Inside the Stone Cave.
The guard cultivators watched as the Giant Sword Technique shattered the wall with a single strike. Terror gripped them, and their faces turned deathly pale. Their hands flew through Spell Technique after Spell Technique, hoping the powerful Magic Tool would lose much of its force after colliding with the Earth Wall Technique. Then the Giant Sword Technique might be able to knock it down.
They clung to that desperate hope, their hands moving faster and faster.
When danger loomed, a person's potential could indeed be unlocked.
The other cultivator, the shorter of the two, hadn't given up either. Giving up meant certain death, and even at the last moment, he refused to surrender.
Now he was unable to move. All he could do was desperately rally his magic power again, preparing to cast another Earth Wall Technique.
As they fought to cast their spells,
the Purple Crystal Bracelet glowed with a violet radiance, cutting through air as solid as a wall and hurtling toward the yellow-glowing Earth Wall.
"Crack!"
The pale-yellow wall shattered on impact and dissolved into specks of light.
The violet radiance around the Purple Crystal Bracelet dimmed slightly. Its power had clearly weakened, but only by a little.
Trailing the last of its force, the Purple Crystal Bracelet sent ripples of air in every direction as it shot toward the two men still forming Spell Techniques.
The Purple Crystal Bracelet spun around their necks like a gear.
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
Their heads hit the ground almost simultaneously.
Cheng Buzheng watched the two headless corpses as blood spread steadily across the ground.
He didn't waste time. A sweep of his Divine Sense revealed nothing valuable on them; all he found were two bottles of Bigu Pills.
Then he flicked his fingertips. Two flames shot onto the bodies. He fed them a stream of magic power, and the flames surged, their temperature rising sharply.
This wasn't like roasting meat, where the temperature stayed steady. He drove the magic power to its limit in an instant, bringing the heat straight to its peak.
In the blink of an eye, the bodies were gone, leaving only two piles of ashes.
Cheng Buzheng hurried over to the pile of Spirit Stone Raw Ore and swept a wave of magic power around it.
A flash of yellow light, and he vanished from the Stone Cave along with the ore.
A streak of yellow light sped through the earth, occasionally shedding a few pieces of Waste Stone.
By the time Cheng Buzheng reached the No. 8 Mine Tunnel, the Spirit Stone Raw Ore wrapped in his magic power had already disappeared.
A quarter of an hour after Cheng Buzheng left, a short, stout cultivator who served one of the mine bosses entered the Stone Cave.
Seeing the cave in ruins and the two piles of ashes,
he cried out:
"Something's wrong! Someone, come quick!
"The Spirit Stone Raw Ore's been stolen! Hurry and inform the mine boss!"
His panicked cries echoed through the tunnels.
Before long,
figures streamed in from all directions, converging on the Stone Cave.
"Who... Who did this?"
"Could it be the person the mine bosses put a bounty on?"
"Probably. So far, he's the boldest one around!"
"Impossible! Maybe someone's framing him?"
"What's the point of talking about that now? Has anyone seen the mine boss? We need to notify him right away!"
"Haven't seen him!"
"I've already sent someone to tell him! He'll be here soon."
"The Huang Family Brothers were on guard today. Not one of them survived."
"Yeah! Lucky I wasn't on duty today."
"This job is dangerous, all right!"
A quarter of an hour later,
a burly, dark-faced middle-aged cultivator stood with a grim expression and asked in a cold voice,
"Who found them first?"
"Boss... it was me!" The short, stout cultivator stepped forward.
Then, eyes lowered and sweat pouring down his face, he carefully wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and began to explain in a trembling voice. He described how he'd found the scene, how he'd called for help at once, and exactly when it had happened.
He didn't dare anger the mine boss now. Otherwise, a storm of fury would be waiting for him.
The dark-faced mine boss held back his anger and listened patiently.
At once,
silence fell over the crowd. Everyone watched the dark-faced mine boss, waiting for his orders.
The dark-faced mine boss knew there was no hiding what had happened today. One of his men was bound to be an informant for another mine boss. He would have liked to make the other bosses suffer too; he wasn't some selfless good man.
But their previous agreement clearly stated that whoever suffered an incident first had to notify the other mine bosses immediately.
If anyone concealed the news, that person would have to pay for any resulting losses. Refuse to pay, and the other mine bosses would surely band together and attack.
In the blink of an eye, he made up his mind.
The dark-faced mine boss swept his gaze around and said coldly,
"Xiao Er, send seven men at once to inform the other seven mine bosses that the Little Thief has appeared. Tell them to get ready.
"This is urgent—leave now!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he didn't spare another glance at the crowd. He went straight into the Stone Cave to deal with the aftermath.
A lean young cultivator watched the mine boss's back, then stepped forward and bowed with his hands clasped. He showed not the slightest disrespect.
"Yes! Big brother, I'll take care of it right away."
Then the lean cultivator thought for a moment and said,
"Anyone at the Third Level of Qi Refining who knows Wind Control Technique, step forward!"
Only three Third Level of Qi Refining cultivators stood in the crowd. They glanced at one another, seemingly in silent agreement, and stepped forward together.
"You three have the highest cultivation and the greatest speed. To get the message out as quickly as possible, each of you will go to the No. 8 Mine Tunnel, No. 7 Mine Tunnel, and No. 6 Mine Tunnel, respectively.
"Thanks for your hard work. Go and come back quickly!"
He clasped his hands in salute. He didn't dare put on airs. Though he was the mine boss's trusted man, these three had the same cultivation level as him, all at the Third Level of Qi Refining. Better not to offend them if he could help it. No one could say what the future held.
As soon as he finished speaking,
the air cracked. The three Third Level of Qi Refining cultivators vanished from where they stood, leaving only three ripples of air slapping against the rock walls.
Then the lean young man spoke again.
"Anyone at the peak of the Second Level of Qi Refining, with Wind Control Technique cultivated to mastery, step forward."
Three cultivators at the peak of the Second Level of Qi Refining emerged from the crowd.
The lean young cultivator swept his gaze over them and said in a low voice,
"Hou San, go to the No. 1 Mine Tunnel and deliver the message. Don't stop along the way. Understood?"
"I'm on my way!"
He turned and left as soon as the words were out.
"Jiao Ping, Hu Liang, you two go to the No. 2 Mine Tunnel and the No. 4 Mine Tunnel, respectively. Go and come back quickly!"
"Yes!" Without wasting words, they each cast Wind Control Technique on themselves and sped toward their destinations.
The lean young cultivator swept his gaze around the crowd. "Everyone, return to your patrol areas and keep an eye out for unfamiliar cultivators!
"Don't let your guard down!"
Then the lean young cultivator cast Wind Control Technique on himself and hurried straight toward the No. 5 Mine Tunnel.
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