Chapter 170: The Mine Tunnel
Chapter 170: The Mine Tunnel
With the spiritual minerals they had mined, these demon hunters wouldn't have to worry about food and drink for the next ten years. But if they gave it all to the Qian family, the Qians would only grow stronger and turn against them.
Although spiritual minerals were important, the mine tunnel took precedence.
After all, the tunnel was crucial for everyone's safe retreat. Elder Yu could still distinguish between what was light and what was heavy.
Elder Yu instructed everyone to first focus their efforts on digging the tunnel. Several days later, once the tunnel was complete, they would then have a means of escape, and the demon hunters could turn their attention to mining the spiritual minerals.
Elder Yu, notorious for his stinginess, put his penny-pinching skills to the ultimate test. Every day, he would wander aimlessly through the mine, using his fingers to scrape away even the tiniest bits of spiritual minerals from the walls and store them in his pouch.
According to Elder Yu, they should leave nothing behind for the Qian family, not a single cent. They would lick the bowl clean, leaving the Qians with nothing to scavenge, not even a drop of soup to lick from the rim!
Mo Hua looked on, filled with admiration.
He had only suggested being ruthless, but he never expected Elder Yu to take it to such an extreme! Elder Yu truly lived up to his reputation. Mo Hua learned a valuable lesson from this.
News of Elder Yu's mining activities also reached the ears of the Qian family's cultivators.
Qian Hong was aware of Elder Yu's plans, so he had already dispatched people to keep a close eye on Daheshan Mountain, searching for any traces of the demon hunters.
It was impossible to dig a mine tunnel without making some noise.
And indeed, the Qian family had found signs of the demon hunters.
It was a pit entrance, with scattered stones along the edge, and branches and foliage had been used to camouflage the opening.
Qian Hong coldly smirked, "Yu Changlin, you're like a rat, scurrying and digging holes, but in the end, you'll still fall into my hands."
Qian Hong ordered his men to keep watch, but after several days, they hadn't spotted any demon hunters exiting the tunnel.
Qian Hong furrowed his brows and instructed Qian Zhuang to lead a team to investigate.
Qian Zhuang obeyed, taking a few other Qian family cultivators with him as they cautiously entered the tunnel.
The tunnel was dark and damp, with broken stones lining the periphery, indicating that it had indeed been recently excavated.
Qian Zhuang and his companions searched for half a day but found nothing. They neither encountered the demon hunters nor saw any other people.
Just as Qian Zhuang was growing perplexed, one of the Qian family cultivators noticed a section of the stone wall that was lighter in color. Upon knocking it with his finger, a hollow sound echoed, suggesting that the wall was thin.
The cultivators exchanged glances, their spirits lifting.
This meant that there was a cavity behind the wall, a mine tunnel, and that this stone wall had been erected to deceive them.
The group of demon hunters was hiding behind that wall!
Qian Zhuang and his men began chipping away at the wall with vigor.
As the wall collapsed, dust filled the air.
When the dust settled, what they saw was a pair of eyes, as large as copper bells, with blood-red vertical pupils.
Qian Zhuang drew in a sharp breath.
This wasn't a demon hunter; it was a mature demon beast in the latter stage of the first rank!
The demon beast's eyes held a mixture of confusion, anger, and bloodthirsty delight.
It was confused as to why there were intruders in its lair, angry that it had been disturbed from its rest, and delighted that it now had some unexpected food to feast on!
In the narrow pit, the demon beast hunted while the Qian family cultivators fled for their lives.
When Qian Zhuang and the others finally met with Qian Hong, their appearance was pitiful.
Qian Zhuang's injuries were severe, but at least he had managed to escape with his life and all his limbs intact. The others, however, were not so fortunate, with some missing arms or legs, and a few had even permanently remained in that pit, having found their final resting place in the belly of the demon beast.
Qian Hong's expression could no longer remain calm.
Even with his profound composure, he was seething with rage. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Yu Changlin, you went too far this time! Digging a fake mine tunnel next to a demon beast's lair to deceive me! This is unforgivable!"
The Qian family disciples lowered their heads, not daring to utter a word.
After a while, another Qian family disciple arrived with news of discovering yet another mine tunnel.
Qian Hong's eyes twitched, and he fell into uncertainty.
This mine tunnel could be real, but it could also be another one of Yu Changlin's tricks, designed to lead them into another trap.
As he expected, there was indeed a beast lurking within.
The disciples sent to investigate returned, but not all of them made it back intact.
Once again, they came back missing limbs, and a few more lives had been lost.
Their precautions had been futile against the beast.
The pit led directly to the beast's lair, with dim lighting and narrow passages that hindered the cultivators' movements while giving the beast a significant advantage.
Beasts were naturally stronger than cultivators of the same realm, and even experienced demon hunters would seek open spaces to engage them, requiring several people to patiently wear them down and launch a coordinated attack.
The Qian Family cultivators lacked the skills to hunt beasts, and entering such a confined and shadowy lair was tantamount to delivering themselves to their deaths.
Their resistance only served as a prelude to the beast's feast.
Qian Hong's blood boiled with rage, and he wanted to curse Yu Changlin, but he held back for the sake of maintaining his dignity as the clan leader. Still, he struggled to calm his emotions.
Subsequently, the Qian Family discovered two more mine tunnels, but Qian Hong dared not send anyone inside.
He refused to gamble with his disciples' lives any longer.
He finally understood something—Yu Changlin was a demon hunter who had spent his life in the Daheshan Mountains and knew this mountain like the back of his hand, far more than Qian Hong himself did.
Trying to find the tunnel he had dug was akin to a pipe dream.
Moreover, one wrong move could cost several lives, and he couldn't afford such a costly trial and error process.
While he was the clan leader of the Qian Family, that position wasn't set in stone.
Qian Hong's expression turned grave, his brows furrowed deeply.
Qian Zhongxuan stood by, a cold smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he watched. He knew the extent of Yu Changlin's prowess now? At this point, he almost hoped for Qian Hong to fail.
The more successful Qian Hong was in seizing the spiritual minerals, the more Qian Zhongxuan's own failure would stand out.
On the other hand, if Qian Hong encountered setbacks, his own recent blunder would be less noticeable.
Qian Zhuang, standing nearby, saw the look on Qian Zhongxuan's face and immediately understood his thoughts.
He couldn't help but feel a sense of camaraderie, thinking, "If the clan leader fails, then Elder Qian's failure isn't that significant. And if Elder Qian fails, then my own failure is negligible..."
"Now that both the clan leader and Elder Qian have failed, my own shortcomings are even less worth mentioning!"
Qian Zhuang's heart suddenly felt lighter, and the painful wounds on his body didn't seem to hurt as much anymore.
Since they couldn't find the tunnel that the demon hunters had used to escape, nor could they intercept them, the only option left for the Qian Family was to launch a frontal assault, break the formations, and demolish the stone walls at the mine entrances.
There were seven or eight entrances to the mine, and the Qian Family cultivators divided themselves into teams to tackle them simultaneously.
With the Qian Family cultivators attacking from all sides, the demon hunters, who were running low on supplies, wouldn't be able to hold out for long.
For the next few days, the Qian Family worked tirelessly, chipping away at the walls day and night.
Qian Hong maintained a calm facade, but inwardly, he was anxious and worried.
He knew that if he didn't act quickly, Yu Changlin would finish mining the spiritual minerals and escape, causing all his efforts to be in vain.
With a loud crash, another stone wall collapsed, revealing yet another wall behind it, just as Qian Hong had anticipated. And on this wall was another set of formations!
Qian Hong felt a surge of anger that seemed to rush towards his crown, and he wanted to tear the formation master who had designed these arrays into pieces.
But he could do nothing but suppress his rage, closing his eyes and helplessly waving his hand, "Keep digging."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
