As they drew closer to the Immortal-Fall Grotto, signs of human activity began to appear.
From time to time, they saw groups of three to five cultivators traveling together, riding strange clouds as they sailed across the earthfire.
They carried highly specialized tools: rune-covered masks, several-zhang-long rods as thick as arms that resembled fishing poles, and enormous nets.
They stared intently at the earthfire below, the masks on their faces glowing. At times they cast their rods; at others, they simply threw down their huge nets.
Like fishermen catching fish, they dredged within the earthfire.
Every so often, they truly hauled something out of the earthfire. Some things struggled so fiercely that they even dragged people down with them.
What they fished for was not fish, but metal.
Exotic metal that had been tempered by earth energy and washed by transcendent substances, gaining "spirituality" in the process.
This was one of the Immortal-Fall Grotto's greatest specialties, and it was worth a staggering sum. A piece no bigger than a thumb could sell for over a thousand mid-grade spirit stones. If it reached the size of a fist, only high-grade spirit stones could buy it. It was a material used to forge magic treasures.
Of course, no one should think that this money came easily. In truth, this was ten thousand times more dangerous than fishing, and those who worked down there were basically all Golden Core cultivators.
Leaving aside the harsh environment, even a thumb-sized piece of exotic metal had been far from small before it was caught. It was a massive ball of energy. Once disturbed, it would flee at tremendous speed and erupt with immense force.
One careless mistake, and instead of hauling it up, you could be dragged down yourself.
Even with thorough preparations and all manner