Chapter 1175: Trapped

"What conditions?" Zu'an was startled, feeling something was off. In all the stories he'd read in his past life, it was always the man holding leverage over the woman and threatening her to do his bidding. Why was it the other way around for him?

Seeing his nervous expression, Yun Jianyue suppressed a smile. "Of course, you'll become mine."

"No, he's mine!" Yan Xuehen, standing nearby, immediately protested. Zu'an was utterly bewildered. Yu Yanluo's red lips parted slightly, her face etched with shock.

Although she had indeed just experienced a pleasure akin to becoming an immortal, how did these two know? They were Grandmasters; were they really going to fight over someone so shamelessly? Thinking this, she felt it necessary to assert her claim.

At that moment, Yun Jianyue noticed their expressions. After a moment of slight surprise, she realized, "Brat, where did your mind go? I meant, become my disciple!" Yan Xuehen also understood. Their words had indeed been ambiguous, and her cheeks flushed as she shot a fierce glare at Zu'an.

Zu'an was also annoyed. 'Who told you two to be so unclear?' he thought. He cleared his throat. "Actually, I already have a master, and I need to hear her opinion."

He didn't mind taking on a new master, but with these two women vying for him, refusing either of them felt awkward. If he were to accept both, deciding who to pledge allegiance to first would be a problem. So, he used Mi Li as an excuse to put them off, intending to deal with them individually when the opportunity arose.

"Who is your master?" Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue both stared at him. Anyone who could teach such a formidable disciple must be extraordinary, and perhaps they even knew her.

"I promised her I wouldn't reveal her identity," Zu'an said, looking troubled. The two women understood; many eccentric recluses had such peculiarities. However, their curiosity about this master only intensified.

Zu'an changed the subject. "Let's deal with the spatial rift here first. It'll be troublesome if more creatures from other realms come through." "Alright," Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue agreed without objection.

However, just as Yu Yanluo took a step, her legs buckled, and she nearly fell. Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue noticed this, and their expressions became exceedingly strange. Their gazes at Zu'an seemed to scream "beast." Zu'an was also a bit embarrassed. He reached out to help Yu Yanluo, but she, too shy to accept, quickly pushed his hand away, her cheeks flushed. "I'm fine," she insisted.

The group then proceeded deeper into the mine. With Grandmasters Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue, whose spiritual senses were incredibly keen, finding the spatial rift was much easier. They soon arrived near the site of the previous battle with the Deathworm. Seeing the scattered corpses, Zu'an said, "Wait a moment."

He then ran over to the mother worm. Yun Jianyue nodded. "Indeed, this creature should have many treasures on it. Its scales are even tougher than dragon scales, and its teeth are excellent material for refining weapons. Even its poison glands are useful... though its body is very hard, so it might not be easy to disma...ntle?" Her eyes widened as she spoke the last words, realizing the mother worm's corpse had simply vanished!

"Huh?" Yan Xuehen was also incredibly surprised. "Is that your storage artifact?" "Something like that," Zu'an replied. He recalled how he had killed many Azure Wolf Kings before but ended up lacking their teeth, and he didn't want to make a similar mistake again.

"How is it so big?" Yan Xuehen was astonished. Yun Jianyue was also incredulous. Given their cultivation and status, their own storage artifacts were extraordinary, but none could possibly hold such a colossal mother worm. Yu Yanluo, standing beside them, blushed. She had been equally shocked just moments before.

"Perhaps I just have good luck..." Zu'an was about to explain when suddenly, a series of thunderous roars echoed from the distance. How could there be thunder underground? Yan Xuehen's expression indeed changed. "Oh no, the spatial rift!" The group was alarmed and quickly rushed towards the sound.

Soon, they came upon an open area where a dark, slanting rift hung in mid-air. It was narrow at both ends and wider in the middle, resembling a black eye suspended diagonally. The center of the rift looked very much like the wormholes seen in science fiction movies, except that at this moment, lightning flashed and thunder roared all around, indicating extreme spatial instability. Deeper within, terrifying phantom figures seemed to be attempting to break through the lightning's restraints and burst out of the rift.

"As expected, without the mother worm's suppression, other creatures are trying to emerge and claim a share," Yun Jianyue said with a grim expression. At this point, Zu'an had already summoned the Fiery Phoenix, and a flame blade dozens of meters long directly slashed towards the dark fissure.

However, as the originally massive flame blade approached the fissure, it seemed to shrink dramatically, instantly vanishing into the space within. "It's useless. This involves spatial folding; your attacks can't reach it," Yan Xuehen shook her head. "Then what do we do?" Zu'an's heart sank.

"If only Senior Brother were here," Yu Yanluo said. "His mastery of runes is profound; he should be able to neutralize this spatial power." Zu'an paused, then realized she was referring to Xie Daoyun's master, the Grand Libationer's eldest disciple.

"Yan Xiangu is indeed a peerless genius. I've heard his accomplishments in runes have surpassed his predecessors," Yun Jianyue said, naturally aware of these top figures in the world. "But there's no need to worry. Even though he's not here, *she* has a way." She then pointed to Yan Xuehen. "Yan Xuehen's mastery of runes is also on par with Yan Xiangu's."

"Yan Xiangu's attainments in runes are unmatched in the world, but for this spatial rift, I can certainly try." Yan Xuehen said as she walked forward. She raised her Flying Snow Sword and drew ancient, profound runes in the air. Initially, her speed was normal, but it gradually slowed down. Her body also visibly swayed.

"What's wrong?" Yun Jianyue asked, puzzled. "It's nothing," Yan Xuehen replied, taking a deep breath before continuing to draw. As the last stroke fell, waves seemed to ripple around the slanting rift, as if something had changed.

Yan Xuehen's face was pale, and she said weakly, "Quick, attack with all your might! You should be able to directly hit it now." Zu'an didn't hesitate, unleashing another flame blade tens of meters long and simultaneously summoning the Azure Luan Sword Array, launching them all towards the rift. Yun Jianyue also wasted no time, gathering all the strength she had accumulated recently and striking out with a palm. Even Yu Yanluo unleashed her attack with all her might.

Several beams of light struck the rift. This time, they weren't absorbed by the strange space as before but instead solidly impacted the rift's edge. With a thunderous boom, lightning raged within the rift, emitting waves of destructive energy. The terrifying phantom figures inside let out silent screams, ultimately disintegrating into dust. The entire rift closed like an eye and then vanished instantly without a trace.

Immediately after, the entire mine began to shake violently. Unlike previous tremors, this one was exceptionally severe. The ground shuddered so violently that they could barely stand, and countless rocks rained down without any sign of stopping. Yu Yanluo's face paled. "Oh no, the entire mine seems to be collapsing!" No sooner had she spoken than deafening rumbling sounds echoed from the distance. Yun Jianyue gave a wry smile. "It seems to be coming from the entrance. It's already collapsed. We're trapped."