Tap, tap, tap...
Ye Jingtang held Hua Qingzhi as he threaded through the complex terrain of the limestone caves, with Perfected Person Xuanji and Yao Cishan beside him. In mere moments, they caught up with the three hundred Wuma tribespeople and Niao Niao who had set off ahead.
The limestone caves within the mountain were not man-made passages, but ancient underground riverbeds running east to west through Huangming Mountain. The conditions inside were extremely harsh, with numerous forks and steep drops along the subterranean river.
To launch his surprise attack, Huang Liansheng had renovated the military passage, clearing obstacles from difficult stretches and installing rope ladders, rope bridges, and other facilities.
But the Shatuo Tribe's surviving soldiers were clearly no fools either. To keep the Wuma Tribe from catching them, they had cut the ropes during their retreat.
Although the Wuma Tribe's three hundred able-bodied men pursued at full speed, their progress was clearly impeded. After nearly half a day, the gap had only widened, and they had caught just a few unlucky men who had fallen and been abandoned.
Yao Cishan walked ahead of his tribesmen. Upon reaching a natural cavern over a hundred feet high and finding a knee-deep underground river below, he jumped down first to scout the way.
Perfected Person Xuanji stopped beside the underground river and said:
"This isn't working. Why don't you fight your way ahead and cut them off?"
Ye Jingtang had the same idea. He immediately handed Hua Qingzhi over to Shui'er, intending to charge through alone with his saber and block their escape.
But just as Ye Jingtang set Hua Qingzhi down, his brow suddenly furrowed, and he raised his left hand.
"Shh."
The Wuma men who were about to jump into the river stopped at once, holding up their torches