I Grind to Martial Saint

Han Yuan nodded and slowed his pace.

They walked for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

But the pitch-black tunnel seemed bottomless, with no end in sight.

However, everyone could feel that the impact of the Spiritual Qi Storm on them had indeed lessened somewhat.

”Looks like it’s really working...”

Hong Kui said with pleasant surprise.

”Mm... but it’s not enough...”

”If it could be weakened to about half, maybe we could last a month.”

Cao Ru said softly.

”Let’s hope everything goes smoothly.”

The old man, Sun Jianbai, even clasped his hands together in prayer.

”Careful!”

”There’s a Restriction ahead!”

Ding Zihu suddenly exclaimed.

Han Yuan immediately stopped in his tracks.

”What Restriction?”

Han Yuan frowned and looked ahead, but all he saw was an ordinary, pitch-black tunnel, no different from before.

”I don’t know... I just felt a faint fluctuation from a Restriction.”

”Based on our pace, it should be right around here.”

Ding Zihu said, looking at the path ahead.

The first time he came in, he had felt the Restriction’s fluctuations here and hadn’t dared to test it, retreating immediately.

”I felt it too... It’s better to be careful.”

Dong Feng said gravely.

”Then what should we do... Can any of you break the Restriction ahead?”

”Or do we have to force our way through?”

Han Yuan asked.

”Let me take another look.”

Ding Zihu took out a Compass and began to cautiously inspect the dark tunnel ahead.

Dong Feng and Dong Yun came over as well, and the three of them began to study it together.

Han Yuan and the others could only wait quietly.

After a moment, Ding Zihu frowned. ”I still can’t figure this Restriction out...”

Dong Feng and Dong Yun also shook their heads repeatedly.

”Then let’s just force our way through.”

”I’ll go first and test it.”

Hong Kui said in a low voice, taking a deep breath.

Ding Zihu, Dong Feng, and Dong Yun hastily took a step back.

Everyone else watched Hong Kui cautiously.

With a low roar, Hong Kui strode forward and charged.

And then...

...he ran for more than ten meters, but nothing happened.

”What’s going on?”

”Did you guys sense it wrong?”

Relieved after the false alarm, Hong Kui’s forehead was covered in cold sweat.

”That’s impossible... I really did sense some fluctuations from a Restriction just now.”

Ding Zihu couldn’t understand.

He was sure he hadn’t sensed incorrectly.

Dong Feng and Dong Yun also frowned deeply, unable to make sense of it.

”I’ll go try.”

”Hong Kui, don’t move. I’m walking over to you now.”

Han Yuan said in a low voice.

Hong Kui nodded.

The group grew tense once more.

This time, Han Yuan deliberately slowed his pace.

And yet, he still didn’t trigger any Restriction.

Now, even Ding Zihu was starting to wonder if his senses had been wrong.

He looked at Dong Feng and Dong Yun and said softly, ”You two... do you think there’s a problem?”

”To be honest... I really did perceive a very faint fluctuation from a Restriction just now.”

”But with the way things are now, I can’t figure it out either.”

Dong Feng didn’t know how to explain it himself.

Dong Yun, however, offered a theory: ”Maybe the Restriction is just that weak... It’s been so long that the original Restriction has long since failed, leaving only some residual fluctuations.”

Hearing this, Ding Zihu nodded. ”That’s a possibility.”

”Then let’s have one more person try.”

”Who wants to go?”

Dong Feng looked at the people behind them.

The physiques of Abnormal People were far inferior to those of Martial Artists.

If an accident were to happen, a Martial Artist would have a much higher chance of survival.

”I’ll go.”

Cao Ru stepped forward.

After regulating her breathing, she walked toward Han Yuan and Hong Kui.

But just as she was halfway there, Han Yuan’s ears twitched slightly.

He thought he heard a strange sound.

”Look out!”

He shouted, turning his head.

But the next moment, the entire pitch-black tunnel suddenly collapsed.

Caught completely off guard, Han Yuan had no time to react and plummeted down.

Han Yuan didn’t know how long he fell.

THUD!

He smashed a deep crater into the ground.

However, with Han Yuan’s physique, he was naturally completely immune to such an impact.

He quickly got up and looked around.

It was pitch-black, so dark he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face.

But Han Yuan always carried flint and steel with him.

After he got the flint and steel lit, he saw that he was in a pile of jumbled rocks.

’A dried-up riverbed?’

Han Yuan was a bit surprised.

’So, the Spirit Land Mountain Range has an underground river after all.’

’But from the looks of it, this underground river has been dry for who knows how many years.’

Han Yuan, flint and steel in hand, looked around, but he didn’t see anyone.

’Am I the only one left?’

Han Yuan was stunned.

In this environment, he didn’t dare make a loud noise, for fear of attracting unnecessary trouble.

Han Yuan waited a while longer, but there was still no sound or movement nearby.

However, he discovered that the Spiritual Qi Storm’s interference with his Gang Essence had completely disappeared.

’Looks like Ding Zihu wasn’t wrong after all.’

’Entering this Cave Mansion really does block the Spiritual Qi Storm.’

’The only problem is, I don’t know where to go now...’

Han Yuan narrowed his eyes.

He didn’t plan on waiting around. Raising the flint and steel, he started walking forward.

Although the underground river was dry, Han Yuan could feel the air was damp and cold.

’I wonder if Ding Zihu and the others are still up there, or if they fell down like I did.’

Han Yuan wondered.

Just then, he heard a strange sound.

And the sound was coming from directly above his head.

Han Yuan cautiously looked up.

SWOOSH!

A dark shadow lunged viciously toward him.

A foul, fishy stench assaulted his nostrils!

CLANG!

Seeing this, Han Yuan drew the Dragon Sparrow Cloud-Splitting Saber from his back with one hand.

With his terrifying arm strength, he could unleash incredible power even while wielding the saber with a single hand.

In the pitch-black underground river, a brilliant flash of light suddenly streaked through the air.

SPLURT!

The dark shadow was instantly sliced in two by Han Yuan’s saber.

He picked up the flint and steel to look at the ground.

It was a huge lizard with dark cyan Scale Armor, about the size of a small calf, and it had a row of sharp teeth.

After confirming the lizard was completely dead, Han Yuan continued onward.

Of course, he became even more cautious, constantly observing his surroundings for any movement.

The appearance of that lizard showed that this dried-up underground river was no dead zone; some beasts still existed here.

After walking for about another hundred meters, Han Yuan suddenly stopped.

Ahead of him, in the dark depths, a strange and cold, ghastly green glow emerged.

”HISSSSSS~~~”

A series of strange hisses echoed continuously.

’Looks like these lizards are social animals...’

Han Yuan couldn’t help but shake his head.

When he raised the flint and steel high, he indeed saw one Dark Cyan Lizard after another.

These Dark Cyan Lizards seemed to hate the light; the moment the flame illuminated them, they became enraged and charged madly toward Han Yuan.

Not just from the ground. Foul-smelling winds also gusted from above.

Han Yuan let out a low roar and, wielding the Dragon Sparrow Cloud-Splitting Saber with one hand, unleashed a dense flurry of saber flashes.

The flashes of light were like a raging tide, not only shielding him but also dicing one Dark Cyan Lizard after another to pieces.

The Scale Armor of these Dark Cyan Lizards was extremely tough.

If it were an ordinary Inner Qi master, they probably wouldn’t even be able to break through the armor.

But the person they happened to encounter was Han Yuan.

Han Yuan had now broken through to the Gang Essence Realm; his True Qi had transformed into Gang Essence, granting him terrifying explosive power.

This, combined with the innate sharpness of the Dragon Sparrow Cloud-Splitting Saber and the enhancement from the Sword Evil Divine Power, it could be said, he cut through these Dark Cyan Lizards as easily as chopping vegetables.

One Dark Star Lizard after another died under his saber.

The foul-smelling blood spread throughout the underground riverbed.

A dozen or so breaths later, Han Yuan had finally cleared out all the dark cyan-colored lizards.

Just as he was about to continue forward,

RUMBLE!!!

The entire underground riverbed seemed to shake.

’Sounds like a big one is coming...’

Han Yuan narrowed his eyes.

ROAR!!!

A furious roar suddenly erupted from the darkness ahead.

A behemoth charged out of the darkness ahead and appeared before Han Yuan’s eyes.