Crisis in the Mine

Qie Yunzhou saw the smile in his son's eyes and understood.

He gave the people around them a brief instruction. "Get back to your own work. There's no need to follow us."

Then he led Qie Qiong to a secluded mining shed.

Once inside, they were alone.

Qie Yunzhou fixed his son with a piercing gaze. "Go on. By the look of you, you have some special news."

He had an inkling, but it had only been a few years, so he wasn't certain.

Qie Qiong nodded and smiled. "That's right. I made a small breakthrough while cultivating at the training ground today."

"And I've also broken through to the Fourth Layer of Thunder's Five Transformation Technique, the Black Thunder stage."

He stopped hiding it, and a pressure descended within the shed.

A wisp of black Dou Qi slowly flowed around his fingertip, giving off a restrained yet terrifying energy fluctuation.

This was the hallmark of the Black Thunder stage of Thunder's Five Transformation Technique.

"Unity of Heaven and Man, the Black Thunder stage, Title Rank!" Qie Yunzhou's eyes blazed. Even with his steady temperament, and knowing how monstrous his son was, he couldn't help feeling delighted and astonished.

He clapped Qie Qiong hard on the shoulder. "Good, good, good! Title Rank at eleven years old. Even the Three Deities of Cangyun weren't this fast back then."

The Three Deities of Cangyun were the three Deities with Grade Three Deity Hearts from ten thousand years ago.

"It still depends on what level of True Meaning I can comprehend. I wouldn't dare compare myself to the Three Deities of Cangyun yet," Qie Qiong said modestly. But despite his modest words, the smile on his face betrayed his confidence.

After all, he had a golden finger. With only half of it unlocked, he already felt certain he could become a Deity.

But the smile soon faded from his face, and he said solemnly, "Father, there's something else. On my way here..."

He briefly recounted the ambush he had encountered on the way.

"...Kang Zhixuan." A trace of sadness entered Qie Qiong's voice when he spoke the name.

After all, the man had followed him for so many years, and there was some affection between them.

"He was the Xiong Clan's spy in our clan. He admitted himself that he was a member of the Xiong Clan, and that his real name was Xiong Zhixuan."

After hearing him out, Qie Yunzhou's eyes filled with intense killing intent. "The Xiong Clan has some nerve, daring to launch an assassination in Cloud Sea Prefecture City, right under the Qie Clan's nose."

He wasn't too worried about Qie Qiong's safety. Even before Qie Qiong's breakthrough, only two people in the Xiong Clan could threaten him.

The Thunder's Five Transformation Technique Qie Qiong cultivated was a supreme-grade Dou Qi secret manual, especially strong in speed. Even in his normal state, he was as fast as the average Title Rank expert.

"It seems their earlier probing of the mine was to draw me out and find a chance to strike at you! I'll remember this grudge." Qie Yunzhou's voice was cold and carried a bone-chilling killing intent.

He looked at his son again, his eyes full of approval and expectation. "Qiong'er, you've broken through to Title Rank at eleven. You'll surely bring our Qie Clan to new heights."

Though the Qie Clan had produced several Transcendents before, the strongest had been the Saint Rank Transcendent who left behind Thunder's Five Transformation Technique and Thunder Light.

Even he could reach that level at best, but his son could go further—a Title Rank expert at eleven!

"Yes, Father!" Qie Qiong promised.

He was quite confident he could surpass those ancestors.

Having finished telling him the good news and what had happened on the way, Qie Qiong looked toward the dark mine. "When I arrived just now, I saw you staring at the mine with a grave expression. Did something happen?"

The smile faded from Qie Yunzhou's face. He patted Qie Qiong's shoulder. "There is indeed a thorny problem in the mine."

"Thorny!" Qie Qiong was startled.

Given the Qie Clan's influence here, as well as his father's strength, which far surpassed that of an ordinary Title Rank expert, few things could be called thorny by him.

Take the Xiong Clan: if not for the Cangyun Empire, Qie Yunzhou wouldn't have found them troublesome at all.

"Yes." Qie Yunzhou nodded, his gaze sharp. "Just a few days ago, the miners deep in the mine were attacked, and the casualties were heavy. Only a Heaven Rank overseer escaped."

"He brought word that it was a ferocious magical beast."

Qie Qiong immediately asked, "What rank of magical beast?"

"At first, the supervisor here thought it was only a fifth-rank magical beast. He took some men inside and never came back out." Regret colored Qie Yunzhou's voice.

The Qie Clan's supervisor here had been a Silver Moon Knight. Even he had died, which showed how formidable the magical beast was.

The Qie Clan had only so many Silver Moon Knights, and each one was precious.

His tone grew grave. "After I arrived today, I went in and exchanged one move with it before retreating." He paused. "It's a sixth-rank magical beast, and one that can rival the Myriad Existences Realm."

"A magical beast that can rival the Myriad Existences Realm!"

Qie Qiong couldn't help drawing a sharp breath.

Sixth-rank magical beasts could already rival Title Rank experts, and those that could rival the Myriad Existences Realm were the best among them.

Magical beasts were naturally stronger than humans of the same rank,

and now, in the cramped confines of the mine, it would be even harder to deal with.

"No wonder the Xiong Clan gave this place up so quickly back then. They might have known about it already." Qie Qiong immediately thought of the Xiong Clan's strange behavior at the time.

"No wonder you looked so grave, Father."

With a "local tyrant" like that hidden in the mine, the vein they had taken from the Xiong Clan had become a useless mine.

It would have been one thing if it were only ordinary materials, but if they couldn't obtain the Thunder Adamantine, the loss would be enormous. They had to resolve this as soon as possible.

"If this beast were outside, it wouldn't give me such a headache," Qie Yunzhou said. "The trouble is, it's in the mine."

"In such an environment, I'm afraid our losses would be heavy."

Qie Yunzhou was a Myriad Existences Realm expert in the Myriad Existences of Wind, and speed was his strong suit, but the mine hampered his strength.

Of course, it also restricted the magical beast's massive body.

Qie Qiong's heart grew heavy as well. Against a magical beast that could rival the Myriad Existences Realm, no number of Silver Moon Knights would be of any use. Even if they were, they could only serve as cannon fodder at best.

As his thoughts raced, Qie Qiong's gaze gradually hardened. "Father, no number of Silver Moon Knights will help. Let me go in with you!"

"Qiong'er, it's too dangerous!" Qie Yunzhou looked at his son.

Although he knew his son was already a Title Rank expert, he had only just broken through.

The gap between him and the Myriad Existences Realm was too great.

"Qiong'er, this is no game. That beast's strength is close to mine. Although you've reached Unity of Heaven and Man, the gap is too great."

He worried about his son. Even with him there, actual combat still held enormous danger, especially in a fight of this level.

Sensing his father's concern, Qie Qiong said steadily, "Father, although I've only just reached Title Rank, you know how powerful the Thunder's Five Transformation Technique I cultivate is. My strength now is definitely far beyond that of an ordinary Title Rank expert!"

Qie Qiong stepped forward and looked into his father's eyes.