Mo Qi's impressive display had also shaken him. He had seen the earth-shattering scene through the window.
He finally realized how sharp his parents' judgment was!
The people they recognized were indeed extraordinary.
"Then give the Nine Heavens Divine Arrow in your hand to this elder," Mo Qi said.
Lü Pinghou grinned from ear to ear, "This old man's name is Lü Pinghou."
Yin Zhi was reluctant, but after a moment of hesitation, he handed the Nine Heavens Divine Arrow to Lü Pinghou.
Lü Pinghou was as delighted as a child, dancing with joy and unable to put it down.
Mo Qi, led by Yin Zhi, headed straight for the mine.
The mine was not far, and they reached it in the blink of an eye while flying.
It was an underground mine.
The entrance was in a mountain hollow, a hidden spot that would be difficult to find without a guide.
Mo Qi asked Yin Zhi to wait at the cave entrance, saying he would go in and come right out.
But Yin Zhi insisted on following, and Mo Qi, with no other choice, agreed.
The two strode in with their heads held high.
There were two guards at the entrance, and five steps away stood a row of soldiers, their expressions solemn and their stances imposing, like sentries on duty.
The two guards immediately blocked Mo Qi and Yin Zhi's path. "Who are you?"
Yin Zhi had never been here before and was not worldly-wise. Seeing the formation, he was so scared he dared not speak, not even daring to breathe.
Mo Qi, however, appeared nonchalant. "We're here to help with the mining," he said.
The two soldiers were stunned!
It had been a long time since anyone voluntarily came to mine.
In the beginning, there were people who tried to earn spirit stones by coming here.
Later, people gradually discovered the hardships and dangers below, and many who went in never came out.
The miners gradually withdrew, and there were basically no more volunteers.
The Demon Guards devised a method using Sparrow Shard Spirit Stones to trap them.
The Demon Guards were the basic organization established by the Demon Emperor, controlling mines and other cultivation resources in various regions.
Therefore, the mine owners were all from the Demon Guards.
They deceived people by various means, making them consume Sparrow Shard Spirit Stones. Once people started consuming them, they immediately fell into a quagmire, unable to extricate themselves.
"You want to mine?" a soldier asked, finding it hard to believe, and continued to press.
"Of course, why else would we come in?" Mo Qi replied.
"There's no pay!"
"No pay? Then what am I here for?" Mo Qi glared at him and turned to leave.
Yin Zhi also followed, dazed.
"Stop!" the soldier called out.
Mo Qi and Yin Zhi stopped simultaneously and turned back.
The soldier said with a smile, "I was just testing you. There will definitely be pay, and quite a lot. I was just afraid you weren't here for the pay, but for some other purpose. In that case, I couldn't let you in."
So that's how it was. Yin Zhi glanced at Mo Qi. This young man was not much older than him, yet his mind was so deep.
Mo Qi sighed. "It's just for a living. Otherwise, who would come here? And with our cultivation, what trouble could we stir up? With our limited experience, what bad intentions could we have?"
"It's good that you know," the soldier nodded with satisfaction and turned to another person standing guard. "Ma San, take them to report to Supervisor Zeng."
Ma San acknowledged with a sound and turned back, saying calmly, "Follow me." Without waiting to see if Mo Qi and Yin Zhi had heard, he strode ahead.
Mo Qi and Yin Zhi immediately followed.
They walked about a mile along the passage, and the path ahead became a dead end, then turned vertically downwards.
A huge sinkhole appeared before the two.
A cold wind whistled out from it, chilling them to the bone.
Besides the whistling wind, there was also the sound of stones being struck, which had a melodious quality in the wind.
However, within that melody, there was a hint of bloodiness!
Ma San reached the edge of the pit and jumped down without hesitation.
Mo Qi and Yin Zhi leaped out without hesitation.
As they descended along the sinkhole, their robes billowed in the wind, flapping noisily.
At this point, the dinging sound in the air grew louder, sometimes seeming to be right next to their ears.
The cliff walls around the pit were layered, with each layer densely packed with caves of various sizes.
Some caves were pitch-black and extremely sinister. Others were brightly lit.
Overall, it looked like night had fallen, and people were gradually returning home before a large mountain, with lights turning on one by one.
But it always lacked that sense of peace.
The air was filled with a strong aura of killing intent.
Ma San led Mo Qi and Yin Zhi, descending layer after layer, second layer, third layer, through countless layers.
The sinkhole seemed endless!
From time to time, people with numb eyes would glance in their direction, occasionally revealing a look of shared misfortune and pity.
Mo Qi tried to find Li Junren among the crowd, but after a moment, he gave up. Those people came and went in a hustle, like bees in a hive, each busy with their own tasks. How could he find anyone?
Countless large baskets floated in the air, wide-mouthed and flat-bottomed. Some were filled with spirit stones, others were empty. These baskets moved up and down in an orderly fashion, much like Kongming lanterns in the night sky.
Yin Zhi, also entering for the first time, was greatly shocked by what he saw.
The massive construction here, the orderliness, and the bloody aura constantly struck his heart.
Mo Qi, on the other hand, maintained his nonchalant demeanor, looking around here and there as if he were out for a stroll.
Just when they thought they would keep going down, Ma San stopped and turned into a nearby cave.
Mo Qi and Yin Zhi followed him.
This cave was lit, and people were coming and going, carrying baskets of spirit stones out from the deep cavern.
On everyone's faces, fatigue was clearly visible, along with a hint of pain.
There was also a glimmer of hope for liberation, as if they wished for it at any moment.
Beside them, overseers holding whips occasionally appeared, their brows furrowed, full of resentment, as if everyone owed them something.
Ma San led the two further in as if no one else was there. Some overseers even greeted him, but Ma San seemed annoyed and only nodded slightly in response.
"Ma San, brought in two more heads, quite a haul!"
"Ma San, this batch seems no good, probably won't last long."
Yin Zhi listened with trepidation, regretting following Mo Qi into the mine.
Mo Qi, however, remained detached, following Ma San coldly. His clothes were spotlessly clean, and his face was smooth, as if some young master had come here to experience life.
Sighs could be heard from time to time: "Alas, another promising youth has fallen."
"I wonder how long those clothes of his will stay clean."
Whenever this happened, the sound of a whip would ring out, accompanied by a scolding: "Mind your own business, and be happy that you have another companion! Shouldn't you be happy?"
At these moments, only the sound of flesh tearing could be heard, but not a single cry of pain.
The expressions on their faces were utterly numb.
It was as if pain were a panacea, capable of providing temporary salvation to their torn, sinful souls!
Their faces were constantly smeared with sweat, dirt, and snot. They would occasionally wipe them away haphazardly, not caring what they looked like.
It no longer mattered!
If their souls were gone, who would care about this flesh?
Perhaps this flesh had become a burden. You can abuse it, and I can abuse it too.
Even Mo Qi, who was usually unflappable and had seen countless scenes of the human world, felt his composure breaking after holding on for so long. His psychological defenses felt as if they were about to crumble.
He forcibly suppressed the tears that were about to well up and couldn't help but curse, "Damn it!"
Ma San heard him, heard him clearly, but he didn't look back, didn't speak, didn't even slow his pace. He simply continued to lead them forward.