A cave.
A group of soldiers walked forward. In front of them was a twisting cave. The most frightening thing was the stalactites, hanging down from the ceiling. Wherever they turned, there would be some sort of sound.
The soldiers raised their torches and examined them carefully. The torches were dim, and all of a sudden, there was a 'pa pa' sound above their heads.
"Enemy attack!" It was unknown who shouted, but the soldiers of the Hundred Doves camp all drew their blades. With a flash of their blades, several rat like things fell down.
"Stop, it's bats. Don't waste your energy, these things are harmless." The officer gestured with his hand. Indeed, when everyone looked over, they realized that it was indeed bats. It was obvious that the sudden appearance of so many people in the cave had frightened the bats, and they spread their wings and flew away.
Following the officer's words, the soldiers of the Hundred Doves camp straightened their bodies. With a 'pa' sound, they sheathed their blades. The sound was neat and orderly, as though they had rehearsed this.
This was because the cave was too small, and it was easy to injure one's own men.
Ji Ai Guo who was following behind the white fox looked at these elites, and felt a chill run down her spine. She suddenly said, "Ahead, I sense his aura."
"The vanguard draw their blades and advance. The rest of you, prepare your crossbows." The captain shuddered, his eyes shining brightly as he gave the order in a low voice. The troops at the front drew their swords neatly and walked along the path. This time, even without the White Fox sniffing, they could still smell the scent of blood.
They turned carefully, and under the illumination of the torches, they could see clearly that it was a space, about the size of a grain-sunning field. The torches drew the outline of the entire cave. There was nothing on the walls that could be climbed, and at the top of the cave, there was a crack.
There were seven or eight caves in the surroundings, and they were all densely packed, some big and some small.
The ground was littered with corpses, and blood splattered on the walls. One look and one could tell that a huge battle had occurred. Some of the corpses had been decapitated, and their organs were scattered all over the ground.
"Your excellency, this is a very good place to attack."
"Look, the surrounding caves are very deep and dark. If we drill in, who knows if a blade will stab us from the dark. Even this place cannot guarantee our safety."
The officer gritted his teeth and laughed, "Indeed crafty. Where is the main path?"
Ji Ai Guo's face was pale as she bit her lips. She spoke to the white fox, and the white fox responded.
"He fled this way." Ji Ai Guo picked up the white fox and pointed at one of the dozens of caves. Immediately, a group of people rushed in.
A pool of thick blood appeared around him. As he looked around, he noticed that there were thirteen corpses stacked on top of each other. These were all soldiers of King Lu.
The Hundred Battle Camp's assault team revealed killing intent. These were all their comrades.
The cave was very complicated. If not for the white fox's guidance, it would have been very difficult to find the right path. The lieutenant's face was ashen.
No wonder three hundred people died just like that. The environment was too dangerous.
From time to time, corpses could be found. There were Daoist officials, armored soldiers, and Jianghu people. The atmosphere was getting more and more somber.
The white fox raised its head, a pair of bright eyes like a cat's, shining in the night. It used its nose to sniff the air, jumping down from every fork to carefully identify.
"Sir, we found the main passage here." Ji Ai Guo said to the cave on the left.
"Go." The captain waved his hand and a group of people rushed in.
"Sir, we found a corpse."
"There are traces of a fire inside. We even found half a piece of dried rations."
They hadn't gone far when someone shouted. Hearing this, the lieutenant's eyes lit up, "This must be the enemy's resting place. We're not far from here."
The lieutenant laughed as he pulled out his blade. He then looked at the armored soldiers and ordered, "Everyone listen up. This is your chance to be promoted and get rich. Take one head, and you'll be rewarded with three heads."
"Kill him, and you'll be promoted by three ranks!"
"Kill!"
The armored soldiers shouted, their voices reverberated throughout the cave. Before long, they rushed in and reported, "Your Excellency, there's no one."
"Find a path and chase after them." The lieutenant looked at Ji Ai Guo. Ji Ai Guo led the group deeper and deeper into the cave, as though they were heading underground. After a while, the white fox stopped. The lieutenant's eyes flashed as he held onto his blade and asked, "What happened? Why aren't you chasing after them? "
"Your Excellency, it's water." Ji Ai Guo picked up the white fox. The white fox seemed to know what Ji Ai Guo was going to ask. It squeaked twice and stretched out its claws, pointing towards the cave.
"The smell has disappeared."
"It disappeared at the location where the water flooded the cave."
Ji Ai Guo pointed towards the cave, and the lieutenant's face fell, "Bring me a torch."
Dozens of torches shone into the cave, and saw that there was an underground river beneath the cave. The water was deep, and unfathomable. Someone started to inspect the cave, "Your Excellency, there are footprints here, and they disappeared from the cave."
"Not good." The lieutenant was shocked, "They must have escaped from the underground cave. Could it be that the cave is connected to somewhere else?"
"Zhao Ming, Zhang Yun, come here." The lieutenant stood up and ordered loudly.
"Your Excellency!" After some time, the two of them stepped forward.
"The two of you are good at water. Go and investigate where the cave leads to. If you discover any enemies, do not fight and report back immediately."
"Yes." The two of them took off their light armor and walked to the water hole. With a splash, they jumped into the water and swam around like fish, testing the water.
"Hu!" The two of them spat out the foul air in their lungs and took a deep breath. Their bodies bulged as they turned around and dove headfirst into the water.
The lieutenant's face relaxed a little as he spoke to Ji Ai Guo, "Zhao Ming and Zhang Yun are experts in the water. They are blessed by the heavens to be able to hold out for the time it takes for a joss stick to burn (10 minutes). No one in the army can compare to them."
"Even if it's an internal energy expert, they wouldn't be able to hold out for so long."
"Pei Zi Yun is a demon, I can't say for sure. But the people following him definitely won't be able to hold their breath for long. If they can get out, then Zhao Ming and Zhang Yun can do it as well."
Ji Ai Guo looked around and didn't say a word. She just stood there in a daze. At that moment, the entire place was silent. Only the sound of breathing and the sound of armor could be heard.
"Gulu gulu gulu" After a long time, bubbles appeared on the surface of the water. Following that, a head popped up. Everyone could see it clearly. It was Zhao Ming. He had just popped up and was panting heavily.
Seeing Zhao Ming pop up, the lieutenant leaned forward and asked, "How was it? Did you find out where it leads to? "
"Huff, huff!" Zhao Ming panted heavily before replying, "Your Excellency, it's all water down there. It's like a maze. We've dived for so long that we're almost out of breath. We haven't even found the bottom. We don't know how deep it is. I couldn't hold my breath and came back. Zhang Yun still wants to dive deeper."
"Bastard, bastard." The lieutenant waited for some time before cursing out loud. His flushed face turned ashen. Even if a person could hold their breath, there was still time. He was certain that they were dead, but he wasn't willing to give up. After some time, a floating corpse appeared. Zhao Ming rushed over to take a look. It was Zhang Yun.
"What do we do now?" The lieutenant tugged on his long hair and pulled out a few strands. He then kicked the wall of the cave and panted for some time before ordering, "Immediately report to the general and eunuch."
Underground Water Tunnel
The tunnel was so long that one couldn't see the bottom. If it weren't for the luminous pearl in their hands, and if it weren't for the rope holding onto everyone, Shen Zhen would have suspected that he and everyone else would be lost in the tunnel due to fear.
"Gulu, gulu." Shen Zhen felt a burning sensation in his lungs. He couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. However, the feeling of suffocation became even stronger. His hands and feet started struggling uncontrollably.
"Don't panic." Shen Zhen remembered what Pei Zi Yun had said before. He had to be careful not to panic. If he panicked and struggled, the air in his lungs would be depleted, and he would die.
There was only a small amount of air left in the bladder. Shen Zhen opened his mouth on the bladder and took a deep breath. A bit of fresh air flowed in. Just as he was about to take another breath, he realized that the fresh air in the balloon was gone.
"Oh!" Shen Zhen wasn't paying attention, and a bubble of air escaped from his mouth. Shen Zhen couldn't help but panic, and a sense of fear welled up within him.
"Gulu." One of the men behind him couldn't hold it in any longer. His lungs felt like they were about to explode. He opened his mouth and spat out all the air in his lungs. He then started struggling again.
"Don't move, don't be afraid. The more you struggle, the faster you will die. It's too late. Just hold on a little longer."
A voice rang out in everyone's heart. This voice pierced right into their hearts, dispelling all the fear, fear, and panic.
The men of Jianghu regained their senses and shut their mouths, trying their best to swim forward. Everyone endured, their faces flushed red, and their veins popped out. They couldn't hold on any longer.
"We're here." The voice rang out in everyone's heart. The man in front dashed forward, his entire body rising above the surface of the water.
"Plop!"
In a pond, the water was calm. All of a sudden, a head broke through the surface. Following that, one, two … Everyone broke through the surface of the water.
"Huff, huff, huff!"
"Huff, huff, huff!"
Everyone was taking deep breaths. As the fresh air entered their lungs, the burning sensation in their lungs gradually dissipated. They couldn't tell if it was water or tears. It was good to be alive.
Pei Zi Yun was the first to recover. He leapt up and landed on the shore. He then grabbed onto a tree branch and flipped himself up to a high vantage point, looking around.
Only then did he realize that he wasn't too far away from the mountain. A little further away was the army camp. He could still see bonfires burning and soldiers patrolling the area. However, he had already escaped from the encirclement.
Shen Zhen climbed out of the pond. A gust of wind blew past him, and he shivered. He felt goosebumps all over his body.
"The water is a little cold." A martial artist climbed out of the pond and mumbled to himself, "We've already crossed the waterway, what's there to be afraid of?"
"Brother Pei, what do we do now?" Shen Zhen asked.
Pei Zi Yun leapt down, water splashing all over his body. He looked at the army camp and the mountain, and shouted in his heart, "System!"
A Plum Blossom appeared in front of his eyes, as it grew bigger and became a translucent information interface. It floated in front of him, carrying with it a faint sense of light.
"Side Mission: Kill ten visitors from another plane, and absorb their information. Completion: 8/10."
Pei Zi Yun looked at it, 8/10. His face was expressionless as he pondered for some time. Without hesitation, he said, "Of course we're going back!"
He had already tested the strength of an Earth Immortal, and was at his limit. He couldn't even evaporate the water from his clothes. If he were to continue playing, he would be playing himself to death.
"We've already killed seven generals and a thousand soldiers. We've earned enough merits." Pei Zi Yun said as he led his men away, "Once I get back, I'll send out a report. You've all earned merits, even if my brothers have died."
When Shen Zhen heard this, he nodded his head and heaved a sigh of relief. The rest of them revealed looks of relief as well.
Pei Zi Yun didn't think much of it. This was human nature.
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