Chapter 27: Bronze Outer-Coffin (1/2)

The others shared a look. Despite their reluctance, they had no choice but to follow when Lu Yun was so self-assured.

“Do you still plan to make Lu Yun one of your own?” Glancing at his brother, Qing Han transmitted silently with a sneer and a sniff.

Qing Hongchen’s gaze flickered rapidly. “A talented man is a man I can use!”

“Ha, but can you keep him under control?” With a huff, Qing Han closed his eyes and trailed after Lu Yun.

Whoosh. Whoosh.

Chilling wind swept past their ears when they set foot into the formation, like something whispering in their ears. Shudders ran down their spines. Only then did they understand what had happened to that city lord before his death.

“Master!” someone yelled, followed quickly by the sound of a head falling to the ground.

“What? Is Qing Hongchen dead?” Qing Han tensed. He wanted to open his eyes, but Lu Yun’s words came to his mind and gave him pause. He barely suppressed his curiosity and kept walking forward with his eyes closed.

“No! Don’t kill me!” Another yell, and another thud of a head hitting the ground.

“Li Youcai is dead?” Mo Yi shook slightly, but her expression remained calm and unaffected.

Finally, the group reached their destination and everyone opened their eyes.

“Lu Yun?” said the Skyriver City Lord in disbelief when he saw Lu Yun, alive and well. “Aren’t you dead?”

“You’re alive, Qing Han!” Qing Hongchen was surprised to see his brother, too.

“I thought you were dead too,” Qing Han responded coolly.

Mo Yi remained silent. Seeing Li Youcai made her realize what was going on.

“The Cloudlake City Lord is gone,” someone counted.

“He’s the only one who actually died,” Qing Hongchen pronounced in a cool voice. “He most likely opened his eyes when he heard someone die, which made him the one casualty.”

Lu Yun pursed his lips without a word. Ge Long had scared away the strongest beings in the formation, leaving only a few weaklings, yet someone had still died at their hands.

Formation Thirteenth looked back thoughtfully in the direction they came from. “This is indeed the eye of the formation,” he said, pointing at a light violet shoot of grass. “If we go down there, we’ll be able to enter the place guarded by the formation without triggering the defenses.”

Lu Yun nodded. That shoot of grass disrupted the layout, leaving a weak point in the Duality of Dragon and Tiger.

“Dig here, and we’ll be able to enter the great mound.” Lu Yun’s breath quickened. A great burial mound! Buried beneath it was someone with unimaginable power! Their unresolved grievances were strong enough that they’d turned a mere burial mound into an enormous mountain! His blood boiled with excitement just thinking about raiding a tomb like this.

“Dig?” the Skyriver city lord scoffed. “You’re trash who couldn’t cultivate before, alright. We cultivators have mastered the techniques of the five elements. An earth-bending combat art will get us underground without digging.”

Lu Yun shrugged and gestured at him to go on.

“You can’t do that.” Formation Thirteenth shook his head. “There are always strange formations in ancient tombs that can negate a cultivator’s consciousness, or even their combat arts. Digging a path down is the safest way to go.”

The city lord’s face turned blue, but he wasn’t going to argue with the formation master.

“Stop after digging a hundred and thirty-five yards, seven feet, and three inches,” Lu Yun commanded in a low voice. “No more, no less!”