The excavation proceeded with extraordinary difficulty.
The layer of rust on the pipe's inner wall was thicker than expected and unevenly distributed.
Some areas had become completely brittle, crumbling into powder with a tremor of energy; others were covered in dark purple "rust scabs," as though metal and flesh had fused together.
They were not only exceptionally hard, but also retained faint contaminating activity. When stripped away, they released extremely subtle energy ripples carrying a rotten stench.
Ming Xin had to constantly adjust the frequency and intensity of his energy output to avoid drawing outside attention.
Ying Sha, meanwhile, devoted all his strength to concealing and simulating every fluctuation, smell, and even temperature change caused by the excavation.
Their souls worked in perfect coordination, like two core gears in a precision instrument, silently meshing and turning in the quiet darkness.
Time slipped away amid the friction between his fingertips and the rust. Ming Xin could not accurately judge how long had passed—perhaps several hours, perhaps longer.
He only remembered enduring nineteen complete Watcher scanning cycles and successfully carrying out limited excavation during every interval.
The passage extended upward by roughly six or seven zhang, remaining within the thick pipe wall the entire time.
During that time, he had sensed several tremors from other energy flows outside the pipe, as well as the rustling of distorted creatures crawling nearby. Yet the thick metal wall had kept danger at bay.
Finally, after one burst of energy erosion, the resistance ahead suddenly vanished! He had not broken through, but entered a relatively open interlayer space.
Ming Xin immediately stopped and cautiously extended his senses through the excavated hole.
It was a narrow vertical passage filled with dust and cobwebs, pressed close against the enormous energy pipe outside.
The passage was about three chi