Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Narrow Escape from Death
"Damn!!!"
Ji Yuan’s eyes widened in anger, using almost all his strength as he shot towards the exit.
One moment he was inside the Death Cave, but in the blink of an eye, he was already at the cave entrance, where Qiu Qianhai, standing on the Dharma Ship, anxiously peered inside.
Upon seeing Ji Yuan emerge, Qiu Qianhai, who had been waiting for quite some time, grabbed Ji Yuan’s arm with one hand and flung him onto the Dharma Ship.
In an instant, the entire Dharma Ship shot towards the water surface like an arrow.
Yet despite this, they were still not as fast as the Earth Dragon Flipping.
Before the two could break through the water’s surface, the Dharma Ship had already been overturned by a wave.
Fortunately, by this time, they were not too far from the surface. Ji Yuan quickly slapped three Water-Resistant Talismans onto himself, and hastily summoned the Black Wind Boat. As the boat supported his body, Qiu Qianhai had also regained his stability.
"Let’s go!"
At this moment, after withstanding the first wave, the two finally broke through the water’s surface.
"Splash——"
As they emerged from the water, Ji Yuan quickly looked around, only to see the Qingbo Pond resembling a half-filled water tank shaken left and right by a giant.
Waves roared, and several small islands made of stones also swayed back and forth, with stones rolling wildly.
"Go, head to Qingbo Island!"
"Every time there’s an Earth Dragon Flipping, Qingbo Island is like the Sea-Calming Needle!"
Qiu Qianhai’s intermittent voice was carried on the wind mixed with the sound of the waves.
"Alright!"
Ji Yuan changed direction and maneuvered the Black Wind Boat with all his might, weaving between the waves... Damn, I’ve never surfed in my past life, and here I am surfing during an earthquake in this life.
It’s simply risking one’s life!
Fortunately, Ji Yuan’s skills in steering were decent, coupled with the relatively high quality of the Black Wind Boat. When pushed to the limit, it could glide in the wind briefly.
Some moments later.
When Ji Yuan and Qiu Qianhai arrived at Qingbo Island, they discovered that other cultivators were also arriving one after another.
While it was previously tumultuous outside, once they landed on Qingbo Island, the tremors significantly subsided.
Ji Yuan, having put away the Dharma Ship, took a deep breath and sat on a stone with Qiu Qianhai.
Both wore expressions of relief after surviving a calamity.
Reflecting on the experience, Ji Yuan thought... Damn, could it be that the Stone Armor Crab, with its dying efforts, caused the tremors?
The Death Cave was already connected to the ore veins at the lake’s bottom, and the Stone Armor Crab was incredibly strong.
It’s not impossible.
But never mind that, escaping alive is what matters.
The moment Ji Yuan sensed the tremors in the Death Cave, he really thought he was going to die there.
An earthquake... under the water... and still, in an underwater mine.
Any single factor could be deadly on its own, let alone when all three are combined.
Recalling it, Ji Yuan couldn’t help but shiver.
However, thinking about the rewards of the trip made him slightly excited and filled with anticipation.
Besides the two Storage Bags from cultivators at the sixth level of Qi Cultivation, just the two yards of Cold Iron Sand they mined would amount to a large sum of Spirit Stones.
Ji Yuan estimated that the two of them probably mined about twenty pounds.
Even splitting it in half could yield 200 Spirit Stones.
Ji Yuan secretly sighed with relief, noticing the joyful expressions on many nearby cultivators’ faces.
"The tremors will bring out a lot of Cold Iron Sand, and some alive Cold Caves will turn into Death Caves,"
Qiu Qianhai explained in a low voice.
So, after the tremors subside, it’s time to collect Spirit Stones.
Spirit Stones scattered all over the place.
And if they find a Death Cave, there’s even more wealth to be gained.
Ji Yuan pondered whether to discuss with Qiu Qianhai if they should mine this wave of Cold Iron Sand now or wait for the tremors to subside before leaving.
Turning around to look at Qiu Qianhai, he was suddenly stunned.
"Hmm?"
Qiu Qianhai looked at him, puzzled.
Ji Yuan remained silent, merely touching his face.
Qiu Qianhai immediately understood, reaching for his face. His original stubble had unknowingly fallen off, as did much of his disguise, washed away by the earlier waves, revealing his true face.
Ji Yuan was no different.
’Haven’t really learned any proper disguise techniques yet. Relying just on this disguise clearly isn’t enough.’
’Once this is over, I’ll go to the Hundred Treasures Tower and see if there are any suitable disguise techniques.’
As Ji Yuan mused silently, he subtly observed the cultivators on the island.
He was concerned that someone might have recognized him and Qiu Qianhai, especially since the Qin Family probably had many hidden hands in the Qingbo Pond.
Ji Yuan signaled with his eyes and turned to a less crowded spot.
"Once this calms down, let’s leave."
Ji Yuan only said this one sentence.
"Alright."
Qiu Qianhai nodded in agreement.
After about an hour, the previously churning Qingbo Pond gradually calmed, and then about half a stick of incense later,
as a cultivator steered his boat into the water,
the other anxious cultivators followed suit, piloting their boats into the water.
"Let’s go too!"
Ji Yuan and Qiu Qianhai blended into the crowd, steering their boat a bit further ahead. Once the Dharma Ship descended, they both slipped into the water.
Right after they left, two cultivators on the island glanced at each other and followed them from afar.
Ji Yuan held two Spirit Stones in his hand, channeling his cultivation technique to continuously absorb the Spiritual Qi inside to recover the energy expended during their previous battle.
But truthfully, he hadn’t expended much; after all, his few actions were mainly using the Deadly Needles.
Including the Yin Ghost Array, which was operated using Spirit Stones and not his own Spiritual Qi.
About a mile away after submerging, they emerged again on the water’s surface, briefly orienting themselves before heading directly west.
According to their original plan, they would first visit the nearby Jingde Square to sell the Cold Iron Sand before deciding on the next steps.
An hour later.
The water had changed from deep blue to light blue, finally returning to its current green, with the lingering cold dissipated.
This indicated they had finally left Qingbo Pond.
But Ji Yuan felt little relief; shortly after leaving Qingbo Island, he already sensed a vague gaze tracking him.
Even after leaving Qingbo Pond, that feeling hadn’t vanished.
He exchanged glances with Qiu Qianhai.
The latter nodded slightly.
Signaling that he could sense it too.
Given this, it was likely that their identities were exposed on Qingbo Island, and someone was following them now.
Ji Yuan looked around, ultimately choosing an island about a few miles wide.
The island wasn’t tall, only five to six meters higher than the lake surface at its highest point. The shores were all muddy beaches, with only a few lush willow trees in the island’s center.
If this issue isn’t resolved, the longer they delay, the more trouble they’ll have when the Qin Family’s people arrive.
So, after landing on this deserted island, Ji Yuan turned to face the way they came from and said in a deep voice:
"Friends, if you’ve been following us this far, it’s time to show yourselves."
As he spoke, Ji Yuan infused Spiritual Qi to instantly refine the two Storage Bags from the Liu Brothers.
A battle was imminent, so naturally, he needed to see if those two good brothers had left anything substantial behind.
Having been entrenched in Qingbo Pond for so long yet lost their lives so unceremoniously suggested they left quite a few valuables.
With his mind sinking in, his eyes lit up immediately.
Simultaneously, two Dharma Ships rose from the lake, one on each side, surrounding the island.
Effectively encircling Ji Yuan and Qiu Qianhai.