As the team ventured deeper into the mine, the surroundings grew increasingly gloomy, cold, and damp.
Large patches of dark green, fluorescent moss began to appear on the rock walls, casting an eerie glow that made the claustrophobic space look like a Ghost Realm.
Occasionally, droplets of water from some unknown subterranean river would fall, their crisp, ethereal sound echoing through the deathly silent passage.
The sharp screeches were also becoming more and more frequent.
The Burrow Rats they had encountered along the way were now on a completely different level.
They were no longer the brainless, charging grunts of the Qi Cultivation First Layer. The occasional Qi Cultivation Second Layer Elite Rats mixed in among them not only had tougher fur and venomous claws and fangs, but could even spit corrosive acid.
However, under Wang Qingli’s flawless defensive system, and with the high-burst damage from Zhao Gang and Chu Bai, these scattered obstacles were quickly cleared away.
Chu Bai silently calculated, ’At our current rate of consumption and level of coordination, we should be able to take down a swarm of about ten Qi Cultivation Second Layer rats without anyone getting hurt. Any more than that... and someone will probably get injured.’
Just as he was thinking this, Wang Qingli, who was walking at the very front, suddenly stopped in her tracks.
The Demon-Seeking Mirror in her hand was no longer flickering. Instead, it was now glowing with a deep, blood-red light so intense it seemed tangible, and the mirror’s surface was even growing slightly hot.
"Stop!"
Wang Qingli’s voice was low and urgent. "Something big is coming. There are a lot of them, and their auras are chaotic... Prepare for battle!"
The moment she finished speaking, a dense scraping sound came from the dark corner ahead, as if countless sharp claws were scratching against the rock.
Immediately after, more than a dozen pairs of crimson eyes lit up in the darkness.
It was a pack of fifteen or sixteen Burrow Rats! Nearly half of them—a full six or seven—were massive Elite Rats exuding the aura of the Qi Cultivation Second Layer!
"SKREEE!"
Following the shriek of a one-eyed giant rat in the lead, the pack surged forward like a gray tide.
"Array Formation! Don’t break rank!"
Wang Qingli remained calm in the face of danger, letting out a sharp cry. She swung the massive Turtle Shell Shield from her back and slammed it onto the ground in front of her, her hands rapidly forming seals.
RUMBLE!
Three thick earthen walls rose in a tripod formation, instantly blocking the rats’ frontal assault and creating a simple defensive fortification.
"Earth Spike Technique!"
As several Elite Rats tried to leap over the walls, Wang Qingli changed her technique. Countless sharp stone spikes instantly shot out from the walls’ surfaces, impaling two of the fastest-charging Burrow Rats clean through.
This was the power of "Iron Wall" Wang Qingli. Even when besieged by enemies several times their number, she and her shield alone were an insurmountable fortress wall!
"Attack!"
With their captain holding the front line, the conditions for the damage dealers in the back couldn’t have been better.
Zhao Gang could no longer hold back. With a wave of both hands, several Willow Leaf Flying Sabers transformed into cold gleams of light, precisely picking off the stragglers trying to circle around to the rear.
Not to be outdone, Zhang Shan used his Vine Technique in tandem with the loose rubble on the ground to constantly create obstacles, slowing the pack’s offensive rhythm.
As for Chu Bai...
He stood beside Lin Xiaoyun, calmly observing the battlefield. Whenever a Burrow Rat broke through the defensive line, or an Elite Rat prepared to use a Demon Technique, he would strike at the perfect moment with a Spirit Water Needle.
Each needle precisely interrupted an enemy’s attack or pierced a vital spot.
However, these Qi Cultivation Second Layer Elite Rats were indeed tough to deal with.
The leading one-eyed giant rat suddenly opened its mouth and spewed out a cloud of dark green poison mist. The rock sizzled wherever the mist passed. Under the mist’s corrosion, even Wang Qingli’s earthen walls began to rapidly disintegrate.
"Watch out for the poison mist! Lin Xiaoyun, purify!" Wang Qingli commanded in a deep voice.
A soft, cyan light showered down, temporarily dispelling the poison mist.
’We can’t drag this out. We have to end this fast!’
By now, most of the grunts had been cleared out, leaving only the three strongest Qi Cultivation Second Layer Elite Rats putting up a desperate last stand. They seemed to realize this group of humans was not to be trifled with and began to coordinate, forming a triangle to break through the weakest flank.
And that flank was precisely where Chu Bai was positioned.
’Picking on the softest target?’
A cold smirk touched Chu Bai’s lips as he watched the three giant rats charge at him, their eyes filled with malice.
Half a month ago, faced with three Demon Beasts of the same level charging straight at him, he might have had to temporarily fall back. But now...
"Cloud Hand, rise!"
Chu Bai didn’t even bother using a Spirit Water Needle. He simply grabbed at the empty air with one hand, and an immense amount of Magical Power surged forth.
A giant hand the size of a millstone, formed entirely of Cloud Qi, materialized in midair. But this Cloud Hand was no longer ethereal and indistinct as it had been before. Empowered by his Perfection Level Guiyuan Technique, it was now as solid as if carved from white marble, its palm lines clearly visible.
"SKREE?!"
The Elite Rat at the front only registered a shadow falling over it. Before it could react, the giant hand came crashing down like a mountain and clenched viciously!
Originally, the Formless Cloud Hand was primarily about Soft Force, Force Discharge, and control.
But under the pressure of absolute Magical Power, even Soft Force could become the ultimate hardness!
CRACK!
A sickening crunch of shattering bone mixed with the wet pop of bursting Flesh and Blood instantly filled the cavern.
That tough-hided Qi Cultivation Second Layer Elite Rat—the one whose defense took two of Zhao Gang’s Flying Sabers to even breach—was crushed into a paste of mangled flesh in that single grasp! Its eyeballs bulged, and blood splattered everywhere!
Crushed to a pulp on the spot!
"That..."
Zhang Shan, who had been about to provide support, stopped in his tracks, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

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