Lu Yang and Wei Lie took the lead. Lin Feng and Zheng Kai flanked them slightly behind. Changgong Xiaojing and Kou Tingting occupied the center, while Zhang Fangzhou's three brothers and Qin Xu formed the rear guard. The group advanced cautiously in this simple formation.
Even Lu Yang, the highest-level cultivator among them, perceived a threatening aura. His expression turned grave, senses heightened to their peak, muscles coiled for action.
"Huh? It's still this deep?!" After rounding the bend, Zheng Kai couldn't help but blurt out in surprise. The others mirrored his astonishment. They had anticipated that beyond the turn lay the passage's end and the promised natural treasure. Instead, they confronted another fathomless tunnel stretching over a hundred meters ahead. The passage curved subtly and sloped downward. At its vanishing point, another bend hinted at an even deeper crimson glow.
"SNAP…" "LOOK OUT!!"
While the group processed this daunting sight, a faint splitting sound echoed from above. Lu Yang's face instantly hardened. His shout ripped through the air as his right hand flashed upward. Golden light flared, and a gleaming ten-foot crescent blade materialized in his grip. He thrust it skyward with the precision of a striking Loong!
"SHIIIIICK!! SCREECH!!"
The stone ceiling directly overhead fractured. A Fire-Tailed Scorpion plummeted downwards—only to impale itself perfectly on Lu Yang's waiting blade point. The weapon punched clean through its head. A sharp sweep of Lu Yang's arm sent the carcass hurtling aside.
"THUD!!" "CRACK… CRACK… CRACK…"
As the dead scorpion slammed down, a chorus of cracking stones erupted around them—not from one, but multiple sources! Above, below, left, right—within a heartbeat, five or six sections of the surrounding rock face shattered violently. More Fire-Tailed Scorpions burst forth, shrieking their fury as they lunged at the exposed group!
The ambush was sudden, yet no panic ensued. Lu Yang's lightning-fast dispatch of the first threat had primed everyone. Before the new attackers could fully emerge, a volley of spell talismans roared towards them.
"KABOOM! KABOOM! KABOOM! KABOOM!" "SCREECH! SCREECH! SCREECH!!"
Deafening detonations shattered the cavern's silence, mingled with the death cries of scorpions. Every member of this well-equipped group wielded potent talismans. That single, concentrated barrage obliterated three late-stage Tier 1 Fire-Tailed Scorpions instantly.
Two early-stage Tier 2 scorpions managed to scuttle through the smoke, only to be met and swiftly cut down by Wei Lie and Qin Xu's flashing weapons.
"Tsk, tsk. Three early-stage Tier 2s and three late-stage Tier 1s. Prime materials, these. Excellent haul..." The minor crisis evaporated as quickly as it arose. Zheng Kai grinned, already stooping to collect the scattered scorpion carcasses.
…
"Who imagined such a place existed on Chiyan Mountain…" Lu Yang murmured, his sharp eyes never ceasing their scan of the gloom. "We haven't reached the heart, yet multiple Tier 2 Fire-Tailed Scorpions guard the path. The danger will only escalate. Maintain absolute vigilance, everyone. Complacency is death."
He recalled no legends of this cave. The tunnel walls bore signs of recent exposure – likely triggered near the three-way fork they'd passed earlier. This was undeniably a nest for high-level Fire-Tailed Scorpions, drawn by some potent fire-attributed treasure. The closer they got to the source, the stronger the guardians would become. Their numbers offered no guarantee of safety here. A single lapse could prove fatal.
They advanced another hundred meters, reaching the bend that had previously marked their horizon. Yet, peering ahead, the tunnel plunged onward into darkness. The crimson glow had intensified dramatically, bathing the passage in an eerie light that rendered their illumination crystals redundant.
The air grew noticeably hotter, thick with latent energy.
"These signs point clearly," Lu Yang stated, his voice low and certain in the stifling heat. "A substantial vein of fire-elemental ore, or something akin, lies ahead. Likely nurturing fire-attributed spirit herbs as well…"
His experienced deduction sent a jolt of excitement through Lin Feng and the younger members. Unaccustomed to such 'treasure hunts', they found the suspense utterly exhilarating.
"SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" A piercing, unearthly shriek tore from the cavern's unfathomable depths. Every face tightened instantly.
"CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!"
The next moment, the dreadful cracking sounds returned – multiplied a hundredfold – echoing from every conceivable angle. The very walls of the tunnel section they occupied began to shudder violently.
"BRACE YOURSELVES! INCOMING!" Lu Yang's command was a guttural roar. His crescent blade sliced through the air with a sharp 'WHOOSH!' as he spun into a defensive stance.
"SCREECH! SCREECH! SCREECH! SCREECH!"
A cacophonous wave of shrieking answered him. Dozens upon dozens of Fire-Tailed Scorpions, ranging from dog-sized to monstrous, erupted from the floor, walls, and ceiling. They poured forth in a seething, crimson tide, swarming around the group, cutting off all avenues of retreat…
"Holy fucking hell!! THERE'S TOO MANY!!" Preparation flew out the window for Lin Feng as the sheer, overwhelming number registered – a frantic glance confirmed over thirty scorpions closing in!
A grim tally flashed through his mind: roughly half late-stage Tier 1. The bulk of the remainder were early-stage Tier 2. He counted four mid-stage Tier 2… and anchoring this terrifying horde, two late-stage Tier 2 behemoths, their carapaces gleaming dangerously.
"SKREEEEEEEEEEEEECH!!!" "FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!…"
There was no time for discussion, no time for tactics. At the command shriek of one late-stage Tier 2 alpha, every scorpion simultaneously snapped its colossal tail upwards. Dozens of searing fireballs ignited at their stingers, filling the tunnel's width in an instant. They hurtled towards the trapped group from both directions in an inescapable, burning wave!
"HUMMMMMMMM…"
Confronted by such sheer destructive force, arrogance was impossible. Instinct took over. As one, hands flew to artifacts. Spirit Light defensive barriers flared into existence, casting shimmering protective domes around each figure.
Heirs to wealthy families, Zheng Kai, Changgong Xiaojing, and Kou Tingting naturally possessed such life-saving treasures. Lu Yang and the seasoned guardians, key figures in their respective clans, were similarly equipped. Only Lu Yang's barrier pulsed with the formidable aura of a mid-grade treasure artifact; the others projected shields of low-grade treasure artifact or top-grade magic artifact strength.
Each person focused their barrier tightly around themselves, instinctively widening the spacing between comrades for vital maneuvering room. Then the firestorm hit.
"KA-BOOOOOM! KA-BOOOOOM! KA-BOOOOOM!"
The world vanished in blinding, concussive flame. A torrent of fireballs engulfed their positions, the tunnel erupting into an inferno. Heat washed over their shielded forms.
"FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!"
Through the swirling flames and smoke, massive red chitinous forms charged. Enormous, crushing pincers and whip-like tails, harder than forged steel, lashed out at the momentarily obscured cultivators!
Instant chaos reigned supreme:
THUD! CRUNCH! THUD! – The brutal impacts of claws and tails hammering the shimmering barriers.
CLANG! SHRIEEEEK! SPARK! – The sharp, discordant symphony of weapons parrying attacks, striking armored plates, or finding softer chinks.
SKREEE! GURGLE! SCREECH! – The furious bellows and agonized death cries of scorpions.
Any ordinary group of cultivators would have been shredded within seconds under this coordinated onslaught. But Lin Feng's companions, shielded by their resilient Spirit Light Barriers, held – safe as long as their defenses endured.
Their weapons, too, were potent artifacts. While they couldn't easily breach the scorpions' heavily armored backs or massive claws, they fought with lethal precision, targeting eyes, vulnerable mouthparts, and critically exposed underbellies.
One by one, Fire-Tailed Scorpions fell, convulsing and dying amidst the tumult. Gradually, the furious, claustrophobic battle began to subside.
A grim, towering barricade of slaughtered scorpion carcasses piled up on either side of the exhausted group, partially sealing both ends of the ravaged tunnel passage…