Chapter 183: Tested Again, Preparing to Fight Back

Chapter 183: Chapter 183: Tested Again, Preparing to Fight Back

Qi Yao’s spiritual power erupted, and an invisible pressure spread out around him as if it were tangible.

The black snakes froze in unison. Their raised heads lowered slightly, and their hissing grew sharp and wary.

They slithered around Qi Yao, their triangular heads swiveling nonstop, yet they hesitated to lunge again.

"Engage," Qi Yao’s voice was cold and calm.

"Yes."

The Sentinels at his side responded in unison.

They were all A-level, their strikes clean and decisive. With each flash of their blades, one black snake after another fell.

The crunch of shattering scales, agonized hisses, and the sharp whistle of blades slicing through the air intertwined. In just a few breaths, the ground was carpeted with black remains.

The moment the last black snake fell, a profound silence descended.

The rustling stopped.

No more snakes appeared.

But Qi Yao’s expression grew even more solemn than before.

He gazed at the dark entrance to the mine, an inscrutable glint in his eyes.

"Interesting," he murmured, his voice barely audible.

Then, he turned and swept his gaze over the group.

"Into the mine. Everyone, keep up."

Guo Kai opened his mouth, as if to say something, but when he met Qi Yao’s gaze, which tolerated no refusal, he swallowed his words.

He tightened his grip on his blade and said in a heavy voice, "Yes, sir."

The Sentinels swiftly cleared the rubble blocking the entrance. They took the lead to clear a path, with Qi Yao following them. Yun Sheng and the other girls were protected in the center, while Guo Kai and Ma Yu brought up the rear.

The mine entrance was narrow, only wide enough for two people to walk abreast.

After about a dozen paces, the space began to widen.

Cracks from the collapse spiderwebbed across the mine walls. Thick support pillars stood askew; some had snapped in two and lay scattered haphazardly on the ground.

A thick layer of rubble and dust covered the ground, crunching softly underfoot.

The air was thick with the cloying smells of damp decay and blood, making one’s chest tighten.

This place was even worse than Yun Sheng had imagined.

’When Si Jin came here alone, prepared to be trapped until he died, what must he have been feeling?’

Just the thought of it was suffocating.

The party continued onward, their footsteps echoing through the cavernous mine with stark clarity.

Just then, the Sentinel at the head of the group suddenly stopped.

"Major General Qi, there’s something up ahead."

Qi Yao raised a hand, signaling for everyone to halt.

In the darkness deeper in the mine, something was faintly, slowly moving.

A dull sound, like the breathing of some massive creature, reached their ears, causing their chests to vibrate.

Cheng Nian instinctively leaned closer to Yun Sheng, her fingers clutching at her sleeve. "What is that... That sound is terrifying."

The expressions on the others’ faces were grim as they stared warily into the mine’s depths.

"It’s okay. There are a lot of us here."

Yun Sheng patted the back of Cheng Nian’s hand reassuringly.

In truth, she was just as nervous, her heart hammering in her chest, but she forced herself to steady her breathing.

’I can’t panic. If I panic, I’ll only get more scared.’

"Fall back."

Qi Yao’s voice suddenly cut through the silence. It was low, but reached every person’s ears with perfect clarity.

A few Sentinels immediately moved to shield the Preparatory Guides, pulling them back several steps.

Yun Sheng peered over the shoulders of the people in front of her, trying to see what was in the darkness.

But she couldn’t see a thing.

There was only that heavy breathing, one breath after another, like some colossal creature had been disturbed in its slumber and was now slowly awakening.

Qi Yao did not fall back.

He stood his ground, the spiritual power around him slowly coalescing as his sharp gaze swept across the walls of the mine.

A moment later, the breathing suddenly stopped.

Then, a pair of eerie green eyes flashed open in the darkness, glowing with a cold, phosphorescent light, staring straight at them.

It was followed by a second pair, then a third... One pair after another ignited in the darkness, a dense, sprawling mass that covered the entire rock face in the depths of the mine.

Cheng Nian gasped, her legs going weak. She clung desperately to Yun Sheng’s arm.

Yun Sheng’s blood ran cold.

’So many pollutants... even more than the black snakes!’

Guo Kai’s expression darkened. He lowered his voice and said to Qi Yao, "Major General Qi, the Preparatory Guides can’t handle these things. If we fight, they’re likely to get hurt. Shouldn’t we retreat first?"

He didn’t understand why Qi Yao insisted on leading them into such danger.

This was no place for a training exercise!

Qi Yao paid him no mind.

His brow furrowed slightly, his gaze fixed on the sea of eerie green eyes.

A low, guttural screech suddenly echoed from the darkness.

The sound was powerful enough to shake rubble from the mine walls, seeming to be both a warning and a signal that the hunt was about to begin.

Yun Sheng stared at Qi Yao’s back, her heart sinking.

She couldn’t fathom his intentions.

’Just as Guo Kai said, this abandoned mine is incredibly dangerous. Why did he insist on coming in? Is he really not afraid of something going wrong?’

’Guides are so rare, and there are several Preparatory Guides with us.’

’If something were to happen, could he even bear that responsibility?’

Yun Sheng’s brow furrowed. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

’Qi Yao isn’t an impulsive person. He must have some other motive for doing this!’

Just then, Qi Yao moved.

His spiritual power coalesced around him into a visible, silvery-white halo that rapidly expanded to envelop everyone within it.

"All cadets, listen up. Abandon physical combat and focus on outputting spiritual power. Each guide will pair with a Sentinel. Guides, you are responsible for support; Sentinels, you will lead the attack.

"Don’t hold back your spiritual power. Push yourselves to your absolute limit. Only on the brink of life and death can you achieve a true breakthrough."

As he spoke, Qi Yao’s gaze rested on Guo Kai for a moment.

"If you coddle them, they will never become true guides!"

Guo Kai’s lips moved as if to protest, but he swallowed his words when he met Qi Yao’s cold, stern eyes.

No longer daring to hesitate, the group quickly formed pairs as Qi Yao had commanded.

Cheng Nian was paired with a slightly older Sentinel who looked calm and reliable. He whispered to her, "Stay close to me."

The Sentinel assigned to Li Wen was a man of few words and simply nodded.

He Yi, Zhou Ying, and Zhao Qian each found their own partners as well.

When it was Yun Sheng’s turn, Qi Yao’s gaze lingered on her for a moment.

"You’re with Zhao Heng." He pointed to a young Sentinel at his side.

Zhao Heng looked to be twenty-five or twenty-six, with a stern face and sharp eyes. His aura was solid and contained—the kind of Sentinel you could tell at a glance had seen plenty of real combat.

He nodded at Yun Sheng. She acknowledged it and quickly moved to his side.

"Stay close. Don’t waste your spiritual power on anything unnecessary. Only support me when I strike."

Yun Sheng nodded, took a deep breath, and slowly gathered her spiritual power.

Zhao Heng was fast.

His blade carved into the swarm of pollutants, spattering foul blood. He forged a path ahead, giving Yun Sheng barely a moment to breathe.

Every swing of his blade forced her to release more spiritual power—to predict, to assist, to fill the gaps between his onslaughts.

Before long, fine beads of sweat dotted Yun Sheng’s brow, and her fingertips began to go numb, but Zhao Heng didn’t let up.

She gritted her teeth. She had to keep up with Zhao Heng’s pace while also being careful not to reveal her true abilities. This balancing act was more exhausting than simply going all out.

And with every move she made, Qi Yao’s gaze fell upon her.

That gaze was like a needle at the nape of her neck, making her scalp prickle.