Emerging above ground once more, Leo coughed up another mouthful of blood. He hastily took two healing pills from his bottle and swallowed them.

  "Grrr!" The leopard, lying by the stone chamber entrance, saw Leo return wounded. Its fur bristled as it sprang to its feet.

  "You can't handle this. Get in." Leo patted his spirit beast pouch and stored the leopard away. He then activated the mechanism and entered the hidden chamber. He gathered the ice silkworms and the unhatched barrier-breaking insect eggs. After a moment's thought, he tossed several Smoke Mist Fruits into the secret passage and fled through it—the very escape route Zane had prepared for himself was now being used by Leo.

  "Where is he!" Fin, having reached the stone chamber, was absolutely furious. He couldn't believe he had lost the trail under these circumstances. He turned his vicious gaze on the middle-aged man who had informed on Leo.

  "He... he must have escaped through a secret passage in the stone chamber."

  The middle-aged man trembled in fear. He had witnessed Leo's power firsthand—even the most formidable miners were no match for him. Yet this man before him, with those black shears, had routed Leo in just a few moves. Having grown up in the Black Water Stockade Mine, he knew nothing of spirit artifacts or magic artifacts, let alone their terrifying power.

  "Hmph!" Fin roared in frustration. The Black Flood Dragon Shears wreaked havoc in the stone chamber, snipping wildly. The rocks, unable to withstand the shears' power, crumbled and fell, revealing a damaged hidden passage from which thick black smoke poured.

  "Damn it! Smoke Mist Fruits again!" Fin had come to loathe this harmless but obstructive smoke. He charged into the passage, but thick darkness enveloped him. He couldn't see more than a few meters ahead. How could he pursue Leo when he couldn't even see?

  A magic artifact... this powerful! Walking through some mine tunnel, Leo shuddered at the memory. If not for his vigilance and quick thinking, he would have been decapitated.

  He had now disguised himself as a gaunt, black-robed middle-aged man with a bushy beard. No trace of his former appearance remained. Since Fin could find him through other miners, he could surely mobilize them to search for him again. But the mine tunnels branched in all directions, many rarely visited. If he wanted to hide, Fin would have a hard time finding him. Leo snorted coldly and ducked into an even darker tunnel, heading where few dared to tread.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  But Leo wasn't the only one fleeing for his life.

  "And where might Fellow Daoist Hann and his two nephews be off to?" Pike blocked the path of Hann and his nephews, his smile insincere.

  "With the situation in the mine changing so dramatically—a more formidable Palace disciple appearing, one not even Leo can match—we three are naturally fleeing to avoid being caught in the storm." Hann's face fell as he found himself intercepted.

  "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, Hann. None of you are going anywhere today." Pike's smile turned cold. When Leo was in power, he had never trusted Pike. Pike had long resented Hann for lording it over him. Now that Hann had lost his protector, Pike seized the chance to kick him while he was down.

  "Wait!" Hann's heart leaped as he saw Pike raise his mining pick. He cried out hastily.

  "Any last words?" Pike snorted.

  "This new Palace disciple hasn't killed Leo. Otherwise, why the massive manhunt? Do you really think this newcomer can stay in the mine long? Do you really think he can kill Leo?" Hann fired off several questions.

  "What are you getting at?" Pike hesitated.

  "My cultivation may be low, but my judgment of people has never failed me. This newcomer is formidable, but he's arrogant and overbearing. People like that can't endure this miserable mine for long. Leo is the opposite—decisive, ruthless, persevering. A true ascetic, unmoved by women or other temptations. He came to this mine for a purpose. If he wants to hide, finding him would be like searching for a needle in the ocean."

  "That Palace disciple might leave after a while. Leo's only chance to survive is to stay hidden in the mine. If he leaves, he dies. Which means the mine may still be Leo's domain in the future. Wouldn't it be better for both of us to serve under him then?" Hann reasoned.

  "Wouldn't he rely on me more if you were dead?" Pike squinted.

  "Leo needs me to forge a top-grade spirit artifact. Why else would he favor me over all those more powerful cultivators? Killing me now gains you nothing. Why not gamble on the future?" Hann countered.

  Pike's face flickered with uncertainty. Hann had a point. If the man with the black shears left the mine, Leo might well reemerge. Though Pike was a Great Perfection cultivator, his combat ability was low. Apart from that brief moment of glory under Leo, he had never known a decent day.

  With this thought, Pike smiled. "My apologies, Fellow Daoist Hann. I was a bit abrupt. I hope you won't hold it against me."

  "Not at all. I'm glad we could turn conflict into friendship. Fellow Daoist Pike, I must find a place to hide and then locate Leo. Until we meet again." Seeing the murderous intent fade from Pike's eyes, Hann breathed a sigh of relief. But the equally cunning Pike might change his mind if other interests arose. Hann quickly took his leave.

  "Very well. Until we meet again." Pike laughed heartily and stepped aside, clearing the path.

  As time in the mine wore on, Fin's supply of cultivation pills dwindled to nothing. Though some miners offered him spirit stones, he lacked Leo's boundary space and would have to hand them over to the mine supervisors anyway. Apart from a few stones used to hone his combat techniques and spells, most were useless.

  Unable to find Leo after months of searching, Fin flew into rages and killed several miners he deemed incompetent. He did find Leo once or twice, but Leo always escaped. Fin was furious. Those damnable Smoke Mist Fruits, though harmless, filled the enclosed tunnels with smoke, and Leo always slipped away. None of the other miners were a match for Leo.