The Iron-Eating Beast raised its petrified fist and threw a straightforward punch at the Profound Stone Barrier!

Boom——

The strong vibration scared the fish in this swamp away, and even the groundhog hiding in the grass could feel the tremors.

The groundhog felt parched, swallowed its saliva, and thought about how it would end up if that punch landed on it. It shuddered at the thought.

Recalling how it lashed out at Brother Shi with bared teeth and attempted to bite, it felt relieved that Brother Shi was a heavy sleeper and emotionally stable. If it had kicked it, it might not have walked away unscathed.

After the punch, there was smoke but no damage, and once the dust settled, the Profound Stone Barrier was unscathed, leaving the air silent.

The groundhog from afar barely dared to breathe. That punch could have taken its life, but it couldn’t even shake the Profound Stone Barrier. Surely there must be some heaven-defying treasure hidden underneath, stirring the groundhog’s intense curiosity.

Seeing that the punch didn’t make a dent, the Iron-Eating Beast furrowed its brows, though it was within its expectations.

It was ready to use its trump card, its greatest ace.

In the next second, it crouched down in a pouncing-tiger stance, emanating powerful pressure that made it difficult for the nearby groundhog to breathe.

The groundhog’s eyes lit up, startled wide, too afraid to blink.

Brother Shi is about to unleash a big move!

Suddenly, the Iron-Eating Beast opened its mouth wide, revealing tusks akin to white porcelain, and lunged at the Profound Stone Barrier... taking a big bite!

Watching the Iron-Eating Beast gnaw at the Profound Stone Barrier, the groundhog was stupefied. A gust of wind ruffled its fur, and it stood bewildered in the breeze.

Brother Shi’s big move is... just biting away?

Advanced combat skills, it turns out, are truly down-to-earth?

Just when the groundhog couldn’t comprehend this.

Crunch——

A clear crisp sound reached the groundhog’s ears, snapping its chaotic thoughts back to reality.

The seemingly indestructible Profound Stone Barrier crumbled like a chicken nugget in Brother Shi’s mouth, crisp and crackling.

Soon, the sound of muffled chewing came through.

The Iron-Eating Beast sat on the ground and started to indulge, breaking off a piece to munch on after finishing another.

The sight alone made the groundhog swallow its saliva, watching until it was starving.

The Iron-Eating Beast’s appetite alone, just from the sound, could become a mukbang hit on Blue Star!

The barrier, weighing several tons and spread over ten meters, was completely consumed by the Iron-Eating Beast in just one hour.

Throughout, the groundhog watched from the grass, not daring to approach, watching Brother Shi’s entire "mukbang" without missing a beat.

Burp——

A burp came through, informing the groundhog that the barrier had been opened and it was satiated.

Upon hearing this, the groundhog finally approached, staring at the now-empty barrier’s entrance, with not a single "fragment" on the ground, it felt deeply moved.

At this moment, the Iron-Eating Beast discovered something, supported its roundly belly, sat up straight, reached down by the groundhog’s feet, and picked up a "Profound Stone Fragment" that had fallen in the soil.

It wiped the dirt and dust off with its hand, then ate it in one bite. After carefully checking that no "leftovers" were missed, it patted its belly, satisfied, and let out a contented burp.

"Brother Shi, truly... astonishingly thrifty, wasting nothing... not a bit of food!"

After holding back for a while, the groundhog managed to blurt out a compliment.

"Who knows, the grain in the bowl comes through hard work with each kernel being dearly earned."

"You guys are used to eating delicacies and great medicines every day, forgetting how precious resources are."

"Not a single grain should be wasted!"

The Iron-Eating Beast patted its belly, admonishing the groundhog.

"Indeed, indeed, Brother Shi is right in your teaching." The groundhog responded with a smile.

....

Looking down into the deep pit, the groundhog swallowed its saliva, uncertain about what lay below.....

Yet, when it used its Divine Sense to probe downward, it couldn’t sense anything. Is this truly how a treasure seems to appear?

Seeing the groundhog’s eager expression, the Iron-Eating Beast sat upright and said, "Don’t rush, wait a moment."

"Let me digest for two minutes, then I’ll take you down to the tomb."

...

"The tomb?" The groundhog squinted in surprise, "It’s a tomb down there?"

"You could say so, or maybe not, anyway... it doesn’t really matter."

With that, the Iron-Eating Beast sat in place, beginning to digest the massive amount of Taichu Profound Stone in its belly.

After a few breaths, the aura around the Iron-Eating Beast intensified slightly, noticed by the envious glance from the groundhog.

Truly envious of Brother Shi, eating is equivalent to cultivation, just eating can enhance cultivation slightly...

Unlike its own bitter fate, having to meticulously engage in cultivation.

Forget it, better not to dwell, comparisons will only vex more.

....

"Let’s go, time to get to work."

"Stick close to me, it might be dangerous down there."

With that, the Iron-Eating Beast leapt, jumping into the three-meter-wide pit.

Witnessing this, the groundhog took a deep breath and followed suit.

Roughly three seconds later, with two thudding sounds, both landed one after the other.

Down below was absolute darkness, with no sight even of their own hand.

The groundhog waved its paw, sacrificing a White Jade Lantern, only with the lantern lit did they see the surrounding scene clearly.

The walls were composed of blocks of bluestone, forming a round space with a radius of approximately ten meters. Upon careful inspection, three openings, resembling mine shafts, appeared before them.

The Iron-Eating Beast approached the entrances of the three mines, stroking its chin.

"Brother Shi, which path should we take?" The groundhog stood beside the Iron-Eating Beast, tentatively asking.

Hearing this, the Iron-Eating Beast didn’t answer immediately but pondered for a long time.

"None of these are correct paths; they’re all dead ends."

Having said that, it approached a section of wall and stopped, pointing at the stone wall before it: "We’ll take this path."

"Here?"

"There is no path here, though?" the groundhog responded with puzzlement.

Before the groundhog could finish speaking, the Iron-Eating Beast raised its right fist and delivered a punch to the stone wall!

Boom——

With a tremor passing through the stone wall, it instantly shattered, revealing an opening.

Ah?

There really is one!

The groundhog was dumbstruck, how did Brother Shi discover this?

It felt as if it contributed nothing, just like a fool the whole time.

......

"Let’s go!"

"Standing in a daze? Follow!"

With that, the groundhog hurriedly jogged to catch up.

This "mine path" was relatively narrow, and with the Iron-Eating Beast’s large build, they couldn’t walk side by side, leaving the Iron-Eating Beast leading and the groundhog following.

After delving several hundred meters deeper, a white light appeared ahead.

Seeing this, the Iron-Eating Beast quickened its pace and hurried over.

"Brother Shi! Wait for me!"

The groundhog also dashed frantically, fearing to be left alone.