"The Curse Qi is a power that has long been planted by God in the Banished Lands. There is no way to get rid of it. Of course, this power will not cause you any harm. It is merely a mark of your identity as a lowly commoner. Only by consuming the Curse Breaking Heavenly Water will you be able to get rid of the Curse Qi. Only then will you be considered a true citizen of the Realm and not be hunted down by others!" Old Tian explained in one breath.
Ling Xiao suddenly understood. No wonder these people were so certain that he would be hunted down the moment he escaped.
He now understood that the key to breaking free of this identity was to curry favor with the commander and have him request the Curse-Breaking Heavenly Water from his superiors. Only then would he be able to break free of his current identity.
However, was it really as Old Man Tian had said, that he would have to offer the commander a treasure that the commander would take a liking to, and only then would he be able to escape?
Ling Xiao naturally could not do that.
"Right, if you manage to get out one day, I would like to invite you to see my daughter. I wonder how she's been all these years?
Perhaps … sigh, in any case, this is my wish. I hope you can help me! "The more Old Man Tian spoke, the more agitated he became, wanting to kneel before Ling Xiao.
"There's no need for that, Old Man Tian. Perhaps when the time comes, the two of us will be able to leave this place together," Ling Xiao said casually.
Before Old Man Tian could reply, someone nearby snorted, "Dream on!"
Ling Xiao ignored that person, but Old Man Tian was a bit angry, "Brother Ling is a dragon among men. I believe that he will be able to get out one day."
"Haha, Old Man Tian, it's not that I want to criticize your judgment, but your character. Every year, you say the same thing to the people who are sent here, but aren't they still here? Some of them have even died. You're just finding a place for yourself to rely on, so why lie to yourself? If you have the strength, why don't you dig a few more ores and try to reach a hundred thousand jin as soon as possible!" That person laughed sarcastically, but did not say anything else.
Clang clang clang!
Only a series of ear-piercing sounds could be heard from within the mine.
Old man Tian did not speak any further. A dim look flashed across his old eyes as his life force grew weaker and weaker.
Ling Xiao patted him on the shoulder, "Don't worry, Old Man Tian. I can help you fulfill your wish!"
Old Man Tian replied with a forced smile, waving his tools weakly.
A few days passed, and Old Man Tian was too embarrassed to talk to Ling Xiao anymore. On the contrary, Ling Xiao appeared to be indifferent.
However, one day, the mine suddenly shook violently, and boulders began to fall from the walls.
Rumble rumble rumble!
"Damn it, there might be stone beasts. Quick … get out of the cave!"
No one knew who shouted, but the people in the mine let out cries of alarm as they rushed out of the mine.
But before, the mine, the mine, the Man, the mine, the mine, the mine, the mine, the mine, the mine, and the mine. "
The people in charge of guarding outside also noticed the situation, but they couldn't help at all because everything happened too suddenly, and the movement was too big. It was as if the entire mountain range had been flipped over.
Roar!
A beast's roar pierced the sky, traveling tens of thousands of kilometers away. It was a terrifying sound.
The guards rushed to the sky, all of them looking at the source of the roar.
Tie Lang was the first to cry out, "Dammit, that's an Earth Spike Dragon! It's so big! Has it been here all this time?"
"This fellow is probably at the peak of the ninth rank. Let's attack together, or else we won't be able to suppress it," Liu Jinxi said.
Tie Lang nodded and shouted, "Everyone, attack with me. Let's get rid of this fellow!"
Many Saint Emperors and their spiritual beasts charged towards the Earth Spike Dragon that had just emerged from the ground.
The Earth Spike Dragon was several hundred meters long, and its body was enormous. It looked like several small mountains were moving, and its back was covered in spikes, giving it a ferocious appearance.
All spirit beasts were divided into different ranks. Some spirit beasts, no matter how much they were fed, would find it difficult to break through the shackles of their bloodlines and become high-ranked spirit beasts, let alone holy beasts.
For most cultivators, it was already quite amazing for their spirit beasts to reach the eighth rank and take human form. Becoming a ninth rank holy beast was even more difficult.
There were many peak experts whose strength increased, but their spirit beasts couldn't keep up with them. At that time, their spirit beasts could only be used as a means of transportation. There weren't many that could be used in battle.
Unless they abandoned their original Spirit Protector Beasts and captured a higher grade Sacred Beast again, they wouldn't be able to do so.
Tie Lang, Liu Jinxi, and the others might be Holy Emperor, but only a small portion of their spirit beasts had reached the ninth rank. The rest were at the eighth rank.
As for Tie Lang, Liu Jinxi, and the other high-ranked Holy Emperors, their spirit beasts were only at the mid-ninth rank, or even low-ninth rank. None of them had reached the peak of the ninth rank.
Hence, when they saw a Peak Type 9 Earth Spike Dragon, they were extremely shocked.
The Earth Spike Dragon was a branch of the Dragons. Just like Hei Mo's Demonic Dragon, it also contained rich dragon blood. However, it lacked the power to condense the Dragon Pearl, so it couldn't become a true divine beast.
The Earth Spike Dragon's strongest point was its defense. Ordinary holy tools couldn't break through its defense.
Tie Lang, Liu Jinxi, and the others attacked with all their might. Terrifying killing power bombarded the Earth Spike Dragon, but they couldn't harm it in the slightest.
On the contrary, many Saint Emperors and Saints perished when they collided with it.
Its strength was terrifying, and this was its territory. Many rocks became its attacking weapons. Many huge rocks fell like meteorites, making it difficult for people to deal with them.
Only the high-ranked Holy Emperors could get close enough to harm the Earth Spike Dragon.
However, they were also afraid of getting too close. If they were hit by the Earth Spike Dragon, their bodies wouldn't be able to take it.
However, these people had many strange weapons in their hands. After a round of fighting, the Earth Spike Dragon couldn't take it anymore and disappeared into the ground.
These people could only watch as it left. They couldn't do anything to it.
This battle had caused the surrounding mines to collapse. Many miners had been buried alive. The people supervising the mines had also lost a large number of experts. It could be said that the losses were disastrous.
"Dammit, I didn't think that there would be such a Earth Spike Dragon hidden here. Fortunately, we've already dug enough. Otherwise, we wouldn't have any food to eat," Liu Jinxi gloomily shouted.
Tie Lang also helplessly said, "There's nothing we can do. In our line of work, we'll always run into these kinds of things. In the past, we'd only run into one or two stone beasts. I didn't think that we'd run into such a big fellow this time. Once we get back, we'll gather some people and think of a way to get rid of this big fellow. Otherwise, we won't be able to dig in peace here." He paused for a moment before asking another Holy Emperor, "Have you checked to see if any of the miners are still alive?"
The Holy Emperor replied, "I'm afraid that apart from a few who didn't enter the mines, there aren't many who are still alive. Many of them are also heavily injured. Unless they're willing to give them pills to unseal their power and allow them to recover, they'll be crippled."
Tie Lang lightly frowned and said, "Let's just free them all!"
Tie Lang's words undoubtedly announced that the heavily injured miners who weren't dead had no choice but to die.
The Holy Emperor nodded. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he thought of something and turned around to say, "Right, that kid who was captured a few days ago is actually fine. He even saved an old man who was about to die."
"Oh?
Could it be that he didn't enter the mines?
Or that his power has been unsealed? "Liu Jinxi asked.
The Holy Emperor shook his head and said, "That's not the case. That kid was also in the mines at the time, and he was buried alive along with the others. The collapse of the mines was the force of tens of thousands of kilograms of rocks crashing down. Those who were lucky enough to survive are all half-dead, but that kid's power was sealed, yet he's completely fine. He even took the opportunity to save people. I think that kid might have some trump cards up his sleeve."
Hearing the Holy Emperor's words, Tie Lang and Liu Jinxi's eyes lit up.
Only Ling Xiao and Old Man Tian were able to come out of the mines unscathed.
Old Man Tian didn't have many days left to live, so he didn't have the ability to save himself.
Ling Xiao took into account that Old Man Tian had told him many things over the past few days and treated him as an ordinary friend. Thus, when the mines collapsed, Ling Xiao acted to save him.
Ling Xiao's strength naturally hadn't recovered, but he still had a monstrous physical body.
Even though he had lost his power, the power contained within his body was no less than that of a Saint.
Many of the falling rocks were smashed apart by him, allowing him to escape from the mines in the shortest time possible.
Old Man Tian had already fainted from fright. When he opened his eyes, he didn't think that he would still be alive. He sighed inwardly at how lucky he was.
However, when he saw the upright figure beside him, he knew that his old life had been saved by Ling Xiao. He felt somewhat grateful, but more than that, he felt that Ling Xiao would soon be able to rid himself of his status as a lowly commoner.
"Old Brother Tian, are you alright?" Ling Xiao asked Old Man Tian as he bent down.
Old Man Tian struggled to sit up and replied, "Old Brother Tian, thank you for saving these old bones of mine. I won't die for now. Actually … it would have been better if Old Brother Ling hadn't saved me, sigh!"
Ling Xiao raised an eyebrow and said, "Old Brother Tian, don't give up on yourself. As the saying goes, after suffering comes happiness. When the boat reaches the bridgehead, everything will straighten out. Until the end, how can you know that things won't take a turn for the better?"
Old Man Tian wanted to say something, but someone walked towards them and he immediately shut his mouth.
A high-level Saint stopped in front of Ling Xiao and called out, "Come here, the commander wants to see you!"
In front of these supervisors, all lowly commoners were inferior and had no human rights.
Ling Xiao nodded and turned to Old Man Tian, "Old Brother Tian, it's better for you to fulfill your wish in the future!"
With that, he followed the supervisor to a nearby tent.
Old Man Tian pondered over Ling Xiao's words, and his eyes flashed. He thought to himself, Could it be that Old Brother Ling really has a way to rid himself of his status?