Chapter 60

Ningning continued, "This mine used to have a large amount of magic silver ore, but after decades of mining, it has completely dried up. Most of the gold-eating beasts were either killed or have left, and now only a few very weak ones remain, surviving on the remnants of the magic silver."

So, this place is the most suitable for hunting gold elemental cores.

Ximen Ningning said, "The abandoned mine is very deep, winding and twisting for dozens of miles, but there shouldn't be more than a few dozen gold-eating beasts in total, and they are very sparsely distributed. As long as we don't go too deep, there shouldn't be much danger."

From what Ximen Ningning said, this almost seemed like a perfect place for Yang Dingtian to hunt for gold elemental cores alone.

"How far is this abandoned mine?" Yang Dingtian asked.

"Not far, it's 800 miles northwest of Cloud Peak City," Ximen Ningning replied. "But the only problem is that the abandoned mine belongs to the Northwest Qin Family. People from other forces are not allowed to enter. If we are discovered, there will be a lot of trouble, especially for you."

The Northwest Qin Family could be considered the mortal enemies of Cloud Peak City. Their open and covert struggles have never stopped. After Ximen Wuyan's disappearance, the Northwest Qin Family has openly plotted to annex Cloud Peak City.

Now, this abandoned magic silver mine is within the territory of the Northwest Qin Family.

"The Northwest Qin City is over 3,000 miles away, and the abandoned mine is 800 miles away, all within their territory. Is the Northwest Qin Family's territory really that large?" Yang Dingtian asked in surprise.

"Of course, their territory is over 3,000 miles," Ximen Ningning replied. "Our Cloud Peak City has been in decline for too long, while the Northwest Qin Family has been strong for hundreds of years, so their sphere of influence is more than two to three times larger than ours. We couldn't expand beyond 1,000 miles because we were already bordering the Northwest Qin Family."

In that case, this abandoned mine is almost the perfect place for Yang Dingtian to hunt for gold elemental cores, but there is another kind of danger. The Northwest Qin Family is now eyeing Cloud Peak City with covetous intent, and their young master has a particular interest in Yan Yan. They would certainly hate Yang Dingtian to the bone.

"Is the mine guarded all the time? Is it a key area for the Northwest Qin Family?" Yang Dingtian asked.

"Not really, the mine has been abandoned for many years and no one cares about it. But it's on the border between the two families, so there are many outposts, especially secret outposts," Ximen Ningning said.

Putting these matters aside, Yang Dingtian asked, "Ningning, the Northwest Continent is fire-based, so how can there be ice-type beasts? You said there are ice-type beasts in the abandoned mine. What's going on?"

"I also find it very surprising, because it's completely impossible," Ningning said. "Zhiyu told me that these ice-type beasts only appeared in the last month or so. About a month ago, there was a major earthquake in the abandoned magic silver mine, and a huge crack formed. From deep underground, a pool of unfrozen water emerged, colder than ice but never freezing. A few ice-type beasts live in this unfrozen water pool."

"Does that mean these few ice-type beasts are almost the only ice-type beasts on the Northwest Continent?" Yang Dingtian asked.

"That's right," Ximen Ningning said.

"Then we must go, no matter how dangerous it is," Yang Dingtian thought. "Master, what is the approximate temperature of the unfrozen water?"

"According to Earth's standards, it's about minus 80 degrees Celsius," Dongfang Niemi said. "Only those with a yang-type mystic vein of the eighth rank or higher can withstand it. However, it's truly strange that unfrozen water would appear here, in a fire-based continent."

Dongfang Niemi's tone was not only surprised but also somewhat tense.

"Is unfrozen water very rare?" Yang Dingtian asked.

"It's extremely rare on a fire-based continent, almost impossible to form, unless..." Dongfang Niemi said excitedly, "Unless a very high-temperature substance is generated deep in the earth, which over hundreds or thousands of years absorbs all the surrounding heat, making the surrounding water colder and colder. Due to special reasons, it cannot freeze, thus becoming unfrozen water."

Yang Dingtian's heart trembled, and he immediately thought of a possibility, asking in a trembling voice, "Master, what kind of substance requires the absorption of a large amount of heat to form? Could it be...?"

Yang Dingtian thought of Blood Black Gold, which he needed to forge a soul sword. This material was extremely hard to find, and a large amount was required to forge a soul sword.

"There are many substances that require the absorption of a large amount of heat to form, but only a few can absorb so much heat that they produce unfrozen water," Dongfang Niemi said. "One of them is... Blood Black Gold. However, the probability of this is still very, very low. It's more likely to be other fire-type crystals or ores, and the probability of Blood Black Gold is still very, very low."

Yang Dingtian asked, "Why is the probability of Blood Black Gold so low?"

"Because the formation of a pool of unfrozen water indicates a very large vein. Blood Black Gold has never been found in large veins. The largest Blood Black Gold mine I've encountered had only about forty pieces, and the largest I've heard of had only 99 pieces," Dongfang Niemi said.

Yang Dingtian calmed his excitement. Regardless of whether there was Blood Black Gold under the unfrozen water, he had to visit the abandoned mine.

"Ningning, do many people know about this?" Yang Dingtian asked. "About the ice-type beasts in the abandoned mine and the unfrozen water?"

"No, at least not in the short term," Ningning said.

"I've made my decision, I'm going to the abandoned mine," Yang Dingtian said.

Ningning looked at Yang Dingtian for a long time, then nodded and said, "I'll go with you and help you avoid the Northwest Qin Family's secret outposts."

"Great!" Yang Dingtian said.

"Then go to sleep, I'll prepare some things, and we'll leave early tomorrow morning," Ningning said.

******

The next morning, Yang Dingtian and Ximen Ningning rode the Ethereal Ray, heading west toward the abandoned mine. Despite carrying two people and a lot of things, the Ethereal Ray was still light and agile, flying fast and steadily in the high sky.

"Xiaotian, have you heard of Qin Shaobai?" Ximen Ningning suddenly asked.

Yang Dingtian's heart skipped a beat, thinking of the Yang Qi he had killed.

"I've heard of him," Yang Dingtian said. "He is the third son of the Qin Family's patriarch and Qin Huaiyu's younger brother."

When Yang Dingtian mentioned Qin Huaiyu's name with hostility, Ningning couldn't help but smile. It was this Qin Huaiyu who wanted to take Yan Yan as his wife.

"That's right, but Qin Shaobai has another identity," Ximen Ningning continued. "He is also the nephew of Elder Yang Yan. When Elder Yang Yan was purging the opposition within the Yang Family, he married his daughter, Yang Shishi, to the Qin Family's patriarch as a concubine to protect himself."

Ningning continued, "Originally, we had no direct relationship with Qin Shaobai. However, a few days ago, the Qin Family's patriarch divorced his second wife, Yang Shishi, and expelled Qin Shaobai from the Northwest Qin Family. Qin Shaobai changed his name to Yang Shaobai and will soon return to Cloud Peak City. Do you know what this means?"

"Qin Shaobai is coming to seize the position of City Lord of Cloud Peak City," Yang Dingtian said.

Seeing that Yang Dingtian wasn't too surprised, Ningning was slightly taken aback and said, "That's right, Qin Shaobai is coming to seize the position of City Lord of Cloud Peak City. He has the support of Elder Yang Yan from within and the support of the Northwest Qin Family from outside, so he will be your biggest rival for the position of City Lord."

"What is his cultivation level?" Yang Dingtian asked.

"An eighth-rank Mystic Warrior," Ximen Ningning said. "And he is only seventeen years old."

"Compared to Yan Yan five years ago?" Yang Dingtian asked.

"He is a bit weaker," Ximen Ningning said. "Yan Yan has the highest Mystic Vein talent in Cloud Peak City in nearly a century. If it weren't for what happened five years ago, she might have become the first female City Lord of Cloud Peak City."

Yang Dingtian hesitated for a moment and then asked, "What exactly happened five years ago?"

"Hasn't Yan Yan told you?" Ximen Ningning asked.

Yang Dingtian shook his head and said, "She hasn't told me, but every time this topic comes up, she shows great pain, as if her heart is being torn apart."

"That is her deepest wound, her greatest heartache," Ximen Ningning said. "Since she hasn't told you yet, it means you haven't melted her heart. When you truly win her heart, she will tell you herself. So I don't have the right to tell you. If you want to know, you need to enter her heart and let her tell you herself."

Ximen Ningning sighed softly and said, "In the past few years, Yan Yan has deliberately acted domineering and rude, as if she is very happy. But in the past five years, she has never truly been happy. That incident hurt her deeply. Until she resolves this heartache, she will never be truly happy. To heal her inner wounds and make her truly happy, it will depend on you, Xiaotian!"

Yang Dingtian nodded.

"In five days, there will be a great opportunity," Ximen Ningning smiled. "I don't know what method you will use to break through in five days, but I believe you can definitely do it. Once you succeed, your previous persistence and the conflicts between you and her will be seen as correct and deeply imprinted in her heart. At that time, you will become a true strong person in her heart, and you will be one step closer to her heart!"

Yang Dingtian smiled and said, "Ningning, you seem to know a lot about relationships."

Ningning's face turned slightly red, and she said softly, "I'm already 28 years old."

"Why haven't you married? Hasn't there been a man who has moved your heart?" Yang Dingtian couldn't help but ask, but he regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth.