Fan Tian would never admit defeat so easily.
He charged through the earth, carrying Li Tianjue and Su Luo, struggling relentlessly.
Like a spinning sphere, Li Tianjue held Su Luo tightly, preventing her from being flung around. With one hand pressed against the light shield, he continuously unleashed flames.
He rarely used his innate abilities, and no one knew he was both a lightning and fire elemental.
However, the effect this time was remarkably significant.
Su Luo suddenly cried out, "There, his Sand Vein Heart!"
Under the gaze of her Divine Eye Mirror, Su Luo's spiritual sense had been constantly scanning the surroundings. She finally discovered Fan Tian's weakness.
"Senior Brother, lightning strike!"
Su Luo immediately transmitted the located position to Li Tianjue. The next moment, a lightning bolt shot from Li Tianjue's palm, zipping with lightning speed to a specific spot. The surrounding sand and stones turned scorched and melted.
Fan Tian's pained screams echoed, but the lightning strike did not cease.
Even though he tried to conceal his Sand Vein Heart, he could not stop the successive lightning strikes from hitting his heart.
High temperature, scorching, crystallization.
His body gradually stiffened, and his movements slowed.
Once fully crystallized, his Sand Vein Heart would completely transform, and his sand manipulation powers would disappear!
"Stop, stop it Li Tianjue! This young master will kill you... What, my Sand Vein Heart, you actually... Give it back! Again!" Fan Tian's enraged roar suddenly shifted, filled with shock and fear. He hadn't expected his deeply hidden Sand Vein Heart to be stolen.
Su Luo looked at the crystal, the size of a walnut, in her hand, gripping it tightly.
This was Fan Tian's Sand Vein Heart, containing immense energy, which she had just stolen.
When Fan Tian was distracted and agitated by Li Tianjue's fire and lightning attacks, Su Luo had used her Divine Eye Mirror to continuously lock onto the Sand Vein Heart's location. The moment it crystallized to the point of immobility, she swiftly struck and snatched it.
"Got it, Senior Brother!"
Su Luo looked at the pitch-black underground space, her voice turning cold and sharp, "Fan Tian, take us out immediately, or we'll destroy your Sand Vein Heart!"
The oxygen in the light sphere was dwindling, making it stifling, but she believed Fan Tian would find it even more unbearable.
Fan Tian roared in fury, desperately wanting to kill them, and continuously zipped and weaved through the underground, encasing the light sphere. "You damned woman, it was you! Give me back my Sand Vein Heart, or else..."
"Still blustering at death's door, like a mad dog."
Even protected by Li Tianjue, Su Luo felt dizzy and disoriented, as if she were on a rollercoaster. She stopped wasting words with Fan Tian and put the Sand Vein Heart into her storage ring.
In an instant, Fan Tian felt a terrifying sensation of losing his life.
He could no longer sense his most precious possession, as if it simply didn't exist.
His sandification became increasingly sluggish, his power weakened, and a sense of crisis surged. If he didn't leave the underground soon, he would revert to his human form and be buried underground himself.
"Ah—"
Fan Tian roared in unwilling rage but had no choice but to emerge with Su Luo and Li Tianjue.
Brightness suddenly returned to their eyes.
Su Luo and Li Tianjue saw the sky and the earth again. Although their time underground wasn't long, it felt like months. Looking at the distant gray-black cliffs, the muddy swamps everywhere, and the冥火 (Minghuo - Underworld Fire) floating in the air, she breathed a sigh of relief.
They were finally out.
Fan Tian could no longer shout; he lay miserably in the mud and weeds, gasping for breath.
His hands, legs, and body were covered in crystallized patches, like brands, looking terrifying and ghastly. These were the scars left by Li Tianjue's burning; even if he recovered his Sand Vein Heart, it would take a long time to heal.
Li Tianjue held Su Luo, floating above the ground.
"Give it back... or else, this young master will slaughter everyone in Qingxu Tian... not a single one will be spared!" Fan Tian struggled to lift his head, his face filled with hatred, glaring at Su Luo through gritted teeth.
"Just you?"
Su Luo crossed her arms and looked at Fan Tian mockingly, "Fan Tian, keep howling, I'm listening."
The young master of the Demonic Sect was now as pathetic as a stray dog, yet his eyes remained arrogant and insane.
He was only in his early twenties, covered in mud. His face was handsome and well-defined, making him a beautiful man. However, his eyes were cold and manic. It was unclear if some unspeakable tragic experience in his childhood had made him so paranoid and unreasonable.
A moment later, people who had received the news arrived.
Chu Tianshu and Lu Jixing were almost driven mad with worry.
The moment Li Tianjue and Su Luo sank into the ground, the two of them felt an urge to die with them. Regret, anxiety, feeling useless, unable to help… a surge of complex emotions made their eyes red.
But fortunately, Senior Brother and Junior Sister were finally safe, and their anxious hearts calmed.
Qin Yuanshu and several other outer disciples were immensely shocked.
What if the young master of the Demonic Sect, Fan Tian, could control giant rocks? What if he could control sand and mud, he was still captured! This was the number one person in their Qingxu Tian, the Senior Brother they admired.
Wen Ruchu and Sun Jian were even more in awe, looking up to them with reverence. They were indeed from Qingxu Tian and were truly powerful. Following them for tens of millions was definitely worth it, otherwise, how could they witness such a spectacular scene?
"Senior Brother and Junior Sister finally captured this young master of the Demonic Sect."
Chu Tianshu breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at Fan Tian lying on the muddy ground, he took a step forward to get a closer look, but unexpectedly, Fan Tian suddenly raised his hand, and several sharp stone shards shot out from the ground, narrowly missing his leg.
Su Luo immediately tightened her grip on the Sand Vein Heart. As Fan Tian was about to attack, his heart throbbed with pain, and he fell back into the mud, clutching his chest in agony.
"Still so arrogant even as a captive..." Chu Tianshu grumbled irritably.
"Be careful, don't get close to him," Li Tianjue said.
Everyone distanced themselves from Fan Tian, not daring to approach him further.
As expected, everyone from the Demonic Sect was incredibly dangerous. Even as defeated foes, they still had various tricks up their sleeves. They resorted to poison or sneak attacks, making them impossible to guard against.
"Fan Tian, I advise you to confess honestly. What schemes does your Demonic Sect have? I don't believe you came to the Ancient Mine Zone just to kill us," Su Luo said coldly. "Were the poisonous flower vines and insects before your doing? What other plans do you have?"
Fan Tian's defiant eyes flashed with flames of hatred, "Woman, one day, this young master will capture you, skin you alive, dismember you, and feed you to the dogs... Ah—!"
Before he could finish speaking, he collapsed on the ground in pain, his face contorted.
Su Luo gripped his Sand Vein Heart tightly and said sternly, "Still talking nonsense? Don't think you're great just because you have a natural Sand Vein. Although I can't kill you, I can make your life worse than death!"
She squeezed hard, and Fan Tian let out a scream. His entire face plunged into the muddy water, causing him immense pain.
He wailed loudly, rolling and struggling on the ground like a mad toad. The pain that originated from his bones still lingered, like a shadow, tormenting him to the point where he couldn't live or die...
"No... stop! Stop..."
Fan Tian cried weakly, covered in mud as if he were a mud figurine. His arrogance finally diminished considerably.
He never imagined he would have such a miserable day.
Compared to the humiliation of falling into a latrine last time, the pain of being in a life-threatening situation and being powerless this time was an even greater shame.
Su Luo finally stopped, "Are you convinced? Have you surrendered?"
After a long silence, Fan Tian lowered his head unwillingly under everyone's gaze.
An inaudible voice, laced with hatred, escaped his throat, wary and resentful, "I... I surrender, what do you want..."