"What kind of place is this? Why does it feel so cursed?" Di Qiu grumbled under his breath, his face pale as he stared at the increasing number of skeletal remains littering the ground. His unease was palpable, fear gripping him at every step.
Xiao Chen's expression wasn't much better. His face was pale, his sharp eyes scanning their surroundings with vigilance. His grip tightened around the stack of low-tier talismans in his hand, ready to unleash them at the first sign of danger.
Chu Kuang, on the other hand, despite the pallor on his face, maintained an unsettling calmness in his gaze. He moved with an air of confidence that set him apart from the rest. Xiao Chen noticed it but said nothing, quietly increasing the distance between himself and Chu Kuang, his wariness intensifying.
After walking another hundred meters or so, the skeletal remains became less frequent, appearing only every dozen meters. Yet, the marks of violent combat carved into the walls and floor of the corridor spoke of battles that grew increasingly intense the deeper they ventured. The oppressive atmosphere weighed heavily on everyone.
"Chu Kuang, this place reeks of something sinister. Do you honestly think we're capable of securing the treasure with our current strength? I suggest we retreat for now and revisit this place later with a proper plan," Di Qiu muttered, his voice betraying his fear as he looked around at the scorched walls and gashes left by what must have been incredibly powerful attacks.
Di Shuai, standing nearby, nodded quickly. "Big brother is right. Chu Kuang, it would be wiser to withdraw for now and regroup later. What's the harm in that?"
Chu Kuang's expression hardened, and his tone turned icy. "Entering the tiger's den is the only way to seize the tiger's cub. Cultivation itself is a defiance of the natural order. Without courage and perseverance, how do you expect to achieve greatness? Besides," his lips curled into a frosty smirk, "now that you know the location of this ancient cultivator's tomb, what's to stop you from bringing others here to claim the treasure behind our backs? There's no turning back now. You're welcome to leave, but you'd better hope you're strong enough to make it out of here alive!"
"You—!" Di Qiu's face darkened, anger and fear flashing in his eyes.
Xiao Chen watched the exchange coldly, saying nothing. At this point, retreat wasn't an option for him either. The only way was forward, but he resolved to tread cautiously.
"Look over there! Another skeleton!" Wu Wanli's voice broke the tension, his tone filled with excitement.
The group rushed forward.
This skeleton was unlike the others. It was intact, its crystalline bones glinting faintly like polished jade. Even in death, it exuded an aura of majesty, with a faint pressure radiating from its remains that sent chills down everyone's spine.
Even the usually composed Chu Kuang faltered, his face paling further. "A Golden Core cultivator…"
The words hung in the air like a thunderclap. The group exchanged uneasy glances, their fear reflected in each other's eyes. A place capable of killing a Golden Core expert—a figure who could reshape mountains and rivers with a wave of their hand—was no ordinary danger zone.
Xiao Chen forced down his rising panic and focused on the skeleton. It sat upright against the corridor wall, its bony fingers crossed before it, with one thumb eerily pointing toward something deeper within the passage. The gesture sent a chill down his spine.
Xiao Chen masked his thoughts, his face returning to an impassive calm.
"A storage pouch! There's a storage pouch here!" Di Qiu exclaimed, his voice quivering with excitement as he pointed to a dusty, nondescript pouch lying beside the skeleton.
The group's eyes lit up, greed and anticipation gleaming in their gazes. A Golden Core cultivator's storage pouch could hold unimaginable wealth.
"My fellow cultivators," Chu Kuang began, suppressing his own greed, "let's split the contents evenly. If there's something we can't divide equally, we'll settle the difference with spirit stones. Agreed?"
The others hesitated briefly before nodding. Greed still burned in their eyes, but no one dared contest Chu Kuang's proposal outright.
Chu Kuang reached for the pouch cautiously, chanting a detection spell to ensure it wasn't trapped. When nothing happened, he picked it up and scanned its contents with his divine sense. His eyes widened, and his breath quickened.
"Clatter!"
Chu Kuang dumped the storage pouch's contents onto the ground, and the passage was immediately filled with a dazzling array of treasures. Spirit stones, pills, magical artifacts, jade slips, and talismans spilled out, forming a veritable mountain of riches.
Xiao Chen's eyes narrowed, and a fiery desire flickered within them. Among the pile were tens of thousands of spirit stones, including hundreds of mid-grade stones, over a hundred magical artifacts, and countless pills and talismans. The sheer value of the haul was staggering—easily worth tens of thousands of low-grade spirit stones. Even among Golden Core cultivators, this would be considered an exceptional fortune.
"We've struck gold… This is it!" Di Qiu and Di Shuai were trembling with excitement, muttering incoherently as they gazed at the fortune before them.
Half an hour later, the group divided the treasures. Even though the air of suspicion among them lingered, the wealth they gained left them momentarily appeased. The Di brothers, in particular, were practically glowing with excitement.
But their joy was short-lived.
A low rumble echoed through the corridor, and the faint tremor beneath their feet brought everyone to an abrupt halt. Chu Kuang's earlier elation vanished, replaced by a look of pure dread.
Xiao Chen turned slowly, his body tense. Two pairs of crimson eyes stared back at them from the darkness.
The eyes belonged to two massive constructs embedded in the corridor walls, previously thought to be dormant statues. Now, the golden-armored figures stirred, their stone bodies groaning ominously as they came to life.
"Damn it!" Chu Kuang cursed, his voice trembling. "The puppets—they're waking up! I thought their energy cores were exhausted!"
The group staggered back as the constructs emitted guttural growls, their crimson eyes glowing with murderous intent. A suffocating pressure emanated from their bodies, locking the five in place.
"These are guardians of the ancient cultivator's tomb. Based on my calculations, their energy should have been depleted long ago," Chu Kuang said, his face pale but his tone steadier. "But it seems they've reactivated for some reason. Luckily, their strength has degraded to the Foundation Establishment stage. If they were still at Golden Core level, we'd already be dead."
"Golden Core puppets…" Xiao Chen's breath hitched. He had always heard tales of the ancient cultivators' godlike abilities, but to see such creations with his own eyes left him shaken. These puppets, even in their weakened state, had likely been responsible for the death of the Golden Core expert whose remains now littered this cursed corridor.
"Brace yourselves!" Xiao Chen growled, his hands tightening around his talismans as the puppets let out another bone-chilling roar and began to advance.