Fei Yan said, "Then we’ll block them off here. I don’t believe they’ll cower inside forever! Master Xiaoli, you keep an eye out. If they try to break through from the Ministry of Justice’s direction, give me a signal."
"Okay."
Within Li Qingxian’s eyes, golden Child Immortal-Seeking Bees searched high and low. Whenever one of them suddenly disappeared, he committed the spot to memory.
Slowly, the map of Magic Text within his Spirit Platform became more and more complete.
Suddenly, Li Qingxian said, "This is bad. They’ve realized we’re the main force and are preparing to break out through the Ministry of Justice’s tunnel."
Fei Yan sneered, "Then they can’t blame me for what happens next." As he spoke, he activated a Magical Artifact to send a message.
A dozen or so breaths later, an earth-shattering explosion roared from the northwest.
Li Qingxian frowned slightly, his mind racing to predict the next moves of the Ministry of Justice and Nether Mountain. At the same time, he continued using his Immortal-Seeking Bees to monitor the rebels’ movements.
Inside the cave, figures appeared more frequently at the tunnel entrance. Someone even poked their head out and started shouting curses.
In the Allied Army’s ranks, someone suggested charging in.
Fei Yan said, "We’re not familiar with the terrain. If we rashly split our forces to search, we’d be attacking their strengths with our weakness—that’s just suicidal! If any of you don’t want to live, just let me know, and I’ll allow you to go in. We want military merits, but we can’t be reckless and greedy for them!"
"What if they never come out?"
"Another team is on its way. If they really intend to cower in there, we’ll wait for our reinforcements to arrive and then search slowly. Besides, they know our numbers will only grow. They’ll choose to make a desperate stand rather than just sit there and wait to be killed," Fei Yan said.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Master Xiaoli, any movement inside?" Fei Yan asked again.
"They’re gathering quickly. As expected, they’re choosing to make a desperate stand."
"How many of them are there?"
"It’s hard to say for sure, but there are over a thousand in total."
"That many? Those damned rebels! They must have been planning to cause trouble during the Emperor’s birthday celebration! Did you all hear that? That’s over a thousand rebels! Kill them all, and it will be a truly great merit!" Fei Yan shouted.
The breathing among the troops grew heavier.
Li Qingxian observed with a cool detachment. ’If Nether Mountain were this easy to deal with, they would’ve been wiped out long ago. They probably have other tricks up their sleeve. And the Ministry of Justice could also be a hidden threat. I don’t know what they’ll do next.’
The Dark River flowed silently behind them. Li Qingxian kept observing, and Fei Yan kept asking questions.
"They’re heading this way!" Li Qingxian said.
"Get ready! The time for glory and achievement is now..." Fei Yan began his rabble-rousing again, making empty promises.
Suddenly, Li Qingxian felt the power of a Fate Skill coming from behind him. He spun around, ready to wield his Great Cutting Sword at a moment’s notice.
He saw it was a Life Artifact in the shape of a peach blossom. It had no power to harm, and was generally used to influence marriages and relationships, or occasionally for seduction.
Li Qingxian was bewildered. ’Who would use this kind of Life Artifact at a time like this?’
As he puzzled over it, the peach blossom released specks of pink pollen that wove themselves into words.
"A Demon Sect master has appeared. They may destroy the mountain. Retreat quickly. Xiaoyi is staying."
A chill ran down Li Qingxian’s spine. Stories about the Demon Sect flashed through his mind, and he instantly understood their intentions.
With a flip of his left hand, an All-Purpose Jade Pendant landed in his palm. A Qi Fortune Fish shot out and entered his Celestial Destiny Instrument. Then, he chanted the Spell for the Life-Seeking Sect’s Secret Skill, the "Birth-Seeking Technique."
"Celestial Fate grows dim, all living beings are terrified. The path of life is vast and obscure, the road to death is overwhelming..."
When the Spell was complete, Li Qingxian’s eyes turned blood-red. Everything before him vanished, replaced by the sight of churning, blood-colored tsunamis surging in from all directions, the pressure so immense it was suffocating.
The sky was pitch-black, the sea was a field of blood, and he was like a lone skiff adrift in its crimson expanse.
’A terrible omen!’
Li Qingxian channeled his Magical Power, but the world around him remained unchanged.
An instant later, another Qi Fortune Fish flew into his Celestial Destiny Instrument.
Nothing changed.
A chill went through Li Qingxian’s heart.
Then, another.
Within the world of the blood sea, a winding white road appeared before him.
Li Qingxian secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He memorized the path to survival and then shouted, "Everyone, be careful! The Demon Sect might be trying to destroy the mountain—"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM...
The heavens shook and the earth quaked as the mountains began to collapse.
Everyone stumbled, unable to keep their footing. An unending roar filled their ears as massive chunks of rock came crashing down.
"Run!" Fei Yan shrieked instinctively.
Everyone scrambled to turn back.
BOOM!
A giant boulder fell, blocking the tunnel behind them. With a series of rumbles, more and more boulders crashed down into the Dark River passage.
Aside from a few of the top experts, everyone panicked.
Fei Yan actually rushed toward a pale-faced, beardless middle-aged man, shouting, "Eunuch Yui, save me—"
The pale-faced, beardless man frowned slightly. He grabbed Fei Yan, glanced back at the tunnel, then rushed into the main cave. After a few leaps upward, he vanished from sight.
Only his voice was left echoing in the cave.
"You’re on your own..."
Everyone felt as if they’d been plunged into an icy abyss. At a moment like this, if there had been an Upper-Grade Daoist Cultivator or a practitioner of Literature Cultivation present, they could have protected everyone. A Martial Cultivator, however, could only protect a few.
As Yui Qingchen and Fei Yan fled, person after person was crushed by massive stones. A few managed to rush into corners to take cover, but most followed the initial impulse to charge into the main cave, scurrying about in chaos.
Some Middle-Grade Cultivators drew in the protective fields of their Magical Artifacts to shield only themselves.
"Follow me!" Li Qingxian yelled, taking out a Vajra Talisman for protection and a Feather Charm to increase his speed as he sprinted forward.
Han Anbo, Zheng Gaojue, and Zhou Henn all had Spirit Talismans from Li Qingxian and followed closely behind him. Amidst the continuous roaring, the others either couldn’t hear Li Qingxian’s words or reacted too slowly, falling behind after just a few steps.
The earth shook, the mountains trembled, and shattered rock rained down from the sky.
One by one, the Magical Artifact Lamps went out.
In the darkness, the sounds of screams, cries, curses, and arguments were endless.
Li Qingxian led the three of them on a frantic sprint along the path of survival. He glanced back along the way and saw that no one else had kept up. Shouting a few times was useless, so he had no choice but to keep running.
Li Qingxian took a shield and an iron staff from his Qiankun Bracelet and tossed them to Zhou Henn.
Along the way, rocks fell constantly. Relying on the shield and iron staff, Zhou Henn was always able to deflect the larger boulders just in time.
The smaller stones that fell on them were all repelled by the Spirit Talismans.
They ran on as the shaking of the mountain and the ground grew ever more violent, and the cave tunnels collapsed behind them.
After running for what felt like an eternity, the tremors finally subsided. They found themselves before a small cave.
It was about fifty feet in diameter and twenty feet high.
The entrance was braced with steel, and the large door inside was forged entirely from it.
At the great door stood three men in black with grave expressions.
"You’re from the Imperial Court?" The three men drew their weapons.
BOOM!
Zhou Henn tossed aside the staff and shield. With a stomp, the stone floor cracked and a cloud of dust billowed out. A scimitar in one hand and a Cone Sword in the other, he became a blur as he charged forward.
The strongest of the three was only a Fifth Grade. After just three moves, the Fifth Grade’s head went flying high into the air.
"Leave one—"
Before Li Qingxian could finish, the other two collapsed, spraying blood.
"Dead men are more reliable," Zhou Henn said. With a pulse of his True Essence, he flicked the blood from his blades and sheathed them.
Li Qingxian nodded and looked up. He saw that the ceiling of this cave was not only supported by iron plates, but was also shimmering with the light of Talismans.
He glanced back at the tunnel behind them; it was completely blocked by rubble.
"This place is unusual," Han Anbo said in a low voice.
Li Qingxian nodded, his gaze falling on the great steel door before them.
It was a full twenty feet high and looked to be at least an inch thick. The light of Runes flowed across its surface.