The shack was silent as a tomb in the darkness. Ye Chen carefully placed Wang Tiechui on the straw bedding. By the dim moonlight filtering through the gaps, he examined his injuries. Zhao Hu's whip, imbued with spiritual power, had nearly reached the bone. The flesh was scorched and curled. If Wang Tiechui's physique hadn't been extraordinary, he would have died long ago.
"Bear with it," Ye Chen tore off the hem of a relatively clean inner garment and, using the rainwater collected in the corner of the shack, carefully cleaned the wound. He had no healing pills, so he could only perform the most basic treatment. Wang Tiechui gritted his teeth, cold sweat beading on his forehead, but he didn't utter a sound.
After treating the wound, Ye Chen immediately turned his attention to the two storage bags—the dark yellow, ancient cloth bag belonging to the cultivator who had sat in meditation, and Zhao Hu's scorched beast hide bag.
He first attempted the storage bag of the cultivator who had sat in meditation. The opening of the bag was still sealed by an invisible force. He mobilized the wisp of airflow in his Dantian, which had almost dissipated due to excessive consumption, and tried to break through again.
This time, perhaps his cultivation had recovered a sliver, or perhaps his mental strength had grown during the life-or-death struggle, the invisible barrier seemed to loosen for a moment! A barely perceptible crack appeared in the opening of the bag!
【 Successfully shook the storage bag's restriction with a minuscule amount of spiritual power! 】
【 Spiritual power control proficiency slightly improved. 】
Although he still couldn't open it completely, this sliver of a gap was enough for him to perceive some of the situation inside! His consciousness probed in, and a gray, hazy space approximately one cubic meter in size appeared before his "eyes." There weren't many items inside: a few low-grade Spirit Stones emitting a soft glow; two or three Jade Slips of various colors; an empty Jade Bottle; and a few neatly folded gray Daoist Robes.
Ye Chen was overjoyed! Spirit Stones! The common currency and resources for cultivators! He tried to retrieve them, but found that the gap was extremely unstable. The moment his consciousness wavered, it would close. With his current cultivation, he could at most retrieve the smallest, most gently energetic items.
He made a decisive choice, concentrating all his mental energy, and locked onto the one with the softest glow among those low-grade Spirit Stones.
"Come out!"
Under the pull of his consciousness, a thumb-sized, rhombic crystal emitting a milky white glow abruptly appeared in his palm! The crystal felt warm to the touch, and within it, swirling mist seemed to flow. Pure spiritual energy emanated from it, purifying the surrounding tainted air.
【 Acquired: Low-grade Spirit Stone x1 】
Almost simultaneously as the Spirit Stone entered his hand, the Ascension Token in his embrace once again emitted a familiar warmth, creating a faint attraction with the Spirit Stone. Ye Chen had an epiphany. He held the Spirit Stone in one hand and the Ascension Token in the other, simultaneously circulating the 《 Basic Body Tempering Art 》.
Instantly, a stream of spiritual energy, far purer and gentler than what he could draw from the tainted Heaven and Earth, flowed out from the Spirit Stone like a trickle. Through the Ascension Token's transformation （ he felt the Ascension Token seemed to act as a purifier and accelerator ）, continuously pouring into his dry Dantian and meridians!
The efficiency was more than ten times faster than drawing energy himself!
【 Absorbing spiritual energy from low-grade Spirit Stone, cultivation rapidly recovers! 】
【 《 Basic Body Tempering Art 》 Proficiency +5! 】
【 Dantian injury repaired 38%! 】
Comfortable! An indescribable sense of comfort spread throughout his body, and his depleted mental energy and Qi and Blood were rapidly replenished. Ye Chen could even "see" the cracks in his Dantian showing extremely subtle signs of healing under the nourishment of the pure spiritual energy.
But he dared not linger too long. He suppressed the urge to continue cultivating and carefully put away the Spirit Stone, which had lost some of its spiritual energy. Now was not the time for secluded cultivation.
He then picked up Zhao Hu's storage bag. This bag was clearly of much lower quality, and its restriction was also weaker. He barely exerted any effort, breaking it open with the little spiritual power he had recovered.
The space inside the bag was small, only a few cubic meters. It was cluttered with some gold and silver, over a dozen "inferior stones" of mixed quality with hardly any spiritual energy, several bottles of low-grade Pills with pungent odors, a booklet titled 《 Yin Cultivation and Yang Supplementation Technique 》 with a soiled cover, and... a rough map drawn on animal hide!
Ye Chen directly ignored the evil technique booklet and the inferior Pills, his gaze falling on the animal skin map. The center of the map was marked "Black Marsh Mine," with vague surrounding terrain. However, a winding path marked in red paint traversed large areas marked with skull symbols representing dangerous zones, ultimately pointing to three small characters at the edge of the map—Dragon Fall Ravine.
There was also a small annotation next to it: Miasma is thin, beast tracks are rare, a path of nine deaths and one life.
"Dragon Fall Ravine..." Ye Chen's gaze sharpened. This was another way out of the Black Marsh! A path that even the mine overseers knew about but dared not attempt lightly—a path of desperate danger! But compared to the heavily guarded main exit, this path was undoubtedly their only chance of survival!
"We must leave immediately!" Ye Chen showed the map to Wang Tiechui. "Zhao Hu's death won't be hidden for long. As soon as dawn breaks, we'll be discovered!"
Wang Tiechui looked at the map and nodded heavily, "I'll listen to you!"
Ye Chen collected the gold, silver, and inferior stones from Zhao Hu's storage bag （ Spirit Stones might be used for cultivation or trade ）, and then stuffed the partially used Spirit Stone into Wang Tiechui's hand, "Hold it tight, it will help you regain some strength and resist the miasma."
Wang Tiechui felt the warmth and a hint of cool energy emanating from the Spirit Stone, his spirits lifting.
Without any hesitation, the two of them, supporting each other, slipped out of the shack silently, like two ghosts, following the map's guidance, stealthily moving towards the edge of the mine, into an even darker and more dangerous area.
The dark night was their best cover. Relying on Ye Chen's enhanced senses and the map's guidance, they avoided a patrol of guards and trudged through mud and decaying matter.
The closer they got to the mine's edge, the fewer signs of human activity there were, and the more ferocious the swamp's primitive appearance became. Twisted, strange trees clawed at the air, poisonous insects rustled, and the thick miasma was almost tangible, carrying a strong corrosive property. The low-grade Spirit Stone in Wang Tiechui's hand emitted a faint light, barely dispelling the surrounding poisonous mist.
"Halt!"
"Who dares trespass into the forbidden area at night!"
Suddenly, several sharp shouts came from ahead! Two figures in mine guard uniforms flashed out from behind a patch of dense poisonous mushrooms, holding steel sabers and blocking their path. They were clearly scouts stationed in this dangerous area.
Ye Chen's heart sank. The worst had happened.
Without a word, before the two guards could get a clear look at their faces, especially Wang Tiechui's conspicuous build, Ye Chen moved!
The wisp of airflow in his body, strengthened by the Spirit Stone, circulated with all its might. The formidable physical strength brought by the 《 Basic Body Tempering Art 》 erupted. The mud beneath his feet exploded, and his body shot out like an arrow from a bow! His speed was so great that only an afterimage remained!
Those two guards were ordinary martial artists, how could they have ever seen such speed? They only saw a blur, and a cold edge （ a sharp stone Ye Chen had picked up ） swept across one of their throats.
【 Killed mine guards, combat experience increased. 】
【 《 Basic Body Tempering Art 》 Proficiency +3! 】
The other guard was greatly alarmed. Just as he was about to shout, a hand as large as a fan covered his mouth and nose, and another arm like an iron hoop encircled his neck—it was Wang Tiechui! Although injured, his innate brute strength was still terrifying.
With a slight crisp sound, "Crack!", the guard's eyeballs bulged, and he instantly fell silent.
【 Teammate Wang Tiechui killed mine guards. 】
The two cooperated tacitly, instantly eliminating the scouts. But Ye Chen knew that the commotion here had likely attracted attention.
"Hurry!"
He grunted, not even looking at the corpses on the ground, and pulled Wang Tiechui, following the map's instructions, plunging headfirst into the forest ahead, marked with countless skulls and filled with dense, purplish-gray miasma—the desperate path to Dragon Fall Ravine!
Not long after their figures disappeared into the dense miasma, more footsteps and the light of torches rapidly approached from the direction of the mine.
"Something's happening!"
"It's Zhao Hu's scouts! They're dead!"
"Someone has broken into the 'Dead Mist Forest'!"
"Chase! Send a signal! We absolutely cannot let them escape!"
A sharp whistle pierced the air above the mine, shattering the night's silence. The entire Black Marsh Mine was thoroughly alerted.
And at this moment, Ye Chen and Wang Tiechui had already ventured deep into a desperate situation. Ahead lay unknown perils, and behind them, surging pursuers. Their escape had only just begun.