The interior of the tomb was a vast cavern, illuminated by floating luminous moss.
In front of the two sects lay a chasm. It was bottomless, shrouded in black mist.
Spanning the chasm was a single, narrow bridge made of floating stone slabs. But the air above the bridge was filled with Flying Swords. Hundreds of rusty blades swirled in a chaotic vortex, creating a meat grinder for anyone who dared to cross.
"The Trial of Swords," Lei Ming stopped, his face grim. "We have to cross that?"
Ye Chen stepped forward. He threw a rock onto the bridge.
Zip-zip-zip!
The rock was sliced into dust before it even hit the stone slab.
"It reacts to movement," Ye Chen analyzed. "We need to deflect the swords while moving."
"Impossible," a disciple cried. "There are too many!"
Ye Chen took a deep breath. "I will go first. I will draw their fire. You all follow close behind."
"Ye Chen, you are crazy!" Yan Luo grabbed his arm. "You are exhausted!"
"If I don't do it, who will?" Ye Chen looked at her with those damn heroic eyes. "Trust me."
He stepped onto the bridge.
Whirrr!
The vortex descended. A swarm of rusty swords dived at him like a school of piranhas.
"Solar Guard!"
Ye Chen swung his heavy sword, creating a sphere of golden light. Clang! Clang! Clang! Sparks flew as he parried dozens of strikes per second.
"Move!" he shouted.
The Azure Cloud disciples scrambled onto the bridge behind him, huddled in his shadow.
Lei Ming hesitated, then signaled his men. "Use them as shields! Follow the Azure Cloud Sect!"
The Violet Sword Sect followed, letting Ye Chen take the brunt of the assault while they conserved their strength.
Mo Tian stood at the edge of the chasm. He was the last one left.
"Impressive," Mo Tian admitted. "Stupid, but impressive."
He looked at the Statue of the Guardian—a stone warrior standing silently by the entrance of the bridge.
While everyone was focused on the bridge, Mo Tian slipped into the shadows behind the statue.
He found a small, depressed brick in the wall.
"Hidden path found."
He pressed it.
The wall slid open silently. A damp, dark corridor was revealed.
Mo Tian stepped inside, and the wall closed behind him.
The Control Room
The hidden corridor didn't lead to the other side of the chasm. It led under it.
Mo Tian walked through the damp tunnel, killing a few Rank 2 Spiders with a flick of his finger. He arrived at a small, circular chamber.
In the center was a stone pedestal with a complex array glowing blue.
[System Identification: Tomb Array Core (Auxiliary)] [Function: Controls the trap density and environmental hazards.]
"Jackpot," Mo Tian grinned.
He placed his hand on the array.
[Intruder Detected. Verification Required.]
"Devour."
Mo Tian didn't verify. He injected his black Villain Qi directly into the matrix. The blue light flickered, turned purple, and then surrendered.
[System Hacked. Access Granted.]
A holographic projection of the bridge appeared above the pedestal.
Mo Tian could see the dots representing the disciples. The big golden dot was Ye Chen. He was halfway across, struggling. His barrier was flickering.
"Let's make this interesting," Mo Tian murmured.
He turned a dial on the array.
[Trap Density: Increased to 150%]
On the bridge, the disciples screamed.
"The swords! They're getting faster!"
"Brother Ye, hold the line!"
Ye Chen coughed blood. The pressure had suddenly doubled. "Why... why is it getting harder?"
Mo Tian watched the projection. He saw a Violet Sword disciple shove an Azure Cloud disciple out of the safety zone to protect himself. The Azure Cloud disciple was instantly shredded by the flying swords.
"Chaos," Mo Tian whispered.
He looked at the dial again. He saw a setting marked [Targeting Parameters].
Currently, it was set to [Proximity].
Mo Tian changed it to [Lowest Vitality].
On the bridge, the swords suddenly ignored Ye Chen. They curved around him, diving toward the wounded and weak disciples hiding in the back.
"No!" Ye Chen screamed, turning around. "They are changing targets!"
It was a massacre. Five disciples fell in seconds. Blood stained the floating stones.
Yan Luo, who was guarding the rear, was forced to draw her sword.
"Moonlight Dance!"
She fought desperately, but she was overwhelmed. A sword grazed her shoulder. Another cut her leg.
"Yan Luo!" Ye Chen tried to run back, but the bridge was too narrow, blocked by panicked people.
In the control room, Mo Tian watched Yan Luo bleed.
"Fear, Yan Luo," Mo Tian whispered to the image. "Feel the helplessness. Realize that your Hero cannot save everyone. Realize that Light is weak."
He watched until Yan Luo was cornered, terror in her eyes.
"Now," Mo Tian deactivated the trap.
On the bridge, the swords suddenly stopped. They hovered for a second, then returned to the ceiling.
The disciples collapsed, gasping for air. They were alive, but barely.
"It... it stopped?" Ye Chen panted, bleeding from a dozen cuts.
"We survived..." Yan Luo slumped, clutching her bleeding shoulder. She looked at Ye Chen. He was strong, yes. But he had failed to protect them. Five people were dead because he led them into a trap he couldn't control.
In the control room, Mo Tian stepped away from the pedestal.
"Seed watered," he smirked.
He walked toward the exit of the hidden tunnel. This tunnel bypassed the bridge entirely and led directly to the Hall of Rewards.
"While they lick their wounds," Mo Tian said, equipping his Mask of the Nameless, "I will go see what the Sword Saint left for me."