"Fall back!"
In a low voice, Wei Cheng urged. At this point, rushing to touch the Stele was nothing more than a pipe dream. There were still hundreds of bat monsters here - it was too much.
Especially in this open area, Wei Cheng wouldn't be able to protect everyone. Only retreating to the narrow mine tunnel could offer some resistance.
Even the headstrong Zhang Yong was frightened at this moment. He had killed dozens of bat monsters, but most of his Purple Cloud inner strength was depleted, mainly because too many people had died. His once fervent courage was all but used up now.
As for the rest, they were even worse off. Nearly everyone was injured. If it wasn't for their collective defense and Wei Cheng's formidable presence, they would have collapsed.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
In Wei Cheng's hands, the pickaxe swung open and shut, exploding one bat monster after another in mid-air, quickly alleviating everyone's pressure. The group maintained a steady retreat rhythm, stepping back into the mine tunnel.
At the entrance of the mine tunnel, Wei Cheng alone blocked all the bat monsters. No matter how many there were, none would pass him.
In just a short time, he killed dozens more bat monsters.
By this point, the remaining bat monsters finally lost nerve, constantly circling but not daring to approach.
Everyone else seized this opportunity to quickly pile up stones to block the entrance of the mine tunnel.
Leaning against the stone wall, Wei Cheng sat down slowly. His Moving Mountain inner strength was nearly exhausted.
No matter how abundant one's inner strength, it wasn't a match for this level of depletion. If he hadn't touched the Stele first, replenishing his life force to its peak state, he would never have made it this far.
The bat monsters weren't difficult to deal with, but the sheer number of them was the problem. Their feeding apparatus was sharp, so he needed to keep the Golden Bell Shield activated at all times. One bite from them could take half a body's blood.
"Whimper, whimper!"
In the dark mine tunnel, the previously uncompromising bully, Zhang Yong, suddenly began to cry. This mentally robust young man had learned what fear was.
Everyone else was suffering too, their emotions low, even bordering on despair.
They had started with thirty-eight people, and in such a short period, just eleven remained. Seeing the others fall while screams of agony, their bodies drained to become dry corpses – it was absolutely chilling.
Wei Cheng looked up, his gaze scanning across everyone's faces. Of the eleven survivors - apart from Zhang Yong and a middle-aged man named Han Dong – everyone else was practicing the Method of the Moving Mountain.
In other words, even that shapely beauty Wu Yin, on whom the previously hopeful and arrogant Zhang Yong had placed all his hopes, did not survive.
Against the bat monsters' attacks, only those practicing the Method of the Moving Mountain could resist – using their inner strength to prevent the bat monsters from draining their blood quickly. For those practicing the other two mental methods, it was utterly futile.
Particularly practitioners of the Method of the Agile Swallow, none survived. They were wiped out.
Fortunately for Wei Cheng, his bald-headed friend, despite looking disheveled, managed to survive, maintaining his usual simplicity.
No one spoke. Wei Cheng didn't feel like talking either. He took out a piece of vegetable cake, ate it bit by bit, then closed his eyes to meditate, focusing on the second level of the Golden Bell Shield method.
This was his reward for touching the Stele earlier.
Not long ago, for some unknown reason, the Monster Stone had targeted him. Thankfully, after being illuminated three times by the Stele's glow, his spiritual perception exceeded what it once was, allowing him to dodge in time. However, this has now become his biggest concern.
To escape the Monster Stone's attacks, besides perception, the most important aspect was still defense.
He didn't know if he could withstand them after mastering the second level of the Golden Bell Shield.
After a while, Wei Cheng opened his eyes, a surge of golden light flashed momentarily around him but then disappeared. He had fully mastered the second level of the Golden Bell Shield.
Everyone watched him quietly, their eyes filled with admiration and awe. Even the bully Zhang Yong averted his gaze.
"Everyone needs to consider how to continue their cultivation. As soon as you accumulate the inner strength of two Jiazis, you will unlock the second Innate Meridian."
Weicheng briefly described what he knew, intending to boost morale. After all, everyone was in low spirits at this moment.
"The bat monsters are negligible. As long as we guard this mine and try not to make loud noises, we can kill them one by one. There are eleven of us left, which means that nine of you will have the chance to touch the Stele."
"Right now, let's break down the stone wall and replenish our strength first."
Wei Cheng's words were calm, but they rallied everyone's spirits, whether it was the inner strength of two Jiazis or the opportunity to touch the Stele, all gave hope.
The stone wall was quickly broken down, the Stele, which had shrunk by half, was still emitting light. There were fewer than two hundred bat monsters left, hanging upside down from the cliffs, with bodies scattered all over the ground reminding everyone of the fierce battle that had just taken place.
Weicheng asked the others to stay in the mine, and he tried to tread lightly as he picked up the corpses of the bat monsters burned to death by the fire. There were no other options now.
But just as he was about to search the corpses of the miners, a violent explosion suddenly came from another direction in the mine. The sound startled the bat monsters, and with a shriek, they swooped towards him.
Weicheng didn't dare to take it lightly. He activated the Golden Bell Shield while slowing his attacking rhythm, trying not to attract the Monster Stone again.
In fact, if it wasn't for the Monster Stone, he wouldn't fear these bat monsters at all, especially now that he had mastered the second level of the Golden Bell Shield.
At this time, he could only fight and retreat. Once he retreated into the mine, everyone promptly responded. Using the stone wall for blockade, they successfully stopped the bat monsters.
The whole process went extraordinarily smoothly; they had not only killed more than fifty bat monsters, but they had also managed to grab back some food that could restore their energy.
"Little Wei, this bat monster meat is edible. It's just as good as roasted spider."
Bald Bro exclaimed in a low voice.
Wei Cheng nodded, unpretentious and, together with everyone, quietly finished the meal.
Once everyone had mostly recovered, he solemnly spoke.
"There are other people in this mine. The explosion we heard earlier sounded like a flame stone, and it wasn't far from us, at most five or six hundred meters. So, we need to speed up. At worst, we should first get to the transfer skill stele."
"So this time, we all go together."
The sense of urgency in Wei Cheng's heart was growing stronger. He wasn't worried about encountering unfriendly people, but about the competition.
Whoever touches the skill stele first gains a significant advantage.
Not only could they acquire the best skills, but they would also benefit from two or three seconds of beam exposure. This was something that could overall enhance life force and spiritual power.
"Sounds good! We listen to you, Brother Wei."
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. Now that they were full and had regained their inner strength, and had experience in dealing with the bat monsters, they were ready for another fight.
They reopened the stone wall, and outside, more bat monsters were continuously circling. Wei Cheng led the charge. The illusion of the Golden Bell burst out suddenly, and he didn't hold back with his pickaxe. The previous explosion might have attracted the Monster Stone away once again, so he decided to take a risk this time.
On one side of Wei Cheng was Zhang Yong, who had clearly grown much quieter. He didn't have the protection of the Golden Bell Shield, but the Purple Mist combined with the Wandering Dragon Palm Method was truly formidable. Essentially, all the bat monsters that flew towards him got knocked down with a single slap.
More than a dozen bat monsters were no match for him.
On the other side was Han Dong, who had always been low-key. He too was practicing the Purple Cloud Method. Although he hadn't managed to get the matched external skill, he held a pickaxe with infused purple energy, and managed quite well.
There was a reason why only Zhang Yong and Han Dong survived the previous incident.
Wei Cheng, Zhang Yong, and Han Dong led the charge, while the others madly hacked behind them. They didn't need to maintain any formation as they just needed to circulate Moving Mountain's inner strength throughout their bodies. This way, they weren't afraid of the bat monsters sucking their blood. Even if they were bitten by neglect, it wouldn't immediately drain their combat force.
Moreover, they had the benefit of backup support as they were backed up against the mine tunnel.
After a fierce battle, the pressure suddenly eased. There were no longer bat monsters above their heads; they had survived.
Everyone turned to look at Wei Cheng. Despite their intense desire to touch the transfer skill stele, they chose to be patient for the moment.
"Han Dong, you go first. You should be able to get the first level of Wandering Dragon Palm Method."
"Zhang Yong, you don't need to go. You already have an external skill. The most urgent thing right now is to rush to practice your inner strength to two He-Zi, and open the second innate meridian. By then, your strength will at least double."
"Brother Xu, you go second. There's a good chance you'll also get the first level of the Golden Bell Shield. These are the most valuable three places of the transfer skill stele."
"Hu Hailong, you go third. You can certainly get the first level of Iron Cloth Shirt. Yu Liang, you have previously received the external skill of Iron Cloth Shirt, so there's no need for you to touch it this time. Take this time to focus on your practice."
"Wang Wei, fourth."
"Cheng An, fifth."
Wei Cheng spoke calmly, calling out each name. Everyone obediently queued up to go forth, no one protested, including former little tyrant Zhang Yong. It seemed like he had matured several years all at once.
However, it was unclear whether this time the skills obtained from the transfer skill stele were slightly better due to increased difficulty or just better luck.
Not only did Han Dong get the first level of the Wandering Dragon Palm Method as he wished, Bald Bro also received the first level of Golden Bell Shield, and even Hu Hailong received the first level of Golden Bell Shield. Wang Wei and Cheng An got the first level of Iron Cloth Shirt, while the remaining three got Iron Head Skill.
This small difference can determine life and death at a crucial moment.
"Three Golden Bell Shields, three Iron Cloth Shirts, two Wandering Dragon Palm Methods, and three Iron Head Skills. If all are practiced to two He-Zi of inner strength, opening the second innate meridian, how much will the competitiveness increase?"
Wei Cheng pondered silently.
"Brother Wei, there's one more place left on the transfer skill stele. What do you think?" At this time, Yu Liang stepped forward, smiling as he asked.
Wei Cheng glanced at the transfer skill stele, which was now only the size of a computer case and the light it emitted had dimmed considerably.
Now, the only ones who could touch it were Zhang Yong and Yu Liang. But Zhang Yong was currently in a state of practicing, so only Yu Liang remained.
"Alright, it's yours."
"Thank you, Brother Wei!"
Yu Liang quickly ran over and touched it. The transfer skill stele dissolved away, but his expression appeared slightly disappointed.
"Iron Head Skill level one. I was hoping to get Upper Flight or Cloud Ladder Ascension."
Upon hearing this, Wei Cheng seemed to be in deep thought.