Chapter 623 - 619: Gold Mine
Chapter 623: Chapter 619: Gold Mine
Fang Han withdrew his hand and looked off into the distance.
"Let’s go."
He strode forward. The Lion Demon scrambled to its feet and followed close behind.
The Lion Demon was indeed highly intelligent. It kept a constant distance of about ten feet from Fang Han, never falling too far behind or drawing too near.
Half an hour later, Fang Han found a piece of ore.
It was a washbasin-sized chunk of Star Iron, half-buried in decaying leaves and dirt.
’Recharge.’
[Wealth: 3,960,000 gold → 4,030,000 gold]
The Lion Demon lay to one side, watching quietly. No emotion could be discerned in its dark gold, vertical pupils.
A dozen minutes later, Fang Han found a piece of Red Scale Ore.
’Recharge.’
[Wealth: 4,030,000 gold → 4,100,000 gold]
The sun climbed higher, and the forest mist had long since burned away.
Fang Han glanced back at the Lion Demon. The sword wound on its chest was no longer bleeding, and the edges were faintly beginning to scab over.
’Its self-healing ability isn’t bad.’
Fang Han nodded slightly.
In just half a day, such a severe wound had already stabilized and started to form a scab.
Such healing ability was considered top-tier even among Demons.
Finding a shady spot, Fang Han took out some dried rations and water and had a simple lunch.
The Lion Demon lay nearby, its dark gold, vertical pupils fixed on the rations in Fang Han’s hands. A low whimper rumbled in its throat.
Fang Han glanced at it, took a few pieces of jerky from his Storage Ring, and tossed them over.
The Lion Demon caught them in its mouth, swallowed them whole, then wagged its tail with a contented whimper.
After lunch and a short rest, Fang Han resumed his search.
He had only been walking for a moment when he suddenly stopped.
Not far ahead, on a rocky slope, a massive chunk of ore lay half-buried in the soil.
The ore was as large as a decorative boulder, its entire body a dark gold that glowed with a deep, gentle luster in the sunlight.
’Gold ore.’
Fang Han walked up and placed his hand on the ore.
’Recharge.’
[Wealth: 4,100,000 gold → 4,260,000 gold]
’One hundred sixty thousand gold.’
Fang Han’s gaze lingered on the line of numbers for a moment.
’Not a bad haul. This single find is worth several of the previous ones combined.’
’Could there be... a gold mine nearby?’
Remembering the underground cavern filled with precious ores, an idea sparked in Fang Han’s mind.
’For such a huge chunk of gold ore to be here, could there be a whole mine nearby?’
SHUNK—
Fang Han drew his Cloud Splitting Sword and slashed at the ground.
With Fang Han’s current strength, even a casual swing of his sword could slice through iron as if it were mud and cut through gold and stone.
The strike split open the earth and rubble, carving out a smooth-edged trench several hundred feet long and ten feet deep.
The blade made a hard noise, different from the sound of cutting through dirt, as if it had struck something solid.
Fang Han’s expression flickered. He jumped into the trench and began clearing away the soil with his sword.
A glint of dark gold appeared at the bottom of the trench.
"This is..."
Fang Han dug deeper with his sword. The dark gold sheen grew clearer and wider.
A moment later, he stopped.
The dirt at the bottom of the trench had been cleared away, revealing a huge mass of gold ore.
’One piece is a coincidence, but two is no accident. There’s definitely a gold deposit here!’
Fang Han took a deep breath.
He had only been testing a hunch, thinking back to the ore cavern he’d found before. He never expected to actually find a whole gold deposit!
He stood up, his gaze sweeping across the surrounding terrain.
The rocky slope was uneven, its surface covered by a thick layer of soil and vegetation.
If that one piece of gold ore hadn’t been exposed, he would have completely missed this deposit.
"No need to search any further," Fang Han muttered to himself, the faintest of smiles touching his lips.
He rolled up his sleeves, and using his Cloud Splitting Sword as a pickaxe, began to dig.
Chunk after chunk of dark gold ore was unearthed and immediately recharged.
[Wealth: 4,260,000 gold → 4,300,000 gold]
[Wealth: 4,300,000 gold → 4,350,000 gold]
[Wealth: 4,350,000 gold → 4,390,000 gold]
The wealth value on his system panel was climbing at a visible rate.
The Lion Demon lay nearby, its dark gold, vertical pupils watching Fang Han’s repetitive cycle of digging, recharging, digging, and recharging. It tilted its massive head in confusion.
Fang Han glanced back at it.
"You can help, too."
The Lion Demon blinked, looking somewhat bewildered.
Fang Han tossed a chunk of ore in front of it, then pointed at the main vein, and then back at the ore.
The Lion Demon looked from the vein to Fang Han.
After a moment, it stood up, walked over to the vein, and started digging at the earth with its front paws.
Its claws were as sharp as blades, and it dug through the earth even faster than Fang Han could with his sword.
Dirt and rubble crumbled like tofu under its paws, exposing chunk after chunk of dark gold ore.
Fang Han nodded in satisfaction. He followed behind the Lion Demon, quickly recharging the ore it unearthed.
[Wealth: 4,390,000 gold → 4,420,000 gold]
[Wealth: 4,420,000 gold → 4,480,000 gold]
The sun sank in the west, and then slowly rose again.
Day one.
Day two.
Day three.
Fang Han became a full-blown miner. Aside from the necessary time for eating, drinking, and meditation, he devoted every moment to excavating the gold.
The sword wound on the Lion Demon’s chest had completely scabbed over, and new flesh was beginning to grow.
It stayed by Fang Han’s side, its front paws a blur as it continuously dug away the dirt covering the vein.
The man and the Demon worked in perfect sync: the Demon clawed away the dirt to expose the vein, and Fang Han excavated the ore to recharge.
Occasionally, the Lion Demon would even clamp its jaws around a large chunk of ore and carry it to Fang Han, wagging its tail as if seeking praise.
As the sun began to set on the third day, Fang Han stopped his work.
He stood on the pockmarked, excavated slope and summoned his system panel.
[Host: Fang Han]
[Root Bone Talent Amplification: 256x (Ninth Level Amplification requires 10,000,000 gold)]
[Swordsmanship Talent Amplification: 256x (Ninth Level Amplification requires 10,000,000 gold)]
[Stepping Talent Amplification: 128x (Level 8 Amplification requires 1,000,000 gold)]
[Body Hardening Talent Amplification: 128x (Level 8 Amplification requires 1,000,000 gold)]
[Secret Technique Talent Amplification: 128x (Level 8 Amplification requires 1,000,000 gold)]
[Wealth: 9,000,000 gold]
’Nine million gold.’
Fang Han’s gaze lingered on the wealth entry for a long time.
He was only one million gold short of the ten million needed to unlock Ninth Level Amplification.
The gold deposit wasn’t fully depleted, but time had run out.
The three-day limit was almost up, and the irresistible force of repulsion could descend at any moment.
He returned his Cloud Splitting Sword to its Sword Scabbard and walked over to the Lion Demon.
The Lion Demon was lying on the ground, licking its front paws.
For three days, its paws had barely stopped moving. Even with a Demon’s formidable physique, the work had taken its toll.
Fang Han reached out and patted the Lion Demon’s massive head.
"You’ve worked hard."
The Lion Demon let out a low whimper and gently nuzzled its head against Fang Han’s palm.
Fang Han swung himself onto the Lion Demon’s broad back.
Its back was broad and flat, easily large enough for two or three people to sit on.
Its crimson mane was soft and warm; sitting on it felt like settling into a chair draped with a thick blanket.
’The three days are almost up.’
He was waiting—waiting for the force of repulsion to arrive.
HUMMM—
A golden light appeared around his body without any warning.
The light was warm and gentle, not at all blinding, yet it carried an immense, irresistible power.
It was as if countless invisible threads were descending from the void, gently enveloping him.
Fang Han’s eyes narrowed, and he gripped the mane on the Lion Demon’s back.
"Don’t resist!"
Fang Han barked.
As if it understood, the Lion Demon’s massive body went completely still, allowing the golden light to envelop it as well.
The next instant—
The world spun.
Fang Han felt the scene before him shift rapidly. The ancient, damp air vanished, replaced by a familiar dryness.
When he opened his eyes again, the man and the Demon were standing in the great hall of the Treasure Storage.
The cool light of the Luminous Pearls spilled down, illuminating the hall, which was as empty as ever.
The wall covered in golden runes had returned to normal, showing no signs of anything unusual.
The Lion Demon lay on the floor, its dark gold, vertical pupils warily scanning the unfamiliar surroundings as a low growl rumbled in its throat.
Fang Han glanced down at the Lion Demon, then surveyed his surroundings.
’This is the great hall of the Treasure Storage. I actually brought the Lion Demon out.’
Fang Han took a deep breath and swung himself off the Lion Demon’s back.
He reached out to pat the Lion Demon’s neck, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes.
"Since you’ve submitted to me, I’ll give you a name."
He pondered for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the Demon’s flame-like, crimson mane.
"Your body is as red as fire, so I’ll call you Chi Huo."
The Lion Demon—Chi Huo—let out a low whimper and rubbed its massive head against Fang Han’s arm.
Fang Han turned, his gaze sweeping past the wall behind him and across the entire hall.
After a moment’s thought, he circulated his Inner Qi to erase all footprints and traces they had left in the hall.
He then checked the entire hall again to confirm that not a single trace was left behind.
With that done, Fang Han swung himself onto Chi Huo’s back.
Chi Huo seemed to understand. It set off on its four powerful legs, heading out through the passage they had come from.
The dull thud of its giant claws on the stone slabs echoed through the empty passage.
A moment later, Chi Huo carried Fang Han out of the underground hall.
Behind them, the massive cliff face rose once more, sealing the entrance seamlessly.
Vines dangled and moss clung to its surface, making it indistinguishable from the surrounding cliffs.
Fang Han glanced back at the cliff face, then looked away.
"Let’s go."
Chi Huo let out a low roar. Pushing off with all four paws, its massive body shot forward like a crimson whirlwind, racing toward the valley exit.
The golden evening sun fell upon the giant, flame-red lion, plating its mane in a brilliant light.
Fang Han sat atop Chi Huo’s back, his green robes whipping in the wind.
The journey back to the Qingxuan Sect from here would take at least ten days on foot—ten days that would be wasted traveling.
But with a mount, he could meditate and cultivate while on the move.
The benefits of having a mount were immediately clear.