Jiang Yifan!

With a loud boom, the rock wall was finally corroded through, revealing a massive hole!

To their horror, what lay behind the wall was not the passage they had imagined, but a vast underground space. Countless tentacles like those they had encountered were writhing in the darkness, and in the very center, a "mother nest" made of flesh and blood pulsed with a rhythmic, sickening heartbeat.

The three were stunned by the repulsive scene before them.

"Is that... the mother nest?!" Li Nanzhu gasped. Those tentacles hadn't been afraid of whatever was behind the wall; they were clearly trying to liberate the thing inside!

Sensing the fresh air, the tentacles immediately surged toward the opening like a rising tide!

"Back! Now!" Feng Weilan shouted. His long blade carved a brilliant arc of light through the air, severing the first few tentacles that tried to probe their way out. Li Nanzhu grabbed Feng Qingping by the sleeve and retreated at top speed as the rock wall behind them continued to crumble under the impact of the lashing limbs.

Suisui perched on her shoulder, its soul fire flickering violently. From time to time, it spat out a blast of frost toward the rear. The sickening sound of writhing echoed behind them, and the entire tunnel trembled as if countless tentacles were tearing themselves free from the mother nest!

"To the left!" Feng Qingping’s array disk shot out a beam of green light, illuminating a side path.

They had just rounded the corner when a thunderous crash erupted behind them—the tentacles of the mother nest had completely shattered the rock wall!

Feng Weilan took the rear, his blade-light flashing like falling snow as he sliced through the pursuing tentacles one by one.

But the monsters seemed endless. Even the severed fragments that fell to the ground continued to wiggle, crawling after them like independent creatures!

"These damn things... unless we destroy their source, we can’t kill them!" Feng Weilan’s blade was already slick with slime, and his movements were beginning to lose their edge.

Just as a tentacle as thick as a bucket was about to coil around Feng Weilan’s waist—

Clang!

A streak of golden light shot from the depths of the side passage, striking the tip of the tentacle with pinpoint accuracy! It was a bronze shield the size of a palm, its surface covered in intricate engravings that erupted with blinding golden light upon impact.

The tentacle retracted as if in pain, while the shield spun rapidly, hovering in mid-air.

Li Nanzhu’s pupils constricted, but she didn’t stop running, pushing forward with everything she had.

"This way! Don't stop!" a somewhat raspy male voice shouted from the darkness ahead.

The three looked toward the sound and saw a figure in red robes staggering toward them from the end of the passage. He controlled the bronze shield with his left hand while his right hand dragged an iron box half his height, which was currently spitting out sparks.

"It’s... Fourth Senior Brother!" Li Nanzhu immediately recognized the signature crimson magic robes, though they were now tattered and stained with dark, brownish filth.

Jiang Yifan's condition was worse than they had imagined.

His face was as pale as paper, a trail of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, and he limped noticeably as he ran, his right leg clearly injured. Most striking of all was a fresh wound on his forehead, the flesh torn open and still seeping blood.

"Don't just stand there!" Jiang Yifan reached them and slapped the iron box. "Fifth Junior Sister! Open the Xun position!"

Feng Qingping reacted instantly, her array disk shooting a beam of green light into a specific spot on the iron box. The container clicked open, revealing dozens of precision-crafted metal spheres inside.

Jiang Yifan grabbed three spheres and shoved them toward Li Nanzhu. "Use fire to light the fuses and throw them at the mother nest!" As he spoke, he had already activated one himself, lighting it with a spark of spiritual fire from his fingertips and hurling it with all his might toward the pursuing tentacles!

Li Nanzhu’s fingertips also ignited. The three metal spheres traced arcs through the air, landing among the tentacles almost simultaneously—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In a series of deafening explosions, blinding white light filled the entire tunnel. The tentacles convulsed violently in the glare, their surfaces rapidly blistering and charring, releasing a nauseating stench of burnt flesh.

"Now! Move!" Jiang Yifan retracted his bronze shield and iron box, leading the way back.

The four of them sprinted, the angry hissing of the mother nest echoing behind them.

After turning three more corners, Jiang Yifan suddenly stopped and pulled a strange, circular magic tool from his robes.

"Here it is." He panted, pointing to the rock wall on the right. "Behind this is a branch of an abandoned mine. I dug it through three days ago."

Feng Weilan stepped forward to check the wall. "It's solid stone."

"Step back." Jiang Yifan pressed his compass against the rock, bit his finger, and drew a strange rune on the face. The compass immediately began to spin at high speed, emitting a piercing grinding sound.

An incredible sight followed—the stones on the rock wall began to move on their own, parting to both sides like living things to reveal a narrow passage.

"Get in, quickly!" Jiang Yifan urged. "This mechanism can only hold for ten breaths!"

They filed in one by one.

As the last person, Feng Weilan, stepped through, the rock wall slammed shut behind them, sealing out the pursuing tentacles.

Inside the passage, it was pitch black save for the eerie glow of Suisui’s soul fire, which illuminated four exhausted faces. Jiang Yifan leaned against the rock wall, his fingers tapping the strange disk with a soft clicking sound.

"We're safe here for now." He looked up at the ceiling. "This should be a natural barrier formed when the old mine collapsed. The tentacles won't be able to find the entrance easily."

Feng Qingping had already taken out her array disk to set up several concealment arrays around the passage. "I’ve added four layers of isolation restrictions. It should hold for a day or two at least."

Only then did Jiang Yifan look up to properly size up Li Nanzhu.

"Is this... the Little Junior Sister Master recently took in?" His voice was raspy, tinged with a hint of helplessness. "Why did you two bring her here?"

Li Nanzhu quickly explained, "I was the one who begged Fifth Senior Sister and Sixth Senior Brother to bring me."

Jiang Yifan’s brow furrowed as he turned to Feng Qingping and Feng Weilan. "She’s young and doesn't know better, but you two joined in on the nonsense?"

Feng Qingping coughed lightly. "Little Junior Sister insisted on coming. Besides, she has Suisui with her and she’s very clever. She’s actually been a huge help."

Feng Weilan nodded as well. "She’s tougher than she looks."

Jiang Yifan’s frown deepened, a trace of disapproval appearing on his pale face. "Even so, entering Blackwater Marsh at the early stage of Foundation Establishment? Not to mention this is the territory of evil cultivators. One mistake and you're dead." He coughed up another mouthful of bloody phlegm, his right hand instinctively clutching the wound on his ribs.

Seeing this, Feng Qingping rushed to support him while explaining, "Fourth Senior Brother, though Little Junior Sister’s cultivation is shallow, she is very meticulous."

She then proceeded to recount everything that had happened since they arrived.

Jiang Yifan looked at Li Nanzhu with a hint of surprise. The young girl was currently using her sleeve to wipe the soot off Suisui’s soul fire. Hearing the praise, she looked up and gave him a clean, bright smile—neither feigning modesty nor acting conceited.

His gaze drifted down, noticing that although her magic robes were covered in dust, there wasn't a single drop of blood or a tear on them. This indicated she hadn't just avoided being a burden; she had likely performed better than expected.

"I suppose I underestimated you." Jiang Yifan’s expression softened. He reached into his sleeve for a moment and pulled out an elegant silver bracelet, handing it to Li Nanzhu. "Take this."

Li Nanzhu was startled. "This is...?"

"A protective magic tool I recently developed. It doesn't have a name yet." Jiang Yifan’s tone was flat, but his eyes were serious. "Activate it by injecting spiritual energy. It can block a full-power strike from an early Golden Core stage cultivator. Consider it a meeting gift from your Senior Brother."

Li Nanzhu took the bracelet. It was cool to the touch, its surface etched with fine lines that shimmered with spiritual light. Looking closely, she saw two small characters carved on the inside: "Wuyang."

Her heart warmed. She looked up to thank him, but Jiang Yifan had already turned away, the tips of his ears slightly flushed.

"Don't just stand there being happy," he said, trying to sound stern before asking, "How did you even find this place?"