Stone figures, with a rumbling sound from the end of the passage, were chasing them in this direction.
Everyone's faces turned pale as they saw this scene.
Were they really stone figures?
These stone humanoids not only had hands and feet, but they could also move, and their speed was not slow at all.
Anyone normal would find such a bizarre sight chilling!
Ye Cangtian, standing among the crowd, was also surprised. This ruin was truly magical, to have such things!
Of course, although Xuan Qi was here, due to the appearance of these stone figures, Huang Si had not had time to mention Ye Cangtian's matters.
"Lord Xuan Qi, what do we do now?"
"What do you mean what do we do? Hurry and retreat!" Xuan Qi gritted his teeth and said, taking the lead in retreating backward.
The vast majority of these people had never seen monsters like stone figures. Now that even a Xuan-level expert was fleeing, they naturally did not dare to linger and followed suit.
However, two Huang-level members reacted a beat too late. Just as they were about to flee, they were swarmed by the chasing stone figures.
After two shrill screams, the crowd looked back, only to see that the two people behind them had already been swallowed by the stone figures.
This made everyone even more terrified, and they hurried their escape!
Those who could become Huang-level members were top experts outside. Yet, after encountering the stone figures, they could not even resist and died instantly!
Xuan Qi also heard the screams. Even without looking back, he could guess the fate of those two.
These stone figures were extremely troublesome. Even if he were to be entangled by so many, he would find it difficult to escape, let alone these Huang-level members.
"Everyone, follow me closely and evacuate the passage," Xuan Qi said to everyone, without stopping.
A group of people followed closely. Even though they were terrified, they put their lives on the line.
In the crowd, Ye Cangtian was considering whether to stop Xuan Qi and the dozen or so Huang-level members here.
Sometimes, with the presence of the crowd, if he could hold them back, a complete annihilation was not impossible.
However, this would also put him in danger of being surrounded by the stone figures.
It was a loss that outweighed the gain!
But if these people were to escape to the surface, Xuan Qi would naturally discover his identity, which would also put him in great danger.
Just as Ye Cangtian was contemplating whether to make a move, something unusual appeared in front of the passage!
When they came, there were some humanoid giant rocks on both sides of the passage, but at that time, these giant rocks were stationary.
But now, the crowd clearly felt the sound of cracking coming from the giant rocks on both sides.
Soon, these humanoid giant rocks moved!
Debris fell off one after another, and the stone figures on both sides of the passage awoke!
Just like the stone figures chasing from behind, these humanoid giant rocks seemed to come alive, actively attacking the passing crowd.
Xuan Qi, holding a long saber, slashed at a stone figure that attacked him.
"Bang!"
A dull sound echoed. Except for some gravel falling off the broken parts of the stone figure, it was not affected in the slightest.
Xuan Qi kicked the stone figure away before saying to the crowd, "Normal attacks are useless against them. Don't linger, evacuate quickly!"
The Huang-level members behind also discovered that these stone figures were invulnerable. Even though their attacks sent gravel flying, they were still unaffected.
Instead, another Huang-level member was caught by a stone figure. These stone figures seemed to possess immense strength, tearing the person apart.
The crowd watched in terror. After hearing Xuan Qi's warning, they could no longer care about anything else and fled in panic.
This caused even more chaos!
A group of people scrambled and darted through the various forks in the passage.
However, the entire passage was like a labyrinth with many diverging paths. Unless they followed the marks they made on the way, escaping randomly would make it even more difficult to return safely.
Xuan Qi frowned as he saw this scene, but he did not issue a warning. Instead, he took advantage of the chaos to quietly escape down one of the passages.
This scene was naturally noticed by Ye Cangtian, who immediately followed.
The vast army of stone figures arrived from behind. The remaining Huang-level members, who were scattered and fleeing, were forced to disperse.
But some were very unlucky. They wandered through the labyrinthine passages and ended up back where they started, only to be attacked by the stone figures.
Screams occasionally echoed in the passage!
...
Xuan Qi fled, following the marks, and the sounds behind him grew fainter.
It was clear that with the Huang-level members holding them back, the army of stone figures was not chasing as quickly, which made him heave a sigh of relief.
The exit was still a long way off. Exhausted, Xuan Qi had to stop to rest for a moment!
He naturally saw a Huang-level member following behind him and didn't pay much attention.
However, it was a shame that only a few people from the exploration team of twenty Huang-level members would be able to escape this time!
Panting, Xuan Qi looked at Ye Cangtian who was following him: "Do you have any water?"
"Yes!"
Ye Cangtian took off his water pouch and handed it over, then asked, "Sir, what's going on with these stone figures? Why are there so many of them, and why are they attacking people?"
He had heard Huang Si say before that these stone figures were not normally active and would not attack people unless provoked!
But now, they had encountered so many stone figures shortly after entering the ruin!
Xuan Qi drank the water from the pouch in one gulp, then wiped his mouth and shook his head: "I'm not sure, but it's very likely that these stone figures are gradually reviving because the ruin is about to open!"
He had been exploring the outer areas of the ruin for a day or two without any incident until recently when the stone figures suddenly went on a rampage.
Fortunately, he was strong and fast, otherwise, he would have died inside long ago!
"We can't worry about the others. The priority now is to return to the surface and report the situation to our superiors."
Xuan Qi said as he prepared to get up and continue his escape.
However, he looked at Ye Cangtian with some suspicion: "Huh, are you one of my men?"
His mask still had a sensing function, after all, there was a connection between his silver mask and the bronze masks of his subordinates.
When they were close, the silver mask became even stronger.
But Xuan Qi clearly remembered that his subordinates were almost all gone. Was this person in front of him his subordinate?
Ye Cangtian was stunned for a moment, but he didn't care. He smiled and said, "Sir, I am indeed your subordinate. My name is Huang Jiu!"
"Huang Jiu?" Xuan Qi frowned.
If he remembered correctly, Huang Jiu seemed to be the last Huang-level member he had taken in, the Overlord Tiger, who was responsible for expanding the influence of the underground forces in Yangzhou.
"You're Overlord Tiger? You're not dead?"
Xuan Qi was suspicious, but he quickly reacted and immediately stood up and shouted, "You're not Overlord Tiger, who are you?"
Overlord Tiger was dead!
Although he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he had inquired. Back at Jinxiu Villa, many people had seen Overlord Tiger killed by Liu Zhendong.
Xuan Qi stared intently at the other person, a sharp glint in his eyes: "You, you are Ye Cangtian?"