Chapter 121: Shattering the Tree Core with Two Punches, All Lords Bound!
"Oh no! That's the move!"
Zhao Qishan looked at the seeds jumping all over the ground, and his head throbbed.
The fourth-rank Cyan Miasma Tree Demon last time used this very move to drag the Xinghuo Society main combat group to the brink of total annihilation. Chop off one, and three more would crawl out from the seeds.
The more they fought, the more there were—it was utterly perverted!
This time it's even more troublesome, a fifth-rank one!
"Don't let the seeds hit the ground! Spell Cultivator Team, burn the damn things, burn!"
Dozens of fireballs smashed into the group of tree demons, and the firelight spread with a roar. The seeds that weren't burned jumped to the front of the formation, and just as branches sprouted, they were slashed off by a melee Martial Artist with a single blade strike.
Someone wanted to charge forward after finishing his cut, but was dragged back by Zhao Qishan by the collar.
"What are you chasing for? Do you want the Spell Cultivators in the back?"
"Brother Zhao, a huge patch grew over there!"
"Oh my god! The growth speed of a fifth-rank is too fast! Second team, go over!"
The number of tree-men was increasing more and more, and at the same time, a large number of tree root spikes burst out from underground.
A thick tree root overturned the floor tiles and swept toward Xu Tang and the Medical Team.
Ning Zhaoyue rushed out from the side, slicing it apart with a single blade strike. The moment she landed, two more roots stabbed from behind; her narrow-bladed short saber flipped, and several pieces of broken wood clattered down right beside her feet.
"Xu Tang, take the wounded out. The poisonous miasma in this place is getting thicker!"
"Alright! Be careful yourself!"
Over at the altar, it was also a complete mess.
The red-robed cultist was about to continue the ritual in the chaos when Duan Cheng led a team to charge up and slapped him with a palm, sending him crashing into the stone trough.
Afterward, two Xinghuo Society members went up and tied him up with ropes.
Lin Chuan stood in the middle of the factory building, glancing at the tree demon that had grown tall again.
Just moments ago, the Cangtian Divine Fist had blown half of it to pieces, yet in this short while, even its face had grown back. That face was grinning at him right now, looking quite wretched.
"Kid, I am immortal and indestructible; you cannot kill me!"
"Old Zhao, how did you guys wipe out the fourth-rank Cyan Miasma Tree Demon when you encountered it last time?"
Zhao Qishan was swinging his blade to hack at tree roots, and when he heard these words, his expression stiffened.
"We... ultimately didn't wipe it out."
"What do you mean?"
"We ran away later!"
Lin Chuan almost didn't react in time.
"Good grief, I thought you were going to share some experience with me."
"There is experience too!" Zhao Qishan stabbed his blade into the chest of a small tree demon and shouted at the top of his lungs, "This thing can't be killed, hurry up and run, absolutely foolproof!"
The surrounding main combat group members all smiled helplessly.
The strange face on the tree trunk suddenly opened its mouth and spat out a massive ball of cyan toxic fog.
"I've said it already, I am immortal! All of you, become my nourishment!"
Lin Chuan raised his hand, using his Mental Strength to brush the toxic fog aside.
The tree body on the ground was definitely not the vital spot. Otherwise, with the way that punch hit just now, it should have lost its life long ago.
He sent his Divine Sense down along the tree roots into the ground.
Hardly had it gone down a dozen meters when the speed slowed down.
The ore veins were full of Demonic Qi; his Divine Sense felt like it was wrapped in something sticky, and the deeper it went, the heavier the suppression.
Lin Chuan mobilized fifteen thousand units of high-grade Mental Strength, twisting the purple Divine Sense into a single strand as he pursued downward along that thick root absorbing the power of the ore vein.
In the deep mine tunnel, dozens of tree roots were intertwined, intentionally messing up the aura into a chaotic mess.
"Bullshit, immortal!"
Lin Chuan fixed his eyes on the energy within the ore; it flowed in from all directions and ultimately had to enter a single place.
Soon, he saw it.
Beneath the abandoned crusher, in the rock layer over a hundred meters deep, hid a cyan tree core more than a dozen meters large. It was wrapped all over in ore and roots, beating rhythmically.
The tree demon's grinning face suddenly vanished.
It sensed Lin Chuan's Divine Sense.
"Kill him for me!"
All the roots lunged toward the center of the factory building simultaneously; even those small tree demons stopped attacking others and crawled toward Lin Chuanone after another.
Lin Chuan: "I've found your heart."
Zhao Qishan raised his blade to block a patch.
"Brother Chuan, you're so badass!"
"Is this your first day knowing me?" Lin Chuan smiled while simultaneously beginning to build up momentum.
Ning Zhaoyue also blocked the other side, her blade light flashing in continuous strikes.
Lin Chuan raised his head and glanced at them.
"You guys retreat to both sides; right beneath the crusher is its tree core."
"Got it!" Zhao Qishan immediately called out for people to pull back, "Everyone stay away from that machine! Brother Chuan is about to make a move!"
Several Martial Artists quickly dragged the wounded away.
As soon as the people withdrew, a huge purple-gold fist appeared in the air.
True Essence, Dutian Divine Thunder, and high-grade Mental Strength were all twisted together by the Cangtian Divine Fist.
Lin Chuan smashed out the first punch toward beneath the crusher!
Boom!!
The machine flew directly up to the roof of the factory building, colliding with the iron framework and causing it to shake violently.
The ground was pierced by the fist shadow, and the thick rock layer exploded all the way through, forcefully blasting out a large pit leading directly to the deep mine tunnel.
That cyan tree core was exposed!
"Holy shit, it's so big!"
"The tree core is underground? No wonder the tree trunk could keep growing even after being smashed to pieces!"
The Cyan Miasma Tree Demon shrieked and retracted its roots, trying to drag the tree core to another mine tunnel. It was already moving very quickly, but Lin Chuan's second punch came right after.
"What are you hiding for? Weren't you quite fond of smiling just now?"
The purple-gold fist shadow smashed down from the pit opening, hitting the tree core dead-on.
Bang!
That tree core, more than a dozen meters large, burst on the spot into a cluster of cyan fragmented light.
The tree demon on the ground suddenly stiffened; the mouth on its face was still wide open, but its bark had already begun to blacken. The dozens-of-meters-tall tree body rapidly withered from top to bottom, collapsing into the ore-processing plant with a loud rumble.
The small tree demons all over the ground also stopped moving.
A Xinghuo Society Martial Artist was wrestling with a small tree demon, and seeing it suddenly stop fighting back, he tentatively stabbed it with a blade. The tree demon fell apart with a snap, dropping a pile of rotting wood at his feet.
"It's dead!"
"A fifth-rank lord was actually beaten to death!"
Zhao Qishan looked at the corpse of the tree demon, then turned to look at Lin Chuan.
"The fourth-rank one last time chased us for over a dozen miles. This fifth-rank one didn't even have time to run?"
"If you guys had known where the tree core was last time, you wouldn't have had to run a dozen miles."
"How was I supposed to know?" Zhao Qishan pointed at the large pit beneath his feet, "Last time, I didn't even know where its tree roots were!"
The remaining demons and cultists were quickly cleaned up by the people of Xinghuo Society.
Duan Cheng immediately led people to occupy several exits, telling Zhou Mingchuan to drive the vehicles and bring the Formation Plates in.
The Formation Master had just inserted the first formation pillar when Zhao Qishan ran over and asked, "President, does this count as us winning a point?"
"Secure the place first."
Duan Cheng said this with his mouth, but his eyes kept staring at the mission bracer.
When the last few mine tunnel entrances were all taken over by Xinghuo Society personnel and the light barrier of the defensive Formation rose, the bracer finally lit up.
[Fifth-rank lord Cyan Miasma Tree Demon has been slain!]
[The western ore-processing plant has been successfully recaptured!]
[Core stronghold captured by: Xinghuo Society!]
"Done!"
Duan Cheng clenched his fists and laughed out loud.
On the very first day entering the mining area, Xinghuo Society had already taken one place first!
Over on Zhou Mingchuan's side, he led people to transport Heilan Iron outward while loading the corpse of the Cyan Miasma Tree Demon onto a truck.
This thing was, after all, fifth-rank; even though it had withered, the valuable materials on its body were not few.
Lin Chuan had people take videos of the lord's corpse, the excavated ore, and the newly set-up defensive Formation, transmitting them directly back to Jiuli Academy.
Duan Cheng laughed heartily: "Didn't Shen Zhiyuan say we didn't have intelligence? Show it to him; the ones without intelligence captured a stronghold first."
Hearing this, Zhao Qishan also wanted to squeeze into the camera frame.
"Film me in too! I hacked hundreds of small ones just now."
"Alright, stand next to the corpse; I guarantee you'll be filmed crystal clear."
Ning Zhaoyue didn't crowd in front of the camera. Near the altar, she found several beacon fragments from the Zhenyuan Division, and together with the symbols on the five divine statues, sent them back to the Zhenyuan Division.
Over at the academy.
Not long after the video was sent out, a curse rang out inside Tianheng Society's reconnaissance vehicle.
Shen Zhiyuan held the newly received battle result record and looked at it over and over again.
Xinghuo Society had already taken one place first.
Yet Tianheng Society's people were still searching inside the mine tunnels!
"Release all the reconnaissance aircraft." Shen Zhiyuanpulled the map in front of himself, "If we let Xinghuo Society snatch the second place out of the remaining four, what will we use to fight for first place this year?"
Over at Chifeng Society, Wei Linfeng also handed the video to Qin Li.
"President, Xinghuo Society's defensive formations have already been set up."
After watching, Qin Li used his spear to point at a mine tunnel on the map marked as high-risk.
"Go this way."
"There might be a fifth-rank demon beneath this path."
"We came precisely to find fifth-rank ones. If we detour any further, all the remaining four are going to be snatched up by others!"
Besides them, the Five Elements Cult also saw the video.
A priest hiding deep within the mining area sent the footage of Lin Chuan shattering the tree core to the other four strongholds. The Cyan Miasma Tree Demon was dead, and the wood-attribute altar was also lost; after watching, the four lords were all grinding their teeth in a fit of wild fury.
"It's him." The priest pointed at Lin Chuan in the video, "He killed the Cyan Miasma and led people to occupy the ore-processing plant."
Deep inside the Ninth Mining Area, a Red-Armored Rock King lying dormant among the ores opened its eyes.
At the other three strongholds, the lords responded one after another as well.
Lin Chuan was watching people load the trucks when a System prompt suddenly sounded in his mind.
[New enemy detected!]
[Binding successful!]
[New enemy detected!]
[Binding successful!]
The prompt rang four times in succession.
All four lords were bound!
Moreover, these demons all possessed intelligence; after they harbored killing intent toward him, their locations also appeared within the System.
Lin Chuan looked at the four glowing points lighting up in the deep mining area, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.
"Old Duan, you don't need to flip through the map."
"What is it, did you find something again?"
"I've found all the remaining four."
Duan Cheng was stunned: "How did you find them?"
"Divine Sense scanning." Lin Chuan spouted nonsense.
On the other side, the priest responsible for transmitting messages recognized Lin Chuan in the video.
This person was hanging right on the bounty list of the Heavenly Demon King clan!
Casually, he sent the coordinates of the Ninth Mining Areain the Heilan Ash Zone to the contact channel left behind by the bounty.
After a while, the other party replied with a message.
["Good."]
Chapter 122 Mantis King: "I didn't leak a single trace of aura!"
When the corpse of the Cyan Miasma Tree Demon was being loaded onto the truck, Zhou Mingchuan dug out a cyan demonic core from the tree trunk.
He was wearing gas-proof gloves, and before he could hold the item steady, the gloves started emitting white smoke.
"Damn, this thing is way too toxic!"
"Give it to me." Lin Chuan walked over.
"Brother Chuan, you're not wearing a glove!"
"No need."
Zhou Mingchuan handed it over.
"Brother Chuan, stop fooling around. This is a Tier 5 demonic core, it's extremely poisonous. Are you going to refine it right now?!"
"What I want is its poison."
Lin Chuan took the demonic core, and the Poison-type Talent in his palm immediately reacted.
The cyan-green poisonous force burrowed into his body along his arm, and the patterns on the demonic core dimmed ring by ring.
Zhou Mingchuan stood nearby watching, even lightening his breathing for fear that halfway through absorbing it, Lin Chuan would suddenly foam at the mouth.
Crack.
The demonic core shattered.
[Absorbed the Tier 5 Cyan Miasma Tree Demon demonic core!]
[Poison-type Talent upgraded to Grade A!]
Lin Chuan raised his hand, and a wisp of blue smoke drifted from his fingertips, landing on the scrap iron next to the transport vehicle.
With a sizzle.
The iron sheet was corroded into a hole.
"This is alright now!"
His previous poison-type abilities were a bit lacking when facing powerful Grandmasters. After upgrading to Grade A, used together with gang-yuan, it could also come in handy when fighting demons.
Zhou Mingchuan quickly blocked the front of the transport vehicle.
"Brother Chuan, go practice your poison somewhere else! This vehicle was just repaired, and it was even repaired using materials moved back from Tianheng Society."
"Aiyo, I forgot. I know, I know."
Lin Chuan took back the poisonous mist, and only then did Zhou Mingchuan dare to let people continue loading the cargo.
...
Ninth Mining Area, Seventh Floor.
No one had been mining here for a long time.
Only half of the tracks remained. Walking inward, the ground was covered in gravel. Many thick rock pillars stood on both sides of the mine tunnel, seeing no light year-round, and a thick layer of dust had accumulated on the pillars.
While Lin Chuan and the others were still clearing the road on the sixth floor, the two lords deep within the seventh floor had gathered together.
A python more than twenty meters long coiled beside a broken mine cart.
It was a Tier 5 Early Stage Python King. Its scales were dark cyan, and its snake head was raised, even taller than the mine cart beside it.
The opposite Gold-Rending Mantis King was only at Tier 4 Peak.
But its two front blades could chop even Tier 5 demons to pieces.
Extremely terrifying!
"Cyan Miasma is dead." The Python King flicked its tongue.
"I know, so I have a plan, which is why I asked you to come over."
"What plan?"
"The preceding wolf feigns sleep, simply to lure the enemy."
"What do you mean?"
"In a moment, I will turn into a stone, and you go lure that Lin Chuan. Once you find an opportunity, a single slash from me will send his head rolling to the ground."
The Python King was somewhat incredulous: "That brat can even find the tree heart hidden underground. Can you hide?"
"Stealth is a hunter's specialty."
The Gold-Rending Mantis King walked over to a rock pillar, its six legs slowly drawing in, its golden front blades pressing against its body. Gray patterns crawled from its back carapace across its entire body, and before long, even its head shrank into its shell.
Just a moment ago, a living Mantis King was standing there, but now only a large grayish-black stone remained.
The Python King swam a circle around it, its snake tongue almost pressing against the stone, yet it still couldn't smell a trace of Demonic aura.
"Damn! Not bad! This trick will definitely work!" The Python King's eyes lit up. "Even a cold-blooded creature like me can't see any difference; it's purely a big rock!"
The Mantis King's muffled voice came from inside the stone: "Go lure him over. When he walks close to me, I'll cut off his head first."
"Alright. I'll show my face in the front, and he'll definitely chase. By then you find the opportunity and instantly finish him off!"
The Python King swam out along the mine tunnel.
The Gold-Rending Mantis King didn't move at all, even suppressing its breathing.
It had practiced this innate talent for many years. In the past, someone sat next to it to rest for a full half-hour without realizing that the rock behind them could breathe.
Once Lin Chuan approached, it would strike with a single blade.
Whatever Grade SSS, once the neck is broken, he'd still die!
...
The main force of Xinghuo Society entered the seventh floor.
Zhao Qishan was leading people to clear the tracks when a pile of stones ahead suddenly collapsed.
"What is that?"
A massive snake shadow flicked past the end of the mine tunnel.
The Python King intentionally looked back.
"Stupid human, come chase me, hehehe!"
Seeing that Lin Chuan was also in the crowd, it immediately burrowed into the rock pillar area beside it.
"F***, what kind of lord is this! It can even provoke us?"
Zhao Qishan grabbed his saber and was about to rush forward.
Lin Chuan reached out and stopped him.
"Your men shouldn't go in yet. This thing specifically came to lure us."
"Lure us?"
"Yeah, there's another one hiding inside."
In Lin Chuan's System, the positions of the two enemies were right ahead.
The Python King's light dot was still moving, while the Gold-Rending Mantis King's light dot had stopped for a long time.
Zhao Qishan looked toward the rock pillar area for a long time, but couldn't find anything at all.
"Where is it?"
"Let's go, I'll show you."
Lin Chuan walked forward, and Ning Zhaoyue followed as well. She held a detector and scanned the rock pillars on both sides. On the screen, aside from the Python King ahead, there was no other lord aura.
The Python King hid in the distance, watching Lin Chuanapproach step by step, feeling happier and happier inside.
Almost there!
Another dozen meters forward, and that rock would be right beside Lin Chuan.
The Gold-Rending Mantis King had already quietly opened its front blades, waiting for him to walk over.
Lin Chuan stopped.
"Look everyone, there's a big rock over there."
Zhao Qishan looked in the direction he pointed.
"Saw it. Pretty big, and then?"
"Then, I'll give it a punch."
"No, aren't we here to fight the python..."
Boom!
The Cangtian Divine Fist descended from the air, heading straight for that rock!
The Gold-Rending Mantis King was almost scared out of its mind.
"Damn it, I didn't leak a single trace of aura, what are you hitting me for?!"
Its two front blades snapped open, wanting to rush out of the rock. As a result, just as half of its body was exposed, the purple-golden fist shadow smashed down onto the top of its head.
Bang!
The rock pillars exploded, and the Gold-Rending Mantis King shattered along with them.
Several golden blade pieces flew out, embedding themselves into the nearby rock wall and humming loudly.
Zhao Qishan hung his mouth open, only managing to curse after a long while.
"F***, there's a mantis!"
Ning Zhaoyue took another glance at the detector.
That rock just now didn't have even a trace of Demonic aura in the instrument.
How on earth did Lin Chuan figure it out?
The Python King in the distance was even more dazed.
Its sentence "purely a big rock" was still echoing in its mind, yet the rock had already been smashed to pieces by someone!
What the hell is there to ambush anymore!
The Python King turned and ran, its massive body brushing against the rock pillars as it burrowed all the way deep into the mine tunnel.
Lin Chuan raised his fist.
"Stupid little snake, where are you going?"
The Cangtian Divine Fist descended once more!
Boom!!
The rock pillars ahead snapped and broke one after another.
The Python King turned its head, and just as it activated its protective demonic power, it was hit squarely in the face by the fist shadow. Its body, over twenty meters long, heavily crashed into the mine wall behind, and scales mixed with gravel flew everywhere.
Zhao Qishan rushed over to take a look.
The Python King had already stopped breathing.
"Oh my god, two lords in one go!"
"Now, our Xinghuo Society has three lord kills!"
"We're steady! First place is secure!"
Zhao Qishan put away his saber and called the main combat group members over to clear out the minor demons behind the rock pillars.
...
The footage of the Mantis King hiding in the rock and being shattered by Lin Chuan's punch was quickly sent back to Jiuli Academy.
People watching the commotion on the campus network laughed uncontrollably.
"I thought Lin Chuan missed his strike, but then two blades popped out from the rock!"
"The Mantis King's disguise is really impressive, I watched it three times and couldn't tell."
"What's the use of being impressive? Lin Chuan walked up and just hit the rock!"
"Did it fail to figure it out until the moment it died?"
Of course, some people also analyzed it seriously.
In the footage, the Gold-Rending Mantis King didn't leak its aura from beginning to end. Even the detector in Ning Zhaoyue's hand didn't discover it.
"How did Lin Chuan find it?"
"He has 15,000-mark high-grade Mental Strength! Sweeping it across the rock, he probably even saw how many legs were inside."
Everyone discussed back and forth, and in the end they all felt that Lin Chuan's Mental Strength was simply too strong.
Seeing these comments, Lin Chuan didn't explain either.
Letting them find a plausible reason was pretty good.
On the seventh floor, Duan Cheng led people to guard the mine tunnel infested by the Python King, while Zhou Mingchuan transported Formation Plates toward the Mantis King's side. The two locations were not far apart. Xinghuo Society's people were busy for over half an hour, and protective formations lit up one after another.
The mission bracelets successively sent prompts.
[Gold-Rending Mantis King has been killed!]
[Python King has been killed!]
[The two core strongholds belong to Xinghuo Society!]
Out of five lords, Xinghuo Society had already taken down three!
On Tianheng Society's side, Shen Zhiyuan saw the battle merit leaderboard update, and the map in his hand was almost torn to shreds by him.
"Another two? How long have they even been on the seventh floor?"
Tianheng Society's reconnaissance group had just found the activity range of a lord, and hadn't even figured out where its nest was.
Chifeng Society's side also received the news.
Wei Linfeng looked toward Qin Li: "President, there are only two left."
Qin Li gripped his spear and fell silent.
Xinghuo Society had already taken three locations and even moved away so much ore. Even if Chifeng Societytook the remaining two in one breath, their effective battle merits wouldn't catch up anymore.
...
Jiuli Academy, Board of Directors Meeting Room.
Several board members who initially favored increasing the mission rewards repeatedly watched Xinghuo Society's combat video a few times.
The Mantis King was killed by Lin Chuan.
The Python King was also killed by Lin Chuan.
The protective formations on both sides had already been set up, and the mine tunnels were guarded by Xinghuo Society's people.
They couldn't even find a flaw to pick on!
A board member turned off the screen, his complexion looking a bit ugly.
"This year's 500,000 contribution points, as well as the 500 Advanced cultivation slots, are they really going to be given to the Third Student Union? Isn't this inappropriate?"
The old president laughed heartily upon hearing this.
"What's inappropriate about it? All along, the first place gets the reward. Wasn't this rule figured out by all of you together?"
"The mission isn't over yet." Someone nearby said, unwilling to accept it.
"Right, there are still two left." The old president looked at the battle merit leaderboard. "Then you guys figure out first how to chase after their three with just two."
The current head of the academy flipped out the mission document and slammed it onto the table.
"Leave it here for now. When the mission is settled, issue the 500 slots as normal."
The old president laughed even louder.
"I still have to thank you few! If you hadn't raised the rewards so high, how could Xinghuo Society have picked up such a huge haul?"
Several board members looked at the signatures on the document, their faces turning darker than the other.
Chapter 123: Ninth Layer, Crimson-Armored Rock King!
Seventh Layer.
Two defensive arrays lit up one after another, completely enveloping the mine tunnels where the Metal-Rifting Mantis King and Python King were entrenched.
Seeing that the stronghold ownership on his mission bracelet had changed to Spark, Zhao Qishan hoisted his saber and walked downward.
"Brother Chuan, where are the remaining two?"
"Let's hurry and wipe them all out in one go!"
"Get back here!"
Zhou Mingchuan chased after him from behind and grabbed his combat uniform.
"Our logistics team hasn't finished our work yet; why are you rushing so fast?"
"The lords are already dead, what other work is there?"
"Take a look behind you."
Zhou Mingchuan pointed at the mine tunnel.
Dozens of Spark members were laying out defensive lines and carrying the remains of the mantis king.
On the other side, the Python King's twenty-plus-meter-long corpse was also being loaded onto a heavy transport vehicle.
The ores mined from nearby were piled up like a small mountain.
Relying solely on manpower, who knew when they would finish moving it all.
"We need to set up defensive arrays, clear the mine tunnels, and install communication equipment."
"If you take all the people away now and a swarm of demons crawls out from behind, what will we do?"
"Besides, all these things count towards mission contribution!"
Zhao Qishan looked at the ores being loaded and scratched his head.
"Isn't the ranking based on who kills more lords?"
"Killing lords naturally grants contribution."
"But the student union ranking's 500,000 contribution points are an extra reward."
"The lord's corpse, ores, recovered mine tunnels, and deployed defensive arrays are all counted as what we earn ourselves."
Zhou Mingchuan said while counting on his fingers; he was crystal clear about these matters.
"Hauling this cart of goods out will yield no fewer contribution points than killing hundreds of low-stage demons."
"Since we managed to take it down with such difficulty, we shouldn't leave anything behind for others to pick up!"
Hearing this, Zhao Qishan immediately stopped walking.
"That won't do!"
"One hundred people from the main combat group, come over and help move things first!"
A Martial Artist nearby couldn't help asking, "Brother Zhao, aren't we the main combat group?"
"So what if we are the main combat group? Can't the main combat group move things? Does the main combat group not have hands or feet!"
Zhao Qishan glared at him.
"This is all money! Hurry up and move!"
Duan Cheng walked over holding a map.
This time they brought a total of over seven hundred people; it was impossible to leave them all on the Seventh Layer, nor could they all rush downwards.
"Split into two batches."
"Three hundred people stay behind to guard the two strongholds and cooperate with Zhou Mingchuan to transport the corpses and ores out."
"The rest, go to Ninth Layer with Brother Chuan."
Duan Cheng looked at Zhao Qishan again.
"Are you staying too?"
"I'm not staying!"
Zhao Qishan immediately threw the ore in his hand to someone else.
"I must go down with Brother Chuan. I love watching Brother Chuan beat up lords the most."
"Then stop talking nonsense and go lead the team in front."
"Got it!"
Zhao Qishan hoisted his saber, called upon the remaining people of the main combat group, and began to assemble.
Ning Zhaoyue had been standing near the cluster of stone pillars where the mantis king was hiding.
A very weak signal had just appeared on the detector in her hand.
It lasted only two or three seconds before quickly disappearing again.
She adjusted the reception frequency and walked around the vicinity.
The screen still showed no response.
"What's wrong?"
Lin Chuan walked over.
"I received a section of an emergency signal from the Zhenyuan Division."
Ning Zhaoyue brought up the record she had just saved.
There was only a very blurry ripple on the screen, and its source direction slanted downward, pointing right toward the deeper parts of the mining area.
"The missing investigators all carry emergency beacons on them."
"Under normal circumstances, the beacons would continuously send coordinates."
"However, the ore veins here affect the signal, and coupled with how much time has passed, the energy inside should be running out soon."
Ning Zhaoyue glanced at the time.
"Now it only automatically activates once every interval of time."
"Can you determine where it is?"
"Probably below Ninth Layer."
Ning Zhaoyue put the detector back into her waist pouch.
"The signal just now was too short; we still need to keep searching downward for the specific location."
"Alright, let's look for the signal while looking for the lords."
Lin Chuan opened the System.
The locations of the remaining two lords were clearly displayed in his field of vision.
One was in Ninth Layer.
The other was even deeper.
Furthermore, the red dot on Ninth Layer had been moving all along.
After the Cyan Miasma Tree Demon died, it first left its original position and fled a long way downward in one go.
After the Metal-Rifting Mantis King and Python King died, it fled even faster.
This bastard was running for its life!
"There's one on Ninth Layer."
"Let's go check it out first."
Duan Cheng had already witnessed his ability to find lords and couldn't even be bothered to ask why.
Zhao Qishan leaned over.
"Brother Chuan, did you scan it with your Divine Senseagain?"
"Pretty much."
"Your Divine Sense is much more useful than Tianheng Society's detector vehicle."
"I heard those vehicles cost over a billion each; if I had known earlier, we might as well have given the money to you."
"Giving it to me works too."
Lin Chuan thought about it.
"For over a billion, I can help them find one."
Duan Cheng slapped his belly and laughed loudly.
"You emptied out their clubhouse; how could they possibly do business with you?"
"You're right, next time I'll take their car and force them to do business with me."
The Spark members following behind all burst into laughter.
The team soon left the Seventh Layer.
The mine tunnel leading to Ninth Layer had been abandoned for many years; the rails were covered in rust, and in some places, even the path had collapsed.
The main combat group walked in front, directly slaying any small number of demons they encountered.
When encountering giant rocks blocking the way, several Martial Artists who Cultivated earth-type cultivation techniques struck together to move the rubble to both sides, clearing out a path once more.
Half an hour later, the color of the surrounding ores began to change.
Within the originally grayish-black stone walls, streaks of dark red ore veins began to appear.
The further down they went, the deeper that red became; seen from afar, it seemed as if blood was flowing within the stones.
"We've reached Ninth Layer."
Duan Cheng glanced at the map.
"This is the area where Crimson Marrow Crystals are most concentrated."
Zhao Qishan drew his long saber and knocked on the nearby mine wall.
Clang!
A muffled sound spread out.
"This stone is really hard."
"Ordinary Tier 5 weapons probably might not even be able to cut through it."
Zhou Mingchuan did not follow them down this time.
However, before setting off, he had specifically reminded everyone.
Crimson Marrow Crystals were an important Material for forging Tier 5 weapons.
A small piece was worth hundreds of thousands.
If they could recover Ninth Layer, the ores here alone would be a huge amount of contribution.
Ning Zhaoyue suddenly stopped.
The detector in her hand lit up once more.
Beep!
A red ripple popped up on the screen.
This time, the signal was much clearer than before.
"It's right nearby!"
Ning Zhaoyue immediately walked to the left.
But after she had only taken a few steps, the signal disappeared again.
"It cut out again."
"Don't rush."
Lin Chuan looked up ahead.
The red dot in the System was already less than five hundred meters away from them.
Furthermore, ever since just now, that red dot hadn't moved again.
"The lord is right ahead."
The team continued forward.
This section of the mine tunnel was much wider than before.
Thick red rock pillars stood on both sides, the tallest reaching up to tens of meters, propping up the ceiling of the mine cave.
Many abandoned mine carts were scattered nearby, a few of which were completely deformed, with huge palm prints left on their bodies.
Duan Cheng squatted down and glanced at the ground.
"Something just passed by here."
There was a row of huge footprints on the ground.
Each one was nearly two meters long.
The footprints extended all the way forward, finally disappearing near a section of the red mine wall.
Zhao Qishan gripped the hilt of his saber tightly.
"Is it the Crimson-Armored Rock King?"
"It should be."
Duan Cheng stood up and reminded the rear team to disperse.
A Middle Stage Tier 5 Crimson-Armored Rock King.
The most powerful lord on the surface across the entire Ninth Mining Area.
The biggest trait of this thing was its freakish defense.
Having long swallowed Crimson Marrow Crystals, its body had long since fused with the ore.
Ordinary Tier 5 weapons hacking onto its body would leave at most a few white marks.
Three years ago, the Crimson-Armored Rock King had even rushed out of the mining area and head-on destroyed a tank-style mobile base.
Only after military powerhouses arrived did it flee back underground.
Lin Chuan walked slowly forward along the footprints.
The red dot in the System did not move.
The distance was down to just over a hundred meters.
Yet ahead, apart from a patch of mine wall, there was nothing.
Zhao Qishan looked around the surroundings.
"Where is the thing?"
"With such big footprints, it couldn't have walked into the wall, right?"
Lin Chuan looked up at the mine wall.
"It really is in the wall."
As soon as those words fell.
Rumble!
The entire Ninth Layer suddenly shook violently.
The red rock pillars overhead snapped one after another, and dozens of giant rocks over ten meters long crushed down toward the Spark team!
"Defend!"
Duan Cheng shouted loudly.
The main combat group immediately propped up their Astral Qi.
Several Spell Cultivators also released protective shields at the very first moment.
However, those rock pillars were simply too huge.
Any random one weighed several hundred tons.
With so many smashing down together, even a Grandmaster might not necessarily be able to hold up against it.
A purple light lit up between Lin Chuan's brows.
Fifteen thousand engraved high-grade Mental Strengthinstantly spread out.
Boom!
The dozen or so rock pillars that fell first stopped right above everyone's heads.
There was less than half a meter left from the Martial Artist at the very front.
Looking up at the giant rock pressing down on his head, cold sweat immediately poured down that person's forehead.
"Holy shit, that was close!"
"Retreat backwards!"
Duan Cheng led everyone to quickly withdraw from the area covered by the rock pillars.
Lin Chuan waved his palm to the side.
All dozens of giant rocks changed direction and rumbled down onto an open space, stirring up a large cloud of dust and smoke.
Immediately after, the mine wall ahead suddenly bulged outward.
Cracks spread out in all directions.
Bang!
Large chunks of red ore exploded outward.
A massive monster standing fully over thirty meters tall stood up from inside the mine wall.
It looked like a humanoid creature composed of countless red giant rocks, its legs as thick as stone pillars, with several rows of sharp crystal spikes growing on its back.
As it stood up, the energy in the surrounding ore veins continuously converged toward it.
The shattered ores adhered to its body, rapidly transforming into a new layer of scales and armor.
Crimson-Armored Rock King!
It lowered its head to stare at Lin Chuan, its eyes filled with rage.
When the Cyan Miasma Tree Demon died, it had already started fleeing.
Once the Metal-Rifting Mantis King and Python King died, it didn't even want its own territory, fleeing in one breath to the deepest part of Ninth Layer while concealing its aura and hiding inside the red mine wall.
Yet Lin Chuan led people to chase all the way here without taking a single wrong turn at any fork in the road.
"Damn humans!"
The Crimson-Armored Rock King's voice shook the rubble, causing it to constantly fall.
"I've already yielded my territory to you, why must you still chase me down?"
Lin Chuan was actually stunned by its question.
"Why? I am acting on behalf of Heaven, killing you is acting on behalf of Heaven."
The scales on the Crimson-Armored Rock King grew layer by layer, and its rage grew increasingly intense.
It had indeed thought about fleeing into Level 10.
But Lin Chuan had already chased it to this place.
If it continued running, sooner or later it would still be found.
Since it couldn't hide, it could only fight to the death!
The Crimson-Armored Rock King raised its arms and heavily smashed them into the ground.
Boom!
The entire red ore vein lit up along with it.
A large amount of Crimson Marrow Crystals flew out from the rock walls and attached to its body.
Its thirty-plus-meter-tall stone body expanded once more, approaching fifty meters in the blink of an eye, and the red scales on its body grew thicker and thicker.
"Want to kill me? Then let's see who dies first!"
The Crimson-Armored Rock King took big strides, and the entire mine cave shook under its feet.
Looking at the massive figure charging straight at them, Zhao Qishan couldn't help taking a step back to the side.
"Brother Chuan, this thing looks much harder than the Python King."
Lin Chuan loosened his wrists.
"Harder is better."
Chapter 124: Killing the Rock King with a Single Strike! This Mineral Vein is Worth Three Billion a Year!
"The harder, the better."
Lin Chuan stretched his wrists.
"It's a good chance to try out my newly practiced blade."
The Crimson-Armored Rock King had already rushed over.
It was nearly fifty meters tall, and with every step it took, the ground shook along with it. After its shoulders smashed two crimson rock pillars, its right arm raised high, and it smashed a punch toward Lin Chuan's location.
Before the fist even fell, the fierce wind had already pressed down, causing nearby gravel to fly around wildly.
Lin Chuan stood in place without moving.
Seeing that the giant stone fist was about to smash into him, the space beneath his feet suddenly swayed slightly.
The person was gone.
Boom!
The Crimson-Armored Rock King's punch missed.
The ground was blasted into a crater more than ten meters deep, and cracks continuously spread outward along the mine tunnel.
"Fall back!"
Duan Cheng led the people from Spark to pull back the distance once more.
With a guy this big, getting stepped on once would be painful enough.
They stood too close, making it easy to get wiped out by a single stomp.
The Crimson-Armored Rock King abruptly turned its head.
Lin Chuan had already appeared behind it.
After reaching Great Perfection in the Divine Mobility Technique, the stone walls and terrain in the mining area no longer had much of an impact on him.
No matter how great the Crimson-Armored Rock King's strength was, it was useless if it couldn't hit its target.
"Can you only hide?!"
The Crimson-Armored Rock King roared as it turned around.
Its arm swept horizontally across the mine tunnel, instantly smashing several rock pillars, and patches of crimson oresmashed toward Lin Chuan.
Lin Chuan took another step.
His figure passed through the large amount of gravel and directly appeared a hundred meters away.
"You don't dodge when you fight?"
Lin Chuan glanced at it.
"Why don't you stand still and let me slash you once first?"
"Arrogant!"
The Crimson-Armored Rock King slammed its palms heavily onto the ground.
Rumble!
The entire mine tunnel shook once more.
The crimson mineral veins within a radius of several hundred meters all lit up, and a large amount of mineral vein energy converged into its body.
Just now when it smashed the rock pillars, the scales on the Crimson-Armored Rock King's shoulders shattered a bit.
Several Crimson Pith Crystals flew over and attached themselves to the wound.
In just a few seconds, the damaged area had regrown, and it was even a layer thicker than before.
"It recovers this fast?"
Zhao Qishan frowned as he watched.
The Crimson-Armored Rock King was a Middle Stage Tier 5 lord.
Its defense ranked quite high among demons of the same Realm.
As long as it stood near the Crimson Pith Crystal mineral vein, it could continuously absorb the power within the vein to repair the scales on its body.
Smash one layer, and another layer would immediately grow underneath.
Wanting to wear it to death, who knew how long they would have to fight.
Just at this moment, the fractured ores nearby also began to change.
Pieces of crimson rock gathered together, and soon condensed into hundreds of crimson rock beasts two to three meters tall.
Those rock beasts walked on all fours, their backs covered in crystalline spikes, and as soon as they appeared, they charged toward the Spark team from all directions.
"It can even call for underlings?"
Seeing this, Zhao Qishan instead perked up.
Earlier, the Metal-Rifting Mantis King and Python King had both been beaten to death by Lin Chuan with a single punch each.
He brought the main combat group running down, but didn't even get a chance to make a move.
Now there was finally something to fight!
"Main combat group, follow me and charge!"
Zhao Qishan rushed out holding his saber.
"Brother Chuan fights the lord, the rest belongs to us!"
Hundreds of Spark members quickly dispersed.
The Spell Cultivator group pressed forward for a distance, and a large number of fireballs and lightning crossed over the front-row Martial Artists, smashing into the middle of the crimson rock beasts.
Boom, boom, boom!
Explosions resounded one after another in the mine tunnel.
Several rock beasts were blasted upside down onto the ground, large cracks appearing on their ore shells.
The close-combat Martial Artists closely followed and rushed forward.
Sabers and swords slashed down along the cracked areas, tearing apart those rock beasts one by one.
"The head is not the vital point, hit the chest!"
"There is a glowing crimson mineral core on the chest!"
"Saw it!"
Several main combat group members surrounded a crimson rock beast, one holding a shield to block its claws, while the other two struck with their sabers from the left and right sides, simultaneously slashing its chest.
Bang!
The mineral core exploded.
That rock beast immediately scattered into a pile of gravel on the ground.
Duan Cheng guarded behind the main combat group, specializing in dealing with those rock beasts that tried to slip through the Formation line.
Ning Zhaoyue also drew her narrow-bladed short saber.
While dealing with the rock beasts burrowing out from underground, she continued to receive that intermittent signal.
The mob enemies here were all taken over by the Spark main combat group.
On the side of the Crimson-Armored Rock King, its eyes were constantly fixed on Lin Chuan.
"In this mineral vein, my strength is inexhaustible, and my body will not break!"
"How long can you hide?"
The Crimson-Armored Rock King spread its arms wide.
More and more Crimson Pith Crystals flew out from the mine walls, attaching to the surface of its body.
Shoulders.
Chest.
Neck.
Even around its two eyes, several layers of heavy crimson crystal armor had appeared.
Its body, which was already close to fifty meters, expanded outward by another circle.
Standing there, it looked like a small mountain covered in crystals.
"Block my attack first before talking."
Lin Chuan reached out and grabbed the thunder bladebehind his back.
Clang!
The blade was unsheathed.
Purple lightning surged from the blade body, spreading outward along the ground.
Ancient cultivation technique! The "One Thousand Blade Slashes Scripture" began to circulate along with it.
After this SS-grade blade technique was returned to Lin Chuan from the subordinates cultivated by Chu Xuanheng, it had already reached the Realm of Perfection.
The instant the blade technique circulated, the weapons in everyone's hands nearby gently vibrated.
Zhao Qishan had just chopped down a rock beast when he suddenly felt that the saber in his hand was somewhat disobedient.
He hurriedly used astral qi to suppress the blade body.
"What is going on?"
Duan Cheng also looked toward Lin Chuan.
At this moment, the thunder blade in Lin Chuan's hand was completely enveloped by purple lightning.
Ten meters.
Thirty meters.
Fifty meters!
The blade body was still continuing to grow longer.
Finally, a giant thunder blade nearly a hundred meters long appeared within the Ninth Layer mine tunnel.
The blade edge extended all the way from Lin Chuan's hand to the top of the mine cave.
The purple lightning continuously struck the surrounding rock walls, blasting large areas of crimson ore into powder.
The Crimson-Armored Rock King had just been crazily absorbing the energy of the mineral vein.
After seeing that hundred-meter thunder blade, its movements visibly paused for a moment.
That thing could injure it!
The moment this thought popped up in the Crimson-Armored Rock King's mind, it immediately mobilized all its strength.
More Crimson Pith Crystals flew over from all directions.
Layer after layer of crystalline armor protected its chest.
In the blink of an eye, the scales on its chest were already nearly ten meters thick.
Still not enough!
The Crimson-Armored Rock King crossed its arms, blocking in front of its body.
The surrounding crimson rock pillars also closed in toward the middle under its control, forming a giant ore wall several hundred meters wide.
"Come!"
"I'd like to see if you can break my crimson armor!"
Just as the Crimson-Armored Rock King finished shouting its words.
Lin Chuan was gone again.
The Divine Mobility Technique was activated.
The surrounding giant ore wall did not play any role.
Lin Chuan stepped through the obstacle, appearing above the head of the Crimson-Armored Rock King.
The hundred-meter thunder blade was raised accordingly.
"The armor on your body is too thick."
Lin Chuan held the saber with both hands.
"On such a hot day, how suffocating!"
Boom!
The thunder blade slashed down from above!
The purple blade light instantly illuminated the entire mine cave.
The crossed arms of the Crimson-Armored Rock Kingblocking in front of it had just touched the blade edge when the crimson scales on the surface split apart.
One layer!
Three layers!
Ten layers!
In front of the one thousand blade slashes, the crystalline armor that had just condensed constantly exploded to both sides.
The Crimson-Armored Rock King roared as it urged the mineral vein.
The scales on its body shattered while simultaneously regrowing.
But its growth speed simply couldn't keep up with the falling speed of the blade edge!
Swish!
The hundred-meter thunder blade slashed in from the left shoulder of the Crimson-Armored Rock King, cut all the way across the chest, and finally slashed out from the right waist and abdomen.
The roar of the Crimson-Armored Rock King stopped.
It stood in place, its body still maintaining the posture of blocking with both arms.
A slender purple lightning line extended all the way from the shoulder to the waist.
"Did it block it?"
Zhao Qishan looked up.
Just as the words fell.
The upper half of the Crimson-Armored Rock King's body slowly slid down along that lightning line.
Boom!
The half-body dozens of meters tall smashed onto the ground.
The huge natal mineral core on the chest of the Crimson-Armored Rock King was also slashed open from the middle by this single strike.
The purple lightning burrowed deep into the mineral core.
Bang!
The mineral core completely shattered!
After losing its core, the light on the Crimson-Armored Rock King quickly disappeared.
Those crimson scales that had just grown out also turned into ordinary ore, falling off piece by piece.
A Middle Stage Tier 5 lord.
Killed in one strike!
Zhao Qishan looked at the gravel all over the floor, and then looked at the thunder blade in Lin Chuan's hand.
"Brother Chuan, your blade technique is also this strong!"
Lin Chuan put the thunder blade back into its sheath.
"Not bad, I usually practice it just a little, tiny bit."
Those crimson rock beasts around also lost their power after the Crimson-Armored Rock King died.
Some directly scattered into gravel.
Another portion was not affected and continued to attack the Spark crowd, quickly being cleaned up by the main combat group.
Duan Cheng arrived by the side of the Crimson-Armored Rock King's corpse at the first instance.
Although its natal mineral core was shattered, the crimson scales on its body were all top-notch Artifact Refiningmaterials.
What was even more valuable was the nearby Crimson Pith Crystal mineral vein.
"Call the people behind over."
"First guard the exit of the mine tunnel, and set up Formations all the way to Ninth Layer!"
The Spark members immediately began to act.
The mine carts were flipped back over.
After inspecting the tracks, several students in charge of engineering found that the main structure could still be used, and immediately called people to transport repair materials upward.
The Formation Masters searched for locations along the mine tunnel, driving Formation pillars into the ground one by one.
Lin Chuan walked over and glanced at the Crimson Pith Crystals exposed outside the rock wall.
"Is this stuff very valuable?"
"Of course it's valuable."
Duan Cheng knocked down a fist-sized Crimson Pith Crystal from the rock wall.
"This is an important material for forging Tier 5 weapons. Even if the purity is a bit lower, a catty can still sell for hundreds of thousands."
"The mineral vein on Ninth Layer is so big; as long as it can be stably mined, the annual output won't be low."
Lin Chuan became interested.
"How much can it sell for?"
Duan Cheng checked the past mining records of the Ninth Mining Area on his mission wristband.
"This depends on how the school, the military, and the people participating in the extermination divide it."
"However, according to the gray area development regulations, whoever is responsible for killing the lord and reclaiming the area gets the majority of the development profits from the new mining area."
"You killed this Crimson-Armored Rock King, and you led people to conquer Ninth Layer. As long as we can stabilize the defensive Formation and expand the human-controlled range to Ninth Layer, you will definitely take the largest share of the Crimson Pith Crystals transported out of here in the future."
Duan Cheng roughly calculated.
"According to past outputs, even after deducting mining, transportation, and the shares of the school and garrison personnel, you can get at least three billion a year."
"Three billion?"
Lin Chuan looked back at the surrounding mine walls.
Just now when he looked at these things, he only felt they were reddish.
Looking at them again now.
What kind of ores were these?
This was clearly money!
Three billion a year.
And the mineral vein was right here, it wouldn't grow legs and run away.
As long as humanity could hold Ninth Layer, they would be able to split money every year from now on.
Lin Chuan looked up and glanced at the System.
In the mining area, there was only the last lord left.
Its location was deeper inside.
"Old Duan."
"What is it?"
"Have the people behind bring the Formations downward."
Lin Chuan patted the crimson mine wall beside him.
"Let's slaughter all the lords in the mining area today."
Duan Cheng laughed out loud upon hearing this.
Earlier it was just for the mission.
After hearing about three billion a year, Lin Chuan's enthusiasm was obviously even higher.
"Alright!"
"You're responsible for killing, we're responsible for occupying!"
Not far away.
Ning Zhaoyue bypassed the half-corpse of the Crimson-Armored Rock King and came beside the mine wall where it had previously hidden.
The detector had just sounded once more.
The signal was transmitted from here.
She brushed aside the gravel on the ground and quickly discovered several small scratch marks at the bottom of the mine wall.
The first mark represented the Zhenyuan Division.
The second represented someone was injured.
The third pointed deeper into the mining area.
Beside the scratch marks, there was also a small patch of dried blood.
Ning Zhaoyue touched it with her hand.
"Lin Chuan."
"Come take a look."
Lin Chuan and Duan Cheng walked over.
Ning Zhaoyue photographed those secret marks and sent them into the mission archives of the Zhenyuan Division.
"These were left behind by the missing investigators."
"They once passed through Ninth Layer alive."
She looked in the direction pointed by the secret marks.
It was precisely the location where the last lord was.
"The people are still below."
Chapter 125: Found Missing Team Members
Ninth Layer.
After the Crimson-Armored Rock King died, the people of Xinghuo Society immediately got busy.
Zhou Mingchuan and his group finished the upper layer and also came down.
Several Formation Masters walked outward along the main mining tunnel, driving a formation pillar into the rock layer at regular intervals.
After the first batch of formation pillars was completely set up, everyone carried in the pre-prepared Formation Plates.
These Formation Plates were very large, and each one required a dozen people to move together.
Zhao Qishan originally wanted to continue walking down with Lin Chuan, but he was dragged back by Zhou Mingchuan again.
"Don't run off yet, bring some people over to carry the Formation Plates!"
"Why is it me again?"
"Your main combat group has the greatest strength; if we don't look for you, who should we look for?"
Zhao Qishan glanced at the members of the main combat group around him.
"What are you all looking at? Come over and give a hand!"
Dozens of people swarmed forward and carried the Formation Plate to the center of the mining tunnel.
As the energy crystal stones were placed into the formation eyes, a dozen formation pillars lit up simultaneously.
Hum!
A layer of translucent protective light barrier diffused outward, completely enveloping the mining area left behind by the Crimson-Armored Rock King.
The lighting equipment on both sides of the mining tunnel restarted as well.
White lights lit up one by one, and the originally dim Ninth Layer quickly restored basic lighting.
[Protective formation setup complete!]
[The main mining tunnel of Ninth Layer has officially restored communication!]
[Regional control party: Xinghuo Society!]
Duan Cheng finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the mission prompt.
Occupying a mining tunnel is not finished just by planting a flag.
Only by clearing out demons and re-installing the protective formations and communication equipment would the Mission Center acknowledge that this area had returned to human hands.
Zhou Mingchuan had already led people to start inspecting the crimson marrow crystals.
The amount of crimson marrow crystals in the mine wall was even more than the previous data.
As long as subsequent mining could be stable, Lin Chuantaking three billion a year was definitely not a joke.
Just as everyone was preparing to continue setting up formation pillars deeper into the mining tunnel, everyone's mission bracelets vibrated simultaneously.
[The Tier 5 Middle Stage Lord, Iron-Burning Fire Xiao, has been killed!]
[The protective formation setup for the east smelting area on Level 10 is complete!]
[Core stronghold occupation party: Tianheng Society!]
The fifth lord was dead!
Lin Chuan opened the System and took a look.
The red light spot that had been staying on Level 10 before had indeed disappeared.
Zhao Qishan also saw the news.
"Tianheng Society is moving pretty fast!"
From the time they killed the Crimson-Armored Rock Kinguntil now, only a little over an hour had passed.
Tianheng Society had actually already taken down the last lord and set up the protective formation in the smelting area.
Duan Cheng opened the combat recording uploaded by Tianheng Society.
In the footage, the Iron-Burning Fire Xiao stood beside a huge smelting furnace, its whole body burning with dark red flames.
After its body was shattered, the scattered magma would flow back into the smelting furnace.
Shen Zhiyuan was responsible for commanding.
He Qingshan, along with several other core members of Tianheng Society, took turns executing ancient cultivation techniques to sever the connection between the fire xiao and the smelting furnace.
Both sides fought for over ten minutes.
Finally, He Qingshan used the Primordial God-Refining Chapter to forcibly suppress the mental consciousness of the fire xiao, and Shen Zhiyuan seized the opportunity to detonate the high-grade explosives buried beneath the smelting furnace.
The entire smelting furnace was blown to pieces.
The natal fire seed hidden inside was also shattered by the joint efforts of several Tianheng Society members.
After the battle ended, Tianheng Society immediately sent people to take over the smelting area and transported a prepared large-scale protective formation inside.
The arrangement before and after was very proficient.
"Tianheng Society being able to be number one for so many years indeed does not rely entirely on money."
Duan Cheng turned off the recording.
The Iron-Burning Fire Xiao was the last of the five lords.
Although Tianheng Society only got one core stronghold, at least they weren't shut out completely by Xinghuo Society.
Zhao Qishan didn't have much sense of tension.
"So what if they take one place?"
"We have four, and they have one. Surely one share of theirs can't be more than our four shares, right?"
"Indeed, we occupy more lord strongholds."
Duan Cheng glanced at the current effective battle merits.
Xinghuo Society's name firmly hung at the first place.
Moreover, a large distance had already been pulled away from the second-place Tianheng Society.
In addition to the four core strongholds, they also transported out a large number of demon corpses and ores.
The crimson marrow crystal vein on Ninth Layer would also continue to increase effective battle merits.
As long as no major accidents happen later, first place is indeed secure.
The surrounding Xinghuo Society members didn't think there was any problem with Tianheng Society taking down a lord.
They brought so many people and equipment; surely they couldn't fail to grab even a single one.
What's more, Xinghuo Society's harvest this time had far exceeded expectations.
"To work, to work!"
Zhao Qishan patted the Formation Plate.
"Stabilize Ninth Layer early, and after we return to school, everyone can share a huge amount of contribution points!"
Everyone got busy again.
Ning Zhaoyue, however, kept staring at the detector.
After the protective formation was activated, the communication interference on Ninth Layer weakened a lot.
The signal she received just now also became a bit clearer.
Beep!
On the screen, a red ripple jumped out once again.
This time it didn't disappear immediately.
Ning Zhaoyue followed the signal and walked a certain distance to the left side of the mining tunnel, finally stopping in front of a pile of collapsed rubble.
"The signal is right behind."
Lin Chuan also followed over.
That pile of rubble was piled very high, and there should have been a mining tunnel behind it originally.
"Dig it open and take a look."
A purple light lit up between Lin Chuan's brows.
Fifteen thousand strands of high-grade Mental Strengthcovered the entire pile of rubble.
Dozens of tons of heavy stones flew up one by one, being thrown by him to both sides of the mining tunnel.
In less than a minute, an abandoned downward passage was revealed.
It was very dark inside.
Several dried bloodstains could still be seen on the stone walls.
Ning Zhaoyue turned on the lighting equipment, turned back and said to Duan Cheng: "The signal source is very close; Lin Chuan and I will go down and take a look."
"Should we bring more people?"
"No need."
The situation inside the mining tunnel is still unclear.
With too many people, if we encounter a cave-in or trap, it would instead be hard to retreat.
Duan Cheng also knew Lin Chuan's strength.
The two of them going down together is safer than bringing hundreds of people.
"If you discover any situation, contact us at any time."
"I'll have the Medical Team wait at the entrance."
Ning Zhaoyue nodded and took out a Zhenyuan Divisionfirst-aid kit from her storage equipment.
Lin Chuan walked in the front.
The two of them walked down along the abandoned mining tunnel, and the signal on the detector became stronger and stronger.
This road was long no longer on the map provided by the school.
Many places had already collapsed, and they could only pass through the gaps in the rubble.
Lin Chuan felt the speed was too slow, so he simply used Mental Strength to clear the way.
All the rubble blocking the front flew away.
When encountering places that really couldn't be passed, he would use the Divine Mobility Technique to pass through, and then clear the mining tunnel from the other side.
After walking for about ten minutes, an abandoned elevator shaft appeared in front.
The lifting equipment at the shaft mouth had long been damaged.
Several steel cables hung below, not knowing how deep they led to.
Beep beep beep!
The detector in Ning Zhaoyue's hand rang continuously.
"The signal is right in the shaft!"
Lin Chuan glanced downward.
At a position more than thirty meters below, a severely deformed elevator cage was stuck.
Inside, there was still a very weak aura of life.
"Found the person."
Lin Chuan leaped down into the elevator shaft.
Mental Strength supported his body, and he landed on top of the elevator cage.
Ning Zhaoyue also jumped down following him.
The two of them joined forces to pull open the deformed metal door.
A woman wearing the black combat uniform of the Zhenyuan Division was leaning against the corner of the elevator cage.
Her complexion was frighteningly pale.
Her left arm was wrapped in a circle of blood-stained bandages, and there was a wound torn open by an iron hook on her abdomen.
What was even more troublesome was her feet.
Two pitch-black chains were wrapped around her ankles, and the other end passed through the elevator cage, deeply nailed into the rock wall behind.
The surface of the chains was covered with green runes.
The True Essence on her body was constantly being drained away by those runes.
Hearing the sound of the metal door being pulled open, the woman barely raised her head.
"Who?"
"Zhenyuan Division, Ning Zhaoyue."
Ning Zhaoyue showed her Blade-Wielding Officer bracelet.
After seeing her identity clearly, the woman instantly became excited.
"You received the signal?"
"Received it."
Ning Zhaoyue squatted down and first took out a healing potion.
"Where are the others?"
However, the woman did not take the potion.
"Quickly contact the Zhenyuan Division!"
"Have the Tiger King send people over; it will be too late if we delay any longer!"
Ning Zhaoyue glanced at the chains on her feet.
"I'll rescue you out first."
"Don't worry about me!"
The woman grabbed Ning Zhaoyue's wrist.
"Everyone else has been captured!"
"Three investigation teams, as well as the Five Elements Cultists who followed inside, are all locked inside by that thing."
Lin Chuan squatted nearby.
"What thing?"
The woman panted a few breaths.
"There is a Secret Realm below."
"After we tracked the people of the Five Elements Cultinside, just as we walked to the outer perimeter of the prison, we were attacked."
"That Secret Realm is too dangerous."
"Secret Realm?"
Lin Chuan instantly became interested.
"Where is the entrance?"
The woman looked at him.
Lin Chuan was wearing the combat uniform of Jiuli Academy, and he looked quite young at a glance.
She glanced at Ning Zhaoyue again.
"You are both students?"
"Ning Zhaoyue is a Tier 3 Blade-Wielding Officer of the Zhenyuan Division."
Lin Chuan pointed at himself.
"Although I am not a person of the Zhenyuan Division, I am extremely good at fighting."
The woman was so anxious that her wounds started to ache.
"Nonsense!"
"That thing captured a dozen elite members of the Zhenyuan Division, plus so many Five Elements Cultists; what can two students like you do if you go in?"
"Ning Zhaoyue, you immediately notify the Tiger King and have the Zhenyuan Division send a Great Grandmaster-level powerhouse over!"
"Before reinforcements arrive, no one is allowed to enter the Secret Realm again!"
Ning Zhaoyue did not agree immediately.
This place is too far from the outside world.
Even if the Tiger King sets out now, it will still take time to rush over.
The captured people might not be able to afford to wait.
Lin Chuan lowered his head to look at the two pitch-black chains.
Afterwards, he reached out and grasped the thunder blade.
"It seems you don't believe me."