But even with all the preparation Han Yu had done, not all slaves could be saved.
So arrived too late.
So were too injured.
So simply...
Did not survive.
Han Yu did not stop for them.
There was no ti.
No space.
Only forward.
Only action.
By the ti he finished, nearly two hours had passed.
Fifty one.
That was the number.
Fifty one slaves had been successfully modified and stabilized.
Most of them were from the Twin Leaf Peak Sect.
Others ca from allied sects.
The Crimson Cloud Sect.
The Jade Mirror Temple.
And more.
Among them...
Senior Brother Duan.
Han Yu treated him carefully, ensuring that his seal was modified correctly and his condition stabilized. The sight of him, broken yet alive, stirred sothing deep within Han Yu.
But he suppressed it.
This was not the ti.
Once the last seal was modified, Han Yu stood.
For the first ti since beginning, he allowed himself a brief pause.
Then, he reached out.
’Chitterfang.’
The response ca quickly.
’I’m here!’
"What is happening above?"
Chitterfang’s tone shifted, excitent mixed with urgency.
"They’re panicking! The clan people and sect disciples are all confused. They don’t know what caused the collapses. So think it’s natural, so think it could be sabotage."
"Do they suspect ?" Han Yu asked.
"no they think soone from the clans did sothing. They are suspecting they tried to mine illegally and caused this. Or perhaps one clan did this to bla the others for it. They are all pointing at each other." The rat explained.
Hearing that Han Yu was pleased but not fully relieved.
His eyes narrowed as he thought of sothing.
"And the elders?"
"They’ve been called," Chitterfang replied. "Junior elders are already moving. And... I heard sothing else."
"What?"
"They’re planning to go into the rivers themselves. They have tracking talismans. They want to find where the slaves ended up."
Han Yu’s thoughts sharpened instantly.
That was faster than expected.
And far more dangerous.
If the elders entered the river network, they would not take long to trace the paths. The formations might conceal so details, but not indefinitely. Once they reached this chamber...
Everything would be exposed.
Han Yu’s gaze hardened.
There was no ti left.
He turned toward the slaves.
"Move."
The command spread instantly through the modified seals.
The slaves rose.
Together.
Silent.
Compliant.
Han Yu retrieved a set of pills and distributed them quickly.
"Consu this."
It was a Gill Breath pill.
Han Yu had bought sevearl of them from his personal allowance as a personal disciple as well as the budget increase. No one cared as the pills while expensive, were a re drop in the ocean compared to the massive budget.
Each slave received one.
Each obeyed.
The pill dissolved rapidly, its effects taking hold almost imdiately. Their bodies adjusted, their capacity to survive underwater extended far beyond normal limits.
Six hours.
That was the window.
More than enough.
Han Yu stepped back.
Then gave the final command.
"Enter the river."
The slaves moved.
One by one.
Without hesitation.
Without resistance.
Wu Shuan.
Senior Brother Duan.
All of them.
They stepped into the rushing water, guided by the puppets that awaited them. The current took hold quickly, pulling them into the depths, carrying them toward the distant exit.
Toward freedom.
Han Yu stood at the edge, watching as the last of them disappeared into the current.
The chamber grew quieter.
Emptier.
But the danger had only just begun.
Han Yu did not linger.
The mont the last of the slaves vanished into the rushing current, he turned away from the chamber without hesitation. There was nothing more he could do there. Every additional second increased the risk of exposure, and he had already pushed that limit further than was safe.
His movents were swift but controlled as he entered one of the hidden tunnels he had constructed months prior. The entrance sealed behind him, leaving no trace, and he moved deeper into the concealed network, putting distance between himself and the chamber.
Then, the connection pulsed.
’Master!’
Chitterfang’s voice carried urgency.
Han Yu’s gaze sharpened as he responded instantly.
"What is it?"
"The first supervising elder... he went in! One of the holes. He’s already in the river!"
Han Yu did not slow.
"How far?"
"I don’t know exactly," Chitterfang replied quickly, "but he’s moving fast from what I heard. Others are following too."
Han Yu’s thoughts aligned imdiately.
There was no telling how long it would take for them to reach the chamber. The river network was complex, but the elders were not ordinary cultivators. Given enough ti, they would trace the flow.
Which ant... Ti was gone.
Han Yu moved faster.
At the sa ti, he extended his spirit sense through the formation plates embedded along the river walls. Though his direct observation had ended when he left the chamber, the passive monitoring formations still provided fragnted information.
He tracked them.
One elder.
Then another.
Then more.
They entered from different collapse points, each following the current, their presence like blazing torches within the river network.
Han Yu’s eyes narrowed slightly.
’Good.’
This too was an opportunity.
If they were already inside... Then they were vulnerable.
He continued moving, ensuring he reached a distant section of the hidden tunnels. A place far removed from the central network, where any backlash would not affect him.
Only then did he stop.
His hand rested lightly on the formation plate.
His connection extended outward.
He waited.
Watched.
Counted.
One.
Three.
Five.
Eight.
Ten.
More than ten elders had entered the river system.
And they were no longer near the entry points.
They were deep inside.
Halfway.
Committed.
Han Yu exhaled slowly.
Then he acted.
His qi surged through the formation plate, activating every self-destructing array he had embedded within the river network.
And not just there.
All across the mine.
Every hidden formation.
Every planted detonation array.
Everything.
Activated.
At once.
BOOM!
The first explosion shook the depths.
Then another.
Then dozens.
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