Forced into the Mines

Looking at the snow filling the sky, Li Jun instantly felt something was wrong.

"All disciples, heed my order! Retreat to the mines at once and await rescue!"

A furious shout rang out in the sky.

Pan Changhong walked through the air and appeared directly above the mining grounds.

With a sweep of his great hand, his mighty magic power shattered several kiln caves outright.

Dense swarms of Cold Bone Ice Spiders were mercilessly slaughtered, and more and more people gradually woke up.

"What happened? Why is it so cold?"

"It's actually snowing? What's going on?"

"Fuck! They're Cold Bone Ice Spiders!"

The mining grounds descended into chaos. Most people knew the traits of Cold Bone Ice Spiders.

It was said that several hundred years ago, deep within the Hundred Thousand Mountains, there had been a powerful sect whose mighty name shook the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

But later, they encountered a beast tide of Cold Bone Ice Spiders and were devoured to the last in a single night, shocking the cultivation world.

From then on, no sect dared to establish itself deep within the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

And now, in the outer regions of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, they had actually encountered a beast tide of Cold Bone Ice Spiders. This truly exceeded everyone's understanding.

"Stop standing there! Elder Pan has given the order! Everyone, enter the mines at once and defend yourselves!"

Disciples in the Foundation Establishment Realm spread the order in all directions, directing everyone toward the nearest mines to take shelter.

On the other side, Li Jun had already shot out.

"Damn it! We're surrounded on all sides! There's no way to escape!"

He looked around. He had originally wanted to take the chance to leave Cangwu Mountain, but now there was nowhere to go.

Li Jun tried to contact Mystic Swan, but there was no movement at all.

"I can only enter the mine!"

He turned and fled. As he neared a kiln cave, he saw two figures sneaking inside furtively.

"Hm?"

Li Jun stopped and looked in.

"Senior Sister Cheng?"

Inside the kiln cave, two black shadows walked forward, their target aimed straight at Cheng Rou.

"Who's there!"

Li Jun shouted fiercely and flung out a Fireball Talisman, instantly lighting up the kiln cave.

"Not good, retreat!"

The two black shadows were extremely decisive. Seeing that someone had discovered them, they flipped out the window and fled.

Li Jun rushed into the kiln cave and swung his sword, cutting down the remaining Cold Bone Ice Spiders.

"Junior Brother? What happened?" Cheng Rou slowly woke, her face full of confusion.

"Senior Sister, there's no time to lose. Run first, talk later."

Cheng Rou nodded, but as soon as she got up, her body went limp and sank straight down.

Seeing this, Li Jun directly hoisted her onto his back and charged out of the kiln cave.

When Cheng Rou saw the scene outside and heard Li Jun's explanation, she quickly understood the whole story.

"Junior Brother, thank you. I truly didn't expect someone to make a move amid the chaos." A chill gathered in the depths of Cheng Rou's eyes.

If Li Jun had not discovered it just now, she was afraid she would already have died at the hands of those black-clothed men.

"Senior Sister, have you offended anyone?"

Cheng Rou shook her head. "I was born to a humble family, and I usually keep a low profile. Those two were probably coming for Eldest Senior Sister."

Li Jun frowned, then asked, "Senior Sister, has the struggle within the Azure Cloud Sect already grown this fierce?"

"Sigh. The sect master hasn't appeared in the world for thirty years. If the old man were here, things would not have fallen into their current state."

Cheng Rou was an old hand of Medicine Peak. She had personally experienced many things, and since Li Jun could also be considered one of their own, she was willing to clear up his confusion.

As one of the three great sects of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, the Azure Cloud Sect controlled many resources.

With the sect master absent from the world year-round, for the core disciples of each peak, if they wanted to advance further, they could only fight for the position of young sect master.

Whoever could become the young sect master of the Azure Cloud Sect would inevitably receive a vast amount of resources. To every cultivator, this was an enormous temptation.

"Everyone, go to the No. 10 Mine! The nearby mines have already been corroded by the beast tide!" someone shouted.

Li Jun's heart gave a thud. Before, he had been saying he needed to stay far away from the No. 10 Mine, so how had it become the only one left now?

Was it a coincidence?

Li Jun had no time to think further. More and more Cold Bone Ice Spiders were appearing around them. To survive, he had to quickly hide inside the mine.

No. 10 Mine, as one of the largest mines in the mining field, had steadily produced Black Rock Mine over the years and was one of the most important mines on Cangwu Mountain.

When Li Jun and Cheng Rou arrived, quite a few people had already gathered there.

He took a brief look around, then brought Cheng Rou to where the Medicine Peak disciples had gathered.

"Senior Sister Cheng, how are you?"

Seeing Li Jun carrying Cheng Rou on his back, quite a few disciples crowded forward to ask after her in concern.

Cheng Rou responded to them one by one with a smile. Afterward, she sat cross-legged on the ground and began adjusting her condition.

About two hours later, there was no longer a single person outside No. 10 Mine.

The core disciples of the Four Peaks activated the formation, directly blocking the beast tide outside the mine.

The sky was overcast, and a cold, biting blizzard howled into the cave.

Densely packed Cold Bone Ice Spiders stood guard at the mine entrance, staring fixedly at the people inside.

"Everyone, hurry and count our numbers!"

The core disciples of the Four Peaks began counting people, and with that count, they found that a full third were missing!

"Damn it! How could demonic beasts like the Cold Bone Ice Spiders be here!" Ji Shaoyong, a core disciple of Artifact Peak, was heartbroken and furious.

Li Jun's gaze darkened slightly. Among the Azure Cloud Sect's disciples alone, more than four hundred had died in a single encounter.

As for those mortal miners, they had even less ability to resist in the face of the beast tide. He feared their chances were grim.

"Tens of thousands of lives, gone just like that."

Li Jun's heart was far from calm. Everyone said beast tides were terrifying, but only by experiencing one personally could a person understand how fearsome they truly were.

"Shaoyong, now isn't the time to grieve. The most urgent matter is figuring out how to ask the sect for help," Lu Jinxuan said.

"Senior Brother Lu is absolutely right. Elder Pan has been tied down by that level-five demonic beast. We can only rely on ourselves," Cao Jingnian of Beast Peak said.

"You two are right. This beast tide came strangely. With such a huge commotion, the sect should have noticed something," Ji Shaoyong said.

"I don't quite think so. When I came in just now, I sensed the aura of a formation. This may not be an accidental beast tide. I fear it's an attack that has been plotted for a long time," Tang Yixi of Formation Peak guessed.

As soon as these words came out, everyone fell silent.

None of those present were fools. A demonic beast like the Cold Bone Ice Spider, which was active year-round in the depths of the Hundred Thousand Mountains—if no one had led them here, how could they possibly appear on the outskirts?

Winter was approaching, and the three great sects were all making active preparations.

At this moment, the Azure Cloud Sect's mining field had come under attack. It was hard not to connect it to the other two sects.

When mountain rain was about to come, the wind filled the tower. This winter was probably not going to be peaceful.

"Junior Sister Tang is right. This is very likely an attack that has been plotted for a long time. No matter what, we must send the news back to the sect, or I fear all of us will die here."

Ji Shaoyong pondered, then looked toward Tang Yixi. "Junior Sister Tang, you're proficient in formations. If we gather a few of us together, can we successfully break out?"

Tang Yixi's eyes showed a pensive look. "If the Foundation Establishment Realm disciples of our Four Peaks all make a move together and cooperate with the formation, I think we can charge out."

Everyone's hearts sank. If all the Foundation Establishment disciples left this place, then how would this mine be defended?

As if seeing through everyone's doubts, Ji Shaoyong said:

"Everyone, don't worry. This mine was previously under the responsibility of my Artifact Peak. I, Ji Shaoyong, will stand fast here. The other core disciples, cooperate with Junior Sister Tang and break out together. Return to the sect and seek reinforcements!"

As soon as these words came out, quite a few people looked astonished.

They had originally thought Ji Shaoyong would lead the team in breaking out. They had not expected him to stay here.

"Senior Brother Ji, this mine has the support of a formation. As long as someone continuously pours spiritual power into it, it should be able to protect everyone's safety," Tang Yixi said.

Ji Shaoyong shook his head and explained, "The mine's formations are not limited to one set. I'm more familiar with them than any of you. In addition, No. 10 Mine is extremely vast. If an accident happens, I can command things better here."

"Jinxuan, you and I are the strongest here. In a while, you'll lead the team to break out! As long as you can successfully break through, the crisis here will resolve itself."

The Foundation Establishment disciples of the Four Peaks nodded to one another. Right now, this was the best method.

Lu Jinxuan nodded. "All right, then I'll have to trouble you, Shaoyong. There's no time to lose. We set out now!"