The road had many forks, but Ma San led the two along the main path.
Finally, the three stopped at the end of the road.
Yin Zhi's mind and body collapsed. He swayed, almost falling. Mo Qi quickly reached out to support him and said, "I told you not to come in, but you insisted. You said you couldn't live without money. Now look, you're scared before you've even received any money. Do you want them to send you out?"
It was impossible to leave now.
Yin Zhi managed to stand steady, but he still needed to lean on Mo Qi to stay upright.
Zeng Jian walked over. Seeing their condition, he frowned, "Where did you find these two? Are they here to play?"
Then he smiled, "But it doesn't matter. Soon, they will be like everyone else."
Ma San calmly said, "He's yours. I'm leaving."
He turned and walked away.
Zeng Jian handed them two shovels, one to Mo Qi and one to Yin Zhi, "To maximize the integrity of the spirit stones, we must use the most primitive method. Please, young sirs."
Suddenly, he revealed a sinister smile, "If you find it strenuous, you can use sparrow-flake spirit stones. They're quite invigorating."
Yin Zhi looked at Mo Qi, his eyes filled with confusion. Is this what we came here to do?
Mo Qi took the shovel and said, "Since we are here, let's make the best of it. Let's work first, and the wages will come."
Yin Zhi understood his meaning and also took a shovel.
Zeng Jian even specifically called someone over to supervise the two with a whip. If they slacked off, they would be whipped, intending to quickly cultivate them.
Meanwhile, outside, Zhou Junsong, under the command of Commander Tu, led a group of men to the village, searching everywhere. They wanted to inquire if anyone knew the whereabouts of the previous group who came for conscription.
After checking several houses, they found them all deserted. Not only were there no soldiers from the previous wave, but not even a single villager was seen.
At the same time, they also saw the scorched earth on the ground.
Zhou Junsong immediately realized something was wrong. He ordered everyone to be cautious and led them along the mountain range deeper into the territory.
As they went further in, it became increasingly eerie, and the men felt uneasy.
A soldier whispered, "Captain, there's no one in here. Let's go back."
"Don't talk nonsense to me. If we go back without finding anyone, how can we report it?" Zhou Junsong glared at him.
There was no choice but to lead everyone forward.
There were still a few families inside, so they had to check on them at least. Even if there was no one, it would be better to report back.
However, it was almost over. Only a few families remained, and it would be finished quickly, very simply.
When they reached the entrance of a courtyard, Zhou Junsong saw that the surroundings were quiet and felt a bit timid. He said to a thin, weak soldier under his command, "Lin Dan, go in and take a look."
Lin Dan peered inside, his face showing difficulty, "Captain, let's go in together. I'm scared alone..."
"If we go in together, we die together. Hurry up. If you have to die, it will only be you alone," Zhou Junsong said.
Lin Dan showed a look of tragic determination.
Just then, a voice suddenly echoed from nowhere, "Going in is death, there's no difference."
Everyone looked towards the sound and saw a person standing on the mountaintop behind them. He was burly and had a fierce face.
He stood there in the wind, possessing a certain heroic demeanor.
There was only him on the mountain, and everyone's courage immediately grew.
"Truly arrogant to the extreme!"
"Audacious!"
"Shameless!"
Zhou Junsong said calmly, "We are from the Demon Guard, not bandits."
Yin Tiancheng snorted, "We kill those from the Demon Guard." His words were icy cold, filled with a chilling aura that made everyone tremble.
"Then, were the people we sent for conscription earlier killed by you?"
"Of course, it wasn't just me," Yin Tiancheng admitted without hesitation.
There was more than one person here?
Everyone looked around, their hearts filled with dread.
At that moment, Yin Tiancheng already held a sword in his hand. He pointed it forward, and a sword light struck into the forest.
It was like a spark landing in dry grass. First, a few other points of light ignited, and then with a roar, the points of light connected into a single expanse.
The entire space instantly turned into a purgatory, surrounded by points of light and flames. Lightning flashed and thundered in the sky, with continuous bolts of lightning striking down, hitting the area covered by the formation.
In an instant, the soldiers' bodies were engulfed.
Most of them turned to ashes in an instant.
A few individuals, wrapped in flames and light, struggled within before being dissolved.
Several figures appeared on the nearby rooftops.
Lü Pinghou looked disappointed, holding the Nine Heavens Divine Arrow, "What a drag. I didn't even get a chance to make a move, and these people are already finished."
Hai Qin said, "There will be opportunities. They won't give up that easily."
Lü Pinghou became full of confidence, "However many come, we will kill them all."
Hai Qin showed a worried expression, "I just don't know when Brother Mo will return."
At this moment, Yin Tiancheng also floated down from the mountain and said, "Yes, without Brother Mo, I always feel uneasy."
Wei Li also gazed into the distance, "Indeed. We all misjudged him before. Now I feel he's like a divine soldier sent from heaven, truly unpredictable."
Looking at the scorched earth before them, Hai Qin mused, "This formation can still be used before he returns, but the enemy probably won't be able to enter the formation so easily."
Meanwhile, Mo Qi was diligently shoveling the soil with his shovel, showing no signs of slacking. This left the supervisor, who was standing behind him with a whip ready to strike, feeling helpless.
After digging for a while, he felt a bit tired and looked deeply at the supervisor, "Friend, I'm a bit tired. Can you help me for a bit?"
The supervisors and laborers around couldn't help but cast mocking glances. Is this guy crazy? Asking the supervisor to help him?
Is he asking for a beating?
Needless to say, what awaited him was a storm of whip attacks.
Everyone stared at him, anticipating the moment the whip would land on flesh.
However, to their shock, the supervisor silently picked up the shovel Mo Qi handed him and began to work with great enthusiasm.
He seemed to be enjoying it!
The worldview of these people collapsed!
What was going on?
But since one was willing to give and the other willing to receive, what could the bystanders say?
So, everyone continued with their own tasks as if nothing had happened.
Yin Zhi was forcing himself to hold on, afraid of the whip behind him. He dared not rest for a moment.
But this kind of exertion, even the strongest spiritual power couldn't withstand it.
Soon, he couldn't hold on any longer, gritting his teeth to endure.
Fortunately, the person holding the whip went to work themselves.
How strange!
He didn't understand what was happening.
But no matter what, he could rest properly now. So he put down the shovel and gasped for air.
Mo Qi, on the other hand, squatted down to carefully examine the spirit stones he had dug up.
Occasionally, he dug up vicious spirit stones, but none of them were the sparrow-flake variety.
This made him very dejected. He had come here specifically but couldn't find any clues. Wouldn't that be a wasted trip?
Could it be that there were other secrets hidden elsewhere in this mine?