Chapter 734 - 662: Ascend to the Peak 61, 4000 Words
Although facing the Spirit Stone Mine, no one can resist the temptation to secretly take it over for themselves. This is money—countless money! But craving it is one thing, truly wanting to take it over, losing all rationality, is quite another.
Speaking of the Tan Family, it is said that the first generation Family Head rose to prominence because they discovered an incredibly large Spirit Stone Mine. After the discovery, the first generation Family Head had the foresight and determination to report the discovery directly to the country.
Afterwards, they steadily and safely took the state-approved share of the Spirit Stones, going through proper channels, to freely spend and develop the family with substantial, clean profits.
The Spirit Stone Mine discovered by the first Family Head was incredibly large, continuing to be mined for three hundred years. Of course, during this time, they allowed for recuperation to give the mine a chance to generate more Spirit Stones, rather than constantly overmining. Even so, it was an immense, incalculable fortune.
In these three hundred years, the Tan Family, relying on the mine’s shares, grew from a small family of only a dozen or so members into one of the major forces in Qingyun City, laying a solid foundation for Tan Family to dominate and stand out in Qingyun City.
This shows that discovering a Spirit Stone Mine is indeed a great blessing, but the precondition is not to be greedy. Once greed arises, what is a great benefit can quickly turn into misfortune, just like a small family that was exterminated.
The starting point for this small family was much better than the Tan Family’s first generation. After all, they were a family with a few dozen members, not particularly few. The Tan Family originally had only a dozen members.
This small family could have developed like the Tan Family. Unfortunately, they were shortsighted and excessively greedy, just like the Bai Family in Mangshui City, who squandered a good hand and ended up with a broken family.
Knowing that the group who annihilated this small family likely already took over the Spirit Stone Mine, Tan Shuangshuang and Fei Hu didn’t directly enter the mine to investigate. Instead, they found a place to lie low and observe the situation first.
Tan Shuangshuang again used her method of concealing her aura from when she tracked the Evil Cultivator, ensuring no one would find her. Fei Hu was a Magic Beast; before shedding its beast form and morphing into a human shape, it couldn’t cultivate or use any Martial Techniques and Cultivation Techniques meant for humans.
To prevent Fei Hu from disrupting the situation, Tan Shuangshuang didn’t plan to have it approach the Spirit Stone Mine to observe like she did; instead, she instructed Fei Hu to find a spot to keep watch from afar, avoiding detection or confrontation. If discovered or targeted, it should flee quickly, prioritizing its own safety.
After cautioning Fei Hu like a concerned mother, Tan Shuangshuang watched it leave. Only then did she suppress her aura and move cautiously towards the nearby Spirit Stone Mine’s entrance.
Tan Shuangshuang moved very carefully. Although she’d already concealed her aura to avoid detection, she remained cautious as she approached the mine’s entrance. But as she neared the entrance, she suddenly found herself with no path ahead!
Tan Shuangshuang instantly realized something was amiss. She was too familiar with such unusual circumstances, immediately suspecting that she had entered some Array, capable of silently shifting landscapes—it was likely an Illusion Array.
Tan Shuangshuang’s guess was correct. After the force secretly took over the Spirit Stone Mine from the exterminated small family, they set up an Illusion Array at the entrance, not using an Array Plate but directly arranging an Array.
This was immediately apparent to Tan Shuangshuang, trapped within the Illusion Array, presenting a tricky situation. While an Array Plate is inanimate and easier to destroy, an Array requires a Mage for its setup and control, implying that among the adversaries is a Mage—bad news for Tan Shuangshuang.
Illusion Arrays generally possess the ability to discern truth and banish illusions, making Tan Shuangshuang’s disguise potentially ineffective against the Array. Now, the issue is not whether she can successfully sneak into the mine for a closer look, but whether she’ll be discovered!
Tan Shuangshuang felt slightly anxious. She had never studied Arrays and knew nothing about them, making it difficult to discern the intricacies.
Nonetheless, despite never having studied Arrays, Tan Shuangshuang understood some basic knowledge about Arrays and had even learned some techniques for breaking them.