Pov: Third Person
While Vik and his disciples prepare for a strategic attack on Lin Chen and his forces, something new occurs in the Heaven Suppressing Zone of the Azure Mountains. After Vik attacked Lin Chen while trying to save his disciples, he sustained severe injuries, although he is still considered the chosen one. An old man, who helped Vik trap Lu Xiaoran and Roman, is now carrying him deeper into the Heaven Suppressing Zone.
Lin Chen is unconscious. The old man soon encounters a campsite filled with hundreds of men and women, many of whom are in poor condition, some shackled and all wearing collars around their necks. They are equipped with pickaxes and shovels, and dirt covers their clothes, suggesting they have been mining all day. Nearby, a large pit has been dug out, with some people still digging with their tools.
The camp also has dozens of armed men wielding swords, axes, and bows. Upon seeing the old man approach with the unconscious Lin Chen, they rush toward him. One man, who looks like the leader, asks, "What happened, Sword One? Why is the young master unconscious?"
The old man replies in a hoarse voice, "A beast suddenly attacked us; the master was caught off guard. We need to heal him quickly—call the medics."
The group leader ushers them toward a small medical tent. The miners, noticing the commotion, turn their heads toward Lin Chen. One old man comments, "Serves him right; he is just getting punishment for his wrongdoings."
A guard standing nearby walks up to him and strikes him with the back of his sword. The old man collapses to the ground. A girl from the group rushes to help him stand. The guard, giving the old man a contemptuous look, says, "Old man, you are lucky that the young master told me not to kill anyone from your group; otherwise, I would have cut your tongue for those words."
The old man tries to respond, but the girl stops him. The guard walks away. If Vik and his disciples were present, they would recognize the old man Zhao and Jessica; the other miners are villagers from Azure Mountain. Under Lin Chen and his guards' oppression, they have been reduced to miners in the mountains.
Meanwhile, inside the camp, medics work carefully to treat Lin Chen. The old man and the guard leader stand beside them in silence. Suddenly, a girl around Lin Chen's age enters the camp. No one stops her as she rushes to Lin Chen, worry evident on her face.
Before she can inquire about his condition, Lin Chen wakes up and sees her. "Xia Yang, why are you here? You should be inside the city; this place is dangerous."
Xia Yang, Lu Xiaoran's ex-fiancée, responds, "Lin Chen, I came to see you, but instead I found you injured and lying unconscious. The first thing you say after waking up is telling me not to come here."
Lin Chen smiles at her words. They engage in light conversation, but soon Xia Yang leaves the camp as Lin Chen has important matters to attend to.
That important matter sits before him. A girl in a silver dress with bright red hair and red eyes looks at him with concern. "Big brother Lin, you should have taken me with you. When I saw you injured, I almost went mad. I wanted to hunt that beast that attacked you."
Lin Chen, seeing her worry, smiles but doesn't say anything. He explains his situation to her. She is Silver, his pet dragon. A few days ago, she was still in her beast form, but after completing her transformation, she now appears human.
After advancing to the Nascent Soul stage and taking a human form, her bloodline abilities saw a significant improvement. She tells Lin Chen she senses a faint call from the Azure Mountain range. Lin Chen, who could not pinpoint the treasure's location in those mountains, immediately follows her lead.
With her guidance, he reaches a secret spot in the forest. They accidentally activate a mechanism that triggers the Heaven Suppressing Zone. This discovery marks significant progress in their treasure hunt, but another problem arises; the call she senses is coming from underground.
Lin Chen lacks enough manpower to dig in this Heaven Suppressing Zone, especially since it suppresses powers and tools using spiritual energy. Thus, he turns to the villagers of Azure Mountain to use as a resource. With help from his family servant, known as Sword One—a void traveling realm expert—and his uncle Silas, he persuades the city government to isolate the area and ignore the villagers' pleas. This leads to their current dire situation.
After talking with Silver, Lin Chen rises from his bed. Silver tries to stop him, but he signals that he is fine. As he exits the medical camp, he looks at the enormous crater being dug out and notices a line of text.
"COMPLETE FRAGMENT OF HEAVEN SUPPRESSING BEAD, CAN BE ASSIMILATED INTO HEAVENLY BEAD POSSESSED BY USER FOR UPGRADE."
For the first time since its awakening, his greatest power, the heavenly bead, reveals something beyond mere item information. This is his chance to upgrade his primary power and reach new heights, and he will not let it slip away.
Clenching his fists, he says to himself, "Just you wait, Lu Xiaoran. Once I'm done with this treasure, I will personally kill you and that conman master of yours."
Meanwhile, a certain white snake sits in the Anonymous Hall crafting weapons with his new disciple. Suddenly, he sneezes. Rubbing his nose, he says, "Strange, I can't catch a cold at my level. Why did I suddenly sneeze? Maybe someone is talking bad about me behind my back."