Chapter 503: This Time Is Different

"Yes," both lieutenants replied, cupping their hands in assent.

Poyuan stepped, grasped the ground with one palm, consolidating it, then waved through the air. A hundred-zhang-long earth dragon burst from the ground. Its thundering roar shook the surrounding witnesses, and the howling gale scoured in all directions, blowing away countless heart-wrapper grasses.

The soaring earth dragon crashed into the distance, kicking up clouds of dust.

A deep pit appeared on the ground in front of Poyuan.

With a wave of his hand, his two lieutenants flashed into the subterranean passage in quick succession.

Soon, a rumbling, earthquake-like sound emanated from within the passage.

Poyuan turned, pointed at a patch of ground nearby, and instantly the earth surged aside to make way. He then flashed inside.

The subterranean rumbling gradually faded into the distance. The Divine Mountain personnel around exchanged bewildered glances.

As Poyuan had stated, if one's cultivation level wasn't high, earth-burrowing techniques indeed couldn't achieve great speed underground. Moreover, Wu Jinliang had sustained a minor injury.

When he had clashed palms with that Divine Mountain grunt earlier, he lacked the explosive force-dissipating ability of Shi Chun's 'Bath Demon Art', nor did he have a treasure robe to convert power in his palm. Although the 'Demon-Dispelling Hand' could counteract some of the attacking force with its upward momentum, he still bore a significant amount of the attack directly.

After all, there was a gap of one cultivation realm between them.

The moment he burrowed underground, blood surged within him, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. His arm, which had taken the blow, ached terribly, and he had suffered some internal injuries.

After forcing himself to move through the earth for a while using the earth-burrowing technique, he slightly expanded the space around him. The light from his Sandalwood Gold Flame Qi now appeared eerily dim.

*Smack!* He suddenly delivered a resounding slap to Huang Yingying's face and cursed, "Stop playing dead, you bastard, or I'll kill you for real!"

With a muffled groan, Huang Yingying seemed to awaken sluggishly. He revealed two bloody, mangled hands, then pointed to the equally mangled appearance of his neck. "Lord Gao, have pity on this old man! I'm injured, and it's quite severe."

Wu Jinliang, however, paid him no mind. He pushed Huang Yingying over, mounted his back, and with one hand, he brandished a rattling iron chain as if to whip him, scolding, "Quickly, burrow!"

Alright, Huang Yingying had no choice but to work through his injuries. He continued to use the earth-burrowing technique, carrying Wu Jinliang as they drilled through the ground. The churning earth and rocks miraculously parted around them, flowing backwards.

However, this good fortune didn't last. Just as Wu Jinliang was estimating their distance, a buzzing sound suddenly echoed from underground.

Both immediately looked around and pricked up their ears to listen. They soon realized the sound was coming from behind them.

As the sound grew clearer, both their expressions changed drastically. It was the sound of earth and rock rubbing together intensely. Their own earth-burrowing technique wouldn't produce such a loud noise. Someone was forcibly digging underground, and they were approaching very quickly.

"Hurry!" Wu Jinliang urgently cried out.

Huang Yingying didn't need to be told; he too unleashed a frantic burst of earth-burrowing.

Wu Jinliang dared not rest either. Though burdened by injuries and fatigue, he still gathered his spirit and joined in using the earth-burrowing technique to aid their escape, accelerating their speed.

However, the buzzing sound transmitted from behind them had gradually transformed into a booming roar, indicating that their escape speed was far inferior to that of their pursuers.

Huang Yingying panicked, "Lord Gao, should we escape to the surface?"

He was unaware of many things, only knowing that he had killed city guards. He also worried that Mei You's faction was coming to silence him, making it hard not to be afraid.

Wu Jinliang immediately cursed, "Nonsense! On such a vast surface, merely poking your head out could lead you to run into someone. There must be plenty of searchers outside; it would be even harder to escape once we're out."

He remained relatively calm. Though tense, he had experienced many dangerous situations and wouldn't lose his composure like Old Huang.

Huang Yingying hurriedly said, "Then let's split up and run!"

"Stop!" Wu Jinliang immediately tightened the iron chain, calling for a halt.

Huang Yingying, who hadn't reacted in time, was yanked to a stop, his eyes bulging slightly from the constriction. It seemed he was somewhat used to it.

But he didn't know why they were stopping. Seeing Wu Jinliang seemingly preparing for a head-on confrontation, he immediately panicked again. "I say, Lord Gao, we can't be reckless! Anyone capable of forcing their way through at such depths underground must at least be a master of the Human Immortal Grand Completion realm. We can't win!"

Wu Jinliang couldn't be bothered with such an inexperienced fellow. He continued to hold the iron chain in one hand, keeping Huang Yingying under him, while using the other hand to cast the earth-burrowing technique, quickly expanding a space of about ten *zhang* underground.

He retrieved a gourd from his Qiankun pouch and placed it on his back. With a flick of his wrist, he then pulled out the three-piece magic treasure set, waving them into the earth layer behind him. Next, with a shake of his shoulder, the mouth of the gourd on his back popped open. He stood ready, facing the direction from which the rumbling sound was coming, awaiting its arrival.

In his early years, he was also one to flee at the first sign of danger. Wasn't that large saber he forged back then precisely for reducing risks?

Things were different now. With his current swagger, he didn't want to lose face or be defeated.

It was just that the 'mount' beneath him seemed a bit cowardly, visibly trembling as the rumbling sound drew closer.

Before long, the roar was close. Clearly, some magical power had come to investigate, and then the underground space cracked open. Two figures, remaining vigilant, peered into the space from the opening.

Wu Jinliang, holding the chain and the Sandalwood Gold illumination in his hand, shook them slightly and shouted, "I can't run anymore, I'm not running. We surrender!"

"Huh?" Huang Yingying, who was below him, turned his head to look back at him.

Seeing that there was indeed nothing unusual inside, the two figures flashed out from the opening one after another. However, their vigilance remained high.

Wu Jinliang took off the Qiankun pouch from his waist. "I am willing to offer the valuable treasures within to both of you. Please, grant us mercy and a way out!"

As he spoke, he slowly pushed it forward with a spell, indicating no hostility.

However, the two were highly cautious. They did not touch it directly, but instead used a spell to fix the Qiankun pouch in front of them.

At the same time, the two noticed another anomaly: the magical power pushing the Qiankun pouch suddenly split into two, touching each of them.

It was harmless, like a gentle breeze.

The person on the left, disregarding everything else, coldly asked, getting straight to the point, "Was that person just now killed by you?"

Huang Yingying trembled.

Wu Jinliang remained silent. It was only after seeing the faces of the two formidable enemies suddenly change drastically, followed by complete stillness save for gurgling sounds in their throats, that he rubbed his nose and sneered, "So what if I killed him? You two, after I've given you a taste of my power, you actually think you're important?"

"What?" Huang Yingying was stunned, thinking he had misheard.

Wu Jinliang, however, pulled him up from his kneeling position. With a flick of his wrist, he thrust a saber into Huang Yingying's hand and lifted his chin, saying, "Go, slaughter them."

*Clang!* The saber, out of fright, dropped directly onto the ground.

Huang Yingying burst into tears on the spot. He had seen these two individuals on Divine Mountain before and knew they were someone's trusted lieutenants, rare human cultivators on the Divine Mountain side. How could he dare provoke them? "Little Gao, Lord Gao, can't we just die peacefully? Please stop tormenting me, I can't take it anymore, I, ah..."

Before he could finish, Wu Jinliang grabbed the iron chain and swung his arm, flinging him forward.

*Thud!* Huang Yingying slammed into one of the figures and fell to the ground. He stumbled back two steps, finding himself completely unharmed, while the two figures remained rigidly rooted in place like stone statues. He froze, realizing, as he wasn't foolish, that something was very wrong.

"I've immobilized them with a body-fixing spell! Catch the saber!" Wu Jinliang kicked the saber on the ground, sending it flying directly towards Huang Yingying.

Huang Yingying instinctively caught it.

Wu Jinliang continued, "This place is not safe for long. I don't have time to waste talking to you. I'll give you a count of five. Either you kill them, or I kill you. One, two, three..."

Did Huang Yingying have a choice? Having witnessed this scoundrel kill without batting an eye, he dared not take it as a joke. He hastily gritted his teeth and swung the saber, hacking wildly at the two pursuers with both hands.

Even though the bodies were hacked to pieces, they remained intact due to the body-fixing spell, not collapsing.

"That's enough," Wu Jinliang called out. He flashed over and casually took the saber from Old Huang's hand.

Huang Yingying, regaining his senses, looked at the two corpses marked with numerous 'lines' and gave a bitter laugh. "My hands are already stained with the blood of city guards. Why force me further?"

Wu Jinliang chuckled and teased, "Old Huang, this time it's different."

From the current situation, the previous people he made him kill were rebels and traitors from Dazhi City, who were easy to discard. But now, the people he made him kill were legitimate officials.

As soon as he saw the two individuals' cultivation levels, he knew they were of no ordinary background. With such a good opportunity, he had to quickly make Old Huang get his hands dirty again.

Since Chun had already agreed to temporarily spare Old Huang's life, there was no need for Chun to explain certain matters in detail. He already knew what to do.

As for why it was different, he was too lazy to explain it to the other party now. With a wave of his hand, the wall of earth burst open, and the three-piece magic treasure set flew back to him. He then cast the earth-burrowing technique again, burying this entire space.

It was only then that he secretly cast a spell to retrieve the Qiankun pouch that had been simultaneously immobilized and to remove the body-fixing spell from the two corpses.

Only then did he once again urge the crestfallen Old Huang to continue burrowing like a workhorse.

This time, he was much calmer, confident that the condition of those two corpses would be enough to deter anyone else attempting to pursue them using the same method.

On the grassland surface, a hole appeared with a booming sound, and Poyuan leaped out, attracting the attention of the search personnel.

When the two parties met, Poyuan, who had walked to the main road and looked around, realized that this was the place where Fan Wuzhe had been ordered to discard items, as previously investigated.

This meant that this was the route the culprit had used to escape after their rendezvous. The route his two assistants had pursued was indeed the culprit's escape route.

Having made a pointless trip, he didn't linger. He flashed into the air and flew back towards the direction of the entrance he had just used.

In the air, many others were still riding wind scales, crisscrossing and circling the land on patrol.

Inside the mountain's large prison, City Lord Li Xianghong personally entered the dark cells. Her face grim, she stood before the large corpse of a plum blossom deer — Mei You's original form, bleeding from all seven orifices.

The female attendant in charge of the interrogation recounted how Mei You had suddenly suffered a fatal poisoning.

Bai Qiru, who had participated in the interrogation, also had a grim expression. Mei You had claimed ignorance to every question, then suddenly succumbed to the poison...

Lou Xiu, who stood on the city wall gazing into the distance, seemed free, but was in fact still being guarded.

He, however, poured out everything like beans from a bamboo tube, voluntarily confessing many things. He admitted to having gathered people from various factions, but still followed the same pattern, pushing all responsibility onto Mei You.

Now, even if Huang Yingying were found, he had nothing to worry about. He had never appeared personally in matters concerning the Chaoyue Pavilion, nor had he spoken carelessly to others. The only one who had received his direct instructions was Mei You, so Huang Yingying could only implicate Mei You and no one further.

On a mountain where the evening glow was visible, a streak of light descended. Wu Jinliang and Huang Yingying both landed on the summit, both exhaling a sigh of relief.

Huang Yingying was still in a very sorry state.

The two had already left the territory of Dazhi City.

In the twilight glow, Wu Jinliang took out a mother-child talisman to report his safety to Shi Chun, providing detailed information about some unexpected occurrences.

Shi Chun, feeling a weight lifted off his chest in the study, relaxed. He sent a message to Wu Jinliang, instructing him to quickly identify the 'Death-Defying Incense' from A Xun's personal effects.

Afterwards, he could work with peace of mind. As he organized the scattered books and prepared to take them upstairs, he saw Second Miss Dong Liangyu. A cheerful smile appeared on his face, and he even took the initiative to smile and nod.

He was leaving soon, not staying much longer. Once the target item was confirmed, he would bid farewell, separating forever from the people and places here, never to meet again, fading into the long river of time.

Perhaps it was a woman's keen intuition, but Second Miss Dong Liangyu secretly felt a stir of doubt.

Not just her, Third Miss Dong Liangying, by the counter in the main hall, also noticed something unusual.

On the grassland at dusk, a massive deep pit had appeared. Many people had gathered around its perimeter, and some were inside the pit.

City Lord Li Xianghong descended from the sky. After asking those by the pit and learning that Lord Poyuan was inside, she also flew down into it.

At the bottom of the pit, Lord Poyuan was standing facing the wall, illuminated by the Sandalwood Gold Flame Qi. This was because two corpses were embedded in the earthen wall.

He, too, had not received any news from his two subordinates for a long time and realized something was amiss. He then tracked their route, leading him to discover this scene.

After investigating the circumstances of their deaths, he dared not pursue further, as their deaths were too bizarre.

He also did not easily retrieve the bodies, as they would crumble if taken out.

Li Xianghong recognized his two trusted lieutenants. Seeing this, she was startled, and after casting a spell to investigate the deaths, she grew even more astonished. "How could this happen?"

Poyuan calmly replied, "There were no signs of a struggle. For a fight between Earth Immortals, people on the surface would definitely hear it. There's only one possibility: either the opponent's cultivation was high enough to easily crush them, or it was caused by some magic treasure. Observing their manner of death, it seems they were killed instantly, which is why their shattered bodies remained so intact."

Li Xianghong hesitated, "What kind of magic treasure could inflict such injuries? It looks more like they were cut by a saber."

Poyuan said, "The culprit knows the 'earth-burrowing technique.' Within Dazhi City, surely you know who possesses this technique, don't you?"

Li Xianghong's eyes showed hesitation.

Poyuan suddenly fixed his gaze on her. "You have a suspect?"

Li Xianghong shook her head slightly. "Within Dazhi City, the only known person who can use the earth-burrowing technique is the missing Huang Yingying. However, his cultivation hasn't even crossed the threshold of high martial arts. How could he possibly have the ability to kill your trusted lieutenants?"

"Based on their cultivation levels and the distance they traveled underground, we can conclude that the culprit's escape speed using the earth-burrowing technique was not fast. This aligns with the cultivation level of Huang Yingying, whom you mentioned. If it truly was him, it indicates that those rascals haven't given up yet. We must find him!"

"He is Granny Qi's grandson-in-law."

"If he indeed did it, Granny Qi won't be able to protect him either."