Chapter 383: Mine Collapse, Narrow Escape

"What, you don't dare?"

Steward Huang Tao sneered, "I knew it. You Mine Slaves are all useless trash!"

"You're only good at talking big. When it really counts, you don't even dare to let out a fart!"

After saying this, he swaggered away with his guards.

Li Yunfei stood where he was, his gaze cold.

He knew that the situation was already beyond repair.

If it were possible, he would have loved to kill Steward Huang Tao right now.

A quota of ten Low Grade Immortal Crystals was simply a fantasy.

Three days later.

Rumble—

A sudden, thunderous roar exploded deep within the mine.

The entire Seventh Mine shook violently as countless rocks fell from the ceiling.

"What's going on?!"

"The mine is collapsing!"

"Run!"

The Mine Slaves panicked, fleeing in all directions.

However, some veteran Mine Slaves had already fled the moment they saw things were going south.

But the internal structure of the mine was complex, with tunnels crisscrossing everywhere; many Mine Slaves had no idea which way to escape.

Worse still, the collapse was continuing to spread.

Huge boulders fell from above, crushing Mine Slaves as screams echoed one after another.

"Help!"

"My leg is pinned!"

"Someone save me!"

The mine was in total chaos.

Zhou Chen was mining when he heard the roar and immediately stopped his movements.

His Divine Sense swept through the mine, and his expression changed slightly.

"The scale of the collapse is massive…"

"And it's still spreading…"

"I must leave immediately, or I'll be buried alive!"

With a thought, the opportunity panel System quickly opened.

Buzz—

An invisible ripple swept over all the Mine Slaves in the mine.

Countless translucent panels appeared before his eyes.

Zhou Chen browsed them rapidly, and soon, he found key information on one Mine Slave's opportunity panel.

[Name: Wang Dashi.]

[Realm: Third Layer of the Venerable Realm.]

[Recent Opportunity: When the mine collapses, head along the western tunnel. Turn left after fifty steps to avoid the collapse zone and reach the safety exit. On the way, you will find a Medium Grade Immortal Crystal ore in a pile of rubble.]

"Found it!"

Zhou Chen's eyes lit up.

Western tunnel, turn left after fifty steps!

Without hesitation, he immediately turned and ran toward the western tunnel.

"Han Li! Old Zhang! Follow me!"

While running, Zhou Chen sent a low-voice transmission.

Han Li was mining nearby. Hearing Zhou Chen's transmission, he immediately dropped his pickaxe and followed.

Old Zhang was also nearby. Although he didn't know the safe route, seeing how decisive Zhou Chen was, he also hurried to follow.

Zhou Chen's actions attracted the attention of other Mine Slaves.

"That guy seems to know the escape route!"

"Quick, follow him!"

"Yes, he looks very calm, he must know how to escape!"

Seeing this, over a dozen Mine Slaves also started running after Zhou Chen.

But even more Mine Slaves chose other directions in their panic.

Some ran deeper into the mine, while others ran toward the main tunnel.

They didn't know that these directions were all dead ends.

Zhou Chen led Han Li, Old Zhang, and the dozen or so Mine Slaves quickly through the western tunnel.

Rumble—

The sound of the collapse behind them drew closer and closer.

Countless boulders rolled down, crashing into the ground with earth-shattering roars.

"Fast!"

Zhou Chen increased his speed.

One, two, three…

He counted the steps in his head.

Forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty!

"Turn left!"

Zhou Chen suddenly turned into a narrow tunnel on the left.

Han Li and Old Zhang followed closely behind, and the other Mine Slaves followed as well.

But just then, a thunderous roar came from ahead.

A massive boulder fell from the ceiling, crashing into the middle of the tunnel and blocking half of it.

"Damn it…"

Zhou Chen frowned.

The rock was too big; ordinary Mine Slaves couldn't possibly move it.

If they took a detour, they would definitely be caught by the collapse behind them.

"No other choice…"

Zhou Chen took a deep breath and circulated the spiritual energy within his body.

His cultivation of the Third Layer of the Venerable Realm erupted with full force.

"Great Void Dao Principle—Open!"

A terrifying Domain power instantly expanded, enveloping the giant boulder.

Within the Domain, Zhou Chen was the Dominator.

He made a grasping motion with his right hand, and spiritual energy condensed into a giant palm that seized the boulder.

"Shatter!"

Boom!

Under the terrifying spiritual energy, the boulder instantly crumbled into countless fragments.

The tunnel was clear once again.

"Go!"

Zhou Chen took the lead and rushed through the pile of rubble.

Seeing this, Han Li, Old Zhang, and the other Mine Slaves were filled with shock.

They hadn't expected Zhou Chen's strength to be so formidable.

To shatter such a massive rock with a single blow was definitely not something an ordinary First Layer of the Venerable Realm could do.

"Brother Zhou, your strength has grown again…"

Han Li hesitated, wanting to say more.

"Don't ask too much, just run!"

Zhou Chen urged.

The group didn't dare delay and hurried to keep up.

After running for another distance, a bright light suddenly appeared ahead.

"It's the exit!"

Old Zhang said in pleasant surprise.

The group sped up and rushed toward the exit.

Finally, they burst out of the mine and reached an open space on the outskirts of the mining area.

Phew…

Zhou Chen let out a long breath.

They finally escaped.

He turned around to count the people.

Han Li and Old Zhang were both there.

There were also twenty-three Mine Slaves who had followed him out.

Including himself, there were twenty-five people in total.

"Thank you, Brother Zhou, for saving our lives!"

Those Mine Slaves knelt one after another, kowtowing to Zhou Chen.

"There's no need for this."

Zhou Chen waved his hand. "We are all Mine Slaves; it's only right to help each other."

"Stand up."

The Mine Slaves stood up, their eyes looking at Zhou Chen with gratitude and awe.

If Zhou Chen hadn't led the way just now, they would surely have been buried alive in the mine.

Moreover, the scene of Zhou Chen shattering the boulder with one blow had left them deeply shaken.

"Brother Zhou's strength… is at least at the Third Layer of the Venerable Realm, right?"

Old Zhang asked in a low voice.

Zhou Chen did not deny it and nodded.

"No wonder…"

Old Zhang suddenly understood. "No wonder you can be so composed in the mining area."

"It turns out you were hiding your strength."

Zhou Chen gave a faint smile. "In the mining area, having great strength is not necessarily a good thing."

"The tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind."

"That's why I have always kept a low profile."

Old Zhang nodded. "You're right."

"I've been in this mining area for so many years and have seen too many examples of geniuses being targeted."

"Keeping a low profile is the only way to live longer."

Just then, a commotion came from the distance.

Zhou Chen turned to look and saw the mining area's Steward Huang Tao and the Liu family's Steward Liu Cheng rushing over with a squad of guards.

But they didn't organize a rescue; instead, they first ensured their own safety.

"Damn it…"

Huang Tao looked at the collapsed mine, his face ashen. "How could it suddenly collapse?"

"Steward, the mine has been in disrepair for years. A collapse was bound to happen sooner or later."

A guard said, "The problem now is that there are still tens of thousands of Mine Slaves inside…"

"If the Mine Slaves are dead, they're dead. At worst, we'll just capture another batch."

Huang Tao said coldly, "But the mineral vein cannot be damaged."

"Immediately organize manpower to excavate the collapse zone and ensure the safety of the mineral vein!"

"As for those Mine Slaves…"

He paused. "Save them if you can; if not, then forget it."

As expected, in the eyes of these stewards, the lives of Mine Slaves were worth nothing at all.

The mineral vein was what mattered most.