Escape
The Qian family had not yet breached the entrance to the mine, but all the spiritual stones inside had already been dug out.
And they were dug out completely clean.
Elder Yu personally inspected twice and scanned with his spiritual sense twice more, even having Mo Hua check with his spiritual sense to confirm that there were no leftover spiritual stones, before he finally felt at ease.
"Elder, are we leaving now?" Mo Hua asked eagerly.
He had been in the spiritual mine for a long time, hadn't been home in a while, had finished all the meat in his storage bag, and even the wine he didn't want to drink was gone.
Elder Yu surveyed the spiritual mine once more and then decisively waved his hand:
"Retreat!"
Thus, nearly a thousand demon hunters, laden with storage bags and carrying storage chests in pairs, began leaving through the other pre-dug tunnels one after another.
These storage bags and chests had all been prepared in advance by Elder Yu.
The storage bags used during the Foundation Building stage were the most rudimentary in craftsmanship, convenient to carry but with very limited space inside.
The storage chests were square and had much larger capacity inside, but were less convenient to carry and usually used only when transporting large items.
Although the spiritual mine was small, a considerable amount of spiritual stones had been excavated. Elder Yu had gathered all the storage bags and chests he could find, ensuring that all the spiritual stones could be transported away.
Mo Hua followed behind his father, Mo Shan, advancing step by step with the group of demon hunters, until they finally exited the mine tunnel.
The exit of the tunnel was very discreet, selected carefully by Elder Yu based on Mo Hua's map. After all, among all the demon hunters, no one's map was more detailed than Mo Hua's.
Without Mo Hua's map, Elder Yu wouldn't have found this location either.
Outside the tunnel was the outer part of Great Black Mountain.
Mo Hua immediately felt a sense of familiarity.
Familiar peaks, dense forests, clouds mingled with thin miasma, soft soil and rocks underfoot, a faint and fresh earthy scent, the mountain breeze brushing constantly against his cheeks, and the intermittent cries of demons echoing through the mountains.
All of this made Mo Hua's mood delightful, instantly dispelling the oppressive atmosphere from inside the mine.
Elder Yu hadn't relaxed yet. As soon as they exited the tunnel, he immediately urged:
"Hurry! Let's return quickly. It'll be troublesome if the Qian family catches up!"
The demon hunters began to accelerate their pace, striving to leave Great Black Mountain and return to Tongxian City before the Qian family caught up.
Once inside Tongxian City, the Qian family wouldn't dare to act rashly.
And the demon hunters would have ten years of worry-free living!
On the other side, Qian Hong also sensed that something was wrong.
Because for several days, Elder Yu hadn't scolded him.
Qian Hong swiftly arrived at the entrance where Elder Yu had appeared on the mountainside. He took a few steps forward and realized that this entrance had also been sealed shut.
Qian Hong's heart turned cold.
Why seal this entrance?
Because they had already dug out the spiritual mine and fled!
Yu Changlin, this old fellow, didn't need to waste words here anymore!
Qian Hong couldn't contain himself anymore and urgently shouted:
"Hurry! Hurry and dig! These demon hunters have already escaped!"
Finding the mine tunnels dug by Yu Changlin in Great Black Mountain was now impossible. Compared to the demon hunters who lived off the mountain, the Qian family knew far less about the mountain.
The only plan now was to break through the entrance, enter from there, and find the escape tunnels used by the demon hunters.
The Qian family cultivators labored hard, repeatedly chiseling at the stone walls.
Every time they broke open some part, the formation repaired itself a bit.
Qian Hong's heart burned with urgency, increasingly infuriated at the formation's creator!
Such a formation only needed one layer, yet it was surrounded inside and out by three layers!
What audacity and shamelessness!
Finally unable to bear it, Qian Hong called Qian Zhongxuan over. The two Foundation Building stage cultivators joined forces, their condensed spiritual powers surging violently, forcibly breaking the formation and dismantling the stone walls at the entrance.
Only even so, it took nearly half an hour.
Qian Hong hurriedly rushed into the mine, sweeping his spiritual sense, but there was not a trace of any demon hunter!
Not to mention demon hunters, he didn't even see a single spiritual stone.
This was supposed to be a spiritual mine, dug out completely clean!
Qian Hong cursed Yu Changlin in his heart.
How stingy must one be to dig out a spiritual mine like gnawing on a bone, leaving nothing behind?
A disciple from the Qian family reported, "Master, we've found the mine tunnel."
Qian Hong immediately set off and indeed found a newly dug tunnel, deeper and wider than the one they had been misled to.
The entrance of the tunnel was also blocked with rubble, but there was no formation, likely because they had withdrawn hastily and hadn't had time to set it up.
Qian Hong slapped his hand, surging with spiritual power, and directly shook away the rubble blocking the entrance.
Qian Hong ordered sharply, "All disciples, immediately pursue them. If you see any demon hunters, kill without mercy!"
The Qian family cultivators heard this, all solemn in expression, no longer hesitating, and rushed into the tunnel, chasing after the demon hunters.
Halfway through the journey, when Elder Yu suddenly sensed something, he leaped up onto a hilltop, frowned as he looked back.
When Elder Yu came down, Mo Hua asked:
"Has the Qian family caught up?"
Elder Yu's expression turned serious, nodding slightly.
Mo Hua thought for a moment and said, "Didn't the Tribunal say that they only designated the Nameless Peak for our battles? Now that we've left Nameless Peak, will they still dare to act?"
Elder Yu replied, "The Qian family has suffered heavy losses. Now they can only act desperately. Chasing us, if they win, they can swallow all the spiritual stones. If they don't chase us, not only will they not earn a single spiritual stone, but they will also be in heavy debt."
Mo Hua also looked serious, "The Qian family definitely won't let this go."
Elder Yu nodded, "They are like starving wolves now, smelling blood and chasing after us. They want to devour us, and once they catch up, it will likely be an endless pursuit."
Mo Hua asked, "Will it be effective for us to escape to Tongxian City?"
"Once we reach Tongxian City, they won't dare to act. Even if they suffer huge losses, they will have to swallow their pride."
Seeing Mo Hua's uncertainty, Elder Yu explained further:
"Great Black Mountain is quite chaotic, and if something happens, the Tribunal won't manage it well. But Tongxian City is different. It's under the Tribunal's jurisdiction, strictly governed, and can't afford any chaos..."
"If the Qian family dares to act in Tongxian City, it's not just disrespecting the Tribunal but also defying the laws of the Tribunal. That would be a grave offense!"
Mo Hua still had some doubts, "But Tongxian City's Tribunal doesn't have many cultivators, and their power isn't as great as the Qian family's. What can they do if the Qian family defies them?"
"You don't understand," Elder Yu raised an eyebrow, saying, "The Tribunal is governed by the Dao Court, holding the authority of the Dao Court, representing its prestige. If the Qian family goes too far, the Tribunal can petition the Dao Court to deploy Dao soldiers and directly suppress the entire Qian family! The entire Qian family will be stripped of their status, the head will be executed for his crimes, their assets seized, their heritage surrendered, their members killed, exiled, or dispersed, and they will be renamed under other surnames, never to use 'Qian' again for life. The Qian family in Tongxian City will cease to exist!"
Mo Hua was shocked by this revelation.
(End of the Chapter)