Slaying demons and eliminating evil, a martial saint among mortals.

Qin Lie's spirits lifted immediately when he heard Gu Qianji say that he had found it.

He slapped away the demonic wolf that lunged at him with his sword, and quickly asked, "You've finally found it. Now, how do we break this formation?"

Gu Qianji pointed to the constantly vibrating black stone pillar in the distance.

"That black stone pillar is indeed the key to the formation, but it's only the visible key."

"It can control part of the formation's operation, but if we cut it off now, the entire ley line will lose control."

"The mine will collapse on its own without any monsters needing to do anything."

Qin Lie frowned after hearing this.

"Where is the true core of the formation?"

"Still looking."

"Didn't you just say you found it?"

Gu Qianji glared at him, annoyed.

"If you can do it, then do it. If you can't, then shut up and stop interfering with my train of thought."

After he finished speaking, his gaze returned to the array plate.

"Before we can completely break the formation, we need to release some of the demonic energy from the earth's veins."

As Gu Qianji finished speaking, he suddenly turned to look at Zhao Tieshan.

"Is there any other exit from this mine?"

Zhao Tieshan thought about it carefully.

There is only one exit.

"However, the miners used to dig a drainage ditch down there, which led all the way to the other side of the back mountain."

"Later, the mine collapsed several times, and the drainage ditch was also blocked."

Gu Qianji's eyes lit up immediately after hearing this.

Where is the drainage ditch?

Zhao Tieshan raised his hand and pointed to a stone wall on the left.

"It's right behind there, but if you go there from here, you have to go through a long mine tunnel, and that road has long since collapsed."

Gu Qianji waved his hand to interrupt.

"Stop with the nonsense, just tell me if we can get through now."

Zhao Tieshan stared at the stone wall for a while, then slowly nodded.

"I can get there."

Qin Lie had just blocked an attack from a demonic leopard when he heard this and immediately turned around.

"If it's possible to get through, then I'll go, you stay here."

Zhao Tieshan shook his head.

"Let's forget it. You're more useful here than I am, and you wouldn't be able to find the place anyway. It's more suitable for me to go. I went there once with my master before."

Qin Lie frowned.

"What I'm worried about is your leg. How will you get out after it goes in?"

Zhao Tieshan gripped the machete tightly in his hand.

"Let's find a way in first, open the drainage ditch, and let the demonic energy out. As for whether we can get out, we'll see then."

Gu Qianji interrupted their argument.

"Alright, let him go."

He took out three array stones from his pocket; each of the three array stones was a different color.

One piece was crimson, another was snow-white, and yet another was pitch black.

Gu Qianji quickly stuffed the array stone into Zhao Tieshan's hand.

"Once you're inside, don't dig randomly. There should be array patterns near the drainage ditch as well. Once you get there, place the array stones in the positions I've indicated, and the array will naturally clear the blockage, allowing the demonic energy to dissipate."

"Put the red piece on the left, the black piece in the middle, and the white piece on the right. Please don't get the order wrong."

Zhao Tieshan nodded earnestly.

"I've got it."

Gu Qianji thought for a moment, then picked up another array stone from the ground and handed it over.

"Take this one with you too. After the three array stones are in place, crush this one. I'll sense it and know that your side is successful."

Zhao Tieshan took the array stone, carefully put it away, and then turned and ran towards the stone wall on the left.

After running a few steps, he suddenly stopped and looked back at Qin Lie and the others.

"My lords."

"If I hadn't come back..."

"Please help me clean the room behind Qing Shi Post Station."

The mine suddenly fell silent for a moment.

Qin Lie could naturally tell that Zhao Tieshan was giving his final instructions.

He kicked away the wolf that pounced at him, his tone somewhat impatient.

"Cleaning is your own responsibility. We don't have time to do it for you. You'd better come back alive and do it yourself."

Zhao Tieshan was visibly taken aback for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face.

"Okay, then I'll try my best to come back alive."

After saying that, he didn't hesitate any longer and crawled into a narrow crack next to the stone wall.

Before long, the figure disappeared completely into the darkness.

Qin Lie watched Zhao Tieshan's figure disappear into the crevice, feeling somewhat uneasy.

However, he quickly looked away, as the situation before him left him no room for distraction.

The light barrier blocking their path trembled under the impact of the monsters, and more and more cracks appeared on its surface.

The array stones that Gu Qianji had previously set up were gradually losing their luster and were about to completely exhaust their power.

"I can't hold on much longer."

Xu Qinghe's voice came from behind.

Qin Lie glanced back and saw that the Soul Sealing Book was already entangled by a dense mass of grayish-white demonic souls.

The demonic souls struggled incessantly, causing the pages of the book to tremble violently. Several gray-white chains were taut and could break at any moment.

Although Qin Lie had tried his best to control his strength, quite a few demons had still died at his hands in the battle so far.

"If we can't hold on, let's release some of them first; it shouldn't affect the overall situation."

Xu Qinghe gently shook her head.

"I can still hold on. If I release the demon souls, they will be immediately sucked into that stone pillar, and the formation will only get stronger, making our situation even more dangerous. I'll hold on a little longer."

Qin Lie did not continue to persuade Su Qinghe, because in the short time he was speaking, the light barrier in front of them finally gave way and shattered completely with a crisp sound.

Several demonic creatures pounced almost simultaneously, their sharp fangs and claws aimed at Qin Lie.

Qin Lie shouted loudly, and the Zhenyue Heavenly Skill was fully activated. His blood and qi surged wildly, constantly converging towards his legs and waist.

Faced with these monsters, he no longer cared about any moves; fists, shoulders, elbows, knees—anywhere he could exert force became his weapon.

Every monster that rushed close was slammed hard on the head by him, instantly losing consciousness.

But there were just too many monsters.

A leopard demon suddenly pounced from the side and bit Qin Lie's left arm tightly.

Qin Lie tried to shake him off twice but failed. His face darkened, and he raised his knee and rammed him three times in succession.

The final blow slammed into the leopard demon's chin, and with a crack, the leopard demon's jaw shattered on the spot, and it screamed as it released its mouth.

Qin Lie shook off the leopard demon, his left arm already stained red with blood, several deep teeth marks constantly oozing blood.

Xu Qinghe also witnessed this scene.

She flipped through the Soul Sealing Book faster and faster, and low roars echoed from between the pages as more than a dozen demon souls were forcibly suppressed inside.

Several gray-white chains were already covered with cracks and looked like they were about to break completely.

Xu Qinghe raised her hand and gently touched her brow. A drop of blood slowly flew out and was pressed into the Soul Sealing Book.

As the essence and blood merged, the chains that were on the verge of breaking stabilized again, but her face also paled noticeably.

Upon seeing this, Qin Lie immediately called out to Gu Qianji.

"Xu Qinghe has already started using her own life essence. If you don't hurry, we're really going to die here today!"

Gu Qianji didn't even raise his head, his hands still constantly manipulating the array stones, his eyes fixed on the array plate in front of him.

"I'm already doing my best, can you please stop rushing me?"

Qin Lie punched the wolf demon that pounced on him, then retorted irritably.

"You've said 'fast' three times now, which one was true?"

Gu Qianji finally raised her head and glared at him.

"This time it's definitely for real."

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly lay down on the ground, pressed his ear tightly against the stone surface, and listened motionless for several breaths.

Soon, the expression on his face turned to surprise, and he suddenly looked up at the stone wall on the left.

"I heard it! There's movement from Zhao Tieshan's side; he's already arrived!"

Almost at the same moment Gu Qianji finished speaking, the entire underground space suddenly shook.

A muffled thud came from behind the stone wall on the left, followed by a dense demonic aura being forcibly drawn out along the underground array patterns.

The dark red array patterns that originally covered the entire mine cave dimmed considerably, and even the constantly vibrating black stone pillar showed a noticeable decrease in the amplitude of its vibrations.

Gu Qianji suddenly stood up, and a smile finally appeared on his face.

"It's done!"

Qin Lie kicked away the monster that pounced on him, taking the opportunity to catch his breath.

"Is it time for us to leave?"

Gu Qianji immediately shook his head.

"Not yet, the true core of the formation hasn't been found. As long as the core remains, this killing formation can be restarted at any time."

After saying that, he rushed to the spot where the man in black had self-destructed.

The array stones that had been placed earlier were now all lit up, with beams of light connecting with each other and finally converging on the area below the black-robed man's chest.

Gu Qianji kicked away all the pieces of meat on the ground, revealing a black array plate about the size of a palm underneath.

The array plate was deeply embedded in the ground, its surface densely covered with dark red array patterns, constantly emitting an eerie light.

Gu Qianji squatted down and took a closer look, a knowing look appearing on his face.

"That bastard really hid the real array plate here. That black stone pillar was just used to attract demonic energy; this array plate is what truly controls the entire killing array."

After hearing Gu Qianji's words, Qin Lie immediately urged him on.

"Then hurry up and break the formation! What are you dawdling for?"

Gu Qianji looked up at him, her hands still resting on the array plate.

"I can't break this; it takes brute force to destroy it. You look like someone who's all brawn and no brains, so hurry up and come here."

Qin Lie glanced back at what was ahead.

The monsters kept rushing towards them. If he took even a step back, Xu Qinghe and Gu Qianji would be immediately exposed to them.

"If I leave, who will stop these monsters?"

Gu Qianji took out a few array stones from his pocket and threw them forward.

After the array stones landed, they quickly lit up, and a new light screen slowly rose, temporarily blocking the few demons rushing to the front.

"I'll hold you off for ten breaths. If you haven't shattered the array plate within ten breaths, we'll all die here together."

Qin Lie saw the light screen rise and didn't waste any more words.

He swung his sword to force back the demon at the front, then turned and charged toward Gu Qianji.

The demons behind them crashed into the light barrier one after another, with dull thuds echoing continuously, and the light from several array stones dimmed rapidly.

Gu Qianji placed his hands on either side of the array plate and looked up at Qin Lie.

"This is it. In a moment, use all your strength. As soon as the core array pattern is revealed, strike it down. You only have one chance, so don't miss."

Qin Lie stood in front of the black array plate and gripped the Snow-Shattering Blade tightly with both hands again.

He activated the Zhenyue Heavenly Skill at full power once again, channeling all the remaining blood and energy in his body towards his arms.

After fighting for so long, his hands were starting to tremble slightly, and the wound on his left arm was still bleeding.

But we can't worry about that right now.

Gu Qianji suddenly turned around and looked at Xu Qinghe.

"Little Xu, release two demon souls, quick!"

Xu Qinghe immediately understood what he meant.

The Soul Sealing Book opened rapidly, and two grayish-white demonic souls flew out from the pages.

As soon as they appeared, the black stone pillars emitted a strong suction force, pulling the two demon souls directly towards them.

As the demon soul was absorbed by the stone pillar, the array patterns that had dimmed lit up again.

The black array plate also changed accordingly.

Dark red lines moved outwards, and the core array pattern, which was originally hidden deep inside, was finally revealed.

Gu Qianji raised his hand and pointed to the center of the array plate.

"Cut it here!"

Qin Lie had already made preparations.

As soon as Gu Qianji finished speaking, the Shattered Snow Blade in his hand slashed down heavily.

A snap.

The blade struck the center of the array plate, and a clear crack immediately appeared on the surface of the black array plate.

Without pausing, Qin Lie exerted force with both arms again, and the second slash followed immediately.

Another crisp sound.

The black array disc shattered completely.

The array patterns that covered the entire underground space went out at the same time, and the black stone pillar that had been shaking violently also fell silent at this moment.

The monsters that had lost their minds all stopped in their tracks.

The demons swayed a few times, and the dark red light in their eyes began to fade slowly.

They stood there bewildered for a moment, but once they sensed Qin Lie's martial arts aura again, they immediately turned and fled into the depths of the mine.

Before long, the surroundings became quiet again.

Qin Lie braced himself on his knees, panting heavily for a few moments before looking up at Gu Qianji once his breathing had calmed down a bit.

"Old Gu, I'm not trying to be mean, but you're supposed to be a master of formations, yet you're taking way too long to break this formation? And after all that work, why do I still have to do it myself in the end?"

Gu Qianji had just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this, and his beard almost stood on end in anger.

"It's only because I'm here today. If you had tried to replace any other array master, they would have been stuffed into a monster's belly by now, and wouldn't have the strength to stand here and make sarcastic remarks."

Qin Lie curled his lip.

"Keep bragging."

He had just finished speaking when he suddenly remembered something and turned to look at the crack on his left.

"Why hasn't Zhao Tieshan returned yet? Could something have really happened to him?"

Qin Lie didn't even bother to rest. He pulled out the Snow Shard Blade stuck in the ground and rushed towards the crack.

Just as I got closer, a violent coughing sound suddenly came from inside, followed by a muddy hand reaching out from the crack.

Qin Lie grabbed that hand and pulled it outwards forcefully.

Zhao Tieshan tumbled out of the crevice, his clothes were mostly torn, his face and hair were covered in mud, and his left leg was still trembling.

Even at this moment, his right hand was still tightly gripping the array stone that Gu Qianji had given him.

Qin Lie glanced down at him.

"How are you? Are you alright? Also, shouldn't you have crushed that array stone in your hand?"

Zhao Tieshan coughed several times while lying on the ground, and it took him a while to finally lift his head.

"I thought the array stones the adults gave me must be quite precious, so I couldn't bear to use them. I took a machete and smashed the wall inside a few times; I think the adults should be able to hear it."

After Gu Qianji walked over, he stared at the array stone in Zhao Tieshan's hand for a long time, his face full of disappointment.

"Tell me, I really don't know what to say. Is your life worth less than a single stone?"

Zhao Tieshan grinned, revealing a somewhat awkward smile.

"My life may not be worth much, but it's always been quite resilient. Sir, has the formation been broken?"

Qin Lie reached out and pulled him up from the ground.

"It's already broken. Can you still walk?"

Zhao Tieshan tried to move his left leg, but as soon as he took a step forward, his body uncontrollably fell to the side.

Qin Lie quickly reached out to support him, then turned around and carried Zhao Tieshan on his back.

"Alright, stop being stubborn. You're definitely not going to make it out like this. Let me carry you."

Just as Zhao Tieshan was about to refuse, Qin Lie continued speaking.

"Also, talk less. I'm exhausted right now. If you say another word to me, I'll have to expend more energy. If I don't have the strength to carry you out later, you'll have to stay here with the miners."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tieshan immediately stopped struggling.

He lay obediently on Qin Lie's back, without saying another word.

Just as the group was about to leave, Gu Qianji suddenly turned around and returned to the spot where the black-robed man had self-destructed.

He squatted down and began searching through the bits of flesh and black blood, his sleeves quickly becoming stained with blood.

Qin Lie stood beside Zhao Tieshan with his back to him, his brows furrowed as he watched.

"Old Gu, aren't you disgusted? What are you rummaging through that pile of stuff for?"

Gu Qianji ignored him and, after rummaging through the shredded meat a few more times, finally pulled out a small bronze plaque from under the pieces of meat.

He held up the bronze medal and waved it in front of Qin Lie.

"Looking for this."

Qin Lie glanced at it.

The bronze plaque was only the size of two fingers, with several winding lines engraved on its surface, none of which he could understand.

"What is this?"

Gu Qianji wiped away the black blood with his sleeve and looked down at it carefully for a few moments.

"A communication plaque. When the killing formation was activated, it should have been using this plaque to send out messages. Although we don't yet know the specific content of the message, one thing is certain: the other side already knows that we have arrived at Qing Shi Yi."

Just as Qin Lie was about to speak, a noticeable tremor suddenly came from the ground behind him.

Immediately afterwards, loose rocks began to fall from above, and the surrounding rock walls echoed with dull thuds.

After Zhao Tieshan opened the drainage ditch, although he took away a large amount of demonic energy, he also damaged the already unstable structure of the mine.

Qin Lie looked up and his expression immediately changed.

"Alright, alright, let's talk about this outside. This place is about to collapse, let's get out of here!"

Gu Qianji put the communication card into his pocket, turned around and rushed to the front.

As he ran out, he kept throwing array stones forward. Each array stone that landed would create a brief light barrier, temporarily stabilizing the mine tunnel that was about to collapse.

Xu Qinghe followed closely behind Gu Qianji.

Qin Lie carried Zhao Tieshan on his back and walked at the very back, not daring to stop for a moment.

The rumbling behind him grew closer, and pebbles kept falling from above, several of them grazing his shoulder and hitting the ground.

The group rushed out of the mine and ran for several dozen steps.

Not long after they left the cave entrance, a series of booming sounds suddenly came from behind them.

The entire opening collapsed completely, and a large amount of dust poured out, quickly covering the surrounding ground.

Qin Lie then stopped and carefully placed Zhao Tieshan on the ground.

Gu Qianji stood to the side, panting heavily for a few moments. After catching his breath, he looked back at the cave entrance, which had been completely sealed off by rubble.

"This mine was already abandoned, and now it's completely unusable."

Zhao Tieshan sat on the ground, staring at the completely collapsed mine shaft, and remained silent for a long time.

His eyes were somewhat unfocused, as if he had remembered something unpleasant.

Qin Lie looked at him for a while, then raised his hand and gently patted him on the shoulder.

"What's wrong?"

Zhao Tieshan then came to his senses.

He stared at the hole blocked by rubble, his voice much lower.

"I think I experienced something similar six years ago."

Qin Lie frowned slightly upon hearing this.

Zhao Tieshan raised his hand and touched the half of his face that had been destroyed, his fingers lingering on the uneven scars for a long time.

"My lords, could the monster attack six years ago also be related to this formation?"

Qin Lie immediately felt a surge of curiosity.

"What exactly happened six years ago?"

Zhao Tieshan remained silent for a while before slowly speaking.

"There used to be more than just me at Qing Shi Post Station. There were seventeen people in total, including the postmaster, the groom, the cook, and myself. One night six years ago, many monsters suddenly rushed out of the back mountain."

As he said this, his hands unconsciously clenched the clothes on his knees.

"Those monsters were similar to the ones we encountered earlier; their eyes were all red, and they would bite anyone they saw. Everyone in Qing Shi Post Station died; I was the only one who barely survived because I was trapped under a collapsed roof beam."

The surroundings suddenly became quiet.

Gu Qianji, who was still examining the communication card in his hand, frowned slowly after hearing these words.

"Was there any tremor in the back mountain before or after those monsters appeared?"

Zhao Tieshan thought about it carefully for a moment and then nodded quickly.

"Yes. There was a tremor that night, and the mine entrance collapsed the next morning."

Gu Qianji did not speak immediately.

He lowered his head and thought for a moment, then his gaze returned to the collapsed mine shaft.

"That must have been their first time testing the formation. At that time, the formation wasn't fully set up yet; they just wanted to see if they could lure the nearby monsters over."

Gu Qianji paused for a moment, and his tone became a bit more serious.

"Qingshi Post Station is the closest to here, so you just happened to become their target for testing the formation."

After hearing this, Zhao Tieshan froze on the spot.

He didn't say a word, but his hands, hanging by his sides, clenched tightly, and his knuckles quickly turned white.