Chapter 1142: Black Mist

"What's that sound?" Yu Yanluo's face was pale. She instinctively moved closer to Zu'an, as if finding a sense of security in his presence.

Zu'an shook his head. He had never heard a sound like that before; it sent a shiver through his very soul. He wasn't even sure if it was the roar of some fierce beast or the resonant effect of wind blowing through the massive cavern.

"This is your Yu family's pit," he quipped, "and you're asking me?"

Yu Yanluo looked a little embarrassed. After thinking for a moment, she replied, "I haven't spent much time here, but as far as I know, there's never been anything like this before."

"Then be careful," Zu'an said, but then his expression suddenly changed. "Wait a minute, something's not right. I now have power comparable to a Grandmaster, and you're the famous beast Medusa. If there's any monster, it should be afraid of us."

"You're right," Yu Yanluo instinctively nodded, but then, flushed with indignation, she pinched him. "You're the beast! That sounds terrible."

Zu'an chuckled, wrapped an arm around her slender waist, and continued to descend into the depths of the cavern. He had to admit, her waist was so slender it could almost be encompassed by one hand—probably the thinnest waist among all the women he knew. Qiao Xueying's was similar, but she was an elf, naturally more delicate than ordinary humans.

"Hmm, something's not right," Yu Yanluo's voice came from beside him.

Zu'an immediately became alert. "What is it?"

Yu Yanluo looked down the tunnel and said, "Normally, the miners would still be working at this time, but I can't sense anyone's presence. It's quite strange."

Zu'an exclaimed in surprise, "It's late at night and you still have workers on duty? What heartless capitalists!"

Yu Yanluo retorted exasperatedly, "Down in this mine, there's no sun or moon, so day and night make no difference to them. Of course, they don't work around the clock; shifts rotate."

Only then did Zu'an realize his mistake. "You're right, that is odd. Did something happen down here?"

"Besides the miners, I'm also worried about Xingnu and the others," Yu Yanluo said, her voice laced with concern. "I told them to escape through here, but if something strange has happened below, they could be in danger."

"Let's go down first," Zu'an said. As they spoke, the two finally reached the bottom.

The air at the bottom was murky, but it wasn't a significant issue for cultivators. It was pitch black all around. With the faint glow of the luminous pearl, they could see several crude wooden huts, along with numerous tools and mining carts scattered everywhere.

"This is the main supply station for the mine, where materials from the surface are distributed to the various sub-stations below, and where excavated ore is sorted, packaged, and transported up... Normally, there would be many guards here, so it seems something has indeed happened." Yu Yanluo looked around but saw no sign of anyone.

"There's a notice board here," Zu'an said, pointing to a plaque nearby.

Yu Yanluo walked over and read aloud, "Recent frequent tremors and numerous unexpected incidents have occurred. For safety, all personnel are to evacuate to the surface and await the family's investigation into the cause before returning..."

Reading this, she couldn't help but be startled. "Why didn't I hear anything about this?"

Zu'an examined the surrounding traces. "Judging by these signs, they must have evacuated in the last two days. You've been imprisoned by Xu Yu recently, and several elders of the Yu family have been arrested. With no one in charge, it's natural you wouldn't know what's happening here."

"Something serious must have happened," Yu Yanluo said, her face full of worry. "You have to understand, this mine has never stopped operating for years, and without the family's explicit approval, these people unilaterally ceased operations. It must mean those on site realized they couldn't continue, otherwise, no one would dare give such an order."

"Tools are scattered everywhere, indicating they left in a great hurry—they must have encountered an emergency," Zu'an said, squatting to examine the scattered tools, overturned mining carts, and even many elemental stones that had been left behind like waste, unswept.

He stood up again. "Should we go back up and ask the personnel stationed outside? It seemed there were still some people staying behind when we passed."

Yu Yanluo thought for a moment and shook her head. "Going back up is too much trouble, and I don't want to involve them. For now, it seems they likely encountered something like an earthquake or a cave-in. Let's first investigate the whereabouts of Xingnu and the others and find them as quickly as possible."

"Alright," Zu'an agreed. He recalled the unsettling tremors and the strange sound from earlier; it was understandable that ordinary miners would be frightened. However, they were now powerful cultivators, so they naturally had fewer concerns.

"A'Zu, stay close to me," Yu Yanluo warned. "This mine has many branching paths and no daylight, so it's easy to get lost."

"Ah, so dangerous! Then I really need to stay close," Zu'an said with a worried expression, quickly moving closer and naturally taking her hand.

Yu Yanluo: "..."

Her heart fluttered, and her cheeks flushed faintly in the darkness. However, she didn't pull away. Instead, she explained, "Yes, holding hands is good. This way, we won't get separated easily."

Initially, the tunnels were quite wide, but the deeper they went, the narrower they became. Many sections were only tall enough for one person, though the width was still adequate for transporting ore. Holding her delicate, tender hand, Zu'an felt an unusual calm. The dark, deep environment around them seemed to transform into something vibrant and colorful.

Yu Yanluo, being a mature woman, overcame her initial panic and gave a relaxed smile. Her slender fingers intertwined with his, and she unconsciously leaned closer to him. Thus, they continued deeper into the mine. The eerie, silent mine suddenly felt warm and romantic, making them wish the path wouldn't end so soon.

Unfortunately, happy times passed exceptionally quickly. Yu Yanluo suddenly stopped. "Hmm?"

Zu'an naturally knew why she was surprised: a strange mass of black mist had appeared in the tunnel ahead. Although it was pitch black around them, their cultivation levels were high enough that, with the help of the luminous pearl's light, they could see clearly.

"This black mist is strange," Zu'an remarked, looking at the beautiful woman beside him.

Yu Yanluo knew what he wanted to ask and replied directly, "This didn't exist in the mine before."

Zu'an attempted to use his divine sense to perceive it, but found that his spiritual perception couldn't penetrate the black mist. This was unprecedented. Ever since his divine soul had formed, he could control everything within dozens of yards, from a blade of grass to a tree. Yet now, he couldn't even probe a few meters away. Undeterred, he activated the Jade Cong, attempting to summon small animals nearby. In a mine like this, there would surely be no shortage of rats and the like. However, his expression quickly darkened, as he couldn't sense a single living creature!

"It seems the miners' evacuation is connected to this black mist," Yu Yanluo said, already moving towards it, intending to inspect it herself.

Zu'an quickly stopped her. "Let me go!"

Yu Yanluo gave a charming smile. "Do you really think I'm a helpless woman? I have Medusa's bloodline, after all; my body is much stronger than an ordinary human's, and I have a certain resistance to poisons. I'm definitely more suitable than you."

Zu'an still held her hand tightly. "In terms of physical strength, even dragons might not compare to me. And as for poison resistance, if you were really that strong, you wouldn't have been poisoned by Xu Yu's tea back then."

Yu Yanluo's face showed embarrassment. "That was specifically concocted to target me; it wasn't a general type of poison."

Zu'an smiled. "Let me go. My body is now immune to all poisons; I'm much stronger than you."

"Immune to all poisons?" Yu Yanluo was utterly shocked. What kind of special constitution was that?

"Don't believe me? Why don't you bite me and see?" Zu'an said, extending his hand towards her mouth.

Yu Yanluo chuckled, scolding him as she pushed his hand away. "I'm not a venomous snake."

After a moment of playful banter, Zu'an gently brushed her cheek with his finger, his tone firm. "I don't want your perfect skin to be harmed by poison. Wait for me here."

As he spoke, he strode confidently into the black mist.

Watching his figure disappear into the black mist, Yu Yanluo's heart leaped to her throat. "How are you?"

Unfortunately, there was no reply.