Ancient Immortal?

Crack!

Like cracks spreading across glass, crooked, winding fissures began appearing on the enormous, irregular diamond-shaped Source Ancient Jade Wall, centered on the spot struck by the Iron Pickaxe.

As time passed, repeated cracking sounds came from the Source Ancient Jade Wall, until its entire massive surface was covered in spiderweb-like fractures.

Li Haomiao's face went pale, and his lips trembled slightly. What was happening before his eyes had exceeded his expectations—Xu Yunfan had shattered the Source Ancient Jade Wall with a single swing of the pickaxe.

Impossible!

If his legs had not been inconvenient, he would have jumped up at once.

Then he realized something, and his face instantly turned deathly white.

It seemed that the person inside the Source Ancient Jade Wall was breaking free and about to emerge.

"Should we retreat first?"

Li Haomiao turned around. Behind him was already completely empty. Looking up, he saw—

Xu Yunfan had long since run to the bend in the mine tunnel, half his body already swallowed by shadow, on the verge of leaving.

Li Haomiao shouted, "You're far too disloyal!! I taught you martial arts, no matter what, yet you're acting like such a petty villain!"

Xu Yunfan, who had reached the tunnel entrance, halted at those words. He lifted his head with a sigh and pulled back the foot he had stepped out with. He had still received a good education in the new era, after all; he could never quite cast aside the reservations in his heart.

He turned around, curled his toes into the ground, and launched himself forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. In the blink of an eye, he reached Li Haomiao, grabbed him, and turned to leave—

With a crash, the Source Ancient Jade Wall shattered completely.

Xu Yunfan froze stiffly and cursed, "You've gotten me killed!"

Li Haomiao had no time to pay attention to Xu Yunfan. His eyes were fixed tightly on the shattered Source Ancient Jade Wall.

Under the firelight, a graceful naked body tumbled out from within the Source Ancient Jade Wall.

An inexplicable chill wind suddenly began to drift slowly through the mine tunnel. The torchlight swayed, making the shadows leap endlessly like evil ghosts escaping their cages.

"Where did this wind come from?"

Li Haomiao's face was ghastly pale, his voice carrying a tremor even he had not noticed.

This mine tunnel was hundreds of meters deep. Other than the main mine passage, where the Wind Passage exchanged air and carried it into the branching tunnels, there was no way this branch tunnel could produce such a bone-piercing wind.

After a long silence, the chill wind faded away.

Only then did Xu Yunfan's rigid body loosen slightly. He guessed, "It should have been caused by the Source Ancient Jade Wall shattering."

"That must be it, that must be it!"

Li Haomiao came back to his senses. A few traces of color returned to his face, and his trembling lips no longer shook so badly.

Xu Yunfan finally came around. He moved closer to Li Haomiao and saw that the graceful, jade-fat-like naked body in the distance remained motionless. The heart that had risen to his throat slowly settled back down.

They had frightened themselves.

"Are you afraid of ghosts?"

At Xu Yunfan's question, Li Haomiao's expression tightened slightly.

"The Master did not speak of strange powers or gods and ghosts. In such surroundings, one must not speak nonsense. Of course I do not believe in them. The time and circumstances are wrong now, the stars have yet to return to their positions, and all secret powers in the world lie dormant. Ghosts cannot possibly exist."

Xu Yunfan's lips twitched, and he tilted his chin toward the naked body.

"That one should be the immortal who, as you said, buried herself inside the Source Ancient Jade Wall?"

Li Haomiao pressed his lips together. Naturally, he understood what Xu Yunfan meant—he wanted him to take the lead.

"I am a member of the Great Zhou Royal Clan, one who bears Heaven's mandate. Had unforeseen changes not occurred, I would have become the Son of Heaven of Great Zhou. My heart is tied to the realm, my concerns to its people, and you want me to do such a thing?"

Xu Yunfan chuckled. "The Son of Heaven and commoners stand in equal places; those who have the people's hearts... Right now, you and I are both prisoners. All things considered, my survival value is greater. Your Highness Yan King, go in peace. If there is a chance, I will certainly have a word with that Empress and seek justice for you."

Li Haomiao could no longer keep up the act. "Brother Xu, I have an idea. How about we go together?"

Xu Yunfan shook his head. "Not going, not going. Perhaps that body is coated in all kinds of deadly poisons, and death awaits the moment one touches it. Who knows? Some colorless, odorless poison might already be spreading...

Heavens, I can already feel my breathing becoming a little difficult. No, I need to leave first."

Seeing Xu Yunfan make as if to leave, Li Haomiao could no longer remain calm. "I have a secret technique that can temper your Tendons, Bones, and Skin and blend them into one, making you far stronger than ordinary people. True Blood is good, but if your foundation is lacking, you will never be able to climb to the pinnacle of martial arts."

Xu Yunfan stopped and said politely, "Yan King, you are being too much. Rest assured, how could I possibly behave like such a petty villain? But since it is Your Highness Yan King's request, as a lowly subject of Great Zhou, I naturally dare not refuse. I will surely overcome all difficulties and forge bravely ahead."

Li Haomiao sneered. "If all those of lowly status were like you, Great Zhou would have fallen apart long ago."

Xu Yunfan did not mind the mockery and pressed on, "What exactly is True Blood?"

Li Haomiao naturally knew that Xu Yunfan, being of lowly status, might possess True Blood yet know nothing about it. That was perfectly normal. He frowned.

"I'll explain later. Let's look at that one first."

Both of them were cunning to the bone. Their back-and-forth had simply been to see whether the graceful naked body that had fallen from the Source Ancient Jade Wall would make any movement.

Xu Yunfan walked over to Li Haomiao's side and gently lifted him in front of himself. "Yan King, allow me to carry you forward."

Anyone unaware of the truth might have thought Xu Yunfan was utterly loyal, seeking glory for his master.

Li Haomiao: "..."

Holding a torch in one hand and Li Haomiao in the other, Xu Yunfan approached the naked body. Only then did he realize in surprise that the one who had fallen from the Source Ancient Jade Wall was a woman.

Well, although he had already been able to tell from her figure earlier, seeing her up close was a different experience altogether.

His expression grew slightly dazed.

She was an extraordinarily beautiful woman. Her black hair was like silk, her brows like spring mountains touched with dark pigment. Her eyes were tightly closed, her lashes thick, her delicate nose high and fine, and her features carried a cool, distant air.

Looking lower, her naked body was exquisitely shaped, her skin like congealed cream, her jade-like neck slender and long, even her fragrant shoulders and collarbones flawless.

Her arms lay casually spread, yet they happened to conceal half her ample breasts, leaving no trace of what lay hidden. Her slim waist could not fill a single grasp, while her hips and jade-like legs formed beautiful curves.

After a long while, Xu Yunfan swallowed.

He swore that even after being steeped in the online beauties from short videos in his previous life, they all paled in comparison before this woman.

A trace of amazement also rose uncontrollably in Li Haomiao's eyes. Then a feeling of inferiority surfaced in his heart, making him want to cover his face and retreat.

After a long time, Li Haomiao, having suppressed his emotions, turned his head toward Xu Yunfan, who was staring blankly at the woman.

"Have you never seen such a beautiful woman?"

Xu Yunfan was somewhat absentminded, his eyes unblinking.

"I was only wondering how her falling posture could have been so perfect. Her arms just happened to cover her private parts."

Li Haomiao: "..."

After a long while, once he had confirmed there was nothing unusual, Xu Yunfan crouched down and carefully examined the woman, who looked as though she were asleep. If not for the lack of any rise and fall in her chest, he truly would have thought she was merely sleeping.

He turned to Li Haomiao.

"Can you tell anything?"

Li Haomiao's gaze was complicated, filled with shock.