The Rich Cultivator-Chapter 348. Escape

The guards stationed in the mine reacted immediately to the eruption of bright light. Without hesitation, several of them flew toward the source, swords drawn and senses heightened.

Other guards shouted orders, pushing the bewildered slaves back toward their cages. Chaos rippled through the mountain as the glow faded, but its impact lingered like a scar in the air.

Among the crowd of returning slaves, one man stood still for a moment longer than the rest, his gaze fixed on the distance. It was Kaiser.

"It’s not him... right?" he muttered, furrowing his brows. He wasn’t sure. But a strange sense told him—it might be Tyler. A gut feeling he couldn’t ignore.

When the guards reached the location where the glow had erupted, they found nothing. The cave was as empty and silent as a dead tomb. The rock walls bore no sign of disturbance, and the concealment array had already reset itself, hiding all evidence.

But the Abyss Hunters didn’t stop, they decided to search each and every part of the cave.

Back amidst the shuffling line of slaves returning to their cages, Tyler was already there—calm, composed, hidden among them. In his hand, he held a small glowing bead, faint with energy. It pulsed softly like a heartbeat, almost as if it was alive.

Slipping the bead into his sleeve, Tyler ducked between a group of miners and made a swift turn—away from the cages.

He moved quickly but cautiously, trying not to draw attention as he slipped through the narrow tunnels.

Unfortunately, not everything goes as planned.

"Where are you going?" a cold voice asked.

Tyler froze.

An Abyss Hunter had appeared at the end of the tunnel, floating slightly above the ground, sword hovering at his back. His eyes locked onto Tyler’s, suspicious and sharp.

Tyler’s mind raced—Run? Fight? Bluff? He hadn’t prepared an excuse, and his aura was still registered as a slave. One wrong move and he’d be restrained—or worse.

But before Tyler could respond, a fist came out of nowhere and slammed into the Hunter’s face with a loud crack. The man was launched backward, crashing into the stone wall before collapsing unconscious.

Tyler turned, startled, only to see Kaiser grinning as he lowered his arm.

"You..." Tyler breathed in relief.

"You’re welcome," Kaiser said with a chuckle. "Man, I had a feeling it was you."

"Thanks for the save," Tyler said. Then, after a pause, "Do you want to leave this place?"

Kaiser’s smile faded into a serious expression. "Of course I do. Do you have a plan?"

"I might," Tyler said. "But First— your collar."

Kaiser looked hopeful. "If you can remove it, I’d owe you one."

"You already taught me some good fist moves without anything in return. So don’t worry." Tyler waved his hand.

From his storage ring, Tyler pulled out a slender metallic pen. Kaiser blinked in surprise.

He was suprised because Tyler sneaked in a Storage ring and was not detected by Guards.

"Don’t use any energy after removing it," Tyler warned. "I don’t want some higher level Abyss Hunters discovering us with some energy fluctuations."

Kaiser nodded seriously.

In a few moments, Tyler expertly tapped the pen around the collar’s locking mechanism and used some laser to adjust the collar. With a soft click, the collar fell to the ground.

Kaiser stared, stunned, before bursting into laughter. "Good brother Tyler! You have my eternal gratitude!"

Tyler gave a modest shrug. "Don’t mention it. But we’re not out yet. Got any ideas on how to escape?"

Kaiser thought for a moment, glancing down at the unconscious Abyss Hunter. "Disguise."

"Huh?"

"We dress up as guards," Kaiser said. "They’re lots of low level guards like him, they might not notice us. Plus, they come and go on different shifts. If we keep our faces mostly hidden, we might pass."

Tyler nodded slowly, considering it. "Risky. But it might work."

He knelt beside the unconscious Hunter and checked his pulse. Still alive. That was important. ƒгeewёbnovel.com

"I’m not sure if they can sense when one of their own dies," Tyler muttered. "Let’s not take that chance."

"I agree," Kaiser said. "We leave him alive."

Kaiser carefully stripped the guard’s uniform and armor, and Tyler helped. Once the man was dressed down, Tyler took out a Concealment Array Disc and tossed it into a small pit Kaiser had dug. They placed the unconscious Hunter inside, added a few healing pills to keep him stable, and activated the disc.

"Now he’s invisible and safe," Tyler said. "Let’s move."

Kaiser dressed up in the guard uniform and adjusted the fit. The armor was slightly tight around the shoulders, but it would do. He then picked Tyler up as if carrying an unconscious prisoner.

"Think this’ll work?" Kaiser asked.

"It better," Tyler whispered. "Otherwise we’re both screwed."

With a whoosh of air and a flare of qi, Kaiser floated upward, mimicking the levitation technique used by the Abyss Hunters. He passed two patrolling guards who simply nodded at him before flying past.

No suspicion. No questions.

So far, so good.

They traveled through the winding tunnels, approaching the outer section of the mine where the slave registry and exit place were monitored. Their disguise, while effective for now, wouldn’t last long.

Once outside, they would need to disappear fast.

As they reached the boundary checkpoint, a senior Abyss Hunter glanced at them.

"Another troublemaker?" he asked, nodding toward Tyler’s ’unconscious’ body.

Kaiser grunted. "Caught him sneaking around near the old caverns. Supervisor wants him processed separately."

The senior nodded. "Just don’t damage him too much. We have yet to raid a world and get some slaves."

Kaiser gave a stiff nod and flew past.

Only when they were clear of the guard’s sight did Tyler open one eye and whisper, "That was too close..."

"Yeah," Kaiser whispered back. "Let’s not stop now. Once we’re out of this section, we vanish."

They were moving quickly through a dim, narrow tunnel that seemed to stretch endlessly beneath the mountain.

The air was heavy with the scent of rock and mana residue, but the silence was shattered by a sudden voice.

"STOP!"

The thunderous shout echoed through the tunnel, making Kaiser’s muscles tense instinctively. He turned swiftly, eyes narrowing at the figure blocking their path.

An Abyss Hunter stood there, cloaked in dark robes with lightning crackling faintly around his body.

Tyler, who was being carried by Kaiser like a prisoner, immediately shut his eyes and went limp—pretending to be unconscious. He didn’t even dare to activate his divine sense, not wanting to risk exposing himself.

"Hand over that slave," the Abyss Hunter demanded, stepping forward with a sharp glare.

"I’m taking him to the Supervisor," Kaiser replied smoothly, showing no sign of panic. His voice was calm, as though nothing were amiss.

The Abyss Hunter’s eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

With a crackle of energy, lightning gathered around him like a storm. His expression darkened.

"I am the Supervisor."

Before Kaiser could react, a lightning whip lashed through the air, striking toward him with terrifying speed. Kaiser had no choice—he gently lowered Tyler to the ground and met the attack with a Tidal Fist.

BOOM!

The clash echoed violently in the tunnel. Dust exploded around them as both combatants slid back a few steps. Neither had used their full strength, but the impact was enough to shake the air.

Just as Kaiser was about to retaliate, another voice interrupted.

"Huh... so you’re finally here," a familiar voice said casually.

Kaiser blinked. Tyler was standing upright now, walking calmly between them.

"Oh... so this guy’s an ally?" the Abyss Hunter said, lowering the whip with a slightly embarrassed chuckle.

"This is Lily Gomes," Tyler said, turning to Kaiser. "She’s one of us. And this is Kaiser, the one who taught me Tidal Waves."

"Oh. A friend?" Kaiser muttered, letting out a deep breath. He’d been seconds away from going all-out. "You scared me for a second. I was worried if our fight will alert others."

The three of them began flying through the tunnel again, this time with a sense of urgency but less tension. Lily tossed Tyler a set of Abyss Guard armor she had stolen.

"She went to the Supervisor’s office to steal some uniforms and other things," Tyler explained.

Kaiser turned to Lily mid-flight. "You mind telling me why you attacked me first?"

"You were carrying Tyler like a corpse," Lily replied nonchalantly. "I thought something happened to him."

Kaiser sighed. "Fair."

Tyler’s eyes drifted toward the coiled whip at Lily’s waist. "That whip... it looks familiar."

"I found it in the Supervisor’s room," Lily said casually. "Old supervisor is a bird like creature. He was using this whip. Haven’t seen him in a while. The new supervisor is a joke. Couldn’t even sense me stealing his stuff with my Phantom Mask on. He is so weak."

Tyler understood immediately. That whip belonged to Raptor—it was likely he was already dead after the ambush. The current Supervisor must have taken over his office and loot, only to be robbed by Lily moments later. A string of bad luck for the new guy.

"Why aren’t you using your Phantom Mask, by the way?" Lily asked, glancing at Tyler with a hint of confusion.

"I left most of my things with Mana," Tyler replied. "I only snuck in with a ring."

Despite their casual conversation, all three of them stayed alert, senses stretched to their limits as they navigated out of the mining area.

Eventually, they reached the edge of the underground domain. The tunnel curved upward and gave way to a hidden exit behind a boulder cloaked with illusion magic. As they emerged, the blinding light of the sky momentarily stunned them— even though it is not real sky and one of Abyss Floors trait. They still happy to see the sky.

But before they could take another step, a presence appeared ahead.

Standing on a rocky area not far from the exit was a fox lady—graceful and mysterious. Her fur-tipped ears twitched slightly, and her golden eyes stared at the three of them.