Reborn Medicine King

With that, he infused a calming energy into Fang Xiang, who immediately felt relieved.    

"Hurry up and grab the crystals. When that boulder collapsed, it revealed a lot of them. This part's on you."    

Jiang Fann led Fang Xiang toward the fallen boulder, collecting all the crystals along the way. The quality of the crystals embedded in the rock was exceptionally high, and Jiang Fann was tempted to keep a few for himself.    

"Did you find any of that special gold up there with all that commotion?"    

"There was indeed a piece of it inside the boulder, and it's pretty good quality. It's lightning-based. Once we get out of here, I'll split it with you."    

"Just like the crystals, huh? But I don't use lightning magic, so half of it isn't much use to me. How about this: I'll take the crystals, and you keep the gold. We both get what we need. What do you think?"    

Fang Xiang's proposal caught Jiang Fann by surprise. In terms of value, the crystals were indeed worth a lot. However, the special gold was extremely rare, and if Jiang Fann had to choose, he'd definitely go for the gold over the crystals. He was more than happy to agree to the deal.    

"Deal. Just don't regret it later; that gold is worth more than you might think."    

Fang Xiang was skeptical. "Much bigger? I doubt it. I've searched for rare metals with my elders before, and even palm-sized pieces are hard to come by. Compared to these crystals, the value difference is huge. Besides, their properties aren't useful to me. When we find the right kind of metal for me, just remember to save some for me."    

He picked up a crystal nearby and looked at Jiang Fann. "Besides, I didn't really help much this time. Even with those rats, you handled them yourself. I just got zapped a few times!"    

Mentioning the rats made Jiang Fann think of something. "We should hurry. Who knows how many rats are down here? That purple-furred one probably isn't dead. If they come to steal your crystals, you'll lose a lot. They move pretty fast underground."    

"Then we better get moving."    

When they encountered rocks, Jiang Fann smashed through them, and they continued forward. At the site of the rock collapse, the two of them quickly gathered the spiritual stones. For some reason, the rats hadn't come down, as if they vanished after the collapse.    

Seeing Fang Xiang's substantial haul, Jiang Fann was in good spirits too. "Save me a few of those largest crystals. I'll trade you at market value, maybe with some top-tier potions."    

"Why bother trading with me? Just take it. There's at least a few dozen bucks' worth here."    

While the two were in high spirits, the situation on the ground was a mess. After the small landslide, a bunch of people rushed over, and as the dust settled, the area was in complete disarray.    

The drunkard, seeing the chaos, had a glint in his eye. He flew up into the air to get a better look at the ruins below, hoping to spot something interesting. The guy who had a run-in with Jiang Fann earlier also showed up with his crew, equally shocked by the scene.    

"What happened here? How did you make such a big mess?"    

The drunkard snapped back, "What does this have to do with me? I didn't do it."    

"We've had people here for ages, and nothing like this has ever happened. Could something be going on under the mountain? Have your people checked it out?"    

The drunkard shook his head and descended for a closer look. The other guy followed him down. With their skills, they weren't too worried about any danger.    

The nearby groups kept their distance, seeing the experts on the scene and not wanting to get involved until they knew what was going on.    

Among the collapsed ruins, a few thumb-sized crystals were scattered around. There weren't many, but the landslide had brought some to the surface, catching the attention of both men.    

The drunkard, though unclear about what had happened, realized that these crystals proved this little hill was anything but ordinary. He wondered if the spiritual stone vein he had been hoping for years was right beneath them.    

As they were inspecting, the collapsed ground began to tremble again, prompting both of them to quickly take to the air, warily watching below.    

"Could it be collapsing again? Does that mean there's a large space underneath? Otherwise, where did all this dirt go?"    

Just as he finished speaking, a purple-furred mouse squeezed out from a crack in the rocks. It seemed to set off a chain reaction, as more mice began emerging from other crevices, their numbers astonishing.    

"Where did all these mice come from? I haven't heard of any around here in the past three years."    

The drunkard was equally puzzled, having visited this place many times and spent considerable time here, he had never seen mice like these before.    

In no time, the ruins were riddled with holes, and a swarm of mice flooded the ground, creating a terrifying scene. Although the individual mice weren't particularly strong, their sheer numbers were overwhelming.    

The cultivator shouted to the disciples in the distance, "Stay back from here."    

The young people, having never seen anything like this, quickly retreated, all feeling quite apprehensive.    

Compared to the situation above ground, Jiang Fann and his companion by the riverbank below were still immersed in the joy of treasure hunting. For a good four hours, Jiang Fann had lost count of how many times they circled the area, with all the higher-quality stones now safely tucked into Fang Xiang's Hundred Treasures Bag.    

Fang Xiang picked the five best stones to give to Jiang Fann, knowing well that sticking by Jiang Fann's side would surely bring more benefits in the future.    

The riverbed was constantly at risk of being blocked by collapsing soil, making the underground conditions increasingly poor. Although there wasn't much danger for Jiang Fann and Fang Xiang, staying there any longer seemed pointless. So, they decided to head back to the surface.    

Due to the collapse, much of the vegetation was now buried underground. However, the two soon discovered numerous caves and traces of the rats they had encountered earlier.    

Seeing this, Jiang Fann remarked, "Looks like those rats have all gone to the surface. There must be quite a few of them."    

"Are we just going up like this? That purple-haired rat must really hate you by now. Could it be waiting to ambush us?"    

Jiang Fann replied, "I'm not too worried about that rat. Compared to demonic beasts, I'm more concerned about people."    

"We've traveled so far underground, and with the mountains stretching endlessly outside, we probably won't run into them, right?"    

"The area around here has already collapsed, and I don't even need to mention the situation outside—it's definitely not quiet. If nothing unexpected happens, those teams are probably already alerted, including those two experts. So, we should move a bit further before heading back to the surface."    

As Jiang Fann spoke, he changed direction and started moving forward. He soon realized that the tunnels dug by the rats were a tangled web, crisscrossing in every direction. For the next ten minutes, they navigated through these passages, occasionally spotting a few rats scurrying around.    

However, Jiang Fann and his companion quickly passed by, unnoticed by the rats. Nearing the surface, they emerged, only to be taken aback by the scene before them.    

The sky was filled with dark clouds, thunder rumbling continuously, and lightning striking down as if the heavens were unleashing their wrath. On the ground, countless rats were crackling with electricity, all channeling it in the same direction, seemingly driven by some unified force. Jiang Fann had seen this phenomenon before by the underground river, where a purple-furred rat had used this gathered energy to attack him. Unfortunately for the rat, its lightning had no effect on Jiang Fann, posing no threat at all.    

The most terrifying part was the sheer number of rats, swarming everywhere, stretching as far as the eye could see.    

Fang Xiang exclaimed in shock, "Oh my gosh, the rats we saw underground were just the tip of the iceberg. How could there be so many?"    

Jiang Fann surveyed the surroundings, his brow furrowed, clearly not expecting the situation on the surface to be like this.    

Boom, boom, boom—    

Thunder rumbled as lightning bolts, thick as barrels, crashed down from the sky, exploding in midair at a distance. Both Jiang Fann and Fang Xiang could feel the intense clash of spiritual strength, indicating it wasn't the work of just one person.    

"Is someone fighting?"    

But before Fang Xiang could finish his sentence, he noticed the rats around them, eyes glowing red, fixated on the two of them, ready to attack at any moment.    

Before Jiang Fann could warn him, the swarm of rats surged toward them like a tidal wave, overwhelming everything in their path.    

Fang Xiang intended to use his spiritual strength to defend himself, but Jiang Fann grabbed him by the shoulder and lifted him into the air, avoiding the first wave of the attack.    

Fang Xiang quickly realized why Jiang Fann had done so. The rats couldn't fly; despite trying to stack up and reach them, it was futile. They could only watch helplessly as the two of them soared higher and higher.    

"If we couldn't fly, these guys would be terrifying."    

Jiang Fann didn't respond. He was focused on the direction where the spiritual clash had occurred, eager to find out who was battling over there.    

The two figures were now under the oppressive shadow of the thunderclouds, the rolling black clouds exerting an invisible pressure. From a higher vantage point, one could see further; in the direction where the lightning had just struck, two figures floated mid-air, their bodies charred black, clearly having suffered significant damage from the lightning attack.    

"It's them!"    

One of them was a middle-aged man, at the peak of the Mortal Separating Stage, but his aura was no longer as formidable as before. The other was an elderly man. Fang Xiang also recognized the old man's identity.    

He exclaimed in surprise, "The old drunk who sets up shop!"    

Both of these individuals were at the pinnacle of the Mortal Separating Stage, yet they had sustained considerable injuries. The lightning attack had astonishingly suppressed them, nearly overwhelming them completely.    

Jiang Fann looked down towards the ground and saw the collapsed mountain, now swarming with rats. At the very top, a purple-furred rat was channeling the electrical arcs released by all the rats present, using them to perform the lightning attack. With such a massive boost, its power had surpassed the Mortal Separating Stage, even exceeding the Half-Step Reincarnation Stage.    

It was this rat's lightning attack that had thoroughly suppressed the two figures.