The mine was eerily quiet and filled with a stench of blood. The sight of the twelve mangled, bloody corpses were a brutal and soul-crushing lesson to every survivor.
But the worst was yet to come.
Swarms of little spiders crawled their way up, taking away the corpses. They seemed to coexist with the monster in the stone without any trouble.
But nobody could be certain whether the awakening of the monster stone was caused by the birth of these little spiders. Prior to this, they had all been screaming and shouting. Wei Cheng and a few others had even mined some ore, but the monster stone did not awaken then.
Regardless of the truth, everyone now stayed silent.
Hidden in the depths of the mine, Wei Cheng tried to calm his racing heart while furiously piecing things together. Honestly, when Shen Qianshan was killed, he had been scared to the core and went blank for a good ten or so seconds. Luckily the monster stone didn't attack unless provoked and there were no little spiders nearby, otherwise, he would have been pushing up daisies by now.
A game was a game, and reality was reality.
But people did react differently. Zhang Yong was quick to react, muffling Wu Yin's shrieking mouth and pulling her and her grandfather aside in the nick of time. Then turned back to pull Wei Cheng over, dragging along two others who were scared stiff.
And now, the pretty girl Wu Yin, trembling in his arms, didn't resist him at all.
This young lad was one with a future.
"We can't go on like this."
After a long while, Wei Cheng spoke quietly, stuttering slightly. He didn't want to be the leader, as Mr. Shen's corpse was still warm. But the other Innate Realm Old Man, Wu Hongwei sat there with his eyes closed, not caring about his granddaughter's distress.
As for the two others, one was a middle-aged bald man who practiced the Method of the Moving Mountain. He had a robust appearance yet remained silent. Even when Wei Cheng's gaze fell on him, he only gave a kindly smile that any middle-aged person would understand.
The other was a delicate woman in her thirties with glasses. She practiced the Method of the Agile Swallow, appearing aloof from everyone. Occasionally, she would roll her eyes at Zhang Yong, three parts disgust, seven parts anger, but unfortunately, Zhang Yong didn't notice.
And, as for Zhang Yong?
The guy was quite reckless, young, robust and nerveless. Anyone his age who dared to dance around with a female ghost in a graveyard deserved understanding.
Nobody responded to Wei Cheng, not even old man Wu Hongwei who didn't even bother to play along.
"We have to try."
Wei Cheng continued to speak softly. He didn't want to die, he wanted to save himself. But he also knew that even if he ate up all the remaining freshwater and cakes, he wouldn't be able to attain a higher level in his Method of the Moving Mountain.
Hence, the best option was to let Zhang Yong, who was practicing the Purple Cloud Method, to advance to Innate Realm.
"I've got a quarter of the water left. Zhang Yong, do you want to let your Purple Cloud Method advance to the Innate Realm?"
Wei Cheng's words finally had an effect. Old man Wu Hongwei, who had feigned death, swiftly opened his eyes, his gaze was as sharp as lightning.
The bald man, the delicate woman, and even Zhang Yong, who was actively making his moves, all stopped.
"Yes, Brother Wei, from now on you are my sworn brother. I swear I'm only a step away from my breakthrough."
Zhang Yong was so excited it was almost palpable.
Wei Cheng looked at him, slowly took out his water pouch from his basket and handed it over. The others watched with bated breath. In the next moment, the woman suddenly moved quick as a flash, snatched the water pouch. However, her agility as an Agile Swallow practitioner was no match for the bald man's speed who held her legs and forcefully smashed them onto the ground. With a loud snap, her legs broke.
The bald man snatched the water pouch, tossed it to Zhang Yong, and then revealed a harmless and benevolent smile.
"Damn it to hell!"
The elegant woman was in immense pain, her face dripping with sweat, but she dared not scream aloud.
From start to finish, Wei Cheng and old man Wu Hongwei didn't move an inch.
The entrance of the cave was so small, and Wei Cheng's huge body was blocking it. How stupid would someone have to be to try to snatch the waterskin and expect to get away unscathed?
In fact, Wei Cheng had thought that Wu Hongwei might try to grab the waterskin. After all, Wu Yin also practiced the Purple Cloud Method. Therefore, he had kept an eye on the old man. But unexpectedly, the old man remained still. He was truly a cunning, crafty old chap!
Ah!
"I will definitely not disappoint everyone's trust."
Upon receiving the waterskin, Zhang Yong quickly took a sip and then sat down to practice. In a short while, his body was enveloped in a purple aura, which looked very mysterious. Indeed, among the three methods, this one had the greatest potential.
At this point, Wei Cheng was even regretting a bit. If he had chosen the Purple Cloud Method, could he have succeeded with his initially hefty body?
The cave was quiet again. Zhang Yong's cultivation was very exhausting. It took nearly a few hours to complete a single cycle of the Purple Cloud Method.
Based on this, hadn't they all spent about a month's time previously?
However, the good news was that after drinking five big mouthfuls of water, Zhang Yong's Purple Cloud Inner Strength reached its peak in an instant. He broke through his barrier and became an Innate Realm Martial Artist.
When Zhang Yong opened his eyes again, the dark cave seemed to brighten a bit. Wei Cheng, Wu Hongwei, and the bald man Xu Fei, who had been observing him, all had a feeling of being blinded.
At this moment, they all had a realization in their hearts: they would definitely not be a match for Zhang Yong one-on-one.
"Everyone, I believe that I alone can kill the Spider Monster."
Zhang Yong said with a lowered voice and a smile. He placed the waterskin, which still contained at least five mouthfuls of water, inside his robe. At this moment, a strong violet energy was radiating from him. Even his fists were emitting a three-inch purple aura, making him look as fierce as a man-eating tiger!
Old man Wu Hongwei just smacked his lips as if he wanted to say something, but then he didn't say anything.
The bald man Xu Fei, as always, chuckled obediently.
The delicate woman who had healed her broken legs using her Inner Strength, but fell from the Innate Realm because of it, hid in the corner, gazing venomously at them.
Only Wu Yin cheerfully congratulated him, seemingly quite pleased with her good fortune.
"Big Brother Yong, you're so powerful!"
"Then let's go."
Wei Cheng eventually nodded. Zhang Yong didn't give him any of the remaining water, and there was nothing he could do about it. They needed to find a way to kill the Spider Demon and get the stele inscribed with martial methods. Inner strife was pointless for now.
As for their physical well-being, there was nothing to worry about. After becoming an Innate Realm Martial Artist, even without food for several days, they would still remain strong. Except for someone like the delicate woman who had been injured, had no access to medical treatment, and had to consume her Inner Strength, which resulted in her fall from the realm.
"Should we call more people?"
The old man suddenly suggested in a whisper.
"Not necessary. More people would mean more troubles. Don't forget there is only one martial method stele."
Zhang Yong smirked coldly, full of self-confidence. Indeed, all fears originate from the lack of strength.
"Brother Wei, you're the main tank, Uncle Baldy, you're off-tank, old master, you're the substitute tank, little sister, you just stay by the side. I'll be the damager. Let's get through this in one go!"
After making some simple arrangements, Zhang Yong suddenly spun around and stomped on the delicate woman's right leg, breaking it again.
Those who go with me prosper, those against me perish!
Swift and decisive action is the way to be a protagonist.
I, Zhang Yong, am the real protagonist, now, pay up!