Chapter 720: Reunion with an Old Friend

At this moment, Li Yi was advancing deeper into the Red Gold Mine, and the further he went, the hotter it became, the thinner the air, and mining here was pure torment, with death always a possibility.

Only someone like him, a cultivator who had reached the Five Qi Perfect Circle, with a body that had evolved and transformed, could ignore the environmental effects here.

But those slaves were all ordinary people from the Wildlands.

"Still, the environment is harsh—but what is this energy in the air?" Li Yi soon sensed something unusual.

He reached out and grabbed, drawing the surrounding energy into a thread of crimson essence.

Though thin, if gathered over time, it would be extremely significant.

Moreover, this essence was highly unusual—it could alter one's physique and strengthen one's soul.

"Could there truly be divine blood in this mountain?" Li Yi couldn't help but form this thought.

If this were the aura of divine blood, it would make sense.

And the deeper into the mountain he went, the denser this anomalous life essence became; yet this aura could not persist—once outside the mountain, it would dissipate into the heavens and earth, utterly unrecoverable, detectable only deep within the mountain's core.

Perhaps that was precisely why the Lord of Red Gold Mountain had never noticed the mountain's peculiar nature.

Otherwise, he would have shattered the mountain long ago to excavate its secrets.

After all, as a noble lord, how could he descend into these mine tunnels like a slave?

As a cultivator, Li Yi was highly sensitive to the energies of heaven and earth, especially those beyond the Five Elements—this was likely a cultivator's advantage.

"Should I go further in? The slaves nearby are growing fewer—if I go ahead, there won't be many left." He grew suspicious.

The slave master Ji He said: "Great Yi, your companion is at the very deepest point. He's a reclusive slave who often works alone; because he extracts far more red gold than other slaves, the overseers have tolerated him and allowed him to carve out new veins by himself."

Li Yi nodded and continued forward with the slave master.

Soon.

The mine tunnel ended here, and there he saw a black, gaunt man swinging a bronze great hammer, each strike unleashing tremendous force, shattering rock and revealing the red gold ore within.

Though years of labor had altered his appearance, Li Yi would never mistake this aura.

It was indeed Jiang Mingtian.

At this moment, Jiang Mingtian also sensed someone approaching from behind in the tunnel. He feigned ignorance, silent and withdrawn as always, burying himself in mining.

"This person isn't a slave or an overseer—overseers don't walk like this, and this one is extremely powerful; my soul is warning me this is a Lord-level cultivator." Jiang Mingtian didn't turn back, but he grew alert, revealing not the slightest flaw.

Why would a Lord-level cultivator come to the depths of this vein?

Had he been exposed? Or had some powerful figure here also sensed the divine blood's scent?

That shouldn't be possible.

This special energy dissipates the moment it leaves the mountain's body; only those deep within the mine can detect it, and over the past year, he was certain no Lord-level cultivator had ever entered the mine.

"If not for the divine blood, then perhaps it's me they're after—I'm the only slave mining here." Jiang Mingtian's heart tightened, his grip on the hammer instinctively growing tense.

But the next moment, a familiar voice sounded behind him.

"Jiang Mingtian—is that you?" Li Yi spoke.

Huh?

Though Jiang Mingtian hadn't hidden his name in this world—some overseers and slaves knew it—this figure instantly triggered recognition: a familiar person.

And in this Wildland, his only familiar people were Zhao Fang, Hu Fei, and Li Yi.

Wait.

That was Li Yi's voice.

Though over a year had passed, Jiang Mingtian had known Li Yi for a long time and still remembered his voice vividly.

His hammer halted abruptly; Jiang Mingtian turned back, eyes wide with shock.

Li Yi's aura had changed drastically—he no longer resembled an Earth-born evolver, but a Wildland divine-blood warrior, which was why Jiang Mingtian hadn't recognized him at first.

But aura could change—appearance could not.

"Li Yi—is it really you?" Jiang Mingtian's voice betrayed disbelief: "Am I seeing things? You're still alive?"

He had long suspected Li Yi and Hu Fei were dead—surviving in this Wildland was no easy feat.

"I've always had a stubborn life," Li Yi smiled. "I won't die so easily. You've gotten darker and thinner, but I can see you're full of vigor and unharmed."

He glanced at Jiang Mingtian's back—though there were minor external wounds, he could tell these were deliberately inflicted, likely for disguise.

After all, a slave without back wounds would seem suspicious.

"I'm fine," Jiang Mingtian said. "Hard work, but at least I'm alive. Wait—how did you end up here in Red Gold Mountain? Did you get sold like me?"

Li Yi immediately replied: "I wasn't sold as a slave—I was brought here by this slave master to find you and Zhao Fang."

At this moment, the slave master Ji He, ever astute, said: "Great Yi, I've fulfilled my promise—you've found your companion. It's time for me to leave. Remember, Great Yi, leave Red Gold Mountain before sunset. The Warrior Captain has been watching you for a long time—don't provoke him."

With that, he bowed and swiftly departed the tunnel, leaving the two undisturbed.

Yet Jiang Mingtian's gaze as he watched the slave master leave held a hint of killing intent.

He feared the slave master might expose his secrets and bring trouble.

Immediately, Jiang Mingtian turned a questioning look toward Li Yi.

Should they kill him?

He had a storage magic treasure—he could dispose of the body easily, and with so many tunnels here, a missing slave master might raise suspicion, but not immediately point to them.

Yet Li Yi shook his head slightly, halting Jiang Mingtian's murderous thought.

Seeing Li Yi disagreed,

out of trust in Li Yi, Jiang Mingtian suppressed his killing intent and slowly lowered his gaze.

Once the slave master had left, Li Yi spoke directly: "I went to great lengths—traced connections, sought people, paid a heavy price—to find your whereabouts. I owe my success in entering Red Gold Mountain to the help of a merchant lord. My purpose here is to rescue the two of you."

Jiang Mingtian was stunned, even moved.

He never expected that after over a year, Li Yi had been tirelessly searching the Wildland for him, seeking to save him.

Of course, Jiang Mingtian didn't know that this was Li Yi's second journey to the Wildland—on his first, he had been too weak to act, forced to leave.

"Li Yi, I can't leave yet—not with Zhao Fang." He took a deep breath, steadying his emotions, then said:

Li Yi was astonished: "Why? Don't you want to return to Earth? Or are you seeking divine blood here?"

"You know about the divine blood?" Jiang Mingtian asked.

"I came here as a divine-blood warrior—I've heard rumors of its existence."

Li Yi said: "The slave master also said the Lord of Red Gold Mountain shattered ten great mountains and found nothing, finally giving up. Though I sense a peculiar energy within this mountain, no one can confirm it's divine blood."

"And I can't stay long—I must leave before sunset. I can put you inside my magic treasure and take you out. Losing one or two slaves won't raise alarms for days—and by then, we'll be back on Earth."

His plan was thorough.

Using the Five Elements Bracelet to take Jiang Mingtian and Zhao Fang away meant no confrontation with the mountain lords.

Jiang Mingtian paused. Had he not prepared so much himself, he'd have thought Li Yi's plan excellent—but now, he wanted to risk everything, unwilling to abandon the chance within his grasp.

"Li Yi, I'm truly grateful you came to save me—I wouldn't have spent over a year searching for you. But I've suffered too much here. I have a feeling the divine blood lies just ahead of where I'm mining—I want to risk it before sunset."

He took another deep breath and spoke his true thoughts.

Because Jiang Mingtian felt deceiving a friend who came to save him was despicable.

"We have less than six hours left," Li Yi said, pulling out his phone from his storage treasure: "If we reveal our strength to mine, we'll draw attention—even if we find divine blood, someone else will claim it."

"This place isn't just ruled by the Lord of Red Gold Mountain—it also holds a Qiongqi and a powerful divine-blood warrior."

At this moment, Jiang Mingtian interrupted Li Yi: "Wait—Li Yi, I must tell you a secret: I once planted a Beast Taming Talisman on that Qiongqi."

Beast Taming Talisman?

Li Yi's expression changed instantly: "Can you control it?"

"I don't know. Since planting it, I've had no chance to approach the Qiongqi, and being deep in Red Gold Mine, I can't sense whether the talisman works."

Li Yi's eyes flickered: "If you can confirm you control that Qiongqi, Red Gold Mountain might be worth stirring up."

He hadn't expected Jiang Mingtian to give him such a surprise.

"Huh?" Jiang Mingtian's eyes widened.

But then he saw confidence on Li Yi's face.

Had Li Yi grown so powerful he could challenge the Lord of Red Gold Mountain?

"Li Yi, what's your plan? Tell me," Jiang Mingtian said. "Whatever you decide, Zhao Fang and I will stand with you."

He didn't trust others—but he trusted Li Yi.

After all, they had shared life-and-death bonds, and Li Yi had always been generous, willing to share gains—and this time, Li Yi had gone through hell to rescue him, proving everything.

"Don't rush," Li Yi said, his expression thoughtful. "Let me think how to deal with the Lord of Red Gold Mountain."

(End of Chapter)