Volume Two, Chapter Fifty-Five: Raiders of the Lost Treasure

“Ow!”
“Ah!”
Meng Fang crossed his arms arrogantly, gazing down at the two Free Alliance disciples whose faces were now swollen beyond recognition. “Since I’m in a good mood today, I’ll spare your miserable lives. Now get lost!”
“Yes, yes!” The two men, tails between their legs, scurried away in disgrace.
The three of them burst into laughter and stepped forward to open the wooden chest.
“Damn it, another artifact! Our luck is just terrible,” Meng Fang cursed, tossing the spiritual tool he had just retrieved to Old Qu.
These low-grade spiritual tools were of little use to the three of them, but they would make excellent gifts for the Eagle Ridge disciples who hadn’t come along.
Since the founding of their “robbery gang,” this was the fifth treasure-bearing room they’d encountered. The finest thing they’d found in all five rooms was a single mid-grade artifact—a Flying Sword.
Who could say what the tomb’s owner had been thinking, designing this holy mausoleum as if it were built specifically for treasure hunters?
After spending some time here, Yu Mu had more or less pieced together the nature of this level of the holy tomb.
First, all the doors were teleportation gates, but where they led was random. Passing through a gate could send you into a corridor or into a room. If several people wanted to appear together, they had to be touching.
Second, every room contained a wooden chest filled with magical treasures, and there was even a slim chance of finding a spiritual treasure, though the odds were vanishingly small.
Third, every chamber had clay golems as guardians. These golems varied in strength, depending on the spirit controlling them, but most were comparable to cultivators at the Core Formation stage.
Fourth, this holy tomb had clearly been visited before; there were skeletons and rotted chests scattered throughout.
But why had the Saint designed his tomb this way? What was his purpose?
…
“Wow! There’s no one here!”
The three of them entered, elated. This was the first room they’d found with an unopened chest and no other soul in sight.
Impatiently, they rushed to the chest.
“Heaven above, earth below, let the great spirit of nature bless me—grant me a spiritual treasure!” Meng Fang intoned devoutly, performing a most peculiar little ritual.

“Wow, the great spirit of nature has answered!”
Perhaps Meng Fang’s prayer had worked, for this time the chest revealed an extraordinary artifact: a mirror.
It wasn’t a spiritual treasure, but the mirror’s very appearance proclaimed it was no ordinary item. As they gazed into it, countless shifting phantasms appeared alongside their reflections, dazzling their eyes.
This was a spiritual-type artifact, and such treasures were among the rarest. This mirror’s practical value even surpassed that of many ordinary spiritual treasures.
The three could barely contain their excitement and were about to claim it, when suddenly there was a loud crash—a crescent-shaped blade light slashed out, shattering the wooden chest. The arc of light swept past them and then circled behind.
“Who’s there!” Meng Fang roared. The trio spun around, ready for a fight.
“It’s you?!” At the sight of the newcomer, the three were both startled and furious.
Standing behind them was none other than Gufeng and his group—the ones who’d split off from them at the start.
Meng Fang’s expression darkened. “Gufeng, what’s the meaning of this?”
Gufeng sneered, holding a crescent blade in one hand and picking up the mirror with the other. “What meaning? The treasures here have no master—naturally, the strong claim them. Isn’t that how it should be?”
He dangled the mirror before them. “If you want it, try taking it from me—if you have the strength.”
This blatant provocation and plundering enraged the trio.
Old Qu gave a furious shout, conjuring a golden spear in his hand. “Gufeng, the lord made it clear: while exploring this tomb, we are not to harm our fellow disciples. If you violate the sect’s rules, not even your Wolf Clan’s favor with the Great Sage will save you. You’ll have to answer for it!”
Gufeng curled his lip. “Have I broken any rules? Have I harmed a fellow disciple? Like I said—if you have the ability, take it from me. I won’t accuse you of anything. If you can’t, then this treasure is mine. That’s fair, isn’t it?”
Old Qu’s anger boiled over. He lunged with his spear. “I’ve had enough of your Wolf Clan’s arrogance. Today, on behalf of all the tribes of Eagle Ridge, I’ll teach you some humility. It’s time you learned what it means to keep your tail down.”
Gufeng caught the hidden insult instantly, his eyes flashing with menace. “Very well. Let’s see which of us will be tucking his tail today.”
With a flicker of blade light, his crescent blade spun like a silver serpent along the spear’s shaft, slashing toward Old Qu.
So fast—!
In an instant, the blade was upon him. If Old Qu didn’t let go, both his hands would be forfeit.

With a clang, the golden spear crashed to the ground, and all three drew a sharp breath.
They had known Gufeng was formidable, but not to this monstrous degree.
Old Qu, unwilling to concede, summoned his spear back for another round, but Meng Fang stopped him.
Though there had been an element of surprise in Gufeng’s attack, the gap between Old Qu and Gufeng was plainly vast. To fight again would only invite humiliation.
“Gufeng, well said. The treasures of the holy tomb belong to no one—if you have the strength, take what you like. But no victory lasts forever. Keep it for now. One day, I’ll reclaim it myself. Farewell!”
With that, he dragged his companions from the room.
Arrogant as Gufeng was, he dared not lay a hand on Meng Fang. Meng Fang’s status in Eagle Ridge was well known; harming him could spell doom for the Wolf Clan, unless Gufeng could kill everyone here.
They returned to the corridor.
“Wolf whelps—utterly lawless! When we return, I’ll report to the lord. If these people aren’t reined in, they’ll be out of control,” Old Qu fumed.
None of them had expected that, after agreeing to rob others, they would be robbed by their own. The humiliation was bitter indeed.
Meng Fang’s smile was cold. “Today’s disgrace is on account of our own weakness. If we’re shamed, it’s only fair—we’ve stolen from others ourselves. Instead of complaining, let’s focus on finding treasures and growing stronger. Revenge, as they say, is a dish best served cold. We’ll settle things in time.”
“Exactly! Sooner or later, we’ll show him our true strength. Come, let’s keep searching.”
Old Qu rallied them, and they stepped into the teleportation gate once more…

As soon as Old Qu poked his head through the door, he saw a massive blade descending toward him.
The blade struck his bald head squarely—but left not a mark, while a great chip flew off the attacker’s sword.
Howling with rage, Old Qu shook his head and unleashed a thunderous roar straight into his assailant’s face.
Blood streamed from the man’s seven orifices, and he crumpled to the ground like a heap of mud.
Old Qu’s roar had killed the attacker on the spot.