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Chapter 68: Chasing
After a deafening roar that made everyone's ears buzz, the overhead stone wall collapsed, and countless rocks and soil poured down, completely blocking the path Fang Tong had just cleared for Meng Zhang.
A thick cloud of dust filled the entire passage, and before the shockwaves of the explosion had dissipated, Meng Zhang couldn't wait to observe the extent of the damage caused by the blast. He immediately turned around and sprinted back along the same tunnel. Fang Yong hesitated for a moment but quickly followed, closely chasing after Meng Zhang.
Meng Zhang's decisiveness surprised the members of the Zhao Family. The two elders of the Zhao Family exchanged glances, feeling somewhat caught off guard.
The unfamiliar cultivator nearby also became vigilant. They immediately assumed defensive postures, facing the Zhao Family members, and slowly retreated along the same passage.
"We saw nothing. Your grudges have nothing to do with us," one of the unfamiliar cultivators stated with a defensive tone, realizing the danger they were in.
Seeing the other side adopting such a guarded stance, the two elders of the Zhao Family knew that they had missed their chance for a surprise attack.
The group of unfamiliar cultivators gradually disappeared from view as they retreated. One of the Zhao Family cultivators behind them regretfully said, "What a pity, we actually let that Taiyi Sect kid escape."
"It's too early to say that now," Zhao Renlong said in a gloomy tone. The two elders of the Zhao Family worked together and quickly cleared the collapsed passage, leading several other Zhao Family cultivators to pursue Meng Zhang.
Meng Zhang led Fang Yong through numerous twists and turns in the tunnel, passing through several openings and changing several passages before finally stopping.
Meng Zhang looked at Fang Yong without saying a word, his face expressionless.
Feeling guilty, Fang Yong avoided Meng Zhang's gaze and turned his head elsewhere.
"All along the way, you left marks, right?" Meng Zhang's tone was very certain.
Fang Yong looked at Meng Zhang with a frightened look, clearly unaware that his secretive actions had been noticed.
Meng Zhang made a quick move, and Fang Yong, who couldn't react in time, was immediately restrained and unable to move.
When Fang Yong had been running behind Meng Zhang, he had been leaving true qi imprints all along the way to guide the other Zhao Family cultivators.
Meng Zhang, who had noticed all of this, felt the urge to kill, but he did not speak out or stop Fang Yong's actions.
It was only now, at this moment, that Meng Zhang finally made his move.
Regarding this foolish undercover agent, Meng Zhang couldn't be bothered to say much. Fang Yong had been discovered long ago, and his survival until now was only for this moment.
Up ahead in the passage, a large group of sand monsters, including some soldier-level ones, were rushing toward them. Behind them, the pursuing Zhao Family cultivators were likely close.
Meng Zhang had already used the Deception Breaking Eye to clearly see the terrain and the distribution of the sand monsters around him.
He first threw several talismans onto the ground behind him, then used the Earth Escape Spell to dive into the layer of earth and stone below.
Just as Meng Zhang's figure disappeared, the Zhao Family disciples tracking him arrived at the scene.
Seeing the approaching sand monsters, they tore Fang Yong, who was lying on the ground, into pieces. The two Zhao Family elders immediately took action and blocked the incoming sand monsters.
"Retreat quickly, don't linger in battle!" Zhao Renlong shouted in a loud voice.
Entangling with the sand monsters had no meaning, and the Zhao Family elders made the right decision.
As several Zhao Family disciples behind them were preparing to retreat, several loud noises suddenly erupted from the ground. A few fire pillars burst forth, causing them to fall into chaos immediately.
Delayed-trigger fire pillar talismans were simple tools commonly used by cultivators to set up traps.
This simple trap prevented the Zhao Family cultivators from escaping in time. The swarming sand monsters engulfed them, and the Zhao Family elders had no choice but to lead their people into a bitter battle.
Knowing that there were sand monsters in the nest with abilities similar to the Earth Escape Spell, Meng Zhang didn't dare to stay underground for too long. Leaving the previous tunnel, he entered a new passage and willingly gave up his Earth Escape state.
Meng Zhang was fortunate that right after leaving the Earth Escape state, a shadow came chasing after him underground.
Meng Zhang's Deception Breaking Eye immediately spotted the target, and he didn't hesitate to use the earthshaking technique on the ground.
The simplest and most effective way to interrupt the Earth Escape Spell was to use the earthshaking technique against the ground.
Unless the opponent had a high level of mastery in the Earth Escape Spell, it would be difficult to evade the interference of the earthshaking technique.
The ground undulated like waves, and the soil beneath started to vibrate, temporarily trapping the sand monster that had been traveling underground.
Meng Zhang didn't dare to stay here any longer and immediately used the Divine Movement Art to escape far away.
Meng Zhang darted through the passage, trying his best to avoid the sand monsters and ill-intentioned cultivators.
In the chaotic underground passage, there were not only battles between sand monsters and human cultivators but also internal conflicts among human cultivators. Some audacious individuals launched sneak attacks, killing others to seize treasures and settle their grievances. The number of cultivators taking advantage of the situation to strike had increased.
Meng Zhang cursed in his heart. Those five Foundation Building cultivators from Taiyi Sect were too focused on seizing the treasures from the sand monster nest, completely disregarding the Refining Qi cultivators under their command, resulting in such chaos.
Who knew how many human cultivators would be injured or killed after this melee.
In Meng Zhang's heart, he could only hope that his senior, Tian Zhen, would survive amidst the chaos.
Unintentionally, Meng Zhang turned into a relatively narrow passage.
"Senior Xiao," a familiar figure appeared in his sight, causing Meng Zhang to call out involuntarily.
It was Xiao Shenqiang, the Foundation Building elder from Twin Success Valley, sitting there cross-legged, right in front of him.
"So, it's little Meng," Xiao Shenqiang smiled kindly.
As the elder responsible for external affairs in Twin Success Valley, he remembered the main figures of their subordinate vassal forces. Moreover, Meng Zhang was the one who had first discovered the sand monster nest.
"Senior Xiao, why are you here alone? Where is Senior Dan?" Meng Zhang asked with apparent concern.
Xiao Shenqiang's face turned ashen, and a large hole appeared in his chest, with half of his body soaked in blood, making it clear that he was seriously injured.
"I can't hold on much longer, there are a few things I need to explain. Could you come closer and pass a few words to the Valley Master for me?" Xiao Shenqiang's tone was gentle but showed signs of fatigue.
He took out a storage bag tied to his waist with his right hand.
"Meng, if you help me with this favor, the contents of this bag will be your reward," Xiao Shenqiang said, and the storage bag contained all of his possessions, including a Lesser Foundation Building Pill.
Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Shenqiang started to cough violently, as if he was about to cough up his lungs
.
Blood kept spraying out of his mouth, and he could no longer hold the storage bag properly, dropping it to the ground.
The storage bag rolled a few times on the ground and happened to stop in front of Meng Zhang. All he had to do was step forward and bend down to easily pick up the storage bag.
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