Lu Hao had not forgotten his other mission: lure the Rank Nine cultivators outside back. This alone was not enough.
They would only tighten security, then slowly investigate and search for the culprit.
With the mental power he had left behind, once he left the core area, he could detonate it and directly blow up the mine vein beneath the core area. Even if it could not kill the great pine tree, it could destroy half the mine vein. And the power of so much energy exploding would be utterly terrifying.
He might even kill a few high-ranks.
The commotion would force the Rank Nine city lord to return and deal with it, unless he no longer wanted to advance any further.
These city lords all walked the path of ten thousand people. They had to take responsibility for their Earth Cave citizens. Minor casualties normally did not matter, but if the mine vein was blown up, they would never be able to sit still in the face of something this serious. Nor could they allow it to continue spreading. Then they could pin Pine King down here. Once the second batch of human high-ranks entered, they could establish a stronghold perfectly. By then, the entire Nanjiang Earth Cave could be considered more or less perfectly resolved.
Very quickly, under the great pine tree's orders, Giant Pine City went into lockdown. Entry was allowed, but no one was permitted to leave.
The high-ranks on the surface also entered the underground mine veins, joining the great pine tree in searching for the thief who had stolen from the mine.
The entire city began an investigation. The moment anything suspicious was found, they would rather kill a thousand by mistake than let a single one slip through. Of course, no one dared