"Swish… Swish… Swish… Swish…"
A soft sound echoed in the profound quiet of the deep earth. Inside a long, narrow tunnel, a small golden light barrier cast its glow as Lin Feng and Chang Gong Xiaojing inched forward bit by bit.
Lin Feng was at the front, constantly swinging his flying sword to cut through the earth and rock ahead, carving out a path just wide enough to pass. Chang Gong Xiaojing followed slowly behind him.
Xiao Qiu perched on Lin Feng's shoulder, like a little foreman overseeing the digging operation.
Worried about Zhang Fangzhou and the others' safety, and also anxious about the unknown status of the Fire-Tailed Scorpion King, Lin Feng had been largely silent during the journey.
Chang Gong Xiaojing was also quiet, merely following closely behind Lin Feng. Her eyes, shimmering with unspoken thoughts, watched his busy back intently.
By Lin Feng's estimation, they had been digging for nearly half an hour. As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, fatigue wasn't really an issue yet. However, he keenly observed that for the last few minutes, the earth and rock he was excavating were no longer loose debris from the collapse. Instead, they were solid, compact strata – they had passed through the collapsed section and were now traversing untouched, natural bedrock.
The little creature on his shoulder seemed to be growing increasingly excited. Lin Feng couldn't fathom what Xiao Qiu detected, and without spiritual sense to probe ahead, he could only keep digging diligently.
"Hey, Lin Feng…"
Just as he was focused on cutting, Chang Gong Xiaojing's voice came from behind. Lin Feng paused his movements and looked back.
"Hmm? What is it?"
Chang Gong Xiaojing seemed to have been pondering this for a while. She looked at Lin Feng seriously. "I want to ask you… back up there… why did you deliberately draw the attention of that Level 3 Fire-Tailed Scorpion?"
Lin Feng blinked in mild surprise. "To buy everyone time to escape, of course. Why?"
Seeing his matter-of-fact expression, a flicker of something unreadable passed through Chang Gong Xiaojing's eyes. "But… didn't you know it was incredibly dangerous?"
"Yes, I knew." Lin Feng nodded. "But just because something's dangerous doesn't mean it shouldn't be done, right? Among us, my spirit light defense artifact was the strongest. Of course, I was the most suited for it. And weren't we almost successful? We just didn't anticipate the Scorpion King being crazy enough to collapse the entire mountain. Otherwise, we might have escaped."
Then, he seemed to remember something and turned back to her. "Speaking of that… thank you for using your silk ribbon to save me back then. But… when the Scorpion King attacked the tunnel entrance the first time… you should have let go and retreated with Zheng Kai and the others…"
Chang Gong Xiaojing gazed at Lin Feng intently, as if seeing him for the first time. Slowly, she said, "If you were willing to take such a huge risk for us, how could I stand by and do nothing? I just didn't realize that giant scorpion was so powerful… otherwise, I might have pulled you back safely... But I should thank you too. If you hadn't pulled me towards you then, I might have been crushed to death."
"You encountered that danger trying to save me. You don't need to thank me for that…" Lin Feng paused, seizing the chance. "…Just… maybe stop calling me a 'flirt' from now on? Honestly, I'm not what you think I am. That day… was the first time I'd ever been to that kind of place… and… I didn't actually do anything…"
He was desperate to clear his name of the 'flirt' label.
"Hah, why are you explaining this to me? Even if you went often, it's none of my business," Chang Gong Xiaojing teased, a playful glint in her eyes. She smiled slightly. "But… seeing as you seem like a decent person after all… I guess I can stop calling you that."
Bathed in the glow of the spirit light barrier, the girl's smile was particularly captivating. Lin Feng's heart inexplicably skipped several beats. He quickly coughed lightly and averted his gaze, worried he might look like a hopeless fool and invite her scorn again.
"Let's stop exchanging pleasantries. We can talk more once we're out… I should get back to digging."
Turning back to the rock face, Lin Feng resumed his 'work'. Chang Gong Xiaojing pressed her lips together, suppressing another smile, and continued to follow in silence.
"Swish… Swish… Swish…"
Only the soft scraping sound filled the tunnel once more. Lin Feng's movements became more fluid and practiced, their progress noticeably speeding up. Roughly ten minutes later, he thrust his sword forward again. This time, the resistance felt different. A flicker of surprise lit his face.
"Huh? There's… space beyond!"
Fueled by sudden hope, he sliced the air rapidly several times with the sword and gave a firm push. The rock wall ahead crumbled outward. Immediately, a wave of crimson light and intense heat surged into the tunnel.
The abrupt brightness made Lin Feng instinctively squeeze his eyes shut. Blinking rapidly to adjust, he reopened them and scanned the surroundings… only to freeze in utter astonishment.
Before him stretched a cavern so vast it could easily hold a football field. The ceiling soared high overhead. The entire cavern was bathed in a deep, pervasive red glow. At its center, occupying more than half the space, bubbled a 'small lake' – or perhaps a large pool. Its surface roiled continuously with a thick, viscous, fiery red substance.
Magma!!
Beneath Crimson Rock Mountain, there truly was a magma vent! Zhang Fangzhou's offhand remark turned out to be prophetic!
"How deep are we… Xiao Qiu, why did you lead us here?"
Despite reaching this wide-open space, Lin Feng felt only bewilderment. This didn't seem like a path out at all. He voiced his question, instinctively turning his head to look at Xiao Qiu perched on his shoulder.
"Qiu!!"
But at that precise moment, Xiao Qiu suddenly stiffened. Its previously excited demeanor vanished, replaced by sheer terror. It let out a sharp, low cry, its fur standing completely on end. Its beady eyes, wide with fear, locked onto a specific spot to Lin Feng's right.
"Huh?!"
Lin Feng's heart lurched. He whipped his head around to follow Xiao Qiu's gaze. What he saw nearly stopped his heart. Without a second thought, he spun around and dove headlong back into the tunnel he'd just emerged from!
"Lin Feng, what's wrong? What is this plac— Ah!!"
Chang Gong Xiaojing, who was just stepping out of the tunnel entrance behind Lin Feng, had seen him standing frozen at the opening. Confused, she started to ask her question. Before she could finish, however, she saw him suddenly spin and launch himself towards her like a starving tiger pouncing on prey…
"What are you doing?! You… Mmmph!"
Caught completely off guard, Chang Gong Xiaojing was tackled full force back into the tunnel. Lin Feng's momentum slammed her flat onto the ground, pinning her down. He clamped his hand firmly over her mouth, stifling her startled cry.
—Is he… has he gone mad? Is he trying to…?!
Terrifying thoughts flooded her mind. But then, Lin Feng's urgent, breathless whisper hissed right next to her ear.
"Shhh!! Don't make a sound!! The Fire-Tailed Scorpion King… it's out there!!"
His voice was barely audible, even with his lips practically touching her ear. As he spoke, his warm breath ghosted over the sensitive skin of her earlobe and neck, sending involuntary shivers through her body and igniting a potent mix of fury and acute embarrassment.
Hearing his words, though, shocked her out of her momentary panic. Her eyes widened in understanding and fear as she stared up at Lin Feng.
"I'll let you go… don't move or make noise, okay?"
Seeing that she'd registered his warning, Lin Feng slowly withdrew his hand from her mouth. He cautiously pushed himself up off her, easing back against the tunnel wall.
Knowing the gravity of the situation, Chang Gong Xiaojing carefully sat up. She opened her mouth to speak, then noticed Lin Feng was staring fixedly… at her chest. She instinctively looked down.
Her cheeks instantly flushed crimson. Scarlet. During the struggle after he tackled her, her robes had become disheveled. The front of her garment hung partially open, revealing a swath of fair skin above her collarbones… and even the upper edge of her undergarment was faintly visible beneath.
"Gulp…"
To make her humiliation and fury unbearable, Chang Gong Xiaojing swore she heard the distinct sound of Lin Feng swallowing hard.
"Flirt!! What are you looking at?! Look again, and I'll gouge your eyes out!!"
Mortification instantly reignited her feisty nature. She glared daggers at Lin Feng, her voice a furious, low hiss.
"Uh…" Lin Feng snapped out of his daze, offering an awkward, embarrassed smile as he hastily averted his eyes.
He heard the soft rustling sounds of Chang Gong Xiaojing hurriedly adjusting her clothing. Desperate to divert her attention from his 'indiscretion,' Lin Feng adopted his most serious expression and whispered urgently, "The Scorpion King is right over there, near another tunnel entrance! It looks like it just climbed down too. Hopefully, it hasn't spotted us yet. We absolutely cannot draw its attention… Maybe… maybe we should go back and try digging in a different direction?"
Just moments before, at Xiao Qiu's frantic warning, Lin Feng had turned his head and spotted the colossal Fire-Tailed Scorpion King emerging from a tunnel opening barely thirty meters to their right. The shock had been so profound that his instinctive reaction was to tackle Chang Gong Xiaojing back to safety.
Chang Gong Xiaojing cautiously peered out from the tunnel entrance, careful not to expose her head enough to see the scorpion king directly. She was about to agree with Lin Feng's suggestion to retreat when her gaze caught something. Eyes widening with sudden excitement, she whispered urgently, pointing, "Hey! Look over there!!"
"What?" Lin Feng frowned, carefully shifting closer to Chang Gong Xiaojing and following her finger.
Across the cavern, perhaps forty meters away, he saw another tunnel entrance, roughly three meters wide.
The crucial detail was the visible movement in the air. The hot gases rising from the magma pool… they were visibly swirling and flowing into that dark opening!
That meant the tunnel was vented.
—An exit! That could lead back up!!