Hanging Coffin in the Tomb

With a flying Fierce Beast as his mount, Xia Wuji's travel speed increased dramatically.

If he had traveled on foot, he would inevitably have had to fight some Fierce Beasts along the way.

But the Arrow Feather Eagle soared through the sky. Even though many Fierce Beasts spotted it, they could only stare helplessly from afar.

It was not only human martial artists below the Core Formation Realm who dreaded encountering flying Fierce Beasts. These flightless Fierce Beasts were also unwilling to provoke them.

Of course, some flying Fierce Beasts had attacked the Arrow Feather Eagle and Xia Wuji along the way, but Xia Wuji had cut them down with a single stroke of his sword.

Sitting on the Arrow Feather Eagle's back, Xia Wuji's aura surged as Sword Essence flowed through him. The Grand Yuan Pills he had personally refined were remarkably potent. Cultivating while traveling was one of the advantages of having a Fierce Beast mount.

An hour later.

The Arrow Feather Eagle carried Xia Wuji to the location of the Mortal World Sword Master's tomb.

The Arrow Feather Eagle landed.

Xia Wuji finished cultivating and leaped down. By now, he had already reached the tenth level of the Qi Gathering Realm!

The Mortal World Sword Master's tomb was located inside a mountain peak.

Before Xia Wuji now lay a passage that had been excavated into the mountain's interior.

Once inside such a place, the flying Fierce Beast's advantage vanished completely. Xia Wuji had no intention of relying on the Arrow Feather Eagle's combat strength either. He said calmly, "Wait for me nearby."

The Arrow Feather Eagle obediently nodded.

The next moment, Xia Wuji strode forward, his figure flashing as he entered the passage.

The passage had clearly been dug out through brute force, and Xia Wuji indeed found remnants of an array.

According to the sharp-faced man's account, five of his companions were here. All were in the True Essence Realm: one at the eighth level, one at the seventh level, while the other three were not worth mentioning.

A Core Formation Realm cultivator's tomb, and a swordsman at that. This opportunity is no small matter. I must seize it!

Moments later, Xia Wuji passed through the passage and entered the hollowed-out interior of the mountain. This was the outer tomb, and its array had already been completely broken.

"Who goes there?!"

A cold shout rang out.

In an instant, a fierce-looking man charged out. He gripped a long spear, his gaze icy as he glared viciously at Xia Wuji.

He was at the seventh level of the True Essence Realm!

He was the second-in-command of this group, named Zhang Tao.

Immediately afterward, three more men rushed out. None looked like decent people, and each exuded dense Baleful Intent—the aura of those who killed often.

Yet among the three, two were merely at the second level of the True Essence Realm, and one was at the third level.

Zhang Tao stared at Xia Wuji, snorted coldly, and said, "Boy, this is an opportunity for us brothers. Since you stumbled in here by mistake, it only means your luck has run out. Leave your life behind!"

As soon as he spoke, the other three cracked their knuckles, eager to make their move.

"Wait."

At that moment, a woman's voice sounded.

A bewitching woman appeared, dressed in a crimson gauze gown so thin that her fair body was faintly visible beneath it.

Her lips were blazing red.

A powerful aura of seduction radiated from her body!

Based on the information he had gathered, Xia Wuji naturally knew that she was the leader of this group. Her nickname was Flame Snake Consort, and she was at the eighth level of the True Essence Realm.

Flame Snake Consort sized Xia Wuji up, unconsciously licking her red lips as fiery light rippled in her eyes.

"Big Sister, don't tell me you've taken a fancy to this boy?"

"Tsk, the kid does have tender skin and a handsome face, but we're here to handle something important. Big Sister, hold yourself back."

"A Core Formation Realm cultivator's tomb is too important. He's not one of us, and to keep him from leaking the news, we have to kill him. Only the dead don't talk!"

Flame Snake Consort looked at Zhang Tao and said, "We happen to need someone to scout the way. He'll do."

A glint flashed in Zhang Tao's eyes, and he grinned. "Fine!"

Then he pointed the blade at Xia Wuji and shouted coldly, "Brat, our big sister has spoken. Count yourself lucky. Get in there immediately."

Xia Wuji swept his gaze over the five of them, his expression indifferent.

If it truly came to a fight, it would not be difficult. But there was clearly a better method now, one that could save him some effort, and he had no objection to that.

Thus, Xia Wuji headed forward.

The array in this Core Formation Realm expert's outer tomb had already been almost entirely dismantled by these people. But to obtain the treasure left behind by the Core Formation Realm expert, they had to enter the inner tomb.

Yet the inner tomb's array was far from simple. Watching the energy fluctuations surge ahead, Xia Wuji swiftly came to a judgment.

This was originally an array capable of drawing upon Earth Fiend Qi. Perhaps this Mortal World Sword Master had been close to death when he set it up, leaving him without enough energy—or perhaps his skills had simply been lacking. Either way, the array has several flaws.

Because of those flaws, the array cannot use the power of Earth Fiend Qi to form its own cycle. The Yuan Crystals sustaining its operation have been continuously depleted, leaving this array riddled with holes.

Clearly, the outer tomb's array must have been in much the same state. Otherwise, how could this rabble have dismantled it through such crude brute force?

Light flickered in Xia Wuji's eyes. Under his gaze, this already hole-ridden array had no secrets left to hide.

"Brat, we told you to scout the way. What are you standing around for?"

"Get moving!"

"If you don't move, I'll skewer you!"

Zhang Tao, at the seventh level of the True Essence Realm, waved the spear in his hand and shouted loudly.

Xia Wuji snorted. In the next instant, he stepped forward and entered the array directly.

Flame Snake Consort, Zhang Tao, and the other three all widened their eyes as they watched Xia Wuji's steps. Then expressions of utter shock appeared on every one of their faces.

"He... he got in!"

"He actually entered without triggering even a trace of the array's power... just like that..."

"This kid must be a genius proficient in arrays!"

"Which of you remembered every position where he placed his feet?" Flame Snake Consort immediately asked.

"I remembered..."

"I saw it clearly too!"

"Then move!" Flame Snake Consort snorted coldly and had them lead the way.

With Xia Wuji having gone ahead to guide them, these people assumed they merely had to follow his path. Yet after only a few steps, the array's power erupted with a thunderous crash and instantly crushed one of them to pieces!

"Just as I thought." Flame Snake Consort narrowed her eyes slightly.

She had known that even if they remembered Xia Wuji's steps, it could not possibly be so easy to pass through the array and enter the inner tomb.

"Keep moving!" Flame Snake Consort stood at the very back and spoke, her voice carrying a peculiar ripple.

The man who had been frightened by his companion's death and no longer dared advance suddenly forgot his fear completely upon hearing Flame Snake Consort's voice. He continued leading the way, following the positions where Xia Wuji had placed each step from memory.

Meanwhile.

Xia Wuji, who had already entered the inner tomb, looked around with a trace of surprise on his face.

There was another world within this place. The space was vast, and rich, pure heaven-and-earth essence energy filled the air.

At a glance, Xia Wuji spotted a coffin hanging from a cliff face.

There was something wrong with that coffin!

It actually concealed a faint trace of life!

A cold glint flashed through his eyes. He did not immediately approach the coffin, instead circulating his cultivation technique and rapidly drawing in and refining the pure essence energy within the inner tomb!

Pure essence energy gathered from every direction, rushing into his body like countless streams and pouring into his Dantian.

The ten vortices of elemental power within his Dantian spun violently. At the center of each vortex, elemental power condensed and compressed without pause, as though it were about to liquefy!

The liquefaction of elemental power was the mark of a True Essence Realm martial artist!

Xia Wuji noticed the coffin hanging from the cliff tremble slightly, but he pretended not to notice and continued absorbing the pure essence energy here, breaking through toward the True Essence Realm.

Then, at that very moment, a thunderous boom rang out.

Flame Snake Consort, Zhang Tao, and a man at the third level of the True Essence Realm rushed in.

Even though they had followed Xia Wuji's footsteps, they had still lost two companions!

Flame Snake Consort glanced at Xia Wuji in the distance, then withdrew her gaze and fixed it upon the coffin instead. Her heart raced with excitement, her eyes blazing!

"You two, deal with that kid first. I'll bring that coffin down!"