chapter 33 Mine crisis ===

Verdantius Liu halted his steps, fixing his gaze on Willorus Song. "Speak, what news do you have?" "If confirmed and beneficial to the Xu family, I don't mind helping the Song family. Otherwise, I'll leave without hesitation." "I received information that the Wan and Tian families are secretly joining forces to seize the Xu family's purple gold mine, intending to cut off your supply of ore. Even if you manage to forge weapons with spiritual properties, without raw materials, it's like trying to make bricks without straw." The news of the Xu family producing weapons with spiritual properties had already spread throughout Canglan City and was no longer a secret. The main material for the Xu family's weapon forging, derived from the purple gold mine, was crucial for the Weapons workshop to return to normal operation. Losing access to the purple gold mine would put the Xu family in dire straits once again. "Is this information reliable?" A terrifying killing intent, centered around Verdantius Liu, spread in all directions. The ten elders of the Song family, standing not far away, displayed expressions of horror. This killing intent was too dreadful, especially for the Second Elder, who trembled all over, still haunted by the memory of Verdantius Liu's previous strike. "It's absolutely true. They are planning to take action in the next few days. They've recruited experts from other major cities to seize the Xu family's purple gold mine. If you take precautions in advance, there's still a chance." Willorus Song replied with certainty. He couldn't afford to lie about this information. Even if Verdantius Liu saved the Formation Hall today, he would still need Verdantius Liu to continue perfecting the central core of the formation. "I'll believe you this once. You all prepare the formation materials immediately." Regardless of whether it was true or not, Verdantius Liu chose to believe Willorus for now. After settling matters here, he would personally visit the purple gold mine to investigate. If Willorus Song deceived him, he wouldn't hesitate to destroy the entire Formation Hall. "Whatever materials Master Liu needs are in this storage pouch. Feel free to use them." Willorus Song took off a storage pouch from his waist and threw it to Verdantius Liu. It was a low-grade storage pouch worth five million gold coins, showcasing the wealth of the Song family, the number one family in Canglan City. As Verdantius Liu's spiritual awareness entered the storage pouch, he found it to be about ten square meters in size. Inside were numerous materials for refining formations. Transforming into a streak of light, Verdantius Liu entered a dilapidated building. "You stay here to maintain order. I'll go in with Master Liu." Willorus Song instructed the elders to keep order in the Formation Hall. Many buildings were still collapsing, and the underground world was filled with intricate formations. Large beams, as thick as thighs, were falling down, but Verdantius Liu easily avoided them with the Seven-Star Steps. With Verdantius Liu in the lead and Willorus Song following behind, they reached the core of the formation after a short time. After a cup of tea, Verdantius Liu stopped. Before him appeared a super formation, countless gears rotating to maintain the operation of the entire Formation Hall. Dozens of formation materials flew out from Verdantius Liu's hands, fifty spirit stones in total, spreading out in all directions. Willorus Song's eyes widened in astonishment. What kind of technique was this? Before he could contemplate it further, Verdantius Liu moved towards the core. His hands formed seals, injecting successive imprints, and the formation nodes emitted a clicking sound. "This is... these are formation runes!" Willorus Song couldn't describe his feelings at this moment. Among the Song family, there were at most five individuals who understood the art of engraving formation runes. What Verdantius Liu carved was profound and mysterious, leaving Willorus Song bewildered. He had never encountered anything so advanced, and he could only memorize as much as he could. The formation core, on the verge of collapse, suddenly ceased operation. The buildings stopped collapsing, and a large number of formation runes were injected to stabilize the core temporarily. Repairing it completely would take time. "I've temporarily stabilized the formation core. To fully restore it, we'll need a large amount of materials. I'll make a list, and you should gather them as soon as possible. These formation runes can only hold for ten days. If the materials aren't gathered within ten days, there's nothing more I can do." Handing the storage pouch back to Willorus Song, Verdantius Liu spent over fifty spirit stones, along with hundreds of types of formation materials, just to maintain it for ten days. "Thank you, Master Liu. I'll have the preparations made immediately!" Willorus Song was completely convinced. Without Verdantius Liu's presence today, the entire Formation Hall would have been wiped out. "We've had a fair deal. I have other matters to attend to. Send Ivydan Song to the Xu family to collect the list of materials needed for the purchases. As for what happened today, I hope the Song family keeps it confidential for me." Transforming into a streak of light, Verdantius Liu disappeared from the spot, leaving Willorus Song in silence. Back outside the Formation Hall, many people had gathered, and the Song family elders were explaining that they would compensate the injured warriors and try to minimize the losses. Returning to the Xu family, Verdantius Liu found his father-in-law in the main hall discussing with deacon Lan. The Weapons workshop had resumed its operation, but the daily need for a large amount of purple gold ore had led to several attacks on the ore transport teams, resulting in heavy losses for the Xu family. "Father-in-law!" Entering the main hall, Verdantius Liu bowed. He had heard their entire conversation, and it seemed that the Xu family's purple gold mine was indeed facing problems. The purple gold mine was located deep in the Sunset Mountains, a three-day journey from Canglan City. Over the years, the Xu family rarely encountered ambushes on the way, except for occasional minor incidents. However, within just two days, over a dozen people were seriously injured, and the purple gold ore was plundered. The Xu family was indeed going through a turbulent period. Silvianus Xu nodded. He had recently visited Verdantius Liu's residence and was certain that the celestial phenomenon caused by the breakthrough to the Innate Realm was orchestrated by him. Expectations for Verdantius Liu were growing higher. "Father-in-law, is there a problem with the purple gold mine?" Verdantius Liu asked uncertainly, confirming that there was indeed an issue with the information Willorus Song provided. "Yes, someone is secretly opposing our Xu family, robbing our goods and causing the Weapons workshop to stop operating due to the lack of raw materials." Not hiding anything, Silvianus Xu answered truthfully. The news would soon spread throughout Canglan City, causing anxiety among the merchants who had placed orders. They had paid deposits and naturally didn't want their investments to go to waste. "Is it the work of the Tian and Wan families?" Apart from them, the other small families in Canglan City wouldn't engage in war with the Xu family. The Weapons workshop reopening had dealt the heaviest blow to the Tian family. They had poached over a dozen master craftsmen from the Xu family, invested heavily, and mobilized their entire family to build five Weapons workshops. Just as they were preparing to go public, the Xu family struck them unprepared. "Temporarily unsure. The guards who managed to escape described that the robbers were a group of people in black. They don't seem to be experts from Canglan City." Given the size of Canglan City, everyone knew each other well. The situation was indeed strange; the Xu family hadn't offended anyone else, so why would they repeatedly target their transport teams? Verdantius Liu rubbed his smooth chin, confirming the information Willorus Song provided. It seemed that the Tian and Wan families had hired experts from other major cities to secretly attack the Xu family. "Father-in-law, our next batch of teams, when will they arrive?" He inquired about the timing of the next arrival, knowing that the Weapons workshop had run out of supplies. If more shipments didn't come in soon, the customers who had placed orders would likely cancel them. "Tomorrow. They will pass through the gorge. The locations of the recent attacks are all there. I plan to go there myself and see who is secretly intercepting our Xu family's goods." After hearing that the Weapons workshop had stopped operations due to the lack of materials, Silvianus Xu's expression became more resolute. His decades of experience told him that losing the mine was the most significant blow. "Father-in-law, you can't!" Verdantius Liu suddenly interrupted, stopping his father-in-law from leaving the Xu family. Falling into the opponent's trap, if Silvianus Xu left, there would be no one to guard the Xu family. The Tian family would quickly take over the Xu family's refining room, seizing other industries. "Without you, the Xu family will fall into chaos." Verdantius Liu expressed his concern, realizing that the stakes were too high. If his father-in-law left, the Tian family would seize the refining room and other industries. "Tell me your thoughts, Verdantius." After witnessing the scene in the Weapons workshop, Deacon Lan's attitude toward Verdantius Liu changed significantly. Now, everyone was looking to him for advice. "This incident is almost certainly the work of the Tian and Wan families. These people in black are likely assassins hired by them from other major cities. Their goal is clear: to ruin our Xu family. If you go now, you will likely fall into their diversionary tactics, allowing the Tian family to seize our ancestral property." Verdantius Liu expressed his thoughts, and both the Wan family and the Tian family agreed not to kill him within a month, but they didn't say anything about not allowing the occupation of the Xu family's ancestral property. If the ancestral home is occupied and the Xu family stabilizes the mine, what's the use? Silvianus Xu frowned slightly. He had thought about all this. Even if they retain the mine, what good would it do to preserve the family's foundation? They would only be left with an empty mountain. " Verdantius, I'm glad you've thought about these things. Given the current situation, is there any other way?" Showing a hint of relief, deacon Lan followed with a sigh. The Xu family had reached a critical moment of life and death. "I will personally make a trip. Father-in-law, please stay behind to guard the Xu family to prevent any covert attacks from the Tian family on the weapon workshop." "Verdantius, you want to go?" Silvianus Xu showed a trace of surprise. Normally, Verdantius Liu wouldn't even step out of the Xu family gate. The Sunset Mountains were dangerous, and it was too risky for him to go alone. "Deacon Lan, please leave for a moment and close the main gate!" Verdantius Liu understood what his father-in-law was worried about. Going alone to the purple gold mine was indeed dangerous, and if Valerrie Xu were here, she might be sent instead. However, the Xu family currently had few people available. Deacon Lan stood up, glanced at Silvianus Xu, nodded, and left the hall. He closed the main gate behind him, making the entire hall quiet. "Father-in-law, I know you're worried about the danger if I go alone. You can use your full strength against me, but limit it to the low-level Soul washing Realm. If there's real danger, you can withdraw your power immediately. It won't harm me." Verdantius Liu didn't want to waste time on unnecessary words. Silvianus Xu's concern for him was evident, and he knew that Xu family's situation was dire. Eyes narrowing, Silvianus Xu stood up. "Verdantius, are you sure?" Low-level Soul-washing Realm was enough to kill a peak Innate Realm expert. Although he wasn't sure of Verdantius Liu's true cultivation level, he wanted to test it. The rumors of Verdantius Liu killing twelve disciples from the Wan family with a single slash in the Beast Fighting Arena had reached him. "Sure!" Drawing the short knife, a chilling aura filled the entire hall. Silvianus Xu felt his pores explode, and the slash seemed to carry the scent of death. Not daring to underestimate the situation, Silvianus Xu raised his right hand, controlling his power at the low-level Soul washing Realm. If there was a real danger, he could retract his power immediately to avoid harming Verdantius Liu. "Father-in-law, be careful!" The short knife unsheathed, releasing a chilling brilliance that crushed the air. The merciless blade aura tore through the tables and chairs on both sides, making Silvianus Xu feel his pores explode. This slash carried the scent of death.