The two no longer spoke and slowly walked further in.
Zhao Changhe paid close attention to the corridor’s stone walls on both sides, feeling they must have been carved out many, many years ago, not a recent endeavor, but probably not as far back as the previous epoch either.
Sisi was also observing. She seemed to know more than Zhao Changhe about these matters. As she looked, she frowned, "This was dug out nearly a hundred years ago. There are also signs of expansion. The digging has continued over the years, showing that the Lu Family has always been exploring the secrets here. Maybe they started since the founding of their lineage, a legacy of exploration."
Zhao Changhe was stunned, "How come I didn’t see any fresh marks?"
"Here." Sisi reached out and tapped a corner of the wall to her right, then gave it a gentle push. To Zhao Changhe’s surprise, he found that this section of the wall could actually be pushed open...
Immediately afterward, both of them stepped back, covering their noses, their eyes widening at the same time.
Behind the wall was full of skeletal remains, chaotically piled together, countless in number. There were also unrotted clothes, which could be seen to be the rough garments of civilian craftsmen.
"They hired workers to dig and feared leaks, so they killed them all and buried them here..." Zhao Changhe quickly concluded, with a very unsightly expression on his face.
The Tang family, even though decadent, would never do something . Compared to these "Aristocratic Families," the Tang family seemed far more likable.
The two closed the stone wall in silence and continued walking down.
The way was quite long, and they did not reach the end for a long while, much larger than the Secret Cave of the White Lotus Temple, which was just recently excavated. This place was explored by an entire family for a hundred years.
Along the way, they saw many side passages that were dug in the wrong places, but it was clear once the correct path was found, these side passages were abandoned. The main path was paved with stone bricks, with bright pearls lighting the way, while the side paths were dark, filled with cobwebs.
It also made it easier for them to explore this time, without the need to navigate a labyrinth.
Moving forward, they even saw some stone huts, with traces of people having cultivated inside. However, the people had since left, probably heading to the Tang family... This also made it easier for their exploration.
Sisi, admiring Zhao Changhe’s previous deductions more and more, thought to herself that this place would normally be impossible to enter, but now was an opportunity. The Lu Family had long planned to strike at the Tang family and must have come out in full force, aiming for a decisive victory. How could they have expected a third party to be eyeing the secrets behind their backs?
The two slowed their steps, becoming more cautious and lighter on their feet—seeing stone huts used for cultivation meant they were close to the core area. There must be some benefits to be had from cultivating here. The mystery they wanted to uncover seemed to be right in front of them.
Coming around the end of the passage, they indeed found a small hall. They peered in quietly and saw an old man with white hair and beard sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, facing a wall to the side of the passage, apparently in meditation.
What surprised them was that there were no other passages in the hall; it was indeed the end of this route. Yet, there seemed to be nothing unusual about the wall the old man was facing—just a common stone wall. Instead, it was the stone wall behind the old man that had strange scratches on it, seemingly sword marks.
This scene bewildered them. You’d think if one was to comprehend something like Ancient Sword Marks, they’d face the marks, not have their back to them. Moreover, these sword marks looked relatively new... Could it be they were made by the old man while he was comprehending the sword?
Sisi whispered, "This old man is about to die, probably only has a month or two of life left."
Zhao Changhe didn’t know how she could tell, and just as he was about to ask, he felt a vibration from his chest to his back.
On his back was the Dragon Sparrow, the vibration a warning of imminent danger.
On his chest was the gold leaf, but why was it vibrating?
Zhao Changhe had no time to think, the vibration from Dragon Sparrow was enough to signal a deadly threat. He immediately grabbed Sisi’s hand and rapidly rushed... forward.
At the same moment that Zhao Changhe made his move, the old man opened his eyes, "To think my home played the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Since you’ve come, don’t even think of leaving... Eh?"
What flashed before him was a sweeping blade light, as the Dragon Sparrow was less than three inches above his head...
The old man showed an expression that was both annoyed and amused, he lightly reached out his hand to pat the side of the blade. Zhao Changhe’s thunderous and heavy strike, like the weight of a thousand pounds, was effortlessly deflected off course.
"Unexpectedly, your first reaction upon realizing I’ve detected you wasn’t to retreat, but to attack!" the old man clucked his tongue, "Such valor, you are not an unknown... in the Worldly Society." Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn novel⸺fire.net
"Whoosh!" A dagger silently aimed for the old man’s back heart area.
The old man’s bemused expression deepened. He seemed to be sitting motionless, but somehow his body twisted slightly, and Sisi’s dagger bypassed him, not even grazing his clothing.
A whoosh of wind rose from his waist, and Zhao Changhe took this opportunity to deliver a Horizontal Slash.
The elder couldn’t maintain his calm demeanor any longer, pressing his right hand down on the blade to steady it as he stood up.
Zhao Changhe retreated a few steps, his tiger-like eyes unblinkingly fixed on the elder, fearlessly posing in a stance ready for another attack.
The elder let out a sigh, "Such a person...dressed in the clothes of my descendants, what a pity you’re not my kin...It’s a real shame, a real shame."
Zhao Changhe responded, "The feeling is mutual. With your strength, you are definitely on the Human List, yet you’ve hidden yourself so deeply that even the Chaotic World Book doesn’t list you."
The elder replied indifferently, "The Chaotic World Book ultimately speaks based on one’s battle achievements... In reality, this old man hasn’t fought with anyone in a long time, and I don’t even know if I still possess the strength of the Human List level. How can you be so sure?"
Zhao Changhe didn’t answer, wasn’t it obvious? Yue Hongling and Chi Li definitely possessed the strength to be at the bottom of the Human List. Even if there was a slight discrepancy, it wouldn’t be by much. He wondered whether they could handle his cleaving and slashing with such seeming ease, as if it took no effort at all. Maybe it was hard to judge without having fought them in earnest, but this elder was surely of that caliber, or even higher.
Luckily for him, the elder didn’t give off the same inevitably-unavoidable feeling like Tang Wanju did back then with that one finger—otherwise, that would be Earth List level, and it would be time to wash up and go to sleep.
But even at the bottom of the Human List, it wasn’t something he could handle at the moment...However, Zhao Changhe surprisingly found himself devoid of any fear, his mind clearer than it had ever been.
He slowly began, "Your family is embarking on a significant venture, and with such strength, you choose not to partake in it. Aren’t you afraid that if the family’s scheme fails, the family might be annihilated?"
"Is that why you dared to probe into this secret?" the elder replied lightly, "The Sect Hierarch of the Maitreya Sect has arrived, and the Tang family stands no chance against him. What would be the point of me going?"
Zhao Changhe’s heart skipped a beat, but he scoffed, "But Tang Wanju has come too. Can the Maitreya really ensure victory over Tang Wanju?"
The elder’s expression changed slightly, and he spoke slowly, "Thank you for the information. It seems I must kill both of you first, then head to the Tang family."
Upon saying that, with a "clang," the Longsword was unsheathed.
Zhao Changhe suddenly burst into laughter, "Stop trying to scare us. You surely can’t handle a fierce battle. You’d probably run out of energy in the midst of it and don’t dare to participate in a fierce battlefield. You’d just pretend here, otherwise you’d have killed us with one sword stroke already. Why bother with so much talk? I know why your family chose this time to execute their plan...it turns out you’re about to die..."
"Whoosh!" A fierce light flashed in the elder’s eyes as he thrust his sword straight at Zhao Changhe’s throat, "This old man need not wage an intense battle to deal with you!"
He wasn’t bluffing; with just that one thrust, Zhao Changhe couldn’t discern the trajectory, knowing that no matter how he defended, the next move would pierce through his throat.
But he had no intention of defending himself.
Grabbing Sisi’s hand, Zhao Changhe suddenly lunged towards the wall the elder had been facing—slamming into it.
What appeared to be a dead-end wall suddenly rippled like water, and Zhao Changhe and Sisi vanished from sight.
The elder, both angry and anxious, furiously followed them in, "Die!"
Lights flickered, dimensions transversed.
Upon being able to see again, Zhao Changhe found himself inside a majestic and ancient tomb, branching off in all directions with a grand and expansive atmosphere.
The air of a bygone epoch once again surrounded them.
The gold foil shook for a reason, and after piecing together various clues and speculations, the most likely explanation was that the stone wall the elder faced led to an Otherworldly Space, and the Sword Marks on the wall behind him were carved by Sword Qi shooting from this space.
Zhao Changhe guessed right.
Before they had a chance to take in their surroundings, Sword Qi crisscrossed the area with Evil Qi blanketing the sky, and the killing intent was a hundred times more terrifying than in front of the elder.
A term rose in Sisi’s mind, a term she had learned before: Sword Emperor.
This was the tomb of the Sword Emperor!
Not underneath the Huqiu Sword Pool, but under the Lu Family’s domain?
But judging by Zhao Changhe’s expression, as if he had expected this...had he guessed this outcome all along?