A thunderous sound of collapse came from behind Duan Ruijie.
Twenty zhang, fifteen zhang.
"Hah... hah..."
He had no time to care, only desperately running towards the direction outside the mine tunnel. The distance between him and the light outside the tunnel grew closer and closer.
From time to time, gravel fell from above his head, making Duan Ruijie even more panicked.
Ten zhang, five zhang.
"Hurry, come out quickly!"
From outside the mine tunnel, someone shouted towards his direction.
Forty chi, fifteen chi...
"What is the situation inside the mine tunnel now!"
The person in charge of this mining area, wearing a Star Heaven Sect daoist robe, quickly stepped forward, his brows tightly furrowed as he asked the Biqiu Sect laborers who had just escaped from the tunnel.
"It's a cave-in, Administrator Zhao, a cave-in..."
A panting Biqiu Sect disciple said this to the person in charge.
"A cave-in?"
Administrator Zhao frowned deeply, looking like this was troublesome business.
"Quickly take a headcount, see if anyone is missing."
After more than a dozen breaths of time, someone spoke towards Administrator Zhao's direction.
"Reporting to Administrator Zhao, it seems one person is indeed missing."
"Who?"
Administrator Zhao asked.
In the current chaotic situation, counting the number of people was simple, but determining exactly who was missing was difficult.
The laborers who had just come up from the mine tunnel looked at each other, also not knowing who exactly was missing.
Duan Ruijie, lying on the ground, stared blankly at the mine's sky for a long time, then his eyes suddenly reddened.
"Administrator Zhao, it's Yan Chen! Yan Chen didn't make it up!"
"Yan Chen?"
The Biqiu Sect laborers all began whispering amongst themselves.
One year ago, Yan Chen was absolutely the top talent among the Biqiu Sect's younger generation of disciples, his cultivation talent even considered not inferior to Xing Ziang.
It was precisely because of this that Yan Chen was quite famous among the Biqiu Sect disciples.
No one could have imagined that the former young prodigy of the Biqiu Sect would actually perish in a mining cave-in.
"It's all my fault!"
Duan Ruijie choked up.
"I shouldn't have let him go back, to pick up some damn Xing family fist manual! It's all on me! If I had stopped him, Yan Chen wouldn't have died! Brother Yan, I, as your elder brother, have failed you! Brother Yan!"
Regarding Yan Chen's death, Duan Ruijie felt quite guilty.
Because he could have prevented it.
The atmosphere outside the mine tunnel was quite heavy, and Administrator Zhao also felt this was quite troublesome to handle.
Even if Yan Chen was just an out-of-sect laborer, a death at the mine meant he had to submit a written report to his superiors.
Yet another troublesome matter.
And this one lying on the ground wailing like a ghost... so damn annoying.
Administrator Zhao thought this way.
...
At this very moment, on the mountain range east of the mining area.
A young man who looked about seventeen years old stood atop the mountain peak, lightly brushing the dust off his clothes.
This way, he had finally successfully extricated himself.
Not just from the so-called "cave-in," but from the fifty years of forced labor.
Biqiu Sect inner disciple Yan Chen was dead as of today.
As for who he was now...
Chen Yan hadn't thought it through yet.
For safety's sake, it was best to first leave the southern region of Chenping Continent, to leave Star Heaven Sect territory.
The northwest direction of Chenping Continent, namely Kongshan Sect territory, Chen Yan also temporarily had no plans to return. Although it had been quite some time since he last saw his nominal master and martial uncles, now was still not the time for a reunion.
He couldn't go back to the Kongshan Sect.
Then the western region of Chenping Continent was also quickly rejected by Chen Yan.
Because that was Mirage Palace territory.
Just thinking of the Mirage Palace, Xiao Bo'an's figure involuntarily surfaced in Chen Yan's mind.
The northern region of Chenping Continent was Wind Ravine Valley territory, and the eastern region was Lingxiao Temple.
Thinking carefully, if he wanted to live under an assumed name, Wind Ravine Valley and Lingxiao Temple territories were probably the most suitable for Chen Yan.
"Lingxiao Temple has always acted more decisively and swiftly, while Wind Ravine Valley cultivators seem relatively more detached and carefree..."
Chen Yan murmured to himself.
In that case, he would go to the northern region.
He made this decision.
"What's this, I seem to have heard someone speaking ill of Lingxiao Temple and Wind Ravine Valley?"
Suddenly, an unfamiliar young man's voice came from behind Chen Yan.
This unfamiliar voice instantly put Chen Yan on high alert. The Hidden Immortal Art circulated, ready to act at any moment.
He turned around and looked up at the large tree behind him. Sitting beside a branch was a young man wearing a daoist robe, with a token hanging at his waist, showing only its back.
That was a Star Heaven Sect token.
Chen Yan's pupils contracted.
He remembered.
Nearly two years ago, at the Green Stone Plaza in Yunyang City, he had seen this young man.
"May I ask who you are, sir?"
Chen Yan clasped his hands and bowed.
Not wearing the standard Star Heaven Sect daoist robe, yet with a Star Heaven Sect token hanging at his waist.
According to the rules of the Five Great Sects, the young man before him had to be at least a personal disciple of an elder or higher.
"Shouldn't you state your name first?"
The young man laughed.
"... Xie Yi."
Chen Yan gave the name of the youth who had clashed with him two years ago when he was still at the Xing Mansion.
"You are not being honest."
The young man on the branch just shook his head.
"You flatter me, sir. When traveling, one inevitably needs to be cautious."
Chen Yan's heart sank, becoming even more alert.
"So, what is your real name?"
The young man with the Star Heaven Sect token hanging at his waist continued asking.
"My name is..."
Chen Yan suddenly pushed off the ground with the tips of his toes, immediately executing the Xun Wind Step, instantly closing the distance between him and the young man on the branch. He then channeled true qi into his right palm, and immediately, lightning flashed—
Great Derivation Art: Thunderclap Summon!
This was a technique Chen Yan had researched himself through the Great Derivation Art back when he was at the Kongshan Sect.
Although somewhat crude, in a situation where he had no choice, Chen Yan did not plan to use his Clear Rainbow or the techniques he had learned at Kongshan Sect.
Because even the residual traces of true qi could potentially expose his true identity.
"Interesting..."
The young man laughed, then his figure flashed, sidestepping to avoid Chen Yan's attack.
This person's movement speed was actually not inferior to his own Xun Wind Step.
Chen Yan thought this.
The moment he struck, he had already decided to kill.
Chen Yan absolutely could not allow any information about himself to leak, or it might cause many quite troublesome problems.
But his opponent didn't seem to be a simple character either.
In that case...
Chen Yan fully activated the Great Derivation Art. True qi derived from his fingertips transformed into spiritual energy.
Back at Heavenly Summit Mountain, with his Martial Spring Realm cultivation, he had used this move to exchange blows with He Furen of the Myriad Transformations Realm.
Now, he was already a Peak Qi Sea Realm cultivator.
Even a lion uses its full strength when catching a rabbit.
A wisp of clear, ethereal spiritual energy condensed at his fingertip. It wasn't the Kongshan Finger, but rather directly releasing this wisp of spiritual energy.
However, the moment this wisp of spiritual energy was released, it became suspended in mid-air—
That's right, suspended in mid-air.
"Oh?"
The young man curiously examined the Clear Energy suspended in the air as if time had been frozen.
"Spiritual energy? A bit interesting."
Chen Yan's heart was filled with shock.
He clearly understood what kind of person could accomplish such a thing.
An upper three realms cultivator.