The Martial Artists at the front fought with their lives on the line.
The Martial Artists at the rear weren't idle either. They all unleashed their Soul Techniques, blasting the swarm of rats ahead.
At this point, it was safe to say that aside from Young Master Ning, everyone was in the same boat. If those at the front fell, those at the back had to take their place.
After pushing forward more than a hundred meters, over thirty Martial Artists were already dead.
It seemed like an acceptable number.
After all, the Golden Thread Primordial Spirit Fruit was only about three hundred meters from the cave mouth.
But Chu Qingyun knew this was only the beginning.
The truly powerful Elemental Ore Rats wouldn't bother with the periphery. They would only stay in the deeper, darker parts of the mine.
In other words, the deeper they went, the harder this bloody advance would become, and the more people would die!
Besides, ever since he'd jumped down from the stone platform, he'd had a very bad feeling.
It felt as if a pair of eyes was hidden in some dark corner of the mine, staring at them.
That strange sensation that made his Devouring Martial Soul tremble was also growing much stronger.
After pushing forward another fifty meters or so, all the Martial Artists in front of Chu Qingyun and his two companions were dead. They were now on the front line, facing the direct assault of the rat swarm.
All of the Elemental Ore Rats here were at the Martial Disciple Ninth Layer.
Each one had dark fur and razor-sharp teeth. A single bite would tear off a huge chunk of flesh.
The plump Elemental Ore Rats, with bodies over thirty centimeters long, not only attacked from the ground but would also leap up to attack from the front, or even from overhead.
The Martial Artists at the forefront had no capacity to counterattack. They could only grip their weapons and defend against the frenzied assault of the Elemental Ore Rats.
As for the Primordial Spirit Fruits they were after, no one had the energy to pick them. They were all trampled underfoot.
"Autumn Leaves!"
"Xia Feng Wuyan!"
Chu Qingyun unleashed one move after another from the Gale Seven Swords. His Sword Aura, infused with Sword Momentum, was immensely destructive. Any Elemental Ore Rat it grazed was torn to shreds.
But even the most powerful attacks were futile against the endless swarm of rats.
"Gangzi, watch out!"
Chu Yun, on Chu Qingyun's right, suddenly swung his blade to the left, cutting down an Elemental Ore Rat that had leaped up, pouncing at Chu Gang's face.
Chu Gang broke out in a cold sweat. Before he could even say thanks, he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. An Elemental Ore Rat, jaws agape, leaped from the shoulder of the person beside them, aiming for Chu Yun's neck.
"Yun, behind you!"
However, Chu Yun had no time to react.
At the last possible second,
THWIP!
A long, thin black shadow shot through the dim mine, pierced the Elemental Ore Rat, and flung it back into the sea of rats.
"Gang, Yun, just focus on what's in front of you. Don't get distracted."
"Leave the rest to me!"
Chu Qingyun said, his expression serene.
With the three of them together, Chu Qingyun's incredibly powerful Sword Aura was the main driving force of their advance, while his three elusive vines were the perfect tool for shoring up their defenses.
Chu Qingyun's control over his Three-star Vine Martial Soul was far beyond that of any ordinary person, earning him the genuine admiration of Chu Gang and Chu Yun.
The people on the front line were replaced wave after wave. They finally managed to push forward another hundred meters, leaving only about fifty meters to the Golden Thread Primordial Spirit Fruit.
But at this moment, there were only a little over forty low-level Martial Artists left.
Two hundred and fifty bloody meters. Over one hundred and fifty Martial Artists had been devoured, leaving not even bones behind!
Of course, the number of dead Elemental Ore Rats was even greater, definitely calculated in the tens of thousands.
The remaining Martial Artists could no longer fully hold back the Elemental Ore Rats. Hordes of rats slipped through the gaps in their defense and got behind them.
Some pounced towards Young Master Ning and his guards further back.
Others attacked from the rear, trapping Chu Qingyun and his group in a pincer attack.
As a result, the pressure on the front line increased instantly. In less than a minute, nearly ten more Martial Artists fell.
"That bunch of lowlifes are almost done for. They're about to break."
"Da, Er, protect me. The rest of you, get up there and fill the gaps!"
From the rear, Young Master Ning commanded in a cold voice.
The thick stench of blood made his eyes turn red.
But within those reddened eyes was an even greater, fervent desire for the Golden Thread Primordial Spirit Fruit.
To be honest, a Tier Two Spiritual Medicine wasn't hard for someone of his status to buy.
But, Zhang Ning just had to get this Golden Thread Primordial Spirit Fruit by his own means so he could go back to Qingshan City and show off, to prove himself.
As for how many people had to die for his pride, for his bragging rights, he couldn't care less.
Even if the ones dying were his own men!
Big Beard and the others were utterly helpless, but they drew their weapons and charged forward to plug the gaps in the front line's defense.
Although they were very reluctant, they had no choice. Young Master Ning's status left them no room to disobey.
With the addition of a large number of Level 5 and Level 6 Martial Artists, the situation immediately stabilized, and their advance also became much faster.
They pushed forward another thirty meters, and were now only twenty meters away from the Golden Thread Primordial Spirit Fruit.
If Chu Qingyun wanted to, he could even use his Three-star Vine Martial Soul to snatch the Golden Thread Primordial Spirit Fruit right now.
But he didn't.
He understood the principle that the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.
If he snatched the Golden Thread Primordial Spirit Fruit, he would instantly become the target of every single Elemental Ore Rat.
Having reached this point, Chu Qingyun suddenly felt something was strange.
According to his previous observations, they should have already encountered those exceptionally plump Elemental Ore Rats—the ones with the strength of Tier One and Tier Two Martial Artists—before the thirty-meter mark.
But now that they were here, they were still facing Martial Disciple Ninth Layer Elemental Ore Rats.
Using the fleeting flashes of light from the Soul Techniques used by those around him, Chu Qingyun suddenly glimpsed hordes of exceptionally plump Elemental Ore Rats crawling along the cave walls on both sides, moving toward their rear!
'Crawling toward the rear?'
'They're trying to... surround us!'
'Wipe them all out!'
The thought suddenly flashed through Chu Qingyun's mind.
These Elemental Ore Rats weren't just mindless beasts that only knew how to fight head-on.
They also knew how to surround their prey!
"Gang, Yun, don't say anything. Just listen to me."
"Don't resist. Do exactly as I say."
Chu Qingyun took a deep breath, suddenly unleashing a few sword strikes to scatter the Elemental Ore Rats in front of him, and spoke quietly to Chu Gang and Chu Yun.
Chu Qingyun controlled two vines, wrapping them several times around Chu Gang's and Chu Yun's waists.
Then, the two vines suddenly grew, reaching twenty meters in length in an instant.
The vines violently flung Chu Gang and Chu Yun backward, throwing them to the rear with all their might.
"Gang, Yun, run!"
"Don't look back! Run for the exit!"
The instant he threw them, Chu Qingyun roared.
Chu Gang and Chu Yun flew over Young Master Ning and his two guards at the rear and landed with a THUD.
After landing, the two of them still hadn't processed what happened, but hearing Chu Qingyun's roar, they instinctively bolted toward the outside without a second thought.
"What!? Such long vines!"
"Kid, you're courting death! How dare you let two of them escape!"
"Brother, help me! I'm begging you, throw me out too!"
In an instant, Chu Qingyun became the center of everyone's attention.
The low-level Martial Artists pleaded with him, wanting Chu Qingyun's help to get them out.
Meanwhile, Young Master Ning and his men stared at Chu Qingyun with savage expressions.
Just then, from the deepest part of the mine, an exceptionally sharp and long cry echoed out.
"Screee—!"