Time passed quickly. Xu Mu and his four companions dug tirelessly, opening many secret chambers and hidden passages. By the time Xu Mu truly felt the exhaustion, the torches they had brought down had long since burned out.
"Liu He, I'll trouble you."
In the dark, narrow passage of the underground palace, Changsun Weiying spoke, and then a blazing fire illuminated their tired, dust-covered faces.
"Let's rest for a while. Based on my estimation, we should be reaching the main mausoleum soon."
Xu Mu said, tossing his shovel aside, then raised his leg and kicked the compacted earth in front of him twice with force.
He pressed his ear against the wall, his expression serious:
"Judging by the conductivity of the sound through the earth, there are less than two hundred and ten meters left."
"It's exactly ten o'clock at night. In two more hours, we should be able to break through this distance before the weird night arrives."
The thought that he was only one step away from his opportunity made Xu Mu's physical fatigue vanish completely, replaced by boundless drive.
Seeing Xu Mu's spirited demeanor, everyone's faces inexplicably showed a look of sorrow.
Since arriving here in the afternoon, their total rest time had been less than an hour.
Eating the meat of the wild boar demon had merely satisfied their hunger, but the physical fatigue and heightened tension had already left them exhausted.
For the past few hours, each of them had been relying solely on their inner abilities to persevere, and now, their abilities were depleted, yet this senior said they had to dig for another two hours…
"Senior, how about we rest for a day and dig tomorrow?"
Changsun Weiying coughed dryly, mustered his courage, and stepped forward to pat Xu Mu on the shoulder, saying.
"Tomorrow…" Xu Mu narrowed his eyes. If he rested now, when that person took over his body at night, wouldn't it be as if he had worked for nothing?
"No."
Xu Mu turned back and looked at them seriously:
"I don't want any of the bronze artifacts or rare treasures we dug up earlier. I'll divide them all among you."
"For these last two hours, I hope everyone can persevere to the end, okay?"
Seeing his persistence, the others looked at each other and then nodded simultaneously.
Xu Mu hummed, then looked towards the rear, at the little胖子 with the least stamina:
"You in the back, yes you, little胖子."
"Go up and fetch some cooked meat, water, and torches. We'll eat as we dig."
…
While Xu Mu and his group were digging with great fervor, on the outskirts of West Mountain, several powerful ability users exuded an aura of fourth-stage pressure.
The middle-aged man leading them, his ornate long robe stained with red and green blood, had streaks of white appearing in his shoulder-length black hair.
"Report!"
An ability user with green light on his feet arrived riding the wind, moving at extreme speed, like a messenger.
"How is it? Any news?"
Beside the middle-aged man stood a man half his height. He was a helmsman in the Hunters Alliance, the largest loose cultivator alliance in the world. He was very powerful, and Liu He was his subordinate, whom he considered his successor.
"The last team has also retreated. They didn't find Young Master Liu and the others."
The wind-riding ability user landed and sighed, shaking his head.
Hearing this news, though he had expected it, the man's body staggered slightly.
Although he was an ability user and a helmsman in the Hunters Alliance, he had no family.
He never married, never had children, and his parents, who raised him, died in a mountain bandit massacre when he was a teenager.
His only hope in life was to personally witness his successor, Liu He, take over his position and then, step by step, break through to become a lord and a powerful figure.
But now, Liu He was dead, lost somewhere in West Mountain.
"A total of eighteen rescue teams, eleven of which borrowed personnel from outside."
The man in the noble long robe spoke calmly. Even in his grief, as the head of the Changsun family, he could not show any emotion at this time; he had to stabilize morale.
"Although the people weren't found, the compensation for those eleven families cannot be shortchanged."
"Also, do not send the news of Ying Shou and the others' disappearance back to the main family yet. I fear the old matriarch might faint."
"If I remember correctly, the imperial court is conducting an operation tonight, organizing many powerful individuals to head towards the core region. If we can't find them in the outer perimeter of West Mountain, we'll try inside."
Changsun Wuji coughed a couple of times, spitting out a trace of blood.
Those behind him knelt upon hearing this:
"Absolutely not, Family Head! The core region of West Mountain is too dangerous. Even the Domain Lord perished there. Don't forget that loose cultivator team; only two out of thirty-four people returned alive!"
"Yes, Family Head. Although we also wish for Young Master Ying Shou and the others to be alive, it's been almost three days, and there's been no news. They might already be…"
The speaker was glared at by Changsun Wuji, and instantly, the blood in his body seemed to stop flowing, and a sense of impending doom washed over him, causing him to quickly shut his mouth.
"The imperial court's operation tonight is led by a strong individual from the Demon Extermination Division headquarters. It is said to be someone on the World Ranking."
"World Ranking!"
Upon hearing these two words, everyone's eyes revealed awe and envy.
The World Ranking, as the name suggested, was a power ranking of all ability users on the Eastern European continent in the Taichu Realm, compiled and sorted by the Great Zhou Intelligence Department. It listed seventy-nine individuals, each of whom was a top-tier powerhouse.
For instance, the fisherman who was the first to awaken his abilities on the Eastern European continent and saved thirteen cities was now ranked first on the World Ranking and was the true Grand Governor of the Demon Extermination Division.
And tonight, the Demon Extermination Division had sent a powerful individual from the World Ranking. Could it be him?
"Brother Wuji, are you planning to enter West Mountain and risk it for a holy relic?"
The helmsman of the Hunters Alliance asked beside him.
"Of course not. I think we can follow them into deeper territory to seek opportunities and also to search further."
"After all, no one can declare my son dead until their body is found."
Changsun Wuji closed his eyes slightly. He was a member of the former imperial family. Changsun was the ruler of that era. Changsun Shouying was his most beloved child, who knew when to advance and retreat and understood reason. Years ago, he had asked a powerful elder from the Baiyun Daoist Temple to divine his fate, saying his son possessed the destiny of an emperor and that the glory of the Changsun family's imperial lineage rested entirely upon him. How could he possibly die in such a place?
"In that case, we shouldn't delay. I'll go back and gather our men immediately!"
Duan Xiao's eyes lit up. He hadn't intended to participate in tonight's operation because holy relics were not something someone of his level could covet; at least, domain lords would have a chance.
Since a powerful individual from the World Ranking was coming, following them would at least reduce the risk of encountering danger. And what if Liu He wasn't dead?
"Family Head, there are two more hours until the weird night begins. West Mountain is far more dangerous than before. Please do not act foolishly!"
The old man who had been glared at earlier once again mustered his courage and tremblingly advised.
The Changsun family had numerous branches, and many intended to seize power. Changsun Wuji had some difficulty suppressing them, which was why he ventured into the weird night to seek an opportunity for a breakthrough.
He hadn't found the opportunity and now he himself was injured and had lost subordinates.
This was actually not a big deal. As long as Changsun Wuji was still alive, upon his return, he could still barely suppress those who stirred up trouble with his residual influence.
But if something were to happen to him tonight, or if he were to die directly in West Mountain, then the Changsun family would truly be in turmoil. Under internal strife, they might even be swallowed by hostile forces!
"I understand your concerns, and that will absolutely not happen."
"My son is protected by destiny. How could he die here!"
Changsun Wuji deeply believed the prediction from the Baiyun Daoist Temple. He had been teaching Changsun Shouying imperial strategy since childhood, and his efforts would not be in vain!
However, he did not notice that as he made up his mind to enter West Mountain, a figure in black robes behind him suddenly grinned, a very eerie smile.
He was, in fact, one of the two people who had "survived" among the thirty-four people.
"Please convey to the City Lord that the Changsun family and the Hunters Alliance will arrive in half an hour."
Changsun Wuji suddenly remembered that he had a special envoy from the imperial court here. Having made up his mind, he turned to him and said.
The black-robed figure nodded upon hearing this, and then his body immediately disappeared into the darkness, mysterious and unfathomable.
Changsun Wuji watched the figure's retreating back and frowned slightly, wondering if this person had killed too many people.
Otherwise, why did he always give off a smell of decay?
…