I Became the Alchemy Master by Picking Up Trash-Chapter 233 - 231: Escape (Part 2)

The situation of the others is roughly the same as the deputy team leader—they were all led astray by long-term coercion and gradually gave up vigilance due to years of low-level tasks, ultimately leading to this vicious incident.

Everyone reported to different superiors, but the similarity was that none of them knew the true appearance or identity of their superior.

These over sixty individuals, after initial interrogation, were escorted by Chen Luxi to the Elder Council for further questioning. However, during the transportation, all sixty-plus individuals mysteriously died, the autopsy results were bizarrely consistent—sudden heart disease.

Their ages, genders, and capacities were different, how could they all suddenly die at the same time? It must be the work of a hidden puppet master!

Chu Baili was both furious and amazed by the mastermind’s methods. Being able to toy with the lives of so many people suggests that this force has reached a terrifying level of power.

It’s either that life-and-death control methods were already arranged on these pawns, or there are still deeply hidden spies that haven’t been caught yet.

The former is easier to handle, but if it’s the latter, it would imply that the Four Major Legions or even higher-level power agencies have also been infiltrated. Every time Chu Baili thinks of this, he feels a chill down his spine.

The Four Major Legions are the sharp blades defending the Qianyuan Continent. If the blades were to turn their points against the people of Qianyuan, it would be a devastating blow.

Could the catastrophe indicated by the Purple Demon Pearl be related to this force? Who exactly are they?

Across the entire Qianyuan Continent, only the Exterminate Immortals Cult fits the characteristics of this power—long history, abundant wealth, and ruthless methods.

Moreover, members of the Exterminate Immortals Cult act extremely bizarre and perverse, delighting in harming outstanding Elemental Spirits, and countless young talents have perished at their hands over centuries.

Viewed in this light, the one causing havoc is very likely the Exterminate Immortals Cult.

Their motive for disrupting the military academy competition is also clear, their goal being to eliminate Qianyuan Continent’s most talented talisman masters.

Understanding the critical point, Chu Baili became increasingly worried about Yun Yi and the safety of the other three students. The Exterminate Immortals Cult’s methods of harming people are endless. Every additional second the students linger underground adds another layer of danger.

The blower consistently pushes air into the passage. Based on Yun Yi’s Elemental Spirit Attribute analysis, if they were transported near any of the seventeen exits, he would surely detect noticeable air movement and find the exit by following the wind.

What worries them is falling to a location deeper underground not shown on the map. The twisted and labyrinthine passages crisscross, and no matter how powerful the blower is, it can’t send wind fifty kilometers deep underground.

——————

Underground.

Though the sand snake’s injury is not fatal, its mouthparts are the organs directly contacting the soil, causing them to hurt with every bite of earth.

Under the constant stimulus of pain, the quite brainless sand snake forgot about the blow from the Three Thousand Lotus, gradually slowing down, showing signs of stopping to rest.

Li Xing first sensed the sand snake slacking off and immediately used Divine Sense to contact the Three Thousand Lotus to give it a little jolt.

Only to see the Anomalous Fire King transforming into flames, zooming from behind and scorching the sand snake’s rear harshly.

Everyone felt a collective tightness, especially the sand snake which screamed miserably, disregarding the pain of its mouthparts and started devouring earth frantically, rapidly closing in on the surface. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Li Xing estimated that they are at least fifty kilometers from the surface, and at the sand snake’s speed, it would take more than an hour to burrow to the surface.

"Brother Chu, listen to my command, when I tell you to activate the defensive formation, just do it!"

They were right on the sand snake’s tail, and if they didn’t prepare defenses in advance, the outcome would be dire.

————————

An hour later, the earth inexplicably began to shake, nearly toppling the blower set up at the entrance of passage number nine.

Every soldier involved in the rescue effort showed shock, not knowing what this terrifying tremor entailed.

An earthquake? Beast tide? Or some unknown disaster?

Despite the multitude of guesses and doubts, the soldiers remained silent, waiting for orders from their superiors.

Wang Shun furrowed his brows, "Elder Chu, I’m going to take a look."

"Hm. Be careful."

"Yes!"

The center of the tremor was approximately seventy kilometers southwest of passage number nine’s entrance. Wang Shun summoned six trusted soldiers, and the seven flew toward the epicenter using the flying device.

Soon, they arrived over the epicenter’s location, Wang Shun commanded his subordinates to hover and stand guard, while he descended to the ground to probe below using his Elemental Spirit Power.

"Huh? This is—!"

Wang Shun sensed a vast, massive object beneath the soil, approaching the surface at an incredible speed. Analyzing the feedback from the earth element, the massive entity resembled a sand snake.

But sand snakes have been extinct for nearly a thousand years, how could one appear here?

Wang Shun shook his head, dismissing this information, he must have been too tired and got it wrong.

Just as Wang Shun gathered his focus to probe further, the earth erupted with a sound like a landslide and a huge, orange, scale-covered snake-like creature burst out from underground.

Its tremendous momentum allowed it to still rise inclinedly into the air even after emerging from the ground.

The six warriors hovering mid-air and on guard never expected to encounter such a giant creature in this way. They paused momentarily before swiftly piloting their flying devices away from the enormous maw of the abyss.

Wang Shun’s face contorted with shock; the massive size, the distinctive three-lobed mouth, grinder-like teeth—all loudly proclaimed its identity as none other than the renowned ancient overlord—the Sand-Skinned Rifthead Snake!

Wang Shun had no time to ponder why a living sand snake still existed, he issued commands to the six subordinates.

"At all costs, encircle it! Do not let it approach passage number nine!"

The six flying devices quickly formed a formation, surrounding the sand snake and firing at it with maximum firepower. The red, blue, and yellow elemental power shells continuously bombarding the sand snake’s body. Except for the blue water element’s attacks that slightly bothered it, the other attacks were as if merely tickling it.

Wang Shun took out his flying device, about to leap on and join the fight, when a chubby, flower-bud-like fireball, bouncy, flew towards the sand snake.

Feeling the heat of the flames, the sand snake immediately retracted its mouthparts, lowered its body to the desert ground, and slithered away like an eel.

Hm, that fire looks so familiar.

As Wang Shun racked his brain trying to recall where he had seen this round fireball before, a golden light shot out from where the sand snake emerged, rapidly approaching him.

Wang Shun prepared for battle, taking out his Bone-breaking Gloves, his whole body surging with Primordial Spirit, ready to fight.

But as the golden light neared, the strength he had prepared dissipated, his mouth slightly agape, as if beholding something more shocking than the sand snake.

"Is it you?"

Chu Yunyi, with immense effort, controlled the Wind Rolling Dust Formation, landing across from Wang Shun with three others. His face was already pale to the point of being transparent, yet he courteously bowed to Wang Shun, gently saying:

"Major General Wang."

Wang Shun finally snapped back to reality, advancing to grasp Chu Yunyi’s cold hand, shaking it with excitement.

"Finally, you’re back! It’s good that you’re back, it’s good to have you back!"