This was a stalactite cave with many interconnected passages. Though he had no way of knowing how large it truly was, it certainly didn't look small.
Han Li held up a moonlight stone and surveyed his surroundings before reaching this conclusion.
In the instant the tunnel collapsed and rock and earth came crashing down, Han Li had quickly deployed his protective barrier. Though buried deep underground amid a series of tremors, he at least had room to breathe and steady himself.
However, the terrain had shifted too dramatically during the quaking. Han Li didn't know where he was, let alone which direction to face. Left with no choice, he released several of his lizard puppet beasts and had them dig in different directions simultaneously, hoping to find a way out.
He deeply regretted not having learned the Earth Escape Technique first. Had he done so, a simple incantation would have let him move freely through the earth. Now he had to follow behind the tunnels his puppets carved out, crawling along slowly on his belly.
As for using his magical artifacts to clear a path, the thought had only flickered through Han Li's mind—he would never actually do it.
Without knowing his direction or position, squandering magical power would be terribly unwise. Moreover, using magical artifacts within earth and rock was extremely dangerous! A single miscalculation could trigger another cave-in.
And so, Han Li first controlled several puppet beasts to scout out the surrounding area, then selected the most promising direction for escape. After crawling along in this tedious manner for several hours, he finally arrived at this unnamed stalactite cave, allowing the tension he'd been holding to finally ease.
The feeling of surviving a disaster was truly wonderful!
Han Li looked back at the tunnel he'd crawled through, knowing that others must have also survived the collapse. Whether they could find a way out through the rubble, however, was another matter entirely!
In a sealed environment, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator probably couldn't last too long. Qi Condensation disciples were in even more peril!
Still, despite his relief, Han Li felt somewhat puzzled.
Why had the tunnel collapsed and the earthquake occurred just moments after they'd entered? Could the demonic faction have caused it? Han Li felt this was most likely the case.
...
On the surface, the demonic faction members were destroying the spirit stone mine entrance in force, smashing everything inside the cavern to bits with their magical artifacts.
High above the mine, the yellow-robed elder said to the red-clothed girl with regret:
"Junior Sister Lian, isn't this a bit of overkill? Was it really necessary to use an Earth-Shaking Talisman just for some fleeing dogs? That's an extremely rare mid-grade talisman!"
"Hmph! Did they think they could just run away from me, Lian Fei? It's not that easy! Sacking this spirit stone mine was only a secondary task, but letting them escape so smoothly just doesn't sit right with me!" The red-clothed girl pursed her lips and said nonchalantly.
The yellow-robed elder was caught between laughter and tears at this response.
Wasting a rare talisman over such a flimsy reason—it was almost absurd! But then again, she was the only daughter of the Heavenly Flame Gate Master. Sigh. As a Protector of the Heavenly Fiend Sect, he'd better mind his own business.
With that, the elder wisely shut his mouth.
Before long, this group of demonic cultivators finished utterly destroying every trace of the mine, then flew off into the distance until they disappeared from sight.
A day later, one of the Seven Sects' hidden herb cultivation grounds—located far from the mine—was ambushed by the same group! Every medicinal herb about to be harvested for pill refinement was plundered, and even the seedlings were incinerated down to the last sprout by Green Sun Demonic Fire!
This incident immediately seized the attention of the Seven Sects' higher-ups. By comparison, the spirit stone mine where Han Li had been became almost insignificant. After all, a destroyed mine could be restored with time, but the herbs that had been stolen and burned wouldn't regrow for decades.
The Seven Sects' leadership was furious and dispatched elite cultivators in pursuit. However, they were ambushed en route by the enemy's reinforcements and suffered yet another setback.
After suffering defeat after defeat, the Seven Sects naturally refused to swallow their pride! Feeling they had somewhat recovered their strength, they launched a second large-scale campaign against the Six Sects.
...
Underground, Han Li furrowed his brow, finally picking out a passage where he could feel a draught of air. He sent two puppet beasts ahead to scout, then followed after them.
After passing through dozens of caves, the stalactite caverns grew progressively larger—the biggest could easily hold a hundred people. Similarly, the breeze grew stronger, which slightly reassured Han Li. Wind meant there was a passage leading to the surface.
Just as Han Li stepped into a new cavern, he came face to face with six or seven people—it was Xuan Le, Lü Tianmeng, and the others. Zhong Wu was among them as well.
When they saw Han Li and his two puppet beasts, they too were momentarily stunned.