Chapter 24: Foundation Establishment Late Stage

Above the ancient tomb, a crowd of elders had already returned here, waiting for their own disciples to come out.

「Whoosh! 」

Not long after, the formation was opened, and the figures of Lu Chen and the four others flew out.

I had thought the other disciples were still behind, but several elders waited in vain.

「Xiao Qingyang, Yunheng, where are the other disciples? 」

One of the elders asked.

He had sent three disciples down, yet not a single one returned.

「All dead. 」 Xiao Qingyang's tone was very calm.

「Dead? I gave them so many life‑saving treasures, and they just died like that? 」

The elder obviously didn't believe what Xiao Qingyang said.

Just then, the messenger walked up:

「What he said is true. 」

With a prohibition on him, the messenger firmly believed Xiao Qingyang would not lie.

「What?! Really dead? 」

This newly promoted elder, who only had those three disciples, had originally planned to rely on the gains from this ancient tomb to cultivate them all together, but didn't expect them all to die.

At that moment, the other several elders also suddenly realized.

Although they rarely came into contact with the ancient tombs of the burial grounds, an ancient tomb with such a high mortality rate is indeed extremely rare.

I had wanted to try my luck, but ended up losing all my principal.

「Looks like this year's Grand Competition... 」

Not far away, Su Qian stood behind all the elders.

Seeing Lu Chen appear, she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

But at the same time, her curiosity about Lu Chen grew a bit more.

「So many Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivators died, even Xiao Qingyang and Yunheng were bloodied and injured, yet he emerged completely unscathed. 」

What Su Qian thought was also what many elders thought at that moment.

They had never looked down on Lu Chen from start to finish, but they really hadn't expected him to return from the ancient tomb completely unharmed.

Just as they were thinking that, a single sentence from Lu Chen left them all stunned in place.

「Messenger, I've been cultivating in the main burial chamber these three days, not facing danger like them. 」 Lu Chen's words were naturally answering the messenger's question.

「Therefore, I have no gains. 」

While speaking, he could still meet the other's gaze with his eyes, showing he wasn't lying.

「Rather, he's life‑cherishing... how about you guys? 」

The messenger's expression was cold, his words carrying a hint of sarcasm.

The elders who understood why Lu Chen was unscathed were also furious at this point.

Since Su Qian selected Lu Chen, they had always assumed he possessed some extraordinary ability or sufficient confidence.

「Turns out, it's just relying on being life‑cherishing... 」

「Alas, it's also a case of the foolish having foolish luck; it's just a pity for the disciple I cultivated who was seized. 」

A few elders who had lost disciples flashed a hint of bitterness in their eyes; seeing that nothing else would change, they quickly left.

After those few people left, Xiao Qingyang, Yunheng, and the surviving disciple had already taken out all their gains.

Regarding the gains of these three, the messenger grew increasingly annoyed the more he looked.

He himself was merely an ordinary core disciple of the Heaven Demon Sect, and only with difficulty had he obtained the qualification to explore this ancient tomb.

Who would have thought that after this exploration, he would hardly have anything usable for himself.

「Looks like I can only hope to scrape some profit from this year's Grand Competition... 」

「Otherwise, next time I'll be squeezed out of the core position. 」

The messenger's expression was cold; as he pondered, he waved his hand and said:

「Alright, you all keep these things; since the exploration is over, go back and properly prepare for the Grand Competition. 」

Compared to the messenger's utter lack of interest, Lu Chen was actually very interested in their gains.

As for how to show that interest, of course it was to find a chance to seize them.

Anyway, they're all demonic cultivators; taking his stuff counts as doing heaven's work.

Lu Chen was just thinking about how to seize the stuff in the future when Su Qian suddenly approached, somewhat mysteriously.

She opened a soundproof array and, pretending to be aloof, asked:

「Master... did you really gain nothing from exploring this ancient tomb this time? 」

「No gains? Others might believe it, but Su Qian absolutely does not. 」

Hearing her words, Lu Chen gave a half‑smile and looked at her: 「The messenger has placed a True Word Seal; you don't believe the messenger? 」

「I don't believe him; I believe you... 」

「Hahahaha!!! 」 Lu Chen burst into loud laughter upon hearing Su Qian's words.

This woman really has seen through me.

「You guessed well; I'll reward you when we go back. 」

Saying that, he then gave her a hard pinch.

Of course, no one noticed this scene.

Because the Grand Competition is imminent these days, the Sect Master of the Qing Luo Sect did not appear this time.

After the messenger finished speaking, the remaining elders quickly took their disciples and flew back to the sect.

Just as when they came, Su Qian and Lu Chen landed at the rear of the group.

While on the flying sword, Lu Chen clearly saw the situation below in the Burial Bone Ground.

As far as the eye could see, the ground was covered with demonic beasts.

"Don't look over there..."

Lu Chen sensed a powerful aura; just as he was about to turn aside to look, Su Qian suddenly stopped him.

"That Wind Wing Demon bears a grudge; don't meet its gaze."

"A Wind Wing Demon? What rank is it?" Lu Chen asked curiously.

"Sixth-rank peak."

Upon hearing that the demonic beast was actually a sixth-rank peak, Lu Chen instantly felt timid.

He knew what could be provoked and what could not; a true man can bend and stretch—when his strength is sufficient, he will surely come to meet it.

Returning to the sect, the news that over a dozen Foundation Establishment disciples had perished had already spread everywhere.

Lu Chen didn't linger elsewhere; instead, he followed Su Qian to her residence.

"Guard my Dharma; I am about to break through to late Foundation Establishment."

After staying three days in the Burial Bone Ground, only two days remained before the grand competition.

Since he was interested in the six forbidden techniques of the Demonic Skill Pavilion, he naturally wanted to break through with all his might.

"You're breaking through again?" Su Qian exclaimed, quite surprised upon hearing it.

"How long has it been, and you're breaking through again?"

"Mm." Lu Chen gave a soft hum, then skillfully opened the door to her residence and, familiar with the way, walked into the bedroom.

Seeing this, Su Qian immediately deployed a formation to guard his Dharma.

As time passed, she felt that within the bedroom, Lu Chen's aura had become extremely terrifying.

"What kind of foundation has he actually established? Could it be more than just spirit-grade?"

"With my upper-grade foundation, I reached the Condensing Spirit Realm in just a few decades; if he truly has a spirit-grade foundation, wouldn't he be able to achieve a Cave Heaven?"

"Even the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect is nothing more than a perfected Cave Heaven..."

She pondered, and the expression on her face began to grow complex again.

If it were her former personality, she would have possessed Lu Chen ten thousand times over by now.

Alas, things remain but people have changed.

Half a day passed quickly; Lu Chen's aura surged rapidly, and he had already reached an extremely terrifying state.

In Su Qian's words, it was that she had never felt such an aura from any Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Even some early Nurturing Elixir cultivators are not as strong as Lu Chen now demonstrates.

"Late Foundation Establishment can already rival Nurturing Elixir; a spirit-grade foundation is truly terrifying..."

At the very moment Lu Chen successfully broke through, he suddenly sensed a disturbance in the depths of his sea of consciousness.

Looking inward, he suddenly discovered that the Empress had actually awakened...