Chapter 83

Seeing that smooth rock wall with not a hint of a crack, Wu Tie would rather believe he had taken the wrong direction.

How could such a huge mine entrance just disappear?

So he drove the long banner, and amidst rolling smoke and clouds he spanned the entire mine pit, which was over a hundred li in diameter, reaching the opposite end.

【4> Bo Xi wielded a heavy sword, turning into a cold light, and pursued Wu Tie relentlessly from behind.

Bo Xi gripped a heavy sword, turned into a cold light, and relentlessly pursued Wu Tie from behind.

It was obvious that Bo Xi's strength came from external aid; on flat ground her speed was great, but when flying through the air she clearly could not keep up with Wu Tie.

She kept slashing her sword in the air, sending out streaks of sword qi that pierced the void, while Wu Tie constantly shook his long banner, causing rolling smoke and clouds to churn unpredictably, making his figure grow hazy and indistinct.

The streaks of sword qi swept past, yet not a single one could hit Wu Tie.

It wasn't just the smoke and clouds; the light around Wu Tie also underwent a subtle distortion.

The image of Wu Tie that Bo Xi saw was completely offset from his actual position; no matter how wildly she hacked, she could not possibly hit him.

Over a distance of more than a hundred li, Wu Tie covered it in just a little more than the time it takes to finish a cup of tea.

The rock face there was similarly smooth, with faint, strange patterns appearing and disappearing on the stone, while a faint earth-yellow light glimmered from within the mountain. The stone's color also became much more lustrous, turning from ordinary rock into something somewhat like jade.

Wu Tie stared blankly at the intact rock face, his expression disheveled as he let out a low growl: "Where is the exit?"

Behind him, Bo Xi sped after him, reaching a point less than a hundred meters behind Wu Tie in just a few breaths. Wu Tie dared not be careless; he hastily shook his long banner, and amidst the rolling smoke and clouds he flew at full speed around the mine pit.

In this endless chase, the rim of the mine pit, which was a hundred li in diameter and over four hundred li in circumference, Wu Tie panted as he circled the entire pit once, then again.

It was as if he had hit a ghost wall—the mine entrance had vanished.

Bo Xi pursued relentlessly, her heavy sword hacking wildly; sword qi filled the sky, tearing deep gashes into the mine pit. Occasionally, when the sword qi struck the outer rock wall, the wall that glimmered with a faint yellow light would burst out showers of sparks.

After the sparks scattered, the rock wall suffered not the slightest damage.

These originally ordinary rocks had become a hundred times tougher than fine steel.

Wu Tie also noticed this abnormality; he involuntarily turned his head and roared at Bo Xi, "Crazy woman, why are you chasing me? Take a good look—this place… seems to have been sealed shut."

Bo Xi's eyes flashed with blue light, turning completely into deep-blue glimmers, like two large sapphires.

She stared fixedly at Wu Tie, saying nothing, her expression unchanged.

She was single‑minded in her pursuit of Wu Tie; no matter where he ran, she kept swinging her heavy sword in a frenzied hack, determined not to stop until he was chopped to pieces.

Wu Tie could only grit his teeth and keep running around the mine pit.

At this moment, Bo Xi's strength was on a completely different level from his; if it weren't for the marvelous Wind‑Cloud Banner, he would already have been minced into meat paste.

Fighting, he would surely lose.

If he cannot win, he can only run.

Having circled the mine pit an unknown number of times, Wu Tie occasionally looked down at the bottom and could see Jia Zhengfeng and the others locked in a bitter struggle.

Five youths—two men and three women—clad in Profound Ice Battle Armor, actually managed to completely suppress Jia Zhengfeng and his group.

Two girls had teamed up and were fighting Jia Zhengfeng fiercely; amidst rolling clouds of blood and cold qi, one could often hear Jia Zhengfeng shouting and roaring, as if he had suffered a considerable loss.

Shixi, with the aid of a clan of warriors, was barely managing to fend off a girl's fierce onslaught. From time to time came shrill wails—the death cries of the Shi Family's elite warriors as they were cut down by the girl.

The Chief Steward, meanwhile, was leading a group of the Mist Blade assassins in a frantic flight.

The withered, aged Chief Steward dared not confront these strange enemies; he was like an old flea, hopping about in the mine pit and scrambling wildly along the spiral tunnels.

A group of Mist Blade assassins also deployed their secret mist‑blade technique, their forms hidden in the vapor, flitting about like phantoms.

They absolutely do not confront the enemy head‑on, both hands likewise gripping a heavy sword; the male youths also seemed to have no good solution.

The worst off were those disciples of the Changsheng Sect.

Several more desiccated corpses lay on the ground, clearly victims whose essence and blood had been devoured by Jia Zhengfeng.

Besides that, most of the Changsheng Sect disciples had already been slain; only a few exceptionally clever ones, also versed in escape techniques, remained fortunate, running wildly throughout the minefield to avoid the final young man's slaughter.

From time to time, Wu Tie still heard the loud cries of those Changsheng Sect disciples fleeing for their lives.

The young man pursuing them was named Xu Yi; those fleeing Changsheng Sect disciples were wailing and screaming—some cursed, some wailed loudly, some recounted past affection…

In short, they each employed whatever means they could, hoping to escape Xu Yi's pursuit.

The mine pit was in an uproar; altogether it was utter chaos, like a duck coop blown apart, a mess beyond description.

Outside the mine, within the mountain, the rock before Shi Meng undulated like water, parting left and right on its own to reveal a wide passage.

Shi Fei followed behind Shi Meng with a grin, both hands clutching a huge roasted beast leg, tearing into it with big bites.

A twenty‑meter‑tall iron giant, its skin like black iron reflecting a cold light, its bald head hairless, draped in an entire python hide, followed behind Shi Meng and Shi Fei with thunderous steps.

Shi Meng's strength was limited; the passage he forced open through the rock was only fifteen or sixteen meters high, so the iron giant, bent at the waist with a conflicted expression, moved awkwardly, making its steps ever heavier.

After just a few steps, the iron giant lifted its head and its skull struck the stone; angry, it jabbed a finger hard into Shi Meng's back.

Shi Meng grunted; the light poke from the iron giant sent him stumbling forward several steps, his head slamming into the rock ahead that had not yet split, nearly breaking his nasal bone.

"Great‑granduncle!" Shi Meng snapped, turning angrily and glaring at the iron giant.

The iron giant twisted its mouth and blew out two strong gusts of hot air from its nostrils, nearly blowing Shi Fei away.

He muttered discontentedly: "A bunch of little brats, stirring up all these ghostly schemes… why all this trouble? Old Shixi could be slapped dead with one palm… yet they insist on creating all this hassle."

Shi Meng and Shi Fei exchanged a glance and both sighed.

"Great‑granduncle, we must make absolutely sure nothing goes wrong." Shi Fei gnawed another large chunk of meat, mumbling indistinctly: "What if your palm doesn't slap him dead… what if he runs… or, if he doesn't run, but you two start a fight in Dashicheng, the city will be destroyed as well."

The iron giant grunted in a deep, muffled voice.

His head then slammed hard against the top of the passageway twice, literally blasting a huge hole through the hard stone.

"Wait a moment, I'll go out and have a proper fight with Shixi." The iron giant said arrogantly: "Let you two brats see whether I can slap him to death with one palm."

"The Abyssal Demon Mine is too dangerous… please don't take the risk." Shi Fei looked at the iron giant with a hint of worry: "You're old, sir; if anything happens to you, we'll be torn apart."

Shi Meng shook his head and continued to open the passageway.

The iron giant remained silent, but it was obvious he had not taken Shi Fei's words to heart.

The three of them proceeded forward along the passageway; the passage behind them had sealed shut, leaving not the slightest gap or trace.

Soon, Shi Meng came to a stop.

He patted the rock in front of him, smiling and said: "Probably still about ten meters thick, second brother, it's up to you."

Shi Fei gave a simple-minded chuckle a few times, put down the roasted meat in his hand, and slapped his belly hard with both hands, wiping the grease off his hands onto his clothes until they were clean. Accompanied by a 'papapa' sound, the white flesh on his belly rolled violently again.

He gave a light shout, and Shi Fei pressed both hands against the rock.

Streaks of green light surged from Shi Fei's palms, continuously pouring into the rock.

Inside the rock, the green light flowed; the ten-meter-thick rock gradually became transparent, at first hazy like frosted glass, but soon it turned crystal clear, as transparent as top-quality crystal glass.

"Hehe, this ability of mine is still somewhat useful… Besides being good for prospecting veins, using it to peek at young wives bathing is also top-notch."

Shi Fei laughed proudly.

The iron giant snorted coldly and poked a finger into his back. Shi Fei let out a strange cry, his whole body flattening against the rock, his chubby short limbs twitching wildly, like a fat pig tied to a chopping board and struggling.

After just two twitches, Shi Fei's movements suddenly stiffened, and he and Shi Meng let out simultaneous cries of disbelief.

"This kid, still so lively and jumping around?"

"Who is this woman? How did she get in? When did she get in?"

Through the thick rock, the three happened to see Wu Tie cursing as he rushed past, with Bo Xi closely following behind him, the heavy sword condensed from cold ice howling as it swung, sending out streaks of sharp qi that slashed wildly, sending sparks flying from the surrounding rock.

Several streaks of sword qi happened to slash this section of rock, and the blinding firelight shone through, causing Shi Meng and Shi Fei to narrow their eyes simultaneously.

"An expert." Shi Meng quickly judged Bo Xi's current strength.

"Not bad looking!" Shi Fei evaluated Bo Xi from another angle.

"Let me out, I'll beat them all to death." The iron giant stood bent behind the two, the stifling passage filling his chest with fire; he really wanted to vent.

Because the Wuxiang Divine Cauldron shattered and turned into that white egg, the gray-black mist inside the mine lost its source, having been smoked by the firelight spewed from the Three-Legged Cauldron for a while, and then a large group of people started fighting, causing the mist to dissipate quickly.

Through the thick rock layer, Shi Meng and Shi Fei saw a large group of people fighting at the bottom of the mine.

Whether they were assassins of the Mist Blade or disciples of the Changsheng Sect, their attire was quite distinctive, and the two recognized their identities at a glance.

"That bunch of Mist Blade assassins." Shi Meng muttered to himself.

"And there are the young ladies of the Changsheng Sect." Shi Fei, lost in thought, pinched the thick flesh near his chin with his five chubby short fingers, finally managing to pinch his own chin bone, making a thoughtful expression.

The iron giant extended a finger and jabbed hard twice into the backs of Shi Fei and Shi Meng.

"Cut the nonsense, let me out." The iron giant roared angrily in a low voice: "Whether it's the Mist Blade or the Changsheng Sect, they're trapped here anyway—perfect for me to slap each one to death."

With a 'swish', Wu Tie surged past again amidst rolling smoke and clouds, Bo Xi closely following behind him, wildly chopping with his heavy sword.

"Great-granduncle, first extinguish the Juling Lamp in Shixi's hand." Shi Fei reached out and slapped the iron giant's ankle hard.

At the bottom of the mine, Shixi held the Juling Lamp, continuously spewing large sheets of green fireworks. Countless sparks exploded in the fireworks with a 'boom-boom-boom', forcing the attacking Changsheng Sect disciple to constantly dodge.

Precisely because of the Juling Lamp's protection, although unlucky Shi Family warriors were occasionally cut down, Shixi still had around two hundred warriors surviving beside him.

The Juling Lamp's power was quite formidable. Without it, Shixi and the Shi Family warriors would not have been able to hold on.

The iron giant gave a muffled grunt, and through the thick rock layer he stared hard at the Juling Lamp, then nodded: "Hmm, distance-wise I can barely manage… any farther and I can't control the Juling Lamp."

He extended his right hand, bit open his left index finger, drew a strange symbol on his right palm, the iron giant let out a low grunt, then clenched his right fist tightly.

A wisp of blood-colored smoke spewed from the iron giant's fingertips, and an invisible ripple spread outward.

The Juling Lamp in Shixi's hand suddenly dimmed, and its flame blinked out of existence.

Just blown back dozens of steps by a burst of sparks, a girl wearing Xuanbing Ice Armor stared in astonishment at the Juling Lamp extinguished in Shixi's hand. She suddenly raised her long sword, her body flickered, and she instantly appeared before Shixi.

Shixi kept shaking the Juling Lamp, continuously pouring his internal energy into the lamp, but this time not a trace of green smoke or sparks came out.

The girl suddenly appeared before Shixi; Shixi cried out in fright, and before he could retreat, the girl's long sword had already pierced his chest. An azure Cold Qi spread rapidly from the wound across his whole body, and in the snap of a finger he was frozen into an ice sculpture.

The girl pulled out her long sword and smashed the hilt against Shixi's forehead.

With a 'boom', Shixi exploded into countless ice chunks of various sizes scattered across the ground; the girl snatched the Juling Lamp into her hand, swung her right-hand long sword in a horizontal slash, and a blade of arc-shaped light tens of meters long flashed, cutting down the dozens of Shi Family warriors standing beside her.

A shrill wail shot up to the heavens; the other Shi Family warriors, stunned with fear, let out a shout, their eyes suddenly bloodshot as they roared like beasts and charged at the girl.

"To avenge the Elder!" Knowing they were outmatched, the warriors still launched a desperate assault.

The girl lowered her head to examine the Juling Lamp in her hand, not sparing a glance for those warriors. She violently drove her right-hand long sword into the ground, and instantly a fierce Cold Qi filled a radius of a hundred meters; with a 'swish', hundreds of sharp ice spikes tore up the ground rock and shot up several dozen meters high.

Over a hundred Shi Family warriors screamed in agony as each was pierced through the body by an ice spike, hanging high in the air several dozen meters above the ground.