Under the night sky, towering mountains stood tall, and many people had gathered in the dense forest, creating a bit of noise.
The newcomers from various villages were very angry. Entering the mountains today was bound to be dangerous, and once they stepped into the special area, their lives would be uncertain.
"What's all this noise? I dare anyone to speak out of turn!" A Golden Rooster Knight appeared, his expression cold as he scanned everyone with a frigid gaze.
The Golden Rooster he rode was fierce and let out a loud crowing sound.
The knight scolded, "You better behave! You're just here to explore a mine, there's no need for all this chatter. Shut your mouths and do as you're told!"
The newcomers from the villages dared not voice their anger. If it weren't for their families, they would have wanted to fight back, as his words were far from human. Even ordinary people knew that in the special area, the light would severely harm their bodies.
"Let's go. I’ll say this upfront: anyone who causes trouble will face my wrath!" the Golden Rooster Knight threatened.
Beside him was a large group of people, all newcomers from Golden Rooster Ridge, watching over the others like guards.
They moved in silence and arrived at the entrance of a great canyon, where some villagers were waiting. They had been brought here by the Three-Eyed Sect, proving that the two local groups had indeed collaborated.
The canyon was vast, with cracks everywhere and piles of rocks in some places. The vegetation was sparse, with stone forests and ravines coexisting.
Rarely did any creatures appear here, as one misstep could lead to a fall into the cracks.
Golden Rooster Ridge and the Three-Eyed Sect had brought a large number of people, who had been waiting here for a long time without going to explore the mines themselves.
"Hey?" In the canyon, another Golden Rooster Knight spotted Qin Ming, his eyes flashing with a cold light.
He had previously gone to Old Liu's house to forcibly buy some bright red grass, but Qin Ming had reported this to Cao Long and Mu Qing, resulting in the knight receiving a few slaps and losing several teeth.
"Make sure to keep an eye on that boy later and have him explore more mines!"
He didn’t dare to act directly, especially since Cao Long and Mu Qing had warned him, and they were still around.
But this time, the command had come from the leaders of Golden Rooster Ridge and the Three-Eyed Sect, allowing these villagers to enter the special area. He could take advantage of the situation and easily give orders that could endanger the newcomers.
An elderly villager with gray hair expressed his worries, "I hope we can find the so-called mysterious resources quickly. Otherwise, if we stay here too long, even as newcomers, we might end up with lasting injuries and may not be able to leave!"
"Shut up! Did I allow you to speak?"
With a crack, the Golden Rooster Knight lashed out with a whip, causing the elderly newcomer to stumble, his shirt torn, and a bloody gash appeared on his face.
"Those who find the mysterious resources can leave immediately and receive a nice reward. Just to be clear, it’s not night silver; you’ll get day gold instead!"
The people from Golden Rooster Ridge and the Three-Eyed Sect didn’t completely corner everyone; at least they offered some hope and made promises.
An elder from Golden Rooster Ridge approached and instructed, "You all go underground. This area has been taken over by us and the Three-Eyed Sect. The underground of this entire canyon is extremely valuable, so search carefully!"
The area occupied by Golden Rooster Ridge and the Three-Eyed Sect was near the entrance, not the best position, as their strength was indeed inferior to those from Chixia City.
Qin Ming followed the other newcomers underground, each carrying a prepared sunstone, as it was too dark in the cracks.
They entered a vast underground cave filled with many spiderweb-like passages spreading in all directions. Some areas glowed faintly, making it unbearable to approach, while other areas were darker, where staying felt more comfortable.
"Everyone, I think we don’t need to risk our lives or even lose them. Even if we enter those glowing areas, it’s hard to find mysterious resources. It’s better to look for safe paths underground and enter those dark areas to wait it out..." an elder suggested.
In fact, many people shared this thought.
A middle-aged man spoke up, "Let’s split into two groups. One group will pretend to search for mysterious resources, while the other will quickly look for an escape route, finding those deep passages that hopefully lead outside the canyon. I think there might be a chaotic fight among the different forces over the special area."
"Exactly, we should prepare early!" Everyone nodded in agreement.
Qin Ming had also wanted to suggest hiding first, but he realized that those who lived off the dangerous mountains had a strong survival instinct.
He then began to act alone, wandering through the vast underground cave, searching for any possible mysterious resources.
An hour later, the outsiders hadn’t clashed yet, but another powerful force intervened, leading to a bloody incident on the surface.
In the canyon, the sounds of monkeys and tigers echoed as various mutated creatures appeared, and many fierce birds began to dive from the sky.
"The mutants are attacking!" shouted a Golden Rooster Knight stationed at the canyon entrance.
Earlier, there had been some mutated creatures appearing, causing conflicts, but there hadn’t been so many and they lacked organization. Now, it was completely different.
Leading the charge was a massive white bear, standing five to six meters tall, seemingly just awakened from hibernation, extremely aggressive. It grabbed two newcomers and tore them apart.
On another side, a golden bull spewed flames from its mouth and charged through, impaling several members of the Three-Eyed Sect with its horns.
There were many such mutants, and while they were different species, they all headed straight for the humans.
The mutated birds in the sky assisted, with a giant silver eagle swooping down and crushing the skull of a second-time newcomer.
"Earlier, there were only a few mutants, not in large numbers. They were waiting for us to arrive, specifically targeting us for hunting."
An elder from Golden Rooster Ridge said, leaping up to grab a mutated owl that had transformed twice, snapping its neck.
"What do we do now?"
Many people were panicking, as the entrance of the canyon was blocked by a large number of mutants rushing in, while birds of prey monitored from above.
...
"This isn't good, the surface is in chaos. We need to hide, block off those secret passages with rocks, and cover our escape routes."
In the underground world, hunters from various villages sensed the commotion and quickly sprang into action.
Qin Ming immediately noticed. He was fearless and could retreat toward the paths with sunlight spilling in. Both the people from Golden Rooster Ridge and the Three-Eyed Sect, as well as the mutants, would find it hard to stay in such places for long.
On the surface, the large groups from Golden Rooster Ridge and the Three-Eyed Sect gathered for defense, feeling anxious as mutants roamed everywhere.
"High-level creatures wouldn’t personally intervene; after all, they promised the higher-ups in Chixia City not to hunt secretly. But sending in some lower-level mutants is definitely no problem."
This was a serious issue. Everyone understood that the mutants had been waiting for an opportunity to strike.
The blood snakes, silver camels, and bright red grass in the mountains were incredibly valuable to those outside, containing rich spiritual materials.
Meanwhile, in the eyes of the mountain mutants, some well-established bipedal creatures would also catch their attention, as they were seen as rich sources of spiritual "herbs."
"So, a whole bunch of mutants came not only to eye the mysterious resources but also to hunt us, viewing us as spiritual beings?"
"Exactly!"
Instantly, the newcomers from Golden Rooster Ridge and the Three-Eyed Sect turned pale. Their territory at the mountain entrance was right in the line of fire.
"The high-level beings deep in the mountains wouldn’t dare let their mutants wipe out all the people entering the mountains. That would completely anger the Lord of Lingxu City and lead to ruthless retaliation. But letting the newcomers lose a fifth or a quarter of their number wouldn’t be a big deal."
At that moment, everyone turned pale. If things continued this way, it would be disastrous, and many would not survive to leave the mountains.
"Let’s retreat into the caves; we can’t stay on the surface. Just relying on the two of us isn’t enough against these mutants!" an elder from the Three-Eyed Sect said.
"Let’s go, quickly into the underground!" They all sprang into action.
They used the narrow passages for defense, making it hard for the mutants to break through.
However, the underground passages were like a spiderweb, and some mutants adapted to underground combat were searching for routes to bring other mutated creatures in.
In an instant, chaos erupted both above and below.
The newcomers from Golden Rooster Ridge and the Three-Eyed Sect scattered toward different passages, hoping to find a way out of the canyon.
After all, this was the exit area.
...
"What a coincidence?" Qin Ming spotted a familiar face, the Golden Rooster Knight who had tried to forcibly buy spiritual materials from Old Liu and had shown him hostility at the canyon entrance.
"It’s you?" The knight had abandoned his mount and was now wandering alone in the underground passage, searching for an escape route.
"Come here!" He waved to Qin Ming. "Have you found any mysterious resources? And you heard the commotion above, how’s the terrain here? Tell me in detail."
Qin Ming couldn’t be bothered to respond and walked over at a leisurely pace.
"Are you looking for death? Why are you moving so slowly? I’m asking you a question!" The knight’s eyes glinted with malice.
His intentions were clear; he had wanted to make Qin Ming explore more mines, pushing him to be eroded by the light until he died. Now, he thought he could just kill him here without anyone knowing. He could later blame it on the mutants, leaving no evidence behind.
So, he didn’t hold back and lashed out with his whip. He guessed that this boy must have complained to Cao Long and Mu Qing, as they were the only ones involved.
Qin Ming naturally wouldn’t let him hit. He blocked with his long-handled black gold hammer.
"You dare to resist?" The knight’s eyes turned cold as he prepared to attack again.
Qin Ming wasn’t the type to be passive. How could he allow him to cross the "red line" again? Quick as lightning, he thrust the hammer forward.
With a loud bang, the knight saw stars, pain shooting through him as the hammer connected with his mouth and nose. His front teeth flew out, his nose collapsed, and he felt dizzy, nearly falling to the ground.
"Sorry, my hand slipped; I didn’t grip the hammer properly," Qin Ming said.
"I... I’ll kill you!" The knight’s speech was slurred as he struggled to curse, his teeth missing and blood flowing from his face.
He endured the pain, tears streaming down his face, and with rage boiling inside him, he drew a long knife, ready to kill the boy.
As a second-time newcomer, he believed he could easily kill a first-time newcomer.
However, before he could swing his knife, he felt a tearing pain in his right hand as the long-handled black gold hammer smashed down, leaving his hand a bloody mess. The knife fell to the ground, and his entire right hand spasmed and twisted, resembling the claw of the Golden Rooster he had been riding.
"You used this hand to slap Old Liu, right? Now you can try my black gold punch." Qin Ming wasted no time, delivering several hammer blows directly to the knight’s face, turning it into a pancake, and smashing his skull in, leaving him dead on the ground.
Before dying, the knight couldn’t believe how absurd this was. He was a second-time newcomer; how could he be outmatched in strength and speed by this boy? In his fading consciousness, he realized the truth: the other party was a second-time newcomer and far stronger than him!
Qin Ming dragged his body into a wide area where sunlight flowed, feeling relatively safe for now.
"Hmm?" He suddenly turned around and saw an elder coming out from another passage, silently approaching him.
"Who are you, and what are you doing?" The elder’s expression was dark.
"I’m from the Three-Eyed Sect. I just saw this person being eroded by light and fainting, so I’m trying to help him," Qin Ming replied.
With a loud crash, the elder stomped on the hard ground and charged at him, surrounded by a faint white light, indicating he was a third-time newcomer.
He wasn’t easily fooled. Sensing something was off, he immediately attacked, showing no mercy even to a mere boy.
Qin Ming realized he was facing a formidable enemy, one he had never fought against before.
"I’ll give it my all. If I can kill a powerful third-time newcomer like you, I might be able to take down all the forces from Golden Rooster Ridge here!" Qin Ming thought fiercely, deciding to go all out to take down this elder.