Escaping the Cave

Once the Cave Demon-Slaves fell into disarray, the mages were free to unleash their mid-tier magic in earnest — and the destructive force of mid-tier spells was something these Servant-class creatures simply could not withstand.

It did not take long before the Cave Demon-Slaves at the vanguard collapsed entirely, scattering in a frenzy as they fled into the surrounding tunnels.

Those that fled, fled. But plenty remained — bodies blanketing the rail tracks, a ruin of torn flesh and severed limbs, barely a corpse left whole.

Mu Ningxue kept Releasing her ice and snow, and once she saw that scarcely any Cave Demon-Slaves remained alive in the tunnel, she pressed further, spreading frost across every side passage.

The ice solidified in moments, forming wall after wall of solid frost that sealed every side tunnel — the sleeping quarters of the Cave Demon-Slaves — cutting off any retreat for those that had fled, should they choose to double back.

"Move out. There's no point dragging this on," Mu Ningxue told the group.

The train tunnel was extremely narrow, leaving precious little room to maneuver. Mid-tier Wind Element and Lightning Element magic were essentially useless in such a confined space. Heaven only knew how many more Cave Demon-Slaves might be lurking deeper inside — getting out now was the only sensible move.

"Move!" Lu Zhenghe bellowed.

The group pushed forward. Behind them, the Cave Demon-Slaves kept up their guttural shrieking, brazen and relentless.

Xu Dalong, Zhao Mingyue, Jingjing, and the rest had been stretched to their limits. When they finally saw the path ahead was clear, each of them let out a long breath.

"Kun Grove!!"

With her companions shielding her, Jingjing finally managed to cast her mid-tier Plant Element magic. The Kun Grove erupted through the cave — sprawling thickets of thorns, vines, and tangled branches that completely blocked the Cave Demon-Slaves' advance.

Bringing down the Kun Grove entirely would take considerable time no matter how hard the creatures pushed against it. Xu Dalong, Zhao Mingyue, Shen Mingxiao, Jingjing, and the others who had been holding the rear immediately rejoined the advancing group.

"Earth Element users, cast Earth Wave!" Lu Zhenghe called out.

Xu Dalong and Luo Song quickly cast Earth Wave, setting the ground rippling forward like a rushing current beneath their feet and giving everyone a collective burst of speed as they ran.

Two kilometers of reeking, filth-choked tunnel stretched before them — rotting animal carcasses and unspeakable waste at every turn, a horde of pursuers howling at their backs. Nobody had the luxury to care. They pressed on without pause, following the rail line toward daylight.

"Light ahead! We're almost there — almost outside!" Lu Zhenghe shouted from the front.

He had already summoned his Shadowmark Berserker Wolf to clear the path, and any Cave Demon-Slave blind enough to step in front of it was immediately run down. Nothing could stop it.

The others spotted the light too, and every last one of them surged faster.

Bursting from the dark into full sunlight, none of them could open their eyes for a long moment — but the instant that warm radiance washed over them, every ounce of tension seemed to unknot at once. It felt like sinking into a hot bath.

"Count off. Count off," Lu Zhenghe called the moment they cleared the tunnel, showing no sign of relaxing — the mark of someone who had led teams before.

"Everyone on our side is accounted for!" Liao Mingxuan quickly tallied his academy's eight members.

Song Xia moved through her own count just as fast. When she hit eight, her expression dropped. "We're one short!" she cried.

Pearl Academy's group totaled nine, including the relatively rare Healing Element mage Bai Tingting. But Song Xia had swept through them twice now and still could not find that ninth person.

"Who's missing?!" Mu Nujiao demanded.

"Peng Liang's here, Luo Song's here — he was at the rear — Zhao Manyan's here… God, Mo Fan hasn't come out!" The words hit Song Xia like a fist.

"Damn it, we go back for him!" Zhao Manyan swore and immediately spun to charge back into the cave.

Mu Nujiao didn't stop to think either and moved to follow — but a breathtaking figure wreathed in ice and snow was already ahead of her.

"Don't be reckless," Shen Mingxiao called after them. "If he hasn't come out by now, he's already mincemeat."

They had barely fought their way out of that hellhole as it was. Shen Mingxiao was not going back in for anything — not for the filth, not for the stench, and above all not because he had already burned through most of his Magical Energy in the fight. Getting trapped in there again would be a death sentence.

"Who exactly is mincemeat?" A figure stirred in the shadows.

"What the—! You nearly gave me a heart attack." Zhao Manyan saw Mo Fan strolling out of the cave entrance and immediately cursed him out.

The others pulled up short as well, a collective wave of relief washing through the group.

They hadn't even reached Jinlin Desolate City yet, and they'd already come this close to losing someone. What horrors were still waiting for them ahead?

"What were you doing back there? I remember you were up front at the start," Mu Nujiao said, eyeing Mo Fan with a puzzled frown.

"Nothing much," Mo Fan said.

Suspicion lingered in Mu Nujiao's eyes, but Mo Fan wasn't talking, and she couldn't wring anything out of him.

"Since everyone's alright, let's get moving and find somewhere to make camp," Song Xia said.

"Agreed — I smell absolutely horrific."

"My head's spinning. I must have burned through too much Magical Energy."

"How's Xiao Feng doing?"

"His bones are still regenerating. It'll take some time…" Bai Tingting answered.

They had entered the tunnel with their chests out and heads high, full of swagger. They left it looking a very different story — exhausted to the bone, caked in grime, their gear torn and their bodies marked with cuts and bruises.

Xiao Feng had taken the worst of it, as before. Peng Liang had spent the entire time shielding him.

Thank heaven they had a Healing Element mage among them — otherwise the group would have lost one member before they had even reached the desolate city.

They found a water source near the rail line, checked the surrounding area carefully for any Demon-Beasts that might be lurking, and only then did they pitch their tents and settle in to rest.

As night fell, the men gathered around the campfire, sitting on the bare ground, firelight playing across each of their young faces.

The night was still, broken only by the crackling of the flames. Then Zhao Manyan shattered the silence: "You're sure they're bathing at the stream?"

"Yeah — Mu Nujiao, Mu Ningxue, both of them…"

A thick haze of testosterone instantly settled over the group like a charged field. Someone swallowed audibly. Someone else ran his tongue over dry lips. More than one pair of eyes drifted helplessly toward the direction of the stream.

"Peng Liang, what if we send you to take a look? With your Shadow Element abilities, they shouldn't be able to detect you."

"That… doesn't seem right," Peng Liang said, looking a touch bashful.

His mouth said it wasn't right, but his body had other ideas — he dissolved into a dark shadow without a sound and slipped silently into the darkness of the trees.

Watching him vanish like that, the others were consumed by envy. *Why couldn't any of us have awakened a Shadow Element…*

"Huh — why is that section of forest frozen over?"

"Peng Liang probably got spotted! Ha ha ha, what an idiot — our team captain's Permafrost Domain is no joke. Any magic that fluctuates within a certain range, she senses it. Peng Liang is done for!" Xu Dalong burst out laughing.