"Dragon aura... Just as I thought," Wilbur murmured, looking at the first cauldron.


    Sure enough, the miners'' hard work and resilience had indeed converged to form a dragon aura.


    The first cauldron sensed this powerful dragon aura and began absorbing its energy.


    Golden light started to emanate from the first cauldron, flickering and fusing into tiny golden particles, which were then absorbed by the cauldron.


    A figure in ck, Raymond, witnessed the scene from afar.


    He stared at Wilbur before turning and leaving the area.


    In a dark underground chamber, an old man named Barker was reclining on a chair, his feet immersed in a basin of thick, ck liquid to absorb its energy.


    Raymond knelt on one knee, hands sped in respect, and reported, "Sir, Fremont''s chosen one has arrived."


    "What?" Barker slowly opened his eyes. "Are you sure?"


    "Absolutely," Raymond replied. "I just saw him outside with the first cauldron, absorbing the dragon aura from the Ezekiel Mine."


    Barker mmed his hand down, shattering the table.


    "Damn it! Dragons? They''re nothing but worms to me!"


    Barker''s eyes widened in his rage, and his left cheek split open, revealing a ck, liquid-like substance within.


    Raymond quickly intervened, "Sir, please calm down. Fremont wronged you years ago. Let me kill his chosen one today and avenge you."


    "Raymond, handle this and leave no trace behind. Remember to retrieve the cauldrons for me. This time, I''ll make sure Fremont pays dearly for his past transgression!"


    Barker''s face twisted with hatred.


    "Yes, sir," Raymond replied.


    Raymond left the dark underground chamber, leaving Barker to his memories.


    Barker and Fremont were both cultivators, but their paths diverged in their cultivation methods.


    While Fremont followed the guidance of the dragon n, Barker delved into thew of darkness.


    He found that practicing thew of darkness not only increased his strength but also extended his lifespan, leading to his unwavering devotion to them.


    Once a passionate young man and a cultivator, Barker''s life took a dark turn when his parents were killed, and the love of his life stolen from him.


    In his fury, Barker turned to thew of darkness, using its power to reim what was rightfully his.


    He sought revenge for his parents'' deaths and killed the man who took his beloved woman.


    Eventually, he even took the life of the woman herself after getting bored with her.


    To Barker, everything became justified through his practice of thew of darkness, and he believed that the world should conform to his vision.


    In fact, he would not allow anything to defy him.


    Later, Barker dispatched people to search for copper mines with his newfound wealth.


    Mining the copper mines was only one of Barker''s goals. He had a greater purpose to unearth the dark liquid hidden beneath the copper mines.


    Consuming this dark liquid enhanced Barker''s strength.


    For a millennium, he fed on this dark liquid daily, and its abundance beneath the Ezekiel Mine proved extremely beneficial for him.