Meng Hao's axe kept digging into the hard rock, swing after swing, he seemed adamant about breaking this incredibly strong and sturdy rock.
The man in black had asked Meng Hao to dig there, and for a while, after he dug and dug, Meng Hao felt that he was being pranked, since he didn't find anything of use after a long time of digging.
Not to mention by digging here, he didn't get any Blood Stones to fill his quota of the day. If one of the guards were to come and check up on Meng Hao they'll find him missing a huge portion of his quota and he will be punished.
He wasn't a fan of the punishment, but he didn't want the guards to take him away from this spot. Even if it was hotter and more dangerous and so far deep in the mines, it was still away from people, and he could take some time to practice and cultivate after he is done mining.
But now, with his cart almost half full, he was feeling pressured to stop and finish gathering some of the Blood Stones from other areas than digging into this rock pointlessly.
That was what Meng Hao had thought until the final axe swing that caused a massive crack to spread through the rock he was digging through.
The crack fractured the whole rock and turned it into brittle pieces of stone and pebbles that collapsed and crumbled in front of him.
The whole cave seemed to shudder and shake from that rock falling. The shaking was enough to cause even the sturdy and steady-hearted Meng Hao to worry. If a cave-in happens he'll be buried alive.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, the area that was leading to the exit collapsed in front of him fully trapping Meng Hao.
The cave kept shaking and more small rocks kept falling on Meng Hao, this was the start of another cave in that will undoubtedly burry him if he were to stay here.
Meng Hao was out of options, the way out was closed and the cave was about to fall on his head, yet the area he broke through earlier, seemed to release a far more powerful surge of Fire Qi than before.
It was only then that Meng Hao had turned to realize that that rock was actually blocking something incredible.
Meng Hao rushed forward and dove into the opening without batting an eye, and was tankful to his decisiveness. Because if he was a second late, the cave that he was in just a moment ago, had fully collapsed and he would have turned to an unsavory paste of blood and bones.
Yet that was not the end of Meng Hao's troubles, because the area he dove in, wasn't that nice either.
He had managed to find himself standing on a rock that was oh so precariously floating in a massive pool of lava. The mere fact that he landed on the rock almost caused it to dip into the lava for a second.
There were many other rocks all over the place that seemed to be stepping stones. Just as Meng Hao was looking at how he'll find a way out of this lava pool, something seemed to move underneath him.
In incredible haste, Meng Hao leapt from the rock he was standing on and managed to land on another rock that was decently far away.
The rock he was on earlier seemed to shatter as a massive fish with bull like horns seemed to rise up from underneath the lava.
The fish's size was so incredible that Meng Hao was sure it could have eaten him whole in a single bite.
The fish dove back in causing a large splash of lava to flow everywhere and immediately destabilizing all the floating rocks.
With incredible agility, Meng Hao jumped away, from rock to another and kept moving forward, while not one, not two, but three Fish Rose up and dove into the rock he was on. Many other fish jumped up and came upon Meng Hao who had to constantly be on the move and make sure that he didn't fall into the Lava, nor get destabilized by all the waves created by these Lava Fish.
Thanks to the fish chasing Meng Hao, he saw that there was actually another cave entrance on the other side of the pool.
The cave had two pillars carved into the shape of a Phoenix that seemed to make an entrance made by the hands of man.
This cave was artificial and that meant that it could have something inside it, and considering what the man in Black Robes had said, it could probably be a treasure room, and probably have another exit.
Hope lit up in Meng Hao's eyes as he used his body perfectly, moving from rock to rock, jumping, and doing front flips over charging fish, he even jumped and kicked against one of the fish that was coming at him, using it as a boost to dive into the small platform right in front of the cave entrance.
Meng Hao rushed inside the cave before one of the fish decided that it was not aquatic, or magmatic in this situation and charged after him only to be stuck at the entrance of the cave.
Meng Hao took a deep breath of relief having escaped those creatures and turned his head to the depth of the new cave.
He moved about slowly in the dark cave. Sadly it was not as lit as the Lava Pool, and he didn't have the ability to use Divine Sense because of the shackles around his ankles, neck and wrists.
Meng Hao slowly moved, making sure to not take steps but slide his foot forward and have a hand on the wall at all times.
It was the safest way to proceed in the dark, it would also help him not to trigger any traps since he's only sliding his foot. In case there was a tile trap or anything of the sort.
The hand on the wall was to make sure that there are no small arrow holes and to keep him pacing forward.
The cave's length seemed endless as Meng Hao walked and walked without arriving to an end. Though there were no traps so far, he was still feeling restless.
Suddenly, Meng Hao heard the ringing of a bell. Surprised by it, Meng Hao looked at his chest and realized that it was actually shining.
The bell that Meng Hao had bought for a dirt cheap price from the Man in Black robes seemed to shine bright as it rung a melody.
And with every ring, something seemed to light up in the far distance.
Another ring then more lights seemed to surge forward until Meng Hao realized that there were torches through the cave.
The flames of the torches helped Meng Hao see what was in front of him, and it was a wall that had the carving of a Phoenix on it.
Meng Hao approached the wall that seemed to be the end of this cave and realized that it was a dead end.
Depressive thoughts passed through Meng Hao's mind. He was now trapped here, with dangerous monsters outside blocking the way, and no food or water to save him.
Yet, the bell rung once again, and something on the wall caught Meng Hao's attention.
It was a small cavity right under the neck of the Phoenix that was oddly shaped like the bell in meng hao's hands.
Meng Hao took the bell and placed it in that small cavity and it fit perfectly.
Suddenly, the wall in front of him cracked right in the middle and opened up to him, revealing a new room.
A powerful surge of Fire Qi flooded through Meng Hao from inside the Cave, yet this wave of Qi was not harmful, baleful or even Evil. It was pure. So pure that all the exhaustion from Meng Hao's suffering and malnourished body from all the slaving he was going through seemed to have melted into nothing.
The power of such a Qi was enough to bring a man from the pits of despair to the peaks of hope.
Meng Hao walked inside the room to see the source of such a powerful Qi and was dumbstruck at the sight.
Treasures, Saint Qi crystals, weapons, armor, and even spiritual herbs and pills were all on display in front of him. It's as if Meng Hao had happened upon the treasure of an ancient warlord.
And among all of these treasures was one thing that seemed to be flooding the area with this benevolent and powerful Qi.
A single red feather was sitting comfortably on a velvet pillow in the center of the room.
Even among all these treasures and Saint Qi crystals, this crimson-looking feather seemed to be the center of attention, the crown piece of all of the Ancient Warlord's treasures.
And thus Meng Hao approached.