In the dark mine tunnel, Lu Ye followed the old man forward while checking the contents of the storage bag.
He quickly found some Blood Qi Pills and a few healing pills, just like in the storage bag of Manager Yang. There were also various bottles and jars, none of which Lu Ye recognized.
There were also a few pieces of ore, but their quality was far inferior to those in Manager Yang's collection.
Zhou Cheng's status was not as high as Manager Yang's, so his wealth was naturally not as substantial.
However, Lu Ye was already very satisfied, after all, these were things he had obtained for free.
He put the long sword in his hand into the storage bag and tied it around his waist.
With this storage bag as a cover, the storage bag he kept close to his body would be safer.
He had the intention to ask the old man about cultivation and spirit pills, but after some consideration, he decided against it. The old man was a senior expert, although he looked kind and amiable, no one could be sure of his true character. Since they had only met by chance, Lu Ye had no standing to ask him such questions.
The most pressing matter was to follow him out of the mine tunnel. If he offended the old man with inappropriate words, it would be putting the cart before the horse.
The old man did not walk very fast, but Lu Ye had to jog to keep up. Occasionally, he would suddenly disappear and then quickly return.
Lu Ye secretly guessed that he might have discovered some hidden disciples of the Evil Moon Valley and killed them.
The mine tunnels crisscrossed, with a complex terrain. Even Lu Ye had to carefully identify the correct path at each intersection, but the old man walked leisurely, and every path he took was the right one.
In no more than half an hour, light appeared ahead!
It was the exit of the mine tunnel.
As the old man led him out of the dim mine tunnel and back into the light, Lu Ye felt a sense of wonder, as if he had been reborn.
"Old Tang!"
At the mine tunnel exit, several figures were guarding. These were cultivators from various sects of the Vast Heaven Alliance, preventing any disciples of the Evil Moon Valley from escaping.
Seeing the old man appear, they all bowed.
The old man nodded slightly.
A middle-aged cultivator who seemed to be in charge looked at Lu Ye with confusion and asked, "Old Tang, who is he?"
The old man said, "A disciple of the Xuantian Sect, which was destroyed a year ago. He was captured and made a mine slave here. He helped me a bit inside, so I brought him out along the way."
The middle-aged cultivator understood and gestured to a young cultivator nearby, "Take him to register."
"Yes!" The young cultivator acknowledged and said to Lu Ye, "Follow me!"
Lu Ye turned to look at Old Tang, intending to thank him, but Old Tang had already walked away.
The middle-aged cultivator who had spoken followed closely behind and said, "Old Tang, Deputy Alliance Leader Pang has ordered that you see him when you come out. He has important matters to discuss with you."
Old Tang stroked his beard and complained, "An old man's bones can't rest for a moment."
Saying this, he soared into the sky and disappeared in an instant.
At this moment, Lu Ye was already being led in another direction by the young cultivator. The cultivator had no intention of conversing, so Lu Ye remained silent.
Recalling what Old Tang had said, Lu Ye smiled inwardly.
The old man was indeed nice.
He hadn't really helped the old man much in the mine tunnel; instead, he had received the old man's favor. But the old man had deliberately said it that way.
For a senior expert like him, a casual word could resolve many of Lu Ye's troubles.
For example, the storage bag hanging from his waist!
To the current Lu Ye, this thing was actually a trouble. When he had taken the storage bag from Zhou Cheng, he had already been prepared for the consequences.
He had even planned to give it away if any Vast Heaven Alliance members wanted it, as his current identity was just a mine slave of the Evil Moon Valley, and he still needed to rely on others.
There was a time to give and a time to receive. The truly good things he kept close to his body, and a storage bag from Zhou Cheng wasn't worth much.
But with Old Tang's casual words, no one would likely try to take the storage bag.
Not being able to thank him in person was a slight regret for Lu Ye, but there would be other opportunities in the future.
Outside the mine tunnel was a vast valley, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only one road leading in from the east. The valley was bustling with people.
Lu Ye looked up and saw many traces of a great battle within the valley. Some areas still had fresh blood, and the entire valley was filled with a strong smell of blood.
It seemed that the Vast Heaven Alliance had suffered significant losses when they captured this place.
Large banners stood throughout the valley, each inscribed with different words and patterns, representing different sects and families.
Under the banners, people were gathered, bustling and lively.
According to the information Lu Ye had, the Vast Heaven Alliance was an extremely large organization, with a complex structure of countless large and small sects and families forming a whole. What he saw here was just the tip of the iceberg of the Vast Heaven Alliance.
The Ten Thousand Demon Ridge, which opposed the Vast Heaven Alliance, had a similar structure.
Regaining his freedom, Lu Ye felt elated, finding everything fresh and new, which caused the young cultivator leading him to urge him several times.
Walking to a corner of the valley, there were also many people gathered here. However, these people were not as well-dressed and spirited as the cultivators Lu Ye had seen along the way. Most of them were dirty and emaciated, some were dispirited, especially some beautiful young women.
The dirty and emaciated ones were former mine slaves who had worked in the mine tunnels. Years of hard labor and malnutrition made them look like refugees.
Not all the people captured by the Evil Moon Valley were made into mine slaves. Some beautiful women had even more tragic fates. Now that the mine tunnels had been captured, they were rescued, but their tragic experiences could not be erased.
Seeing this group of people, Lu Ye immediately understood that they were all those who had been oppressed and enslaved by the Evil Moon Valley and were now free. For some reason, they had been gathered together.
In front of this group, there was a table, and behind it sat a chubby cultivator who looked young, leaning back in his chair and dozing off with his arms crossed.
The young cultivator leading Lu Ye approached and lightly knocked on the table.
The chubby cultivator jolted awake, almost falling off his chair. Seeing the person in front of him, he patted his chest, "You little brat, you scared me to death."
The young cultivator was speechless and said in a low voice, "Senior Brother Pang, although registering people is a leisurely job, you can't be like this. If the elders of the alliance see you..."
Before he could finish, the chubby cultivator waved his hand impatiently, "I know, I know, you're nagging like a woman." He paused and asked, "What's the matter?"
The young cultivator stepped aside, revealing Lu Ye behind him, "Register and verify his identity."
The chubby cultivator's eyes, which were almost invisible due to his fat, suddenly opened wide when he saw Lu Ye. His gaze fixed on the storage bag hanging from Lu Ye's waist.