“You haven’t been here long, so you could have waited. This mission isn’t really suitable for a novice. The terrain in the mine is complex, and there’s no telling what we might run into.
“The church's mine is nominally owned by the church, but in reality, it was once used by the secret cult to hold prisoners. There are some areas that even their own people don't know much about.”
“Then all the more reason to go check it out,” Jiang Lin said.
Hawke did not try to persuade him further. He simply nodded, turned, and walked away.
Early the next morning, Jiang Lin confirmed his spot on the list with the instructor.
Including him, there were five people in total. Hawke was among them, along with a young woman named Selene and two other candidates he was not very familiar with.
The departure time was set for the morning of the third day, before the sky had fully brightened.
The five of them set out from the north gate of Shadow City, walking along a dirt road stretching northward for about four hours.
The terrain gradually transitioned from flat fields to rolling hills, and later into barren slopes covered in gravel.
Abandoned mine cart tracks could occasionally be seen by the roadside, heavily rusted and mostly buried in weeds.
After walking for nearly another two hours, the terrain ahead suddenly dropped, and a weathered, eroded depression came into view.
A few collapsed stone houses were scattered along the edge of the depression, their walls still bearing traces of soot.
Deep within the depression, a dark, gaping cave entrance could be faintly seen, its mouth piled with gravel and dried vines.
“That’s it,” Hawke said, stopping on a higher slope and pointing toward the cave entrance. “The mine entrance. Those outsiders seem to be active around the periphery of the entrance. We didn't go deep inside.”
Selene took a dark crystal shard from her pack, held it up to her eyes, and peered through it toward the mine. After a moment, she lowered it.
“There are residual auras, and more than one. People have been entering and leaving this place within at least the last two or three days.”
The mine entrance looked even deeper and darker up close. Scattered among the gravel piles at the cave mouth were several dark brown, dried stains—it was hard to tell if they were blood or rust.
Jiang Lin followed behind Hawke, slowly making his way down a sloping path.
The ground beneath their feet gradually transitioned from gravel to damp soil, then to solid rock, and the air temperature dropped noticeably by several degrees.
After walking for about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Hawke stopped ahead and raised his hand to signal everyone to halt.
He listened intently for a moment, then lowered his voice and said:
“There are three forks ahead. The aura detected by the crystal shard points toward the main channel, but there could be people in the side paths as well.”
He glanced back at Jiang Lin.
“Any thoughts?”
Standing in the middle of the line, Jiang Lin had already quietly spread his Space Perception forward.
However, he found that the spatial elements inside the mine were extremely chaotic, as if they had been scrambled by something. His perception could only cover less than a third of its normal range, and the outlines were blurry.
The rocks deep within the mine seemed to contain some kind of natural mineral that interfered with spatial magic.
“Take the main channel,” Jiang Lin said. “The side paths are too narrow. It would be easy to get trapped if we go in.”
Selene nodded and put away her crystal shard.
“I also lean toward the main channel. The air circulation in the side paths is poor, and I can sense a faint, stale smell, as if no one has walked through there in a long time.”
Without saying more, Hawke turned and continued forward.
The five of them walked along the main channel for nearly another fifteen minutes before the passage ahead suddenly opened up, turning into a subterranean space about a hundred feet wide.
The ceiling hung high above, with stalactite-like stone pillars faintly visible hanging down.
The stone floor was so flat that it did not look natural; it had clearly been polished by hand.
On the other side of the chamber, a dark red light leaked through a crack in the wall, as if something were burning behind it.
“Let’s go check it out,” Selene whispered.
The five of them approached the crack in the wall and peered through the narrow opening.
Behind the wall was an even larger space, about the size of half a plaza.
Several dark red crystals were embedded in the ceiling, casting a dim, gloomy light that made the entire chamber look like it was bathed in twilight.
About a dozen figures stood in the space.
They wore dark robes. Most of them were humans, but a few burly, dark-red-skinned demons were mixed in among them.
In front of one of the demons stood a half-man-high black altar. Its surface glowed with a dark red light, clearly in operation.
“Demons,” Hawke whispered, keeping his voice extremely low. “Collaboration between the secret cult and demons... is forbidden by our doctrines. The Four Pillar Gods and the Demon God system are not on the same path. These people...”
“Are conducting private transactions...” Jiang Lin finished his sentence.
His gaze swept over the figures as he did a quick head count:
Eleven human cultists, three of whose auras were around the 4th-Rank mid-stage, and one at the 4th-Rank peak.
Four demons: two at the 5th-Rank mid-stage, one at the 5th-Rank peak, and another with an even heavier aura, likely at the 6th-Rank early stage.
He withdrew his gaze, a plan forming in his mind.
Private transactions between demons and the secret cult were indeed a taboo under the cult's doctrines.
If he could clean up both the people and the altar completely, it wouldn't arouse the Bishop's suspicion, and he could even pocket another round of sacrificial rewards.
“Let's pull back first,” Jiang Lin whispered. “The terrain here isn't suitable for a head-on fight... Let me think of a way.”
The five of them quietly slipped out of the passage and retreated into the shadows near the fork.
Hawke stood leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, his gaze falling on Jiang Lin.
“You’ve got a plan?”
“I need to go set up an altar alone,” Jiang Lin said. “The natural magnetic field in this mine will interfere with detection. As long as we're far enough away, no one will notice before the altar is activated. You guys wait here. Once I'm ready, we'll lure them over.”
Hawke fell silent for a moment, then gave a slight nod.
“Alright. But can you handle it alone?”
“I can,” Jiang Lin said, his tone crisp.
He offered no further explanation. Turning around, he retraced his steps for a bit before turning into a narrow side path.
The side path was much more rugged than the main channel. The rock walls on both sides were covered in damp moss, and the air was thick with a smell of minerals mixed with stagnant water.
He walked for about fifteen minutes before finding a relatively open, sunken area. The ground was flat and surrounded by rock walls, making it a natural, enclosed space.
He squatted down, retrieved a piece of black stone from his spatial ring, placed it on the ground, and began carving rune lines with an engraving tool.
His movements were swift, his lines fluid and without a hint of hesitation.
His months of practice on Planet Caeous had made his technique highly skilled. In less than the time it took to burn an incense stick, a simple altar had begun to take shape.
He stood up, checked the integrity of the rune lines, and then embedded a dark red crystal into the groove at the top of the altar.
That should do it.
As long as he could lure the group in the mine over and activate the altar, he could clean them all up in one go.
He gave the rune lines one final check, then turned to head back.
He had barely taken a step when he paused.
Someone was approaching.
Although they were still quite far away, he captured the person's aura through his Space Perception.
It was very light, with footsteps and breathing deliberately suppressed. Had it not been for the fact that the magnetic field interference inside the mine was limited here, he might not have noticed at all.
The person was quietly tracing the exact path he had taken, drawing closer.
They did not come with good intentions.
Jiang Lin stood in place for a moment, his thoughts racing.
Right now, he was "Drake," a preparatory Holy Son candidate who had only recently joined the cult.
If it was someone from the mine who had discovered his whereabouts, his identity would be in jeopardy.
If it was one of his teammates, his best course of action was to subdue them first and explain later.
Instead of staying by the altar, he turned and walked out of the sunken area. He took a few steps back toward the path he had come from and stopped at a corner in the passage.
He did not hide. He simply stood right in the middle of the passage, facing the direction of the newcomer, waiting quietly.
The footsteps drew closer and closer.
The person paused about a dozen paces away from the corner, as if also confirming something.
Then the footsteps resumed, slightly faster than before, carrying a rhythm unique to someone who had made up their mind.
A figure rounded the corner.
It was Hawke.
He wore a dark gray short coat, and the narrow-bladed shortsword at his waist was already unsheathed, a faint, dark glow rippling across its blade.
Stopping about ten paces away from Jiang Lin, his gaze swept over Jiang Lin before landing on the outline of the newly constructed altar in the sunken area behind him.
“You want to lure the people in the mine over to sacrifice them,” Hawke said, his voice not loud but carrying a tone of absolute certainty. “You can't handle them all by yourself. Let me help you.”
Jiang Lin looked at him and did not answer immediately.
His Space Perception had locked onto Hawke the moment the man appeared.
Hawke’s aura was indeed around the 4th-Rank early stage, but his breathing rhythm and the coordination of his steps... were far too steady.
That level of stability was not something an ordinary 4th-Rank cultivator could achieve. It was more like a habit naturally formed by someone who had spent a long time walking the line between life and death.
“Why did you follow me?” Jiang Lin asked.
“I wasn't comfortable letting you act alone,” Hawke replied flatly, but his fingers did not loosen their grip on the hilt of his sword.
“Someone who dares to strike out on their own just days after joining either has a card up their sleeve or is missing a few gears. I had to find out which one you are.”
“And have you found out?”
“I'm in the process of doing so.”
A brief silence fell between the two.
Jiang Lin knew Hawke was observing him, and he was doing the same to Hawke.
A low, muffled vibration echoed from deep within the mine, as if something were moving, but it was still far away and did not affect the situation at hand.
Hawke suddenly took a step forward.
It was not a large step, but his center of gravity had shifted forward, and the shortsword at his waist tilted upward slightly, pointing toward Jiang Lin's shoulder—a stance ready to strike at any moment.
His gaze remained calm, but his voice grew slightly colder than before:
“Who is that altar you set up meant to sacrifice? The people in the mine, or your own teammates?”
“The people in the mine,” Jiang Lin answered.
“I don't believe you,” Hawke said, taking another step forward, faster than the last. The tip of his sword had already cleared the scabbard, and the dark glow on the blade rippled even more intensely.
At this moment, his aura surged abruptly, leaping directly from the 4th-Rank early stage to the 4th-Rank peak. The outer shell of his disguise had been torn away.
“You really do have a problem,” Jiang Lin's voice also turned cold.
He took half a step back, his right hand hanging naturally at his side, ready to manifest the Eight Extremities Holy Sword at a moment's notice.
Someone who could disguise themselves so perfectly could not possibly be a newcomer to the secret cult.
He was either a spy from another faction or a high-ranking cultist testing him.
“The feeling is mutual,” Hawke said. His body was already in motion, his shortsword thrusting toward Jiang Lin's shoulder with blinding speed.
The strike did not aim for any vital points. Though fast, its angle was slightly off—a probing attack, clearly intended to test Jiang Lin's depth first.
Jiang Lin sidestepped to dodge. His right hand had already begun to manifest the prototype of the Eight Extremities Holy Sword. The platinum blade was not yet fully formed, but it was enough to parry.
The two swords clashed in the narrow passage, producing a crisp metallic ring.
At the moment of impact, a thread of extremely faint golden light sputtered from Hawke's blade.
Though mostly covered by the dark glow, Jiang Lin saw it clearly.
It was Holy Light.
His movements froze for half a breath in that instant.
Holy Light—and the purest, completely unadulterated Holy Light magic essence at that.
That was not something a member of the secret cult could use, nor was it a technique of any other faction. Only someone who had received orthodox training within the Righteous God system would possess such characteristics.
“Wait!” Jiang Lin whispered, retracting his Eight Extremities Holy Sword and abandoning his offensive stance.
He raised his left hand, and with a slight stir of his mind, peeled back a corner of the concealment rune over the Apostle Brand on his chest.
Hawke did not stop his movement immediately, his shortsword continuing its thrust, but it came to a halt a mere fist's distance from Jiang Lin's throat.
His gaze fell on Jiang Lin's chest, his pupils contracting slightly.
It was an extremely faint aura of an Apostle Brand from the Righteous God system. Though he could not see the specific rune lines, the aura was unmistakable.
Hawke froze in place, the tip of his sword hovering less than a fist away from Jiang Lin's throat, as if someone had pressed a pause button on him.
His gaze lingered on Jiang Lin's chest for two breaths before slowly shifting upward to rest on Jiang Lin's face.
The disguised, thin face showed no flaws, but Hawke looked as if he wanted to find something within those eyes.
Jiang Lin did not dodge or speak. He simply stood there, letting the shortsword hang before him.
He could feel Hawke's aura fluctuate in an instant. It was not hostility, but a complex emotional shift mixed with vigilance and doubt.
“You...” Hawke spoke, his voice carrying a hint of uncertainty. “Your Apostle Brand belongs to the God of Holy Light?”
“Where are you from?” Jiang Lin countered with his own question.
“The Royal Capital Temple of the Saintas Kingdom,” Hawke said, lowering his voice significantly and dropping the tip of his sword by a few inches. “A fellow Apostle of God...”
...
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