The passage to the second level was singular, but it was merely the villagers' work area; the true camps of the three factions resided on the third level.
Tian Yi had explained this.
While all three factions established their camps on the third level, they all dispatched individuals to monitor the villagers working on the second level, and some even patrolled the first level periodically. Thus, they had no fear of anyone attempting to escape unnoticed, nor could they.
There was another reason for this convoluted setup, rather than simply establishing bases on the first level.
It was said that the influence on the third level was one-third that of the second and first levels, allowing those who entered temporarily to remain for a longer duration.
Furthermore, the passages to the lower levels for the three factions were all different, with each faction having its own designated area.
This meant Li Chonglou only needed to guard a single passage to completely seal off the island nation's people within!
"Elder An, let's go."
Li Chonglou conveyed his instructions mentally, and then his five-layer strength returned. With a flash, he was already descending to the second level.
The second level's space was several times larger than the first. Dozens of men, clad only in simple cloth garments, were orderly evacuating under the supervision of guards.
Li Chonglou immediately spotted the island nation's attire, entirely different from those of the Black Forest or the General Bureau. Whether it was to show off or their genuine custom, these fellows even had their guards dressed in traditional island nation attire.
Of course, this too was a copy of traditional attire from a certain period in China.
"Hurry up, you bastards!"
An island nation guard, holding a long whip, viciously lashed out at a villager lagging behind.
The long whip, apparently made of a special material, whistled through the air before landing heavily on the villager's back.
"Ah!"
Despite years of arduous labor, these were, after all, ordinary human bodies, unable to withstand such a beating. The robust villager, in his thirties, fell to the ground without surprise.
"Laomeng!"
The other villagers erupted in anger, but the island nation soldier sneered and raised his whip again.
"As expected, they're all stubborn fools who need a good beating."
In fact, the island nation soldiers were few in number, only three, while the villagers under their command were more than fifteen.
However, they all knew these three were not merely ordinary individuals with special whips, but also cultivators who had self-imposed seals on their realms. Seeing the whip about to fall on another villager, the villagers possessed no will to resist.
Being beaten was one thing, but resistance would mean death!
What concerned the villagers even more was that the island nation soldiers had repeatedly told them that if anyone caused trouble, they would not kill the instigator but would randomly select someone from their midst and execute them publicly!
The whip whistled down swiftly, but the villagers could only clench their fists. A few, unable to bear it, averted their gazes, unable to watch.
However, just as the whip was about to strike the villager, a figure suddenly appeared before the island nation soldier.
"In your next life, remember to keep your foul mouth shut."
Before the island nation soldier could react, his head had already rotated a full one hundred eighty degrees.
Silence.
The previously chaotic scene abruptly fell quiet.
This was because both the villagers controlled by the island nation and those from the Black Forest and General Bureau were all secretly observing the situation.
After all, they were once brothers, friends, and neighbors who worked together. If not for the island nation's invasion, they would likely be sitting together, drinking and boasting!
Thus, everyone's expression was frozen in place, unsure how to react.
"Jiajia!"
The remaining two island nation soldiers exploded with anger in their native tongue, their auras of realm power erupting simultaneously.
Without any surprise, they were still the ones from the first level.
A blur of shadows flashed, and the two island nation soldiers simultaneously met their demise, their heads severed.
Li Chonglou, appearing at the entrance to the island nation's camp, held a short knife in his hand.
He had taken it from their waists; it was originally a weapon for the island nation soldiers to deal with them, but it had now become his own instrument of execution.
What Li Chonglou hadn't expected, however, was Tian Yi's voice suddenly ringing out.
"Brothers, Li Chonglou is here to save us! Don't be afraid anymore, let's go together!"
Li Chonglou turned around in confusion. Tian Yi stood at the entrance to the second level, his expression agitated.
This fellow was quite cunning.
Indeed, with his shouts, the bewildered guards from the Black Forest changed their expressions drastically. No longer concerned about the villagers, they cast a fearful glance at Li Chonglou and then rushed towards the first level.
The soldiers from the General Bureau, however, stood there in a daze.
It took a while for them to comprehend.
"He's one of ours from the General Bureau! Headquarters has finally sent reinforcements!"
"Damn it! I've been waiting for this day for a long time. Follow me and kill!"
"Kill your head, hurry up and get people out!"
Some of the excited soldiers remembered that they were still in an emergency situation. According to the villagers, the mine had been sealed off within half an hour of the incident.
But who could guarantee it was precisely half an hour?
At a time like this, every second counted!
Tian Yi also called out appropriately, "Quick, get out first! With Lord Li here, none of them can escape!"
Upon hearing this, the people from the Black Forest ran even faster.
They were originally here to take advantage of the chaos. If not for their own people holding the line from above, they would have fled the moment they learned the island nation could dispatch realm cultivators!
Now, having personally witnessed even the realm cultivators among the island nation soldiers being instantly killed by this suddenly appearing man, they had no will to resist whatsoever!
The villagers and those from the General Bureau were also rapidly retreating.
Only Li Chonglou remained motionless, blocking the exit to the island nation's camp.
Before long, several figures rushed up from below.
"Damn it! Why are you still blocking there? Get lost!"
Before the words were finished, a short knife was already embedded in his chest.
"Attack!"
The remaining few reacted instantly, but it was too late.
Li Chonglou, now without any reservations, unleashed his full five-layer strength. The three had no chance to retaliate before their heads were all severed.
Using their own short knives.
"Troublesome. I might as well go in directly."
Li Chonglou muttered and charged down.
Since their only exit was a single point, blocking them at the top to kill them was no different from blocking them at the bottom.
And the result was just as he had initially speculated. Most of the realm masters brought by the island nation were only at the first level, with only the leader being at the second level.
Unfortunately, even he didn't last a second.
In just a few minutes, all the island nation soldiers in the underground mine had become corpses.
"Done. Work complete."
The actions of the island nation soldiers were plain for all to see, and Li Chonglou killed them without any mercy!