Chapter 1137: Black Mist

"What's that sound?" Yu Yanluo's face was pale, and she instinctively moved closer to Zu An, as if seeking a greater sense of security.

Zu An shook his head. He had never heard such a sound before; it felt as though it made one's soul tremble.

He wasn't even sure if it was the roar of some fierce beast or a resonance effect caused by wind blowing through the massive pit.

"This is your Yu family's pit. Why are you asking me?"

Yu Yanluo looked a little embarrassed. After thinking for a moment, she replied, "I haven't spent much time here, but as far as I know, there's never been a phenomenon like this before."

"Be careful then," Zu An said, his expression suddenly turning strange. "Wait, something's not right. I have combat power comparable to a Grandmaster now, and you're the famous beast Medusa. If there's truly a monster, it should be afraid of us, shouldn't it?"

"You're right," Yu Yanluo subconsciously nodded, but then, embarrassed and annoyed, she pinched him. "You're the beast. That sounds terrible."

Zu An laughed, wrapped his arm around her slender waist, and continued leaping down into the pit.

He had to admit, her waist was so slender it felt as if it could be encircled by one hand, probably the thinnest among all the women he knew.

Qiao Xueying's was similar, but that was because she was an elf, whose physique was naturally more delicate than that of ordinary humans.

"Hmm, something's not right," Yu Yanluo's voice came from beside him.

Zu An immediately became alert. "What is it?"

Yu Yanluo stared down the pit shaft and said, "Normally, at this time, the miners would still be working, but now I can't sense anyone's presence. It's really strange."

Zu An exclaimed in surprise, "You make workers work this late? What heartless capitalists!"

Yu Yanluo replied exasperatedly, "Below this mine, there's no sun or moon, so day and night make no difference to them. Of course, they don't work continuously day and night; they work in rotating shifts."

Zu An then realized he had misunderstood. "You're right, that is a problem. Has something happened down below?"

"Besides the miners, I'm also worried about Xingnu and the others," Yu Yanluo said, concern in her voice. "I had them escape through here earlier, but if there's truly something wrong down below, they could be in danger."

"Let's go down and see," Zu An said. As he spoke, the two finally reached the bottom.

The air at the bottom was murky, but for cultivators, it wasn't a significant issue.

It was pitch black all around. By the faint glow of the luminous pearl, they could see numerous simple wooden shacks, as well as many tools and mining carts scattered everywhere.

"This is the main supply station for the mine," Yu Yanluo explained. "Supplies from the surface are distributed to the various sub-stations below, and the excavated ore is sorted, packaged, and transported up from here... Normally, there would be many guards here. It seems something really has happened." She looked around but saw no trace of anyone.

"There's a bulletin board here," Zu An said, pointing to a plaque nearby.

Yu Yanluo walked over and read aloud, "Recent frequent tremors and numerous unexpected incidents have occurred. For safety, all personnel are to evacuate to the surface and return only after the family sends investigators to determine the cause..."

Upon reading this, she couldn't help but be startled. "Why haven't I heard anything about this?"

Zu An examined the surrounding traces. "Judging by these signs, they must have evacuated within the last two days. You've been imprisoned by Xu Yu these past few days, and several Yu family elders were also captured. With no one in charge, it's natural you wouldn't know what's happening here."

"Something major must have happened," Yu Yanluo said, her face filled with worry. "You have to understand, this mine hasn't stopped operating for years, and without family approval, these people halted work on their own initiative. It must mean the people on-site realized they couldn't continue, otherwise no one would dare give such an order."

"Tools are scattered everywhere, indicating they evacuated in a hurry. They must have encountered an emergency," Zu An said, squatting to examine the strewn tools, overturned mining carts, and even many elemental stones that hadn't been collected, lying like refuse on the ground.

He stood up again. "Should we go up and ask the personnel stationed outside? It seemed there were still some people staying behind when we passed by."

Yu Yanluo thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Going up would be too much trouble, and I don't want to involve them. For now, it seems they likely encountered something like an earthquake or a cave-in. Let's first investigate the whereabouts of Xingnu and the others and find them as quickly as possible."

"Alright," Zu An agreed. The earlier ground-shaking tremors and the strange sound were indeed quite frightening. It was understandable that ordinary miners would be scared, but as powerful individuals of their time, they naturally had fewer concerns.

"A'Zu, stay close to me," Yu Yanluo warned. "This mine has many branching tunnels and no daylight, so it's easy to get lost."

"Oh, it's that dangerous? Then I'd better stick close," Zu An said with a worried expression, immediately moving closer and naturally taking her hand.

Yu Yanluo: "..."

Her heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks flushed faintly in the darkness. However, she didn't pull away. Instead, she explained, "Yes, holding hands is good; it makes it harder to get separated."

Initially, the tunnels were quite wide, but the further they went, the narrower the paths became. Many sections were only tall enough for one person, though they were still wide enough for transporting ore.

Holding her soft, delicate hand, Zu An felt an exceptional sense of calm. The dark, deep surroundings even seemed to become vibrant and colorful.

Yu Yanluo, being a mature woman, smiled in relief after her initial fluster. Her slender fingers actively intertwined with his, and her body unconsciously leaned closer to him. Thus, the two continued deeper into the mine.

The gloomy, silent mine seemed to become warm and enchanting, making them wish the path wouldn't end so soon.

Unfortunately, happy times passed exceptionally quickly. Yu Yanluo suddenly stopped. "Hmm?"

Zu An naturally knew why she was surprised: a strange black mist had appeared in the tunnel ahead.

Although it was pitch black all around, their cultivation was profound enough that, with the light from the luminous pearl, they could see clearly.

"This black mist is strange," Zu An said, looking at the beautiful woman beside him.

Yu Yanluo knew what he wanted to ask and replied directly, "This didn't exist in the mine before."

Zu An tried to perceive it with his divine sense but found that his divine sense could not penetrate the black mist.

This was truly unprecedented. Ever since his divine soul had formed, every blade of grass and tree within dozens of meters had been under his control, yet now he couldn't even probe a few meters ahead.

Unwilling to give up, he activated the Jade Cong, attempting to summon small animals from the surroundings. In a mine like this, there should be no shortage of rats or other creatures.

However, his expression quickly darkened, as he couldn't sense a single living creature!

"It seems the miners' evacuation is related to this black mist," Yu Yanluo said, walking towards the mist, intending to inspect it herself.

Zu An quickly stopped her. "Let me go!"

Yu Yanluo smiled charmingly. "Do you really think I'm a helpless woman? I have Medusa's bloodline, my body is considerably stronger than that of ordinary humans, and I also have some resistance to poison. I'm definitely more suitable than you."

Zu An still held her tightly. "In terms of physical strength, even a dragon might not compare to me. As for poison resistance, if you were truly that formidable, you wouldn't have been poisoned by Xu Yu's tea back then."

Yu Yanluo looked embarrassed. "That was specifically concocted to target me; it wasn't a poison in the usual sense."

Zu An smiled. "Still, let me do it. My body is now immune to all poisons; I'm much stronger than you."

"Immune to all poisons?" Yu Yanluo was greatly surprised. What kind of special physique was that?

"Don't believe me? Why don't you try biting me?" Zu An said, extending his hand to her mouth.

Yu Yanluo laughed and playfully swatted his hand away. "I'm not a poisonous snake."

After they playfully bickered for a moment, Zu An lightly brushed his finger across her cheek, his tone unequivocal. "I don't want your perfect skin to be harmed by poison. Wait for me here."

As he spoke, he strode into the black mist.

Watching his figure vanish into the black mist, Yu Yanluo's heart leaped to her throat. "Are you alright?"

Unfortunately, there was no reply.