Something Was Wrong with This Mine!

Master and disciple lay quietly concealed near the Clearwind Sect's spirit ore mine.

Li Yingling cautiously raised her head to observe the situation below, her eyes fixed on her second junior brother as she asked worriedly:

"Master, isn't this too risky for Second Junior Brother?"

"In theory, you're in more danger than he is."

At that, Li Yingling turned to her master with a puzzled look.

Naturally, Chu Xingchen had his reasons for saying that. Li Xingtian still carried the protective talisman that could withstand a Golden Core Stage attack, along with two teleportation talismans.

If something went wrong, Li Xingtian would obviously be the fastest to escape. So, judging purely by the degree of danger, Li Yingling beside him was actually at greater risk.

At that moment, Li Xingtian had disguised himself as a miner and infiltrated the mine.

Just as Li Xingtian had predicted, those core disciples of the Clearwind Sect would never bother carefully checking whether there were more or fewer ants in the mine.

And since he really had spent several years mining, Li Xingtian knew the ropes here, and his disguise held up quite smoothly.

He was pushing a cart, his gaze sweeping over everyone he passed.

He was searching for Ning Qianqian's father.

Back at the Ruined Temple, Chu Xingchen had drawn a sketch of Ning Qianqian's father based on her description, and Ning Qianqian had confirmed its likeness.

So, as long as Ning Qianqian's father was still alive in this mine, there was no chance of encountering him without recognizing him.

Chu Xingchen relaxed slightly. From the looks of things, they would not need their backup plan for now.

All they had to do now was wait for Li Xingtian's signal.

Ning Qianqian had no cultivation whatsoever. Bringing her along would serve no purpose, and they might even have to divide their attention to look after her, so leaving her at the Ruined Temple was more appropriate.

Thus, only the master and his two disciples were taking part in this operation.

Li Xingtian was the scout, tasked with carefully observing the mine while locating Ning Qianqian's father.

Chu Xingchen would spearhead the assault, striking directly at the spirit stone warehouse guarded by a Golden Core cultivator and drawing everyone's attention to cover his disciples' retreat.

Li Yingling would fill in wherever needed, stepping in to handle any unexpected circumstances.

And! If everything went very smoothly, Li Xingtian had also devised an ultimate plan!

Smash this damned mine to pieces and free everyone inside.

Although Chu Xingchen was not optimistic about that plan, and releasing all those people might not necessarily be a good idea.

After all, the Clearwind Sect would certainly track them down and interrogate them.

But Li Xingtian said that staying there meant certain death, while trying to escape offered a chance at survival. All he was doing was giving those people a way to live. Besides, anyone who did not want to run could simply stay.

In response to Li Xingtian's proposal, Chu Xingchen suggested something more direct: once they were strong enough, they could simply smash that damned Clearwind Sect to pieces.

Li Xingtian did not oppose his master's decision. He seemed about to say something, but ultimately nodded in agreement.

Still, it seemed Li Xingtian thought this proposal of his master's was unreliable.

In any case, for now, every plan had to wait until Li Xingtian sent word.

Only after the operation began could they make decisions based on the actual situation. They might not even manage to find Ning Qianqian's father.

He had to admit, pushing this broken cart to haul spirit stone ore again was utterly loathsome to Li Xingtian.

Especially this route from the mine's entrance-even after so many years had washed over his memories, and even though he had ventured into secret realms far more perilous than this place.

When he set foot on it again, he still could not calm his heart.

At that moment, only one thought occupied Li Xingtian's mind-In my last life, I should have wiped out this rotten Clearwind Sect the moment I reached the Nascent Soul stage!

The wounds this damned mine had left on Li Xingtian were no less severe than those inflicted by that damned female evil cultivator!

Li Xingtian kept his head lowered, his gaze sweeping swiftly across the miners hauling ore and breaking rocks outside. Ning Qianqian's father was not among them.

He was most likely digging inside a mine tunnel. Li Xingtian would have to find an opportunity to slip in.

Li Xingtian glanced sideways and secretly made a hand signal in his master's direction.

After a brief wait, a piercing sword cry rang out in the distance.

Three Clearwind Sect disciples chatting nearby abruptly turned toward the source of the sword cry.

Two of them immediately got up and rushed toward it.

The remaining disciple sounded the enormous alarm bell in the center of the mine.

The clanging of the bell quickly spread.

Many miners stopped working, traces of fear appearing on their numb faces. They did not understand what had happened, but it was almost certainly nothing good.

A clamor quickly filled the valley.

The crowd began to stir, instinctively gathering together, and Li Xingtian decisively slipped in among them.

Soon, two Clearwind Sect disciples came sprinting in from the distance.

They had been keeping watch on the perimeter and had hurried over as soon as the bell sounded.

They quickly scanned the surroundings, keeping the restless crowd under control.

Meanwhile, another Clearwind Sect disciple came running out of the mine shaft.

Quite a few miners ran out behind him.

His sharp gaze swept over the panicked crowd, and he hurriedly barked, "Everyone, line up by shift!"

At that rebuke, the restless crowd quickly settled down, and everyone began looking for their place.

Li Xingtian's gaze swept swiftly over the people rushing out, and he soon spotted Ning Qianqian's father.

The man had grown so thin he was almost unrecognizable. If not for his Qi Refining cultivation, he probably would have died long ago.

But at least he was alive.

Li Xingtian then glanced toward the warehouse, waiting to see whether the Golden Core True Person inside would show himself.

This man was the key to determining how much of their plan they could accomplish.

A quarter of an hour later, the two Clearwind Sect disciples who had gone to investigate returned together and called off the alarm.

Li Xingtian quickly mingled with the miners and began heading into the mine tunnel under the Clearwind Sect disciples' instructions.

Yet the Golden Core cultivator he had expected never appeared.

"I'll return to the sect now to report to the sect master and elders. Stay vigilant."

An older Clearwind Sect disciple took charge. "This is a critical time. No matter what happens, we must keep the mine running normally. All of you, put some effort into it!"

The other Clearwind Sect disciples hurriedly cupped their hands and bowed. "Yes, Eldest Senior Brother!"

Having successfully slipped in among the mining crew, Li Xingtian slowly entered with the rest, then quickly approached Ning Qianqian's father and discreetly slipped the so-called token Ning Qianqian had carried into her father Ning Kun's hand.

Inside the rather dark mine shaft, Ning Kun fixed his gaze on Li Xingtian while tightly clutching the piece of cloth, which felt like coarse linen.

Li Xingtian did not look at him. He merely whispered, "Qianqian."

Ning Kun's eyes lit up, then his expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly asked, "She..."

Before he could finish, Li Xingtian raised a hand to cut him off and swept a glance over him. "Whatever happens later, stay close to me!"

"What are you doing? Hurry up, all of you!"

The Clearwind Sect disciple supervising them hurriedly shouted from the side, "If you don't meet your quota, you won't even get to sleep!"

Li Xingtian paid Ning Kun no further attention. He quickly picked up a pickaxe discarded nearby and headed forward.

A dozen or so steps ahead was a bend.

At the bend, pale yellow candlelight flickered faintly.

As Li Xingtian looked at that candlelight, his heart suddenly jolted for no reason, and the hairs on his back stood on end.

An extremely ominous feeling instantly spread through his heart.

Something... seems wrong with this mine. It wasn't like this when I mined here in my last life.

He quickly gripped the Thousand-Mile Teleportation Talisman his master had given him.

He cautiously followed the crowd around the bend.

What came into view was not a tunnel waiting to be mined.

Instead, it was an utterly eerie and horrifying sight.