Chapter 29: Did the Young Master Fall Underground?

「？？？」

Lin Mo’s heart skipped a beat.

「No, Xiao Tu, calm down, I was just saying that out of nowhere…」

【『Earth Shield』 ecstatic: Oh my god! My master is a genius! Why didn’t I think of that? If I burrow into the ground, who could possibly harm my master?】

【『Earth Shield』 is frantically analyzing the structure of the earth…】

【『Earth Shield』: As long as I alter the density of surrounding earth elements, liquefying solid rock into a texture similar to quicksand…】

Seeing that 『Earth Shield』 had entered a state of total absorption, Lin Mo sat up sharply.

「Xiao Tu, listen to me—I need oxygen. There’s no oxygen underground. You’ll kill me, do you understand?」

Lin Mo tried to reason with this skill, now lost in its own thoughts.

Underground is dark and damp, and there might even be insects.

He was perfectly comfortable right where he was—he had no intention of hiding underground.

But 『Earth Shield』 was now in a state where it could no longer hear Lin Mo’s words.

To it, his remarks were merely further insights.

Oxygen?

Just create a self-contained space, and surface periodically to replenish oxygen.

【『Earth Shield』 blocked out all external interference, fully immersed in skill evolution.】

「…」

「Trouble.」

Lin Mo’s lips twitched several times.

【Congratulations! Your skill 「Earth Shield」, suffering from extreme insecurity, has successfully evolved into an advanced Earth skill—Earth Submersion (Beginner)!】

【Earth Submersion: Can merge with the earth, move freely underground, and carry objects within a certain range. The stronger your spiritual energy, the longer the duration. Cooldown: 15 minutes.】

【『Earth Shield』 laughed hysterically: Hahaha! Master is incredible! A single word woke me from my dream! No wonder you’re my master!】

The moment those words ended.

Hum—!

Lin Mo felt the ground beneath him soften.

The once-solid earth turned fluid and yielding in an instant.

The custom-made bed began sinking downward at an alarming speed.

The maid kneeling beside it was utterly stunned.

She watched helplessly as her Young Master, bed and all, was swallowed by the earth.

「Y…Young Master?!」

The maid instinctively reached out—but grasped only air.

Lin Mo barely caught a glimpse of the sky above, rapidly shrinking, and the maid’s terrified face.

「I’m fucked…」

Whoosh—!

Soil churned and sealed shut instantly.

The ground returned to perfect flatness, as if nothing had happened.

…

Meanwhile, atop the five-meter-high earthen wall.

Ye Hongyu slashed backward, decapitating a flying beast that had drawn near.

The storm eagle flocks in the sky had been mostly cleared out.

Just then,

Shi Tou jolted suddenly.

He lowered his head, staring at the ground beneath his feet—a heavy, unusual vibration rose from deep below.

As an S-rank Earth-affinity mage, Shi Tou knew this sensation all too well.

「This feeling… it’s here!」

Ye Hongyu noticed Shi Tou’s reaction and turned to him: 「What’s wrong? Earth-element boss?」

Yes! This pure Earth-element fluctuation... no mistake—this wilderness boss is Earth-affinity!

Shi Tou nodded firmly, voice certain.

「Do you know its exact location?」

Ye Hongyu asked immediately.

Shi Tou pointed at the ground beneath his feet.

「Before an Earth-element boss spawns, it frantically drains earth vein energy, causing subterranean Earth elements to swirl into a massive vortex.」

「Like a whirlpool on water—follow the flow of Earth elements underground, find the vortex’s center, and that’s where the boss will spawn!」

After listening, Ye Hongyu paused briefly, then asked:

「How many people can your 【Earth Submersion】 carry?」

Shi Tou said proudly:

「Up to 120 kilograms. Theoretically, I can carry you and the Young Master together.」

「Alright, it’s settled!」

Ye Hongyu nodded.

Just a small boss—she and Shi Tou could easily whittle it down to low health for the Young Master to finish off.

This boss was theirs for the taking!

Both turned at once.

The next instant,

both froze.

「…Where’s the Young Master?」

Where was that huge bed?

Where was that huge living person?

Ye Hongyu’s face darkened. In a flash, she leapt from the five-meter wall, landing before the maid.

「Where’s the Young Master?!」

Ye Hongyu’s voice carried a rare edge of urgency.

This was the heart of a heavily guarded camp!

How could someone have kidnapped the Young Master right under her nose?

The maid, startled by Ye Hongyu’s shout, finally snapped back to reality.

She pointed at the smooth ground before them, trembling: 「Y…Young Master… fell in.」

「Fell in?」

Shi Tou, who had just landed, blinked. 「How? There’s no hole here!」

The maid struggled to form words, gesturing frantically:

「J…just now, the soil suddenly turned like water—the Young Master, bed and all… ‘whoosh!’—vanished into the ground!」

「A…And then the ground sealed itself!」

Shi Tou and Ye Hongyu exchanged glances, both seeing shock in each other’s eyes.

Soil turned like water?

Burrowed underground?

Left no hole?

This description… why does it sound so familiar?

「This… is 【Earth Submersion】?!」

Shi Tou gasped.

He dropped to his knees, pressing both hands against the ground where Lin Mo had vanished, sensing the subterranean traces.

A few seconds later,

Shi Tou shot up, eyes wide as if seeing a ghost: 「Ye Team Leader… it’s real… it’s truly 【Earth Submersion】!」

This…

Shi Tou swallowed hard, feeling his worldview crumble.

Within a single day, he first mastered 【Earth Flow Wall】, then immediately 【Earth Submersion】?

What kind of monster is this?

What made Shi Tou’s scalp prickle even more…

That custom bed was solid wood, weighing at least three or four hundred kilograms.

He, a veteran Earth mage, could carry only 120 kilograms—yet Lin Shao, upon first mastering it, dragged the whole bed underground?

But what shocked Shi Tou most of all…

Was that the Young Master had already descended underground before him.

What did that mean?

It meant the Young Master’s elemental perception range far surpassed his own S-rank Earth mage’s!

Before he’d even reacted, the Young Master had sensed the Earth boss’s spawn—and instinctively mastered 【Earth Submersion】, slipping underground alone.

Most crucially, the Young Master even thought this wild boss was too weak—he could solo it alone with just a bed!

Too insane!

Too confident!

Is this the pride of a top-tier genius?

“Stop imagining things!”

Ye Hongyu snapped back to reality, cutting off Shi Tou’s thoughts.

“Hurry, take me with you—the Young Master is of priceless worth, he cannot be harmed!”

“Ah yes, yes! Ye Team Leader, hold tight to me!”

Hum—!

A yellow-brown light flared, and the soil beneath their feet instantly softened.

Shi Tou plunged into the ground, carrying Ye Hongyu with him.