Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Another Death

Ye Qingchen, Wang Qiang, and their group moved with extreme speed. After traveling about twenty li, they soon arrived outside the mansion the robust youth had mentioned.

Seeing a number of disciples still lingering outside as if waiting for someone, the group grew excited.

”This is definitely the place!” Hong Yan nodded in confirmation.

”Let’s go! Hurry inside!” the old Taoist urged, his voice filled with anticipation.

The group didn’t linger and rushed directly into the mansion.

Seeing every member of their team go inside, the disciples who remained outside stared in astonishment.

”Why did they all go in? They didn’t even leave any Outer Sect Disciples outside. Are they trying to get their whole team wiped out?”

* * *

Ye Qingchen’s group was oblivious to the discussion outside. Upon entering the mansion, they were left speechless by the astonishing scene inside.

As far as they could see, countless corridors branched out in all directions, their destinations unknown. The ground was covered in a dense network of footprints, clearly left by the disciples who had entered before them.

”Wow, it’s huge!” Hong Yan couldn’t help but exclaim. This Martial Spirit expert’s mansion was countless times larger than she had imagined!

”Indeed, it’s much larger inside than I had thought!” Fatty also muttered in amazement.

”This way!” Wang Qiang made a quick decision, choosing a path with the fewest footprints to lead the team forward. Fewer searchers meant a higher chance of leftover treasure.

After walking for several li down the long corridor, they initially crossed paths with a few Qingyun Sect disciples. However, as they ventured deeper, the figures of other disciples grew scarce.

Hong Yan pulled Ye Qingchen along, keeping him close behind Wang Qiang. He vigilantly scanned their surroundings, his brows slightly furrowed.

”Captain, why do I feel more and more unsettled the deeper we go?” Fatty asked nervously, following close behind Wang Qiang.

”Me too!” another person nodded in agreement.

Wang Qiang frowned. ”We’ve searched the area behind us and found nothing. We can only find treasures by going deeper into the mansion! We came all this way; do you really want to return empty-handed?”

The old Taoist nodded. ”Fortune favors the bold! If you’re afraid, you can stay here. Of course, you won’t get a share of any treasures we find later!”

Hearing this, Fatty and the other man exchanged a glance. Taking a deep breath to steel their resolve, they nodded.

”Alright, we’ll follow you!”

The group proceeded for several dozen more meters. Now there were only a few sparse footprints ahead, indicating that very few people had come this way.

After another ten meters or so, Wang Qiang, who was in the lead, felt his pupils contract. In front of them lay the bodies of two Inner Sect Disciples from the Qingyun Sect. Their heads were gone, as if devoured by some Monster Beast. Blood stained the ground around them and had seeped into the earth, turning it dark brown.

Clearly, they had been dead for some time.

To become an Inner Sect Disciple of the Qingyun Sect, one’s cultivation had to reach at least the Ninth Layer of the Martial Artist Realm. A Monster Beast capable of killing an Inner Sect Disciple would have to be incredibly powerful!

”Everyone, stay alert. It’s not going to be peaceful up ahead!” Wang Qiang warned, drawing the saber from his waist.

”Understood!” Hong Yan and the others nodded, their faces solemn. They advanced cautiously, their eyes scanning their surroundings.

A dozen meters later, the corpse of another Inner Sect Disciple from the Qingyun Sect appeared in their vision.

This disciple had met an even more gruesome fate. His head, hands, and feet were mangled into fragments. His body had been dragged for more than ten meters, leaving a long, horrifying trail of blood on the ground.

”How horrible,” Ye Qingchen muttered, his brow furrowed.

Even during the Qingyun Mountain Range trial, where he had witnessed plenty of killing, he had never seen such a ghastly scene.

Hong Yan turned her head away, unable to look at the mangled corpse, fighting the urge to vomit.

As Fatty passed the body, he saw the Identity Token at its waist, and his pupils contracted sharply.

”It’s Mu Ye! He was my neighbor in the Outer Sect! He was only promoted to an Inner Sect Disciple after his cultivation reached the Martial Master Realm!”

The old Taoist’s brow furrowed. Martial Master Realm! An Inner Sect Disciple at the Martial Master Realm was killed here? Our group is only made up of Ninth-Layer Martial Artists... we aren’t even martial masters! Doesn’t that mean this corridor is far more dangerous than we can handle?

The group froze, rooted to the spot.

They neither advanced nor retreated, simply staring at one another.

They had come seeking treasure, but from the looks of things, the path they had chosen was far beyond their capabilities.

Even Wang Qiang and the old Taoist, who had been so keen on pressing forward, began to hesitate.

As their resolve wavered, a strange phenomenon occurred. Whether it was an illusion or not, the entire corridor seemed to darken, and a ghostly wind began to howl, making the air frigid.

An incomparably eerie feeling enveloped them, sending a chill down their spines.

And ahead, there was still no end in sight.

”Maybe we should... just forget it and go back...” Fatty stammered, his hands trembling as his nerve finally broke. If we give up now, we’ll at least get the basic points for entering the Secret Realm. It’s not worth losing our lives!

”Coward!” the old Taoist snorted coldly. ”If you want to leave, then go. We came this far, and we absolutely will not go back empty-handed!”

As if granted a pardon, Fatty immediately turned to flee.

However, the person next to him was even faster, bolting back past him.

But after running only a few meters, the man came to an abrupt stop, his eyes wide with utter terror.

Right in front of him, less than half a meter away, stood a monster as tall as a man. It had a green face and fangs, its body was covered in black scales, and it had six sharp claws. The creature blocked his escape path.

Even more terrifying, behind this monster was a dense swarm of identical green-faced, fanged creatures.

Unbeknownst to them, their path of retreat had been completely cut off.

”SCREEECH—”

The monster in front let out a shrill roar. It opened its mouth, its cheeks splitting to reveal a gaping maw over a foot wide, and its sharp fangs lunged at the man who had tried to flee.

”Monster! Quick, run!”

The man threw a fierce punch that sent the first monster flying, then turned and fled forward in a desperate scramble.

However, he had barely run three meters when three more monsters lunged at him, their vast jaws snapping wide open.

BANG!

He landed a punch that sent one monster flying, but in that same instant, another monster bit off his other arm, while a third engulfed his head in its mouth. The next moment, its jaws snapped shut.

CRACK!

The sound of shattering bone echoed as blood spattered through the air.

Before the horrified eyes of Ye Qingchen and Hong Yan, the man’s headless body slowly slumped to the ground.

Then, the dense swarm of monsters swept past the corpse, rushing straight toward them.