Is it not considered a long chapter if it is less than five thousand words? Then I'll call it a medium-length chapter.

"Check your equipment!" Qing Mu's voice was low as he reminded the few people in the spaceship to prepare for action, as they were about to begin.

The screen of the spaceship already displayed a clear view of the topography of Qingcheng Mountain, with lush greenery, dense forests, and peaks standing like a fortress.

Wang Xuan put on his protective suit, feeling slightly heavy. It provided some defense against bullets and cold weapons, which could save his life in critical moments.

The alloy knife he carried was extremely sharp. If he had to engage in close combat, it would be an effective weapon. The dagger was also useful, especially in narrow areas where there was no room to maneuver. It could be a deadly fang against enemies.

"There's one piece of equipment that I don't know how to use." Wang Xuan was unfamiliar with one of the small vials of liquid.

Qing Mu told him that it contained artificial irises, and wearing it would prevent his identity from being revealed.

After Wang Xuan followed the instructions and looked at himself in a small mirror, his pupils turned light blue. With the addition of a lifelike synthetic skin mask, he looked like a Westerner.

"Qingcheng Mountain is related to Taoism and has a strong sense of mystery. I wonder if they have unearthed something extraordinary?" Qing Mu, who was participating in this operation as "Black Tiger," spoke up with great interest.

They all used code names and never mentioned their real names.

Yao Zi said, "We must stop them this time. We can't let them succeed in taking everything from the Old Planet. All the good things have been transported to the New Planet, becoming the private collections of those research institutions and conglomerates."

As they mentioned this, they all carried a sense of resentment.

Now, all the underground areas of famous mountains and rivers in the Old Planet have been swept clean by people. Even Qingcheng Mountain is no exception. They don't know how many times it has been dug up.

And now, there has been a new discovery, which is truly unexpected for them.

As a newcomer, Wang Xuan didn't understand and asked, "Will there be retaliation if we ambush them? Will it eventually lead to a large-scale conflict?"

Qing Mu shook his head and said, "No, even if the Old Planet falls, it is not something that a few conglomerates can control and stir up trouble. Moreover, the relationship between the Old Planet and the New Planet is still acceptable, after all, they share the same origin. You should have confidence in the organization. We have already ventured deep into the stars and are not afraid of them."

Black Tiger said, "First of all, the conglomerates are secretly stealing and digging, so they are already in the wrong. It's hard for them to say anything if they are ambushed. Afterward, things will gradually calm down, and everyone will pretend that nothing happened."

Of course, this doesn't mean there is no danger. On the contrary, the conflicts can be very intense, and casualties are normal.

Wang Xuan fell silent. This kind of exploration was not what he had originally intended. In the early days, he thought it was just exploring some secret places and venturing into dangerous unpopulated areas.

"We have set up high-energy weapons in the mountains. The second and third groups can deal with them." A voice came from the screen.

Qing Mu responded, "Make sure they are all taken care of. Don't wait for us to enter the underground palace and be trapped inside."

"No problem, the fourth group is ready at any time."

...

Wang Xuan felt a chill. This kind of exploration was already considered a small-scale battle, far more than just their group.

Qing Mu remained calm, as if he knew what Wang Xuan was thinking. He explained calmly, "This involves something that even the ancient Taoist masters would be excited about. If it is really related to the Immortals, its value will be immeasurable. That's why we must ensure that nothing goes wrong this time, with several groups working together."

"Old Mu, you need to stay focused and be ready to use the super electromagnetic pulse at any time to disable the robots in the underground palace and any corresponding weapons."

Old Mu would stay on the spaceship. Besides being responsible for assisting them in leaving, he would also be in charge of destroying any major weapons the enemy might have.

"Will they have countermeasures?" Wang Xuan, as a newcomer, humbly asked.

Qing Mu replied seriously, "Don't worry, we are professionals. Afterward, you can study our various steps and corresponding preparations at your own pace."

Qingcheng Mountain remained evergreen throughout the four seasons, with stone steps winding through the mountains and secluded paths. Some ancient Taoist temples were hidden on the cliffs and among the ancient trees.

There were too many legends about this place, and it was a famous Taoist paradise.

Unfortunately, over the past few decades, the underground areas here have been dug into a spiderweb-like maze. It was truly not easy to make a new discovery this time.

Qing Mu, Black Tiger, Yao Zi, Feng Zheng, and Little Wang entered the mountains, leaving Old Mu to guard the spaceship.

Little Wang was Wang Xuan, his code name in the team.

Qing Mu led the way, moving silently like an agile tiger or leopard in the mountains. The others were all skilled in the old techniques, and their strength was formidable as they followed behind him.

Soon, they arrived at their destination, the entrance to the excavated underground palace. It was located on a remote low mountain, on the edge of Qingcheng Mountain. No wonder they had missed it before.

Some robots were tirelessly digging, already deep into the mountain, carrying out large amounts of soil and rocks.

Although they were far away, they could already see the vague underground palace in the mountain.

Qing Mu made a gesture, indicating for them to remain calm and wait outside like sitting ducks. They would only block the exit and take action after the Zhou and Ling families opened the underground palace and obtained the treasure. There was no need to enter and take unnecessary risks at the moment.

Amidst the roaring sound of the machines, several stone doors were forcibly opened one after another.

"We've broken through. The underground palace is huge!" a voice came from inside.

"We found an altar. It's there, with a golden box on top!" Excited voices came from the underground palace, and a group of people cheered.The person guarding the entrance couldn't hold back anymore. Many people waited for the impurities to dissipate before rushing in, wanting to be the first to see the underground palace that might involve immortal relics.

Black Tiger, Kite, and Kite were all breathing heavily. They were practitioners of the old arts and attached great importance to the immortal relics.

Qing Mu was still calm, silent, waiting for the final moment to come.

Kite said, "These are all precious items from the old planet. They have been looted by them for decades or even centuries. We can't let them succeed this time."

"Almost there." Qing Mu contacted Old Mu through a secret line and said, "Old Mu, take action!"

Then, he ordered the second and third groups to take action together to deal with the high-energy weapons that the other party had set up in the mountains.

First, all the robots near the underground palace malfunctioned. Some fell directly, while others made crackling noises with sparks flying.

If these robots couldn't be dealt with in advance, it would be troublesome. They were invulnerable to knives and guns and carried energy weapons, which were considered powerful weapons.

Even if they fought with knives, they had strong killing power.

Boom!

A strong shockwave came from the mountains, and the high-energy weapons prepared by the Zhou family and Lingjia were resolved.

"Are they all dead?" Wang Xuan's face didn't look good. Those were many lives, something he had never experienced before.

Qing Mu calmly replied, "No, most of them are just stunned. The main goal is to clear their weapons."

Boom!

At the next moment, there was an explosion outside the underground palace, and the earth and stones collapsed, burying the entrance completely.

Faint roars could be heard from the underground palace, and everyone was trapped inside.

There was no movement around, and no one came to support the trapped people.

Qing Mu waited for a while before giving orders again, "Group Five and Group Six, follow me and wait for the opportunity to enter the underground palace."

"Do we suffocate them all?" Wang Xuan felt a chill. This kind of adventure was very different from what he had imagined.

Kite shook his head and said, "No, in general, we don't kill. When they pass out due to lack of oxygen, we will dig open the entrance and go in."

Qing Mu said, "I really hope to find a more powerful inheritance than the root method of the alchemist. Otherwise, we have no future. Even the masters of the old arts are very vulnerable to modern weapons."

He felt deeply helpless as a practitioner of the old arts in this era. They couldn't see any hope for the future.

"The sound is wrong. They are digging through the mountain wall in the opposite direction with energy weapons, trying to escape from another direction!" Qing Mu stood up suddenly and ordered Groups Five and Six to come over, as well as Groups Two, Three, and Four to come and hunt.

Black Tiger didn't think much of it and said, "How far can they dig out? This is a big mountain."

"Don't forget, Qingcheng Mountain has been dug dozens or hundreds of times. The underground is empty, with many spiderweb-like paths. Maybe they can dig a passage. It will be troublesome for us to chase them then."

Boom!

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

The entrance was blasted open, and the path was cleared.

At this time, the other groups also arrived.

Wang Xuan silently prepared himself, carrying an alloy knife and holding an energy gun. This weapon could adjust the energy output power and had two effects: lethal and stunning.

He was still unfamiliar with it, after all, he had only recently started using it. He chose the low-power stunning effect.

"They haven't broken through the mountain yet. Let's go, be careful, charge in!" Qing Mu shouted, sweeping his energy gun directly into the entrance.

Amidst the groans, the sound of falling bodies came from the mountain.

Suddenly, Qing Mu pounced forward, and at the same time, Wang Xuan felt his hair stand on end and fell to the ground.

With a "pu" sound, a transparent hole appeared in Kite's chest, and even the protective suit couldn't stop it. Blood splattered everywhere.

Kite fell directly to the ground, without even a groan.

This had a great impact on Wang Xuan. It was the first time he saw someone being killed, and it happened right in front of him.

Although he was mentally mature, he was still deeply shocked. That was a living person who had been walking side by side with him just a moment ago, but now they were lying in a pool of blood, dead.

He asked himself if he had been too reckless in choosing this path. It was completely different from what he had imagined.

He had parents, loved ones waiting for him at home. He couldn't die outside.

Wang Xuan calmed himself down and made sure to keep himself alive no matter what. The first priority of an adventure was to ensure one's own safety.

"We haven't made a move yet, but they couldn't hold back. There's nothing more to say." Qing Mu growled lowly, adjusting the energy gun's output power to the lethal level.

He swept through, revealing astonishing abilities. In the darkness, beams of light flew towards him, and he had a strong perception, moving around in the underground palace, avoiding multiple beams of energy in advance.

Wang Xuan was surprised. Qing Mu was indeed an extraordinary expert, a great master.

With a "chi" sound, the knife flashed, and Qing Mu rushed forward, directly using the alloy knife to display his terrifying skills, causing terrifying damage among the crowd.

"Charge!" Black Tiger, Kite, and several other groups also rushed forward.

Wang Xuan also took action, still using the stunning effect of the energy gun. In the process, he incapacitated several people.Although it was his first time handling such a weapon, he could still hit the target at close range.

Wang Xuan was very cautious, moving along the mountain wall multiple times, hiding behind the rocks of the underground palace, narrowly avoiding the energy beams several times.

However, the energy beams soon disappeared, and the two sides clashed in close combat.

"Qing Mu, I've encountered a super expert. This person has mastered advanced new techniques, I can't hold him off!" Black Tiger shouted, his body covered in blood.

A man's hand glowed as he struck at Black Tiger, a shower of light like a sunset raining down. During the collision, half of Black Tiger's body was bloody.

Roar!

Qing Mu roared and charged, colliding fiercely with the expert.

Boom!

At this moment, the mountain wall broke open. Someone shattered the rocks and fell into a tunnel. As Qing Mu had guessed, there were spiderweb-like underground passages nearby, all dug out previously.

The person fiercely dueling with Qing Mu, holding a golden box in his hand, turned and ran, jumping into the tunnel.

A group of people followed and fled.

"Chase!" Qing Mu was the first to pursue, with others closely following.

Kite shouted to Wang Xuan, "You're not very familiar with guns, and you almost hit our own people a few times just now. You stay here, don't chase."

Wang Xuan nodded. Although he felt his perception was sharp and he wouldn't hit his own people, since the other party had said so, whether they were taking care of him as a novice or truly didn't trust his shooting skills, he didn't argue and stayed behind.

The underground palace quieted down, with a pile of people lying on the ground. Some were dead, and many were unconscious from the energy gun, but not seriously injured.

Wang Xuan was very cautious, hiding behind a huge rock, carefully observing and sensing.

Sure enough, there were people pretending to be unconscious. Near Wang Xuan, someone's breathing was off. He was clearly awake and seemed very nervous.

Wang Xuan squinted his eyes in surprise, recognizing a familiar face - Zhou Yun!

He hadn't expected that Zhou Yun, a direct descendant of the Zhou family, would come in person.

He must be regretting it now, not expecting things to go wrong.

After all, in the past, when the major financial groups excavated various ruins, they almost always had an overwhelming advantage. Even if they were interfered with, it rarely resulted in such a disastrous defeat.

Wang Xuan silently said, "Sorry, Zhou Yun. I can't deal with your powerful father, Zhou Mingxuan. As Qing Cheng said, every time I see you... I'll give you a beating!"

Most importantly, he noticed something strange about Zhou Yun. He seemed to have temporarily changed into ordinary black clothes, not wearing high-level protective gear, clearly trying to slack off and escape.

Moreover, Wang Xuan noticed that there seemed to be something hidden in his chest.

Wang Xuan silently picked up a rock and threw it quietly. With a bang, Zhou Yun covered his head and screamed, jumping up with a bleeding head.

Wang Xuan didn't kill him. He was just a recent college graduate and didn't have a deep hatred for the other party. He couldn't bring himself to kill.

Like a gecko crawling on a wall, Wang Xuan stuck to the rock wall, swiftly moved past Zhou Yun, ripped open the clothes on his chest, snatched a jade box, and quickly retreated, hiding behind the huge rock again.

Sure enough, his decision not to use the energy gun to knock out Zhou Yun was correct. Because Zhou Yun jumped up in pain and struggled, the people who were pretending to be dead didn't dare to shoot randomly. It wasn't until Wang Xuan snatched the jade box and retreated, and Zhou Yun struggled to run away, that energy beams were fired.

"Catch him! The jade box hidden in the golden box was originally in my hands, but now he has taken it!" Zhou Yun roared angrily.

Boom!

Wang Xuan hid behind a huge rock. The altar near him was hit and unexpectedly shattered, then collapsed with a loud noise.

Several cries of surprise rang out.

There was a space under the altar. Near the stone wall on one side, there was a cushion with a man sitting on it. He was wearing a feathered robe and had long black hair. His face was rosy and shiny, looking only in his thirties.

"Wearing a feathered robe, he is... a top expert among the alchemists, his physical body is still... existing in the world!" The people still alive in the underground palace were shocked.

Most importantly, this top expert among the alchemists was holding a silver animal skin scroll, looking down as if it was still alive.

The people from the financial groups knew the inside story. They all knew that this man was actually dead.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several figures rushed down, using rocks and other cover to approach the legendary top alchemist.

A horrifying thing happened silently. The black-haired man turned into dust, his feathered robe scattered, and he seemed to have undergone a transformation on the spot, completely disappearing.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

All six of the black-clothed men who rushed over inexplicably shattered. Blood and feathers fell together, staining the ground red.

The feathered robe disintegrated, turned into dust after falling, and finally only a silver animal skin scroll fell to the ground, emitting a faint silver glow.

This shocking scene completely stunned Wang Xuan!

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Thanks to: Dumb Gourd Sauce, Heavenly Emperor Fist for their support.