Chapter 137: Through the Karst Cave

Lost in my own wandering thoughts, I found we had arrived beside a small stream. A rickety bridge spanned it, swaying precariously as if it might collapse at any moment.

The further we ventured inward, the more pungent the air grew with a foul, sour decay. In such situations, it usually meant we were drawing ever closer to a grand tomb. One only finds a burial chamber where there is water. I licked my lips lightly, my heart growing increasingly frantic.

...

He was now inching closer to such a goal step by step, though he could not always discern things as clearly as he did this. Li Tianyou stood frozen, struck as if by a bolt of lightning. Although he had practiced the Sword Trilogy within the Dream-Sinking Map, he lacked guidance and his foundation remained unstable, preventing him from absorbing the memories contained within the map. He had intended to wait until he reached the Nine Dragon Realm to slowly cultivate the sword techniques, but it seemed he would have to begin ahead of schedule.

"It's not like this is my first time being late." Seeing it was Tang Xin, Yang Zhi immediately relaxed, speaking in his usual cavalier tone.

"What?!" Upon hearing this, Liu Qi suddenly crumbled. The composure she had displayed just moments ago vanished entirely; she stared at Lan Youming with wide, terrified eyes, as if she were looking at the most horrific thing in the world.

Before the dead infant could speak, Astraea had already reached out and snatched the orange gemstone back.

His first strike missing, Li Tianyou followed up with a palm thrust. True energy surged through the Dragon Soul on his arm, coalescing into a massive dragon head that lunged forward, carving a long, deep trench into the floorboards.

Shuang Hua did not realize he was walking down a path of no return, where he would be robbed and murdered. After opening the chest, he bent down to count out one hundred Moon-Glow stone coins. He held the overflowing pile in his hands, then handed them all over to Ding Huo, who stood before him.

In recent days, her boyfriend Jose had lost his memory, and her brother Kamode had left in a fit of anger. Under the weight of these successive blows, she had to learn to be resilient and independent. Beyond protecting herself, she had to travel tirelessly across various regions of Greece, continuing her search for the Athena Gemstone.

The advantage of this terrain was that in the event of danger, one could immediately retreat to the nearby mountains for cover. However, the drawbacks were equally glaring: if they were caught in a surprise attack and those two bolt-like mountain peaks were lost, the entire field hospital would likely be trapped like turtles in a jar, with essentially no way out.

Squads of cultivators appeared atop the city walls, all clad in identical robes; these were demon cultivators.

To speak of Han Xiao, he took Chu Yueqing and soared into the high sky. While he had used her as an excuse to slip away, it was also to properly impart some real skill to her; otherwise, he would truly be failing in his duties as a master.

Seeing yet another formidable enemy appear before him, Ning Ziping felt no concern. Instead, the fanatical glint in his eyes only grew more intense.

"That is true, but I wonder if this man is willing to join the army?" Duke Laclais mused. Some experts preferred to fight alone rather than be subject to military command.

Their teammates, however, saw the two of them behaving as if possessed, firing wildly at everything around them. Two of their own teammates were even petrified by them.

Xuan Qingzi said, "Let us go. It is time to return and prepare. The Diviner was quite right just now: might makes right. Now that we are no longer suppressed by imperial edicts, it is the perfect time for us to strive and ascend." The three of them rallied their spirits, feeling that this trip had not been without its gains.

Furthermore, wartime pay differed vastly from peacetime wages, so a swift victory was the only way to go.

"Reporting to the Grand Preceptor, our army has captured a group of conspirators fleeing from Chang'an." While marching toward Chang'an, Li Jue had encountered a train of carriages carrying the families of court officials fleeing back from the direction of the city. Without a word, he had them all seized.

Ye Feng saw the change in the other man’s expression with perfect clarity; how could he not know what was on his mind?