Leaf Gray felt a tremendous force pull him forward by the shoulder, making him stumble along. The intense pain in his chest made it hard to breathe, but he forced himself to ask, "Manager Miller, where are we going?"

"Less talk!" Manager Miller snapped viciously, glancing at the mining basket on Leaf Gray's back. "Ditch it."

Leaf Gray didn't dare disobey. He quickly untied the basket and dropped it on the ground, but instinctively kept a tight grip on his mining pick.

Manager Miller glanced at it but said nothing more, only urging, "Move it!"

The further they went into the mine shaft, the more distant the light behind them became. The passages here were intricate and complex, winding like a labyrinth, with only torches inserted every few dozen zhang providing faint illumination.

Most shafts were perpetually shrouded in darkness, and no one knew where those deep, dark tunnels led. The miner slaves called these kinds of passages "dark paths," while those illuminated by torches were called "lit paths."

When mining here, if one didn't follow the trail of torches, it was easy to get lost. Leaf Gray had heard many stories of miner slaves whose torches burned out, turning lit paths into dark paths, leading them to starve to death eventually.

Manager Miller hurried along, frequently looking back, his expression betraying unconcealed nervousness. This demeanor made Leaf Gray increasingly anxious too, and he began to speculate about what was happening.

"Leaf Gray, do you know some dark paths?" Manager Miller suddenly asked.

"Yes," Leaf Gray admitted honestly.

In the mines, it wasn't just him who knew a few dark paths; other experienced miner slaves also knew the routes of some. While the lit paths were safe, there weren't many places left to mine there. Conversely, the perilous dark paths often held valuable ore.

It was precisely by relying on these resource-rich dark paths that Leaf Gray could have a full harvest daily; otherwise, how would he have extra contribution points to exchange for Vermillion Dawn Pills? It seemed this was also the reason Manager Miller specifically brought him along after recognizing him.

"Manager Miller is going to those secret passages?" Leaf Gray asked tentatively.

"Take me to the most hidden dark path," Manager Miller commanded, his tone brooking no argument.

"Alright," Leaf Gray responded. After taking a few steps, he suddenly grunted, clutching his chest. The injury from before had worsened during the hurried trek. The sharp pain forced him to stop, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Manager Miller glared at him displeasedly, hesitated for a moment, then took a round pill from a cloth pouch at his waist. The pill was about the size of a soybean and emitted a faint medicinal aroma.

"Eat it," Manager Miller said, handing the pill to Leaf Gray.

Leaf Gray took the pill and examined it carefully.

Over the past year, he had only come into contact with Vermillion Dawn Pills. This pill was clearly different. But considering Manager Miller still needed him to lead the way and probably wouldn't harm him, it was likely a healing pill.

He stuffed the pill into his mouth and immediately regretted chewing it—the bitterness was astounding.

"Why chew it? Just swallow it whole. It's a healing pill," Manager Miller said irritably.

Leaf Gray endured the bitterness, swallowed the pill, and forced a grateful expression. "Thank you, Manager Miller."

"If you're really thankful, lead the way quickly," Manager Miller pushed him.

Surprisingly, despite its bitterness, the pill was remarkably effective. Not long after taking it, Leaf Gray felt a warm current surge from his lower abdomen. The pain in his chest lessened, replaced by a tingling, itchy sensation.

Guided by Leaf Gray, the two delved deeper into the complex network of mine shafts. Occasionally, they encountered miner slaves returning from their shifts. Manager Miller would ruthlessly raise his hand and strike them down dead with a single palm strike each time. Leaf Gray watched, heart pounding, his suspicions growing clearer.

After about an hour, they stopped before a dark path. Leaf Gray took a torch from nearby and said, "Manager Miller, this is the most hidden dark path. After entering, take the first left, at the second junction..."

Before he could finish, Manager Miller kicked him into the passage. "Lead the way upfront!"

Leaf Gray's heart sank. He hadn't wanted to lead from the front. Judging by Manager Miller's actions so far, if he truly led him to the destination, his chances of survival were slim. But his last attempt had failed; Manager Miller clearly had no intention of venturing deep into the dark path alone.

Helpless, Leaf Gray could only press on. The path twisted and turned so much that even Manager Miller, a cultivator, seemed to lose track of the way back. After another hour or so, the tunnel ahead finally reached its end—there was no way forward.

Leaf Gray placed the torch into a hidden socket on the rock wall. Manager Miller let out a long sigh of relief, sat down on the ground panting, glanced at Leaf Gray, and couldn't help but laugh. "Quite capable, finding a place like this."

Leaf Gray forced a smile. "Just luck."

Manager Miller nodded and said no more.

Leaf Gray seized the chance. "Manager Miller, I'll head back now then."

Manager Miller lifted his eyelids slightly, his voice calm. "Leaf Gray, you're a smart person. Smart people should do smart things." As he spoke, he stood up and slowly advanced towards Leaf Gray.

The flickering torchlight cast his shadow onto the rock wall, making it dance like a malevolent spirit.

Leaf Gray's face showed panic. "What do you mean?"

Manager Miller sighed. "Might as well be straight with you. The Firmament Palace people are here. This ore vein probably can't be held for now. I'm here to take refuge. Although I'm very grateful you brought me here, I can't let you go back."

Leaf Gray stepped back, thinking to himself, Just as I thought.

Earlier, when he saw Manager Miller killing those miner slaves, he had guessed it: Manager Miller was afraid the news of him entering the mines would leak, so he was killing everyone who had seen him. And after encountering Leaf Gray at the mine entrance, Manager Miller's delight was because he knew Leaf Gray could lead him to a hidden hiding spot.

Hiding in a place like this, even if The Firmament Palace captured the mine, they would have a hard time finding him.

Realizing his predicament, Leaf Gray had been trying to find a way out, but with Manager Miller unwilling to let go, escape was impossible.

"Then I'll stay with you. I won't leave," Leaf Gray said, his back against the rock wall, with no room to retreat further.

Manager Miller paused, seeming to consider it seriously for a moment, but soon shook his head. "I don't have much food. Who knows how long we'll need to hide here? The Firmament Palace won't stay long, but a month or two is likely. That long, you'd starve to death. How could you keep me company? So, as thanks, I'll send you on your way!"

They were only three zhang apart. As soon as he finished speaking, Manager Miller thrust his palm towards Leaf Gray. Although his cultivation level wasn't high, killing an ordinary mortal was still effortless.

But he never expected that the moment he moved, Leaf Gray would charge forward with his mining pick raised, swinging it fiercely down towards his head. Leaf Gray's ferocity and decisiveness surprised Manager Miller, but that was all...

However, what happened next made his soul nearly flee his body in terror. He suddenly found the spiritual power in his dantian moving sluggishly, as if some inexplicable force was restraining it, allowing only a minuscule thread to be mobilized.

The mining pick descended towards his head. Manager Miller had no time to retreat and could only block with the hand he had been using to strike Leaf Gray. A crisp crack sounded as the pick struck Manager Miller's arm squarely, breaking it cleanly.

Manager Miller couldn't suppress a cry of agony and staggered back. With this successful strike, Leaf Gray's tense heart finally relaxed. It seemed the rumors he'd heard were true. This way, he still had a chance to live.

Not letting up on his advantage, Leaf Gray pressed forward relentlessly, continuously swinging his pick, leaving Manager Miller almost unable to fight back. Although Manager Miller was a cultivator of The Lunar Blight, his cultivation wasn't high, which was why he was assigned to manage the mine.

He had rarely engaged in life-or-death struggles. When dealing with miner slaves, he could easily control them with his cultivation. But now, with his power greatly suppressed, he was only slightly stronger than an ordinary mortal. Facing someone as ruthless as Leaf Gray, he was immediately beaten into a daze.

While dodging Leaf Gray's fierce attacks, he reached into the cloth pouch at his waist, then raised his hand—a cold light flashed. Leaf Gray, greatly startled, hurriedly halted his advance and raised the pick to block. The cold light sliced into the front of the pick, shearing the iron-forged tool clean in half.

Leaf Gray focused on what was in Manager Miller's hand and saw he now held a long sword! He had drawn it from the cloth pouch at his waist.

Manager Miller brandished the sword fiercely, deterring Leaf Gray from rashly advancing. The situation reached a stalemate. In the deepest part of the mine shaft, a mortal body and a cultivator stood facing each other—the former's expression cold and resolute, the latter's disheveled, his face twisted with intense pain.

"Metamagnetic Field?!" Manager Miller gritted his teeth and growled. In these brief moments, he had figured out why his spiritual power was restrained. This place was actually rich in Metamagnetic Ore!

Metamagnetic Ore was a very rare mineral, and its value was top-tier in this ore vein. This ore was highly useful for certain cultivators, but it had one characteristic: it released an invisible, intangible field that restricted the flow of spiritual power within its range. Once a cultivator was within this field, their strength would inevitably be greatly reduced.

Manager Miller's cultivation was limited. After being enveloped by this force field, his spiritual power was almost completely sealed, instantly reducing him from a lofty cultivator to an ordinary mortal. He suddenly remembered that over the past year, Leaf Gray had indeed occasionally mined and brought back some Metamagnetic Ore, though others had too, and the quantities were small, so he hadn't paid much attention.

Now it seemed Leaf Gray had always known the location of significant Metamagnetic Ore deposits but hadn't mined them extensively for contribution points, only occasionally extracting a few pieces to avoid arousing envy. Truly cunning, he thought.

"You set me up?" Manager Miller was furious. By now, how could he not understand that Leaf Gray had intentionally brought him here?

The mortal he thought he could manipulate at will had now bared its fangs at him. Manager Miller was seething with rage. However, with one arm broken and multiple injuries, in this environment where he couldn't use his cultivation, he was truly no match for Leaf Gray.

So he made a decisive decision: he turned and ran. Seeing this, Leaf Gray sensed imminent danger. His knowledge about the force field was only partial.

When he first handed over Metamagnetic Ore, he heard the cultivators of The Lunar Blight talk about the properties of this ore, so he kept it in mind.

Witnessing Manager Miller mercilessly kill encountered miner slaves halfway, he knew this journey was fraught with danger, which was why he led Manager Miller here.

Before he broke Manager Miller's arm, he wasn't sure if the force field here could actually suppress Manager Miller's strength.

Fortunately, luck favored him; the force field indeed hampered Manager Miller. But the force field's range was also limited. If Manager Miller escaped its range, Leaf Gray was dead.

"Manager Miller must not get away!" Leaf Gray gritted his teeth in fierce resolve. He bent down, snatched up a fist-sized stone, and hurled it with all his might toward the fleeing manager.

Utterly disheveled and focused solely on escape, Manager Miller never anticipated such a move from Leaf Gray. The rock struck him square on the back of the head, sending him stumbling face-first to the ground.

Before he could get up, the sound of whistling wind reached his ears. Manager Miller hurriedly rolled over just in time to see Leaf Gray charging forward, swinging the remaining half of his mining pick. There was no way to dodge this!

Between life and death, Manager Miller screamed, "Let's die together!" and thrust his long sword forward violently!

The next moment, his head was smashed by the mining pick. Still uneasy, Leaf Gray smashed it a few more times fiercely. Watching the twitching figure before him, he finally confirmed the other couldn't survive.

Intense pain shot from his thigh. He looked down and saw a long sword embedded in his leg—it was clearly the one Manager Miller had held. He hadn't even realized when he'd been stabbed! He hadn't felt it at all moments before.

Dropping the mining pick, Leaf Gray plopped down onto the ground, gasping for breath, savoring the beauty of being alive. The torch on the rock wall still flickered, casting his long shadow. In the depths of the silent mine shaft, only his heavy breathing and the crackle of the burning torch remained.