Chapter 277

"Young Master Lin, no problem!"

Having received Lin Chen's reminder, Liu Yue recovered her calm and walked past the two battle puppets herself.

The two battle puppets remained indifferent.

"Mm."

With Liu Yue's verification, Lin Chen didn't hesitate and also headed toward the palace; the two entered the palace one after the other.

The moment he stepped into the palace, Lin Chen felt that unique energy from when he touched the stone tablet earlier sweep across his whole body again.

"Who is this?"

A corpse lay on the floor of the main hall.

"It's someone from the Xiang family."

Liu Yue walked up to check the face of the corpse on the ground and turned back to look at Lin Chen: "It's Cao Shan, ranked twenty-first on the Earth Rank."

"So this Cao Shan also knew about this Qingtian Sect tomb matter?"

"Mm."

Liu Yue nodded; the reason why the young disciples of the four great families hadn't been able to discover this palace tomb in the past, besides their own strength not being strong enough to walk here, was more importantly that without a map, it was almost impossible to find the tomb in three days.

That Cao Shan was able to arrive one step ahead of her; he must have had a tomb map.

"Young Master Lin, this Cao Shan only has three demon cores on him."

Liu Yue very naturally groped on Cao Shan for a long while, untied the bag at his waist, and tossed it to Lin Chen.

Looting a corpse!

It was a traditional skill that most martial artists knew; there was nothing shameful about it.

"What a pity, these three demon cores have already been registered by Cao Shan."

Lin Chen didn't feel regret upon hearing this; the points he had currently obtained for the Dan family were already worthy of the reward the Dan family had offered.

"With Cao Shan's strength, he wouldn't just kill three demon beasts; the demon beasts encountered along the way wouldn't be fewer than ten. It seems Cao Shan chose to avoid these demon beasts."

"Correct, I also think so."

Lin Chen nodded, acknowledging Liu Yue's judgment.

"How did this Cao Shan die? There are no wounds on his body, and looking at his appearance, it doesn't look like poisoning."

Liu Yue frowned; an Earth Rank powerhouse dying inexplicably cast a shadow in her heart.

The family only had a map to the tomb, but they knew nothing about the situation inside the tomb.

"Perhaps, it's related to that thing."

Lin Chen's gaze looked above Liu Yue's head. Liu Yue followed Lin Chen's line of sight and looked up, her beautiful eyes freezing.

At the dome of the palace above, there was a star array outlined with jade.

In the very center of that star array, there was a groove.

"This is an array?"

Liu Yue had a judgment in her heart: "Cao Shan became like this after pressing the array; could it be that this array is dangerous after being activated?"

"If there is danger, does Miss Liu decide to give up?"

Lin Chen's rhetorical question made Liu Yue silent for a long while: "No!"

For today's scene, the clan had prepared for decades; how could she give up so easily.

Liu Yue wouldn't give up, and Lin Chen was also very curious about this Qingtian Sect; their eyes met, and both read the firmness in the other's eyes.

"Young Master Lin, I'm going to activate the array."

"Mm."

After Lin Chen agreed, Liu Yue flicked her right finger toward the protruding stone of the array above her head.

The protruding stone was pressed down by force, and soon light flowed in the sky of the dome, and a burst of energy rippled through the entire main hall. After this energy rippled, a stone door rose out of thin air from beneath the ground and appeared in front of Lin Chen and Liu Yue.

"Those who enter the stone door must first pass the Divine Soul test; those who fail will have their Divine Souls extinguished."

Above the stone door, a line of red blood characters slowly revealed itself. Lin Chen and Liu Yue looked at each other, and in their hearts, they understood how Cao Shan had died.

Divine Soul extinguished!

No wonder this Cao Shan had no external injuries.

Liu Yue looked at this line of blood characters, her expression becoming serious.

Entering the stone door carried risks.

Her agreement with Lin Chen was to let Lin Chen help her obtain the Sect-Leading Order; this agreement was more about Lin Chen blocking others for her when encountering others snatching it.

"Young Master Lin, this little girl didn't expect it to be this situation; this stone door... if Young Master Lin is unwilling to enter, you can wait outside. If this little girl fails, I should be the same as this Cao Shan, and my corpse will appear outside. At that time, I'll trouble Young Master Lin to bring my corpse out; after leaving the ruins, elders from my family will come to find Young Master Lin."

Liu Yue didn't ask Lin Chen to accompany her into the stone door, and Lin Chen was also considering whether he should enter this stone door.

A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall; the attraction of the Sect-Leading Order to him was indeed not great.

And just as Lin Chen was considering, there was movement at the entrance, and several figures appeared at the entrance.

"The rumors are indeed true; Senior Brother Gao is truly amazing."

"Yo, didn't expect someone to arrive even earlier than us."

After figures appeared at the entrance, Liu Yue moved a bit closer to Lin Chen's side.

Lin Chen's eyes also narrowed slightly, but he wasn't too surprised; since Liu Yue could aim for this Sect-Leading Order, and Cao Shan was the same, it was acceptable that Gao Yongsi could also find this place.

Everyone's purpose was the same, just using the opportunity of the four great families' competition to enter the ruins.

What surprised Lin Chen was that this Zhuang Lei actually followed behind Gao Yongsi; it seemed the relationship between Gao Yongsi and the Zhuang family was deeper than he had imagined.

"Aren't you from the Dan family? Why are you walking together with the Zhou family's people?"

Zhuang Lei saw Lin Chen and Liu Yue, and when his gaze lingered on Liu Yue, it carried a trace of heat; when he looked at Lin Chen, his eyes were full of disdain.

In Zhuang Lei's heart, besides Yun Zhongjin, who could be slightly regarded by him, the other four invited by the Dan family were just glanced at, and he wouldn't even care about their names.

Lin Chen didn't answer Zhuang Lei's words, and Gao Yongsi walked straight ahead as if there were no one else around; when he saw the words on the stone door, his expression didn't change at all.

"I want to see how one's Divine Soul is extinguished!"

Gao Yongsi had absolute confidence in his eyes and walked straight into the stone door with big strides.

"Miss Liu, even if you want to find someone to cooperate with, you can find our Zhuang family; some people are afraid they can't bring you any benefits."

Zhuang Lei saw Gao Yongsi enter the stone door and followed closely behind, but when brushing past Liu Yue, he said something meaningful.

"No need."

Liu Yue's face was cold; she couldn't cooperate with the Zhuang family because she and Gao Yongsi were competitors.

Zhuang Lei heard this, just looked at Liu Yue and Lin Chen with a sinister look, and was about to follow into the stone door.

However, just as Zhuang Lei was about to step into the stone door, Lin Chen moved; his figure shot out, and he struck Zhuang Lei with the Wind and Cloud Palm without reservation.

The main reason he agreed to Dan Muqing to come to this place was aiming for Zhuang Lei.

Now Zhuang Lei appeared in front of him, and Gao Yongsi was no longer there; it was a good opportunity to strike.

It wasn't that he was afraid of Gao Yongsi, but if his killing of Zhuang Lei was seen by others, then after leaving the ruins, the news would be exposed, and those powerhouses of the Zhuang family would strike at him. Lin Chen believed Liu Yue wouldn't betray him, and judging from Gao Yongsi's behavior, he didn't take Zhuang Lei too seriously; his goal was that Sect-Leading Order.

Bang!

Lin Chen struck with all his strength, and it was an ambush; Zhuang Lei hadn't expected it at all and had no reaction, directly having his entire spine shattered by Lin Chen and instantly collapsing on the ground like soft mud.

Liu Yue on the side also reacted at this moment, and the look in her eyes toward Lin Chen carried a trace of wariness.

"Miss Liu, I have some personal grudges with the Zhuang family; it won't affect the cooperation between the two of us."

Seeing the wariness in Liu Yue's eyes, Lin Chen explained; his rash action made Liu Yue think he had other intentions.

"This little girl understands; Young Master Lin, please do as you please; I will keep this matter secret."

Liu Yue realized; she chose to believe Lin Chen. If Lin Chen had selfish motives for the Sect-Leading Order, he wouldn't have reminded her when facing those two battle puppets outside the main hall earlier.

Lin Chen looked at Zhuang Lei, who was collapsed in front of the stone door, now looking at him with disbelief, and a cold smile curled at the corners of his mouth; he imagined Zhuang Lei would never have thought he would strike at him.

"Are you confused why I would strike at you?"

Lin Chen walked over step by step, seeing the confusion revealed in Zhuang Lei's eyes, and the smile on his face became even brighter.

"Bang!"

However, the next moment, Lin Chen stepped directly on Zhuang Lei's throat; a crisp sound of throat bone shattering came out, and Zhuang Lei still had a look of confusion on his face until he died.

Before an enemy dies, clearing up their confusion can certainly bring pleasure.

But Lin Chen had read so many novels and TV dramas in his past life; those villains who were eventually turned over had a big reason because they talked too much.

"Miss Liu, wait a moment."

After killing Zhuang Lei, Lin Chen carried Zhuang Lei's corpse out of the palace and only returned after a cup of tea's time.

"Young Master Lin, this little girl will definitely not leak this matter, but what about Gao Yongsi's side?"

Liu Yue saw Lin Chen return and knew Lin Chen must have gone to deal with Zhuang Lei's corpse.

In this deep mountain, killing someone and throwing the corpse anywhere, no one would discover it.

But if time ended and Zhuang Lei didn't come out, the Zhuang family would definitely investigate, and Gao Yongsi would definitely mention the meeting with the two.

"Gao Yongsi and Zhuang Lei don't have a deep relationship; in his eyes, this Zhuang Lei is just a tool man."

Lin Chen could guess a thing or two about Gao Yongsi's thoughts; this person was extremely arrogant, which could be seen from his ignoring him and Liu Yue when he entered.

But arrogance didn't mean stupidity and lack of brains; Gao Yongsi was arrogant because he was confident in his own strength. He and Liu Yue entered one step ahead, and Gao Yongsi couldn't have not sized them up, and he himself could sense Liu Yue's extraordinary nature; this Gao Yongsi should at least be able to see a little bit.

If Gao Yongsi and Zhuang Lei really had a good relationship, he wouldn't have left Zhuang Lei behind, at least he would have given a verbal reminder.

"Since Young Master Lin has already thought it through, then it's fine; let's go in too."

Liu Yue didn't want to delay any longer; she didn't know what the situation was inside this stone door, and Gao Yongsi had already been in for a while; she couldn't drag it out any longer.

"Mm."

Lin Chen nodded; this time he didn't wait for Liu Yue to enter first but walked toward the stone door first.

He was using practical action to let Liu Yue rest assured.

The moment his body stepped into the stone door, Lin Chen's body trembled, and a feeling of fainting arose in his whole person, but with the vibration of the spirit platform in his mind, this feeling of fainting disappeared instantly.

The fainting disappeared, and the moment his mind recovered clarity, Lin Chen scanned the surroundings for the first time, and finally, his gaze fell on a beam of light ahead.

Gao Yongsi was shrouded in the beam of light, his eyes closed tightly, his brows locked, seemingly enduring some kind of pressure.

And just as Lin Chen was sizing up Gao Yongsi, a beam of light also fell from above his head, shrouding him within it.

"Qingtian test activated!"

A majestic voice sounded in Lin Chen's ear, and the next moment the scene around Lin Chen changed, and he appeared between a vast heaven and earth.

Rumble!

Thunder shook the sky, as if to tear the firmament apart.

Bang!

After a long while, a thunderclap exploded.

Lin Chen only felt his spirit platform start to shake under the impact of this thunder, but fortunately, it only shook a few times before stabilizing.

"Is this the Divine Soul test?"

Lin Chen had a bright light in his eyes; a martial artist's spirit platform is the Divine Soul, and the Martial Way will is something born from the Divine Soul.

This thunder directly strikes the Divine Soul!

Rumble!

Just as Lin Chen had a judgment in his heart, the thunder sounded again from the firmament.

One sound,

Two sounds,

Three sounds...

The thunder sounded more and more urgently, Lin Chen's spirit platform shook constantly, but it remained stable throughout.

After hundreds of breaths, the thunder finally dissipated, the scene around Lin Chen changed, and he returned to reality once again.

This time, the beam of light on his body disappeared.

"Did I pass the test?"

Without the restraint of the beam of light, Lin Chen found he could walk around at will, and at the same time, he also saw Liu Yue's figure.

Liu Yue's body also had a beam of light; at this moment, Liu Yue was also frowning, her pretty face carrying a pale color, but different from Gao Yongsi, the beam of light on Liu Yue was light green, while the beam of light on Gao Yongsi was dark green.

"The depth of this beam of light's color should represent the progress of accepting the test; Gao Yongsi came in early, so his progress is faster than Liu Yue's, but according to time, I have already passed the test, so there's no reason Gao Yongsi is still accepting it, unless the frequency of this thunder changes according to the situation of the test-taker."

Thinking of this possibility, Lin Chen's mouth twitched; wasn't this pitting people?

Just because he could hold up, the frequency of the thunder falling during his test increased.

"Little friend, do you want to undergo the second test?"

A gentle voice suddenly sounded, and all the hair on Lin Chen's body stood up instantly; looking at the black-robed middle-aged man who suddenly appeared in front of him, his eyes carried wariness.

"Who are you?"

"You entered my tomb, and you don't know who I am?"

"Senior, are you the Qingtian Sect sect master?"

Lin Chen didn't say the four words "last generation"; saying this was a bit hurtful.

"Mm, this seat is indeed the last generation sect master of the Qingtian Sect; little friend doesn't need to save face for this seat."

Lin Chen's pupils shrank; at this moment, goosebumps rose all over his body again. This person could actually hear his inner thoughts?

"My Qingtian Sect cultivates the Divine Soul puppet path, and this place has an array set up by this seat, so it's not surprising to know little friend's inner voice, but it's a pity that the energy in this place is insufficient, so even this seat can only detect it when little friend is not on guard; like little friend's current mental guard, this seat doesn't know what little friend is thinking."

Hearing this, Lin Chen tried to whisper in his heart: "What a dead pervert."

Afterward, seeing that this senior's expression didn't change, he confirmed that the other party was telling the truth.

Under his subconscious defense, the other party couldn't eavesdrop on his inner voice.

"Little friend, this strand of Divine Soul has existed here for hundreds of years, and dozens of people have entered, but you are the only one who has seen this seat appear."

The last generation sect master of the Qingtian Sect looked at Lin Chen: "Little friend's Divine Soul depth surprises this seat; even if placed in the Yan Imperial Dynasty, it can barely count as a small genius."

Lin Chen:...

Was this praising him?

(End of chapter)