Nine Nether Dragon Emperor-Chapter 329: Brother Shentu, when did you develop this habit?

「Tianyang Realm, Duan Nian Mountain, the third mining area.」

As the fierce, whip-wielding, two-legged beast overseer stomped over, a tall, skinny miner spat hatefully. "Pah! Damn beast, your end is coming!"

Beside him, another miner glanced at the overseer and whispered a reminder, "Zhao Si, you’re really courting death! You’ve been laid up for a month already. You just got back to work and you’re already spouting nonsense. Be careful, or you’ll pay with your life!"

"Heh, Wang, this time it might be for real. On my way to work just now, I passed by the first mining area and overheard something huge!"

"What is it? Did someone in the first mining area dig up a Black Element True Crystal?"

Zhao Si smiled smugly. "A Black Element True Crystal is nothing compared to this!"

"Alright, stop beating around the bush and spit it out! What is it? That damn thing will be back soon!"

Zhao Si lowered his voice. "Someone slaughtered the powerhouse of the first mining area!"

"Hmm... Wha... Mmph!"

Wang’s voice suddenly shot up, but thankfully, Zhao Si had quick reflexes and slapped a hand over his mouth. After glancing in the direction the overseer had gone, Wang immediately asked with bated breath, "Is what you’re saying true? A miner finally succeeded?!"

Zhao Si looked up to correct him. "It wasn’t a miner! They say it’s an outsider, a human. He’s looking for a little girl and should have already moved on to the second mining area! He’s bound to come here eventually. After all, there’s no way you’d find a little girl in this entire mining area!"

"That’s true... What the hell, are you part dog or something?!" Wang was nodding in agreement when a head suddenly popped up out of nowhere, scaring him half to death.

The figure, who looked like he had just crawled out of a coal pit with only his eyes visible, ignored Wang. He grabbed Zhao Si’s arm and asked impatiently, "What’s this human’s name? Is it Ning Xuan?!"

"I don’t know... Hiss... Friend, can you let go first? Your grip is too strong! Weren’t you beaten into submission when you first arrived?" Zhao Si, gritting his teeth in pain, was completely astonished.

Having worked in the mines for so long, the miners had long since developed the ability to recognize people by their voices. Zhao Si was no exception. This voice was utterly foreign to him, meaning the man must have arrived while he was recuperating. Newcomers were always the ones who were tortured the most miserably. As a veteran, Zhao Si was naturally stunned that this person still possessed such tremendous strength.

"Brother Shentu, let’s talk this out calmly. Zhao Si might have a loose tongue, but he’s a good person!" Wang spoke up for Zhao Si from the side, his tone slightly humble.

The young man calling himself Shentu Yi may have been new, but no one in the entire third mining area dared to ignore his existence, not even the two-legged beasts! After all, on his very first day, he had severely injured a powerful beast with nothing but his Physical Body. What shocked Wang even more was that this man seemed capable of cultivating with the Black Element Crystal Stones they mined. No matter his background, an existence like this was definitely worth befriending.

"Zhao Si, hurry up and apologize to Young Master Shentu!" Wang hissed, shooting him a frantic look.

"The human you mentioned! Where is he now?!" Shentu Yi demanded in a deep voice, not waiting for Zhao Si to speak. His tone was filled with hope and urgency.

"I heard he went to the second mining area. If things go as expected, he should be here very soon..."

Before Zhao Si could finish, a commotion erupted ahead. Countless miners were sprinting in a panic.

Shentu Yi grabbed one of them and demanded, "What’s going on?!"

"Dead... Dead! The Mine Owner is... dead..."

As Shentu Yi glanced behind him, the miner wriggled free and ran for his life. In reality, he had no idea what had happened; he was just running because everyone else was. Wang and Zhao Si wanted to run, too, but seeing Shentu Yi standing perfectly still, they forced themselves to stay put.

Until...

BANG!

The usually arrogant overseer’s body landed nearby and exploded.

Behind him, a young man in spotless white robes strolled forward as if through a garden, looking completely calm and composed.

"He must be the Ning you..." Wang began to say, but he froze mid-sentence. Shentu Yi was nowhere to be seen. "Brother Shentu..." Wang fell silent as Ning Xuan approached.

"Friend, do you know Shentu Yi?" Ning Xuan stopped and asked, a hint of delight in his voice.

"I don’t know him! Quickly, say you don’t know him!" Just as Wang was about to answer, Shentu Yi’s urgent, telepathic voice echoed in his mind.

"What’s wrong? You can’t say?" Ning Xuan looked at him.

For some reason, meeting Ning Xuan’s gaze, Wang lost all desire to hide anything. He answered honestly, "He told me to say I don’t know him."

Thanking him, Ning Xuan scanned his surroundings for a brief moment. "Digging tunnels in a slag heap to bury yourself? Brother Shentu, when did you pick up such a hobby?" Ning Xuan said, addressing the pile of coal-like waste that had been carted out of the mine to Wang’s left.

Wang and Zhao Si were astonished. That pile of slag looked the same as always. How could Shentu Yi possibly be in there? Is this Ning Xuan guy a fraud? The thought had barely formed when they watched in stunned silence as the pile of slag began to move.

"Hehehe, long time no see."

Shentu Yi stood up, covered head to toe in black soot, with only his blinking eyes visible, grinning like an idiot.

Wang felt his mind go numb. Although Shentu Yi hasn’t been here long, I know his identity is far from simple. After all, no one here could ever cultivate with Black Element Crystal Stones before! Plus, Shentu Yi is incredibly proud. Not even the two-legged beasts that rule this realm could make him submit! But now... to avoid being seen in his sorry state, he actually buried himself in a pile of filth! Just what is this Ning Xuan’s background? That’s right! He can actually use his cultivation here! And he just swept through three mining areas! This is too absurd! Duan Nian Mountain had seven major mining areas, and each was guarded by an Emperor Realm powerhouse. A hundred years ago, a major incident had occurred here. A miner, whose cultivation had once surpassed the Revered Realm, could no longer bear the humiliation and used a forbidden secret technique to restore his Emperor Realm cultivation. He tore through all seven mining areas and nearly led the miners to freedom. However, when an Emperor Realm beast from this realm arrived, everything was reset. It was after that incident that each of the seven mining areas was assigned an Emperor Realm powerhouse, honored as a Mine Owner. And now, Ning Xuan has silently toppled three of them! How in the world did he do it?

In that moment, both Wang and Zhao Si were consumed by a profound curiosity about Ning Xuan. Deep within their eyes, a glimmer of admiration and fervent hope began to burn. Even if we don’t believe he used his cultivation, the process doesn’t matter. The result is what’s important, right?

Thinking of the result, their expressions changed drastically.

"Quick, run! We have to get out of here now!" Zhao Si said, his voice trembling. Ning Xuan had swept through three mining areas. The Mine Owners from the other four would surely appear soon, not to mention that even stronger experts had certainly been alerted. He and Wang Er were standing with Ning Xuan now. Once those powerhouses arrived, there would be no time for explanations; they would be obliterated on the spot! Escape was a matter of life and death!