Ye Ziyun felt a deep sense of frustration. She was the City Lord's little princess and the granddaughter of Ye Mo, a legendary Demon Spirit Master. She had read countless secret texts growing up, and her knowledge far surpassed that of her peers. She had always been just a little proud of herself. But compared with Nie Li, this monster, she felt utterly ignorant.
It was no wonder Ye Ziyun felt that way. Nie Li simply couldn't be judged by ordinary standards.
From the cracks in the stone walls and the way the floor tiles had been laid, Nie Li had easily figured out where the traps were hidden.
"Traps of this level are ridiculously easy!" After walking a short distance, Nie Li picked up a stone from the ground and tossed it five or six meters ahead. With a crack, it struck one of the blue bricks.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Thwack, thwack, thwack!
A dense storm of arrows flew through the passage ahead. Their tips gleamed with a sinister green light.
Every arrow was poisoned. Ye Ziyun's pretty face turned slightly pale. She could imagine how horrifically things would have ended if they had kept walking and accidentally triggered the trap—they would have been riddled with arrows from head to toe in an instant.
How had Nie Li spotted the trap from so far away?
"All right, we can go now." Nie Li smiled faintly at Ye Ziyun.
Even in this passage, packed with traps, Ye Ziyun felt that as long as she followed Nie Li, she would be safe. No problem could remain a problem!
Watching Nie Li's back, she saw that though he still looked rather thin, he gave off a reassuring sense of steadiness.
Ye Ziyun lowered her head, lost in thought. Maybe being with Nie Li wouldn't be so bad. But a moment later, she quickly shook her head, driving the thought away. What was she thinking? Ning'er seemed completely smitten with Nie Li, and after just a few days, Hu Yan Lanruo had already said she wanted to pursue him.
Just how many girls had that womanizer Nie Li gotten involved with?
She would never believe that Nie Li liked only her!
Ye Ziyun lifted her chin proudly. She wasn't shallow like those other girls.
The two figures continued onward, heading deeper into the passage.
While Nie Li and Ye Ziyun were exploring the passage, out in the forest...
"What a bunch of useless fools! You actually let that Green Arm Giant Ape escape after badly wounding it!" Deacon Yun Hua cursed in frustration. Spirit Level beasts often had demon spirits, and even a Silver Rank demon spirit could sell for at least several hundred thousand Spirit Coins!
They had six men injured, yet the Green Arm Giant Ape had still escaped. It was infuriating!
What angered them most was Nie Li. If he hadn't led that Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape over to them, they wouldn't have ended up in such a mess.
"Forget it. It was only one Green Arm Giant Ape. Those scions from the prominent families are definitely worth more! Search the area. Don't come back unless you've caught someone!" Deacon Yun Hua barked. The group scattered and began combing the entire forest.
A faint glow from a distant fire caught their attention.
Fire could scare beasts away at night, keeping them at bay, but it also made a conspicuous target in the darkness.
"Why are you arresting me? Who are you people?"
Soon, several men in black brought a captive before Deacon Yun Hua.
Deacon Yun Hua burst out laughing. The young man before him wore luxurious clothes; he must have been someone important. "Well, well, young master, you've probably heard of the Dark Guild. We specialize in capturing young masters like you. Now, should I take you and demand a ransom, or should I kill you?"
The captive was Shen Yue!
At the words "Dark Guild," Shen Yue's face instantly went white. He stammered, "Don't kill me! I'm from the Sacred Family. My family can give you plenty of money!"
"From the Sacred Family?" Deacon Yun Hua looked slightly surprised. A guarded glint flashed through his eyes as he muttered in annoyance, "I thought we'd hit the jackpot, but he's one of the vice president's people. What rotten luck!"
Deacon Yun Hua turned and shouted at his men, "Keep searching!"
Shen Yue had thought the Dark Guild would give him trouble, but they completely ignored him and assigned just one man to watch him. He breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the Dark Guild was still somewhat wary of the Sacred Family!
He assumed the Sacred Family's name had frightened them, and his expression promptly turned arrogant again. He was a completely different person from the one who had nearly wet himself just moments before.
Nie Li led Ye Ziyun onward. After about five or six hours, they saw a magnificent hall in the distance.
"So Ancient Orchid City was built above this underground palace. The city's leaders must have known about the palace beneath them, so they probably hid all their valuables somewhere in this underground city!" Nie Li said. Judging by their position, they were already beneath the training grounds.
Just as Nie Li had guessed, the City Lord and the other leaders must have hidden all the good stuff beneath the training grounds!
As they entered the hall, the scene before them shook Nie Li and Ye Ziyun to their cores. The hall was strewn with bones, adults' and children's alike, piled together in dense heaps. It seemed they had struggled in agony before they died.
"What happened? How could this have happened?" Ye Ziyun's eyes reddened, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She saw many children curled up in the corners. They must have been adorable in life, yet they had died here in silence.
Nie Li sighed. "This must have been Ancient Orchid City's temporary shelter. They moved the old, the young, and the women here, probably planning to let them out after the war ended. But Ancient Orchid City fell, so they were trapped here and starved to death."
Ye Ziyun parted her lips, pain written across her face.
Nie Li drew a deep breath. His heart surged, and he could no longer keep calm. Hadn't the same thing happened to Glory City in his previous life? Before war broke out, they had sent many people to shelters. Later, when Glory City was breached, they were forced to evacuate. What had become of all those old people, women, and children? They had probably starved to death in those shelters too.
The horrific scene of Glory City's fall in his previous life remained vivid in Nie Li's mind. He clenched his fists tightly. He would never let it happen again!
"Why don't we leave?" Ye Ziyun said. She couldn't bear to stay here any longer.
"No. We can't leave, and we need to take every treasure in this place!" Nie Li said firmly. "These treasures can make us stronger. Only if we grow stronger can we protect Glory City. Otherwise, Glory City will become another Ancient Orchid City!"
Hearing Nie Li's words, Ye Ziyun was taken aback. A thought flashed through her mind: could Glory City become another Ancient Orchid City? Though Glory City was relatively safe, beasts were always eyeing it hungrily, and sometimes they even breached its walls.
Ye Ziyun's expression grew resolute. Yes, they had to improve their strength at any cost if they wanted to protect Glory City. Being a tomb raider was shameful, but what did that matter compared with the lives of so many people in Glory City?
Nie Li and Ye Ziyun began searching the entire hall.
"There's a piece of Bronze Armor here!"
"There are a few bottles of pills here, but unfortunately they've gone bad!"
"Oh my god, it's a Spirit Stone!" Ye Ziyun pressed her hands together and prayed before taking the Spirit Stone from around a little girl's neck. It was tied to a delicate silver-white chain. The child must have been born into a very noble family.
But the child was dead. If this Spirit Stone were given to a Gold Rank expert, it might help them advance their cultivation to an even higher level.
Nie Li had found a fair amount too. He had collected dozens of pieces of Bronze Rank armor and War Blades alone, as well as a Silver Rank dagger that was still in perfect condition, without a scratch. There were also things like demon crystals; many of the items were quite valuable.
But he hadn't found the spirit lamp he wanted.
Nie Li's gaze fell on the center of the hall, where a massive Stone Coffin stood. It was about three meters long, and roughly one meter wide and high. Mysterious incantations covered its surface, packed tightly together. They looked vaguely familiar, yet he couldn't recognize them.
What were these incantations?
As Nie Li approached Emperor Kong Ming's Stone Coffin, a mysterious force rushed toward him. He felt as if he were standing in the middle of a raging sea, liable to be swept away at any moment. No wonder all the dead people had kept their distance from the coffin.
"Nie Li, what's going on with this Stone Coffin?" Ye Ziyun started to walk over, but when she came within about three meters of it, her face suddenly turned pale, and she staggered backward several steps.
"What's wrong?" Nie Li looked at Ye Ziyun in confusion.
"When I walked over here, I felt like my head was splitting apart!" Ye Ziyun said.
At her words, Nie Li raised an eyebrow. This force felt very familiar. Some powerful expert must have placed a restriction inside the Stone Coffin, preventing Ye Ziyun from approaching. But why was nothing happening to him, even though he was only a step away from it?
Did the restriction only affect women and not men? Or did it affect other people but not Nie Li?
Nie Li wondered to himself, then turned to Ye Ziyun. "Go look somewhere else. I'll handle this."
"Mm." Ye Ziyun nodded and walked away.
Nie Li began to study the Stone Coffin before him closely. It was completely sealed, and though he was exceptionally well-read, he had never seen the mysterious patterns on it before.
Was this Emperor Kong Ming's Stone Coffin? Why didn't the incantations on it look like they were from the Divine Empire era?
Before you continue