The night was like thick ink, heavily spilling over the rugged mountains of Baiyan Mine.

The once noisy wind of the day seemed to hold its breath, with only the occasional breeze from the depths of the mine pit carrying the scent of sulfur and rust, whimpering as it swept past jagged rocks, lifting a few dry leaves before they fell back down, adding to the eerie silence.

Faint phosphorus fires flickered ghostly between the collapsed mine entrance and abandoned slag heaps, like countless peering eyes.

Under the shadow of the towering cliffs on the east side of Baiyan Mine, a pure glow dispelled the deep darkness.

The Holy Daughter Dali stood quietly, her simple white robe unmoving in the night wind, like a saintly jade statue.

Her eyes, clear as morning stars, pierced through the night, gazing at the sparsely lit camp below in the mining area.

Behind her stood the orderly ranks of the Light Sect knights and mages, totaling several hundred people.

Knight Henry, clad in heavy armor, revealed only eyes burning with unwavering battle intent beneath his visor.

Meanwhile, on the west side of the mining area, deep within a denser, twisted grove of dead trees, the people of the Four Gods Sect lurked like specters, clearly outnumbering the other side with a more dispersed formation.

The Four Gods Sect had always been like this; they had many more people than the Light Sect, but were divided into at least four major factions, with internal conflicts extremely fierce.

They actually knew the people from the Light Sect were coming; both sides had a tacit understanding to jointly deal with the Shadow Council.

As for resolving the matter of this mining area's ownership once the Shadow Council is dealt with, that would have to wait for later discussions.

In the center of the mining area, a makeshift camp built around a large mine entrance, bonfires crackled, illuminating a few numb and weary faces.

These were miners forcibly kidnapped, their eyes hollow, their movements mechanical.

A few Shadow Council guards, wearing dark leather armor embroidered with twisted shadow symbols on their chests, leaned lazily against the rough wooden fence, speaking in low voices about the day's ore yield or the new girls in town.

They hadn't realized at all that the people of the Four Gods Sect and the Light Sect had already surrounded them in a flanking position.

A massive fireball suddenly appeared, illuminating the dark mountains, and it fell into the camp, exploding instantly, turning the whole camp into a sea of flames.

Thus, the battle began. The people of the Four Gods Sect and the Light Sect had already charged in by this time, forcing the unprepared Shadow Council members to engage.

They were significantly fewer in number, especially compared to the sect members, but at this point, there was no retreat.

The people of the Shadow Council were well aware that if captured, the outcome would be little better than death.

...

Elsewhere, Duke was lurking in a dark corner, draped in a Shadow Cloak.

He watched the massive Fireball Technique, thinking, "The energy intensity of this Fireball Technique is likely several hundred degrees, probably unleashed by a Magic Master of the Four Gods Sect."

By this time, the entire focus of Baiyan Mine was on the battlefield, while hidden members of the Shadow Council had already rushed over.

Duke, in an unnoticed corner, protected by the Shadow Cloak, utilized the Shadow Space for rapid movement, quickly arriving at the edge of the other side of the mineral deposits.

He casually chose a mine shaft to enter, continuously delving deeper into its depths, the surface battle no longer concerning him.

Duke gradually reached the damp, dark depths of the mine, where the distribution of silver-backed metal veins was evident.

Wasting no time, he began absorbing the silver-backed metal from the veins.

He was familiar with the task and disregarded the terrain, protecting himself with yellow sand before beginning his unrestrained absorption.

As time ticked by, Duke voraciously absorbed massive portions of the mineral veins, triggering a collapse with a rumbling noise.

The surface must have sensed some movement, but these sounds were drowned in the surface battle, and no one could pay heed to the depths of the mine.

Duke had, by now, become an earth-colored sphere, moving underground, effortlessly absorbing the surrounding silver-backed metal.

He knew the surface battle wouldn't last long, so he needed to act swiftly.

With Duke's rampant absorption, the terrain below progressively collapsed, gradually impacting the surface.

Some areas of the surface had begun to sink, but the surface fighters were too engaged to notice, assuming any anomalies were simply the battle's aftermath.

Even if they knew someone was pillaging the veins below, no one could address the issue as the two sides remained fiercely engaged.

Two hours later.

The surface battle was gradually subsiding, leaving the Shadow Council members dead or injured. Besides those who fled, some were captured and bound with special Magic Shackles.

The people of the Four Gods Sect and the Light Sect, though at odds, stood overtly identified, unable to act against one another.

The Four Gods Sect deployed four Magic Masters, while the Light Sect had only one, each side negotiating as they cleared the battlefield.

"Never expected the Holy Daughter herself to come; it shows how much you value this operation," Wade, the Bishop of the Four Gods Sect, remarked sarcastically.

The Holy Daughter Dali only cast him a glance, saying, "Eradicating the Shadow Council is everyone's responsibility. Since the Light Sect learned of it, we naturally won't stand by."

"Hmm, very nice, but you must remember, this Baiyan Mine belongs to the Four Gods Sect. We appreciate your help in ridding it of heresy, but it's time for you to leave," Bishop Wade said with a gesture of dismissal.

Knight Henry retorted coldly, "You really have no shame. This place belongs to the Bristol Kingdom; since when was it passed to the Four Gods Sect?"

Theoretically, all land belonged to the royal family of the Bristol Kingdom, aside from some private estates.

The Four Gods Sect indeed had some territories, but this area was not on their books; they were attempting to brazenly seize it, postponing paperwork.

Their plan was to occupy the area first, then file the necessary documents, since the royal family to them were mere puppets.

Over the years, Bristol Kingdom's royal family had lost control over the kingdom, with the Four Gods Sect as the real power wielders, making formalities easy.

The Light Sect would undoubtedly oppose letting them complete this maneuver smoothly, signaling another covert struggle for power.

However, such matters no longer concerned Duke, who, after absorbing over eighty tons of silver-backed metal, used the Shadow Cloak to quickly distance himself, fleeing a hundred miles away.

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