Chapter 459

Chen Mu and Tianxi Star Lord followed closely behind.

The three nodded to the remaining Tianfu, Tiankui, and Dikong Star Lords, then slipped down Feiyang Rock like three night owls, vanishing into the churning gray mist and jagged mountain shadows below.

Following the predetermined route, the three unleashed their body techniques, racing swiftly through the complex terrain.

Thanks to prior experience and detailed planning, they avoided several areas likely inhabited by powerful monstrous beasts, moving at great speed.

Less than an hour passed before they reached the foot of Qianku Mountain.

Looking up, the massive, honeycomb-like mountain loomed in the night like a black wall riddled with holes, radiating oppressive weight.

Vines twisted across the cliff face, jagged rocks jutted out, and many openings emitted faint gases that glowed with eerie luminescence in the dark.

"The seventh honeycomb zone, over there."

Chen Mu, relying on memory and the map, pointed to a region on the mountain's upper-left side where the cave openings were denser and arranged in a slightly orderly pattern.

That spot was about a hundred zhang above ground.

"Go!"

Pojun Star Lord spoke tersely, launching himself upward first; his toes tapped the steep cliff face with pinpoint precision, each push calculated perfectly—swift as lightning, silent as shadow.

Chen Mu and Tianxi Star Lord also unleashed their body techniques and followed.

A hundred zhang in height was but a moment's effort for three experts at the peak of Earth Altar Realm.

The three landed steadily on a relatively broad rock platform in the seventh honeycomb zone.

Dozens of irregular cave openings scattered around them—some hidden by vines, others yawning black and bottomless—while the air reeked of heavy minerals and sulfur, plus a faint, stale metallic scent of blood.

"Three hundred zhang below the third ventilation shaft…"

Chen Mu's sharp gaze swept the area, quickly locking onto a circular opening about two meters in diameter, nestled in a rock depression and half-buried by weathered rubble.

The cave's edge was smooth, bearing traces of artificial carving, but clearly abandoned for ages, overgrown with dark green moss.

"This is it."

Chen Mu whispered, stepping up to the cave mouth.

According to the Shi Gui leader, the entrance was buried under rubble and required pure brute force to strike specific rock node points.

He focused his mind, his spiritual sense extending like tentacles into the rubble and the rock wall behind.

Soon, he "saw" the convergence of several fine energy veins within the rock—where the structure was weakest, the exact node.

"Step back."

Chen Mu gestured for Pojun and Tianxi to retreat slightly.

He did not summon true qi; instead, he drew a deep breath, his blood surging instantly through his body, his right fist clenched, a faint golden glow rippling beneath his skin, as a weighty, immense force coalesced at his knuckles.

He lowered his stance, and with a silent punch, struck the outer surface directly above the rock node.

No thunderous roar—only an earth-shattering "thud," as if a colossal hammer had struck a solid iron anvil.

From the point of impact, fine spiderweb cracks spread across the rock surface, then came the sharp, grinding "crack" of stone fracturing within.

Crash!

The rubble blocking the cave mouth collapsed inward, revealing a dark, downward-sloping passage beyond.

A colder, heavier current surged out from the passage's depths—thick with the stench of earth and decay.

The entrance was open!

Pojun Star Lord stepped in first, his silver-star robe glowing faintly in the darkness, illuminating several feet ahead.

Chen Mu took the center, Tianxi Star Lord brought up the rear.

After entering the passage, Chen Mu turned back and carefully repositioned several large chunks of rubble to obscure the opening, making a crude concealment—enough to avoid immediate detection, though not enough to restore the original state.

Inside the passage, darkness reigned; the ground was damp and uneven, littered with rubble and thick layers of dust.

The air was foul, infused with faint yin-sha energy and the scent of ancient dust.

The rock walls bore rough carving marks; many places still held crude wooden supports from the original surveying, now rotted beyond use.

"According to the map, descend about three hundred zhang, then turn northeast."

Chen Mu transmitted his voice, while extending his spiritual sense as far forward as possible, alert for any hidden dangers.

The three held their breath, moving with feline lightness along the ancient, winding mine tunnel, stealthily advancing deeper into the "Blood Fang Cave."

The darkness within the abandoned mine felt like a tangible weight, pressing against their senses.

The three moved in silence, like three shadows merging into gloom, advancing swiftly yet cautiously along the slippery, uneven path.

Chen Mu led, his spiritual sense acting like the most sensitive tentacles, repeatedly sweeping the darkness ahead, probing every curve and every stretch of rock wall for anomalies.

The powerful blood qi from his Four Cauldrons Hardening Body flowed slowly through him, supplying endless stamina and maintaining an exceptional sensitivity to his senses despite the harsh environment.

The air grew increasingly damp and cold, mingling the smells of soil, decaying minerals, and a faint, unsettling sweetness.

The passage did not descend steadily—it rose and fell, twisted and turned; many side paths had been sealed by collapsed rock or hardened mud sludge, forcing them to follow only the main route as recalled by the Shi Gui leader.

Occasionally, distant sounds echoed—like rock scraping or water dripping—amplified endlessly in the dead silence, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

After traveling about ten li, the sound of rushing water came ahead, reverberating hollowly through the enclosed tunnel.

According to the map, this should be the underground river.

Indeed, rounding a sharp bend, a thirty-zhang-wide river surged before them, its dark, ink-like waters flowing violently.

The water emitted a pungent stench of sulfur and rust, clearly laced with poison and corrosive properties.

The river's surface was barely two zhang below the ceiling, leaving only a narrow passage for passage.

On the opposite cliff wall, a nearly vertical, narrow fissure indeed stretched upward—this was the climbing route mentioned by the Shi Gui leader.

"Beware the water—it may be toxic."

Pojun Star Lord whispered, leaping forward first; his toes tapped lightly on a few exposed rocks jutting from the river, his form gliding like a swallow, a few leaps carrying him safely across.

Chen Mu and Tianxi Star Lord followed close behind, each shielding their entire bodies with true qi to avoid contact with the poisoned water.

Arriving beneath the fissure, they looked up—the crack was barely wide enough for one person to squeeze through, its interior slick with dark green moss and unknown viscous slime, stretching upward into darkness, its height unknown.

"I'll go first."

The General Star Lord led again, his hands and feet clinging to the cliff face like suction cups, climbing upward with astonishing strength and coordination, swift and steady, nearly silent.

Chen Mu and the Joyful Star Lord followed in turn.

After climbing about a hundred zhang, the crack ahead gradually widened and connected to a relatively spacious horizontal tunnel.

The three of them climbed up.

This tunnel appeared to be a passage used by miners to transport ore; the ground bore abandoned railway tracks and overturned mine carts, and the air reeked of stronger decaying metal and a faint, almost imperceptible scent of blood.

"It seems we're drawing closer to the 'Blood Fang Cave.'"

The Joyful Star Lord transmitted his voice, his tone wary.

As they pressed on, the tunnel began to show signs of artificial repair; on the walls, they could even spot new, crude slots for animal-skin torches, though none were lit at present.

This meant the Beast God's people were likely using or monitoring parts of the old mine tunnels!

The three of them suppressed their qi to the utmost.

After advancing several li further, a relatively open fork appeared ahead.

According to the map, the right path led to the treacherous 'Ningsha Stone Zone,' but it was the key to bypassing the main guard zones.

The left path might directly connect to a secondary mine tunnel of the 'Blood Fang Cave,' but the guards there might be tighter.

Just as the three were about to turn right as planned, Chen Mu's divine sense suddenly detected an extremely faint, unnatural energy fluctuation deep within the left tunnel.

"Wait!"