I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

The sensation of distorted light and shadow and the world turning upside down lasted only a moment before Lin Che's feet touched solid ground.

The surrounding scenery has changed drastically.

A thin, grayish-red mist, resembling rust mixed with old blood, filled the air, reducing visibility and carrying a chilling, decaying atmosphere.

He immediately spread his divine sense, cautiously exploring the surrounding environment.

As far as the eye could see, there was only a desolate forest.

The trees here are not lush, but rather dead wood that has long lost all vitality and has been completely petrified.

They stand contorted in the mist, their trunks and branches exhibiting a grayish-white or dark rock-like texture, their surfaces covered with wind-eroded holes and cracks, not a single leaf in sight.

The ground was hard soil mixed with dark red gravel, with a few low-growing ferns or mosses that were also grayish in color.

"The Mist Forest... it really is a random teleportation system," Lin Che thought to himself, confirming the information he had obtained from Wang Miaoxue.

This area, known as the "Mist Forest," is located on the outskirts of the "Valley of Burial Soldiers" secret realm. It is named after the "Mist" that permeates the area year-round, which can slowly erode the life force of living beings.

This place is relatively low in danger, and it mainly produces first-tier spiritual herbs and ores that are adapted to the environment of malevolent energy, which are of limited value to Foundation Establishment cultivators.

It is one of the main areas of activity for cultivators in the Qi Refining stage.

A scan of the surrounding area with divine sense revealed no fluctuations in the aura of other cultivators.

It seems that the teleportation mechanism at the entrance to the secret realm is indeed random, dispersing thousands of cultivators to various areas on the periphery of the secret realm, thus reducing the possibility of large-scale conflicts in the early stages.

Lin Che didn't delay any longer; his goal was clear.

Head straight to the "Soldier's Lair Plain" in the central area of ​​the secret realm.

According to the fragmented information provided by Liu Fang, the target of the Rebellious Demon Palace is hidden deep within the "Sword Tomb Mountain," the core of the secret realm.

To unlock certain key areas of Sword Tomb Mountain, it seems that a special "key" or "token" is required.

This item appears on the vast and dangerous Plains of Soldiers' Bones and needs to be collected.

Since we've decided to clash with the Demon Palace of Rebellion in this secret realm, collecting these key items in advance and gaining some initiative is a necessary step.

Disguise and disguise are essential.

With a slight thought, Lin Che's facial muscles and bones emitted an extremely faint "crackling" sound, slowly deforming under the skillful control of his spiritual power.

A few breaths later, it was a completely different face.

He was around forty years old, with dark skin and several shallow lines on his cheeks that seemed to have been etched by wind, sand and time. His brows revealed a sense of vicissitude and vigilance, as if he were used to walking in the wilderness.

He changed into an inconspicuous gray coarse cloth outfit and casually tied his hair up.

On his back was a thick-backed broadsword, about four feet long, completely black and dull, which he had picked out from the spoils of war. It was only of the second-tier lower grade.

At the same time, he suppressed his spiritual energy fluctuations, which were at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and steadily suppressed his outward aura to the level of the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

The spiritual energy flowing around him also deliberately exhibited the slightly sharp characteristics unique to metal-type spiritual roots.

At this moment, he looked no different from those ordinary rogue cultivators who risked their lives to enter the secret realm for a sliver of opportunity.

He planned to continue using his previous identity as a cultivator with a metal-type spiritual root.

They are also preparing to give this identity a name.

"Since I'm dealing with the Demon Palace of Rebellion, I'll call myself Han Li from now on."

With everything prepared, Lin Che had a thought, and the black greatsword behind him hummed softly and flew out on its own, hovering about a foot in front of him.

He leaped lightly, landing steadily on the broad blade.

The broadsword carried him, skimming the ground a few feet above the ground, moving forward silently at a moderate speed, conserving spiritual energy and making it easier to observe.

The grayish-red evil mist flowed around him, leaving behind rows of petrified, withered trees with menacing shapes.

Lin Che's divine sense continued to scan the area in front and to the sides, alert to potential dangers, while also keeping an eye out for any noteworthy spiritual objects or clues.

Suddenly, his divine sense detected a strange movement at the edge of his consciousness.

It was a large rat, about the size of a house cat, darting swiftly among the dead trees and rocks using all four limbs.

Its entire body is covered with short, grayish-brown hairs interspersed with irregular bright gold spots.

The most striking feature is the pair of large, prominent front teeth that gleam with a metallic sheen.

"Iron-eating rat?"

Lin Che's gaze narrowed slightly as he quickly reviewed the information he had memorized beforehand about the metal-attribute monsters that might appear in the secret realm.

The physical characteristics of this little guy in front of me perfectly match those of the "Iron-Eating Rat," a mid-grade first-tier demonic beast recorded in the book.

This is an omnivorous monster that has an extreme fondness for gnawing on all kinds of minerals.

More importantly, the Iron-Eating Rat is a typical social monster that rarely acts alone.

Observing its movement, it is not wandering aimlessly, but running frantically in a fixed direction with a clear goal, appearing very anxious.

"Judging by their habits... such urgency probably means they've discovered a mineral vein and are rushing back to inform their tribe?" Lin Che speculated in his mind.

The growth of the alligator snapping turtle and its advanced form, the Chinese snapping turtle, requires the regular ingestion of specific minerals to strengthen its shell.

As the population grew, the demand for ore surged.

If a mineral vein could be discovered here, it would undoubtedly be a good thing for the Lin family.

As the thought crossed his mind, Lin Che quietly concealed all his aura, his figure blending into the shadows of his surroundings, following far behind the messenger rat.

Sure enough, as he expected.

The iron-eating rat meandered through the surroundings and finally burrowed into a hidden cave at the base of a weathered rock wall.

Lin Che quietly probed into the cave with a wisp of his divine sense, and the scene he saw made him raise an eyebrow.

A dense, dark mass of hundreds of iron-eating rats gathered in the not-too-deep cave, chattering and scurrying about, filling the air with a strong, earthy, metallic odor.

"Chirp! Chirp chirp!"

The messenger rat rushed into the group of rats and ran straight to the innermost giant iron-eating rat, which was particularly round and plump with more prominent golden spots. It waved its arms and legs and made rapid, sharp cries.

Upon hearing this, the Rat King's tiny, beady eyes instantly gleamed with greed.

It abruptly dropped the half-eaten, unidentified ore in its paws, stood upright, and let out a few short hisses.

Instantly, more than half of the iron-eating rats in the cave stopped their commotion and all looked at the rat king.

The Rat King was the first to rush out of the cave, followed closely by the messenger rats who pointed the way. A large number of iron-eating rats surged out of the cave like a gray tide, rushing toward the discovery site, creating a spectacular scene.

Lin Che followed behind like a ghost, his presence perfectly blending with the environment.

The rats soon arrived at a slightly lower depression.

There used to be a huge petrified ancient tree here, but now the trunk has broken off and collapsed to the side, revealing a dark hole that extends downwards at an angle.

A rich, unique aroma, characteristic of metallic ores, is faintly emanating from inside the cave.

The iron-eating rats seemed even more excited, pacing restlessly around the edge of their burrow, sniffing intently.

The Rat King let out a low growl and leaped into the cave first. The other iron-eating rats immediately followed suit, scrambling in like dumplings being dropped into a pot. The rustling sounds quickly disappeared into the depths of the cave.

Lin Che arrived at the cave entrance and looked around.

The cave entrance is about three feet in diameter, and human cultivators can enter by bending over slightly.

He did not rush in, but instead extended a more solid wisp of divine sense like an antenna, slowly probing into the depths of the cave.

The cave is narrow at the beginning, extending diagonally downwards for about ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) before suddenly opening up into a sizable natural cave.

The scene that his divine sense returned surprised Lin Che slightly.

The cave wasn't only inhabited by excited iron-eating rats.

In the center of the cave, a continuous vein of ore, still gleaming with a faint metallic luster in the dim environment, was exposed. Judging from its texture, it seemed to be a first-grade low-grade refined iron ore.

The reserves appear to be quite substantial, roughly estimated at tens of tons.

However, at this moment, two people, with their backs to the mine, weapons in hand, their spiritual energy surging around them, faced the swarming Iron-Eating Rats with tense and desperate expressions!

Judging from their attire and spiritual energy fluctuations, they should be two rogue cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining, one male and one female.

……

"Young lady, this mine was discovered jointly by us. How about we split it equally? But right now, dealing with these beasts is the most important thing!"

The male cultivator, whose face looked weathered, kept a close eye on the approaching swarm of rats while speaking quickly to the female cultivator beside him, his voice hoarse with tension.

Although his eyes gleamed with greed for the vast expanse of refined iron ore, he also knew that saving his life was the top priority right now.

The female cultivator, He Yu, had a pretty face, but her complexion was pale at the moment.

Holding a longsword as clear as autumn water, he bit his lower lip and nodded, saying, "Alright! Let's do as you say. First, we need to find a way to fight our way out or hold our ground!"

When the two first discovered the mineral vein, they were overjoyed, thinking they had struck gold.

Upon discovering each other, they immediately became alert and raised their magical weapons, resulting in a standoff.

Who would have thought that before the ownership of the ore could be determined, it would be blocked in the burrow by an astonishingly large swarm of iron-eating rats that appeared out of nowhere!

"Squeak—squeak!" The Rat King squatted on a high rock behind the swarm of rats and let out a sharp squeak.

As if they had heard the order to attack, the dozens of iron-eating rats in the front row stomped their hind legs and transformed into streaks of gray-gold shadows, baring their gleaming front teeth and fearlessly rushing towards the two!

"Kill!" Jiang Heng roared, brandishing a crimson longsword. Flames erupted from the blade, transforming into a curtain of fire that slashed away or burned several iron-eating rats that pounced on him, causing them to squeak and scream.

He Yu's swordsmanship was even more agile, with flashes of light as he precisely stabbed at the iron-eating rat's eyes, throat, and other vulnerable spots.

The water-elemental energy clinging to the sword's edge collided with the metal front teeth, producing a crisp "clinking" sound.

In an instant, sword energy crisscrossed the cave, rats scurried about, and the stench of blood and burnt flesh filled the air.

Although individual iron-eating rats are not strong, their numbers are too great, and their attack methods are insane, targeting people's lower body and weak points in defense.

The two were able to resist at first, but after a short while, they felt their spiritual energy being consumed rapidly, and their breathing became rapid.

"Huff...huff...this can't go on!"

Jiang Heng cleaved two iron-eating rats in two with a single sword stroke, then took the opportunity to stuff a Qi-restoring pill into his mouth. His face grim, he shouted to He Yu:

"The rats are endless! We'll be worn down and die here! We need to see if there's another exit deep inside this mine!"

He Yu forced back three iron-eating rats that attacked from the side with a single sword strike, and cold sweat was already visible on his forehead.

She replied stiffly, "There's no other way out! My little ferret has already scouted it out! This cave is only so big; there's only the way we came in!"

An inconspicuous gray cloth bag at her waist bulged slightly, as if confirming her words.

"What?!" Jiang Heng's heart sank to the bottom instantly.

Ahead lay a swarm of rats, behind them a dead end; their spiritual energy was about to run out, and the shadow of despair, like cold vines, coiled around their hearts.

They could almost see themselves being overwhelmed and devoured by the rats.

Just as their moves were becoming increasingly disorganized and their defensive line was about to be breached by the rat swarm—

A dazzling, refined golden blade of energy, imbued with unparalleled sharpness, slashed through the air without warning from the direction of the cave entrance!