novelraw Chapter 833 833: The Violet Spirit Quartz Mines
Chapter 833 833: The Violet Spirit Quartz Mines
A few moments later Han Yu nodded.
"When the barrier disappeared, he must have escaped."
Hong Yao shrugged.
"Looks like it."
Han Yu continued the narrative smoothly.
"I encountered him later. In a swamp region. He was with a group. They were trying to flee."
Hong Yao raised a brow.
"Oh?"
"I eliminated them," Han Yu said simply.
No embellishment.
No hesitation.
Hong Yao looked at him for a moment.
Then laughed.
"Good."
He gestured toward the halberd.
"It's a decent weapon. Not high grade, but the design is solid."
Han Yu nodded.
"It has served me well."
The conversation moved on.
The tension dissipated.
But Han Yu's mind remained sharp.
He had confirmed something important.
Hong Yao had not interacted with Ju Fan directly.
Only observed him.
That meant his cover was intact.
For now.
—
The two continued flying across the skies.
Mountains passed beneath them.
Forests stretched endlessly in the distance.
The sect gradually faded behind them.
After about an hour, they had fully exited its territory.
Han Yu finally spoke again.
"Senior, where exactly is the mine located?"
Hong Yao answered without hesitation.
"Beker Forest."
Han Yu's eyes narrowed slightly.
'This is different...'
Qing Luan had told him something else.
'Wasn't it supposed to be Dragon Fall Ridge?' Han Yu wondered
The two locations were about Two hundred kilometers apart.
Yet…
'No wait... They're connected.'
Han Yu quickly processed it.
Different entry points.
Different operational zones.
Same mine system.
He nodded.
"I see."
Then he asked,
"How large is it?"
Hong Yao exhaled lightly.
"That's the problem."
He gestured ahead.
"We don't know."
Han Yu's interest sharpened.
"There are multiple entry points," Hong Yao continued. "Nine confirmed so far."
He raised a finger.
"Four in Beker Forest."
Another.
"Two in Dragon Fall Ridge."
He took a pause.
"The rest scattered in the connecting forest."
Han Yu absorbed every word.
Nine entry points.
Multiple regions.
Unclear total size.
Which meant the mine was massive.
Not just a deposit.
But a network.
Possibly extending underground across vast distances.
And more importantly…
Hard to control.
Hard to manage.
And just perfect for Han Yu to keep his activities hidden.
Han Yu kept his expression neutral.
But inwardly, his thoughts accelerated.
Multiple entry points meant multiple blind spots.
Multiple blind spots meant opportunities.
And opportunities…
Were exactly what he needed.
He looked ahead.
The horizon stretched wide.
The forest grew denser.
Darker.
More ancient.
The journey took longer than Han Yu had initially anticipated.
Not because of the distance alone, but because of the difference in their capabilities.
Hong Yao could have reached the destination in a single uninterrupted flight. His Nascent Soul realm cultivation granted him both endurance and efficiency that Han Yu simply did not possess yet. But despite that, the man did not rush him.
Whenever Han Yu's Qi reserves dipped too low or the strain began to show, Hong Yao would slow down without complaint.
They rested twice across the two-day journey.
The breaks were brief, only a few hours at most, but they were enough for Han Yu to recover and continue without pushing himself into exhaustion. During these pauses, Han Yu took the time to meditate and replenish his Qi, stabilizing both his Moon Blood Qi and the faint currents of Abyssal Frost Qi that now circulated within him.
Hong Yao, however, used the time differently.
The first time they stopped, Han Yu noticed the man simply disappear into the surrounding forest without explanation. There was no announcement, no instruction, no caution. He had just gone.
Han Yu did not follow. He did not need to. And about half an hour later, Hong Yao returned.
His robes were clean.
His body uninjured.
His aura stable.
But the air around him carried a faint, unmistakable scent.
Blood.
Fresh.
Metallic.
Lingering just enough to tell a story without showing it.
Hong Yao stretched his shoulders lightly as if he had just finished a light exercise.
"Needed some practice," he muttered.
Han Yu said nothing.
But he understood.
This was a man who honed himself constantly.
Even during travel.
Even during rest.
That alone made him more dangerous than most.
The second break followed a similar pattern, though this time Hong Yao did not wander as far. Instead, he remained within sight, casually throwing out attacks at nearby beasts that had wandered too close. Each movement was efficient, controlled, and precise.
No wasted motion.
No excessive display.
Just clean, decisive kills.
Han Yu observed silently.
Not as a spectator.
But as someone studying a potential opponent.
By the time they resumed their journey for the final stretch, Han Yu had already adjusted his mental assessment of Hong Yao.
This was not just a talented cultivator.
This was a seasoned fighter.
—
Two days after leaving the sect, they finally arrived.
The Beker Forest stretched endlessly before them.
Dense, ancient and quite oppressive.
The trees here were tall enough to blot out large portions of the sky, their canopies interwoven like a living barrier. The air was thick with moisture and faint traces of blood Qi, giving the entire region a heavy, almost suffocating atmosphere.
This area was still technically within the limits of the Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect's territory, so the Blood Qi was still present naturally.
Han Yu's eyes scanned the surroundings carefully.
This was not just a forest.
It was a place where things could easily be hidden.
And more importantly…
A place where things could easily go unnoticed.
Hong Yao slowed his descent.
"We're here," he said.
Han Yu followed.
As they descended further, the landscape began to open up.
And then... He saw it.
A lake.
Or rather… What used to be a lake.
The sheer size of it was staggering.
At least two kilometers wide.
Equally long.
A massive depression in the earth that had once held water, now drained and repurposed into a mining outpost. The exposed lakebed was uneven, filled with layers of damp soil, silt, and dark mineral deposits that glistened faintly under the light.