Chapter 70 – Effigies (1/2)
Chapter 70 – Effigies
On the far edge of the hall, Ye Wei was at a standstill worrying about Lin Zi Yan’s safety after she disappeared down the path that led into the deeper parts of the labyrinth. He could tell that Mo Ya and Jin Yan could pose a threat to her if they decided to somehow work together against her.
Ye Wei could not stop thinking about it. Both of the Ning City Warriors possessed a medium-grade Mystic Arm. He wanted to follow her down the path, but he thought about the difference he could actually make and who would be protecting who if he was to join Lin Zi Yan in venturing deeper into the labyrinth.
‘I’ve wasted too much time in the past… I will just burden her if I go in.’ Ye Wei again became bitter as his mind wandered.
“I have to become a seven-star Student as soon as possible. Maybe there will be something in this labyrinth, pills or some kind of medicine that could help me get there.” Ye Wei mumbled to himself. “When I can start creating and refining stances, I’m sure I will be able to catch up!” He clenched his fist determinedly.
‘Should I really follow Zi Yan’s advice and leave this place? She led me all the way here to Bloodmist Valley, and now she’s heading even further in. She signaled me to leave, so I should trust her to find the Welkin Leaves, right? But I can’t always rely on her. I can’t hide behind her back when she takes all the risks!’ The recent incidents with Lin Zi Yan made Ye Wei think of her as more than a friend; he could not help but overthink everything about her in his mind, ‘I will wait here…’
“Kill him!”
“Those are mine! Drop it or I will end you!”
During the next two hours, yells and screams echoed in the hall as the brawls continued until more and more fighters fell. The floor was now covered with bodies and blood as the noise eventually died down.
After the chaos ended, the seven low-grade Mystic Arms found their new, exhausted owners. With Luo Mu Xue gone and Lin Zi Yan, Jin Yan, and Mo Ya deeper in the labyrinth, Lu Chao, Hong Xun, and Xue Yao were the strongest left in the hall; therefore, they got the most treasure of all the survivors.
The group led by Zhao Hou also got a nice cut of the treasure.
Now that the hall had quieted down, the survivors finally had the time to look around. They started to think back and realized how brutal and barbaric they have been. So much so that some of them were actually scared of themselves as they didn’t know such a blood-thirsty side of themselves existed.
A lot of cultivators with great potential died that day. Most of the survivors were at least five-star Warriors or above, but it wasn’t only the survivors’ capabilities that kept them alive. In the dog eat dog world luck was more important than strength.
Clarity hit some of the survivors, and after experiencing the bloodbath first hand a lot of them were mentally traumatized. They chose to leave the labyrinth just for some peace and quiet. When all of the fighting was completely over there was only around one thousand people left in the hall.
Ye Wei watched all the skirmishes at the edge of the hall. He did not enjoy seeing the bloodshed at all, but he was calm as he witnessed everything. ‘I have to stay here. I am not going to leave this labyrinth until I get my hands on some Welkin Leaves, or at least, I will wait here until Zi Yan returns safely!’
The silence was brief as the people who stayed behind prepared for more bloodshed. They wanted more treasures therefore they started talking about the paths at the front of the hall.
They were under the impression that the path to the right would lead them to more treasures because that was the one Lin Zi Yan, Mo Ya, and Jin Yan choose. People started gathering around the entrance of the rightmost path led by Lu, Hong, and Xue.
The three unofficial leaders slowly walked towards the semi-transparent barrier that the three earlier easily went through.
Hong Xun made the first move. He channeled his Qi causing his skin to turn bronze. His short hair stood up akin to a porcupine with steel spikes. He then signaled for Lu Chao and Xue Yao to take a step back. They had an unspoken agreement that Hong Xun should go first as he was the strongest of the three at the eight-star Warrior level while the others were only at the seven-star level.
He stomped the ground and with his foot as the center a spherical, invisible forcefield spread outwards. Hong Xun threw his arm in the air and started drawing runes with his fingers. The runes then formed a golden Qi bell around his fist as he threw a punch towards the barrier mercilessly.
The presence of Hong Xun’s punch drew everyone’s attention, and even Ye Wei could feel the Qi disturbance from the edge of the hall. Everyone watched Hong Xun wondering what kind of treasure they would find behind the barrier.
His fist connected onto the barrier and with a loud rumble, the barrier started oscillating and eventually it forced Hong Xun’s strike backwards.
Hong Xun’s face was ashen as he was forced to take three steps back before he could stand steadily. Each of the steps left a shoe print on the solid ground.
He then coughed, and a line of blood appeared in the corner of his mouth. He stared at the barrier with shock and confusion, ‘Am I that much weaker than those three? They entered effortlessly…’ He was not the only one discouraged. Everyone who saw the failed attempt was depressed as well. They were afraid that if the strongest couldn’t get through, none of them would be able to, and that all the treasure behind the barrier would never be recovered.