I was startled by Madman Liu's sudden move. Before I could even react, he threw himself at me, trying to shove me away.
"Get a grip, Madman!" I quickly dodged aside and shouted, "This is a spirit crystal vein, not a game!"
"Cut the crap, what I say is mine is mine!" Blinded by greed, Madman Liu wasn't about to listen. With bloodshot eyes and a wild, manic expression, he swung his fist at me.
I sighed helplessly and raised my hands to parry.
Although my cultivation level was inferior to Madman Liu's, my combat experience far exceeded his, and my cultivation method specialized in defense. Thus, despite his fierce onslaught, he could never break through my guard.
"Damn it! Damn it!" Failing to break through after so long, Madman Liu grew increasingly frantic. With a furious roar, he pulled a flare from his tunic and fired it straight into the air.
"Whoosh!"
A blinding red beam shot into the sky and burst, forming a massive red blossom.
"Oh no!" I thought to myself—Madman Liu was calling for backup!
Sure enough, no sooner had the flare gone off than I heard a tumult of heavy footsteps approaching from the distance, growing louder by the second.
"Madman, you've got a death wish!" Fury flared in my chest. To seize the spirit crystal vein, this lunatic was actually willing to bring outsiders into the mix. He was trying to get me killed!
"Hahaha, Lu Chen, scared yet? I'm telling you, I've called my boss here, you're a dead man today!" Madman Liu cackled triumphantly as figures began to emerge in the distance.
Though furious, I knew this wasn't the time to bicker with Madman Liu. The top priority was dealing with the incoming enemies.
I took a deep breath, suppressed my anger, and turned to look at the newcomers. Seven or eight figures were approaching. The man in the lead was stocky, with a fierce, scarred face and a vicious look in his eyes—clearly no ordinary thug.
"Boss, that's him! He's the one who found the spirit crystal vein!" Madman Liu pointed right at me and yelled.
At those words, the burly man's gaze snapped onto me, a flash of greed in his eyes.
"Punk, you're the one who found the spirit crystal vein?" He strode toward me with heavy footsteps. Every step felt like a hammer blow to my chest, sending a wave of oppressive pressure over me.
I took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "That's right, I found it. What do you want?"
"Hahaha, what do I want?" The burly man suddenly burst into roaring laughter. "What do I want? Let me tell you, I want this spirit crystal vein!"
I glared at him coldly without a word. I had found this spirit crystal vein through sheer hard work; how could I possibly hand it over on a silver platter?
"Punk, what kind of attitude is that?" Seeing my lack of reaction, the burly man's face darkened, and he asked menacingly.
I replied calmly, "I found this spirit crystal vein first, so naturally it belongs to me."
"Bullshit!" Madman Liu chimed in from the side. "We clearly found this vein together, what makes you think it belongs to you alone?"
I glanced at him and sneered, "Just you? What qualifications do you have to contend with me?"
"You..." Madman Liu was instantly rendered speechless. As crazy as he was, he knew his own limits; in terms of raw strength, he was no match for me at all.
The burly man pulled Madman Liu behind him, looked me up and down, and asked, "Punk, what's your name? What faction are you from?"
"Independent cultivator Lu Chen," I answered calmly.
"An independent cultivator?" Hearing that, the burly man burst into loud laughter. "A mere independent cultivator dares to fight me, Wang Qiang, for things? You must have a death wish!"
I furrowed my brow. Wang Qiang's tone was dripping with disdain and contempt; clearly, he didn't take me seriously at all.
"Wang Qiang, is it?" I took a deep breath, suppressing my rising anger, and said, "I don't care what faction you're from, I found this spirit crystal vein first, so it should belong to me. If you want it, give me a reason that convinces me."
"A reason?" Wang Qiang burst into laughter again, as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world. "Kid, are you trying to reason with me? In this Cultivation World where the strong prey on the weak, strength is reason! What right does a lone cultivator like you have to talk reason with me?"
"That's right, kid, I advise you to scram quietly unless you want a beating!" one of Wang Qiang's subordinates chimed in with a jeer.
A cold glint flashed in my eyes. These bastards were really pushing it too far!
"What? Want to fight?" I looked at them coldly, a sharp aura radiating from my body. "Let me tell you, if you want to snatch things from my hands, it all depends on whether you have the ability!"
"Kid, you're asking for it!" Wang Qiang's face darkened, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.
I met his gaze without a shred of fear, refusing to give ground.
The atmosphere instantly grew tense and explosive; a battle was on the verge of breaking out...
"Attack!" At Wang Qiang's command, he charged at me first.
I was already prepared. With a flash, I dodged his attack while throwing a punch straight at his face. Wang Qiang clearly underestimated me; with a furious roar, he swung the long saber in his hand, sending a wave of blade light washing toward me. Daring not to take it head-on, I fought while retreating, trying my best to lure the battlefield deep into the abandoned spirit mine.
"Kid, can you only dodge?" Wang Qiang grew increasingly irritated as his prolonged assault failed to yield results.
I sneered, ignoring him, and continued to use the terrain to circle around them. I had scouted this abandoned spirit mine beforehand and was fairly familiar with the layout, whereas Wang Qiang and his men were strangers here—I could use this to my advantage.
"Boss, this kid is too slippery, keeping this up won't work." One of Wang Qiang's subordinates said.
"What's to fear? This mine tunnel is only so big, I refuse to believe he can hide forever!" Wang Qiang snarled viciously.
While dodging their attacks, I carefully observed their formation, searching for an opening to counterattack. Finally, I spotted an opening in the stance of one of Wang Qiang's subordinates. Elated, I readied myself to strike, but right at that moment, I suddenly felt a powerful aura emanating from the depths of the mine.
Oh no, a fierce beast!
My heart skipped a beat. Although the spiritual qi in this abandoned spirit mine was thin, a few low-tier fierce beasts still survived here. If I fought Wang Qiang and his crew here, the commotion would likely attract the beasts, and then we would truly be in danger.
"Kid, go to hell!" Failing to notice the danger, Wang Qiang seized my moment of distraction and slashed a blade down at me.
In the nick of time, I twisted my body to the side, narrowly dodging his attack while kicking him straight in the chest, sending him flying backward.
"Boss!"
"You're asking for death!"
Seeing this, Wang Qiang's subordinates swarmed me. Daring not to linger, I turned and bolted.
"Don't let him get away!" Wang Qiang roared, scrambling back to his feet.
As I dodged their attacks, I sprinted deeper into the mine tunnel. I knew that only by shaking them off could I be safe.
"Roar!"
Just then, a deafening beast roar echoed from deep within the tunnel, and my heart sank. Trouble had arrived...
I turned my head and saw a massive beast charging right toward me. Its eyes gleamed with a vicious light—it had clearly marked me as its prey.
"Damn it!" I cursed under my breath. Now I was caught between enemies in front and behind; the situation was extremely perilous.
"Kid, let's see where you run now!" Wang Qiang had also spotted the beast, but instead of panicking, a grim smile spread across his face. "You can die and be buried with this beast!"
With that, he actually led his subordinates charging toward me, clearly intending to drive me right into the beast's path.
"You..." I instantly grasped their intention, boiling with rage. But this wasn't the time to settle scores; I had to break out of my current predicament first.
I took a deep breath, a look of resolute determination flashing in my eyes, and turned to sprint down a branching tunnel deeper within the mine...
"Stop right there!" Wang Qiang's voice echoed from behind, but I didn't slow down for a second. I knew I only had one chance, and if I failed to seize it, I was truly dead.
I ran wildly down that fork in the road for I don't know how long, until I finally reached a relatively open space. The spiritual qi here was much denser than outside, and a faint medicinal fragrance lingered in the air.
Could this place be... My heart stirred. I walked forward briskly and saw, not far ahead, an entire spirit herb garden!