Chapter 131: Eternal Slumber

These men in black all wielded long silver blades that shimmered with a cold light; they were clearly no ordinary weapons. The power of my Winged Shadow Blade technique was unrivaled, and anyone attempting to trade blows with me head-on was courting death. Yet, these men in black were stubborn; even after being beaten into a continuous retreat, they refused to change their tactics.

By now, the others were also engaged with the men in black. First was Chen Chen. Since returning from Qulong Town, he must have practiced his spear techniques extensively; the long spear in his hand now truly resembled that of a peerless expert. With thrusts and fierce strikes, despite being at a lower cultivation level than his opponent, he fought him to a standstill, the battle raging fiercely.

As for Li Zijian, he had also switched weapons, trading his pair of fist spikes for a long halberd. He looked imposing, and despite facing a man in black two stages his senior, he showed no fear, even gaining a slight upper hand. The others were also doing their best, fighting their opponents with all their might.

The man in black facing me had been disarmed. With one final downward strike, I cleaved him in two. To my surprise, however, the man did not bleed; instead, he rapidly withered into a dried corpse, as if deflating like a punctured balloon. I did not pause but immediately scanned the area to assist those classmates who were struggling.

Not far from me was a classmate at the first stage of the Spirit Flower realm. Lacking a suitable weapon, he had already been wounded. From afar, I unleashed a bolt of Thunderclap energy, shooting directly toward his attacker. The man in black reacted quickly, dodging to the side, but I was already upon him. With a swift stroke, I severed his arm. The creature felt no pain, continuing to swing his blade with his remaining hand. Another slash from me ended his life, and I called out to the classmate: "Go help the others!"

Having said that, I dashed toward another sector. There, I caught sight of Chu Yao, who was being hunted by a man in black. Chu Yao’s cultivation progress had been rapid, reaching the first stage of the Spirit Flower realm, but she was, after all, a girl, and without a proper weapon, she could only flee. Seeing the assailant closing in on her, I sprinted with all my strength.

Regrettably, I was too late. The man in black caught up to Chu Yao, kicked her to the ground, and raised his blade to strike at her neck.

"Stop!"

My shout actually made the man pause for a fleeting moment, but he still plunged his blade into Chu Yao’s chest. Chu Yao tilted her head to look at me, tears already welling in her eyes. Despite being mortally wounded, she offered me a faint smile. I quickly formed a hand seal, and five bolts of lightning erupted, striking the man in black dead on.

"How are you? Hang in there!"

I lifted Chu Yao’s head. She looked at me and whispered, "Keep living..."

As the words left her lips, she went limp in my arms, her body gradually losing its warmth. I had shared a deep bond with Chu Yao; we had completed several games together. As a girl, it had not been easy for her to make it this far. Yet today, she had fallen into an eternal slumber within this underground palace. I was filled with resentment and a burning desire to avenge her.

I pulled the blade from her chest and laid her gently on the ground. Then, I drew my Snow Blade once more, glaring coldly at the remaining men in black.

"Give me your lives!"

I roared, my feet launching me forward like a spring as I charged at the nearest enemy. With a single slash, I slit his throat. Feeling unsatisfied, I stabbed him several more times before racing toward the next target. I felt as though I were venting my fury, and in no time, I had slaughtered every last one of the men in black.

When I returned to Chu Yao’s side, she had already turned cold.

"Rest in peace."

There was nowhere nearby to bury her, so I had to use a fire starter to cremate her remains. The other students gathered around, their faces filled with sorrow.

"Grieve in moderation; death is inevitable," Chen Chen said, fumbling for a long time before squeezing out those dry words of comfort.

I nodded. Not until her body had been reduced to ashes did we turn to leave. We had been happy to find this grand palace, but with Chu Yao’s death, everyone’s spirits had plummeted to freezing point.

"Everyone, search the area for clues. If you find anything, shout out. Keep in pairs; Li Zijian, you’re with me."

We had to keep moving forward, so I bit the bullet and issued the orders. Everyone scattered. Chen Chen, Li Zijian, and I prepared to check the staircase first. Though our moods were grim, we had to press on. Since Chu Yao was gone, we had to survive and make it out all the more. Thinking of this, I steeled myself and looked toward the stairs.

The staircase was exquisitely crafted, seemingly made of a quartz-like material, yet it was incredibly sturdy. The three of us climbed slowly, and the sensation of vertigo instantly washed over me.

Li Zijian was not bothered by the height at all; he could even jump around on the stairs.

"You really are something..." Chen Chen muttered weakly, clutching the handrail for support.

Fortunately, the staircase was not very long, and we reached the top with hearts pounding. From here, we could look directly at the coffin. It had seemed large from below, but up close, it felt as though three people could easily lie inside it. Facing the stairs—that is, on the side of the coffin—were three indentations, each appearing to correspond to something like a waist token.

I used my spiritual energy to push the coffin lid with all my might, but it remained unmoved. It seemed these tokens were the key to opening it.

"Let’s go, let’s get down," Chen Chen urged, seeing that I understood the situation. Since the lid wouldn't open, there was no point in staying, so we had to descend. I could see Chen Chen’s legs were shaking; he was walking with his back hunched and eyes closed, and I feared he might tumble down.

"Old Chen, I didn't realize you were so afraid of heights. Open your eyes, hahahaha..." Li Zijian patted Chen Chen’s shoulder as he walked down. Chen Chen was reluctant, but he was too terrified to move a muscle.

After much hesitation, Chen Chen finally made it to the bottom. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, nearly collapsing onto the floor.

"Everyone, come back here!"

I used my spiritual energy to amplify my voice, which echoed throughout the palace. Before long, everyone had gathered. Skipping the small talk, I went straight to the point.

"I’ve checked the coffin above. It requires three tokens to open, so our current mission is to find those three tokens."

Everyone understood; now that we had a direction, our objective was clear.

"Let’s go look for them."

Chen Chen and Li Zijian had no objections and followed me in a random direction. The palace was vast and, aside from being luxurious, contained no other structures. Searching was simple enough—we just had to follow the perimeter. We reached the nearby wall and began to walk along it, observing the patterns carved into the stone.