Chapter 339

Chapter 339: The Source

Crack!

The iron bars, as thick as a child’s arm, were forcibly torn apart, twisted into spirals, and then discarded on the ground.

The cell door swung open, and the prisoners inside erupted into cheers, many of them weeping with joy!

The bandits, known for their cruelty, had all believed they were doomed, never expecting a savior to appear.

Thus, they were immensely grateful to Wang Chen.

When Wang Chen questioned them, they held nothing back, sharing every detail they knew.

Wang Chen learned that those captured by the bandits were all from nearby villages, much like the two villagers from Datian Village, and had also been ambushed in the mountains.

The earliest among them had been captured just two days prior!

As for more details, they were uncertain, having spent the past two days in constant fear.

This left Wang Chen deeply puzzled.

The jail constructed by the bandits was quite extensive, with dozens of cells capable of holding hundreds of people.

These villagers couldn’t possibly be the first batch captured, so where had the previous captives gone?

There was another pressing question.

The bandits who had seized Old Four Xu and the others hadn’t returned to their lair immediately. Instead, they sent a few to escort the captives back while the rest, including their leader, remained in the mountains, waiting for Wang Chen to appear.

It was clear this had been premeditated!

After a moment of thought, Wang Chen turned and brought someone back with him.

It was a bandit with a scarred face, unconscious, his eyes tightly shut, blood seeping from his mouth, nose, eyes, and ears.

Wang Chen tossed the bandit onto the ground and stepped on his left hand.

“Ah!”

The sudden, intense pain jolted the bandit awake, and he let out a piercing scream.

Wang Chen lifted his foot and asked, “What’s your name?”

This man was the one Wang Chen had deliberately spared.

As the bandit regained consciousness, he glanced around in a mix of anger and confusion. Quickly grasping his predicament, he sneered bitterly, “I’m your father! Have you forgotten your daddy’s name, huh? Hahaha!”

"Seeking death!"

Before Wang Chen could respond, Old Four Xu lunged forward, grabbed the bandit, and began slapping him repeatedly: "I’ll teach you to watch your mouth!"

Old Four Xu harbored a deep hatred for these bandits, recalling how close he had come to a fate worse than death. His strikes were merciless.

Though this thief was a fifth-level Qi Trainer, his dantian and meridians had been sealed, rendering him weaker than an ordinary person.

His face quickly swelled and contorted.

"Enough."

Wang Chen signaled for Old Four Xu to release him and asked, "Where were you planning to take them?"

Many bandits kidnapped villagers to enslave them for hard labor.

But Wang Chen felt that the actions of this group of bandits were probably not that simple!

"Hehehe…"

Despite being beaten into a swollen mess, this bandit remained defiant. He glared at Wang Chen with resentful, fierce eyes, "If you have the guts, kill me! If I make a sound, you’re my grandson!"

Having witnessed Wang Chen’s brutal methods, he knew he had no chance of escape and was completely fearless!

"Very well."

Wang Chen raised his hand, drawing the stubborn bandit toward him with an invisible force, and his right index finger instantly pressed against the bandit’s forehead.

He injected a trace of magical power.

"Uh…"

The bandit found himself immobilized by an invisible force, feeling as if thousands of fire ants were crawling inside his head, driving him to a pain beyond endurance.

However, his mind became frighteningly clear; he did not faint from the excruciating agony.

Not only that, the "fire ants" began to crawl down his spine, reaching into his five organs and every part of his body, making him experience the same torment throughout!

The Soul-Piercing Finger!

This was not a spell but a technique specifically used for interrogation.

Wang Chen had learned it when he served as a celestial guardian. He had never had the chance to use it until now.

This interrogation technique was something ordinary people could not endure, but it worked wonders on practitioners. The bandit could barely hold on for a moment; his face turned a dark red, his eyes bulged, and foam bubbled from his mouth while his limbs twitched uncontrollably.

If Wang Chen hadn’t sealed his body with magic power, he surely would have lost control over his bowels by now!

Seeing the bandit in such a miserable state, Old Four Xu, who harbored intense hatred for the bandits, took a cautious step back.

The other rescued villagers watched in awe, their faces filled with fear and respect.

Wang Chen withdrew his finger and asked, "What’s your name?"

The bandit gasped for air like a drowning man who had just returned to shore, his face pale and his eyes vacant. He instinctively replied, "Chen, Chen Hu."

"Where were you planning to take them?"

This time, the bandit Chen Hu lost all his previous defiance and looked like a drowning dog with a broken spine: "The, the mine."

He lowered his head in despair.

A mine?

This answer was very different from what Wang Chen had expected; he furrowed his brows. "What mine?"

With the obedience of a little kitten, Chen Hu replied, "The purple copper mine."

It was actually a purple copper mine!

Purple copper could be used for weapon refining, to extract essences for crafting elixirs related to metal attributes, and even as a medium for spiritual symbols and treasure symbols.

Its applications were extensive, and its value was naturally very high, making it a strategic resource for sects of immortals.

A group of bandits had actually opened a purple copper mine in the mountains; even a small vein would be remarkable.

This made sense now.

Mining was a very dangerous job. The purple copper veins extended deep underground, making extraction incredibly difficult, and the work itself was laborious and miserable, with constant risks of collapses or attacks from magical beasts.

Some special magical beasts resided within the veins and had extremely aggressive natures.

Even cultivators could face deadly outcomes in a mine if they were not careful.

The casualty rate among miners was always high; it made perfect sense for the bandits occupying the mine to abduct villagers to fill the mining caverns.

But Wang Chen still sensed something wrong!

He released his magical power and threw Chen Hu back to the ground. "Take me to that mine, and I won’t kill you."

"Really?"

Chen Hu could hardly believe his ears and looked up in surprise.

He thought he was doomed, but unexpectedly, Wang Chen seemed to have a chance to spare him. Though he could hardly believe it, a glimmer of hope arose in his heart.

"Bah!"

Old Four Xu spat beside him, "This person is our village chief, the Purple Palace master. His word is law. How could someone as filthy as you doubt it?"

What a great supporter!

Wang Chen nodded, "As long as you take me to the place, I will let you go."

He flicked his finger to release a bit of magical power, unsealing the bandit’s meridians.

"Okay!"

Chen Hu quickly struggled to stand up. "I’ll take you there right now!"

He knew that if he led Wang Chen to the mine, his comrades stationed there would undoubtedly be doomed.

But survival was paramount; who cared about the lives of others!