Chapter 1152 - Danger

Liu Wuxie swung his pickaxe deep in the mine, knocking a chunk of raw stone to the ground.

When it hit the ground, he immediately sensed the intense energy pulsing inside.

"Such pure energy," he muttered, eyes gleaming.

He placed his palm over the stone, and dozens of fist-sized astral stones spilled out, glowing with a soft, moonlit radiance that lit the mine.

"Brother Liu, the guards forbade slaves from separating astral stones from raw stone. You'll get us killed," He Yingwu warned.

"Who said I'm taking them out?" Liu Wuxie said with a sly grin.

With a wave of his hand, the astral stones disappeared into the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron, safely stored for his future breakthrough.

He Yingwu revealed a bitter smile and went back to digging.

More raw stones piled up around them, and Liu Wuxie continued extracting astral stones. Within hours, he collected hundreds, and satisfaction lit up his face.

With this, he could make a breakthrough to the Heaven Profound Realm. Once he advanced, he could face the Transcendent Realm guards head-on.

He needed to cultivate fast. The astral beast horde was only a month away, but he couldn't even get near one in his current state, let alone control it.

Staring at the heap of raw stones, Liu Wuxie stopped. If he turned in too little, the guards would grow suspicious. He and He Yingwu loaded the raw stones into a cart and began pushing it toward the surface.

At the same time, a lackey returned to Chen Gang. "Boss, I couldn't find them. Scar-Face Liu and his men are gone."

Chen Gang's face darkened. "Did that bastard take my bribe and skip out?"

Just then, Liu Wuxie and He Yingwu emerged from the tunnel, chatting casually.

Chen Gang's eyes narrowed with hostility, and he strode over to intercept them.

"Boss Chen, something wrong?" Liu Wuxie asked with a disarming smile, glancing at He Yingwu to keep him calm.

"You two worked all day and only brought this much?" Chen Gang sneered, trying to restrain his rage.

Since they were alive, then Scar-Face Liu hadn't made a move. With how ruthless he was, these two would have died underground.

"Part of the mine collapsed. We didn't get much done," He Yingwu explained.

"Tell that to the guard," Chen Gang snapped and stormed off.

Slaves usually delivered at least thirty raw stones. He and He Yingwu delivered only twenty. Each chunk contained over a dozen astral stones; they fell short by nearly a hundred.

"What now, Wuxie? Chen Gang is petty and vicious. I've seen him torture people to death over the years," He Yingwu said with a worried frown.

Liu Wuxie didn't answer right away. He still wasn't sure how Chen Gang had bribed the guards.

Every time he found a smaller raw stone, he'd give the guards a cut. Over time, they gave him special treatment.

"We'll deal with it as it comes," Liu Wuxie said calmly.

Even if he were to bow his head, Chen Gang wouldn't let him off. Whether Liu Wuxie met the quota or not, Chen Gang would still come after him.

He had sent Scar-Face Liu today; he could send someone else tomorrow. As long as Liu Wuxie was still alive, Chen Gang would keep coming after him.

In that case, the only option was to become stronger. Power would give him a voice—and the right to survive.

They delivered the raw stones to the warehouse, and then they passed by a heavily guarded castle that housed Anlu Star's commander.

Chen Gang waited respectfully outside the gate.

A guard emerged and yanked him behind a tree. "Chen Gang, what are you doing here?"

The guards had taken his bribe. If the commander were to discover it, he would punish them severely.

"I think Scar-Face Liu's dead," Chen Gang whispered. He felt certain Liu Wuxie and He Yingwu had done it; the men he sent had never come back, after all.

"Are you certain?" The guard's gaze turned icy. Slaves often died, but if they disappeared without a reason, the guards would investigate it immediately.

"Positive," Chen Gang nodded.

"Go back. I'll send someone to check. If he's dead, we'll find out who did it," the guard said and turned away. He clearly wouldn't believe Chen Gang's one-sided words.

As the guard turned away, Chen Gang sneered. "He Yingwu, Liu Wuxie... you'll wish you were dead."

By now, Liu Wuxie's name had spread among the slaves. After dropping off the raw stones, Liu Wuxie and He Yingwu returned to the barracks.

Once inside, they sat down to rest.

Liu Wuxie secretly cultivated the Desolate Devouring Art but held back from making a breakthrough. At third-level Heaven Profound, even a first-level Transcendent couldn't threaten him.

Over a hundred astral stones lay within the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron, wrapped in demonic flames, quietly being refined.

The stones dissolved into silver liquid, but Liu Wuxie chose not to absorb them yet. Doing so would trigger an immediate breakthrough.

The cauldron also contained the laws that Liu Wuxie had absorbed from Scar-Face Liu and the others, forming a solid foundation. One by one, the other slaves returned, throwing Liu Wuxie and He Yingwu wary glances.

Chen Gang had killed everyone who crossed him—until now. Most had assumed the two were doomed.

Chen Gang was the last to return. Strangely, he said nothing and sat down.

Liu Wuxie's aura steadily rose. He used the astral stones' energy to temper his physique and awaken more star nodes.

The stronger his body, the more true essence he could contain.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

His inner world gradually adapted to the astral domain. Though compressed a hundredfold, it remained intact. If it were to collapse, the consequences would be disastrous, as his cultivation would surely plummet.

The door slammed open.

Armed guards stormed in with cold, brutal expressions.

The slaves shrank back in fear. Every time the guards came, it spelled disaster.

They parted ways, and the lead guard stepped up to Liu Wuxie. The evening count likely alerted the guards to the missing men.

The guards ignored ordinary deaths, but they investigated unexplained disappearances.

"You, stand up!" he barked.

Liu Wuxie rose calmly. "What brings you here so late, sir?"

"He's bold, talking like that to Guard Liu An," someone whispered.

Everyone knew Liu An was close to Chen Gang. He was here on his behalf.

"Over a dozen slaves went missing in the tunnel. You're coming with us for questioning," Liu An said.

Two guards chained Liu Wuxie's hands and prepared to escort him out.

"Captain Liu, this isn't by the rules. Why does Brother Liu have to go just because some slaves are missing?" He Yingwu stepped forward.

After all, there was no evidence for Liu An's actions.

"You dare question me?" Liu An snapped, eyes sharp.

He Yingwu lowered his head. "No, sir. I only mean Brother Liu had nothing to do with them."

"Trying to teach me how to do my job? One more word and I'll take you , too!" Liu An drew his blade and placed it against He Yingwu's neck.

If a guard killed a slave, the worst punishment would just be a few days in prison.

"Senior He, it's fine. It's just questioning. I'm sure the captain will be fair," Liu Wuxie said, signaling him to stand down.

Resistance would only make things worse.

"Take him away!" Liu An ordered with a sneer.

The guards dragged Liu Wuxie out, slammed the door behind him, and locked it shut.

The barracks erupted in whispers.

"You think he'll make it back?"

"No one ever does," an older slave muttered.

Everyone already considered Liu Wuxie a dead man.