Chapter 1136: Great Omen

Yan Xuehen's delicate brows furrowed, as she hadn't detected Yu Yanluo's aura.

She had dealt with Yu Yanluo several times and was naturally familiar with her aura's characteristics.

Of course, it was also possible that Cloud-Midst City below was too noisy, and she wasn't sure if she had missed anything.

After a moment's thought, she took out a divining plate from her embrace. Then, with a hand incantation, the plate glowed with a faint light and began to rotate slowly.

Immediately after, the faint light began to move, finally overflowing and forming a virtual divining plate in the air.

The strange phenomenon in mid-air quickly drew the attention of the city's inhabitants. Seeing the graceful figure in white robes floating in the sky, accompanied by the shimmering light surrounding her, many exclaimed, "A fairy has descended!"

Even Xiao Yao, near the city walls, gazed intently in her direction. Of course, unlike other common folk who were simply mesmerized by beauty, he murmured to himself, "Is that the Heavenly Evolution Art of White Jade Capital?"

Outsiders spoke of White Jade Capital's art with awe, claiming it could not only predict fortune and misfortune but also calculate the great Dao of the human world.

Even from a distance, a profoundly mysterious aura of Dao principles could be faintly perceived. Xiao Yao marveled that the Heavenly Evolution Art truly lived up to its reputation; even from such a distance, he felt a sense of enlightenment.

Meanwhile, Yan Xuehen's mind in mid-air was as still as water. The exclamations of the awe-struck commoners below and the adoration of cultivators did not affect her in the slightest.

Her clear eyes followed the flowing light on the divining plate in mid-air, finally turning to look outside the city. "Beneficial to the north?"

However, her expression immediately changed, as the divination grew increasingly perplexing.

"Great misfortune?" A hint of doubt flashed in Yan Xuehen's eyes. The Heavenly Evolution Art had never behaved like this before; it was impossible to discern good or ill fortune.

Had she not been proficient in this art, she might have even suspected she had made a mistake.

She couldn't fathom what else in this world could threaten her, unless Emperor Zhao Hao arrived in person, or the Demon Emperor appeared, but how could that be possible?

After a moment's thought, her figure abruptly vanished in mid-air, as if she had never been there.

The numerous common folk below, who had been genuinely admiring her figure, rubbed their eyes. "Indeed, an immortal has manifested!"

Xiao Yao frowned deeply. He had just secretly locked his spiritual energy onto her, hoping to use her as a guide to find the escaped Yu Yanluo.

Unfortunately, he also lost sight of her in that instant. No matter how he searched, he couldn't find a trace of her aura, as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.

Xiao Yao fell silent. It seemed the gap between him and a Grandmaster was greater than he had imagined.

After this incident, he no longer had the previous urge to test his sword.

Dozens of miles away, a white figure appeared out of thin air. Yan Xuehen, her white robes fluttering, stood in the air and extended her divine sense, beginning to search the vicinity.

Although the Heavenly Evolution Art was miraculous, heavenly secrets could not be fully revealed. Therefore, the indications were always vague, making it impossible to precisely pinpoint someone's location.

However, this was enough. With her Grandmaster abilities, a step-by-step, thorough search wouldn't take long to find the target.

Especially since the outskirts were sparsely populated, unlike the noisy Cloud-Midst City, the search would be twice as efficient.

Meanwhile, Zu An, led by Yu Yanluo, had arrived at a canyon at the foot of the Great Snow Mountain.

There were guards patrolling the canyon, all members of the Yu family.

Yu Yanluo said, "Further inside lies the Yu family's mine. Let's sneak in. I don't want to implicate them."

She held unparalleled prestige and popularity within the Yu family. If Xu Yu's people were to catch up and interrogate them, these guards would certainly not reveal her whereabouts, but they would face official censure and even torture for it.

Rather than that, it was better not to let these people know anything from beginning to end.

Zu An smiled, "People only see Medusa as fierce, but they don't know you have such a compassionate heart."

"My mother isn't fierce either. Although I didn't spend much time with her, I still have a faint impression," Yu Yanluo said with a hint of displeasure, clearly defending Medusa.

"I was too superficial. Every race has good and bad individuals," Zu An nodded. "It must be that Medusa's eyes can turn anyone who sees her to stone, which is why everyone fears her so much and has created such terrifying images of your kind."

"There's nothing that can be done about it," Yu Yanluo replied. Having lived in human society for so long, she naturally understood how deeply ingrained these perceptions were and how difficult it would be to change them.

Thinking of this, she felt a profound sense of helplessness.

She turned to glance back towards Cloud-Midst City, her eyes filled with deep longing.

Zu An guessed her thoughts and comforted her, "Don't worry, I will definitely find a way to bring you back."

Yu Yanluo broke into a smile, "Thank you."

Because she had been frowning constantly, her sudden smile created a stark contrast and powerful visual impact.

Even Zu An, accustomed to beauty, couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. "In previous years, your beauty was unmatched among humans. Soon, you will likely astound the demon race. You are probably the first in history to achieve both simultaneously."

Yu Yanluo gently punched him with her small fist, playfully scolding, "At a time like this, and you're still teasing me."

The two chatted and laughed as they walked further in. Outside, it was freezing cold, and the area was remote, it being evening. Although there were guards, they couldn't be completely airtight.

With their cultivation, sneaking in was not difficult.

As they walked further, Zu An noticed many wooden houses on both sides. He could faintly see firelight escaping from within, and the scent of cooked food wafted through the air.

"Is there a village or town here?" Zu An asked curiously.

Yu Yanluo explained, "Mining a vein not only requires miners but also a large number of logistics support personnel. Various materials also need to be gathered and distributed here. Initially, people built their own houses, but later the Yu family uniformly constructed various buildings. This area primarily houses miners and other staff."

Zu An looked around and noticed huge wooden crossbeams everywhere, similar to the cranes he had seen on construction sites in his previous life.

"These were developed by the academy; they can lift heavy objects from shafts or lower areas and are very practical," Yu Yanluo said, looking proud as if she were introducing her family's enterprise.

Zu An remarked, "The academy's research helps ordinary people far more than many cultivators do."

As they continued inward, he suddenly noticed two familiar lines, with some pushcarts on them, and he could vaguely see ore inside the carts.

Yu Yanluo explained, "The Yu family's mines don't just extract primal stones; they also extract many common minerals like iron ore, copper ore, and so on."

"No, you actually have railway tracks here?" What Zu An was focused on was something else entirely. He pointed at the two tracks on the ground, utterly astonished.

"This was invented by a miner back then to help transport these ore carts. We found it very useful, so we heavily promoted it in the mining area," Yu Yanluo replied.

"Where is that miner now?" Zu An asked curiously, wondering if he might also be a transmigrator.

"He apparently died in a mining accident later," Yu Yanluo said with some sadness. "Even with all the safety measures, mining accidents still happen frequently. So these ores are dug out with the blood and sweat of countless miners. It's just a pity that the important figures in the imperial court don't care about these things."

Zu An fell silent. Indeed, it wasn't just this world; which world wasn't like this?

It was a pity that if the miner who invented the tracks hadn't died, he might have invented even more useful things.

If he was a transmigrator, he was certainly unlucky.

Continuing forward, the two stopped. Zu An looked at the giant pit before them and couldn't help but gasp in amazement, "This is the Yu family's mine pit?"

The enormous pit spanned several kilometers, with layers of winding paths carved into its walls, showing the immense scale of the daily engineering work.

The bottom of the giant pit was utterly dark. Even with Zu An's current eyesight, he couldn't see anything inside; the entire pit resembled the maw of a colossal beast waiting for its prey.

"That's right, the ore veins are all underground, and the paths inside are intricate and extend in all directions. Don't wander off when we're in there; many experienced miners get lost and disappear every year," Yu Yanluo replied.

Zu An nodded, "At this point, even if Xiao Yao catches up, we won't have to worry."

"Follow me," Yu Yanluo said, tapping her toes. Instead of following the winding paths carved by the workers along the cave walls, she jumped directly downwards.

However, she would land on the cliff face at intervals to regain her footing and rest, not daring to leap straight into the black abyss below.

Zu An also followed her down. As they descended, the surrounding light grew dimmer and dimmer, eventually becoming so dark that one couldn't see their own hand in front of their face.

At this point, Yu Yanluo came to his side and whispered, "No open flames are allowed in the mining area. Whatever you do, don't use a tinder-stick."

As she spoke, she took out a luminous pearl. Its soft light illuminated her, making her skin appear even more delicate and alluring.

Zu An smiled, "I know. Mine shafts surely contain various flammable gases; an open flame would cause an explosion."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a strange, heart-stopping roar echoed from deep within the mine, and the entire mine shaft began to shake violently.