Qiu Bai looked at the slightly frightened Paimon and gave a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, Paimon."
"Zhongli and I will take the lead."
Then Qiu Bai turned his head to Zhongli and smiled.
"There's something unusual at the end."
"To be cautious, everyone, please prepare yourselves."
Zhongli nodded at Qiu Bai, then looked at the others and reminded them calmly.
Kun Jun, Lumine, and Paimon all nodded, indicating they were ready.
Qiu Bai and Zhongli then led the way into the tunnel, with the other three following behind.
Before them lay a wide and empty passage. Deeper inside, eleven miners could be seen, digging fervently at something.
At the tunnel's end stood a glowing golden gate, radiant and mysterious.
Golden lines formed strange and unfamiliar patterns across the surface of the gate.
"All the missing miners are here!"
"What... what are they digging for?"
Paimon flew ahead of Qiu Bai and Zhongli, pointing in surprise at the miners who kept digging without pause.
"This tunnel..."
"It's likely the result of their desperate labor."
Zhongli crossed his arms and spoke with calm certainty.
"That gate..."
"Was it already here before?"
Paimon asked curiously.
"A tunnel leading to an ancient seal."
"If no one had discovered them, they would've kept digging."
"Until... they opened the sealed gate."
Zhongli looked at the endlessly digging miners, stroking his chin with a touch of concern.
"C-could it be..."
"There's something inside the seal?"
Paimon floated in midair, wide-eyed and scratching her head, puzzled.
Lumine stood beside Qiu Bai and Zhongli, quietly observing the surroundings.
Suddenly, the miners stopped digging.
They picked up their pickaxes and charged straight at the group!
Paimon, being in front, barely dodged the first swing and quickly flew behind Zhongli and Qiu Bai in a panic!
Zhongli raised his hands, gathering golden divine energy in his palms.
Then, with a sweeping motion, he unleashed a massive barrier.
A giant rotating shield formed around the group, surrounding and protecting them completely.
Outside, the miners furiously struck at the divine barrier, pickaxes clanging against it.
On the golden shield, faintly glowing ancient glyphs began to appear, shining in a soft light.
Zhongli then calmly crossed his arms, his gaze steady as he looked ahead.
"What do we do?"
"We can't attack innocent civilians!"
Paimon looked at Zhongli and Qiu Bai beside her, shouting in distress.
Qiu Bai stepped forward, white divine energy surging from his hands.
With a sweeping motion directed at the group of miners, all of them collapsed at once and the source of control over them severed.
Just then, black mist began to pour from the sealed gate.
Behind the group, the mist gathered forming into the shape of a little girl.
The girl manipulated the dark mist and launched an attack at the group from behind!
At that moment, Kun Jun suddenly dashed forward, using white energy to block the attack from the girl!
With a loud explosion, even the Fulong Tree on the surface trembled from the impact!
The powerful shockwave made it hard for Lumine and Paimon to withstand.
Both of them raised their hands in front of them, struggling to resist the force!
Zhongli and Qiu Bai exchanged a nod, then turned their attention toward the sealed gate.
The sealed gate had now fully opened, and an immense force of attraction surged forth.
Lumine clung to the ground, her legs blown into the air, kicking like she was dog-paddling but it was no use. She was sucked inside!
Kun Jun had already been pulled in before her.
Qiu Bai, frowning, stopped resisting the pull and allowed himself to be drawn in. Zhongli did the same.
And so, the entire group was sucked into the sealed gate!
They landed hard on the ground inside.
Qiu Bai slowly stood up, brushing dust from his clothes.
Before them was an unimaginably vast space.
Several towering stone pillars held up the chamber around them, with golden elemental crystals wrapped around the tops of the pillars.
A pale yellow mist spread throughout the area.
At the center of this enormous space was a colossal Geo Dragon!
Qiu Bai frowned deeply as he looked ahead.
The massive dragon eyes gleamed with a terrifying blood-red light.
Its enormous claws slammed repeatedly into the ground, causing the massive stone pillars that once held the seal to collapse one after another under the force!
"ROOOAAAR!!"
The Geo Dragon let out a thunderous roar!
The roar alone shattered the last of the ancient seal!
"Wh-what is this monster?!"
Paimon looked up at the enormous creature, trembling with fear.
"Hehehe~"
"Morax... you've come right to me yourself."
"Saves me the trouble of hunting you down to take revenge for sealing me away!"
The massive Geo Dragon spoke in a deep, rumbling voice, glaring furiously at Zhongli.
"So that little girl was a manifestation of your power."
"But Azhdaha... if you still remember reaching this point was never the will of either of us."
Zhongli stood where he was, letting out a long sigh as he spoke gently to the great dragon before him.
"Lumine, Paimon, Kun Jun..."
"Stand back. This is no longer a battle you all can take part in."
Qiu Bai furrowed his brow as he spoke to the group behind him.
"Got it, Qiu Bai."
"You all be careful!"
Lumine pulled Paimon behind her, frowning as she looked at Qiu Bai.
She could feel it, the overwhelming pressure radiating from the Dragon King was immense.
"System!"
"Scan Azhdaha."
Qiu Bai spoke inwardly to his system.
[Ding!]
[Name: Geo Dragon King Azhdaha]
[Status: The first wave of power leaked from the Dragon King Azhdaha broken seal]
[Power Level: Mid-level God]
"So it's just a part of Azhdaha leaked power."
"No wonder this Azhdaha seems so small."
Qiu Bai murmured to himself in confusion as he looked at the massive figure before him.
While it was enormous, it was still far smaller compared to Azhdaha true form.
"Enough talk, prepare to die!"
Azhdaha roared furiously in Zhongli direction!
A massive surge of Geo energy gathered around Azhdaha body and then spread across every part of him. The rocky crystals on his body began to glow with a purple light.
Then, with another deafening roar, he unleashed a colossal bolt of lightning from his mouth!
It shot out like a laser beam, the purple light illuminating the entire space, so much so that even Lumine and Paimon watching from afar, couldn't help but shield their eyes!
The terrifying bolt of lightning hurtled toward Zhongli at an incredible speed!
Zhongli frowned, then spread his arms wide.
A massive golden shield materialized around him!
BOOM!!!
A thunderous explosion rang out, followed by a massive cloud of smoke and chunks of stone scattering in all directions!
Enormous debris shot toward Lumine, Paimon, and Kun Jun!
Qiu Bai brow tightened. In a flash, he appeared in front of the group.
With a wave of his hand, the incoming boulders disintegrated into black specks of light and vanished.
Then, with a flick of his finger, ink-white shields formed around each of them.
Qiu Bai gaze calmly shifted toward Zhongli position.
At the heart of the explosion, the ground was still engulfed in thick smoke and within the smoke, faint flashes of purple lightning could still be seen, flickering from time to time.
(T/N: Like the story fellow daoist? Read 20 chapters ahead on my P@treon [p@treon.com/DaoistRongyi] Thanks for your support! 😊)