Chapter 500: How Did It Just Explode?

Bing Han Zhi Di.

A deep rumble echoed through the ground.

The earth trembled violently.

Everyone knew it was caused by that massive Bai Gu Lou battling underground.

Though no one could fathom what kind of entity could stand against this hundred-meter giant that had descended from the heavens.

Yet, in the face of this intense, freezing aura,

No one thought of retreating.

“The Tian Di Da Zhen—is it broken yet? We’re running out of time; the earthquakes are getting worse. I figure the fight over there is wrapping up soon.”

“If we don’t break this array now, once that giant Bai Gu Lou turns around, we’re all done for!”

In front of the Tian Di Da Zhen, the crowd was as frantic as ants on a hot pan.

But under the combined assault of over thirty people, the icy barrier had only cracked a few faint lines, showing no sign of shattering.

“Damn it, why are there so many Tian Di Da Zhen in this godforsaken place?”

“It’s impossible to break through!”

“What about Zhao Laoshi?”

“Has Zhao Laoshi and his group found a way to crack the array?”

Someone called out.

They turned to look at a small circle off to the side, where a few elders were huddled.

But seeing them scratching their heads in frustration, everyone’s hopes sank.

Clearly, they hadn’t figured it out either.

“There’s no way…”

Zhao Laoshi sighed, feeling ashamed. “The time is too short. I can’t make sense of it.”

“Ah.”

The crowd sighed in response.

Though disappointed, no one showed it openly.

There were no outbursts of cursing—everyone kept it rational.

After all, a Tian Di Da Zhen involved principles far beyond a simple Ling Zhen.

Cracking it in just a few moments was nothing short of a pipe dream.

“You know what I think…”

Someone paused from bombarding the array, rubbing their fists, and gazed enviously in another direction.

“I mean, we’ve made all this noise here, and that Bai Gu Lou hasn’t even bothered to come over.”

“Instead, it’s charging straight that way.”

“Doesn’t that mean the treasures over there are even more valuable than what’s here?”

“Of course it does!”

Someone immediately chuckled at the absurdity and shot back, “But do you dare go there?”

“Yeah!”

That sparked a chorus of mockery.

“With the Bai Gu Lou right there, you’d be running to your death?”

“Treasures are great, but you need to be alive to grab them!”

“Exactly, exactly. I followed those two guys over there earlier— the ground was covered in fourth- and fifth-grade Wang Zuo level spirit herbs. Can you believe it?”

“Fourth- and fifth-grade?” Someone’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Are you sure you didn’t see wrong?”

“Of course.”

The speaker grinned. “The whole place was full of fourth- and fifth-grade Wang Zuo level… aphrodisiac spirit herbs. Can you believe that?”

“If my self-control wasn’t strong, who knows what might’ve happened…”

As he spoke, his eyes subtly glanced at a man on the other side.

The other man’s face turned red, and he quietly lowered his head.

Earlier, among those who went, the men outnumbered the women, and things got out of hand.

In the end, there were more than a few pairs of men embracing each other.

“Aphrodisiac spirit herbs…”

Those who hadn’t gone were stunned. “Really, everywhere?”

“Yes, just the scent alone was irresistible.”

“So why didn’t you pick a few before leaving?” someone asked skeptically.

“Pick?” The one who’d been there laughed outright. “With the Bai Gu Lou right in front of you, do you dare move?”

“You haven’t been there, so you don’t get it. If you were facing it, with your height…”

He gestured at the people nearby, mocking them. “You’d have to jump just to reach its toe!”

“You!”

“Who are you looking down on?”

“I’m talking about you! Ha…”

“Shut up!”

As more people joined the banter, the leader of the array-breaking group finally snapped and yelled.

“At a time like this, instead of focusing on breaking the Tian Di Da Zhen together, what are you all doing?”

“Wasting your breath before we die?”

Everyone fell silent.

But once the enthusiasm for breaking the array waned, many calmed down.

“That guy said it himself—the Bai Gu Lou is terrifying. Do we really need to keep going?”

“What if it comes after us…”

“No need for ‘what if’—just look at this array in front of us. Can we even break it?”

Everyone turned back.

The icy barrier towered dozens of zhang high.

Their combined efforts had only created a dent a few zhang wide.

Without considering the barrier’s thickness,

This damage was like chipping a single brick from a castle wall.

“It’s like trying to bail out the ocean with a bucket…”

This sigh left everyone feeling utterly drained.

“How about we just leave?”

Someone suggested turning back.

The more they tried to break the array, the more anxious they became.

As the saying went,

Treasures were worthless if you weren’t alive to claim them.

Whoosh, whoosh…

At that moment, a dozen figures streaked through the sky.

The crowd looked up—it was another treasure-hunting team.

Leading them was a plump man in white robes.

Beside him was a woman in a white skirt, holding a small bronze furnace.

“Mo Mo, can you undo this array?”

Rong Da Hao paid no mind to the people already there.

He’d heard the commotion from the fog array earlier and guessed there were people inside.

Now, seeing them all gathered, it was obvious.

These folks who arrived first were stuck at the second Tian Di Da Zhen.

That left only two possibilities:

Either the previous array-breakers weren’t skilled enough, or they only knew one type of Ling Zhen technique and got lucky with the red mist array.

Or, their Ling Zhen master was no longer with the group.

“Yes.”

Mo Mo nodded lightly, without a moment’s hesitation.

In her eyes, the forces of heaven and earth could seal anything.

Especially something as common as this icy power.

Tap, tap, tap.

Everyone landed.

The two groups faced off immediately.

Clearly, the first arrivals resented these newcomers horning in on their spoils.

Instinctively, they positioned themselves to block the way.

Even if they couldn’t break the array, they didn’t want others to get the treasure.

“What’s the meaning of this?”

Rong Da Hao chuckled. “Who’s in charge here? No manners at all. You can’t break the array, but you’re trying to stop us?”

“If we all end up empty-handed, that battle might stop any minute, and the slow ones could end up as corpses.”

“Use your heads!”

His mocking words ignited the anger of the first group.

“Hah, you make it sound easy. This is a Tian Di Da Zhen—we only got through one because of Zhao Laoshi. You lot…”

The speaker scanned the newcomers, all young faces.

“Do any of you have a Ling Zhen master?”

“Have you even reached innate level?”

“And you dare talk about breaking arrays?”

The tension escalated, the scene on the brink of chaos.

“Who are you indirectly insulting!”

“We’re not…”

Rong Da Hao raised a hand, and his team fell silent instantly.

Compared to the ragtag first group, his team was far more disciplined.

“Is there anyone here who can actually talk? Step forward.”

Rong Da Hao said calmly.

His confidence subdued the other side’s fury.

“Putting on airs…”

Someone muttered.

But no one spoke up loudly.

After all, this group was a mix of several teams, and their original leaders had wandered off somewhere.

“Ah.”

Zhao Laoshi had to step forward. “Young man, do you really have a way to break the array?”

“Just have your people move aside.”

Rong Da Hao smirked coldly. “Time’s short. Keep arguing, and we’ll all leave empty-handed. Let Mo Mo show you what she can do.”

Mo Mo furrowed her brow but said nothing.

“Go ahead.”

Zhao Laoshi suppressed the unrest in his group and gestured toward the woman with the small bronze furnace.

“Make some space, everyone.”

A few sensible people in the crowd finally cleared the area.

Soon, a small ice cave a few zhang wide appeared before Rong Da Hao.

“After all that effort, and this is all you’ve got?”

Rong Da Hao thought to himself, amused.

But he didn’t show it.

Otherwise, forget Mo Mo helping—they’d likely end up in a brawl.

“Mo Mo, please.”

“Hmm.”

Mo Mo stepped forward gracefully to the cave’s edge and slowly extended her hand.

“Wait.”

A voice from the gray mist echoed in her mind: “There’s an extremely domineering heat energy. Do you sense it?”

“Hmm?”

Mo Mo held her breath.

She felt nothing.

“There’s a Tian Di Da Zhen at that battle site!”

“It’s unstable…”

“Hmm?”

The gray mist entity suddenly hesitated. “This power… it feels familiar…”

“Is there something special?”

Mo Mo couldn’t sense the heat energy blocked by the Tian Di Da Zhen, so she asked, “Should I break this array first to avoid complications later?”

“Wait a bit longer…”

The gray mist entity steadied itself.

He remembered.

Back at Tian Xuan Gate, the worst beating he’d ever taken came from that kid, and it involved a similar force.

But not this violent!

So…

Coincidence?

That guy couldn’t possibly control something like this.

Even if he’d grown quickly, it wouldn’t be to this extent.

And besides, he might not even be here!

“Don’t break the array yet.”

The gray mist entity wavered. “It seems like it’s about to emerge. That energy is from the battle…”

“Like this.”

He paused, thinking it over, then said after a while, “Wait until that battle triggers the heat energy. Then break the array and release the extreme cold inside.”

“When they combine, it’ll explode everything.”

“These annoying pests won’t survive, and we can take the ‘San Ri Dong Jie’ without any hassle.”

Mo Mo froze.

An explosion?

Everyone dies?

She glanced around—the place had nearly fifty people, including their own group.

Just for a treasure, they all had to die?

“No need for that.”

She shook her head lightly. “If anyone tries to fight me for it, I can seal them one by one. No need to harm the innocent—I can still get that cold flame for you.”

“You’re naive. If it comes to a fight, it’s not just about effort— if those from the battle get here first, you might not win.”

“But you’re here, right?”

“I…”

The gray mist entity was exasperated. “This is something we can handle without me lifting a finger!”

“But I don’t like it.” Mo Mo smiled softly.

The gray mist entity fell silent.

This girl was stubborn to a fault!

He couldn’t stand it sometimes, but he was stuck with her.

“Why haven’t you started? Can you even do it?”

While they conversed mentally, the crowd grew impatient.

This woman had walked up like she could melt a mountain, but her hand had been on the ice for ages.

No array breaking, no spiritual energy fluctuation…

“Are you just touching the ice?”

“What’s with the delay!”

“If you can’t do it, no one will laugh—just step down, and we’ll all team up to break it.”

“Stop pretending…”

Mo Mo’s smile faded. She turned and glanced at the speaker.

The person shivered, their hair standing on end.

The words died on their lips.

“Can you really do it…”

“Hurry up, will you?”

From the other side, someone who hadn’t seen picked up where the first left off.

“I say we all just attack together.”

“You newcomers just need to know the rules.”

“Once the treasure’s out, Zhao Laoshi gets first pick since he broke the defense. The rest gets split evenly.”

“If it’s a real top treasure…”

“Heh, whoever grabs it has to contribute equivalent items for everyone to share.”

“Yeah, yeah, got that? The rules!”

The crowd shouted, making Rong Da Hao frown.

He ignored them and stepped closer to Mo Mo.

“Mo Mo, did you find something new?”

“Nothing.”

Mo Mo withdrew her gaze silently.

Spiritual energy stirred, and gray-white mist surged forth.

Instantly, the icy barrier dissolved visibly.

Sizzle…

The soft melting sound drowned out the chatter.

“This!”

Everyone stared in shock as the ice cave extended over a zhang in an instant, leaving them speechless.

“What kind of power is this?”

“Dissolving it?”

“Is this Ling Zhen technique or something else…”

The sealing power worked its magic, leaving all mouths agape.

Mo Mo pressed her hand against the icy barrier and walked forward steadily, as if it were nothing.

Wherever she passed, the Tian Di Da Zhen’s solid ice and intricate spirit patterns crumbled like paper, turning to ash and dissolving into the air.

One zhang.

Three zhang.

Five zhang…

“Good heavens!”

As she advanced, the crowd’s eyes burned with excitement and surprise.

The icy barrier was this thick?

What they’d blasted earlier was just a drop in the bucket.

At that rate, by the time the Bai Gu Lou finished its battle and came for them, they might not even be halfway through.

The whole area fell quiet.

The sizzle of melting ice pressed on.

Everyone watched Mo Mo in silence as she strode deeper.

Soon, her figure vanished from sight.

“Follow, quickly!”

In a flash, the crowd reacted and rushed in.

But the cave was so narrow—how could it fit fifty people?

“Don’t crowd, damn it—my foot!”

“Line up, got it?”

“First come, first served—stop pushing!”

“The ones at the back, get out—there might be danger ahead…”

“Ah—”

The noise was eye-opening for Mo Mo.

She suddenly thought the gray mist entity’s idea might not be so bad.

But even if she disliked it, her sealing energy didn’t stop.

In fact, she expanded it around, preventing the eager crowd from starting a fight.

“Wait.”

The gray mist entity’s voice returned.

“What is it?”

Mo Mo paused and asked mentally.

“Up above…”

“Wait, don’t look up!”

The gray mist entity panicked.

Too late.

Mo Mo instinctively looked up at the words.

Above was also ice.

But in her spiritual sense, she saw it instantly.

The sky cracked open.

A man in a red skirt stepped out.

“What’s wrong?”

“Is there something special?”

In the ice cave, even as Mo Mo quickly lowered her head, everyone noticed and looked up.

“Nothing, right?”

“What’s there…”

The crowd was confused.

Suddenly,

“No!”

Someone cried out in terror: “Above, in the sky! It’s a… Shu Du Zhe?”

Shu Du Zhe clutched his skirt.

He’d changed into a new outfit, aiming to brave the spatial fragments again.

But he’d miscalculated.

Without reaching Tai Xu, even after surviving the “Jiu Si Lei Jie,” he needed special artifacts for protection. Still, he’d been cut up badly.

Before he could change, he spotted the ice layer below with dozens of people staring wide-eyed at his skirt.

He froze for a second.

Then snapped back.

“Ah—”

“Perverts!”

“You bunch of perverts!”

Shu Du Zhe pinched his fingers like an orchid, bending down and clamping his legs to cover his red skirt and prevent any exposure.

Only after that did he realize.

“How can they see me?”

These little fries, with their highest cultivation at Zong Shi level, how could they spot him faster than those in red robes?

He’d just appeared, and they all looked over?

“This…”

“Run!”

The gray mist entity’s flustered voice rang in Mo Mo’s mind.

In an instant, he realized running was impossible!

The crowd blocked the way behind.

Turning around would mean getting stuck.

“Push forward! Get into the ice layer!”

Now, he was tempted to strangle the girl.

He’d said to blow them all up.

But no—she had to play the saint!

Now she’d blocked their escape.

Mo Mo sensed something was wrong.

A Shu Du Zhe was just a Shu Du Zhe—she’d seen Wang Zuo level before.

But what kind of person could make the gray mist entity this panicked?

She amped up her spiritual energy output.

The sealing power exploded.

Yet the icy barrier’s thickness wasn’t something this level of sealing could breach in one go.

“How interesting.”

Shu Du Zhe’s eyes sparkled.

What did he see?

“Sealing power?”

In this tiny Bai Ku, there was a genius who’d awakened sealing power!

Watching the panicked crowd, frozen in indecision, and the girl pushing ahead silently.

He figured it out instantly.

Not everyone had spotted him.

It was this woman who first detected the void’s fluctuation.

“You’re all playing? Wait for me to join in!”

With that, he lifted his skirt and floated down from the sky.

“Damn, he’s coming down.”

Panic spread.

A Shu Du Zhe.

Above Wang Zuo!

That was common knowledge—no one there was unaware.

But if that were all, it might be fine.

With so many people, even a Wang Zuo level Shu Du Zhe might not kill them all to cover his tracks—it could attract the red robes.

The problem was,

This Shu Du Zhe was terrifying.

Clearly a man, yet in a red skirt.

And with that sickly, effeminate voice…

As he landed, the men at the cave entrance went weak-kneed.

“I-I-I…”

“I’m not here for you. Scram.”

Shu Du Zhe’s mind was elsewhere, not on these ants.

“Ah, ah.”

The dozen at the entrance fled like they’d been pardoned.

“Full speed!”

The gray mist entity was tense. Seeing Mo Mo’s sealing power, he said desperately, “Go, let me take over!”

Mo Mo tensed up.

“No, you promised—without my permission…”

“Ugh!”

She grunted suddenly, her body convulsing violently.

In the next second, terrifying gray mist burst from her, dissolving the ice layer in a radius of dozens of zhang.

“Don’t hurt anyone…”

A hint of clarity returned to Mo Mo’s eyes as she pleaded desperately.

“Foolish!”

The gray mist entity seized control, frowning but ultimately deciding against sealing everyone.

Whoosh!

The mist gathered.

In the blink of an eye, he shot forward like a cannonball.

Shu Du Zhe’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

“A Gui Shou?”

His eyes widened like he’d found a toy.

“Trying to run?”

“Hee-hee, little one, come here and let me have a look.”

He formed a seal.

“Ice Escape!”

He merged into the ice and shot past the crowd’s heads at a speed surpassing the gray mist entity.

“What the hell…”

Rong Da Hao’s mind went blank, and he collapsed weakly.

Staring at the two fleeing and chasing figures,

And thinking of Mo Mo’s earlier gentle demeanor, he couldn’t process it.

“A Gui Shou host?”

Rong Da Hao was in total shock.

The Mo Mo he’d pridefully allied with, the one he was determined to win over, was a Gui Shou host?

Was this his brilliant judgment?

Straight to backing a Gui Shou?

“I’ve been traveling with a Gui Shou host all this time?”

The thought drenched him in cold sweat.

“Run!”

The crowd screamed.

Most gave up on the treasure at the sight of the two unnatural figures bolting.

Even without knowing the details,

In this situation…

Treasure?

What was that?

Life came first!

But a small few, seeing the two ignore them and the ice layer melted wide open, with a straight path to the treasure…

“Charge!”

Gritting their teeth, they chose to risk it all for wealth and treasure.

Buzz—

Just as fates were decided, the ground hummed, and a scorching energy surged forth.

In an instant,

The surrounding ice began to melt into water, dripping down.

“What’s happening?”

Everyone was baffled.

Inside the ice layer, they felt a terrifying heat rising wildly.

“So hot…”

“This is insane—why’s it so hot?”

Sizzle, sizzle…

“Fire!”

“You’re on fire—damn, I am too!”

“Help, put it out!”

“Water element, get over here!”

“Ah—”

Screams and chaos erupted.

“This is…”

Shu Du Zhe stopped in surprise.

He probed with his spiritual sense and saw, deep underground, a massive, indescribable white magma erupting violently.

In a flash, it burst through the surface.

Even Shu Du Zhe felt his scalp tingle.

“Damn, why did it explode?”