After the Immortal Disappeared

’Hu Village Chief has gone down into the Mine Cave himself time and again. How could he not know the map in his hand is wrong?’

’Unless he gave it to us wrong on purpose.’

’What is that man up to?’

Willow whispered, "I heard reporting the Mine Cave crisis to Panlong City wasn’t Hu Village Chief’s idea at all. It was two merchants who spread the word, and he was ultimately forced to report it. He’s apparently still a little upset that they acted on their own."

A team member from the back suddenly spoke up. "Willow is right. The air here is foul, a bit rank."

"And it feels a little hot," another added.

No light could get in. A place like this deep inside a mountain should get cooler the farther one went. Some caverns had a cool breeze blowing year-round, and nearby residents would use them to escape the summer heat, even needing a long coat if they stayed for a while.

But this passage was actually getting hotter the farther they walked, and the air was heavy. The tip of Willow’s nose was beaded with sweat, and the big guys beside her had started wiping their foreheads.

’Could there be geothermal heat down below?’

’No way. If they dared to open a Mine Cave on a volcano, wouldn’t they just be dragging everyone down with them to their deaths?’

’Panlong City would never start mining without even investigating a situation like this.’

Hee Lingchuan suddenly raised the Fluorescent Grass and held it close to the tunnel wall. "When did the walls start looking like this?"

Everyone looked closely. The once-black stone walls had at some point faded to a grayish-white and were now entwined with countless root-like tendrils that looked like blood vessels.

Pressing a hand against it, they found the stone wall was no longer cold. Instead, it was very warm, and even slightly supple.

Door Panel suddenly said, "We haven’t seen any support pillars for a long time."

Mine Caves weren’t very safe, so after digging out a passage, miners would often use wooden planks and frames to reinforce it. The group had been seeing them every so often on their way here and hadn’t paid them much mind, but it seemed they hadn’t seen a single one on this recent stretch of the journey.

"We’ve been walking for over fifteen minutes, and it feels like there’s no end to it, just this same passage leading forward," a team member at the back said. "Could this be a Ghost Wall?"

"We’re protected by Primordial Power. Magic shouldn’t be able to affect us," Door Panel said in a low voice. "Let’s keep walking and see. Strange. If this is a maze, why aren’t there any forks in the path?"

Hee Lingchuan remained silent.

’The strangeness of this Mine Cave had to be related to the Jindu Ghost Children. The two he’d hunted in Panlong City had been tough, but they couldn’t have created such an elaborate illusion.’

’Can’t even their Primordial Power break through this Illusion Array?’

’It was just as Dong Rui had said: "The later a Ghost Child is born, the greater its power. Stay sharp."’

Ahead was an upward slope. At the top, the group found a narrow fissure in the rock. It was only three feet high, resembling a flat, wide mouth.

The only way through was to crawl on all fours, flat against the ground.

Willow, being the most slender of the group, whispered, "I’ll go first."

With that, she braced herself with her hands and slipped through the fissure with a WHOOSH, her movements as nimble as a fish. If an enemy had been lying in ambush, they would have had a hard time catching her.

After getting through, she looked left and right, then raised the Fluorescent Grass. "It’s clear. Come on over."

The others then crawled through one by one.

Hee Lingchuan intentionally stayed behind to bring up the rear.

By the time it was his turn, the passage behind him was pitch black. His teammates were all gone.

Crawling on all fours meant you couldn’t draw your weapon to defend yourself, so everyone had to get through as quickly as possible.

Just as Hee Lingchuan got down to crawl, he felt something tighten around his calf and give a sudden, violent pull backward!

Anyone else who felt a ghost grab their leg would have instinctively tried to scramble forward for dear life.

But not Hee Lingchuan. He pushed off with his left hand, accelerating his body backward!

The thing was already pulling with great force. By adding his own acceleration, he essentially doubled the speed of his backward slide.

It was like an angler yanking desperately on his rod, only for the big fish to use the momentum to leap out of the water and smack him right in the forehead.

Anyone would be stunned by that.

The dark hand pulling him hadn’t expected its prey to be so slick. It was surprised, but it didn’t forget to slash out with its claws.

It wasn’t large, standing only about three feet tall—perfect for this low, narrow passage. But its claws shot out to nearly a foot in length, able to sink an inch into solid rock; ripping through flesh and blood would be child’s play.

If Hee Lingchuan didn’t turn, it would attack his spine. If he did turn, even better—it would serve him a disembowelment special.

But it had forgotten one key detail: short creatures have short arms.

Hee Lingchuan was a good six feet tall; his legs alone were longer than the creature’s entire body.

His accelerated retreat sent his foot kicking right into its stomach!

Before the monster’s claws could even reach his back, it let out a squeal as it was sent flying more than seven feet, slamming into the tunnel wall.

Hee Lingchuan landed and spun, his blade already in hand. A dim, cold glint of light flashed in the darkness.

It was a vicious strike, but it made no sound.

The creature knew it was in danger. It flipped over and dodged, its movements as agile as a mouse fleeing a cat.

But it still felt a sudden chill, then a sharp pain in its knee joint.

Everything below the joint had been severed.

It shrieked, the sound like a wailing infant. The high-pitched cry echoed and amplified inside the cave, making Hee Lingchuan’s eardrums throb with pain.

But that didn’t stop him from launching a second strike.

If the first slash was vicious, the second was delivered with his full power and focus.

There was no point in keeping this thing alive. He was going for the killing blow.

But the creature seemed to sense the danger. Before its shriek had even ended, it threw itself backward and vanished without a trace.

Hee Lingchuan’s blade struck the tunnel wall, sinking three feet into the stone with a dull THUD.

Hearing the commotion, Willow and Skinny quickly scrambled back, leaving Door Panel and the other Patrol Guards to keep watch on the other side.

"Did it show up?"

"I took off one of its legs." Hee Lingchuan brought out the Fluorescent Grass Bundle and moved closer to the stone wall. "It escaped through here."

"Through here?" There wasn’t a single crack on the stone wall.

The only mark was the gash Hee Lingchuan himself had just carved with his blade.

"It retreated into the stone wall like it was diving into water." Hee Lingchuan used the tip of his blade to lift a severed tendril. A dark red liquid gurgled out from it.

The three of them were hit by a heavy, metallic stench of blood.

Willow exclaimed in astonishment, "The wall can bleed?"

Skinny pointed at the severed tendril. "This is like a blood vessel."

The three of them fell silent for a few moments before speaking at once:

"This is real blood, not a Blinding Technique!"

"This place is definitely not a Mine Cave!"

"Let’s go back!"

Hee Lingchuan immediately shot down Skinny’s suggestion. "They’ve laid a trap for us. I doubt there’s even a way back anymore. It would just be a waste of stamina. The only way out is forward."

’Never mind this strange maze; even if you run into a Ghost Wall in the wild, the one thing you never do is turn back.’

’Most of the danger lies behind you. They’re just waiting for you to retrace your steps.’

He then asked Willow, "The liquid coming from that tendril, is it human blood?"

Willow sniffed it carefully, then dipped a finger in to taste it. After smacking her lips for a moment, she said, "It’s similar, but not quite."

"What’s different about it?"

"The metallic tang is too strong. Blood has a rusty taste, of course, but this is too much."

"Let’s go back," Hee Lingchuan said, pointing to the fissure. "I’ll take the rear again."

This time, everyone made it through the fissure without incident.

"At least we can confirm the monsters here are Jindu Cubs." Hee Lingchuan had gotten a clear look at his opponent’s face during their brief encounter. Besides, he’d fought its sibling before and knew these creatures only had three fingers on each hand.

"Broken Blade, you’re getting way too cocky. What if that thing had ripped your heart out from behind?" Skinny complained. "If you’d been unfortunately sacrificed, I’d have to reluctantly take over as captain, wouldn’t I?"

Hee Lingchuan shot him a look. "You don’t want the job?"

"Er..." ’Wouldn’t it sound unambitious to say no?’

Hee Lingchuan pulled out a broken shovel blade from behind his back and waved it in front of him. "Didn’t I tell you guys to bring one of these?"

The low buildings outside the cave were miners’ quarters. They didn’t have much else, but production tools were plentiful. He’d dealt with Jindu Ghost Children more than once and knew they liked to attack vital spots like the eyes, throat, and heart. That’s why he had his teammates break off the head of an iron shovel before they went in. They could toss it if it wasn’t needed, but in a pinch, it could serve as a makeshift Heart-Protecting Mirror.

Willow had been disdainful of the idea, as she already wore a small, high-quality Heart-Protecting Mirror she had exchanged her merit points for.

Hee Lingchuan made a mental note to get a set of high-defense armor from the Pengcheng Bureau as soon as he got back.

Door Panel couldn’t hold it in any longer. "Where the hell are we?!"

"This isn’t an Illusion Realm," Hee Lingchuan said. "This should be the lair created by the Jindu Ghosts. They’re most comfortable fighting here. They can even come and go as they please, using their Escape Form at will." He added, "When my blade struck the wall just now, I could feel it suddenly flinch, as if it felt pain."

As soon as he said that, strange expressions crept onto everyone’s faces.

Skinny let out a strange cry. "You guys aren’t thinking the same thing I am, are you?"

Willow said, exasperated, "These are all newborn cubs. What other lair would they be most familiar with!"

Their mother’s womb, of course!

Which meant...

Door Panel’s grip on his great axe tightened. He turned and strode forward. "Let’s hurry up and deal with those little monsters. We really can’t stay here."

A team member from the back suggested, "If this place was created by the Jindu Cubs... you know... that place... if we cause a lot of damage, will they show themselves?"

Door Panel nodded. "Good idea!" He immediately swung his axe into the tunnel wall four or five times.

Willow watched him, looking like she wanted to say something but thought better of it.

Fresh blood gushed from the stone. He, too, felt what Hee Lingchuan had described—the sensation of the wall flinching in pain.

Immediately, the entire passage began to shake as if the Mine Cave was about to collapse.

"Enough! Let’s go!" Willow shoved Door Panel. "Don’t get crushed to death in here!"

The passage began to constrict and churn. It was worse than a collapse—standing in the wrong spot could get you squeezed to death.

The group broke into a desperate sprint. The passage constricted several times, and Door Panel, being the tallest and broadest, nearly got caught. Hee Lingchuan and the other team members had to drag him out with all their might.

Otherwise, he would have been crushed into paste.

Willow shot him an angry glare. "Good idea, huh?" Couldn’t he think for himself for once instead of just doing whatever someone suggested?

Door Panel, knowing he was in the wrong, rubbed his nose and didn’t dare say a word.

Perhaps the Jindu Cub had been scared off by Hee Lingchuan’s attack. Otherwise, it surely would have taken advantage of the chaos to make an appearance and cause more trouble for them.

Luckily, the exit was right ahead. Just as Hee Lingchuan reached the mouth of the tunnel, the ground beneath his feet gave way, and he began to fall.

’Damn it. It’s a sheer drop.’

Fortunately, he was prepared. He put all his strength into his legs and core, arresting his forward momentum.

He thrust the Fluorescent Grass Bundle downward, and the light revealed a vast, open space ahead.

As far as the light reached, at least, he could see no end to it.