Chapter 579: Chapter 578: Unable to Protect Oneself

At that moment, with an overwhelming number of slaves rushing recklessly backward, the slender guard scolded Ye Fan, "Keep your side secure! Don’t let the slaves break through!"

But Ye Fan was calm and said indifferently, "I think I have other options."

"What do you mean?" the Vanguard Leader demanded, moving to whip him.

Just then, Ye Fan struck down with his sword. Several guards immediately collapsed, and the slaves surged through the gap. The remaining guards had no choice but to fight the monsters.

"Damn it!"

"Bastard!"

No one had expected Ye Fan to act so suddenly. His actions truly defied all logic.

Ye Fan fought valiantly, cutting a path forward. He finally saw what these green-eyed monsters were. They had bodies of crystalline ore and resembled hungry wolves. In the darkness, they were like hounds from Hell—the guardians of the mine veins, spawned from the ore itself.

Ye Fan shouted, "Returning to the Sect Sword!"

With one slash, several monsters instantly shattered.

But the monsters were too numerous. Overwhelmed, the Vanguard Leader shouted, "Retreat!"

As they fell back, someone in the crowd cried out, "This is bad! There are monsters behind us too! We’re surrounded!"

The crowd immediately erupted into a panic. The horrific scene was far beyond anything they had anticipated. Forced into a corner, they could only fight for their lives. The monsters were formidable, and the guards and slaves were little more than prey being slaughtered.

Ye Fan cut through the horde of monsters, having already slain dozens. Yet, the creatures seemed endless, their total number unknown. There were simply too many of them for anyone to overcome.

Just then, a scream rang out from behind Ye Fan. He spun around to find the very guard who had spoken to him earlier being surrounded and torn apart by the monsters.

Ye Fan unleashed two waves of Sword Qi, instantly shattering the creatures. He then moved to the man’s side.

The guard glanced at Ye Fan and said weakly, "Your combat strength is incredible, even stronger than our captain’s. You’re not one of us!"

"That’s right," Ye Fan replied honestly. There was no need to lie to a dying man.

The man told Ye Fan, "You shouldn’t have come here. I’m going to die, but you still have a chance. With your strength, breaking out won’t be a problem!

"Hurry and escape! I don’t care why you came here, but this is no place for you. Go now! If you wait, it’ll be too late!"

"I will," Ye Fan said.

"This is my Jade Pendant! If you make it out alive, please help me give this to—"

The frail guard’s words were cut short as he drew his last breath.

Ye Fan was shaken. Here, human life was as insignificant as a weed, completely valueless. Death was simply death. No one sympathized with their companions, nor did anyone help others. Their only desire was to get out alive. Even Ye Fan had grown numb. He watched the crowd desperately trying to flee, but surrounded by monsters, their struggles were futile. Both the slaves and the guards were too weak to fight these creatures.

The number of monsters increased rapidly.

Ye Fan picked up the Jade Pendant and charged forward. He saw the Vanguard Leader struggling against the monsters and knew the man couldn’t hold on for much longer. The creatures he fought were powerful, so strong as to be unstoppable. He considered helping but ultimately decided against it.

Just then, the struggling Vanguard Leader saw Ye Fan charging deeper into the darkness and shouted, "Hurry up and help me! Or I’ll have your head!"

He was furious. They were all fighting for their lives, yet Ye Fan dared to venture even deeper.

But Ye Fan retorted, "Sir, you should worry about yourself! You can barely save your own skin!"

"Damn you, little bastard! When I get out of here, I swear I’ll kill you!" he cursed, but his voice was soon silenced as a monster struck him down.

The Vanguard Leader was instantly dismembered. He died a miserable death, never understanding why Ye Fan would head deeper into the darkness. After all, the deeper one went, the greater the danger.

The Vanguard and the slaves had become sacrifices. Ye Fan wanted to sympathize, but he knew he couldn’t even feel pity for himself, let alone them.

Several powerful monsters lunged at him. Though he moved quickly through the darkness, the monsters treated this place as their playground—or rather, their slaughterhouse.

In response, Ye Fan shouted, "Futian Sword Dao!"

His blade struck the strongest monster, shattering it to pieces. The monsters behind it surged forward to attack. But his strike caused a large section of the mine to collapse. Some monsters were crushed to death, while others hesitated, not daring to advance. All living things, whether bird or beast, know fear.

Ye Fan seized the opportunity to disappear into the darkness.

Up ahead, the Evil Qi was even denser, so oppressive that even Ye Fan struggled to withstand it. He shook his dizzy head and muttered, "Damn it. Can I really not go any further? Why is the Evil Qi up ahead so terrifying?"

The Evil Qi was like countless sharp blades, slicing at his skin.

It was then that he saw a multitude of bones scattered on the ground. This must mean a Vanguard came here before.

Ye Fan felt something beneath his foot. Looking down, he saw it was a scroll. He opened it. The writing was nearly illegible with age. Fortunately, the area was dry; otherwise, the scroll would have long since disintegrated.

The scroll recorded the following story.

Immortal Mines were the most precious gift heaven could bestow upon Martial Artists. However, harvesting them came at a great cost, for no one knew what terrifying monsters had gestated within them over countless eons.

The most terrifying incident of this kind in the Divine Domain was caused by the Outer Domain Main God. He had the potential to reach the Ancestor Realm and mined vigorously and without restraint. Using the resources from the Immortal Mines, the Outer Domain Main God became the single most powerful being in the Divine Domain, bar none.

Thus, he began to tirelessly gather slaves from the Secular World. This was during the Ancient Times, long before prodigies like the Ancestor of Tianyuan had risen.

Eventually, when there were no more mines left to exploit in his own territory, the Outer Domain Main God launched a war to invade the territories of other Main Gods. This angered two of them, who resented his brazen conquest of their lands.

They challenged him to a decisive battle. By that time, however, the Outer Domain Main God had grown too powerful. Even the combined might of two Main Gods was no match for him.