Chapter 574

Xu Yang and Gao Lin both felt a jolt in their hearts and hurriedly cupped their fists: "The two of us disciples will return to the sect on our own."

The two had thought they could ride back to the Ziyang Sect on Lu Lu Tianchen's eagle, but they never expected that Lu Lu Tianchen had not killed that Lotus Emissary at all, deliberately letting the other party go so he could find the Xuelian Sect's stronghold.

They did not dare to follow such a fierce person; if something happened, they would not even know how they died.

"Mm!" Lu Lu Tianchen nodded.

As soon as his words fell, his body had already shot up into the sky, landing on the back of the giant eagle. The giant eagle spread its wings, carrying Lu Lu Tianchen, and quickly vanished into the night.

The two did not return to the previous cave, but sat down in a sheltered spot.

Xu Yang stood guard while Gao Lin sank into deep-level cultivation.

Before they knew it, the night quickly passed.

When the sky was just beginning to brighten, Xu Yang went to gather firewood, skinned and butchered the black leopard, and put away the valuable parts—the claws, teeth, and pelt.

By the time Gao Lin awoke from his meditation, golden-brown exotic beast meat was already roasting on the fire frame.

His complexion had improved quite a bit, but something like vitality could not be judged by complexion alone.

"Senior Brother, should we return to the sect or continue on to Tuofeng?" Xu Yang asked.

This incident was related to the Xuelian Sect—that was certain—but they only knew that the escort disciples and the Zhang brothers had all fallen victim to the Xuelian Sect. As for the situation at the Tuofeng Mine, they would have to see it in person to know.

"Continue on to Tuofeng!" Gao Lin said in a low voice.

Although he also wanted to hurry back to the sect to find a way to restore his vitality, the situation at Tuofeng also had to be sorted out.

"Good!" Xu Yang nodded.

After eating their fill, he found a place to bury the two long spears, then continued on to Tuofeng with Gao Lin.

Around noon, a faint smell of blood drifted from ahead. When the two arrived, it was indeed the Ziyang Sect's ore escort caravan.

Only now there was not a single living person left in the caravan; even the horses had been killed, the carriages violently blasted apart, and various ores and iron lay scattered across the ground.

The two said nothing and pressed on, spending another night in the mountains. By noon the next day, a mine built within the Yunling mountain range came into view—it was the Tuofeng Mine, and its scale was indeed larger than Moon Lake.

Houses stretched on in unbroken rows; this place could easily house several hundred people.

"Something happened here too!" Gao Lin said.

Xu Yang nodded. They were already very close to the mine, yet they had not seen any disciples stationed here. The vast mine was terrifyingly quiet.

The two quickly walked into the mine. At the entrance, they saw enormous gouges left by blade Qi strikes; many places had been destroyed, and they also spotted already-dried bloodstains.

"Did those beasts actually bloodwash this place?" Gao Lin's voice trembled slightly.

The Tuofeng Mine, not counting Ziyang Sect disciples, normally kept over two hundred workers year-round. If this place had been bloodwashed, it was hard to imagine how great the slaughter must have been.

"Probably not!" Xu Yang shook his head.

After so many days, if several hundred people had been killed, the stench of rotting corpses could be smelled from miles away. Apart from the absence of people, there was no such stench here.

He had been stationed at Moon Lake before and knew that in such situations, the mine tunnels were the safest place—the tunnels crisscrossed with all kinds of branches, perfect for staying alive.

The people from the mine had probably all hidden inside the tunnels.

"Is anyone there? I am Gao Lin of Lihuo Peak." Gao Lin called out, but received no response.

"Let's go into the tunnels," Xu Yang said.

His five senses had not detected anyone in the mine.

The two hurried toward the depths of the mine. Just as they saw the entrance to the deep, gloomy tunnel, several tattered, ragged-clothed people came walking out from inside.

"People... finally people have come. Brothers, we're saved."

"My lord, you've finally come."

"All the other lords are dead. Everyone's been hiding in the tunnels for many days now."

……

The few stumbled forward, still shaken and terrified.

Xu Yang's gaze turned cold; his extraordinary five senses had already caught the cold killing intent permeating the air.