On his way to the karst cave, Ren Qing noticed that Mu Yi was nowhere to be seen in the camp. He had presumably gone to replenish the Arts used to seal the Forbidden Zone.
The sounds inside the cave were now exceptionally chaotic. Prisoners wielding iron picks could be seen everywhere, and the air had grown far more foul.
With the mountain excavation gradually passing the halfway mark, Song Zongwu and the other Forbidden Guards were digging with all their might, hoping to seal the Forbidden Zone as soon as possible.
When Ren Qing arrived before his mine tunnel, he suddenly noticed a new one had appeared beside it. Rustling chewing sounds came from within.
He could not help glancing inside. Hundreds of dark-golden beetles were gnawing at the rock. They were not particularly fast, but they were relentless enough.
Meanwhile, Li Yaoyang was tending to his Gu Insects at Camel Peak Mountain and only returned to camp occasionally.
That left two Forbidden Guards outside at all times, leaving no opening to exploit.
Ren Qing stood before the Stone Wall with his eyes closed in thought, his right hand resting on his saber hilt.
According to the experience he had gathered over the past few days, if he wanted to cleave through rock as though it were nothing—
Besides concentrating as much strength as possible, striking along the grain was equally important. It could reduce a certain amount of resistance.
Ren Qing raised the Great Miao Saber above his head and repeatedly simulated how he would swing it.
Half an hour later, Ren Qing sheathed the Great Miao Saber and drew a long breath.
It was not that he had developed any hesitation. On the contrary, he had gained sufficient confidence.
His Double Pupils began turning of their own accord. As he crouched, every muscle in his body tensed, and he assumed a saber-drawing stance.
The Stone Wall in Ren Qing's eyes gradually enlarged. No detail escaped him—not even the specks of dust drifting through the air.
It was as though he could sense the countless years the mountain rock before him had endured.
Clang!!!
The Great Miao Saber was drawn only half a finger's width. Cold light blanketed the narrow mine tunnel, and the ceaseless sounds of chiseling all around abruptly fell silent.
Ren Qing drove off with both legs, his body gliding more than half a meter.
He remained in the posture of swinging his saber.
Dust danced through the mine tunnel, like flowing smoke beneath the dim light.
Crack, crack, crack...
A rift suddenly split across the rock wall. Though it had not been completely cut apart, it was obvious that it had been struck by a sharp weapon.
Huang Ziwang, in the neighboring mine tunnel, wore an exceedingly doubtful expression.
If he remembered correctly, Ren Qing had only been excavating the rock wall for a few days.
At first, even shovels had broken easily against it. Now he could actually use a weapon—could mining truly have such an effect?
Huang Ziwang's eye twitched as he looked toward the iron pick not far away.
Ren Qing came back to his senses and inspected the Great Miao Saber. Its blade was as good as new, without the slightest damage.
He casually swung the Great Miao Saber and found it as obedient as an arm or finger. In such a short time, the change had been as different as heaven and earth.
Ren Qing did not rush to strike again. He was still far from fully mastering it, so he refocused on the Stone Wall.
A long while later, Ren Qing drew his saber and slashed.
Whoosh!
Another slash.
A few fragments fell from the Stone Wall, and the saber mark visibly deepened.
Ren Qing struck at a slow rhythm. Heat began to rise from his entire body on its own, a sign that his stamina was being rapidly drained.
Before he had even made a hundred strikes, he was already showing signs of exhaustion.
Yet the gains were far richer than days of excavation with an iron pick. Ren Qing gradually fused his saber technique and Double Pupils together.
Afterward, he could even deliberately add the Divine Feet Scripture's Werewolf Transformation while striking, allowing his Arts to work in coordination.
Of course, that was only possible when there were no Forbidden Guards nearby.
Ren Qing left the karst cave directly, intending to return to camp for some food and rest.
When he reached the outside, he found that evening had already fallen. The scent of roasting meat drifted through the camp, and quite a few busy yamen runners could be seen.
Mu Yi was still absent from the clearing.
Ren Qing could not help muttering, "Doesn't that make this the only opportunity left?"
He shook his head and headed toward the wooden hut. Then, from the corner of his eye, he spotted a figure swaying toward the karst cave.
The man was one of the Hunters. His limbs had been torn by wild beasts, and he had spent the past few days recovering inside a hut.
Ren Qing frowned, his footsteps stopping where he stood.
At first, the Hunter seemed relatively normal. He even responded when people greeted him. But before long, something became wrong.
His eyes were filled with terror. Just as he was about to say something, his right hand covered his mouth.
Blood dripped from the Hunter's mouth corners. He wiped it away without a care, but his face twisted from pain.
As he took another step, a blood-soaked tongue fell from his sleeve.
The Hunter's pace quickened. Blood immediately seeped through the bandages around his hands and feet, and his movements were grotesquely uncoordinated.
Where there was something abnormal, there was surely a demon at work.
Without hesitation, Ren Qing drew the Great Miao Saber and burst toward the Hunter.
But before he could reach him, the Hunter dropped onto all fours and began crawling, the sound of his spine snapping ringing out continuously.
The Hunter opened his mouth. Judging from the shape of his lips, he was clearly begging for help.
Then he crashed to the ground and stopped moving. Only his limbs twitched from time to time as a huge pool of blood spread out.
Eyes emerged from the blood one after another, carrying an incomparably pure malice.
The blood exploded.
Blood Mist enveloped the clearing and spread all the way to the karst cave entrance. Countless eyes flickered in and out of view within the mist.
The people around them all retreated at once, but they were still half a step too late. Several had blood splashed onto their bodies and were immediately swept into it.
Ren Qing instantly realized that this was clearly a Forbidden Zone formed by a Half-Corpse Realm Eerie Object. The Eerie Object most likely came from the Hundred-Eyed.
But the Hunter was clearly not Song Rong in disguise, and his mind had been fairly lucid, so he had not been affected by an Art. What method had been used to send the Eerie Object here?
Ren Qing quickly calmed down.
It was only a Half-Corpse Realm Forbidden Zone. There were four Forbidden Guards inside the karst cave now, so it could probably delay them for only a brief moment at most.
Sure enough, several surges of aura erupted from within the Hundred-Eyed Forbidden Zone.
The newly formed Eerie Object had not even developed intelligence yet. How could it possibly have the means to contend with Forbidden Guards? Before long, it showed signs of collapse.
Moreover, the Hundred-Eyed's Eerie Object had inherited the ability to create Illusions, but against Song Zongwu, who had mastered the Diting Art, it would likely be ineffective.
If it had been the more troublesome Human Skin Book, which could conceal itself and possess others, it might have lasted longer.
Ren Qing suddenly realized something.
Song Rong had likely forcibly stripped away all of the Hundred-Eyed's eyeballs, undoubtedly paying an enormous price. He was preparing to stake everything on a single throw.
Ren Qing turned to look toward the distant forest. Beasts were gathering in groups and rushing toward Camel Peak Mountain, their target the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone.
But then Gu Insects that blanketed the sky and covered the earth surged out from the trees and grass to meet them.
The Beast Tide struggled onward, with only a portion managing to charge into Camel Peak Mountain.
Ren Qing's gaze shifted slightly. He had already guessed Song Rong's method, and it would not be difficult to find him with his Double Pupils.
In his view, Song Rong had already fallen into a dead end and was doomed to lose.
But the Arts contained within Song Rong were no small opportunity for Ren Qing. They might even conceal clues to extending one's lifespan.
Ren Qing turned and headed toward Camel Peak Mountain.
Once the Forbidden Guards escaped, it would be difficult to pick up any spoils.
The next chapter will explain Song Rong's method. All one could say was that he truly deserved to be called ruthless.
Thanks to Lord of All Phenomena for the reward.
Before you continue