Fantasy: Immortality Begins with Absorbing Demons

Chapter 443 Mine Disaster (Part 3)

"Wait a minute." Han Yi bent down and picked up a piece of rag.

"Master Han, what's wrong?" Qu Qiao asked in a low voice from the side.

He couldn't tell the difference between these and the other remaining traces; judging by their style, they were nothing more than work clothes worn by miners.

"..." Han Yi remained silent, carefully examining the item in his hand.

It's not that there's anything unusual on the surface, but somewhere else...

Besides the stench of blood, the strip of cloth also had a faint floral scent.

The scent is so faint that most people wouldn't even notice it. Even if they did smell it, they would simply think it's a natural scent.

But Han Yi was different. His keen sense of smell, granted by his "pure white lotus body," allowed him to detect the special scent immediately.

In addition, his long-term experience of continuous exposure to poisons and absorption of toxins has made him extremely sensitive to all kinds of toxic substances.

Thanks to his extensive knowledge of poisons, he quickly discovered that the fragrance of the flower contained a substance that could bewitch the mind and cause hallucinations.

Moreover, he seemed to have smelled this scent somewhere before…

"Mr. Han, a body has been found over here!"

Before Han Yi could even recall where he had smelled this peculiar floral fragrance, the Xuanwu Hall disciples around him quickly made a significant discovery.

The gang members, searching for clues, found a miner's body that had been gnawed and was barely recognizable as human in another mine tunnel.

A group of people immediately surrounded them.

“This seems to be the foreman of the mine,” a man concluded, based on the remaining clothing and various small details on the man’s appearance.

“There’s no mistake, he was wearing a white jade thumb ring, and I greeted him today.” Someone chimed in.

Before Qu Qiao died, he carefully took out a waist tag from the corpse and other belongings and wiped off the bloodstains on it.

"He's the miners' supervisor." After confirming his identity, he handed the waist tag to Han Yi.

"Hmm, can you tell what kind of monster it is?" Han Yi glanced at it casually and continued to ask.

Qu Qiao pondered for a moment, then said, "Judging from its injuries, it resembles a carnivorous demon beast with sharp claws and fangs..."

"Ah...!?" Before he could finish speaking, the disciple standing on the perimeter screamed in pain.

Han Yi's mind raced, and he quickly turned around.

Only a dark shadow could be seen, flashing by in an instant.

The disciple who let out the scream also vanished into the darkness in an instant.

"Chase after them!" Han Yi shouted sharply, and in a flash, he gave chase.

Although he couldn't see clearly what kind of monster it was, the numerical values ​​floating around it were definitely within his capabilities.

They moved very quickly and arrived at the place where the disciple had disappeared in no time.

Inside the deep mine tunnel, a dark shadow was feasting, its shadow stretched long and twisted by the miners' lamps on either side, casting its image onto the wall. Accompanied by a series of crackling sounds, it resembled a terrifying ghost from the underworld.

It was a giant rat, about the size of a wolf. Its fur was like steel needles, gleaming with a cold light, and the skin beneath its thick fur had a faint metallic sheen.

As Han Yi and his group turned the corner, they saw the monster lying on the chest and abdomen of the poor, unlucky man, tearing and gnawing at him.

"Master Han, it's the ferocious beast 'Iron-Eating Rat'!" As soon as Qu Qiao saw the beast, he immediately recognized its species and showed a look of fear and apprehension. It was quite a contrast that a man with a face full of scars and a strong, tall build would show such an expression. This stark contrast left a deep impression on anyone who saw him.

The ferocious beast "Iron-Eating Rat" is also a common monster found near mining areas. It likes to gnaw on metal ores and is good at burrowing and digging holes. It is often found near metal veins.

This is also one of the species that Jingtianzhuang highlighted in his "Complete Encyclopedia of Common Monsters".

Most importantly, iron-eating rats are social and ferocious beasts. The fact that one was found here means that there must be other groups of them in other parts of the mining area. Qu Qiao immediately became nervous.

At this moment, the "Iron-Eating Beast" had already been startled by the footsteps and stopped eating. It bared its teeth and revealed a pair of scarlet beast eyes as it looked at Han Yi and his group, its eyes filled with chilling killing intent.

Those familiar with the habits of monsters know that it has already entered an attack stance.

Han Yi continued walking forward without stopping.

A dark shadow flashed by again, and the iron-eating rat suddenly pounced on Han Yi. It wasn't very intelligent, but it instinctively sensed that Han Yi posed the greatest threat.

Its fur stood on end, gleaming with a metallic sheen.

Han Yi's lips curled up slightly. Without hesitation, he kicked his right leg back, spun around, and threw a punch.

"Master Han, little..." Qu Qiao was taken aback and quickly issued a warning.

Bang! A loud crash rang out, but Han Yi stood rooted to the spot, unmoved.

The iron-eating rat trembled visibly. Sharp hairs fell out, muscles rippled like water, bones showed slight fractures at each joint, and its beastly eyes suddenly burst out.

The force first tore through the outer protective layer of the iron-eating rat, followed by a surge of immense power.

Finally, a deafening explosion rang out, and a cloud of blood mist appeared, leaving only a few fragments that clattered and fell from mid-air into the mine.

"What are you talking about?" Han Yi asked, his face expressionless, as he turned to look at Qu Qiao.

"Heart..." Qu Qiao had just uttered the last word when he had to pull it back. His throat bobbed, and he swallowed.

He could hardly believe what was happening before his eyes.

Iron-eating rats have developed extremely strong fur and muscle defense due to their constant consumption of metal; their only weakness is their eyes. They can also be effectively burned with flames. Generally speaking, even martial artists sent from sects as reinforcements must take specific measures to deal with them before daring to eliminate them one by one.

Where else can you find someone like Han Yi, who can blast someone apart with a single punch?

"Let's go, pack up and keep going. It seems the cause of this turmoil in the mining area is these iron-eating rats causing trouble." Han Yi didn't have time to pay attention to Qu Qiao and immediately issued a series of orders.

The Xuanwu Hall disciples he brought with them were not as shocked as Qu Qiao; they all began to take action.

These disciples, after all, lacked experience and did not understand the significance of defeating the ferocious iron-eating rat with a single punch.

Qu Qiao also seemed to wake up from a dream and began to add specific details to the arrangements.

Now that we know it's the iron-eating rat causing the trouble, we need to make targeted preparations based on its weaknesses.

Dozens of disciples were divided into several groups, with flames and swords ready, and they explored back to back.

As for Han Yi and Qu Qiao, they were to be used as support and flank. With these arrangements made, the pitiful screams of iron-eating rats before their deaths echoed continuously inside the mine.

Large numbers of iron-eating rats were killed, and their carcasses were dragged out.

Because iron-eating rats gnaw on metal year-round, their carcasses have an extremely high density, and many parts of their bodies can be recycled and reused, making them quite valuable.

Of course, some Xuanwu Hall disciples will inevitably suffer casualties during this process. After all, no matter how strong Han Yi is, he cannot be perfect in every aspect.

He could only offer additional compensation to the families of the victims afterward.

The disciples of Xuanwu Hall had no complaints. They usually did not engage in production and focused on practicing martial arts, just so they could step up in times like these.

When they chose to become disciples of Xuanwu Hall, they were already prepared to die.

Soon, the entire swarm of iron-eating rats in the mining area was wiped out. Although the matter was handled smoothly, a shadow still lingered in Han Yi's heart.

Logically speaking, although the Iron-Eating Rat is classified as a ferocious beast, it has always preferred to nest and reproduce in groups in metal mines, and its food is basically the ore in the mines.

They were not carnivorous monsters to begin with, and were also timid by nature and fond of darkness. Humans were even less likely to be on their menu.

Therefore, based on past experience, whenever a mineral vein is discovered and humans begin mining, these timid iron-eating rats will often leave on their own and seek out other mineral veins to build their nests.

In the past, when monsters attacked people, they were mostly carnivorous and ferocious monsters; no one had ever discovered the Iron-Eating Rat.

Moreover, Jingtian Manor has been mining this vein in Qiyun Mountain for over a decade. If there were iron-eating rats in the vein, the higher-ups within the sect who explored it back then shouldn't have missed it, unless…

Han Yi frowned, then suddenly thought of a possibility.

But it was just a guess, and he felt it was unlikely.

"Master Han, what's next..." Qu Qiao leaned closer to Han Yi and asked in a low voice.

He had just finished counting the wounded and the dead, and then reorganized the team.

"The injured should go out first, then we'll continue." Han Yi thought for a moment and waved his hand.

The most dangerous iron-eating rat beast has been dealt with, so we still need to go and take a look at the source of the outbreak.

"Okay." Qu Qiao nodded and quickly turned around to make the arrangements.

After everything was tidied up, Han Yi got up and led the way.

According to the miners outside, it seems that some miners dug through the nest of iron-eating rats, causing the mine to collapse and leading to this mining accident.

Therefore, once the collapsed mine shaft is found, many clues will inevitably be discovered.

After eliminating the Iron-Eating Rats, the morale of the entire team soared, and with the generous reward promised by Han Yi, their marching speed was much faster than at the beginning.

Before long, they found the suspected target by following the mine tunnel.

"Master Han, this should be the place." Qu Qiao pointed to a dark mine shaft in front of him.

The area where Han Yi was located was a small, man-made plaza. In front of it was a huge mine shaft, with deep and narrow mineral vein paths on both sides. A huge base hung from the top, containing long-lasting whale oil. The flames flickered constantly, turning large sections of the dark cave walls a pale yellow.

The surrounding stone walls are covered with smooth, rough surfaces, as if cement had been applied to the uneven rock crevices to prevent the mine from collapsing.

The gray pillars that faintly appear in the corners of the room also confirm this point.

However, the entrance to the huge mine shaft directly in front of them was completely blocked by heavy, massive rocks, and the top of the entrance was as if it had been smashed by some enormous force, and it had completely collapsed.

"Where is this place? What is it used for?" Han Yi asked, looking at Qu Qiao.