Outskirts of the ruins, temporary evacuation point.
Qiao Ling'er, dressed in combat training attire, organized with some classmates to move through the crowd, rescuing panicked workers.
Suddenly, her gaze fixed.
Amidst the chaotic fleeing crowd, that person was exceptionally calm.
She wore an ordinary grey trench coat, a hood, and moved quickly with her head down.
"Teacher?!"
Qiao Ling'er instinctively spoke.
The figure paused, then slowly turned her head.
Half of a face, revealed from under the hood, with clear and cold features, belonged to her mentor, Qu Huaiwei.
Noticing Qiao Ling'er's surprised and questioning gaze, Qu Huaiwei moved through the crowd towards Qiao Ling'er.
"Teacher, why are you here?"
Qiao Ling'er went to meet her, lowering her voice.
"I am an O3-level Martial Artist." Qu Huaiwei smiled, "When an incident of this level occurs, a teacher has an inescapable responsibility."
Her explanation was concise and clear, leaving no room for doubt.
"Little Ling, be very careful."
Qu Huaiwei raised her hand, gently placing it on Qiao Ling'er's shoulder, "It's very dangerous here; death… could arrive at any moment."
After the warning, Qu Huaiwei turned and left.
"Where are you going?"
Qiao Ling'er quickly asked.
Qu Huaiwei continued without stopping: "I have more important matters to handle; if you truly encounter a fatal danger, remember, the last resort for survival is to enter the Mental Domain."
She raised her hand, pointing to the sky above her head.
"He is right here."
With that, Qu Huaiwei had already merged into the crowd.
Qiao Ling'er stood stunned in place.
He is right here? Was she referring to the Corpse Disassembly Immortal?
She looked towards her teacher, but found that in the gaps of the crowd, figures were silently and swiftly moving in the same direction.
Their objective was clear, their actions swift.
These people exchanged glances, without words, only a tacit understanding.
What were they going to do?
Was it related to the "more important matters" her teacher mentioned?
....
After leaving the construction site, Qu Huaiwei appeared beside the entrance to the city's sewage pipes.
In the air, the putrid smell of accumulated sewage lingered.
She paid it no mind, striding into it, followed by hundreds of Corpse Immortal Path Martial Artists who filed in behind her.
Inside the pipes, it was damp and cold.
And a nauseating stench assailed them.
Not far in, a faint rustling sound, like a mole digging earth, came from a dark corner ahead.
Qu Huaiwei paused, raising her hand to signal.
Behind her, everyone drew their weapons, and energy flowed silently within their bodies.
"It stinks so much."
A voice spoke.
Qu Huaiwei focused her gaze, and a small man emerged from the earth, his eyes shimmering with a yellowish-brown glow.
It was the man with the earth-burrowing technique, Run Tu.
Run Tu patted the dust off himself and said, "The terrain ahead is complex; the forks in the path have all collapsed, but I've figured out the general route."
"Everyone, follow me."
He pointed to the side wall of the pipe, which was a new entrance he had burrowed through.
"Lead the way."
Qu Huaiwei nodded slightly.
Everyone quickly followed Run Tu, entering the narrow cave he had forcibly opened with his earth-burrowing ability.
The cave walls were freshly turned earth.
Emitting a damp, earthy smell.
The cave wound downwards, and after descending more than ten meters, the space suddenly opened up.
This was an underground construction site.
Affected by the power of the divine battle, it had already collapsed and twisted, with massive concrete pillars broken and rebar exposed.
The passages crisscrossed, but most of them were blocked.
"Help… help…"
"Is… is anyone there…"
Suddenly, an extremely faint groan sounded.
It came from amidst the collapsed rubble.
"Go take a look."
Qu Huaiwei gestured for everyone to move the rubble.
They set to work and soon saw several faces stained with blood, their eyes unfocused, filled with a desire for life.
They were more than ten buried workers.
Fortunately, with the support of rebar and concrete, there was some space, and none of the ten-plus people had died.
Qu Huaiwei looked at Run Tu, her voice calm:
"Run Tu, you stay here. Escort them to safety, then come back and rejoin us."
"This…" Run Tu frowned slightly.
"What's wrong?"
Qu Huaiwei asked.
Run Tu said with difficulty, "This has nothing to do with our mission, does it? They're just ordinary people, no need to care. Time is pressing, True Lord…"
"Yes, it's unrelated." Qu Huaiwei interrupted him, "This is my personal request."
Run Tu was silent for a few seconds.
He glanced at the workers under the rubble, then at Qu Huaiwei's undeniable eyes.
She was the leader of the Corpse Immortal Path.
When there was no divine oracle from the True Lord and the emissaries were not present, she held absolute authority.
Offending this woman, who even had a say before the True Lord, was definitely not a wise move.
Moreover, for him…
Saving a few people was indeed just a small effort.
"I understand."
Run Tu finally nodded.
He walked to the rubble, placing his hands on the cold concrete.
A yellowish-brown light glowed in his palms, and the hard concrete and rebar softened, like liquid.
"Others, keep moving forward!"
Qu Huaiwei no longer lingered, leading everyone to continue forward.
The further down they went, the more polluted the air became.
On the walls of the passage, as they continued to advance, large patches of viscous, slimy, dark green traces began to appear.
It was like the mucus left by some kind of soft-bodied creature after crawling.
Ahead, the path was blocked again.
But this was not a problem.
....
A few minutes later, Run Tu returned.
"Let me do it."
He strode forward, pressing his palms against the cold rock wall.
Yellowish-brown light flowed in his palms, and the hard rebar and concrete softened like butter.
Qu Huaiwei led the way into the passage, with everyone following closely behind.
Passing through the passage, the space widened, forming a natural, sloping, downward cave passage.
In the air, an overpowering stench permeated.
It had become extremely foul.
What was unsettling were the four walls of the passage!
No longer cold rock, but covered with a thick layer of writhing flesh, like a living organism.
It was like the intestines of an Outer God.
The entire underground structure had been deeply corroded by the Outer God's defiling power.
"Everyone, be careful."
Run Tu pointed at the writhing flesh, "Although this thing won't attack people, it carries the Outer God's pollution. If an ordinary person touches even a little, they will immediately mutate."
"Even a Martial Artist, without protection, won't last more than a few days!"
"Er Ah!"
No sooner had Run Tu finished speaking than a short scream sounded from the rear of the team.
Everyone quickly turned to look.
They saw that at the back of the team, a Martial Artist had fallen into misfortune; his right leg was tightly entangled by an emerging tentacle.
"Didn't you say it wouldn't attack people?" Qu Huaiwei raised an eyebrow.
"I wouldn't know." Run Tu shook his head helplessly, "When I came, it indeed didn't attack people."
"Save… save me!"
The Martial Artist was terrified, swinging his blade to hack at the tentacle!
"Don't attack…"
"Pfft!"
Before Run Tu could finish speaking, the Martial Artist had already cut off the tentacle, and its fluid splattered all over him.
These fluids were like living things, quickly drilling into the Martial Artist's flesh, and then a terrifying scene unfolded.
The Martial Artist's skin bulged, and tentacles broke through the confines of his flesh, emerging from his body, actually strangling him to death.