Chapter 21: The Secrets Beneath the Surface

Shen Hao and Mo Han had been following Lingfeng for almost two hours, flying high above the clouds.

"Lingfeng!" Shen Hao called out.

"Where are you taking us? We've been flying forever, and I'm getting tired!"

Lingfeng stayed silent, ignoring Shen Hao's complaints. But suddenly, he came to a stop.

"Why did you stop?" Shen Hao asked, a bit annoyed.

"We're here," Lingfeng replied calmly.

Shen Hao and Mo Han looked ahead — what they saw wasn't exactly what they had expected.

"What the actual... WHAT THE F*CK IS THIS?!" Shen Hao shouted in complete shock.

Mo Han narrowed his eyes, trying to process what he was seeing.

In front of them was a massive crater in the ground, like a giant mine. The heat rising from it was intense, and the hole went so deep that they could see molten lava glowing at the bottom.

Lingfeng began explaining, "This morning, while you were cultivating, I sensed a strange and powerful energy coming from this direction. My control over the wind allows me to detect abnormal activity across great distances. When I felt this unusual disturbance, I came here to investigate... and I found this."

As Lingfeng finished, Shen Hao's eyes caught movement inside the crater.

There were creatures down there. Many of them. Two distinct types.

The first type was tall, humanoid, nearly twice the size of an average man. Their bodies were made entirely of some kind of shining metal — no eyes, no nose, only a smooth, polished faceplate. They looked intelligent, and they were giving orders.

The second type was even more terrifying — towering giants the size of school buses, their bodies made entirely of burning fire. These fiery creatures seemed to be the workers, mining the earth under the command of the metal beings.

Shen Hao was stunned. At first, fear gripped him. But then he reminded himself — he had seen creatures like these in comics, manga, manhua, and anime before. The only difference was that now... they were real.

"What the heck are these things?!" Shen Hao whispered, trying not to make a sound.

"Shhhh! Don't shout, Master — they'll hear us!" Lingfeng warned.

Mo Han finally spoke. "Elemental Beings…"

Shen Hao looked at him, wide-eyed. "You know what these monsters are?!"

Mo Han nodded. "They're called the Elemental Race. One of the most common yet dangerous races in the entire universe. They're born directly from pure elemental energy — fire, metal, water, wind — anything you can imagine. They usually emerge in places overflowing with Qi energy, like this one."

He continued, "There are two ways they can be born. Either they're formed naturally when Qi energy concentrates over time… or they're artificially created by someone who pours their own Qi into the elements to give them life. If born naturally, they fiercely protect their birthplace. But if created artificially, they serve their master without question."

Mo Han glanced down at the mine. "Judging by how organized they are… someone definitely created them."

Shen Hao was both fascinated and terrified. The universe was far more complex than he had ever imagined.

"I see…" Shen Hao muttered. "So what do we do now, Master?"