piratefiction Chapter 52 Annihilation
Chapter 52 Annihilation
The muffled rumbling above Liang Cheng's head quickly turned into a deafening collapse!
It wasn't that the force during the fight was too great, but rather that Liu Meng and his men had already tampered with the rock wall support of this side passage.
Liu Meng originally intended to trigger a landslide after killing Liang Cheng, creating the illusion that Liang Cheng had died unexpectedly. However, he did not expect that the power of Liang Cheng's three punches would be so fierce that it triggered the landslide ahead of schedule.
"Retreat now!"
Xu Qi screamed and struggled to his feet to escape.
Large rocks fell from the cave ceiling, filling the air with dust. Liang Cheng moved through the darkness, listening intently to his surroundings. He activated his Iron Armor Realm to its fullest extent, managing to withstand several falling rocks before feeling a dull pain in his back.
"Boom!"
A loud bang was heard, and the mine tunnel was completely blocked.
As a result, the passage was completely dark, with only a few specks of mine firefly light, and loose rocks occasionally slipping down.
Liang Cheng held his breath and concentrated, his blood surging through his body. He held his long sword, cautiously on guard.
"Cough cough cough..."
Just then, a suppressed cough came from the left; it was Wu Gang.
Liang Cheng lightly touched the ground with his toes and silently swept past. Wu Gang was struggling to climb out of the pile of stones, his bronze hammer lying somewhere in his hand.
He heard the sound of wind cutting through the air, looked up in horror, and the next moment a blade pierced his throat.
"Well……"
Wu Gang clutched his neck and fell to the ground, blood gushing out.
Liang Cheng sheathed his sword and quickly rummaged through his pockets. There were some silver notes and loose silver coins, as well as a jade identity token.
He immediately placed the jade pendant against his own, and a faint light flickered. 1,500 contribution points were transferred, but Liang Cheng only transferred 1,200 points and did not touch anything else, continuing his search.
"Brother Wu?"
At that moment, Xu Qi called out in a low, wary voice from the right.
Liang Cheng didn't answer, but held his breath and moved closer.
However, Xu Qi was obviously extremely cautious and remained silent. In the darkness, only the sound of dripping water could be heard in the passage. Both of them were waiting for the other to make a mistake.
Ten breaths.
Twenty breaths.
Liang Cheng suddenly grabbed a piece of gravel and threw it at the opposite rock wall.
"Snapped!"
The sound of pebbles hitting the wall was crisp and clear.
Almost simultaneously, three bone-piercing nails shot through the air toward the source of the sound. Liang Cheng, hearing the sound, pinpointed the location, leaped up, and slashed straight at Xu Qi with his long sword!
"clang!"
The blade was held in place by a black finger glove, sparks flew, Xu Qi shouted and threw out poison powder with his left hand. Liang Cheng immediately held his breath and turned to the side, his right leg whipping out like a whip, hitting Xu Qi squarely in the waist and abdomen.
"puff!"
Xu Qi was sent flying backwards and crashed into the wall. Before his body even hit the ground, Liang Cheng's second slash was already in front of him.
This strike was as fast as lightning.
The blade slashed diagonally upwards. Xu Qi managed to twist his body, but the tip of the blade still grazed his ribs, cutting deep enough to see the bone. He let out a miserable groan and tried to retaliate, but Liang Cheng didn't give him the chance.
The third stab followed like a shadow, aimed straight at the heart.
"laugh."
As the blade pierced through, Xu Qi froze, the crimson bullet in his hand rolling to the ground. Liang Cheng pulled out his knife, blood spurting out, and the corpse collapsed to the ground.
He also quickly searched her.
Xu Qi had even more items: more than ten bottles of various poisons, three hundred-tael silver notes, and an iron plaque for guarding the Xu family compound.
Liang Cheng knew nothing about poisons, so he naturally dared not take any and returned everything to its original state.
In the end, only Liu Meng was left.
Liang Cheng looked into the darkness. Liu Meng had been silent ever since he escaped from the landslide. If he was not dead, he was hiding nearby, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
He moved slowly, each step extremely light. The depths of the mine were filled with damp moisture, and the "Broken Wave Technique" within Liang Cheng's body was operating on its own, subtly resonating with the rhythm of the flowing water.
He closed his eyes and focused his mind, feeling the unique rhythm. In the darkness, the sounds of the underground river flowing and dripping water intertwined, while thirty paces away, behind a crevice in the rocks, came extremely suppressed breathing sounds.
Liang Cheng approached quietly.
Twenty steps, ten steps, five steps!
A sharp shout suddenly erupted from behind the crevice: "Die!"
The mechanism snapped, and three crossbow bolts shot out in a triangular formation!
However, Liang Cheng was prepared. With a strange twist of his body, he passed through the gaps between the arrows like a fish, and thrust his long sword straight into the crevice of the rock!
"clang!"
The blade struck the hard object, and Liu Meng blocked it with his left arm guard. However, Liang Cheng's strike contained the full force of a raging bull, shattering the arm guard and penetrating three inches into the flesh.
Liu Meng screamed and instinctively stabbed back with his right short knife, but Liang Cheng grabbed his wrist with his left hand and twisted it forcefully.
"Snap!"
The wrist bone shattered, and the dagger fell to the ground.
"Liang Cheng! Spare my life!"
Liu Meng begged for mercy in a hoarse voice.
Liang Cheng didn't reply at all, and slammed his right knee into Liu Meng's chest and abdomen. Liu Meng coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground. Liang Cheng took a step closer.
"Wait... I have something to say..." Liu Meng struggled to speak.
The next moment, a punch landed on his heart.
Liu Meng's eyes widened, his chest caved in, and his throat gurgled, as if he hadn't expected Liang Cheng to kill him without even giving him a chance to speak.
Liang Cheng immediately began searching the body.
After finding Liu Mengyu's token, 1,300 contribution points were transferred to him, and all three were thus executed.
Liang Cheng sat down cross-legged, regulated his breathing for a moment to recover, and then got up and moved the three corpses together, not far apart.
Then, using his powerful energy, he moved and knocked down rocks to cover the corpses, creating the illusion that they had killed each other in a landslide.
That's why he transferred most of his contribution points, while leaving almost nothing else untouched.
Even if someone guesses something, without direct evidence, no one can say anything about it.
He got up and looked at the mine tunnel blocked by falling rocks, then walked back to his side room, pretending he knew nothing.
Deep underground mines are prone to collapses. By the time the site is cleared, he will have already returned to the Martial Arts Academy.
The jade pendant now contributes 2400 points – an unexpected windfall!
……
The next morning, Liang Cheng acted as if nothing had happened. After completing his task, he left the side room and went directly to the Foreign Affairs Hall to return the mine token.
The disciple on duty was still Zhao Ming.
Zhao Ming took the token and glanced at him: "Junior Brother Liang, how did this mission go?"
"We encountered a landslide and nearly perished in the cave." Liang Cheng said calmly, "However, the Rock Rat King has been defeated, and the cave's support structure is severely damaged. I suggest the Martial Academy send someone to inspect and repair it as soon as possible."
Zhao Ming's fingertips trembled almost imperceptibly: "In the past, there was a lot of illegal mining deep in the mine, and collapses were common. It is truly fortunate that you were able to return safely, Junior Brother."
"Yes," Liang Cheng looked at him, "thankfully."
Once he had 760 contribution points, Liang Cheng spent 300 contribution points to exchange for a bottle of Qi and Blood Pills, then turned and left.
2860 contribution points remaining.
Zhao Ming stared at his retreating figure until he disappeared outside the door, then slowly loosened his white fingers, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.
……
The Xu family mansion.
The butler reported in a low voice: "Master, Xu Qi's body has been found in the martial arts academy's mine, but his face is disfigured and unrecognizable, and his identity token has been secretly taken back by someone."
Xu Zhang paused in his teacup: "Understood. Tell the outside world that Xu Qi went on a mission half a month ago and hasn't returned yet."
"Yes," the butler said in an even lower voice, "but Liang Cheng has returned safely, handed in his mine mission, and is currently in seclusion to cultivate."
Xu Zhang remained silent for a long time before gently setting down his teacup.
"Master, would you like to..." the butler gestured.
"No need." Xu Zhang shook his head. "We can't provoke the Martial Academy any further. If we do, it will be going too far. When the Martial Academy holds its autumn competition, the elites will clash, and swords will be merciless, so casualties are inevitable."
The steward immediately understood: "This old servant understands."
……
In the quiet room, Liang Cheng sat cross-legged and, with the aid of the Qi and Blood Pill, made significant progress.
[Introduction to the First Level of the Broken Wave Technique (362/600)]
[Stone Armor Technique (Iron Armor) - Minor Mastery (416/1000)]
【Mastery of the Gale Blade Technique (90/2000)】
Liang Cheng slowly finished his practice, looked out the window, and now that he had enough contribution points, he could exchange them for pills and focus on his cultivation.
After all, the Xu family is still keeping an eye on him.
Safety first.