Chapter 57: Dire Omen!

Jiang Fan was carried through the air by Elder Mo Ling, and directly brought to what appeared to be a desolate region.

Everywhere in this place were towering mining mountains, and many disciples wearing the gray, haggard-looking robes of the Illusory Demon Sect's miscellaneous servants were trudging back and forth along the paths of the mines.

Elder Mo Ling, however, could not even be bothered to spare those menial laborer disciples a single glance. In her eyes, these people were likely unworthy of her paying them any serious attention.

And reasonably so; as a dignified elder of the Illusory Demon Sect, how could she possibly care about these menial miners whose innate talent was abysmal to the extreme?

There were two kinds of miscellaneous disciples in the Illusory Demon Sect: one type served the sect's official disciples and elders, while the other was used for the most hazardous mining work.

The disciples assigned to mining were invariably the ones with the lowest status, the least standing, and the most worthless talent.

"Greetings, Elder. May I ask what brings you here?" Steward Wang, who managed the mining field, asked respectfully as soon as he saw Mo Ling personally arrive, quickly bowing in salute.

"This brat will stay here with you from now on. Arrange mining work for him!" Mo Ling said, not even sparing Jiang Fan a single look before turning to leave directly.

As she flew away, she did not forget to transmit her voice: "Remember, I do not wish to ever see this brat again. Once it's done, this elder will reward you handsomely!"

"Rest assured, Elder, I will definitely arrange an exceptionally wonderful spot for him to mine!" Steward Wang hurriedly gave a solemn guarantee, adding with a smile, "Safe journey, Elder!"

When Steward Wang uttered the words "exceptionally wonderful," they were unmistakably laced with a ruthless intent.

Jiang Fan was no fool; naturally, he could hear some of the deeper implications hidden within that sentence.

Yet he had no other choice right now; he could only wait and see how Steward Wang intended to arrange things for him.

"Brat, since you were brought here by Elder Mo Ling, this steward will assign you to Mining Cave No. 00123. Remember, you must hand over two pieces of Fiery Red Stone every month, otherwise, your cultivation will be crippled and you will be driven out of the sect!" Steward Wang spoke indifferently, and then handed Jiang Fan a storage pouch, saying, "This storage pouch contains your daily necessities, as well as a foundational cultivation technique for the Qi Refining stage. Take it."

"Thank many thanks, Steward Wang!" Jiang Fan hurriedly took the storage pouch in pleasant surprise, his heart filled with yearning.

"Your immortal cave is also numbered 00123 on the eastern side; go find it yourself. Marked with the number 00123, you are currently the only person mining in this specific cave. You had better mine diligently, otherwise you will be expelled from the sect." Steward Wang instructed.

"Thank you for the reminder, Steward Wang. I will certainly work hard at mining to complete the task." Jiang Fan nodded to express his gratitude.

"Go on then!" Steward Wang said impatiently.

Watching Jiang Fan's departing back, Steward Wang's expression instantly twisted into a sneer as he muttered to himself, "Brat, just how did you manage to offend Elder Mo Ling? You are truly courting death! The outer perimeter of Mining Cave No. 00123 has already been practically hollowed out, and it's virtually impossible to dig up any more Fiery Red Stones. If you want to find Fiery Red Stones, you'll have to venture deep into the cave... But the depths of that cave harbor terrifying perils...

More than a dozen miners have already died in the depths of Mining Cave No. 00123, so you won't survive long either!

I just wonder when you'll draw your last breath.

Once you're dead, this steward can go collect my reward from Elder Mo Ling!"

Steward Wang sneered repeatedly in his heart, a flash of murderous intent crossing his eyes: "Even if you have some good luck, brat, and manage not to die in the mine, this steward has countless ways to quietly and seamlessly wipe you out!"

...

Although Jiang Fan had a rough guess that Steward Wang harbored malicious intentions, the moment he saw Steward Wang's name inscribed upon the Great Dao Heavenly Book, his expression instantly turned fascinating.

"Steward Wang actually wants to kill me? Could it be Elder Mo Ling? It must be her; she is the one who wants me dead! Very well, excellent indeed! Just because my talent was poor and caused her to lose face, she wants me dead?" A cold glint flashed through Jiang Fan's eyes, but then he suddenly thought of something and muttered to himself, "No, if Elder Mo Ling wanted me dead, why isn't her name on the Great Dao Heavenly Book? It seems there is more to this matter than meets the eye...

Forget it, I won't dwell on that for now. It's better to get settled first."

Looking at the massive mining field, Jiang Fan found himself momentarily disoriented regarding the cardinal directions, so he immediately decided to find a senior brother to ask for directions.

"Junior brother, you look very unfamiliar. Are you new here? Can't find the way to your immortal cave? Would you like this senior brother to point the way?" A middle-aged man who looked quite amiable walked over and asked with a smile.

"Greetings, Senior Brother!" Jiang Fan offered a polite bow before asking, "This junior brother has just arrived at the mine and doesn't know the way to Immortal Cave No. 00123."

"Immortal Cave No. 00123? Are you saying the mine assigned to you is also No. 00123?" The middle-aged man was greatly startled and hurriedly asked, "Junior brother, are you certain you aren't mistaken?"

Several nearby miners were also drawn over, every single one of their expressions turning exceptionally unsightly.

"The mine assigned to this junior brother is indeed No. 00123. May I ask if there is a problem, Senior Brother?" Jiang Fan could not help but ask.

"It really is! This is a massive problem... Let's talk as we walk! It's such a pity that you are still so young, Junior Brother; I'm afraid it won't be long before we stop seeing you around! Alas!" The middle-aged man sighed. "Speaking of this Mining Cave No. 00123, legend has it that back in the day, it was the mine that yielded the highest amount of Fiery Red Stones. Countless miners would vie fiercely just to secure a spot to mine in Mining Cave No. 00123, often to no avail.

Yet, a hundred years ago, a sudden catastrophic disaster struck Mining Cave No. 00123. Every single miner inside the cave perished, leaving not a single survivor!

I heard that later on, powerful figures from the Illusory Demon Sect personally came to investigate, but they too suffered heavy casualties and lost many elite warriors. It is even said that a proud heaven-gifted prodigy died a miserable death deep within that cave...

Ever since then! No one has been willing to go near Mining Cave No. 00123! Only those who have committed grave offenses against the sect, or pitiful wretches who have offended prominent figures in the sect, are assigned to mine in this cave... I never expected that you, Junior Brother... Alas! Junior Brother, this senior brother has told you everything that needs to be said. If possible, you should go plead for mercy and ask Steward Wang to reassign you to a different mine!

Old brother here is exhausted from a whole day's work and must head back to rest. Take care!

Oh, right, your mine is over there, in the most isolated corner. You can go find it yourself..."

As the middle-aged man spoke, he walked away.

Jiang Fan blankly watched the departing back of the middle-aged man, a turbulent mix of emotions welling up in his heart.

He could not help but lament that life truly was like walking on thin ice. His background had been tragic the moment he transmigrated, and after finally managing to enter a demonic immortal-cultivating sect like the Illusory Demon Sect, he had offended a big shot simply because his talent was too poor, leading to his assignment to such a perilous mine.

Jiang Fan even felt that if he failed to produce the Fiery Red Stones within a month, Steward Wang would never let him off easy!

"No, I must find more enemies and record their names in the Great Dao Heavenly Book so that I can be truly safe..." Thinking along these lines, Jiang Fan quickly walked toward the direction where his immortal cave was located.

Twilight was already descending, casting dim shadows all around, and he was eager to get some proper rest.

He had been living under immense pressure lately, and now he could finally look forward to a sound and secure sleep.

He walked toward the eastern side of the massive mining field. After walking for a full quarter of an hour, he finally located his immortal cave in an extremely secluded corner.

This cave, numbered 00123, appeared thoroughly desolate, overgrown with weeds all around, clearly having been uninhabited for a very long time.

The cave was quite spacious, and at a glance, it was obvious it had never been intended as a single-person dwelling.

"For this immortal cave to have become this desolate, it really does look like no one has lived here for ages! What that senior brother said earlier must be true... Steward Wang is indeed plotting against me..." Jiang Fan wore an ugly expression, but he had no choice. Under the eaves, one had to bow one's head.

After simply clearing out a room and preparing to get a good night's sleep, he suddenly remembered the storage pouch Steward Wang had given him.

"Inside this storage pouch, there seems to be a cultivation technique of the Illusory Demon Sect. I wonder what grade it is?" With a look of eager anticipation, Jiang Fan forced a drop of blood onto the storage pouch to claim ownership, then retrieved the sole cultivation manual from inside and began flipping through it with high expectations.