Deep within the icy mine tunnel, darkness surged like a tangible tide. Only the sparse bioluminescent moss on the rock walls provided a faint light, illuminating the figures of Ye Chen and Wang Tiechui as they ran in haste, and the increasingly close footsteps and roars behind them, like pursuing vengeful spirits.
"You little bastards! Where do you think you can run to! Once I catch you, I'll skin you alive!" Zhao Hu's furious roar echoed in the narrow mine tunnel, filled with exasperation and the rage of being provoked by ants. Although he was somewhat drunk, his cultivation at the Qi Refining Mid-stage meant his speed was far beyond that of Ye Chen and the other two.
"Ye Chen, what do we do? He's catching up!" Wang Tiechui panted, his face filled with anxiety. Though strong, long-distance running was not his forte.
Ye Chen's eyes were sharp as a hawk's, his mind rapidly calculating the distance. He remembered that not far ahead was the fork in the road where the sitting enlightenment cave mansion was discovered. The terrain there was slightly more complex, making it the only place they could possibly maneuver.
"To that dead end!" Ye Chen whispered, accelerating sharply.
The two, one after the other, rushed into that branch tunnel, heading straight for the rock wall at the end. Behind them, Zhao Hu's footsteps were already within earshot!
"Run! Why aren't you running anymore?" Zhao Hu's figure appeared at the tunnel entrance, blocking their only escape route. He wore a cruel smile like a cat playing with a mouse, approaching step by step. He lightly tapped the whip in his hand, releasing the spiritual pressure of a Qi Refining Mid-stage cultivator without reservation, like a heavy shackle, attempting to crush the will of the two.
Wang Tiechui felt his breath catch. He instinctively gripped his mining pick, positioning himself in front of Ye Chen, his muscles tensed like iron.
Ye Chen leaned against the cold rock wall, seemingly with no way to retreat. Yet, his face showed no panic, only an extreme calmness. He subtly placed one hand behind his back, tightly gripping the deep purple Thunder Fire Talisman in his embrace. The talisman felt warm in his hand, and the violent energy contained within made his heart pound, but it also gave him his last resort.
"Zhao Hu," Ye Chen spoke, his voice exceptionally clear in the silent mine tunnel, "do you really intend to kill us all?"
"Kill you all?" Zhao Hu scoffed, his gaze greedily sweeping over Ye Chen. "Kid, stop the nonsense! Hand over what you've hidden, and tell me how you recovered your cultivation! If you do, maybe Tiger Lord here will consider giving you a quick death!"
He had indeed sensed that faint aura! Ye Chen's heart sank, knowing there was no peaceful resolution. Zhao Hu would never allow an "Abandoned Child" who could cultivate again and possibly held secrets to leave alive.
"What if I refuse?" Ye Chen's tone was calm. The hand behind his back had already begun to try and mobilize the faint airflow in his Dantian, along with the Qi and Blood power throughout his body, slowly infusing it into the Thunder Fire Talisman. According to the System Prompt and common sense, activating such a talisman required energy guidance.
"Refuse?" Zhao Hu's face contorted. "Then die!"
He stopped wasting words, killing intent flashing in his eyes. The whip in his hand shot out like a venomous snake, whistling through the air, directly at Ye Chen's face! This whip contained spiritual power and moved with the speed of lightning. If it landed, it could smash Ye Chen's head like a watermelon!
"Careful!" Wang Tiechui roared. Without a second thought, he swung his mining pick at the whip's shadow, attempting to block the attack for Ye Chen.
"Seeking death!" Zhao Hu flicked his wrist. The tip of the whip, as if alive, twisted unnaturally, evaded the mining pick, and struck Wang Tiechui's chest with full force!
"Crack!"
A crisp sound, and Wang Tiechui's sturdy chest instantly split open, bleeding profusely! His huge body was sent staggering back, crashing heavily against the rock wall with a muffled groan, his face turning pale. An attack from a Qi Refining Mid-stage cultivator was not something his physique alone could withstand.
"Tiechui!" Ye Chen's eyes widened in fury.
"Next is you!" Zhao Hu sneered, raising his whip again, aiming directly at Ye Chen.
Now!
At the moment the whip shadow was about to strike, Ye Chen's hand behind his back suddenly shot up! He threw the deep purple Thunder Fire Talisman at Zhao Hu with all his might! Simultaneously, the faint spiritual energy and Qi and Blood he had infused into the talisman acted like a spark, igniting the fuse of a powder keg!
"Buzz—!"
The moment the Thunder Fire Talisman left his hand, it erupted with a blinding purplish-red light! A destructive aura, like a volcanic eruption, instantly filled the entire mine tunnel! The lightning patterns on the talisman's surface came alive, transforming into writhing electric snakes!
The sneer on Zhao Hu's face froze, replaced by extreme terror and disbelief!
"A talisman?! How could you have..."
His words cut off abruptly.
"BOOM!!!"
A world-shattering roar exploded in the narrow mine tunnel! Blazing lightning and violent flames intertwined, like a roaring dragon of thunder and fire, instantly engulfing Zhao Hu!
"Ah—!"
A brief, inhuman scream of agony was quickly drowned out by more violent explosions. The ferocious shockwave, centered on the point of detonation, swept outwards madly!
The instant Ye Chen threw the talisman, he had already grabbed the injured Wang Tiechui and desperately lunged towards a recessed area in the rock wall nearby, pressing themselves flat against the ground.
Rumble!
The entire mine tunnel shook violently. Rocks rained down from above, and dust filled the air, the pungent smell of sulfur and burning flesh making one nauseous.
The aftershocks of the explosion continued for several seconds before gradually subsiding.
Ye Chen shook his head, which was still buzzing from the impact, and struggled to look up. Where Zhao Hu had been standing, there was now a scorched pit. The surrounding rock walls were blackened and covered in cracks. The air was filled with the terrifying smell of burnt flesh and blood.
Zhao Hu... was utterly annihilated! Only a few charred scraps of cloth and the twisted, deformed whip lay scattered at the edge of the pit.
The power of a single strike, terrifying indeed!
【Successfully killed the Qi Refining Mid-stage cultivator Zhao Hu, combat experience greatly increased.】
【Used a talisman in a desperate situation, gained some insight into energy manipulation.】
【《Basic Body Tempering Art》 Proficiency +50!】
The System Prompt sounded in his mind, but Ye Chen had no time to examine it. He quickly looked at Wang Tiechui beside him: "Tiechui, how are you?"
Wang Tiechui coughed and pushed himself up. A scorched whip mark on his chest was shocking, but he grinned, revealing his dust-covered white teeth: "I'm... I'm fine. My skin is thick, I'm not dead yet."
Ye Chen breathed a sigh of relief, only then feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over him, a sign of excessive depletion of spiritual power and Qi and Blood. The activation of the Thunder Fire Talisman had almost drained the meager cultivation he had just recovered.
He leaned against the rock wall to stand, walked to the scorched pit, and silently looked at the traces Zhao Hu had left behind. He felt no fear or discomfort after killing, only a cold sense of relief. In this world, it was either you die or I die.
He bent down and picked up the twisted whip, then dug out a small bag made of some kind of beast hide from the scorched earth—it was Zhao Hu's Storage Bag. It had miraculously survived the explosion of the Thunder Fire Talisman, though its surface was slightly scorched.
【Obtained 'Overseer's Whip' （Low-grade Magic Tool, Damaged ）】
【Obtained 'Zhao Hu's Storage Bag' （Low-grade, requires spiritual power to open ）】
Ye Chen put away the two items and his gaze swept over the messy mine tunnel. This place was not safe to linger. The explosion earlier had been too loud and might have attracted others.
"Tiechui, we need to leave here immediately," Ye Chen said gravely, helping Wang Tiechui up. "Let's go back to the shack to treat your wounds, and then... we must leave the Black Marsh as soon as possible!"
Zhao Hu's death would not remain a secret for long. Once the mine's higher-ups discovered it, they would face even more brutal pursuit. Their only path to survival was to seize the opportunity while the news had not yet spread, use the Ascension Token in their possession, escape this desperate situation, and head towards the ethereal Immortal Gate—the Azure Profound Dao Sect!
Wang Tiechui nodded heavily, without any objection. Having gone through life and death together, he now trusted Ye Chen completely.
The two supported each other and walked out with difficulty along the path they had come. The mine tunnel was deep, and the road ahead uncertain, but in Ye Chen's eyes, a flame burned brighter than ever before.
The Thunder Fire Talisman's power to vanquish evil was just the beginning. In this vast Xuan Tian Great World, he, Ye Chen, would carve out his own path!