Volume Two, Chapter Fifty-One: Fateful Rivals in Conflict

Before Yu Mu could see what was inside the bottle, a fierce gust of wind suddenly slashed down upon him. The overwhelming sense of danger made him instinctively dodge, but with a sickening sound, his entire arm was severed. The strike had been so swift that Yu Mu felt no pain—his arm was gone before he even realized it. He looked up in a rush, fury blazing in his chest, and roared through clenched teeth, “You again! Ye Yun!”

Ye Yun had somehow entered the room without Yu Mu noticing.

Seeing that he hadn’t managed to kill Yu Mu, Ye Yun raised his blade to strike again.

With a roar, Yu Mu transformed instantly into his bear form.

“What is this?” Ye Yun was startled by the sudden appearance of this unfamiliar beast. Taking advantage of the moment, Yu Mu rolled forward, grabbed his severed arm, and, with another roll, darted through the door.

Ye Yun knew Yu Mu was a demon cultivator, but had never expected his true form to be such a creature. Snatching up the medicine bottle that had fallen to the floor, Ye Yun turned to pursue him, only to find that Yu Mu had already vanished.

He never could have guessed Yu Mu had such a trick up his sleeve...

After passing through the teleportation gate, Yu Mu doubled back several times until he finally found an empty room. Once inside, he pressed his severed limb to the wound and immediately transformed into his tree form, binding the broken branch with leaves and slowly nourishing it.

As he rooted himself into the soil of the room, he felt as though he was merging with the entire Sacred Tomb. Somewhere, a great surge of replenishing energy flooded through him, healing his wounds rapidly, though none of the energy lingered within him.

Moreover, as he fused with the Sacred Tomb, he vaguely sensed something within calling to him, as if urging him to venture deeper.

How could there be such potent life force here?

Could it be related to the tomb’s innate regenerative powers?

What truly was this Sacred Tomb?

Why were so many spiritual treasures placed here for people to fight over?

And what was it that called to him?

A torrent of questions plagued Yu Mu’s mind.

He searched through several more rooms—some were empty, others filled with pursuers. So far, he hadn’t found Meng Fang, nor had he gained anything; his luck seemed wretched.

Entering yet another room, Yu Mu found two people inside, both dressed in the robes of the Solar Sect—and judging by their figures, both were women.

He arrived just as the pair drew a gleaming, lustrous pearl from a wooden chest, clearly a spiritual artifact at first glance.

The two glanced at Yu Mu only briefly, then exited hand in hand. For the first time, he wasn't attacked by someone holding a treasure, but he had to watch helplessly as a spiritual artifact was claimed before his eyes. Was this his luck, or his misfortune?

Yu Mu walked to the center of the room and squatted down, examining a freshly shattered clay figurine on the floor. Every room had these, but they were usually broken or guarded by someone else; this was his first close look at a newly destroyed one.

The figurine was clearly a magic tool, though its precise composition was unknown. Its surface appeared as mere clay, but its interior was far more complex, crisscrossed with intricate spirit patterns.

After studying it for a while with no results, Yu Mu rose to continue searching for Meng Fang.

“Damn it, you again.”

“I don’t want this either!” Yu Mu replied, for he and these three seemed fated to cross paths—this was their third encounter.

After another escape, Yu Mu entered a new room. Inside, a man was locked in battle with a clay figurine.

Upon seeing the man, Yu Mu’s eyes lit up with delight: “I searched high and low, only to find you without effort. At last, I’ve found you.”

Without a word, Yu Mu raised his staff and struck from behind. The man, though facing away, immediately sensed the sneak attack and rolled aside, causing Yu Mu’s blow to miss and smash into a wooden chest instead. With a crack, the chest splintered, and a flute tumbled out.

The flute had taken the brunt of the greenwood staff’s blow without so much as a scratch.

“A spiritual artifact!” Both men cried out in surprise.

The man, using his roll to advantage, flicked his blade lightly, sending the flute flying toward him.

Seeing the treasure about to fall into the man’s hands, Yu Mu would not let him succeed. He swung his staff, and with a loud thud, a peach pit struck the flute, knocking it to the other side.

As he swung, Yu Mu lunged toward the flute’s new trajectory.

“Thief! Don’t even dream of it!” The man was not to be outdone and slashed at Yu Mu.

Yu Mu raised his staff to block the blade, laughing heartily: “Ye Yun, did you ever think you’d see this day? The wheel of fate turns inexorably—though I cannot yet kill you, today I’ll snatch a spiritual artifact from you to vent my anger.”

The man turned, revealing his true face—it was none other than Ye Yun!

Yu Mu’s hatred for Ye Yun ran so deep he would recognize him even if he were reduced to ashes. He’d known who it was as soon as he entered, and would never let Ye Yun claim the treasure so easily.

Ye Yun’s eyes blazed, but he was also deeply surprised; he’d just severed Yu Mu’s arm, yet here he was, fully healed.

Ye Yun gritted his teeth: “Thief, you’ve gained a few new tricks since we last met, but you’re still no match for me. Today, old grudges and new, I’ll settle them all. Slash!”

His blade flashed and was upon Yu Mu in an instant.

To be honest, Ye Yun’s blade technique was only so effective against Yu Mu. Any other opponent with less acute senses would have fallen to his unexpected, swift attacks.

Yu Mu had heard from Aunt Goose that this young man was famed as ‘Smiling Blade Crosswise’. The name held a deeper meaning.

With a horizontal slash, his opponent’s abdomen would be wounded, targeting their inner core, and the gash would resemble a wide, grinning mouth—hence the nickname.

‘Smiling Blade Crosswise’ described his swift, ruthless swordplay. In comparison, his poison skills were mediocre.

Yet Yu Mu seemed born to counter his abilities. Ye Yun’s speed and surprise lost their advantage against Yu Mu’s keen senses.

Of course, the earlier ambush was an exception—it was laced with assassination techniques.

His ‘poison’ had been absorbed by the Bloodthorn Vine, and his weapon held no superiority. His only advantage over Yu Mu was their difference in rank. But Yu Mu possessed the ability to convert spiritual power, so this time, Ye Yun’s advantage was not so absolute; at least Yu Mu could contend with him.

With a roar, Yu Mu transformed again into his bear form, raising his staff to meet the attack.

“So this is your true form?” Ye Yun asked, unable to help himself as Yu Mu turned into a beast he’d never seen before.

Yu Mu ignored him, and the two clashed fiercely.

Even better, the clay figurine originally fighting Ye Yun also joined the fray. Perhaps because it had first locked onto Ye Yun, it attacked only him.