Have you ever seen soil and gravel cascading like a waterfall? At this moment, Brand has the rare fortune of experiencing it firsthand. There is no place to put even a cone around him, seemingly about to be buried deep in the mountain’s belly, with no retreat possible—as if he has reached the brink of despair. The monster has completely vanished beneath the Stone Coffin; he curses, raising the Earth Sword high and swinging it upwards—

A crescent-shaped Sword Qi cleaves the soil and stones, rushing towards the central stone platform. Though this Sword Qi can’t match the breathtaking prowess of the White Crow Swordsmanship with its dozens of meters of sharp sword, it reaches within ten feet instantly.

"Rise!" Brand roars, as the magic power of the Earth Sword trembles from the lowest layer of dimension.

A loud noise, like a sharp sword tearing the ground, emerges from a line where originally loose soil and stones, revealing a row of staggered rock teeth rising upwards. These stone pillars brace the ceiling and block the soil and stones sliding from both sides to the center, clearing a safe pathway for Brand.

The Earth Sword, hailed as the Rock Scepter by Harangeya, is a legend saying that those who hold this scepter can command the earth. Though not as exaggerated in reality, it is undoubtedly its element underground.

The tomb chamber on the brink of collapse temporarily stabilizes, but only momentarily, as fine cracks already permeate the stone pillars. Brand glances back at the shimmering Crystal Barrier, hesitating— the Chaos Crystal Barrier, a law magic that can’t be pierced within seconds; he immediately turns and rushes towards the central stone platform.

Climbing onto the Stone Coffin, the bottom of this massive trapezoidal container has indeed opened, revealing a mysterious passage plunging into the underground before Brand’s eyes. With no light, the passage is shrouded in darkness, with steps seemingly leading to the legendary Burning Abyss beneath Jogen Digan. Instantly, the sound of dense fractures appears behind him, the stone pillars are collapsing. Not daring to think further, Brand grits his teeth, leaps forward, and rolls into the Stone Coffin.

The outside tomb chamber completely collapses at this moment, with the ceiling falling like a funnel and intimately contacting the ground, engulfing sand and rocks in a massive wind pressure, making Brand unable to keep his eyes open. Following this is a deafening roar, with the earth shaking and mountains quaking, then the entire world falls into complete silence. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

The firelight is completely extinguished, with the torches in the tomb chamber outside smothered by sand and soil, leaving Brand in a state of pitch darkness. He vigilantly sweeps the Earth Sword forward to guard against the monster’s stealth attack, but finds nothingness around him. The monster seems to know it’s not his match and has fled far away.

Brand couldn’t help but spit.

"That’s why I hate fighting intelligent monsters." Enter the Golden Domain, a warrior’s perceptive ability is ten times greater than the average person; even without any light, he accurately finds a piece of fluorite in his pocket. Raising this small stone, a faint light reveals a cramped space—

It’s the underground of the underground.

The Stone Coffin above has been completely sealed off, with a large amount of soil and stones even pouring into the tight passage. He first pokes upwards with the sword, but the stones stack tightly, with seemingly no chance to dig out. Brand curses lowly: "Damn it, Char, are you there?"

The other side of the mind connection is not distant but silent for a moment. Then, the voice of the young Mage Attendant arises: "Pah, pah... this damned place... I’m here, Lord, are you alright? Where are you?" Accompanied by a multitude of questions.

Brand looks around at this cramped space, the artificially carved tunnel is both narrow and rough, like a careless craftsman’s perfunctory creation. "I don’t know either, should still be below that tomb chamber. How’s the situation outside?"

"Not bad, just part of the tomb passage collapsed and blocked the way, Miss Qian is trying with others to dig a way through."

"And the others?"

"All good, no one is injured. Miss Roman is fine as well; she’s even roasting mushrooms."

"Roasting mushrooms?" Brand is startled.

"Ahem... she found some graveyard moss."

"She can eat that stuff?" Brand is a little perplexed now but also relieved. The little woman is indeed full of spirit, apparently not in trouble. "Let her be..." For the girl self-proclaimed as a big merchant, Brand sighs and decides to indulge her.

Char didn’t mention Miss Roman is actually preparing to roast mushrooms for you, Lord, instead asks: "By the way, the spoils of war in the Stone Coffin are still with me, quite a lot. Lord, how about you find a way to summon me over, maybe I can help with something."