76: Entrance to the Dark Tomb

Three days later, at the west gate of Jia Nan Academy.

As the morning glow barely appeared, Xiao Chen, Han Yue, and Lin Xiuyai gathered on time. Xiao Chen wore a simple, fitted blue outfit, his aura restrained, and his eyes calm yet sharp. Han Yue was still in her moon-white robe, as cold and clear as the moon, with an ancient longsword on her back. Lin Xiuyai, on the other hand, looked relaxed and carefree, with a wine gourd hanging from his waist, but the flashing brilliance in his eyes indicated extraordinary strength.

The three exchanged glances. Without needing to say a word, they tacitly unleashed their movement techniques simultaneously, transforming into three streaks of light and speeding towards the depths of the Magical Beast Mountain Range. With their Dou Zong cultivation, their speed was extremely fast. In half a day, they had already penetrated deep into the mountain range's interior, and the surrounding environment became increasingly primitive and dangerous.

Towering ancient trees blocked out the sun, and the air was filled with a strong wild aura and a faint scent of blood. The roars of high-level magical beasts occasionally came from the depths of the dense forest, making one's heart tremble. The three dared not be careless, restraining their auras and proceeding cautiously. Xiao Chen's Spirit Realm Great Perfection soul perception acted like an invisible radar, constantly Scanning the movements within a several-mile radius, allowing them to avoid several powerful magical beast territories in advance.

According to the mission map, the suspected area of the "Gloomy Ancient Tomb" was located in a dangerous place called "Soul Burying Valley." The closer they got to Soul Burying Valley, the sparser the surrounding vegetation became, the ground took on an ominous grey-black color, and the air was filled with a chilling, dead silence. Even traces of magical beasts were almost non-existent.

"The energy field here is very chaotic, carrying a strong yin-sha aura," Han Yue's delicate brows furrowed as she sensed the surroundings.

Lin Xiuyai took a sip of wine, his expression also becoming a bit more serious: "Hmm, it seems the rumors are true; this place is indeed evil. Be careful, I feel like something is watching us."

Xiao Chen's soul perception was the most acute. He had already noticed that since entering this area, several faint, chilling gazes had been secretly prying, but the opponent's concealment methods were extremely high, making it difficult to pinpoint their exact location for a while. "There are indeed tails, more than one group of people. It could be other mercenaries who took the mission, or it could be... ill-intentioned individuals," he said in a deep voice.

After another hour of travel, a huge valley entrance appeared ahead. The entrance was shrouded in dense grey mist, which churned, blocking sight and soul perception. Faint, mournful wind sounds emanated from within the valley, like ghostly wails.

"This should be it, Soul Burying Valley." Lin Xiuyai stopped, examining the strange mist. "This mist is peculiar; it can corrode Dou Qi and soul power."

Xiao Chen tried to extend a wisp of soul power into the mist, and immediately felt a bone-chilling cold power entangle it, rapidly eroding his perception. "It's indeed troublesome; forcing our way through would consume too much."

Han Yue observed for a moment, then pointed to the cliff face on one side of the valley entrance: "There seems to be a place where the energy fluctuations are relatively weak; perhaps we can try to break through there."

The three circled to the cliff face and indeed found the mist here to be thinner. There were also traces of crude, man-made steps carved into the cliff face, winding upwards, seemingly leading to the clifftop.

"A path? It seems someone has been here before." Lin Xiuyai raised an eyebrow.

"Better safe than sorry," Xiao Chen reminded, taking the lead onto the steps. The steps were steep and slippery, covered in moss, and surrounded by swirling mist, making visibility extremely low. The three climbed cautiously.

The higher they went, the thinner the mist became, but the chilling, dead silence grew denser. Upon reaching the clifftop, the sight before them made the three pause slightly.

The clifftop was not a peak as expected, but a relatively flat, open area. The ground was paved with a type of black giant stone, covered with blurred ancient runes. In the center of the open area stood a dilapidated black stone tablet. Behind the stone tablet was a deep, downward-extending cave entrance, leading to an unknown destination. The edge of the cave entrance was smooth, clearly man-made. The interior of the cave was pitch black, exuding a soul-trembling chill and a powerful suction, like the mouth of a giant beast.

"This is the entrance?" Lin Xiuyai walked to the edge of the cave entrance and looked down, only to find it bottomless, even light was swallowed.

Han Yue carefully examined the runes on the stone tablet and the ground, her expression grave: "These runes are very ancient, a lost sealing rune, but they are now broken and ineffective. The aura emanating from the cave entrance... it doesn't seem like an ordinary tomb, but rather... a spatial rift or a cage."

Xiao Chen's soul perception fully extended into the cave, but after less than a hundred zhang, it was blocked and repelled by a powerful force filled with chaotic, violent, and deathly energy. "It's very dangerous inside; my soul perception cannot penetrate. And..." He paused, his gaze sharply Scanning the surrounding open area, "We seem to have guests."

As soon as his words fell, sounds of rushing air rang out!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Over a dozen figures flashed out from the surrounding mist or from below the cliff face, encircling the three. These individuals wore various outfits; some were in mercenary leather armor, while others were covered in black robes. Their eyes were fierce, their auras formidable, with the weakest being peak Dou Huang, and among them were four Dou Zong powerhouses! The One-Eyed Strong Man leading them had an aura that reached Five-Star Dou Zong, and his face held a sinister smile.

"Heh heh, after waiting so long, another fat sheep has finally arrived! Little brats from Jia Nan Academy, hand over your valuables and maps, and perhaps you can keep your whole corpses!" The One-Eyed Strong Man licked his lips, his gaze greedily Sweeping over Han Yue.

Another Dou Zong, shrouded in a black robe, added sinisterly: "Especially you, kid (looking at Xiao Chen), someone has offered a high price for your life!"

Xiao Chen's eyes turned cold; it was indeed aimed at him! Was it Liu Qing's doing? Or... Soul Hall?

Lin Xiuyai sneered: "Just you mere trash?"

Han Yue's jade hand was already on her sword hilt, and her moon-white Dou Qi began to circulate.

The battle was about to erupt! Behind them, the deep and eerie entrance to the Gloomy Ancient Tomb emanated an ominous aura, as if waiting for its prey to enter.