Standing up, Zhao Tian glanced around at the cavern 'In the letter it is said, the way they came was closed... so I have to find that way.'
'If I can destroy the obstacle created by the earthquake, I can get out of here.'
He can easily escape here if he went into the artifact and as Fei Lingxi's ring is connected to his room in the sect, if she came outside with him, he would be directly teleported back to the sect.
But then he has to explain to Yao Jing how he disappeared from the forest and appeared in the Sect which is thousands of kilometers apart.
Another thing is, if he reported about the Astral mine to the Sect... they would ask him how he escaped the mine without a passage.
He can't say that he just teleported back into the artifact.
So first thing, he had to find the path that the outer disciples had once used and ensure his journey looked feasible from the outside.