"Sixth Junior Brother leads, I'll guard the rear, while Little Junior Sister and Fourth Senior Brother stay in the middle and stay alert at all times."
Li Nanzhu gripped her star-burst bombs and talismans, her heart racing.
She knew the true trial was only beginning, but looking at the protective gear shimmering with starlight, she felt a strange sense of reassurance.
Suisui hopped onto her shoulder, its soul fire gently brushing against her cheek as if saying, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Jiang Yifan did one final equipment check, his gaze sweeping over his three sect mates. He took a deep breath, appearing to have reached a decision.
"Remember, our goal is to get the news out alive. If the situation becomes critical... prioritize protecting Little Junior Sister."
"I don't agree!" Li Nanzhu said urgently.
"This is a command," Jiang Yifan said, his tone uncharacteristically heavy. "If something really happens, only by us guarding the rear can we stall for a longer time."
Feng Qingping and Feng Weilan nodded solemnly.
Li Nanzhu wanted to argue further, but Feng Qingping pressed a hand to her shoulder. "Little Junior Sister, this isn't about looking down on you; it's strategy."
Li Nanzhu bit her lower lip, ultimately forced to nod in agreement.
The four of them, fully equipped, stood ready at the passage entrance. Jiang Yifan's timing was precise—once the hour of Zi arrived, the wriggling sounds outside indeed weakened significantly.
"Go!"
Jiang Yifan lowered his voice, injecting spiritual energy into the mechanical hub. With the faint click of mechanisms turning, the massive stone blocking the door slowly moved aside, revealing a small gap.
The four instantly tensed their nerves, and even Suisui withdrew the glow of its soul fire.
Moonlight filtered down through the collapsed roof of the mine, illuminating the devastated passage. Those tentacles had indeed entered a state of dormancy, hanging from the rocky walls like withered vines. There were even traces of fresh blood nearby...
Evidently, the evil cultivators left here had also been treated as fodder.
"Careful, don't touch them," Jiang Yifan warned via secret voice transmission. "Dormancy does not mean harmlessness."
They carefully navigated through the cluster of tentacles. Li Nanzhu's heart-protecting mirror grew slightly warm, a warning of the lurking demon qi.
Suddenly, Suisui's soul fire jumped violently!
A lurking tentacle snapped up, lunging straight for Jiang Yifan's back! Without a second thought, Li Nanzhu shoved him aside, but her own left arm was ensnared by the tentacle.
"Little Junior Sister!"
The star-patterns on her vambrace suddenly flared, forming a silver barrier!
The moment the tentacle slammed into the silver light, countless pustules swelled on its surface, spraying foul-smelling slime! The star-patterned barrier immediately sizzled, the silver light dimming visibly to the naked eye.
Feng Weilan's blade swung at that moment, severing the tentacle in two.
What sprayed from the cross-section was not blood, but wriggling black filaments that coiled toward everyone's ankles like living things.
"Get back!" Feng Qingping threw out an array disk, and green light condensed into a shield in mid-air. The moment the black filaments hit the light screen, the entire array rippled with waves.
"Move! The commotion will wake the other tentacles!"
The four quickened their pace, but it was too late—the entire passage began to vibrate as countless tentacles woke from their dormancy, surging forward like a tide!
"Run!"
They sprinted desperately along the pre-arranged route, the only path to the surface pointed out by Rong Yuying!
The star-patterns on their gear flickered constantly, warding off attacks, but the demon qi was too thick; the silver light was dimming at a rate visible to the eye.
Fortunately, they were drawing closer to the exit. Just as they were about to reach it, a tentacle as thick as a water bucket burst from the ground, blocking their path!
"The mother nest main root!" Jiang Yifan's expression changed drastically. "Use the star-burst bombs!"
Li Nanzhu immediately threw the three star-burst bombs she was holding with all her might. The silver-gray beads traced elegant arcs through the air before exploding into a burst of starlight across the tentacle's surface.
With a flick of her wrist, Feng Qingping sent a beam of green light shooting from her sleeve—it was an array disk drawn with star-patterned iron powder, which expanded into a hexagonal screen of light. The moment the tentacle struck it, the surging tide of tentacles was also temporarily blocked outside.
"The exit is blocked!" Jiang Yifan severed three attacking tentacles and pointed to a narrow side path above the rock wall. "We can only try the abandoned lift shaft!"
The four formed a battle formation back-to-back.
Each of Feng Weilan's strikes brought forth dazzling sparks, while Li Nanzhu threw out almost all her stock of talismans. Explosive golden light detonated repeatedly within the passage.
However, these methods that were usually enough to repel enemies were currently proving ineffective. Those tentacles were regenerating at a visible speed even after being severed!
"Retreat! Quick!" Feng Qingping's array had already begun to flicker. Fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead, and the wriggling sounds from behind grew closer, as if the entire mine was squirming.
Li Nanzhu glanced back, and her hair stood on end—countless tentacles were surging like a tide, yet they recoiled abruptly when they touched the star-patterned iron powder scattered on the ground.
"It's working!" Feng Weilan said excitedly.
Just as they were about to reach the lift shaft, the entire passage shook violently! A crack opened in the rock wall above, and massive boulders came crashing down.
"Look out!" Jiang Yifan yanked Li Nanzhu aside, but his own shoulder was struck by a large rock.
"Fourth Senior Brother!"
"I'm fine! Keep running!" Jiang Yifan gritted his teeth and pushed her forward. "Turn left ahead for the lift shaft!"
The four stumbled to the front of the lift shaft, only to find the mechanical device was rusted solid!
Without a word, Feng Weilan swung his blade and severed the chains. "Climb up!"
They all leaped at once, grabbing the hanging iron chains. Just as their fingers touched the iron, a deafening roar echoed beneath them—the entire passage collapsed!
Amidst the billowing dust, Li Nanzhu saw those tentacles twisting frantically, yet they were held back by the star-patterned iron barrier!
Most terrifying was a massive figure composed of countless tentacles looming within the dust...
"The mother nest body!" Jiang Yifan shouted sternly. "Climb, fast!"
They scrambled upward desperately. Suisui instantly transformed into dozens of sharp bone spurs that nailed into the rock wall, providing extra handholds for the four of them.
The vibrations below grew more intense, accompanied by a blood-curdling tearing sound. Just as they were reaching the shaft's opening, a tentacle as thick as a water bucket smashed through the rock wall, lunging straight for them!
"Watch out!" Feng Qingping's array disk shot a beam of green light, but it only managed to stall the tentacle for a split second.
In that critical moment, Li Nanzhu scattered all her remaining star-patterned iron powder!
The silver-gray powder formed a screen of light in the air. Upon touching it, the tentacle immediately let out a piercing shriek as its surface began to carbonize and fall away.
"Good job!" Jiang Yifan unleashed a sudden attack that blasted the sealed shaft cover away. "Get out!"
Just as the tentacle struck at them again, the four of them finally burst out of the shaft!
The sky outside was still pitch black. Even though they had set out at the hour of Zi and nearly two hours had passed, not a single trace of light could be seen.
The moment they emerged from the shaft, a nauseating stench of rot hit them.
Li Nanzhu inhaled a mouthful before she could react, her throat immediately burning with pain.
"It's the miasma from the Blackwater Marsh!" Suppressing her cough, she scrambled to pull miasma-avoidance pills from her storage bag and quickly distributed them. Only then did she have a chance to observe the condition of the others.
Fortunately, though everyone looked battered, they had mostly suffered only superficial injuries under the protection of the star-patterned iron.
"We're likely deep within the Blackwater Marsh now," Feng Weilan panted, his voice raspy. "Getting out will take at least two days..."
Before he could finish, the ground suddenly vibrated, and a terrifying tearing sound erupted from the direction of the shaft!
Li Nanzhu looked back and saw the earth near the opening bulging eerily, as if something was about to burst out of the ground!
"That damn thing!" Jiang Yifan's face was pale. "Go!"
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