exit freely, so many lurk outside the entrance to ambush returnees and rob them of their gains.
To prevent chaos, the Six Great Powers of the Immortal Realm have set a rule: no one may linger within a hundred li of Godfall Valley's entrance. If caught, you're branded a wanted criminal and hunted by all six factions.
Evan Lin found Godfall Valley especially intriguing. He hoped to enter one day, but only after reaching Ninth-Heaven Arch-Immortal. With his usual luck, maybe he'd walk out with some priceless treasures.
Just like this time—he'd only just ascended to the Immortal Realm and already met a mysterious elder who transmitted his cultivation, helping Evan break through to the Heavenly Immortal Realm. Opportunities like this were once in a thousand lifetimes. The elder asked Evan to fulfill his dying wish, and Evan figured as long as his strength was up to it, he'd make it happen.
Withdrawing his divine sense, Evan Lin smiled and said, "It's really not easy to gain a foothold in the Immortal Realm. Looks like I still need to boost my strength. I wonder how many days this power transmission took—I'll have to ask Tom Chu."
"Tom, how many days have I been in here this time?"
Tom Chu replied, "Big Brother, you've been in here about ten days, but you haven't mined a single Immortal Stone yet. If this keeps up, you won't finish the quota."
Evan Lin grinned, "I know. Completing the quota is easy—I have plenty of low-grade Immortal Stones. I'll just hand those in when the time comes. But I need to dig some waste ore during this period, or others might get suspicious."
Tom Chu protested, "Big Brother, you don't mean to make me do all the grunt work, do you? I'm just a kid!"
Evan Lin had honestly considered it, but seeing Tom Chu's reaction, he felt embarrassed and dropped the topic. "How could I make you dig? I was just joking. Just keep an eye on the time you enter the mine tunnel—don't worry about anything else."
Tom Chu replied with a laugh, "That's more like it! If you made me dig, I might just collapse the whole tunnel. Getting buried in here wouldn't be fun."
Evan Lin gave a wry smile and checked on Goldwing and Shadow, discovering they'd both woken up. With a thought, he summoned them to stand before him.
"Big Brother! Boss!" Goldwing and Shadow greeted Evan Lin as soon as they saw him.
Evan Lin pulled the mining tools from the guard's storage belt and handed them over. "You two, help me dig for Immortal Stones. It's not easy to find stones here, so just dig up some waste ore and pile it up. Don't use too much force—the tunnel can't handle your power."
Goldwing and Shadow froze. Shadow, looking depressed, asked, "Big Brother, if we're mining Immortal Stones, what are you going to do?"
Evan Lin replied, "I'm planning to push my realm to late-stage Heavenly Immortal. So you'll have to do the hard work for now. And don't tell me you're refusing, or I might just get angry!"
Goldwing and Shadow's faces fell, but they reluctantly grabbed the tools and started digging. Soon, the sound of clanging filled the tunnel, along with their occasional complaints.
Meanwhile, Evan Lin took out high-grade Immortal Stones and began absorbing their energy, aiming for a breakthrough. He ignored low- and mid-grade stones, having plenty thanks to loot from Logan Vaughn and the old mine master. With such a supply, he didn't need to worry about running out.
Time flew by—twenty days passed in a flash. Tom Chu woke Evan Lin, who was still absorbing Immortal Stones. "Big Brother, time's up. You need to hand in your stones."
Evan Lin stood up and checked the mining area where Goldwing and Shadow were working. What he saw nearly made him fall over in shock—these two were born for mining! In this supposedly exhausted waste tunnel, they'd dug up nearly a hundred low-grade Immortal Stones and even found two mid-grade ones.
Evan Lin didn't care much for these Immortal Stones, but the sheer amount they excavated in just twenty days was astonishing. The wide, ten-meter-long side tunnels they'd carved out proved Goldwing and Shadow's work ethic was no joke...