Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

"I admit, you have some skills."

Honnarch twisted his neck, and his bones cracked.

"But this is Black Shark's territory."

"Even if you really were from the monastery, if you died in the mine, no one would know who did it."

As soon as he finished speaking, the stone slab beneath his feet suddenly shattered.

Jonathan charged forward swiftly, his thick-backed scimitar slashing upwards towards Siron's abdomen.

Before the blade even reached them, the pungent, salty aura had already torn through the air.

Xilun thrusts his spear downwards.

clang!

The gun barrel clashed with the blade.

Hornach's arm muscles suddenly swelled, and he pushed the Shark Breath technique to its limit, slashing the second blade at Siron's neck.

Xilun dodged to the side, the Thunder Spear sliding along the back of the blade, its tip pointing towards Hornach's brow like a snake's tongue.

Hornach tilted his head to avoid it.

The tip of the gun left a bloody mark on the side of his face.

First move.

Honnarch felt a chill run down his spine and immediately abandoned his close-range attack. His scimitar swirled around the poisonous mist, transforming into three dark red blade shadows.

Xilun stepped out in a semi-circle, causing the gun to bend like flowing water.

The three sword shadows were deflected one after another, striking the ground beside him and leaving deep grooves.

The second move.

The tail of the Xilun spear rammed backward.

Hornach blocked with his elbow, and with a cracking sound, a sharp pain shot through his old right shoulder injury. His face paled slightly, and he involuntarily staggered backward.

Siren did not pursue, but the tip of his gun twitched halfway through, and seven gun shadows instantly enveloped Hornach's chest.

The third move.

Hornach roared, unleashing his full power.

A layer of dark red sharkskin-like phantom covered his entire body, forcefully blocking the first six spear shadows. As the seventh spear shadow landed, golden lightning energy suddenly condensed on the spear tip.

puff!

The sharkskin phantom was pierced by a single shot.

A burst of blood erupted from Hornach's chest.

The fourth move.

"Blood Shark Devour!"

Driven to madness by the excruciating pain, Hornach went completely insane.

He gripped the knife with both hands, his strength coalescing into a blood-red shark with its jaws wide open, lunging towards Xilun along with the blades.

This strike was his strongest move.

The air in the courtyard emitted a piercing wail as broken stones were swept up by the blade and ground into powder in mid-air.

Xilun finally got serious.

Three lightning patterns lit up simultaneously between his eyebrows.

The Great Thunder Breathing Method is activated.

Boom!

Thunder Dragon's heart pounded like a war drum.

A golden thunder eagle soared into the sky from behind Xilun, its wings spread wide, almost covering half of the courtyard.

Lan Ze'er and Lan Po looked up at the same time, their pupils reflecting dazzling lightning.

"Cang Lei".

Xilun thrust out with his spear.

The tip of the spear collided with the phantom of the blood shark.

There were no earth-shattering explosions.

Golden lightning energy condensed into an extremely thin line, piercing through the blood shark's head.

The phantom of the blood shark suddenly froze.

The next moment, fine cracks spread from its head to its entire body.

boom!

The entire blood shark exploded into countless fragments of energy.

The thick-backed scimitar in Hornach's hand also broke in two.

The fifth move.

Siren's figure passed through the shattered blood shark.

The Thunder Spear traced an arc in mid-air, its shaft striking Hornach's right shoulder with a powerful blow.

Crack!

The shoulder bone was completely shattered.

Hornach screamed and flew backward, crashing into the chair behind him and shattering it.

The sixth move.

He struggled to his feet, fear already evident in his eyes.

The gap in strength between myself and my opponent is far greater than I had anticipated.

Honnage believed that even if he encountered a third-tier extreme realm expert, he could use traps and poisons to hold his own for a while.

But in front of Xiren, all his methods were like child's toys.

"stop!"

As he retreated, Jonathan pulled a black iron ball from his waist.

"There's gunpowder buried here!"

"Kill me, and the entire stone fortress will be destroyed. Your mother is in the dungeon too; she won't survive!"

Lan Po's expression changed drastically.

Xilun's steps did not falter in the slightest.

You're lying.

Honnarch's expression froze.

"There is indeed gunpowder buried under the stone fortress, but the fuse is in the western control room."

"What you have is just a smokescreen."

Xilun thrust his spear forward.

Honnarch hurriedly crushed the iron ball.

A large plume of black smoke exploded, instantly obscuring the view.

The seventh move.

Using the black smoke as cover, Hornach turned and fled into the secret passage in the backyard.

But he had only taken three steps when a thunderclap rang in his ears.

Xilun used the Canglang Step, his figure moving like lightning, instantly appearing in front of him.

The gun barrel swung up from below and slammed into Hornach's chin.

Fresh blood mixed with broken teeth spurted out.

Honnarch's body lifted off the ground.

The eighth move.

Xilun reached out and grabbed his ankle, slamming him to the ground like a tattered sack.

boom!

The stone slabs on the ground are sunken.

Hornach suffered several broken bones throughout his body, and his strength was almost completely depleted.

The ninth move.

Xilun loosened his grip and took half a step back.

He spun the Thunder Spear in his palm, tip pointing downwards, and precisely pierced Honnach's heart, pinning him to the ground.

The tenth move.

Thunderous energy surged in along the tip of the spear.

Honnarch's body convulsed violently, and the last bit of life within him was completely destroyed.

His eyes were wide open, staring intently at Xilun.

"How... is this possible..."

Honnage never understood it until his death.

Why does this young man, who looks no more than twenty years old, possess such terrifying strength?

He had been operating the Black Shark Pirate Gang for many years, possessing a robust physique, masterful swordsmanship, and the aid of poison gas and stone fortress mechanisms.

Among the surrounding mines, he could already be considered a powerful figure.

But Xiren only used ten moves.

From the first move to the tenth move, he had no chance to resist.

Xilun drew his spear.

Honnage's body lay limp in a pool of blood, his eyes still open.

Xilun glanced at the corpse and silently made a calculation in his mind.

"Physical strength is perfect, but physical strength is less than 20% refined."

"His overall strength is roughly equivalent to that of the 40th or 50th disciple in the inner academy."

For him now, the gap between opponents of this caliber and his current level is simply too large.

If it weren't for the need to avoid aggravating the black energy in his right arm, he wouldn't even need ten moves.

The courtyard was completely quiet.

The surviving pirates stared at Hornach's corpse, their faces devoid of any ferocity, only pale and fear remaining.

Some people quietly backed away.

Xilun raised his spear, the tip of which crackled with lightning.

The man immediately knelt down on the ground.

"Don't kill me!"

As if on cue, the remaining pirates threw down their weapons and knelt down in a row.

"Don't kill us!"

"Honnage forced us to do it!"

"We're willing to release them!"

Xilun ignored their explanations.

"Mother!"

Lan Po snapped out of his daze and immediately grabbed a pirate to ask him about the location of the dungeon.

Lanzer disregarded Honnarch's belongings and followed his sister to the eastern mining area.

Xilun watched their retreating figures without stopping them.

He turned to look at the pirate kneeling on the ground.

"Stand up."

Everyone stood up tremblingly.

"Take me to the warehouse."

One of the pirates did not hesitate and immediately led the way.

The Stone Castle warehouse is located on the second basement level, with its entrance hidden behind the fireplace in Hornach's bedroom.

In addition to the heavy iron gate, there were also poison needles and oil traps inside.

However, under the leadership of the pirates who knew the location of the mechanisms, these arrangements were completely ineffective.

The iron gate opened.

A smell that was a mixture of metal, medicine and leather wafted over.

In the center of the warehouse, three huge iron and wooden crates were neatly arranged.

Xilun's eyes flickered slightly.

The information provided by Lan Po was indeed correct.

The first iron and wooden box was filled with gold notes, pounds sterling, and various precious metals.

The second box contained potions and extraordinary materials, most of which were only first or second tier, but the quantity was extremely large.

The third box contained account books, land deeds, ores, and several weapons of good quality.

Sirion had the pirates count all the gold notes and pounds.

The group worked for a full half hour.

"A total of... a total of three thousand one hundred and seventy-two pounds."

The pirate in charge of the inventory trembled.

Xilun stared at the half-full box of gold notes and fell silent for a moment, a rare occurrence for him.

"So many?"

Three thousand pounds is enough for an ordinary family to live comfortably for generations.

Even for a third-tier extraordinary individual, this is a considerable sum of money.

And this does not include mining contracts, materials, and weapons.

Hornach has clearly plundered a great deal from the seven villages and the miners over the years.

Xilun sorted out the gold notes and put them into a waterproof leather bag he found in the warehouse. He also picked out a few bottles of Tier 3 potions and some high-value materials.

As for the remaining valuables, he did not take them all.

It wasn't out of kindness, but because those things were too bulky and inconvenient to carry.

"Call everyone from the stone fortress here."

"That's what Siron said to the pirates."

A moment later, more than thirty pirates were gathered in the courtyard.

Among them were ordinary people, as well as first and second-tier extraordinary individuals.

Several who tried to escape were captured by other pirates. After all, with Honnaki dead, none of them wanted to incur Siron's wrath because of someone else's escape.

Xilun stood on the steps, his Thunder Spear pointing diagonally at the ground.

"From this moment forward, the White Sand Mine no longer belongs to the Black Shark Pirate Crew."

The pirates looked at each other in bewilderment.

A second-tier pirate mustered his courage and said, "But Commander Black Shark is a fourth-tier powerhouse. Lord Honach is dead, he will definitely come..."

A flash of lightning appeared at the tip of the spear.

A bottomless hole appeared in the ground.

The man swallowed back what he was about to say.

"If he comes, tell him to go to the Holy Light Monastery to find me."

"That's what Xilun said calmly."

"Tell him that I killed the man and that I took the money."

The pirates' expressions changed.

By this time, they finally believed that Xilun might indeed be an inner disciple of the Holy Light Monastery.

Otherwise, a normal person would never dare to voluntarily leave their name and whereabouts.

"Next, release all the miners."

"Close the underwater mine, open the granary, and distribute the food to the villagers."

"Anyone who dares to take advantage of the chaos to loot or harm any villagers will be killed."

No one dared to object.

The order quickly spread throughout the mining area.

One heavy iron gate after another opened.

Miners wearing shackles emerged from the shacks and underground passages. Faced with their sudden freedom, many dared not even step out of their doors.

They didn't realize it was real until the pirates broke their chains themselves.

The sound of crying gradually rose in the mining area.

Some people knelt on the ground, some hugged their loved ones, and some rushed into the granary, grabbed black bread and wolfed it down.

As the sun began to set, the Blue Soul sisters finally returned.

Among them was a frail old woman being helped.

The old woman had gray hair, deeply sunken cheeks, and wore a tattered cotton coat covered in mineral dust. She would cough violently every few steps, with dark red bloodstains remaining on her lips.

Lan Po cried so hard he could barely speak.

Lanzer's eyes were also red, but she forced herself not to shed a tear.

The old woman saw the villagers whose chains had been broken, and then she saw Honnarch's body in the yard. She looked as if she were in a dream.

Lan Po helped her to Xi Lun's side.

"Mother, he's the one who saved you."

The old woman trembled as she tried to kneel down.

Xilun reached out and supported her arm.

"No need."

He took out a bottle of third-tier healing potion he found in the warehouse and handed it to Lan Po.

"Take it in three doses, don't drink it all at once. Her lungs and internal organs have been eroded by mineral dust for too long, and they need to be recuperated slowly."

Lan Po held the medicine, tears falling again.

"Thanks."

Besides those two words, she didn't know what else to say.

Celen did not mention the three hundred pounds.

For him, the money he obtained from the Hornach warehouse far exceeded the value of the medicine.

But when Lan Po took out those three potions, he had no idea whether he would receive any reward.

This sentiment has nothing to do with how much money you ultimately receive.

After settling his mother in, Lanzel went to Xiren's side.

She remained silent for a long time before whispering, "I'm sorry about what happened before."

Xilun was looking through the mine's ledgers when he heard this and looked up.

Which one?

Lan Ze'er's expression stiffened slightly.

"Take your medicine, steal your gun, and... don't believe your warnings."

"It's over."

Siron closed the ledger.

He has no interest in dwelling on things that have already been resolved.

"Where's the convoy?"

Lanzer's eyes dimmed.

"Almost gone."

"Can it be rebuilt?"

"If you have a car, people, and money, you can get anything."

Lanzer looked at the railway tracks outside the mining area, his eyes gradually regaining their sharpness.

"But the losses this time are too great. The surviving guards may not be willing to continue with me, and there are only three steam wagons left. It will take at least six months, or even a year."

Siron took five hundred pounds of gold notes from his leather bag and handed them to her.

"Rebuild the convoy."

Lanzer didn't take it, frowning as he said, "This is Honnaught's money."

"It's mine now."

"I don't need that much."

"you need to."

Xilun placed the gold note in her hand.

"I need to borrow your car to go to a nearby town."

Lanzer looked down at the gold notes, his expression complex.

"This money is enough to buy a dozen or so used cars."

"The rest will be the cost of your sister's medicine."

Xilun turned and walked out of the courtyard.

"Take me to town."

He questioned the pirates in the stone fortress.

There is a fairly large car dealership in Hongfeng Town, which is the closest town to Baisha Mine.

There you can rent a light express car pulled by four exotic horses.

The hybrid horse possesses some of the bloodline of the Windrider, and its endurance and speed are far superior to those of ordinary horses.

As long as you travel along the official road day and night without stopping, the time required to reach Star Ring City will be greatly reduced.

The rental price is not expensive.

Just three pounds a day.

Compared to steam-powered vehicles, the exotic carriages could not carry large quantities of goods, but they were best suited for Siren, who was in a hurry to return to the monastery.

The Blackwater Abyss has been closed for several days.

He's been missing for so long, Swain, Elena, and the monastery's higher-ups must be getting impatient.

Moreover, the seal on the Eight-Armed Evil God is loosening, the Lord of Storms is obsessed, and the path to divine power after the fourth rank—none of these matters can be delayed any longer.

That night, Lanzel drove a light steam wagon selected from the mining area to take Xilun to Red Maple Town.

Lan Po originally wanted to stay and take care of her mother, but the old woman insisted that she go with her.

"Mr. Celen saved our family."

The old woman coughed and said, "You should see him off."

So the three of them set off again.

When the steam train drove out of Baisha Village, the village entrance was crowded with people.

The newly released miners changed into clothes from the warehouse, held food in their hands, and silently bowed to the three men.

Lan Po sat in the back of the car, looking at the village and his mother getting further and further away. His eyes were red, but he was no longer as desperate as when he came.

At least this time, she knew she would come back.

Hours later, the lights of Red Maple Town appeared in the night.