The deceased was a male cultivator of around thirty, dressed in the attire of a certain mid-sized sect from Great Xia. His cultivation was at the initial stage of Supernatural Power.
There was a bloody hole the size of a bowl in his chest, its edges charred black, as though something searing had pierced straight through him in an instant. Even his divine soul had not had time to escape before he died.
The corpse still retained some warmth. He had been dead for no more than a quarter of an hour.
The energy aura lingering in the wound... scorching, explosive, with a trace of sharp metal-element power.
"This wasn't done by a Demon Beast. It was the work of a person, and a ruthless one at that—one strike, one kill. Judging by the method, it resembles that of a sword cultivator, yet it's somewhat different." Lu Chen carefully inspected the wound. "The storage magic item on the deceased has already been taken. This was murder for treasure."
Sure enough, the secret realm was fraught with danger at every turn. One had to face not only environmental hazards and Demon Beasts, but also guard against the other entrants.
Lu Chen heightened his vigilance and was about to leave when his ears suddenly twitched.
From deep within the dense forest ahead came the faint sounds of weapons clashing, energy explosions, angry shouts, and screams!
Someone was fighting! And it was no small battle!
After a brief hesitation, Lu Chen concealed his aura and activated the Black Tortoise Breath Concealment Art. His body seemed to meld into the shadows as he silently slipped toward the source of the sounds.
After passing through several hundred zhang of forest, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a clearing among the trees.
At that moment, a