Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

There was no fluctuation of cultivation on their bodies; they were probably miners who were trapped and died in the mine years ago and had long since lost their minds.

After observing for a while, Li Yuan discovered that they could not stray too far from the cave entrance, as if there was an invisible boundary that confined them within a range of several dozen feet around the cave entrance.

After thinking for a moment, he didn't disturb the vengeful spirits. He turned and ran downwards, and saw Lei Lie leading his men towards them from afar.

"We've found the mine. Don't get entangled with them, charge forward, I'll cover the rear."

Li Yuan swung his sword to block the vengeful spirits behind him, while Lei Lie led his men to accelerate forward. In no time, they broke free of the encirclement. These spirits had no consciousness; they were only attracted by the aura of the living and lost their target once they were far away.

Seeing that everyone had gone far away, Li Yuan forced back the vengeful spirits with a few slashes, and with a few leaps, he had already disappeared into the distance.

"There are quite a few souls of these miners. If we force our way in, we might alert the beings deeper inside the cave." Lei Lie observed for a moment and then whispered to Li Yuan, who had caught up. "Although they don't seem to have any cultivation, this place is truly strange. We can't be careless."

Li Yuan nodded and quickly made arrangements: "Liu Shan, you stay outside the cave to provide backup. If Han Kuo and the others arrive, come in together."

"If the situation inside changes, you don't need to wait for us anymore. Leave the secret realm immediately and return to Taixu Academy to report the news."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shan turned pale. He was also a member of the Taixu Squad. Although he regretted not being able to participate in the operation, he knew the importance of staying behind. He immediately nodded to him and retreated to hide behind a boulder.

"The rest of you, follow me into the cave." Li Yuan gripped the hilt of his knife and took the lead towards the cave entrance.

As Li Yuan crossed that invisible boundary, the miners' souls lingering at the cave entrance immediately sensed his presence, turned their heads in unison, and dozens of empty eyes stared intently at him.

"Hiss!"

The next moment, they let out sharp roars and pounced on Li Yuan.

Li Yuan did not draw his sword, but slowly raised his right hand, and a soft silver starlight shone in his palm.

The starlight was not dazzling; it carried a warm and pure power, as if it could soothe all pain and resentment.

The power of stars he comprehended in the Myriad Realms Palace, though still very weak, had a remarkable effect on low-level vengeful spirits.

"Where the stars point, there lies your path home."

With a wave of his hand, Li Yuan caused the souls of the miners to let out sighs of relief as the starlight reached them, their figures gradually fading and eventually disappearing into the air.

However, a few resentful souls, instead of being purified, were stimulated by the starlight and became even more violent, roaring as they lunged at Li Yuan.

Li Yuan showed no mercy; with a flash of his blade, he shattered the several frenzied souls.

The group quickly passed through the entrance area and entered the mine. As soon as they entered, Lei Lie was stunned.

"What happened? Why is it like this?"

The scene before him was completely different from the last time he came in; it was a completely different place.

The mine entrance is no longer a straight passage, but a huge underground labyrinth. The mine is divided into three levels: upper, middle and lower. Each level has countless branches and forks, crisscrossing like a giant spider web.

The cave walls were covered with marks from chiseling and carving, as well as some strange symbols that looked like some kind of ancient seal.

The air was thick with the stench of decay, mixed with a pungent smell reminiscent of burning metal. Glowing moss grew on the cave ceiling, emitting a faint, eerie green light that barely illuminated the path ahead.

Li Yuan released his spiritual sense to explore the structure of the entire mine, but he quickly frowned.

The spatial fluctuations in this mine are even more chaotic than those in the outside world. Spiritual awareness is blocked by layers of spatial folds, and can only extend to a maximum of ten feet. Beyond that, it disappears without a trace, like a clay ox sinking into the sea.

He couldn't sense the presence of Leng Ningshuang, nor could he sense the presence of any living person. His long-dormant Danger Premonition activated wildly, causing his heart to sink.

Deep within the mine, there emanates an extremely terrifying aura, like a sleeping behemoth lurking in the darkness.

Just then, the nameless sword at his waist suddenly trembled slightly.

"Buzz!"

The nameless sword at his waist suddenly moved. Li Yuan's gaze sharpened. Since the battle of Lock Dragon City, the sword's spirit, Yan Ji, had fallen into a deep sleep, and no matter how he called out to it, there was no response.

But at this moment, he clearly felt Yan Ji's awakening. His breath was still very weak, but that familiar, burning fighting spirit was slowly reviving.

Immediately afterwards, a strong sense of desire emanated from the blade and surged straight into Li Yuan's consciousness.

"Quick! Go inside..."

Yan Ji uttered incoherent murmurs, constantly urging Li Yuan on, growing increasingly restless.

"Don't rush, let's take it slowly."

Li Yuan pressed down on the hilt of the sword, trying to calm the restless spirit within it, while his mind raced with thoughts.

The nameless sword wouldn't react so strongly to ordinary demonic energy; what it craves so much must be some kind of power it desperately needs.

What exactly is hidden deep within this mine?

According to his and Mr. Mo's previous speculation, the awakening of the artifact spirit requires the power of the five elements. Since it had already absorbed the power of wood, fire, and water, the power contained in the mine should be the power of metal.

"This way." Li Yuan chose the direction indicated by the nameless sword, pointing to a fork in the road leading to the upper left. "Let's go this way."

Lei Lie could no longer rely on his experience to lead the way, so he had no choice but to trust Li Yuan.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the mine.

Ji Fanghua withdrew her hand from the cave wall, opened her eyes, and looked exhausted.

"This way." She pointed to an inconspicuous, narrow crack ahead. "Going through this crack will bypass most of the branching paths in the middle level and lead directly to the central area of ​​the mine."

Han Kuo glanced at the crack, barely wide enough for one person to pass sideways, and asked doubtfully, "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Ji Fanghua spoke calmly, yet with an undeniable confidence: "Although the spatial structure of this mine is chaotic, it is not without rules. All the forks and branches eventually point to the same central point."

"As long as we find the flow of space, we can find the shortest path."

Han Kuo was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Lead the way."

Ji Fanghua possesses unparalleled spatial talent, and in this chaotic situation, we have no choice but to trust her.

The group squeezed sideways into the crevice, which was narrow and damp, with slippery moss growing on both sides. Fortunately, they did not encounter any danger.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a wide natural passage suddenly appeared before us.

At the end of the passage, a wide-open space can be vaguely seen.

Just as Ji Fanghua was about to continue forward, she suddenly stopped and frowned.

"What's wrong?" Han Kuo looked around warily and asked.

"For some reason, I vaguely sensed a familiar aura just now," Ji Fanghua said, "but when I tried to sense it more closely, it disappeared."

Han Kuo's heart skipped a beat: "Could it be Li Yuan and his group?"

Ji Fanghua was taken aback, then suddenly realized, "It really does seem to be Senior Brother Li's aura, but why has it disappeared?"

She looked around, sensing the chaotic space around her. "Could they be in another dimension?"

At this point, they were both startled and looked at each other, seeing the same worry in each other's eyes.