Escape

In the blink of an eye, more than half a month had passed.

Inside the Secret Chamber, Cheng Buzheng sat cross-legged on the ground, his eyes slightly closed. He held a piece of Spirit Stone Raw Ore in his hand, while Waste Stones of vastly different sizes lay scattered before him.

Suddenly.

Cheng Buzheng's eyelashes twitched. He opened his Clear Black and White Eyes, a glint flashing in them, then tossed aside the Waste Stone in his hand.

His gaze instinctively swept around the Secret Chamber.

Seeing that only a little over half a basket of Spirit Stone Raw Ore remained in the back basket, his eyes narrowed.

"I should go out and take a look!"

"I wonder if things have died down outside."

"Even the landlord's household is out of grain now."

Cheng Buzheng murmured to himself.

Then he stood and instinctively brushed at his robe.

In an instant.

A flash of Yellow Spirit Light enveloped him, and he vanished from the spot in the blink of an eye.

At that moment, three zhang beneath the Spirit Stone Mine, a streak of Yellow Spirit Light sped toward the Seventh Branch Mine Tunnel.

Suddenly.

As Cheng Buzheng traveled underground, he heard voices from above.

"Overseer, you went to the Spirit Stone Market today. Let's find somewhere to relax."

"Sure, let's go! You're a clever lad."

Their voices gradually faded until he could no longer hear them.

Then.

He arrived at the Spirit Stone Raw Ore storage site in the Seventh Branch Mine Tunnel. Still cautious, he sent a thread of Divine Sense from the corner to investigate.

At first, he had only planned to scout the place. He had no intention of taking action.

But when he heard that the overseers were away today, he immediately changed his mind.

Still, he had to go through the proper steps.

He sensed no cultivators in the Secret Chamber. Outside the Cave Mansion, the two guards at Qi Refining Level 2 were still there.

Cheng Buzheng remained cautious. After appearing on the Stone Cave floor, he went straight beneath the pile of Spirit Stone Raw Ore.

On the other side of the Stone Cave, a layer of transparent Spirit Light enveloped the Eight mine overseers.

They were coldly watching the pile of Spirit Stone Raw Ore in the corner.

Suddenly.

The Eight mine overseers saw a piece of Spirit Stone Raw Ore abruptly vanish.

Their eyes lit up. Then, their magic power surged as they silently poured it into the Mid-grade Magic Tools before them: a small sword wreathed in a fiery-red glow, a small fork radiating azure light, a little rope coiled like a spirit snake, and others...

After gathering their strength for a long while, they prepared to unleash a thunderous strike.

Not one cultivator spoke throughout the whole process, as if they had reached some unspoken understanding.

Song Laoer raised his right hand and gestured, "Three."

Meanwhile, Cheng Buzheng still hadn't sensed the danger about to descend upon him.

Two.

One.

In an instant.

The air exploded. Eight Magic Tools radiated multicolored Spirit Light as they carved through the air, sending ripples spiraling outward before splitting into eight directions and plunging underground.

At the same time, a bolt of magic power shot toward a piece of Fluorspar embedded in the cave ceiling.

The Fluorspar burst apart at once, and a wash of yellow light poured over the corner where the Spirit Stone Raw Ore was piled.

Eight deep craters marked the rocky floor of the Stone Cave.

Cheng Buzheng had been on alert. The moment the Eight Magic Tools shot out, he knew it was a trap and prepared to flee immediately.

But the overseers had plotted this for a long time. How could they let him leave so easily? They had made ample preparations.

A force of suppression stopped him from escaping at once. He knew that if he didn't get away now, he would be dead.

He flipped his right hand, and the Purple Crystal Bracelet hovered over his palm. At a thought, a purple light pushed back against the yellow force of the Suppression Talisman, and he dove straight beneath the rock.

The force of suppression had delayed him, robbing him of the chance to escape at once.

The Eight Magic Tools, glowing with Spirit Light, were already closing in from eight directions. If the rock hadn't slowed them a little, he would already have been dead.

Seeing the Magic Tools bearing down from all sides, he knew he had to flee deeper underground. They would surely pursue him.

At a thought.

Purple Spirit Light enveloped him. Then, steeling himself, he plunged downward.

Facing the small sword flying straight at him, wreathed in a fiery-red glow, Cheng Buzheng had no time to go around it. He charged straight ahead, heedless of everything.

"Bang!"

The collision with the Magic Tool small sword cost him a moment. Then, Three Magic Tools struck him from behind, and the violent shock left his internal organs badly injured.

Blood surged into Cheng Buzheng's throat, but he forced it back down. He feared his enemies could use his blood as a medium to track him.

Ripples spread across the purple defensive shield.

He knew it was a sign that the shield was about to shatter. Holding out against three Mid-grade Magic Tools was already something to be proud of.

He desperately drove his magic power into the Purple Crystal Bracelet to make it last a little longer, while a streak of Yellow Spirit Light sped downward.

The entire sequence, from beginning to end, took less than a breath.

"Quick, after him! We can't let him get away, or we'll never catch him again!"

Song Laoer hurriedly shouted.

As he spoke, Yellow Spirit Light enveloped him, and he plunged underground.

"Spread out to six positions. Pursue him!"

"Quick... don't let him get away!"

At once, six streaks of Yellow Spirit Light burrowed beneath the rock and chased after Cheng Buzheng.

Seeing this.

Cheng Buzheng didn't dare slack off. He plunged deeper underground without a care for anything else.

The deeper he went, the greater the pressure and the more magic power he used. But for Cheng Buzheng, this wasn't a bad thing.

The deeper he went, the more his Divine Sense was restricted, which worked to his advantage. When his magic power was nearly exhausted, he could simply carve out a Secret Chamber, recover, and flee again.

He refused to believe that, with their Divine Sense so severely limited, his pursuers could find him in a short time.

From their positions, the six overseers formed a circle, each close enough to come to the others' aid. If any one of them caught up to him—

In the blink of an eye, all six would appear before Cheng Buzheng.

He was trapped within their encirclement, but he was twenty zhang underground, while the overseers were only ten zhang below the surface.

As he continued to flee deeper underground, the situation increasingly favored Cheng Buzheng.

Meanwhile.

Only two overseers remained in the Stone Cave, waiting for good news.

"We were short on time this time, so we only managed to buy six Earth Escape Talismans. Otherwise, the two of us... could've done our part too!"

"Earth Escape Talismans are pretty rare. Buying six in such a short time was already good enough!"

"Exactly... Luckily, we made an extra precaution. Otherwise... the Little Thief would've slipped away!"

"Yeah... I never thought the Little Thief would escape our thunderous strike despite the Suppression Talisman's force. Thank goodness... Song Laoer took extra precautions!"

"The two of us are the weakest. If we find the Spirit Stone Raw Ore, will our shares be reduced?"

"Probably not! We agreed on the shares beforehand, after all."

"But something unexpected happened, didn't it?"

"Did the Little Thief get away?"

"After all, the two of us didn't do anything this time."

"It's too early to say... Let's wait and see what happens!"

Half an hour later.

Six streaks of Yellow Spirit Light appeared one after another in the Stone Cave.

The Eight mine overseers' faces had gone completely dark.

Wang Daba said in a low voice:

"After getting away this time, the Little Thief won't fall for the same trick so easily. Song Laoer, what do you think we should do next?"

At that.

Song Laoer slowly replied:

"I never thought the Little Thief would have a Magic Tool that could counter the Suppression Talisman. Even more surprising, his Earth Escape Technique is so well-practiced!

We hadn't anticipated either of those things. That's how the Little Thief managed to escape.

Next, we'll guard this place for half a month in case he comes back for another strike. If he still doesn't show up, we'll have to give up.

From now on, we'll store the Spirit Stone Raw Ore in separate places, or keep guards posted in front of it. Even when they leave, they must make sure enough people remain behind.

Next, we'll find a way to ask the White Cloud Sect cultivators who inspect items whether anyone brought a small, disc-like Magic Tool into the mine.

Then we'll know who stole our Spirit Stone Raw Ore!"

"Does anyone have anything to add?"

"No..."

"Then we'll guard this place for another half a month. If that doesn't work, we'll do as Song Laoer suggested!"

"Fine... It's our only option!"

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed. As the Seven mine overseers were saying their farewells to Wang Daba—

Wang Daba took half the pile of Spirit Stone Raw Ore in the corner and divided it among the seven overseers.

He knew he was now the one in the most danger. After all, his Spirit Stone Raw Ore hadn't been stolen. To appease their restless hearts, he had to make a concession.

Wang Daba noticed the other seven overseers eyeing the Spirit Water Raw Ore in the corner greedily. He knew he had to give them some, lest they join forces against him.

Giving up half the Spirit Stone Raw Ore was enough to quash some of their dangerous ideas.

After seeing that only half the Spirit Stone Raw Ore remained, Wang Daba divided it into several portions and hid them in secret places. He didn't let his subordinates lift a finger throughout the whole process, doing it all himself to keep the hiding spots from being exposed.