The soil here is unbelievably hard—hollowing out the area around it is a massive challenge. Evan Lin and Roxanne Lin dug for half a day and only managed a tiny pit, and that was thanks to the Frostbane Sword slicing through stone like butter. Without it, even a small hole would be impossible.
"Evan, this isn’t working. If we keep digging like this, it’ll take half a year—maybe even a full year—to get the Immortal Crystal out. But we can’t use powerful techniques here. One, we might destroy the crystal. Two, we’d make a huge commotion and attract attention. If anyone else shows up, we’re in big trouble." Roxanne Lin stared at the tiny pit, clearly frustrated.
"This place is so tough, even techniques don’t help much. The stronger the attack, the harder it rebounds—you’d end up hurting yourself. Our only option is to dig slowly, bit by bit, clearing the soil around the Immortal Crystal. That’s the only way we’ll get it. We’ve got five years, so let’s not rush." Evan Lin said with a smile.
He said that, but inside he was just as anxious. Five years sounded long, but in cultivation it could pass in a blink. He had to break through to Da Luo Golden Immortal just to survive—this was no easy task.
"Evan, let’s call out Shadow and Goldwing to help dig. More hands means less suffering, and I’m really looking forward to those high-grade Immortal Stones shining red and those supreme-grade ones glowing purple." Roxanne Lin said with a laugh.
Evan Lin immediately summoned Shadow and Goldwing. Their cultivation was interrupted again, and both looked annoyed, but they didn’t dare complain to Evan—just stared at him. "Big Brother, why’d you call us out again? We were in the middle of getting stronger!"
"Dig out the Immortal Crystal for me. It’s a tough job, but it has to be done. Aren’t you two supposed to be so strong? I want to see how you handle digging Immortal Stones." Evan said bluntly.
"Immortal Crystal? Sounds like something good! Where is it? I’m awesome at this!" Shadow said, full of confidence.
"See that pit we dug? Hollow out all the soil within five meters around it, and the Immortal Crystal will show up. This isn’t like the dirt up above—it’s insanely hard. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have called you two out." Evan Lin pointed at the ground.
"This little job? Big Brother, you don’t need to worry. Goldwing and I can handle it in no time, right, Goldwing?" Shadow said to Goldwing.
Goldwing nodded, golden light flashing over his body as he transformed into a massive bird, nearly three meters tall. His huge talons gleamed coldly, and without a word, he raked at the ground—instantly digging out a pit. Evan Lin and Roxanne Lin were both stunned.
The two of them spent ages just to dig a tiny pit, but Goldwing did it in one swipe—it was insane. Evan couldn’t help wondering what those talons were made of, since they were even tougher than his Frostbane Sword.
Actually, Evan hadn’t really thought it through. Goldwing was a flying beast—his claws were weapons to begin with. Now that his strength had grown and he could channel Immortal Spirit Force into his talons, it was like digging with a divine artifact. Plus, his claws were huge and powerful, so this kind of result was only natural.
Shadow saw Goldwing start and wanted to show off too, so he revealed his true form. For Evan and Roxanne, the soil that felt as hard as iron was like tofu under Shadow’s massive claws. Dirt and rock flew everywhere, and in just a few breaths, he’d dug out a huge pit—even faster than Goldwing.
Evan and Roxanne were speechless. "Roxanne, you’d better go collect those supreme-grade and high-grade Immortal Stones. We’re not needed here at all—these two monsters have it covered." Evan said.
Seeing how fast the two beasts worked, Evan’s frustration vanished. Goldwing and Shadow seemed to be competing, leaving piles of dirt and waste rock behind them. Lots of mid-grade and high-grade Immortal Stones were exposed, but neither paid them any mind. Evan just kept scooping up the stones and tossing them into his storage ring.
After two days, the beasts stopped. The five-meter area was almost completely dug out, except for the very center—Evan had told them not to touch that part. Now, Evan could clearly sense faint energy fluctuations from the spot. He knew the king among Immortal Crystals was about to emerge, and his heart surged with excitement.
"Big Brother, how did you know there was a treasure here? I can’t see the Immortal Crystal yet, but I can already sense it’s huge and top quality." Shadow said seriously, though in his Bloodshadow Berserker Lion form, it was impossible to read his expression.
"You two need to be extremely careful removing the stone and soil around the Immortal Crystal. Shrink your bodies, and don’t you dare damage the crystal—or you’ll answer to me." Evan warned.
"Don’t worry, Big Brother. Goldwing and I will handle it." Shadow promised, and the two beasts immediately shrank their bodies.
Evan stared, eyes glued to the beasts as they carefully removed the last layer of soil and stone. They worked with extreme caution, and after nearly a full day, a washbasin-sized, almost completely transparent Immortal Crystal appeared before Evan.
Around this giant crystal were dozens of egg-sized transparent Immortal Crystals. Evan realized these were exactly what his sword spirit had mentioned—exceptionally rare treasures in the Immortal Realm, no less valuable than a supreme-grade Immortal artifact.
Evan personally handled the rest. He carefully excavated the smaller crystals and put them in his storage ring—over fifty Immortal Crystals in total. Then he spent another half day to ‘uproot’ the massive crystal. Cradling it in his hands, he was shocked to notice faint traces of life inside.
A surge of surprise welled up inside him. Just as Evan was about to probe it with his Divine Sense, a little girl’s voice echoed in his mind: "Put me down, put me down!"
Evan was startled. He hadn’t expected the Immortal Crystal to have matured enough to possess true intelligence, let alone speak with a little girl’s voice. It might even be able to take human form. To obtain such a heaven-defying treasure was almost unbelievable.
Without hesitation, Evan sent the Immortal Crystal straight into his Timewheel Bracelet. No way was he leaving it out in the open—if it ran away, he’d lose everything.