Chapter 267 - 171: Gathering Spirit

Chapter 267: Chapter 171: Gathering Spirit

Suddenly, she felt the Taiping Bureau Waist Token at her hip vibrate.

She instinctively gripped the token, and a message flowed into her mind.

The Taiping Bureau’s waist tokens had always possessed the function of long-distance communication.

The reason Zhao Poni and the others couldn’t send messages earlier was because the demons had used a special technique to isolate them.

But now that Su Mu’s group had broken the demons’ encirclement, the Taiping Bureau Waist Token’s function was naturally restored.

After reading Su Mu’s message, Luo Anning turned her head to look at the Sect Disciples.

"Everyone, we paid a great price to rescue you this time. That includes this Nine Dragon True Flame Array, which we had to buy with our own money. Therefore, you will all have to pay a life-saving fee."

Luo Anning said earnestly.

Everyone: "..."

Zhao Poni: "..."

Lin Qi Huan: "..."

Everyone was stunned.

What was the meaning of this?

"You are all experts of the Rebirth Realm. Your lives are very valuable."

Luo Anning continued, "You can’t expect us to shed both blood and tears, can you? We have no problem saving people, but we can’t be expected to lose our own money doing it.

So, you must pay the life-saving fee. It’s not much—sixty thousand taels of silver per person."

"Why sixty thousand taels?" a Sect Martial Artist blurted out.

"Because—"

Luo Anning recalled Su Mu’s message. "The number six brings good fortune."

...

BOOM!

A blood-red arrow exploded, erupting into a five-colored flame that swept outward.

Several demons were instantly turned to ash, but immediately after, even more demons swarmed in from the cave’s entrance.

Su Mu’s pupils contracted slightly. He suddenly raised his arm, and the arrow that had been aimed at the demons was abruptly fired at the ceiling of the passage.

With a deafening RUMBLE, rocks came CRASHING down, and the entire passage collapsed.

An unknown number of demons were crushed beneath the rubble, and the cave entrance vanished completely.

"I say, Su Mu, were you worried we’d die too easily, so you decided to bury us alive instead?"

Xue Shan’s mouth hung open as he spoke, dumbfounded.

The four Tier Three Demons had gotten smarter. They no longer charged in themselves. Instead, they gathered vast numbers of lower-tier demons, and even common beasts, driving them into the cave to continuously wear down the trio’s stamina.

Then the three of them realized they had woven their own cocoon; by the time they wanted to charge out, it was already too late.

But even so, wasn’t burying themselves alive a little too brutal?

"There might be other passages here. Even if there aren’t, we just have to break through the mountain and get out the other side," Su Mu said nonchalantly.

The roars of the demons could still be heard, clearly trying to dig through the entrance again to rush in and kill the three of them.

Without a word, Wu Yiqi walked to the back of the cave and began hacking at the rock wall.

"No way, you’re really trying to dig us out?" Xue Shan said, exasperated.

’Who the hell knows how thick this mountain is? Even Tier Three Demons couldn’t make this cave completely collapse. If we dig like this, it’ll take until the year of the monkey to get through.’

"Do you have a better idea?" Wu Yiqi retorted.

Xue Shan was speechless. There really wasn’t a better way.

’What a great rescue. The others escaped, but now we’re the ones trapped here.’

’A one-for-one trade at the limit?’

Xue Shan complained inwardly.

Just then, his eyes suddenly widened.

A red light flashed from Su Mu’s body, and a second Su Mu actually walked out of him.

Two nearly identical Su Mus stood right before his eyes. If he hadn’t seen it for himself, he would never have believed it was real.

Even seeing it, he was still gaping in utter shock.

"Motherf—, is this the Physical Divine Technique, the Blood Body?"

After a long moment, Xue Shan couldn’t help but say, "This is too damn freaky."

Wu Yiqi also swallowed hard, his face full of envy.

’So this is a Physical Divine Technique.’

’The Physical Divine Technique he had been desperately pursuing.’

Since the two of them had already seen his Blood Body, Su Mu didn’t bother hiding it this time and directly used the Physical Divine Technique.

The Blood Body’s strength was only half that of his true self, but it was formed from Profound Yellow Blood. It could disperse into blood and coalesce into form, allowing it to pass through any tiny crack.

Xue Shan and Wu Yiqi watched as Su Mu’s Blood Body walked to the rock wall, transformed into a pool of blood, and seeped into the cracks.

They gulped frantically, unable to utter a single word.

This bizarre scene was simply beyond the means of any normal Martial Artist.

It was truly worthy of being called a Physical Divine Technique.

Anything that could be called a Divine Technique was, by its very nature, completely unreasonable.

The two exchanged a look, and both understood the meaning in the other’s eyes.

’Their choice had been the right one.’

’Instead of rushing to break through to the True Essence Realm, they had suppressed their Cultivation at the Rebirth Realm, attempting to temper their physical bodies to the absolute limit and awaken a Physical Divine Technique.’

’Although it would cost them some time, awakening a Physical Divine Technique would boost their power by an incredible amount.’

’Just look at that Blood Body—how damn bizarre!’

’How could ordinary techniques possibly compare to a Physical Divine Technique?’

"Wu the Second, I have a feeling," Xue Shan said, stroking his chin. "Being pushed to my limit by these Tier Three Demons... I think I might be about to awaken a Physical Divine Technique. Just you wait, once I awaken mine, I’ll pin you to the ground and give you a good beating.

You chased me for so long before; it’s about time I got my revenge."

He rubbed his hands together, looking eager to give it a try.

Wu Yiqi remained expressionless. "Three months."

"What about three months?" Xue Shan glanced at Wu Yiqi, rolling his eyes.

"I’m confident I can awaken a Physical Divine Technique within three months," Wu Yiqi said.

Xue Shan: "..."

’You son of a bitch, Wu the Second, do you have to one-up me on everything?’

Xue Shan cursed under his breath.

The noise from behind them grew louder and louder. Clearly, the demons outside were about to break through the collapsed passage.

The two of them stopped their bickering and looked toward Su Mu.

Su Mu, whose eyes had been lightly closed, suddenly opened them.

"Found it!" Su Mu said in a low voice.

"You found a way out?" Xue Shan and Wu Yiqi asked, their faces lighting up with pleasant surprise.

"I knew it! A mountain like this has to have more than one tunnel!" Xue Shan said excitedly.

Wu Yiqi shot him a look filled with disdain.

’When did you know? A minute ago, you were acting like it was the end of the world.’

Xue Shan completely ignored Wu Yiqi and looked at Su Mu, saying excitedly, "Then what are we waiting for? You point the way, and we’ll dig together!"

"It’s not a passage. It’s Gathering Spirit Stones."

Su Mu shook his head. "I was guessing that since the demons used Gathering Spirit Stones as bait for their trap, there might actually be a vein of them here.

And sure enough, there are Gathering Spirit Stones here."

Xue Shan and Wu Yiqi: "..."

’You weren’t looking for a way to escape, you were looking for Gathering Spirit Stones?’

’There’s a huge wave of demons outside about to eat us alive, and you’re looking for Gathering Spirit Stones? What the hell is the use in that?’

’Even if we dig up the stones, it’s not like that will make the demons retreat, right?’

"The Gathering Spirit Stones... they’re the mountain’s lode, the very core of this mountain," Su Mu said slowly. "If we take away the Gathering Spirit Stones, this mountain... will collapse."

Xue Shan and Wu Yiqi exchanged a look, realization dawning on them. They finally understood Su Mu’s plan.

Digging out the Gathering Spirit Stones would cause the mountain to crumble and the earth to split.

With the mountain collapsing, the demons outside would either die or be forced to flee.

The problem was, even if the demons fled, how would they themselves survive the cataclysm?

If they were truly buried underneath it all, forget the Rebirth Realm—even a True Essence Realm expert would die without a doubt.

"We’re seeking life from death. Either we die at the hands of the demons, or we take this gamble."

As Su Mu spoke, he walked to the rock wall. He swung his Thunder Shocking Saber, and the hard stone was cut away by the sharp blade as if it were tofu.

"Well, I’m on your crazy boat now. This is gonna cost you extra! Definitely extra!"

Xue Shan grumbled, but he stepped forward and joined in.