Chapter 080

Chapter 80: Rescue Successful

In the cramped tunnels, two forces collided fiercely, immediately descending into chaotic battle. As their powers clashed, fragments of stone continually rained down from above.

Sheng Yu Hong gave a cold snort, his voice chilling: “Humph! Daring to kidnap disciples of the Grand Righteous Sect—you shall pay with your life!” With these words, he raised his sword and charged forward. Three other Foundation Establishment disciples quickly followed, each brandishing their own weapons, their fierce attacks landing squarely on the heads of the Three-Headed Serpent, inciting its wrath.

Long Dao Yu stood dumbfounded. He hadn’t anticipated their team’s luck to be so abysmal, actually encountering the culprit directly. Knowing he lacked the strength of Senior Uncle Sheng and the others, he swiftly applied three defensive talismans to himself and hid along the side, throwing offensive talismans towards the serpent whenever an opening appeared.

Sheng Yu Hong, who had mastered sword qi, swung his sword repeatedly, every strike accurately targeting one of the serpent’s heads. The other two disciples similarly faced off against the serpent’s remaining heads, their spells erupting with explosive force, causing more and more debris to shower down into the narrow passageway.

However, the confined space limited their movements. With the Three-Headed Serpent cleverly hiding its vital point deep within the tunnel, Sheng Yu Hong’s group couldn’t reach it. Forced to improvise, they focused their strikes on the serpent’s eyes instead.

As the battle intensified here, Du Yu Ling’s group of three swiftly traced their path toward the subterranean chamber imprisoning Yun Xi and the others.

When the earth shook and fragments fell from the ceiling, Yun Xi and her companions quickly concealed the snake eggs they had been handling. Gripping their weapons tightly, they cautiously stared at the chamber’s only exit. The serpent, wary of their escape, had placed a restrictive barrier there. Earlier attempts by Mu Ning Zhu and the others to break through it had failed miserably, provoking the serpent’s wrath and earning them harsh beatings.

Now that the serpent was clearly under attack, the moment for escape seemed near, and everyone readied themselves.

“Yun Xi, could that be Senior Uncle Sheng and the others coming for us?” Qin Tong Shuang asked quietly, her calm demeanor restored.

Yun Xi nodded in reply: “Judging by the commotion, probably. It seems both sides are already fighting. Let’s wait a bit longer.”

As the ground shook violently once more, Mu Ning Zhu decisively shouted: “We can’t afford to wait anymore! Everyone, strike the barrier! We have to break out now.”

Under Mu Ning Zhu’s order, a barrage of powerful spells simultaneously struck the restrictive barrier.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The continuous impacts rang in their ears, spells detonating with desperate urgency, reflecting the captives’ anxious hearts. Yet, with each clash of energies, the chamber trembled even more dangerously. No one dared to stop, fearing permanent entombment underground.

At that crucial moment, Du Yu Ling’s group finally located the barrier by following the sounds of battle. Seeing the brilliant lights flashing across its surface, she commanded without hesitation: “Strike down this barrier.”

“Yes!”

The three Foundation Establishment cultivators unleashed attacks far surpassing those trapped inside. With a final, earth-shaking explosion, the barrier shattered, and the Grand Righteous Sect disciples were at last reunited.

“Junior Sister Du!”

“Senior Sister Mu, it’s really you all!”

“Yes, it’s us. Where’s Senior Brother Sheng? Are you here to rescue us?” Mu Ning Zhu stepped forward quickly, gripping her sword as she spoke.

Du Yu Ling responded immediately: “We took the sect mission to locate missing disciples. Senior Brother Sheng led us here. Once inside, we split up, and now he’s likely battling the demon beast that captured you.”

Hearing this, Mu Ning Zhu firmly suggested: “Then let’s send the Qi Refining disciples out first, and afterward we can assist Senior Brother Sheng.”

Among those rescued, she alone held Foundation Establishment cultivation (excluding Yun Xi). Duty-bound, she could not simply leave.

“Good. Let them use Earth-Escape Talismans to evacuate,” Du Yu Ling decisively agreed. The Qi Refining disciples would be more hindrance than help if they stayed.

Mu Ning Zhu turned to briefly instruct Qin Tong Shuang and the others before following Du Yu Ling back along the original route.

Recognizing the urgency, Qin Tong Shuang and the others swiftly placed Earth-Escape Talismans on their bodies, vanishing one by one.

Yun Xi mimicked their movements, but rather than fleeing upward, she quietly descended deeper into the earth.

She wasn’t sure how far down she had traveled until, suddenly, she tumbled into another underground cavern.

The moment she entered, she felt the dense aura of spiritual energy surrounding her. Releasing her divine sense, Yun Xi quickly realized she had landed within a chamber brimming with spirit stones.

“I’m rich! I’ve struck it rich!” Yun Xi exclaimed, excitement bright in her voice. To confirm she wasn’t dreaming, she pinched her cheek firmly.

The sharp pain reassured her that this was indeed reality. After thoroughly inspecting the area, she promptly retrieved her Third-Order Array Disc, activating it carefully. Then, with great caution, she removed the Immortal Spirit Herb from her spatial storage.

The Immortal Spirit Herb’s leaves stretched gracefully as it emitted a contented sigh. Immediately, its voice echoed inside Yun Xi’s mind: “Little master, have you found a spiritual vein so soon?”

“Is this really a spirit vein?”

“Yes!”

“What about its quality?”

“Mid-grade at least! It should suffice to support your cultivation until Core Formation,” the Immortal Spirit Herb responded, lightly shaking its emerald leaves.

“In that case, you focus on absorbing spiritual energy; meanwhile, I’ll dig out some spirit stones for myself.”

Yun Xi still found everything surreal, but her movements betrayed none of her hesitation.

“Fine. Just place me onto the spiritual vein itself,” the Immortal Spirit Herb instructed.

“Alright!”

Growing ever more cautious, Yun Xi placed the Immortal Spirit Herb at her side, took out a small shovel, and eagerly began digging.

She first unearthed low-grade spirit stones. Despite their lower quality, their sheer abundance made Yun Xi’s eyes gleam. She continuously stored them into the pouch at her waist, transferring batches into her spatial storage whenever it grew full.

The deeper she dug, the more she discovered mid-grade spirit stones intermingled among the lower-grade ones.

“Spiritling, I’ve found mid-grade spirit stones!”

“That should be enough, no? I’m going to start absorbing more quickly now,” the Immortal Spirit Herb replied, having intentionally slowed its absorption to let Yun Xi gather resources first.

Yun Xi eyed the increasingly frequent mid-grade stones embedded around her greedily. After a moment of internal struggle, she reluctantly put her shovel away, declaring: “I’ve gathered around a thousand mid-grade spirit stones, more than enough for now. Go ahead and absorb!”

The Immortal Spirit Herb trembled, its leaves sparkling with vibrant green light. Immediately, the cavern began trembling once again.

Yun Xi frowned slightly: “Could they already be fighting close to here?”

After a pause, the herb responded: “There was a concealment formation here powered by the mineral vein. Now that I’ve drained most of the spiritual energy, it’s losing power. Do you want to inspect it?”

Yun Xi instantly unleashed her mid-Foundation Establishment divine sense, scanning the entire cavern. Indeed, a suspicious area appeared on the rock face with fewer stones.

Suddenly, with a loud rumble, a large stone crashed down next to Yun Xi’s feet. Jolted from indecision, she dashed immediately toward that peculiar wall.

The instant Yun Xi fully entered the wall, the cavern behind collapsed completely.

Meanwhile, above, the Three-Headed Serpent had fallen into a furious frenzy, unleashing a devastating wave of attacks on Sheng Yu Hong’s group.