Made a killing

"It... how did it become this powerful?! At this cutting efficiency, even a World Lord-level plant life form would barely be its equal!"

Man Ji was also dumbfounded as he watched: "I remember your Thunderlight Vine was only Universe-level? How does it feel even more ferocious than me now?"

Although Shadow Shuttle didn't speak, the shock in his eyes was equally impossible to hide.

They all knew Lu Ming possessed an auxiliary plant life form, but it should never have been this strong!

To think it could cut through E9-grade metal with such ease!

Lu Ming smiled slightly and once again used his universal excuse: "With this breakthrough, Little Thunder benefited as well and underwent an evolution."

He didn't offer further explanation, pointing to the ore piling up higher and higher nearby: "Don't just stand there, Little Thunder is responsible for mining, we are responsible for loading! Use your World Rings, load as much as you can! Move fast!"

The three of them snapped out of their daze, suppressing the shock and confusion in their hearts; now was not the time for questioning, dividing the treasure was the real priority!

They immediately sprang into action, opening their respective World Rings and frantically collecting the cut Ink Meteor Mother Gold ore.

For a time, the inner valley was filled only with the humming of vines slicing through ore and the swishing sounds of the minerals being collected.

Soon, the entire mine was completely excavated!

Under the terrifying mining efficiency of the Thunderlight Vine, the once towering mountain of Ink Meteor Mother Gold "shrank" at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In less than half a day, the entire mine was thoroughly depleted, leaving behind only a massive crater and ground covered in crushed stone and powder.

The massive amount of Ink Meteor Mother Gold ore mined was divided among the four of them and stored in their respective space rings.

Even the space rings with the largest volumes were packed to the brim, and everyone felt their storage space was heavier than ever before—not just in physical weight, but in the psychological perception of this immense wealth.

Looking at the now empty inner valley, the four of them were brimming with irrepressible excitement.

"Alright, this matter is concluded."

Carlos, as the discoverer, was the first to speak.

"These Ink Meteor Mother Gold ores are of too great a value; dividing them now would inevitably be rushed and prone to errors. In my opinion, it would be better to wait until we have thoroughly explored the secret realm and safely departed, then find a secure location to carefully inventory and distribute them fairly. What does everyone think?"

Lu Ming nodded in agreement.

"No problem. Distributing them now is indeed inappropriate."

Man Ji patted his bulging World Ring and grinned: "I have no objections! Besides, the ore is in the rings, it's not going anywhere! Haha, I've never been this rich in my life!"

Shadow Shuttle nodded silently.

"Since that is the case, let us continue our exploration."

Lu Ming looked toward the mist still permeating outside the valley.

"Although this mine is precious, it may not be the only great treasure in this secret realm. The scope of this realm is vast, and we haven't been exploring separately for long; perhaps there are other discoveries to be made."

"Exactly!"

Man Ji was full of drive.

"We just got in and already found such a massive treasure mountain; there must be more good stuff ahead! I can't wait!"

Carlos nodded.

"Right, according to the original plan, we will continue to explore in zones. Same old rules: maintain contact via the Virtual Universe, and if you encounter tricky situations or major discoveries, call for help immediately."

"Understood!"

"No problem!"

The four reached a consensus and once again turned into four streams of light, rushing out of the mist-shrouded inner valley and returning to the vast secret realm continent, speeding toward the areas they had not yet finished exploring.

Having experienced the massive harvest of the Ink Meteor Mother Gold mine, everyone's desire to explore was at an all-time high.

Over the next five months, the four of them carried out a carpet-style search across this vast, primitive secret realm continent.

With the Ink Meteor Mother Gold mine as a precedent, their standards had become higher; ordinary Universe-level materials and beast nests could no longer pique much interest.

Even so, the richness of this secret realm still exceeded their imagination.

Relying on his stronger perception and the assistance of the Thunderlight Vine, Lu Ming independently discovered another vein containing "Void Crystal"—a precious material used for forging space-type weapons. Although not as exaggerated as Ink Meteor Mother Gold, it was still of great value.

Carlos found a "Nine-Orifice Poison Lotus" on the verge of maturity deep within a toxic swamp, a rare item used for concocting top-tier poisons and cultivating certain special secret techniques.

Man Ji had good luck, killing a Domain Lord-level fifth-stage Lava Behemoth in a volcanic crater and harvesting an "Earth Fire Core" containing pure fire-element energy.

Beyond that, they harvested a mountain of various miscellaneous Universe-level materials, rare plants, and valuable parts from fierce beasts. Everyone's storage space became fuller than ever before.

Five months later, the four met up again at the originally agreed-upon rendezvous point, the crater on Ash Planet.

"Hahaha! Satisfying! We really made a killing this time!"

As soon as Man Ji jumped off his spaceship, he couldn't help but laugh out loud, his excitement impossible to conceal.

Carlos was also beaming, and although he tried to maintain his composure, the smile in the corners of his eyes could not be hidden.

"Indeed, the harvest from this exploration far exceeds any of our previous ones. The wealth we are carrying now probably surpasses that of many Immortals."

Shadow Shuttle nodded silently.

Lu Ming smiled: "It is mainly because we moved fast enough and had good luck. Over these five months, I occasionally sensed weak external detection fluctuations scanning this star sector, but it seems they failed to lock onto the specific location of the secret realm entrance. If we had been any later, it might not have gone so smoothly."

The reason they were able to explore for five months without outside interference was, on one hand, because the entrance to the secret realm was inherently hidden, and on the other, Carlos had set up shielding devices in advance.

Furthermore, and most importantly, their actions were extremely swift; from discovery to deep exploration, they hadn't wasted a single moment, effectively exploiting a gap in time.

"That's right. The longer things drag on, the more trouble we invite. Since we've explored just about everything and our gains have far exceeded expectations, it's time for us to leave."

Carlos set aside his smile and spoke with a serious expression.

The group nodded in succession.

Though the secret realm was excellent, it was ultimately not a place to stay for long.

Carrying such immense wealth, it was better to sell these items and convert them into liquid assets as soon as possible.

"Let's go. We'll leave the secret realm first and return to Horned Dragon Planet. Once we're settled, we can slowly inventory and distribute our spoils."

Lu Ming made the decision.

The four of them delayed no longer, each boarding their respective spacecraft.

They flew toward the edge of this star sector.

Half a month later, on Horned Dragon Planet, inside the private palace of the planetary lord He Ya.

A powerful isolation barrier rose, completely sealing off the interior from the outside.

In the center of the grand hall, various treasures radiating immense energy fluctuations or strange lusters were piled high like a mountain, occupying nearly half of the chamber.

Ink Meteor Mother Gold ore, Void Crystal, Nine-Orifice Poison Lotus, Earth Fire Core, Phantom Demon Dove Feather... along with a vast array of other rare materials, dazzled the eyes, their treasure-light swirling and bathing the entire hall in brilliant, flowing colors.

He Ya gazed at the "mountain of treasure" before him; even as a veteran Sector Lord with extensive experience, he couldn't help but feel his breathing quicken.

"The Ink Meteor Mother Gold alone... its value is immeasurable. Add to that all these others... honestly, in all my years, this is the first time I've seen so many precious treasures gathered in one place."

Carlos, Man Ji, and Shadow Shuttle all wore faces brimming with the joy of their harvest.