CHAPTER 31: CHAPTER 31: CAVE-IN

The moment they entered, Paper Kite’s eyes lit up.

The place was decorated with rows of various crystals, many of which had been meticulously carved, including various ornaments and jewelry favored by women.

Shen Wang spotted a blue crystal shaped like a water drop, which seemed quite suitable for his daughter, so he picked it up: "I’ll take this one."

"Feel free to take anything displayed here," Cloud Immortal Footprint said with a smile.

He had brought the two over, hoping to sell more crystals; it was more beneficial than selling them elsewhere.

Shen Wang glanced at Paper Kite and placed a purple swan-shaped crystal necklace on her neck: "This is for you."

"Thank you, my love," Paper Kite replied.

Her face was flush with joy, not so much for the crystal’s value, but for Shen Wang’s sentiment.

Cloud Immortal Footprint was taken aback, then chuckled upon realizing: "So, Paper Kite is already with Wang. Congratulations."

He wasn’t too surprised; given Wang’s abilities, taking in Paper Kite was rather expected.

As Shen Wang found a swan-shaped crystal ornament for Jia’Er, the ground suddenly shook violently with the crystals.

"An earthquake?" Shen Wang wondered in surprise.

Cloud Immortal Footprint’s face changed dramatically: "This is bad."

He turned around and hurried out.

Paper Kite considered a possibility: "My love, could it be that the mines have collapsed?"

They reached the doorway to see dust rising in the distance; Shen Wang nodded: "It has indeed collapsed. Does this happen often?"

"I’m not exactly sure, but such fatal incidents shouldn’t be common. Otherwise, who would dare work here?" Paper Kite replied.

Observing that the ground was still vibrating, she asked curiously: "Why hasn’t it settled down?"

Shen Wang sensed something was wrong, jumped up onto the roof to survey, and saw rocks like a torrent rolling downward, filling up most of the pit and threatening to expand towards them.

"This is..." Shen Wang felt unsafe here; he quickly jumped down: "Major collapse; we need to get out."

He rushed to the warehouse, picked up his unfinished crystal, and ran out with Paper Kite.

Not just them; various carts and people were escaping amidst the tremors.

"Oh my, how did it collapse so fiercely this time?"

"Never has there been such a large collapse; everyone down there is buried."

"Run fast; let’s talk outside," people shouted as they fled in panic.

They noticed Shen Wang carrying a thousand-pound crystal, drawing their attention, yet soon found their escape blocked by rolling stones; even the exit area was collapsing.

"Damn, this is a sinkhole; the whole pit is being swallowed; run quickly!"

Cloud Immortal Footprint, who had gone to assess the situation, leaped through the falling debris like a monkey, avoiding stones while alerting everyone.

Shen Wang frowned: "How could there be such a massive sinkhole? Didn’t they reinforce the mines during extraction?"

He looked around and indeed found the surroundings were caving rapidly towards the center, much faster on the opposite side.

Just then, a semi-transparent light beam shot out from the center of the collapse, piercing the sky, thickening the nearby Spiritual Qi.

Shen Wang’s pupils contracted; he watched the fleeting light beam, but it disappeared quickly while the ground continued collapsing.

Others fled with their backs to the collapse, unnoticed by this change.

"Spiritual Qi light beam?" Shen Wang pondered, feeling a surge of concentrated Spiritual Qi erupting from beneath the collapse, likely linked to the Spiritual Light he saw.

Could there be a spirit vein below? If so, shouldn’t it have been occupied long ago unless...

Unless the spirit vein is deep enough to have remained undetected, hence the assumption that only crystals were present here.

With that reasoning, it made sense; it’s just unclear how large the spirit vein could be beneath.

Shen Wang’s expression changed.

A spirit vein is a special ore, and in the Cultivation World, it’s a significant source of Spirit Stones.

Regardless of what’s below, even a Spiritual Spring would be a valuable treasure.

Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is akin to flowing water, abundant in some places, scarce in others; in rich areas, it forms various Grotto Heaven Blessed Lands.

When the Spiritual Qi is dense enough, it can form Spiritual Eyes, Springs, or Veins, with veins being the most prized; Major Sects and families often establish themselves over mines.

For instance, the Shen Family only occupies a Spiritual Spring, a rare cultivation resource, providing a steady supply of pure Spiritual Spring and Qi as long as it’s preserved.

If something similar exists below.

Shen Wang’s eyes gleamed with greed but quickly shook his head.

If such a vein existed, it’s unlikely he could manage alone unless absolutely no one knew of it.

He watched the quickly buried pit, feeling hopeful inside.

Without lingering longer, he accelerated his pace, pulling Paper Kite swiftly to a safe area, then turned to observe the collapse.

Within a thousand-foot radius, the soil and stones were sinking into the former Celestial Crystal Cave, akin to mud flowing into a bottomless hole; the sight was terrifying.

"The power of the earth is too dreadful," Paper Kite remarked with lingering fear.

"I wonder how many people will be buried alive; it’s too tragic."

Cloud Immortal Footprint ran over drenched in sweat, breathless and despondent: "It’s over; everything is lost; a hundred years of efforts gone."

"How deep did you all dig?" Shen Wang was curious.

"Over a hundred feet deep, and generations have mined here for a century; these crystals supplied the entire Sun and Moon Dynasty, sustaining the whole town, and now it’s gone."

Cloud Immortal Footprint lamented.

"Crystals are bound to deplete someday," Shen Wang noted.

Cloud Immortal Footprint sighed: "Indeed, and long ago we shouldn’t have dug deeper; everyone knew the lower you go, the more dangerous, yet no one was willing to abandon this cash cow, risking more and more with increasing emptiness and danger below."

Shen Wang surveyed the settling collapse: "Is this crystal ore yours?"

"No, I only have the purchase and mining rights; the ore belongs to one branch of the family; Paper Kite is more familiar with it," Cloud Immortal Footprint replied.

"Then you shouldn’t need to compensate much," Shen Wang observed the vast land, assuming buying here wouldn’t just require money.

"Alas, the compensation is substantial; I’m responsible for extracting the crystals here, and I must pay for casualties. These years of work have been in vain," Cloud Immortal Footprint lamented bitterly.

"I won’t keep you; you should leave, since mining won’t resume soon," Cloud Immortal Footprint advised.

"Then we’ll take our leave," Shen Wang concluded.

He didn’t mention buying the mine; expressing such intentions now would be peculiar.