Chapter 480: Unexpected, Yet Reasonable!
Chapter 480: Unexpected, Yet Reasonable!
The second hidden danger was located even deeper than the first.
From this, it was clear that Rong Long had truly intended to stir up major trouble.
After all, these were insects specifically bred to devour Spirit Veins and mineral veins. Merely gathering them would take considerable time, let alone rearing them.
“Hmm?”
“There is actually an egg!”
“Could it be that Yang Zhenyue never came here?!”
The location of the second hidden danger was also within a mineral vein.
Compared to the first Spirit Iron vein, this second one was a rarer Black Iron vein.
This material was specifically used for refining Spirit Weapons and Magical Artifacts, so it was in very high demand.Beside the Black Iron vein, precisely at the spot marked by Yang Zhenyue, there was indeed something this time—an egg.
It appeared quite large, roughly the size of a human head.
It was entirely black, lacking any patterns, and looked completely unremarkable.
However, appearing exactly where the hidden danger was supposed to be meant it was definitely not simple.
Jiang Chen swept it with his Divine Sense and discovered an extremely faint aura of life within: “With an egg this large, how big must the insect be?”
But upon further thought, he felt something was amiss.
Perhaps the true hidden danger had already been captured or had moved on.
Only this egg was left behind, waiting to hatch and continue devouring the Black Iron vein.
Thinking of this, Jiang Chen decisively stepped forward and gently lifted the egg with a wave of energy, taking the opportunity to examine it closely.
If he remembered correctly, there were roughly four types of spirit insects known to consume Black Iron veins.
They were the Iron-Devouring Insect, the Ore-Eating Insect, the Gold-Swallowing Ant, and the Black Iron Earthworm.
The first type was a symbiotic spirit insect, easily found near mineral veins.
However, their price was generally not high.
Because their primary use was to gnaw away material impurities, the majority of buyers were artifact refiners.
Most importantly, none of these four spirit insects laid such massive black eggs.
From this, it was clear that this was an exotic and exceedingly rare spirit insect.
However, even with the Myriad Insects Secret Record in his possession, Jiang Chen could not immediately identify it. Therefore, he could only store it away in his Square Inch Ring for the time being and deal with it later.
Then, going about his usual business, he set the Treasure Hunting Chisel to scour the mineral vein for rare ores.
Since only one of the three hidden dangers remained, there was no need to rush.
He walked on.
He continued his search.
After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he finally reaped a reward.
The Treasure Hunting Chisel locked onto a spot and immediately began hammering away with crisp ‘ding-ding-dong-dong’ sounds.
Watching this, Jiang Chen praised: “Very good. You are a highly qualified mining chisel!”
With this artifact around, he did not even need to lift a finger.
It hunted for treasures on its own, and excavated them of its own accord.
It seemed Jin Xuanzi’s talent in artifact refining was also exceptionally high.
One could even deduce that the senior had quite a fondness for mining.
Not long after, something distinctly different from the Black Iron ore emerged ahead.
Clusters pressed tightly against one another, resembling jagged tree branches.
The diameter of a single cluster was about five Cun.
They were entirely dark gray, harboring numerous tiny white bubbles within.
Their roots were tightly fused with the mineral vein, making it clear they could not be easily separated.
Jiang Chen suddenly realized: “This is a Black Iron Crystal Cluster, a type of foundational crystal.”
This material could not be hastily torn away; otherwise, the Spiritual Qi within would dissipate.
The best method was to first envelop it with Metal Spiritual Qi, then slowly peel it off bit by bit.
Furthermore, its growth cycle was just as agonizingly slow as the Spirit Iron Crystal from earlier; growing a single Cun took roughly a hundred years.
Its primary function was to be embedded into Spirit Weapons or Magical Artifacts, allowing them to automatically absorb Metal Spiritual Qi during daily use or combat.
Some cultivators would even embed this crystal near their Danzhong acupoint to accelerate their Spiritual Qi absorption rate.
However, excessive reliance on this method would lead to the hardening of one’s Meridians.
Overall, it was undeniably a fine treasure, and its market price was by no means low.
Jiang Chen did not hesitate. He raised his hand and released a faint wisp of his own Magic Power, enveloping the Black Iron Crystal Cluster before him. But instead of slowly peeling it off, he swiftly severed its connection.
After all, he was a Golden Core Perfected Master. With his far more refined control over Divine Sense and Magic Power, he naturally did not need to waste so much time.
Then, without a second glance, he tossed it straight into his Square Inch Ring.
Just like this, exploring and excavating as he went, he finally arrived at the third hidden danger two Shichen later.
However, to Jiang Chen’s surprise, the environment here was exceptionally unique.
It was a massive underground cavern.
There were mineral veins here, and more than just one.
There was even a Spirit Vein not far away.
Taking in the sight, Jiang Chen shook his head: “If it were just ordinary insects, Yang Zhenyue would not care in the slightest, not even bothering to manage them.
“But insects capable of affecting a Spirit Vein? He would have absolutely eradicated them.”
Unsurprisingly, the other party had swept through this area years ago, perhaps even more than once.
So far, out of the first two hidden danger locations, he had only found a single insect egg.
Although he had yet to approach this third location, or even cast a glance over it.
But the probability of any insects remaining was clearly minuscule.
No wonder Yang Zhenyue dared to let him explore alone; the Manager obviously knew the truth of the situation.
Sure enough, when Jiang Chen arrived at the third location marked by the other party—the final hidden danger—there was nothing but a sunken pit in the ground.
There might have been something here in the past, but it definitely had not survived until now.
Jiang Chen shook his head. Though slightly regretful, he understood. He then raised the Treasure Hunting Chisel and chuckled: “Hehe, good thing I also kept a trick up my sleeve.”
Since there were no insects to be found, he would just hunt for rare ores and minerals.
At this point, he had already raked in nearly several thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones anyway.
Following this trend, as long as he continued to find treasures, breaking ten thousand would be absolutely no problem.
Perhaps due to the ambient temperature being much higher here, all the mineral veins—aside from the Spirit Vein—were primarily attuned to the Fire attribute.
Just the ones Jiang Chen could recognize included Molten Iron Ore, Mysterious Steel Ore, Spirit Marrow Ore, and Sulfur Crystals.
Of course, harvesting all of this single-handedly was somewhat unrealistic.
Even as a Golden Core cultivator, he could not accomplish such a feat in a short amount of time.
Not to mention, all the underground mineral veins belonged to the Earth Vein and the Immortal Sect.
Only Earth Spirit Root disciples possessed the authority to excavate and harvest them.
Jiang Chen could only use this opportunity of hunting spirit insects and resolving hidden dangers to sneakily mine a little bit in unpopulated areas.
If he were discovered, he would have to hand it all over.
As if the Treasure Hunting Chisel had sensed its master’s ‘disappointed’ mood, it began darting back and forth across the various mineral veins at blistering speeds.
At first, it only emitted a steady yellow glow.
But as it ventured deeper, the intensity and frequency of its vibrations surged, and it truly uncovered quite a few rare ores and minerals.
These included Molten Iron Spirit Crystals, Greenwood Mysterious Steel, Spirit Marrow Jade Hearts, and Earth’s Core Burning Crystals.
All of these were classified as highly rare materials, so their market values ranged from several hundred to over a thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones each.
Before long, Jiang Chen’s haul for this trip easily broke the ten thousand mark.
Just as he was considering quitting while he was ahead, the entire cavern suddenly began to violently tremble.
Immediately after, a rock layer on the far side abruptly collapsed, and a wisp of Yellow Earth Essence drifted out!