In the early hours of the morning in the demon world, the moon seemed to have been bitten by someone, its edge tinged with a furry red. The wind, carrying grains of sand, hit the face with a sharp pain. Chu Xuan shrank his neck and pressed the brim of his cloak even lower, revealing only a pair of pale golden eyes - a sign that the primordial spirit had reached its peak.
"Hey, Chu Xiaoxuan, don't dawdle." Ahead, Su Meier's voice came, with the usual smile, "Slow down a little longer, the Magic Crystal Mine is going to be Mo."
"Even Mo is better than Yan." Chu Xuan grumbled and quickly followed.
Beneath their feet was a hidden mine tunnel leading deep into the Den of Ten Thousand Demons. The tunnel was narrow, with tiny magic crystals embedded in the rock walls on both sides, and dim purple light flickered like countless pairs of peeping eyes. The air was filled with a pungent smell of sulfur, a mixture of magic, and every breath felt like swallowing a scalding knife.
"This godforsaken place is not for people to stay in." Chu Xuan whispered teasing.
"I'm not human either." Su Mei 'er turned her head, the corners of her eyes flying. "It's a demon, the pretty kind."
Chu Xuan rolled his eyes and decided not to respond. It's not worth bickering with Su Mei 'er. If you win, you get no reward; if you lose, you get teased.
At the end of the mine tunnel is a natural cave. In the center of the cave is a huge mine pit, with its walls filled with top-quality magic crystals, glowing purple like a sleeping purple dragon. At the bottom of the mine, dozens of magicians were busy, hammering and digging sounds rising and falling.
"Is this the core of the Magic Crystal mine?" Chu Xuan asked in a low voice.
"Um." Su Mei 'er stopped teasing, her tone unusually solemn, "A third of the magic crystals of the demon world come from here. If it were to be swallowed up by that fellow Mo Chen, I would be heartbroken."
"Mo Chen isn't yours?" Chu Xuan raised his eyebrows.
"Before." Su Mei 'er shrugged her shoulders. "Now, you can see the heart, who knows?"
Chu Xuan narrowed his eyes and looked to the other side of the mine pit. There, a makeshift stone house stood, and at the entrance of the house stood a man in a black robe. The man was tall and had a stern face, like a drawn sword, with a sharp edge.
"Ink dust." " Su Meier whispered, "The Lord of the Dark Hall of the Demon Realm is also a key figure in this battle for the Demon crystal mine."
Chu Xuan nodded, his eyes scanning the mine pit, and suddenly frowned: "Something is wrong."
"Huh?" Su Mei 'er glanced sideways.
"There are too few mine guards." Chu Xuan said in a low voice, "and those digging cultivators' movements are too uniform, like trained armies."
Su Mei 'er narrowed her eyes slightly and then laughed: "The little eyes are quite sharp. Yes, those are not ordinary miners, but the dark hall elite of Mochen. It seems that he had anticipated the demonic flame's surprise attack long ago."
"And us?" Chu Xuan asked.
"Watch the play." Su Mei 'er laughed like a fox who had stolen a chicken, "and got a bargain by the way."
Before she could finish her words, a rapid sound of footsteps was heard outside the mine. Immediately after, dozens of black-robed cultivators rushed in, armed with magic weapons and looking stern, straight to the mine.
"Here we come." Su Mei 'er whispered, excitement flashing in her eyes.
Chu Xuan narrowed his eyes and looked at the black-robed demonic cultivators. On their chests, there was a crimson flame embroidered - the symbol of the demonic flame.
"The Flame Guard of the Flame." Su Meier explained softly, "Old adversary of Mo Chen."
At the bottom of the mine, Mo Chen's dark hall elite reacted very quickly, quickly assembled and confronted the Flame Demon Guard. The demonic energies of both sides collided, and the air emitted a low, blaring sound, like two giant beasts tearing apart in the darkness.
"Mo Dust, hand over the magic crystal mine, I'll keep your whole body!" The leader of the Flame Demon Guard sneered coldly, his voice as sharp as a knife, echoing in the cave.
Mo Chen, expressionless, spat out two words coldly: "Dreaming."
"Then die!" The leader shouted angrily, waved his hand, and the Fire Demon guards all fired up. The demonic energy turned into crimson fire waves, overwhelming and sweeping towards the elite of the Dark Hall.
The ink dust remained motionless, raising his hand and waving it gently. The Dark Hall's elite quickly dispersed, receded like a tide, revealing a huge array of magic at the bottom of the mine. The pattern of the magic array is intricate, and the dim light flickers like a large open net.
"Trap." " Chu Xuan whispered.
"Um." Su Mei 'er laughed even more happily. "That Mo Chen is really sinister."
The fire wave rushed over the magic array, suddenly pulled by an invisible force, turned and rolled back. The Fire Demon Guards were caught off guard and swallowed up by their own fire waves, with screams rising and falling.
"Counterattack array." Chu Xuan narrowed his eyes. "Mo Chen had already predicted that the demonic flame would come to sneak attack."
"So I say, just watch the show." Su Mei 'er shrugged her shoulders. "Mo Chen's dark hall is no pushover."
But before the words were finished, there was a sound of footsteps outside the mine. This time it was more frequent and heavier. Immediately after, hundreds of black-robed cultivators rushed in, armed with heavy weapons, with hideous faces, and charged straight into the mine.
"The elite of the demonic flame." Su Mei 'er narrowed her eyes slightly. "It seems he's really in a hurry."
At the bottom of the mine, Mo Chen's dark hall elite, facing several times the number of enemies, finally showed panic. Mo Chen himself frowned slightly, as if he had not expected the demonic flame to commit such a force.
"Are you going to act?" Chu Xuan asked in a low voice.
"Wait a little longer." Su Mei 'er shook her head. "Mo Chen has a trick up his sleeve."
Sure enough, just as the Flame Demon Guard was about to break through the counterattack array, countless dim lights suddenly appeared around the mine pit. Immediately after that, dark shadows emerged from the crevices of the rock wall, like ghosts, silently pounced on the Fire Demon Guard.
"Dark Hall Shadow Guard." Su Meier whispered, "the real card of Mo Chen."
Wherever the shadow passed, the Flame Demon Guards fell in pieces, their throats were severed, their hearts pierced, and their death was miserable. They didn't even have time to scream, as if swallowed by darkness.
"What a fast pace." Chu Xuan narrowed his eyes. "The strength of the shadow guard is at least Golden Core."
"Um." Su Mei 'er nodded. "The sharpenest knife in the dark hall, made for harvesting."
At the bottom of the mine, the situation reversed instantly. The Flame Demon Guards, though large in number, are retreating step by step under the assassination of the Shadow Guards. The leader, seeing this, roared and threw himself at Mo Chen.
The ink dust remained motionless, merely raising his hand and gently grasping it. Suddenly, countless black threads appeared around the leader, entwined like a spider web, binding him tightly.
"Dark silk binding." Su Meier whispered, "Mochen's signature technique, specifically trapping the souls of enemies."
The leader roared and struggled desperately, but the struggle became tighter and tighter. The black thread was deeply drawn into the flesh and blood oozed out, staining the thread red.
"Even the lackey of the flame dares to touch the crystal mine?" Mo Chen finally spoke, his voice as cold as ice, "Go back and tell him that in three days, I will take his life myself."
As he finished speaking, his fingers moved slightly and the black thread tightened sharply. The leader let out a scream, his body cut into countless pieces, blood sprayed and stained the bottom of the mine.
Seeing this, the Fire Demon guards' morale collapsed and they retreated one after another. Mo Chen's Dark Hall elite, taking advantage of the victory, pursued the enemy like a pack of wolves, tearing them to pieces.
Outside the mine pit, Chu Xuan and Su Meier looked at each other and saw the solemnness in each other's eyes.
"Mo Chen, stronger than rumored." Chu Xuan whispered.
"Um." Su Mei 'er nodded. "And he seems to have guessed the next step of the flame."
"Next?" Chu Xuan raised his eyebrows.
"Palace upheaval." Su Meier whispered, "In three days, the demonic flame will launch the palace coup and seize the position of Queen of the Demonic realm."
Chu Xuan squinted his eyes and looked at the stern figure at the bottom of the mine pit: "Then us?"
"Go back to sleep." Su Meier stretched, her purple veil slipped, revealing her snow-white wrists. "In three days, watch a grand show."
Chu Xuan rolled his eyes but couldn't help laughing: "All right, listen to Sister Mei 'er."
The two turned and left quietly. Behind him, at the bottom of the mine pit, Mo Chen suddenly raised his head and looked in the direction where the two had left, a strange light flashing in his eyes.
"Chu Xuan..." He whispered, so low that only he could hear, "Innate spirit, holder of the Dao contract, interesting."
Outside the mine pit, the wind grew stronger, like countless ghosts wailing. Amidst the wailing, there was a faint "click" - like countless tiny teeth sharpening knives in the darkness.
At midnight, in the north corridor of the magic palace, the wind, like a knife, could not blow out the walls full of magic fire lamps. Chu Xuan strode along the base of the wall, his shadow stretched long by the light, like a dragon sneaking away. At the corner ahead, Mo Chen suddenly stopped, raised his hand to make a "stop" gesture, his voice so low that it was almost inaudible: "The hidden whistle takes three breaths and turns, the left blind spot is two zhang, the right bell line is half a foot off the ground, don't kick it."
Chu Xuan nodded and cursed in his heart: No wonder he is the head of the dark hall. He knows his own lair better than the lair of thieves. He held his breath, tapped his toes lightly, and slid along the wall like a thin sheet of paper, not even the corner of his clothes stirred. Mo Chen glanced, a glimmer of admiration flashed in his eyes - it was much harder to get the Dark Hall Master to nod than to get Su Mei 'er to praise someone.
Two of them flashed into a stone window, behind which was an abandoned armory. Moonlight streamed in through the broken window lattice, shining on rows of rusty magic halberds as if gilding them with a strange layer of silver. Mo Chen closed the window with his hand, as lightly as a whisk, but heard a "click" and a hair-thin copper wire popped out from the inside of the window frame - the guard formation was activated, and a step by an outsider immediately alarmed the entire north corridor.
"All right, safe for the moment." Then Mochen spoke, his voice returned to normal but still cold, "The 'gift' of the flame is in the mine tunnel below, three hundred and seventy-four men, all the elite of the Flame Demon Guard, with three 'Crimson Flame Breaking Array Crossbows', aiming at the core of the Crystal mine. Once the fire is fired, the vein of the mine collapses, and a third of the resources of the demon world are buried.
Chu Xuan squinted his eyes and rubbed his sleeve with his fingertips: "Three hundred and seventy-four... One hundred more than expected. Who gave the intelligence?"
"Dark Hall 'Shadow Sparrow' has been lurking in the Fire Demon Guard for three years. When he sent back the secret message, he had three fire feathers stuck in his chest and was still breathing." Mo Chen spoke calmly, as if he were recounting someone else's life and death. "He traded his own life for this map of troop distribution." Saying this, he handed over a piece of animal skin as thin as a cicada's wing, on which the terrain of the mine was outlined in dark red ink, with red dots dense like clusters of burning coals.
Chu Xuan took it, his fingertips twitching - the edge of the skin was stained with undried blood, shadowy bird. He folded the picture, put it in his inner pocket, and lowered his voice: "Then don't let his blood go to waste."
Mo Chen nodded, his stern face finally had a touch of warmth: "Plan?"
"Simple." Chu Xuan grinned, showing his white teeth, "I'll dress up as you and draw away the main force; You take the Dark Hall in through the Shadow channel and pull off the broken array crossbow; Su Mei 'er is on the periphery to guard against the backstop of the demonic flame. Three quarters of an hour to finish the battle."
Mo Chen raised an eyebrow: "Are you pretending to be me? The Flame Demon Guard is not a fool and sees through it at a glance."
"So you have to borrow your 'signboard'." Chu Xuan raised his hand and flipped out a black token in the palm of his hand - the highest token of the dark hall, the private seal of Mo Chen. The back of the token was engraved with fine dark lines, like flowing shadows, and on the front was a scribbled "ink" character, with a sharp brushstroke. This is what Su Meier pestered from Mo Chen's waist last night, and it is now in use.
Mo Chen stared at the token with a subtle look: "Her Majesty is good at stealing."
Chu Xuan chuckled: "Special means in special times, Master Haihan."
Mo Chen snorted, but did not pursue it. He said, "After a stick of incense, the shadow channel converges. Don't die. If you die, the Queen will destroy my secret hall."
Chu Xuan laughed: "Don't worry, I have a hard life. Even the taotie can't gnaw on me."
...
After a stick of incense, deep in the mine tunnel.
Chu Xuan, clad in a dark black cloak of ink dust, with a dark silver mask on his face and the same "ink" token hanging around his waist, swaggered along the main mine passage. Behind him were twelve shadow guards of the Dark Hall, all dressed in black robes, with their breaths concealed like ghosts. On the opposite side, the patrol of the Fire Demon Guards came toward them. The leader was a one-eyed strong man, covered in red armor, with the flame emblem leaping on his chest.
"Dark Hall?" The one-eyed strong man stopped, his eyes wary. "What is the purpose of the dark dust Hall master's arrival in the dead of night?"
Chu Xuan imitated Mo Chen's cold tone and spoke briefly: "Check the vein of the ore, make way."
The one-eyed strong man frowned, seemingly reluctant, but out of respect for the reputation of the dark hall, he stepped aside. Chu Xuan stepped forward, passing by him, suddenly turned his head and lowered his voice very low: "Tell the demon Flame that in three days, the moon will be at the palace. See you there."
The one-eyed strong man's pupils suddenly constricted, and before he could react, Chu Xuan had already taken the shadow guard away, his figure disappearing at the corner of the mine tunnel. A moment later, the strong man came to his senses, his back soaked in cold sweat - Mo Chen knew! Palace coup plan leaked!
...
Meanwhile, Shadow Canal.
The shadow channel was a secret underground sewer dug by the Dark hall. It was narrow and damp, with moss on its walls, and could only accommodate one person to the side. Mo Chen, with the true elite of the Dark Hall, sneaked into the heart of the mine tunnel without a sound. Ahead, the flames grew brighter, and three "Crimson Flame Breaking Array Crossbows" stood out, their bodies crimson red, with runes flowing like three lurking flame beasts. At each side of the crossbows were ten guards of the Flame Demon, fully absorbed and oblivious to the arrival of Death.
Mo Chen raised his hand, and the shadow guards immediately dispersed, like drops of ink, instantly merging into the darkness. He himself clung to the rock wall, ghost-like as he approached the nearest broken crossbow. Three steps, two steps, one step --
"Who? !" One of the Flame Demon Guards finally noticed that as soon as he turned his head, his throat was wrapped in black silk threads. The thread was as thin as a hair, but as tough as fine steel. It cut through the flesh in an instant, and before blood could spurt out, the corpse was dragged into the darkness. The rest of the shadow guards acted at the same time. In the pitch-black mine tunnel, only a faint "hissing" sound could be heard, like the wind blowing through a spider web, and in an instant it fell silent.
In less than ten breaths, all the guards at the three broken crossbows were wiped out. Mo Chen stood beside the crossbow, flicked his finger, and a wisp of dark thread sank into the core of the crossbow, and the rune light dimmed instantly - the crossbow was ruined.
He looked up into the depths of the mine tunnel, his voice so low that only he could hear: "It's your turn, magic Flame."
...
At the other end of the tunnel, Chu Xuan stopped and listened intently. In the distance, there was a faint "click" - the signal that the dark Hall had succeeded. The corners of his mouth curled up, he turned, facing the twelve shadow guards who were following closely, and his voice returned to its original clarity: "The play is over, take off the mask."
The twelve shadow guards all took off their masks, revealing their young faces, with excitement in their eyes. Chu Xuan grinned, grinning with white teeth: "Next, it's our turn to harvest."
He raised his hand, and the flames of ice and fire in his palm suddenly flared up, and the flames illuminated the tunnels and the surging fighting spirit in his eyes: "Not a single one."
The dragon of ice and fire roared out and lunged into the depths of the mine, towards the unreacted Fire Demon Guards. Behind them, the twelve Shadow Guards followed closely, their black robes fluttering like twelve unsheathed swords, cutting into the enemy's heartland.
Flames, blood, screams and roars interwove into a symphony of death. Chu Xuan stands in the center of the music, the fire sword flutters, and with each strike, a Flame Demon Guard falls. His face was stained with blood, but he laughed heartily - this was his stage, the stage of the Dao associates.
Two quarters of an hour later, the tunnel fell silent. Chu Xuan drew his sword, and in the glow of the fire, his shadow was drawn long, like a young dragon that had already begun to leap. He lowered his head and looked down at the last Flame Demon guard beneath his feet - it was a young face, with terror remaining in his eyes.
"Tell the Flame," Chu Xuan whispered, but his voice was clear in his ears, "three days later, at the palace to enjoy the moon, I'll see him off myself."
The young Flame Demon Guard trembled and nodded vigorously. Chu Xuan turned and, with the shadow Guard, vanished into the darkness of the mine tunnel. Behind him, the flames gradually died out, leaving only a ground of blood and three broken array crossbows, quietly telling of the sharpness of the dark hall.
...
On the high ground outside the Magic Crystal mine before dawn.
Sumei 'er leans against a rock, her purple veil dancing in the wind, like a mandala blooming in the night. She looked in the direction of the mine tunnel, with anticipation in her eyes. In the distance, the flames flickered like the rhythm of a heartbeat.
A moment later, the fire died out and a familiar figure returned through the night. The young man's black robe was stained with blood, but he walked briskly, as if he had just finished a thrilling ball game. He looked up and grinned at Su Mei 'er, his white teeth shining:
"Sister Mei 'er, the gifts are packed up. Three days later, when you enjoy the moon at the palace, don't forget to bring wine."
Su Meier chuckled softly. With a flick of her fingertip, a wisp of magic fire landed on the young man's hair, as if she had placed a dark red flower on his head. "The wine is warm, just waiting for the end." "
In the distance, the moon finally broke free from the clouds and cast a cold silver glow on the two of them, as if gilding the unfinished chessboard.