Rise of the Wang Clan: Starting with a Portable Farm

Chapter 230: Spirit Vein and Cave Dwelling

The binding power of a Blood Oath was not absolute. If the Xuan Yin Python ever surpassed Wang Guang’an in cultivation rank, it could shatter the bond by paying a heavy price in blood essence.

Wang Guang’an, however, was unconcerned. Demon Beasts advanced at a glacial pace compared to humans. Even if this python broke through to the Third Rank immediately, it would only be on par with Wang Guang’an’s early Golden Core stage. It would remain bound. At a minimum, he had secured a powerful servant for the next hundred years. That was pure profit. If the day came when he could no longer control it, he would simply design a trap and kill it.

Wang Hao retrieved an empty Spirit Beast Bag from his belt. He always carried extras for exactly this kind of serendipitous encounter. He handed it to the Ancestor.

Wang Guang’an beckoned with his hand. The massive python, its eyes filled with reluctance, shrank rapidly until it was a streak of black light that vanished into the bag.

“Let’s widen this fissure,” Wang Guang’an said, pocketing the bag. “We need to see what lies beyond.”

“Agreed.”

Not knowing the structural integrity of the rock, Wang Guang’an dared not use explosive techniques. If he collapsed the tunnel, they would lose whatever secrets lay inside.

He summoned his Second Rank Spirit Sword—his Middle Grade Magical Artifact, the fan, was ill-suited for mining—and began to carve. Despite his immense Qi reserves, the mundane tool limited his speed. Wang Hao joined him, chipping away at the stone.

The tunnel stretched for dozens of zhang. Fortunately, it was standard limestone, not reinforced ore. The sound of metal striking rock echoed rhythmically, accompanied by the splashing of the underground stream.

An hour later, they were deep inside.

Wang Guang’an punched the final obstruction, shattering a massive boulder.

WHOOSH!

A deluge of water erupted from the breach.

“Watch out!” Wang Guang’an grabbed Wang Hao’s collar, anchoring him against the sudden torrent. “There’s another pool inside, and the water level is higher!”

The pressure equalized quickly as the water drained into the lower river. Once the flow stabilized, they stepped through.

They found themselves in a massive inner cavern, dominated by a subterranean lake dozens of miles in diameter. But what shocked them was the lakebed. It was perfectly flat, paved with massive slabs of green stone. Faint, glowing lines of ancient restrictions crisscrossed the floor, and potent wisps of Spiritual Qi leaked from the seams.

They exchanged a look of realization.

The core Spirit Vein lies directly beneath this lake.

“Let’s check the shore first,” Wang Guang’an commanded. They flew out of the water and landed on a wide stone platform.

The ceiling here was studded with white luminescent crystals, bathing the cavern in a soft, perpetual twilight. Rows of cave dwellings were carved into the cliff faces—the living quarters of the ancient Gui Ran Sect disciples.

They ignored the common dwellings. Their eyes locked onto the most prominent structure: a three-story pavilion built directly into the cavern wall. It was constructed entirely of spirit materials and remained pristine despite the passage of millennia.

Wang Guang’an fired a probing bolt of Qi at the building.

Hum.

A barrier shimmered into existence. It was a high-grade formation, stronger than even the Wang family’s mountain-protecting array.

“A Third Rank Formation,” Wang Guang’an noted. “But without a Third Rank Spirit Vein to power it, it has degraded significantly.”

A decaying formation powered by a damaged vein was no match for a Golden Core cultivator. It took them less than fifteen minutes to breach the entrance.

They stepped into a grand hall covering thousands of square meters. Rows of desks lined the walls.

“This must be the administrative center for the mine,” Wang Hao deduced.

“Search it,” Wang Guang’an ordered. “Look for records, maps, anything useful.”

They split up. Wang Hao approached a desk cluttered with writing implements. He picked up a bound book, hoping to read the dense text on the cover.

Poof.

The book disintegrated into dust in his hands.

“Too old,” Wang Hao muttered, disappointment washing over him. He switched his focus to jade slips, which were far more durable. But even these had succumbed to the ravages of time; the low-grade jade used for administrative tasks had cracked and lost its data centuries ago.

“Nothing here,” Wang Guang’an called out from the other side. “Let’s check the upper floors.”

The second floor was a conference hall. Empty.

The third floor was a residence for the mine overseer. Aside from some decayed furniture and everyday items, it was bare.

“Ancestor, we’re in the wrong place,” Wang Hao realized. “This is just an office. The real treasures would be in the warehouse or the private dwellings of the high-ranking cultivators.”

They abandoned the administrative hall and turned their attention to the cliff-side dwellings.

On the left, there were dozens of small, tightly packed caves—likely for ordinary disciples. On the right, there were only nine, spaced widely apart. These were clearly for the elite.

They split up to sweep the nine elite caves, agreeing to meet in the middle.

Wang Hao smashed the decaying wards of the first cave. Empty. Just a simple meditation room.

The second cave. Empty.

The Gui Ran Sect must have evacuated in an organized manner, stripping the place clean before they left.

By the fourth cave, Wang Hao finally struck gold. It was an Earth Fire Hall for alchemy. The cauldron was gone, and the fire vents were sealed, but in the corner lay a small, neglected medicine garden.

Most of the plants had withered to dust, but a few stalks of Purple Spirit Grass had survived, reseeding themselves over generations. They were now over a thousand years old.

Wang Hao harvested them carefully. Value: over 100,000 Spirit Stones. Not a bad haul.

He exited and found Wang Guang’an standing before the final, central cave.

“I checked four,” the Ancestor reported. “Two residences, empty. One smithy, just some scrap ore. One warehouse, stripped bare.”

“I found some herbs,” Wang Hao said. “But the main prize is still missing.”

They looked at the final cave. The restrictions here were visibly stronger than the others. It took their combined efforts nearly an hour to batter down the barrier.

Crack.

The stone door shattered.

Inside, there was no room. Instead, a long, winding tunnel sloped sharply downward, leading back toward the underground lake.

As they descended, the rock walls changed. They became transparent, like glass.

They were walking through a tunnel made of crystal, submerged beneath the water of the lake. The walls glowed with a soft, refracted light, illuminating the still, dark water outside like an underwater observation deck.

It was beautiful and eerie.

They tread carefully on the glass-like floor. With every step deeper, the Spiritual Qi grew denser and heavier.

“This tunnel,” Wang Guang’an whispered, his voice echoing slightly, “must lead directly into the heart of the Spirit Vein.”