Jingjiang Xu Manor, the servants' compound.
On their first day in the manor, there were no chores assigned. They were told that only tomorrow would an elder resident of the estate guide them to get acquainted with their specific duties.
Lying on his modest bed, Qin Mo gazed up at the wooden ceiling, humming a light tune while pondering his next steps.
He had never imagined he would see Jinxuan on his very first day in the estate, much less that he would feel so stirred upon seeing her.
"That little girl hasn't agreed to anything, brat. Look at you grinning like an idiot."
A middle-aged man's faintly scoffing voice suddenly echoed in Qin Mo's mind.
Qin Mo's thoughts paused, and he gave a dry cough.
"Old man, it's not like you didn't see Jinxuan's reaction. There's always a chance."
"Tsk-tsk... I wonder who insisted she was just an ordinary friend from the very beginning."
Qin Mo clicked his tongue, smiling.
"Old man—"
"Wait."
The middle-aged voice suddenly interrupted, laced with a hint of bewilderment.
"Someone is sending you a voice transmission."
"What?" Qin Mo's train of thought stalled; he failed to react right away.
Yet in the very next instant,
a streak of white light pierced through the wooden window and darted into the room.
The moment the orb of white light entered the chamber, it burst with a sharp pop.
Then, a light, casual voice resonated inside the room, brief and hurried:
"Brat, an expert is coming. If you want to rescue your sweetheart, you'd best hurry. I can only hold him off for half a quarter of an hour at most."
"..."
Qin Mo's pupils shrank slightly.
The room remained silent for two seconds.
Qin Mo asked in a low voice:
"Old man, wh-what was that?"
"A method of voice transmission."
The middle-aged man's voice turned slightly solemn. "Hmm... judging by the aura, it should be an Origin Realm expert."
A second-rank Origin Realm cultivator...
Qin Mo did not lose his head despite the sudden upheaval. He asked in a hushed tone,
"Can this person be trusted?"
The middle-aged voice fell silent for a moment before replying softly:
"I don't think they're deceiving you. If they wanted to harm you, killing you would be child's play given their cultivation. Sending you a transmission at a time like this... I'd wager they're a friend of some little fellow from Burial Village."
Saying that, the middle-aged man's tone took on a touch of amusement. "This person has probably been trailing you for quite some time."
"..." Qin Mo furrowed his brows and said nothing.
The middle-aged man spoke breezily:
"So, brat, what do you plan to do? I'm not clear on what's going on, but I advise fleeing first. Where there's life, there's hope."
Qin Mo lowered his eyes, remaining silent.
How he had been exposed was no longer worth brooding over; what mattered now was what to do next.
Flee?
Rationally speaking, this unforeseen crisis truly meant he should escape first.
Yet if he fled, what about Jinxuan?
If he left now, trying to sneak back in later would undoubtedly be as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Clenching his fists slightly, Qin Mo's gaze steadily hardened.
"Master, could you lend me a hand?"
"Sigh..."
A sigh came from the middle-aged man, yet after a brief silence, he chuckled. "You really are practical, aren't you, brat? Now you know to call this old man your master?"
"Cough..." Qin Mo's expression turned slightly awkward.
The middle-aged voice said teasingly:
"Still, since you've called me Master, I can hardly leave you to your fate. If things go south, this master of yours will carry you away.
"You'd best be quick, though. Whoever's helping you likely won't be able to stall that expert for long."
"Thank you."
Qin Mo smiled faintly at his words, climbed down from the bed, and walked toward the exit of the chamber.
With every step he took, a vast wave of soul power surged forth from his ring, causing the aura around him to grow stronger with each passing moment.
Qin Mo had barely stepped out of the chamber when—
Suddenly,
BOOM!
An explosion that seemed capable of tearing space apart rang out from the sky beyond Jingjiang City! The immense roar was distinctly audible in every corner of Jingjiang Prefecture.
Immediately following the dying echo came a gale that remained ferocious even after dissipating across the distance.
At that moment, any cultivator in Jingjiang City with decent cultivation could faintly sense the Source Qi between heaven and earth trembling slightly, steadily flowing toward the southwest of Jingjiang City.
Meanwhile, down in the streets, the myriads of commoners without cultivation halted in their tracks and stared up at the sky, yet could see nothing. The panic born of the unknown sent nearly the entire city of Jingjiang Prefecture into an uproar, clamoring voices erupting in chaos.
"Hey, Old Liu, you've seen a lot—what... what was that sound just now?"
"...Not too sure. Maybe an earth dragon turned over?"
"M-Miss, here are the steamed buns you wanted. You're a cultivator, right? Do... do you know what that sound was?"
"Yes, I know..."
"Could it be an invasion of demonic beasts? I heard several small towns over by the Wanxing Mountain Range have already been overrun by demonic beasts!"
"This is Jingjiang City, a prefectural seat! What demonic beast would dare come here?"
"Old Wang, Old Wang, get out of the way! The mount's spooked and out of control!"
"Dodge! My Earth Dragon Turtle has lost control again!"
"Ahhh!"
"..."
"..."
In stark contrast to the noisy chaos in the city streets, the northwestern courtyard of the vast Xu Manor remained as tranquil as a library. Estate guards of various ranks stood quietly at their respective duty posts.
Ying'er had taken Su Jinxuan to the North Court and stood guard there, while Zhou Chen and Si Ziyu remained at Xu Yuan's side.
Even deep within the secret chamber, Xu Yuan heard the thunderous roar that echoed from the sky.
His heart beat rather fast.
Xu Changge had already made his move outside the prefectural city. In other words, Qin Mo would likely make a move immediately as well.
Amid the dead silence,
Zhou Chen, bearing his sword on his back, suddenly looked up toward the ceiling. His voice sounded somewhat hollow in the enclosed underground chamber:
"Third Young Master, please remain here in this secret chamber and do not wander off."
"Understood, alright," Xu Yuan, clad in the Blood Jade Glazed Robe, nodded.
"Then this Zhou shall take his leave for now."
Zhou Chen cupped his hands slightly. Beside him, Si Ziyu said nothing, but also bowed with cupped hands toward Xu Yuan.
Then, both vanished from the quiet chamber almost simultaneously.
Within the vast underground secret chamber, only Xu Yuan remained.
The battle above ground began shortly afterward, for Xu Yuan could clearly sense the earth trembling continuously.
Lacking sufficient strength, he couldn't intervene in the battle taking place on the surface at all.
Leaving his life entirely in the hands of others to protect was not a pleasant feeling for Xu Yuan.
Time slipped away bit by bit as the battle above ground dragged on.
Who knew how long had passed, when suddenly—
BOOM!
With a resounding crash, Xu Yuan's body swayed violently.
He sensed that something seemed to have slammed down onto the ground directly above him, causing flecks of grit and dust to shake loose from the secret chamber's ceiling.
Xu Yuan was startled, but before he had time to think—
BOOM!
Another round of tremors shook the earth, and this time, the specially constructed ceiling of the secret chamber cracked in multiple places.
Xu Yuan stared upward with a grave gaze as the Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art began to circulate quietly.
What's going on?! How did the fight reach right above my head?
Doesn't this secret chamber have a spirit-screening formation to block perception?
Fortunately, after that second crash, there was no further major disturbance overhead for the moment.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
Thirty seconds.
After those two impacts, Xu Yuan roughly understood that his location had likely been exposed.
Hesitating slightly, Xu Yuan slowly rose to his feet, preparing to head out.
If he didn't leave now, he would probably end up buried alive.
Yet just as he stood up—
RUMBLE!
Another violent tremor struck. A large section of the specialized ceiling shattered, and the earth and stones above instantly poured into the chamber through the breach like a flood of seawater.
Chapter 78