Just two seconds after the two stepped out, three dark figures appeared outside the cave, blocking their path. They wore masks representing the Chinese zodiac animals: ox, tiger, and dragon.
"Rabbit, weren't you out on a mission? Why are you back, and even with Snake?"
The speaker was Chen Long, who kept scrutinizing the two women, clearly showing his distrust of them.
"Chenlong, my affairs are none of your business. As for Zishu, I need to speak with him about something related to Wang Hao from the Burning Lamp Academy."
Qingran's voice was extremely cold, and he exuded a chilling aura, making him incredibly domineering.
Chenlong snorted coldly and said, "Show me your identity tokens for verification, and the same goes for Sishe."
It has to be said that he was very cautious in his actions. From the moment the real Snake died to the moment Shi Mengqi appeared in disguise, only five minutes had passed. He was suspected simply because he appeared with the Rabbit.
Without hesitation, the two handed over the tokens. The Ox and Tiger on either side also carefully observed their surroundings, as there was no room for error here.
Chenlong looked at the token, confirmed it repeatedly, and then handed it back, saying, "The Rat is inside. Since you have something to do, go in. The Snake should return to its position and wait for orders."
"Whoosh."
The three of them, Chenlong, disappeared around the stone cave in a flash. Qingran and Shi Mengqi dared not communicate and immediately split up.
Just after Qingran entered the cave, Shi Mengqi, taking advantage of the darkness, moved like a ghost to the back of the cave and found an array plate under a boulder.
"This should be it." Shi Mengqi murmured to herself, then took out a bomb from her storage ring, set the time, and placed it on the array plate.
After finishing off one, Shi Mengqi rushed towards the location of the second array plate.
This formation requires the simultaneous destruction of five array plates, also known as the array eyes, before it will dissipate. This formation has both defensive and spiritual energy gathering functions.
At the same time, after Qingran entered the stone cave, she headed towards the deepest part, perfectly avoiding all kinds of traps along the way, since she was present when the stone cave was built.
After an incense stick had burned, Qingran arrived in front of a stone door. Beside it sat an old man in black with white hair, wearing a rat-head mask, whose aura was as deep as the sea.
And an invisible wave emanated from it, enveloping him within a ten-zhang radius. This was the power of his Martial Soul, which only Earth Realm martial artists could cultivate!
The old man, Zishu, slowly opened his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Stop."
"Senior, I have urgent business to discuss with Young Master Li. It concerns information about Wang Hao, and I'm very anxious." Qingran's tone was very anxious, as if it really was something important.
Zishu slowly shook his head and said, "Young Master Li is at a critical moment right now and cannot be disturbed in the slightest. As long as Young Master Li breaks through smoothly, Wang Hao is nothing to worry about."
Just as Qingran was about to say something more, the stone cave suddenly began to tremble violently, followed by five explosions outside, which caused dust to rise everywhere.
"Lord Rat, the array outside the cave has been destroyed!"
From the faint sound of Zishu's communication device, Qingran heard the reason for the explosion and breathed a sigh of relief. The formation had been broken, and Zishu had to go out and check.
Sure enough, as soon as the idea popped into his head, the Rat said, "The Rabbit, come with me to go out and take a look."
Qingran was not about to let this opportunity slip by, so she refused, saying, "Senior, Young Master Li's gate cannot be left unguarded. You go ahead, I will stay here to guard it and ensure Young Master Li's safety."
The Rat glanced at the Rabbit, then nodded, and with a flicker, disappeared into the passage at a speed of almost 101 meters per second.
"Such speed." Qingran thought to himself, then waited for half a minute and found that the rat had not returned, so he went to the stone gate.
Now that the formation has been broken, the stone door is just an ordinary stone door. With a punch from her, the stone door shattered and turned into pieces of stone.
Qingran stepped into the stone cave and found that the space around her was not large. There was a stone bed, a wooden table, a chair, and a candle. In the center, a figure was sitting cross-legged.
"Li Xu, prepare to die!"
Without hesitation, Qingran took out a sapphire blue longsword from her storage ring and stabbed it directly into the figure's back, but no blood flowed out.
"It's a puppet?" Qingran's expression changed drastically, and she immediately withdrew. However, at that moment, a cold light flashed and pierced straight into the spot where she had been standing.
"I never expected it, Young Master Li was right, Mao Tu, you really did betray us." An old figure emerged from the darkness, an old woman.
Her head was covered in messy white hair, her figure was hunched over, she leaned on a cane, her old face was full of wrinkles, and she walked with a trembling gait.
Yet this old man evokes a sense of awe and reverence.
"Are you the Earth God?!"
Qingran exclaimed in surprise and turned to run without hesitation, because above the Dark Guards were two powerful elders, the Two Elders of Heaven and Earth, both of whom possessed the strength of the Great Perfection of the Earth Realm.
"Hehehe, it's a pity that Young Master Li wanted to capture the two of you alive. He had already anticipated that you would betray us. Don't forget that your natal soul lamp is in the Li family."
Qingran was shocked by the words of the old man behind her. She thought of many things, such as whether Li Xu already knew about it when she broke the Soul Control Curse.
"Damn it!" Qingran immediately unleashed the Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow, his speed skyrocketing, and he rushed out of the stone cave in an instant. He saw Shi Mengqi being besieged by Chenlong and Chouniu, and the three of them were evenly matched for a time.
Qingran drew her sword and charged forward, unleashing a sword aura that forced the two back. She then pulled Shi Mengqi and ran towards the distant woods.
"Chase him! Don't let him get away!" Zishu ran out from behind the stone cave in a fit of rage, his breathing still a little disordered, as if he had suffered some injuries.
The three of them turned into shadows and gave chase.
"Hehehe, young people are so impatient. Oh well, it's time for my old bones to get some exercise, otherwise I won't be able to explain to the young master if those two young girls get away."
The old woman slowly emerged from the stone cave, her figure gradually rising as she prepared to fly towards the forest where Qingran and Shi Mengqi were.
If the three of them were still here, they would definitely be shocked by what they saw, because this was flying through the air, and only a Heavenly Realm expert could do that!
"As a Heavenly Realm expert, you should refrain from interfering in battles between juniors."
Suddenly, a middle-aged man dressed in a black robe with gold trim appeared on a boulder not far away, as if he had been there for some time.
"The God of War of China?!" The old woman narrowed her eyes and recognized the newcomer at a glance. However, she was not afraid, because she was now also in the Heaven Realm and at the peak of the initial stage!
The Chinese War God slowly rose and said, "The number of Heavenly Realm cultivators has surged recently. Although the battles on the Heavenly Ranking are fierce, it seems that no one has fallen yet. I hope that you, Old Man Di, will not be the first."
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