Fairy, don't be afraid, I, Wang Daqi, am truly an honest man.

The mournful cries echoed continuously through the narrow mine tunnel, stirring up chilling echoes.

One second ago, these disciples were still fantasizing about the reward they would receive after unearthing a mineral.

The next second, they found themselves surrounded by centipedes.

Those armored centipedes, large and small, are like sophisticated meat grinders, reaping fragile lives.

Although the main mine shaft has not completely collapsed, the only escape route has now been completely blocked by a dense, overlapping mass of armored centipedes, cutting off everyone's chance of survival.

Inside a partially collapsed, sunken cave entrance.

Yao Wu was curled up, his face deathly pale, and he was trembling like a leaf.

Just moments ago, he was leading a few of his men, full of pride and preparing to venture deeper, when suddenly the ground beneath his feet exploded.

That wasn't an ordinary centipede, but a giant armored centipede king, as thick as a bucket, dark purple all over, with strange red stripes on its back!

That's the king of centipedes!

It possesses the strength of a Golden Core cultivator!

In a single glance, the centipede king's giant scissor-like claws snapped shut, and his two henchmen, who were still praising him, were cut in two without even a scream.

The splattered blood sprayed all over Yao Wu's face; it was warm, yet it made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

Fortunately, he was usually afraid of death and reacted very quickly.

Taking advantage of the moment when the centipede king was devouring the corpse, he scrambled and crawled into the crevice that could only accommodate one person.

"Escape...we must escape immediately..."

Yao Wu peeked out through the crack in the stone and immediately felt a churning in his stomach.

In the distance, on an open ground, swarms of young centipedes were frantically gnawing on the mangled corpses of their disciples.

The crunching sound made his scalp tingle and almost drove him crazy.

"They're all really dead... It's all over..."

At this moment, Yao Wu's heart was filled with unprecedented regret.

Wang Daqi's earlier warning echoed wildly in his mind: "It's dangerous here, don't go in!!!"

"Damn it, that jinx was right! Why didn't I believe him? Why did I come here to die???"

Sobbing, Yao Wu shakily pulled a dimly colored communication talisman from his pocket.

This was his last straw, his own uncle, the steward Yao Datong!

"Uncle...help! The mine entrance has collapsed, and there are centipedes everywhere! Please save me, I don't want to be eaten!!!"

Meanwhile, inside the temporary command post above the mine tunnel.

Yao Datong stared intently at the collapsed mountain in the distance, his teacup already crushed into powder in his hand.

Hearing his nephew's terrified cries through the message talisman, his eyes showed not a trace of compassion, but rather a flash of extremely sinister ruthlessness.

Rescue people?

If a mining accident of this scale is not handled properly, not only will he lose his position as deacon, but he might even be executed by the enraged sect leaders to appease public anger!

The key point is that it was he who desperately suggested to Fang Zhong and the others that they continue mining.

Therefore, he will definitely be the first to be dealt with.

"Save you? I can't even save myself right now!!"

Yao Datong let out a low growl into the communication talisman.

Then, with a ferocious expression, he muttered to himself, "No, if the sect blames me, I'll surely die... But this isn't my fault, yes, it's Fang Zhong! He insisted on starting the work!!"

Yao Datong's mind raced, and one wicked scheme after another came to mind.

"I'm not wrong, Fang Zhong is the one who's wrong... As long as I can shift all the blame onto him, and besides, I fought back with my life on the line... No, those who gave advance warning, those who knew I insisted on staying, none of them can be allowed to stay!!!"

He glanced in the direction of the mine entrance.

"All I need to do is kill those annoying insiders. Dead men don't talk up and impeach me..."

"As long as I perform well from now on, there won't be any problems."

"As for Fang Zhonghe and those elders..."

His eyes lit up.

Those people seemed to have been in the mine just now.

They haven't sent me any messages yet, so something must have happened.

Thinking of this, he immediately sent a message to Fang Zhong.

…………

…………

…………

At this moment, where was the slightest trace of the dignity that Fang Zhong usually possessed as an elder of the mining area?

His left arm was severed at the root, the cut was a bloody mess, and you could even see the white bone.

The deep gash in his abdomen, revealing the bone, was oozing blood with his heavy breathing, and even his intestines were faintly visible.

That damned centipede king!!!

The terrifying power of the Golden Core stage demon beast shattered all his arrogance with just a flick of its tail.

If it weren't for the few deacons around him risking their lives to fill the gaps, and if he hadn't been carrying a high-level protective talisman, he would have already turned into blood and gore in that beast's belly.

"Escape... just escape..."

Fang Zhong, his face covered in dust and blood, stumbled and crawled towards the cave entrance, stepping over the corpses of his fellow disciples.

Behind him, swarms of armored centipedes surged forward like a tide, constantly crashing against the thin, pale golden aura surrounding him.

The light shield creaked under the strain, its energy rapidly draining away every second.

That was his last hope.

Finally, the bright sunlight from the cave entrance shone into his cloudy eyes.

"Get out of my way! All of you, get out of my way!!!"

Fang Zhong frantically swung the broken sword in his right hand, slicing several small centipedes that pounced on him in two.

Just then.

The communication talisman in his pocket suddenly vibrated violently, and Yao Datong's slightly anxious voice came through: "Elder Fang! Elder Fang, where are you? It's me, Datong!!!"

Fang Zhong, as if grasping at a straw, said in a hoarse and weak voice, "I...I'm at the entrance...please help me..."

"Really? I saw it."

Yao Datong's voice suddenly rang out nearby, no longer the distorted sound from the communication talisman, but the real, tangible reality.

Fang Zhong struggled to lift his head and saw Yao Datong, holding a spirit sword, rushing out of the smoke and dust.

He casually killed a few centipedes that were swimming around the cave entrance, and then helped him up with a look of "anxiety".

"Elder Fang, you've suffered so much." Yao Datong looked at Fang Zhong's miserable appearance, a ruthless glint flashing deep in his eyes that no one else could detect.

"Quickly... help me out..."

Fang Zhong leaned against the stone wall, panting heavily. "It's all in chaos down here. That's a Golden Core stage demon... We all miscalculated."

While steadily supporting him, Yao Datong sighed with a strange tone, "Yes, who would have thought that outer disciple named Wang Daqi would actually be right? There are not only centipedes here, but they're also on such a terrifying scale. This is really big trouble..."

Upon hearing the name Wang Daqi, Fang Zhong felt a surge of intense regret and shame.

If I had listened to that kid's warning back then, if I hadn't been so greedy for the mission rewards, would things have come to this?

"Things have come to this point... there's no point in saying more."

Fang Zhong weakly closed his eyes, his voice filled with a deathly dejection, "As the person in charge, the sect will definitely punish me. I accept the blame... This time, I'm afraid we will all be punished!"

"Really? You admit it?"

Yao Datong suddenly repeated the sentence, his tone becoming cold and eerie.

Fang Zhong was slightly taken aback. Before he could react, he suddenly felt a bone-chilling coldness in his chest.

"Pfft!!!"

It was a dull thud as a sharp blade pierced flesh.

Fang Zhong looked down in disbelief and saw that Yao Datong's spirit sword, which was supposed to slay the demon beast, was now piercing his heart.

Since the amulet's energy had already been exhausted in that deadly battle, this sword strike was effortless.

"You... Yao Datong... you're insane..."

Fang Zhong's eyes widened, and he spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with pieces of internal organs, his right hand gripping Yao Datong's collar tightly.

Yao Datong's face was contorted with rage; there was no trace of his usual obsequiousness left.

He leaned close to Fang Zhong's ear, lowered his voice, and said in a chilling tone, "Elder Fang, this is all your fault. You were the one who insisted on starting the project, and I tried to dissuade you many times but you wouldn't listen... I will report these words to the sect verbatim."

"You...you despicable scoundrel..."

"Only when you die will these words become 'facts'."

Yao Datong abruptly pulled back his longsword and kicked Fang Zhong hard in the wound. "And I am the loyal subordinate who risked my life to put out the fire but failed to save the elder. As for Wang Daqi and the others, they will die in the cave too. No one can prove that I didn't advise you."

Fang Zhong's body crashed heavily into the pile of rocks, and the light in his eyes quickly faded in the sunlight.

He never understood why he died not at the hands of the Golden Centipede, but at the hands of his own subordinates.

Yao Datong wiped the blood from his face, turned to look at the rescue disciples rushing up the mountain, and his face instantly switched to an expression of utter grief and indignation. He roared with heart-wrenching despair:

"Elder Fang! Elder Fang has fallen! Everyone, follow me! Kill all these beasts and avenge the elder!"

As more and more people arrived, Yao Datong threw Fang Zhong's body into the cave.

Seeing his body engulfed by countless centipedes, Yao Datong finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, Yao Datong gazed into the distance and murmured, "Those deacons and Fang Zhong all died here. Now, the only ones who know my situation are Wang Daqi and Jiang Xuerou. Right, Wang Daqi's Daoist partner, Xu Yan, must also know. We can't let them live... We have to find them first."

Just then, Yao Datong noticed a familiar figure appearing not far away.

"Wang Daqi, you actually showed up."