I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

"Quick! Lead the way!"

Upon hearing Yu Xing's words, Xuan Le grasped at a straw and immediately urged him on.

At this moment, the light shield of the Four Fiends Formation above their heads was already on the verge of collapse under the continuous scorching of the Azure Sun Demon Fire, and it was only a matter of time before it shattered.

Any hesitation could jeopardize this only chance to escape.

Yu Xing didn't dare to delay and immediately turned around, leading everyone towards an abandoned mine entrance at the bottom of the canyon cliff, half-hidden by vines and rocks.

The entrance was narrow, allowing only two or three people to pass side by side. There were obvious signs of collapse and a musty smell from long-term neglect at the entrance.

Unless one is familiar with the inside story, it would be hard to imagine that this could be a way out.

The crowd filed in, with Foundation Establishment cultivators in front and Qi Refining disciples following closely behind, maintaining basic order despite the chaos.

Zhou Yuan and Han Li coincidentally landed in the middle to rear of the group, neither at the front nor the back, maintaining a relatively safe position with a clear sense of direction.

The mine tunnel was pitch black, the air thick and filled with the smell of earth and ore. Everyone used moonstones or lighting spells to barely illuminate the way ahead.

The mine tunnels twisted downwards, with numerous forks, resembling a maze. Yu Xing led the way, carefully guiding the way based on his memory, at a slow pace.

However, after the group had only gone a few hundred feet into the mine tunnel and just turned a sharp bend, a violent roar like an earthquake suddenly came from behind them!

"Boom—!!!"

A deafening roar of landslides rolled in from the direction they had come from, accompanied by the terrifying sounds of rocks breaking and earth cascading down.

The entire mine shaft trembled violently, and gravel and dust rained down from above.

"Oh no! The entrance has collapsed!"

Someone shouted in terror.

Before he could finish speaking, an even more violent shockwave and torrent of mud surged in from the rear passage!

Clearly, the demonic cultivators had completely broken through the Four Fiends Formation and launched a fierce attack or some kind of destruction on the canyon and mine entrance, causing a large-scale landslide!

"Run forward! Quickly!"

Xuan Le shouted loudly, his voice sounding particularly shrill in the trembling passage.

Everyone ran forward frantically, but the collapse was happening much faster than they had imagined.

The next moment, endless darkness and heavy pressure surged in from all directions, and mud and boulders completely swallowed them up like a tide!

The screams and cries were instantly drowned out, and the whole world fell into dead silence and darkness.

The moment Zhou Yuan sensed the disturbance behind him, his inner power surged, and a layer of solid, pale golden protective spiritual light instantly enveloped his entire body.

The moment the mud and boulders pressed down, his body sank slightly, absorbing some of the impact. His protective aura stubbornly created a small space, separating him from the direct pressure.

Although he was buried deep underground and his breathing was suffocating, with his mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation and powerful physique, his life was not in immediate danger.

He was not alarmed; in fact, he seemed calm as if it were "expected."

After the tremors subsided, he had a thought, and several small beast puppets, no bigger than a fist, resembling pangolins, and with shells made of refined iron mixed with special ores, silently emerged from his sleeve.

These gadgets were specially crafted by him in his spare time. They have a simple structure, extremely low energy consumption, and are small and sturdy. They are good at drilling and hiding, and are prepared for exploring such complex underground environments.

Under his divine control, several small animal puppets, like real living beings, began to skillfully explore and grope in the compacted soil and crevices of gravel, while simultaneously feeding back information such as the geological structure and pore direction they discovered to Zhou Yuan through a weak spiritual connection.

Based on this information, Zhou Yuan determined the relatively stable direction and the possible path to open ground. He then began to use his magic power, slowly and steadily "digging" forward in that direction like a groundhog.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhou Yuan felt the resistance ahead lessen, accompanied by the sound of several pieces of gravel rolling down. He pushed aside the last rock blocking his path, and suddenly the view opened up before him—

He arrived at a relatively spacious abandoned mine tunnel with obvious signs of artificial excavation, a damaged top, but a fairly stable overall structure.

Although the air was still murky, it was now able to circulate, and the light from the moonstone could shine very far.

He put away the little beast puppet, tidied his dusty robe, and instead of acting hastily, he quietly spread his divine sense like mercury to explore his surroundings.

Not long after, a slight fluctuation of magical energy and the sound of footsteps came from one end of the mine tunnel.

Zhou Yuan's gaze narrowed slightly, but he did not conceal his presence. Soon,

Several disheveled figures appeared in the halo of the moonstone.

The three leading figures were none other than Xuan Le, Lü Tianmeng, and Han Li!

The three of them had the highest cultivation levels, the strongest reaction times, and the best survival skills, and they had clearly managed to escape from the landslide.

Behind them followed four Qi Refining stage cultivators, still shaken and injured, whose attire suggested they belonged to the Hidden Moon Sect and the Spirit Beast Mountain, respectively.

"Senior Brother Zhou!"

Han Li spotted Zhou Yuan standing in front of him and immediately showed a relieved and happy expression. He quickly greeted him.

"Senior Brother Zhou!"

Han Li spotted Zhou Yuan standing in front of him and immediately showed a relieved and happy expression. He quickly greeted him.

In such a desperate situation, having a fellow disciple by your side, especially one whose strength is unfathomable and who seems to always be able to create "miracles," would undoubtedly make you feel much more at ease.

In contrast, although Xuan Le and Lü Tianmeng were temporary teammates, they belonged to different sects and their intentions were difficult to fathom.

Zhou Yuan nodded to Han Li, his gaze calmly sweeping over Xuan Le and Lü Tianmeng.

Xuan Le's face showed relief at surviving the ordeal, but her expression remained solemn. Lü Tianmeng, on the other hand, had a gloomy face and his eyes were shifty, as if he was thinking about something.

"Junior Brother Zhou is safe and sound, that's great! We can't stay here any longer, we need to find a way out as soon as possible."

Xuan Le breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Zhou Yuan; having another Foundation Establishment cultivator was always a good thing. He naturally invited Zhou Yuan to join the team.

Zhou Yuan did not refuse, and silently walked to a position slightly ahead of Han Li, which both indicated his stance and did not seem too distant from Xuan Le and the others.

After the group of eight (four Foundation Establishment cultivators and four Qi Refining cultivators) reunited, they continued their exploration along the mine tunnel, led by Xuan Le and Lü Tianmeng.

No one mentioned any other companions who might have been buried. In the world of cultivation, especially in such dire situations, self-preservation is always the top priority.

They passed through three or four underground caves of varying sizes, filled with abandoned ore and stagnant water, the environment becoming increasingly deep and desolate.

When everyone stepped into an exceptionally large natural stalactite cave, the scene before them made them stop in their tracks and gasp in astonishment!

In the center of the cave, a giant spider, several meters long, with a body as clear as white jade and eight long legs like sharp spears, was using its terrifyingly large fangs to tear and chew on a bloody and incomplete corpse.

Judging from the tattered white clothing left on the corpse, it was clearly a disciple of the Hidden Moon Sect who had narrowly escaped the landslide but unfortunately encountered a demonic beast there.

Near the corpse, there were three or four magical artifacts whose spiritual light had completely dimmed and were damaged, clearly having experienced a brief and desperate resistance.

However, what attracted everyone's attention even more was not the bloody feeding scene, nor the ferocious white jade spider, but what was behind the spider!

There were piles of raw spirit stones there, emitting a faint, hazy spiritual glow.

Surrounded by these raw ores, a magnificent hexagonal stone array—a teleportation array—stood out from the dust of time and covered with mysterious runes!

The teleportation array was ancient in design and was not something commonly seen in the cultivation world of Yue Kingdom today. Its complexity caused even the well-informed Xuan Le and Lü Tianmeng to have their pupils shrink.

On one side of the teleportation array, a complete skeleton, shimmering with faint five-colored spiritual light, was sitting cross-legged, hovering quietly three feet off the ground!

In the skeleton's hands, there was a token with a bright blue light and an ancient shape. Runes flowed on the token, making it clear that it was no ordinary item!

Zhou Yuan's breath hitched almost imperceptibly, and his gaze instantly locked onto the hexagonal teleportation array and the blue token in the hands of the five-colored skeleton!

Found it!

A strong surge of emotion welled up within him.

Ancient Teleportation Array!

A teleportation array leading to the Chaotic Star Sea!

The reason he "obediently" accepted the conscription to this spirit stone mine from the very beginning, patiently waited, and even secretly looked forward to the attack by the demonic path, was all for this moment!

This teleportation array and that token were his only hope of escaping the war in Yue Kingdom and heading to a wider world!

Almost simultaneously, a cold and resolute thought arose in his mind: the secret of this place must never be revealed!

The value of the ancient teleportation array is immeasurable. Once the news leaks out, not only will it attract countless greedy eyes and bloody battles within the seven sects of Yue Kingdom, but it will also be a major event.

These people in front of us... if we can't control them, none of them will leave alive!

Deep within Zhou Yuan's eyes, a murderous intent quietly gathered, but his face remained calm and expressionless.

She even took a slight half-step back.

Hidden to the side and behind Han Li and Xuan Le, he acted like a cautious observer.