The earth roared, the rock walls groaned. Scale-Split Mine convulsed violently in the violent upheaval of the earth-dragon, like the death throes of a giant beast. Boulders fell like rain, dust blotted out everything, instantly swallowing countless terrified screams and curses.
The interrogation room's stone walls cracked like spiderwebs, a load-bearing beam crashing down, nearly crushing Silas into paste. His pupils contracted. His manacled arms strained violently, and energy claws shot out instantly!
"Break... for me!"
Screech!
A piercing sound of friction rang out.The Spirit-Suppressing Manacles, inlaid with faint runes, finally snapped under the frantic cutting of the energy claws and the tremendous force of the earthquake!
Free! A long-lost sense of power instantly flooded his entire body, mingling with the refined and control far surpassing his past self, brought by his tempered soul. Without the slightest hesitation, his Earth Sense expanded to its limit. His figure moved like a ghost through the collapsing prison, accurately avoiding deadly falling rocks, and charged into the chaotic main tunnel.
His goal was clear—Old Elmer's cage area!
The tunnel had become a living hell. Slaves fled and cried like headless flies, constantly being crushed by boulders or swallowed by collapsing pits. Silas's gaze was icy cold, his speed skyrocketing to the extreme. The wolf's agility and the mountain goat's balance were displayed to their fullest.
On the way, a young slave was pinned by half a leg, wailing in despair. Silas paused, a flash of struggle in his eyes, then crouched down. His energy claws precisely shaved off the edge of the rock pinning him and dragged him out. "Find a place to hide yourself!" he growled, his voice hoarse yet carrying an undeniable force. He was no saint, but where he could, a thread of cold kindness might buy future possibilities.
The closer he got to the old area, the worse it became. Suddenly, a scream of utter terror came from ahead, accompanied by the thunderous roar of a complete rock layer collapse! Silas's heart tightened, and he accelerated around the corner.
A huge collapse almost completely blocked the passage, burying a dozen slaves, their fates unknown. And right before the collapse, Head Overseer Borg was with three trusted Overseers, their faces ferocious, trying to clear a path—not to save anyone, but because this tunnel led to the upper levels, a relatively safe exit!
Borg wielded a warhammer wreathed in yellowish-brown spiritual light, smashing falling rocks with overwhelming force, showcasing the might of a Second Rank expert. An injured slave who fell behind blocked his path; Borg backhanded him with the hammer impatiently, instantly crushing him into a pulp!
"Trash! Out of my way!" Borg roared.
Just then, Silas rushed over. He immediately saw a familiar figure at the edge of the collapse—Old Elmer's cellmate, a sharp stone spike piercing his abdomen, blood gushing out, his eyes glazed.
Almost instinctively, Silas crouched, his left hand pressing near the wound, channeling the wisp of Law of Life power within him—this time, in his urgency, a faint emerald green light flickered for an instant in his palm! The terrible wound visibly stopped bleeding and even began to wriggle and heal!
"Hmm?!" Borg's perception was extremely sharp. He turned his head sharply,happening to catch that fleeting, vitality-rich green light and the abnormal change in the wound! The savagery in his eyes was instantly replaced by immense shock and greed!
"It's you! You little bastard! I knew you were strange! Seize him! Rip out those claws and dig out all his secrets!" Borg howled with glee, no longer caring about the passage, his warhammer pointing straight at Silas! He didn't understand the green light specifically, but its astounding healing effect must be due to some rare treasure or talent!
Three fierce Overseers immediately pounced in a fan formation, their swords and knives gleaming with spiritual light, attacking with full force!
A cold light flashed in Silas's eyes. He knew there was no more room for luck! He leaped backward, avoiding the slashes, and the moment his feet landed, all ten energy claws extended fully. He actively charged at the man on the left!
The battle exploded instantly! Silas, promoted to late First Rank and having undergone soul tempering, far surpassed these ordinary Overseers! His figure was like the wind, his claws like lightning! Swish Swish Swish! In one exchange, the leftmost Overseer's weapon was severed, his throat slit, blood spraying!
The attacks of the other two arrived from behind! But Silas seemed to have eyes on his back; his Earth Sense provided early warning. His body twisted like a python, narrowly avoiding the blades, while his backhand claw pierced another's heart! Simultaneously, he tanked a slash from the last man on his shoulder—the wound was deep enough to see bone, but the Law of Life worked, muscles writhed, actually gripping the blade tight. The next second, Silas's other claw had pierced through the man's chest!
In a flash of lightning, three First Rank experts were dead!
But Borg's attack had arrived! That yellowish-brown warhammer descended with terrifying air pressure, crashing down like a mountain! It was too fast, the area too large, impossible to dodge!
Silas crossed his claws, blocking with all his might!
BOOM!!!
A deafening crash!Silas felt as if he'd been head-butted by a charging rhino. His entire body was sent flying backward, smashing hard into the rock wall behind him. He vomited a large mouthful of blood! The bones in his arms groaned under the strain, the energy claws flickering unsteadily, almost dispersing!
The power of the Second Rank far exceeded his imagination! Pure strength and energy level crushed him!
"Ant! Hand over what you're hiding and your secrets, and I'll make it quick!" Borg strode closer, a cruel, cat-and-mouse smile on his face, raising his warhammer again. He was convinced Silas had treasure or some special inheritance.
Silas struggled to his feet, his eyes cold as the abyss. He charged again, his energy claws attacking frantically, but they could only leave shallow white scratches on Borg's heavy, spiritual light-covered armor! He simply couldn't break the defense! Instead, he was shaken back by Borg's powerful counterattacks, vomiting blood again and again, his injuries worsening.
This led only to death!
After being sent flying once more, a look of resolve flashed in Silas's eyes. He focused his mind on the mark on his wrist!
The next moment, under Borg's suspicious and uncertain gaze, a weaponappeared out of thin air in Silas's hand—a crude yet exceptionally fierce dagger, its blade slightly curved, shimmering with a pale golden light, emitting a heart-palpitating ferocious aura! It was crafted from the fang of that peak First Rank tiger!
"What is that?!" Borg's pupils constricted. He completely failed to understand how the dagger had appeared! This surpassed his understanding, but it undoubtedly further proved the other possessed huge secrets! "Trying to trick me? Die together!" Greed and killing intent flourished!
In the split second Borg was distracted by this bizarre scene, Silas moved! He channeled all his remaining strength, mixed with the vast vital energy spurred by the Law of Life, and madly poured it into the tiger-fang dagger!
Hum!
The dagger erupted in a blinding golden light,a faint yet deafening tiger's roar faintly audible! The primordial ferocity of the peak First Rank beast was fully unleashed!
"Die!" Borg also felt a trace of alarm and brought his warhammer down with full force!
Silas didn't dodge or avoid, his eyes filled only with life-risking madness! He swung his body sharply, actually using his left arm to meet the warhammer head-on!
Crack!
A sickening sound of shattering bone echoed!Silas's left arm instantly twisted into a grotesque angle, completely ruined!
But this desperate move created his only chance! Borg's warhammer swung down, leaving his center wide open! Silas endured the heart-rending pain, his right hand gripping the golden light-engulfed tiger-fang dagger, striking like a lurking viper with speed beyond limits, precisely and accurately stabbing at the gap in Borg's armor at the neck—the point his Earth Sense had long identified as the weakest point in the spiritual defense!
Thump!
The dagger sank in to the hilt without any resistance!The savage tiger's baleful energy and life energy instantly rushed into Borg's body, madly destroying all vitality!
Borg's charging motion froze abruptly. The glee and greed on his face solidified, turning into utter astonishment and disbelief. He looked down at the dagger embedded in his throat, then at Silas's empty hand and the suddenly appeared weapon, his eyes filled with immense confusion. He opened his mouth, but only gurgling sounds of air escaping came out.
Thud.
This Second Rank expert,one of the titans of Scale-Split Mine, fell heavily to the ground, the light in his eyes rapidly dimming. Until death, he couldn't understand where that dagger came from.
Silas knelt on one knee, coughing up large mouthfuls of blood, his right arm hanging limply, his left arm a horrific sight. The Law of Life worked frantically, repairing the terrible injuries, but the speed was noticeably slower than at the First Rank. He pulled the dagger out with difficulty, stored away Borg's warhammer (perhaps also a decent spirit weapon), and stumbled toward the remembered cage area.
Finally, in a completely collapsed corner, he found Old Elmer.
The old man's lower body was completely crushed by a huge rock, a sharp stone spike piercing his abdomen, blood staining the earth beneath him. But his eyes were unusually clear. Seeing Silas covered in blood, his left arm twisted, a look of understanding and pity flashed in the old man's cloudy eyes.
"Child... you shouldn't have... come back..." the old man breathed weakly.
Silas said nothing, kneeling beside him, his right hand pressing on the old man's wound, channeling the Law of Life with all his might. The emerald green light shone brighter than ever.
However, the penetrating wound was too severe; his internal organs were already shattered. The life energy could barely delay death but couldn't reverse the process of life force completely draining away. The old man's face continued to gray at a visible rate.
"Useless..." Old Elmer shook his head slightly, his gnarled hand trembling as he raised it to pat Silas's hand, stopping his futile efforts. "This... is fate's arrangement... This old man... has long seen through it..."
He looked at Silas, his eyes holding no fear, only relief and a deep sense of contentment. "Seeing... you... come back... This old man's... meager medical knowledge... finally... wasn't entrusted to the wrong person... It found... a good home..." "Go... quickly... Live on..."
He used his last strength to speak, his words broken, his gaze gradually scattering.
Silas knelt there, clutching the warm bone chip tightly, looking at the old man's peaceful face. His chest was filled with an unprecedented, immense rage and emptiness. He couldn't save him. Power, he needed even greater power!
BOOM! RUMBLE—
Larger collapse sounds came from above.The entire mine was accelerating towards destruction.
Silas jerked upright. He took one last look at the old man, imprinting his appearance in his heart. Then he turned resolutely and, relying on his Earth Sense and faint perception of vitality, fled for his life through the collapsing tunnels towards the surface.
Blood continuously dripped from his broken arm, but new bone and muscle were already painfully reshaping under the influence of the Law of Life. His figure broke through the billowing dust, avoided the final traps, and finally—a blinding natural light met his eyes!
He had burst out of the mine! The cold, free air filled his lungs!
Behind him was the mine entrance, gaping like a giant beast's wound, emitting desperate rumbles. Before him lay an even deeper, more ancient, primal, and ferocious outer forest of the Beast Mountain Range! The trees here were taller, the aura more dangerous, far beyond the fringes he had previously roamed.
Beast roars came from the depths of the forest, carrying heart-shaking pressure.
Silas stood at the edge of the mine, soaked in blood), his left arm healing deformedly, his right hand gripping the blood-stained tiger-fang dagger. He looked back at the underground abyss that had devoured countless lives and witnessed his metamorphosis and pain. There was no more confusion in his eyes, only icy determination and the flame of revenge.
Without the slightest hesitation, his figure flashed, and like a wounded but even more dangerous lone wolf, he completely disappeared into that unknown and dangerous sea of trees.
A new challenge was about to begin.