They felt a rich spiritual energy surge towards them. The deeper they went, the stronger their perception became – it was the spiritual energy radiating from the crystals. The more advanced the crystal ore vein, the greater the spiritual energy fluctuation they could sense.
However, Zhou Yan sensed something different. He stopped, closed his eyes, then ran to the stone wall. He circulated his Yin Yang Qi, channeling it into the wall, seeking to explore its secrets.
Zhang Liang did not disturb Zhou Yan, having already guessed that their lord might have discovered something.
Previously, out of curiosity, Zhou Yan had used his refined soul power to probe the entire mine. Although his mental strength had diminished tenfold in terms of data, his actual strength had increased severalfold.
As he explored, he unexpectedly found a spot that emitted a strong force, blocking his mental energy. This was highly unusual.
This was precisely why he wanted to find this location.
He not only used his soul power but also his spiritual energy to explore. With both powers at work, they indeed discovered an area that felt different.
"Let's go!" Zhou Yan said, then quickly advanced several kilometers. He turned to the mining foreman and instructed, "Bring ten miners here and dig through this section."
"Yes." The foreman walked further into the mine passage.
"Is there something fishy going on here?" Zhang Liang inquired.
"There's an empty cave in here, and a force is blocking my mental energy. It seems there's something inside, and it's definitely not ordinary. We'll know once we dig through the passage," Zhou Yan replied.
"Then your subordinate is also quite curious about what could attract the lord here," Zhang Liang responded.
Before long, the foreman, accompanied by ten miners, arrived. Two other individuals also came.
"Lord." The two addressed Zhou Yan.
"Yan Chixia, Wu Song, aren't you supposed to be on city defense duty in the territory? What are you doing here?" Zhou Yan asked.
Zhang Liang cupped his hands and explained, "I asked them to come down. After all, with so many defense towers in our territory, we don't require both of them. I was worried about any unexpected incidents in the mine, where defense towers cannot function, so I had them oversee the security of various mines."
"I see. That's good. You are indeed thoughtful. For such a large ore vein, we do need to be cautious of monsters that might hide underground," Zhou Yan nodded.
He then instructed the ten miners, "Dig inwards from here at an incline for about a kilometer."
"Yes."
Hearing this, Zhang Liang realized the depth involved – a full kilometer!
Wu Song and Yan Chixia, upon hearing this, became immediately curious. "Lord, what are you digging for? Could there be even better ore inside?"
Zhang Liang seized the opportunity. "Lord, since they are here, why not have them accompany us down later?"
Zhang Liang did not want Zhou Yan to go down alone. Only Wu Song and Yan Chixia could accompany Zhou Yan, so he naturally made this suggestion.
Wu Song and Yan Chixia immediately stepped forward. "Lord, Minister Zhang is right. Please take us with you. We can still lend a hand."
Zhou Yan considered for a moment and said, "Alright."
The ten miners dug with remarkable speed, as these were not ore veins. In less than half an hour, they succeeded.
"Reporting to the lord, we have reached an empty cave. It appears to have been here for a long time."
"Finally, it's open," Zhou Yan smiled. He then looked back at Zhang Liang and said, "Zhang Liang, you don't need to go down. You can wait outside for me."
"Lord, this…"
"The outside cannot be left unattended for too long. Return to the territory and manage the overall situation. I will be fine, you can rest assured."
After speaking, Zhou Yan directly left with Yan Chixia and Wu Song.
Zhang Liang had no choice but to leave. He intended to return to the territory and organize some personnel to follow Zhou Yan there. He was genuinely worried and felt it would be better to bring more people.
Inside the cave.
Zhou Yan, accompanied by Wu Song and Yan Chixia, entered the cave. They observed the surrounding stone walls, which were remarkably smooth, clearly having been deliberately polished.
They took out their illumination crystals, and the entire cave was illuminated. It was vast, wide, and long.
"Lord, which direction should we take?" Wu Song asked, looking at the passages.
As soon as Yan Chixia arrived, he sensed something was amiss. "Lord, why do I feel a strong Yin energy here? It's as if ten thousand ghosts are rising towards the heavens. Lord, this place portends great misfortune!"
Zhou Yan looked at Yan Chixia, who was specifically a ghost hunter and highly sensitive to spectral phenomena. If even he felt this way, it meant the place was even more problematic.
"Yan Chixia, are you saying there are ghosts here?" Zhou Yan asked.
He too felt a powerful Yin energy. The overwhelming Yin energy here was undoubtedly a gathering place for ghosts and monsters.
"Let's go and see!" Zhou Yan declared.
They headed towards where the Yin energy was concentrated.
Before long, they saw a massive iron gate standing before them, with four large chains linking it, as if to lock away the monster within.
This was clearly a grand tomb!
Upon arriving, Yan Chixia's hair stood on end. He felt an immense power and became disoriented. "Lord, Lord, Lord, I feel an extremely terrifying Yin energy. This place is too terrifying; please do not open this door lightly."
"This grand gate has remained unopened for so long. It's best not to tamper with it carelessly, lest we unleash something that would be disastrous," Yan Chixia pleaded.
Zhou Yan attempted to probe inside with his mental energy but was blocked. This must be the same force that had obstructed him earlier. His mental energy could not penetrate even an inch.
However, he himself felt a terrifying Yin energy, a threat that was formidable but not insurmountable.
He was determined to open this grand tomb today.
Yet, to prevent the creatures inside from escaping, he needed to make all necessary preparations. He couldn't let them harm the miners outside.
Suddenly, he thought of something and quickly contacted Bai Qi, saying, "Bai Qi, lead a portion of your soldiers back, and have General Chen Qingzhi return as well."
"I am in the territory's mine and have discovered a grand tomb filled with Yin energy and teeming with ghosts. Only we can eliminate all the specters within."
"Bai Qi acknowledges the order!" Bai Qi responded, then said to Meng Ao, "The lord has instructed me to return. I will lead some men back, and you will lead the remaining men to protect the newly discovered ore site."
"Meng Ao acknowledges the order," Meng Ao replied.
Bai Qi also left Meng Tian behind, taking only Meng Wu and Meng Yi back to the territory.