"Brother Wei, have you rested well?"
When Wei Cheng appeared again, everyone's eyes instantly turned to him, and Zhang Yong couldn't hide his unhappiness.
These past few days had been agonizing for them, and though Innate Realm Martial Artists don't need to worry about food and drink for the time being, if they were delayed any longer, they would all end up perishing here alive.
But without Wei Cheng, they didn't dare venture out on their own.
"Let's start, everyone prepare for battle. There is undoubtedly great danger outside this mine tunnel."
Wei Cheng didn't dally but led the way into the mine tunnel, and the rest followed in a single file, carrying the rocks in a relay. All of them were incredibly anxious, both eager to leave and fearing the dangers they might encounter.
And this time, after Wei Cheng cleared less than five meters forward, the sealed mine tunnel was entirely opened up, with a familiar, soft ray of light beaming forth. It was a Stele, identical to the one they had encountered before -- three meters tall and floating three feet above the ground.
All at once, everyone couldn't help but feel their hearts beat faster, but no one dared to act rashly until Wei Cheng slowly removed all the rocks at the entrance, letting the light shine all the way to the far end of the mine tunnel.
"Everyone back off, back off!"
"Brother Wei, what's happening?"
Zhang Yong and the others quickly pushed to the front, their eyes darting nervously every which way.
Wei Cheng didn't speak but merely pointed towards the ceiling above the Stele, where thousands of large bats hung down densely from the rocky surface.
Below them, a similar layout prevailed. A space as large as a basketball court, but with some stone beds, stone tables, stone chairs, and a dozen desiccated corpses, presumably the miners.
The situation was clear.
"Brother Wei, you've got the highest defense, so we need you to take the lead."
At this moment, Zhang Yong handed over a Flame Stone. In the mine tunnel they had been in previously, Wei Cheng wasn't the only one who mined a Flame Stone. Shen Qianshan had also obtained one, but he died before he could make use of it, and now it was in Zhang Yong's hands. Having witnessed how Wei Cheng used a Flame Stone to ignite a spider web and burn a Spider Demon to death, they naturally thought of this as a way to break through the situation.
But could this Flame Stone literally blow up all the Bat Monsters?
Wei Cheng was doubtful, but he didn't refuse. This Flame Stone certainly had immense power; nevertheless, the activation needed a certain mastery of technique and timing. With his current defense level, he was confident he could withstand the shock of a Flame Stone explosion.
"Are you all ready?"
Wei Cheng asked and his gaze fell onto Baldhead. This time, he had to find a way for Baldhead to touch the Stele, after all, there were only ten slots.
But Baldhead only responded with a simple, hearty smile.
Looking at the others, they were all psyching themselves up, prepared for a hundred meters sprint at any time.
Well then.
Without further hesitation, Wei Cheng held the Flame Stone in one hand and a pickaxe in the other and leaped out of the mine tunnel entrance. His agility was not less than the ones who practiced Method of the Agile Swallow.
Such was the difference that opening two Innate Meridians made. His Inner Strength capacity was enough to lift heavy weights as if they were light and gave him strength as strong as a bull and litheness as light as a swallow.
The drawbacks of the Method of the Moving Mountain had been largely addressed.
The emergence of Wei Cheng did not disturb the Bat Monsters above. He strolled calmly forward, the Stele getting closer and closer.
Just when he was about ten meters away, the Bat Monsters above still weren't alerted; the people in the tunnel behind were beginning to get restless because they suddenly realized that if the Bat Monsters were not disturbed, wouldn't Wei Cheng be able to take the advantage again? Unacceptable!
Without a second thought, someone rushed out. In the tight space, many people involuntarily followed suit. In the cacophony, dozens of people ran out, their footsteps and the sound of the kicked rocks inevitable.
This immediately alarmed the Bat Monsters above. A gust of foul wind swirled upwards, bringing with it an overwhelming stench. The light emitted by the stele was quickly obscured by the swarm of thousands of Bat Monsters who swooped down like lightning.
Yet at that moment, most people were still thinking about rushing forward. They wanted to reach the stele, leaving every other concern aside.
Then came dire screams. Several men and women, who had practiced the Method of the Agile Swallow and understood the Water Levitation and Upper Flight techniques, were knocked down barely after running ten meters. The Bat Monsters pinned them down, pierced them with their mouthparts and quickly drained them dry.
They were a little too slow.
The screams woke everyone else up. The main reason was that no one was currently separated from the group.
Those who practiced the Method of the Moving Mountain had rough and tough skins, with great defenses and incredible strength. Even if the Bat Monsters rushed at them, they could throw them off and smash them to death with their pickaxes.
On the other hand, those practicing the Purple Cloud Method had an advantage. Especially the young man Zhang Yong who was audacious and thick-skinned, was able to stabilize the situation with his calm mind and resolve.
This fellow didn't know fear at all. His Purple Mist inner strength ran wildly as purple mist rose around him. Using the first level of the Wandering Dragon Palm Method, he bulldozed his way through the crowd like a purple-colored eel, flailing and hitting, shattering the bones and tendons of every Bat Monster he hit!
In a blink of an eye, he managed to temporarily stabilize the situation with his strength alone - if only there weren't so many Bat Monsters.
In fact, at this moment, someone was being knocked down every second and then drained dry because help didn't arrive in time.
Simultaneously, Wei Cheng was encountering even more Bat Monster attacks as he was isolated.
However, as he activated his Moving Mountain inner strength and unleashed the first level of the Golden Bell Shield, a phantom gold bell appeared around him, rendering him immune to the Bat Monsters' attacks.
Then, seizing the moment, he fiercely rubbed the Flame Stone. As sparks sprouted from the Flame Stone, he threw it fiercely towards the back.
That was where the rest of the crowd was, where most of the Bat Monsters swarmed.
As expected, the Flame Stone exploded after flying less than ten meters. The massive flash of light instantly consumed numerous Bat Monsters. The enormous shockwave, carrying with it the flame, flung the Bat Monsters within range outwards, including Zhang Yong and his group.
They toppled over like corn stalks caught in a gust of wind, landing in all directions. It was a disgraceful sight, but at least, the life-threatening crisis they were facing was largely resolved.
As for Wei Cheng, he turned the instant he threw the Flame Stone. The moment the shockwave from the Flame Stone's explosion arrived, he was hit hard. The phantom golden bell flickered briefly before shattering and disappearing, but it succeeded in blocking the remaining shockwave damage for him.
The Bat Monsters that were surrounding him were wiped clean.
Taking advantage of the situation, Wei Cheng lunged forward, successfully getting next to the stele and laid his hand on it.
The familiar light rose up once again, enveloping him and lasted for three whole seconds. At this time, the remainder of the group was just about to get up from the ground. The remaining Bat Monsters shrieked and pounced once more, their battle was not over yet.
But Wei Cheng was not afraid. His robust Moving Mountain inner strength circulated throughout his body. A Golden Bell phantom reappeared three inches from his body. Meanwhile, he swung his pickaxe like the wind, ensuring no Bat Monster, no matter how cunning, could escape his all-out onslaught.
Each swing of his pickaxe resulted in a cloud of blood mist exploding in the air.
In a short time, he managed to kill thirty to fifty Bat Monsters.
But there were just too many Bat Monsters. Over on the other side, there were only around ten people left, including Zhang Yong. They wished to charge towards the stele, but they couldn't make it.
Wei Cheng turned on his Golden Bell Shield and charged over, intending to bring them over.
However, at this moment, he suddenly felt his hair stand on end. Without bothering to inspect the threat, he instantly rolled away avoiding something directly and moved clumsily to one side. Almost concurrently, a dark shadow shot past his previous position. Missing Wei Cheng, it pierced clean through a man who practiced the Method of the Moving Mountain!
He had previously thought that staying close to a strong individual like Wei Cheng would be safer, but hadn't expected to meet his end even faster.
The Monster Stone that appeared and vanished mysteriously was lured out again.