The elder's threat hung in the air, thick and suffocating. A killing intent—cold and absolute—locked onto Lin Feng's body.
His heart plunged into an icy abyss.
Fear. Fury. Desperation.
"Lie again, and you die."
But Lin Feng knew: truth might not save him either.
The elder's eyes held only contempt. A human insect.
Kill the witness. Secure the treasure.
Just escaped a Tier-4 serpent… only to die here?
Lin Feng's fists clenched, knuckles white. Teeth ground together. Rage simmered beneath the terror.
The Crimson Soul Sword. The Strange Flame. The White Tiger Soulflame Talisman…
Slaughter them all.
A futile fantasy.
His true essence was a flickering candle. The Luminous Shield Bracelet—cracked, barely functional.
Against seven? Against a Golden Core mid-stage monster?
Suicide.
Hard choices vanished. His mind raced.
"Hmph!!"
The elder's patience snapped. Silence was defiance.
His killing intent solidified. A hand twitched—sparking with violet energy.
Now.
Lin Feng flinched, playing the terrified prey.
"Mercy, Esteemed Senior! I'll speak!"
He drew a shuddering breath—a mask for frantic calculation.
"Y-you are wise. I… I did investigate."
His voice trembled convincingly.
"The spiritual energy… it pooled thickest at the cave's end. I suspected something buried. So… I dug."
Half-truth. The treasure map remained his secret.
"Deep below… I found a tunnel. A serpent's den."
He let genuine fear seep into his words.
"A monstrous beast! I barely escaped! Used every trick… then the Phenomenon erupted! It distracted the serpent! I fled!"
"A beast?" The elder's eyes sharpened. Guardian.
"Tier?"
"My strength… too weak to be sure." Lin Feng bowed lower. "But… Tier-3 mid-stage? At least! Its aura… crushed me. Only the light's distraction saved my life."
Lie.
Tier-4 would send them fleeing—after silencing him first.
Tier-3 was dangerous… but conquerable.
"Tier-3 mid-stage…" The elder's brow furrowed slightly. Acceptable. Manageable.
"How deep?"
"Three hundred meters down," Lin Feng answered promptly. "The serpent's tunnel. I followed it… until the beast appeared. Then… flight."
"Three hundred meters… and still not the source?" The elder mused. "Deeper then. Likely its lair."
Decision hardened in his gaze. He turned to Lin Feng, voice flat.
"Guide us down."
Not a request. A decree.
"The beast is ours to handle. Find the treasure…" A dismissive wave. "You leave unharmed. Perhaps… rewarded."
No choice. Refusal meant death now.
Lin Feng forced his shoulders to slump. Defeated.
"As… as the Senior commands. This lowly one… will guide you."
The elder gave a curt nod.
"Seal the entrance. Leave no trace."
"YES, ELDER!"
Three young men stepped forward—identical triplets. Foundation Establishment late-stage.
They moved in eerie unison. Ten paces from the entrance shaft.
Positioned: Left. Center. Right.
Hands rose. Identical hand-seals flowed.
"HAA!"
Orange light flared from their palms—
—and plunged into the stone floor and walls.
"RUMBLE…"
The cave itself breathed.
Stone rippled like water. The entrance shaft… shrank.
Walls flowed inward. Ceiling sagged down.
Twenty meters of tunnel compressed.
Five seconds.
Silence.
Only seamless stone remained. The entrance—erased.
Earth-Style Arts.
Lin Feng stared, awed despite himself.
Perfect coordination. Power rivaling Golden Core early-stage.
"Move."
The elder's command snapped him back.
Lin Feng turned, leading the way deeper into the sealed cave.
His mind churned.
Value. That was his shield. The moment he ceased being useful…
Death.
The triplets followed, hands trailing the walls.
Behind them, the tunnel sealed itself shut, footstep by footstep.
Two hundred meters sealed. A tomb within the mountain.
They reached the shaft. The dark maw Lin Feng had clawed from the earth.
"Down."
No hesitation allowed.
Lin Feng jumped into the abyss.
The others followed—silent shadows.
Ten Minutes Later…
Utter stillness.
Then—
—a section of the solid left wall glowed.
Soft, pulsing orange.
A sphere of light, man-sized, pushed out from the stone.
Inside stood a young man in simple grey robes.
Jian Ke.
The wandering swordsman.
"Heh." A smirk touched his lips. "The Loong Clan did know the location. Following them paid off…"
His gaze flicked to the sealed shaft entrance.
"But Lin Feng…?"
Confusion replaced triumph.
"Trapped by the Loong vipers? Forced into cannon fodder?"
He shook his head slowly. "Troublesome."
Jian Ke walked to the shaft's former location. Stared at the unbroken rock.
"Help if I can…" he murmured. "If not… my apologies, Brother Lin."
He raised a hand.
The orange sphere around him brightened.
He stepped forward—
—and sank into the solid stone floor.
Like a stone through water.
Smooth. Silent.
The light vanished.
Darkness reclaimed the cave.