The Corridor

Bai Xue hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Without Lu Yin, they wouldn't have been able to protect the Capital City, let alone this stone. In any case, they didn't understand it.

Soon, Dean Lian and Bai Xue left, leaving Lu Yin alone.

Lu Yin looked at the stone and slowly took it out. It felt icy cold to the touch, but there was nothing else unusual about it. After studying it for a while and seeing nothing, he put it away and prepared to leave.

Suddenly, his gaze sharpened. He used Roaming Step and reached around the corner, grabbing at a shadow. It was exposed, staring at Lu Yin in surprise. The figure raised a hand, and a chill spread through the air. Lu Yin narrowed his eyes, turning his reaching hand into a claw. He struck with Heavenly Beast Claw. The shadow cried out and hurriedly dodged.

Lu Yin had only used one move of Heavenly Beast Claw, so it wasn't very powerful. The shadow easily evaded it, revealing herself in the light. She was a beautiful woman with a cold demeanor, looking at him indifferently.

"Who are you? What are you after?" Lu Yin asked. The woman was definitely a student, and she was quite strong, though not as strong as Mono. She was probably around Ras's level.

The woman said haughtily, "My name is Jennyona. I'm from the Ona Family. You've surely heard of it."

Lu Yin frowned. "Never heard of it. Tell me what you're after."

A flash of icy anger crossed Jennyona's eyes. "How dare you speak to me like that?"

Lu Yin was annoyed. Like Ras, this woman was full of herself. The Ona Family? The name alone sounded like they were important, but he didn't care. "I don't care who you are. Now that you're here, you're not leaving." He charged at Jennyona.

Jennyona was startled. She knew the man before her had driven Mono back, and she didn't think she could match him. "Stop! I'm from the Ona Family. My father is Snow Mountain Ona, and my uncle is the captain of the Imperial Court Thirteenth Team Ninth Squad. Don't make a mistake you'll regret!"

Lu Yin grabbed Jennyona. She barely resisted, glaring at him furiously. "I'll warn you again: I'm not someone you can compare to Ras. Our Ona Family can influence the empire's decisions. Don't make a mistake you'll regret."

Lu Yin's expression changed. He suddenly released Jennyona and rushed toward the stone. At the same time, a figure darted toward it, trying to snatch it away, but Lu Yin stopped her.

Lu Yin grabbed the newcomer's arm. It felt smooth beneath his hand. He looked up. Another woman?

The second woman wore green, like an elf. When she realized Lu Yin had grabbed her arm, she snorted and spun around, kicking at him. Lu Yin tightened his grip, trying to twist her around and deflect the attack, but to his shock, he couldn't move her at all. This woman was astonishingly strong.

With no other choice, Lu Yin let go and dodged her kick. He struck with Heavenly Beast Claw using his left hand. Three moves of Heavenly Beast Claw were enough to defeat a powerhouse of Ede's level, but they were useless against her. The woman in green punched straight at him, shattering Heavenly Beast Claw. The force of her blow even surged toward Lu Yin. He was shocked by her strength. He circulated Heavenly Star Art and saw the many variations in her punch. It wasn't a single punch—she had thrown ten punches in an instant.

Lu Yin's expression turned grave. After barely dodging the woman in green's punch, he warily watched her.

The woman in green stared at Lu Yin in surprise. "You dodged that?"

Lu Yin frowned. This woman was strong—definitely no weaker than Mono. No, she was even stronger. That punch had been no weaker than the seventh move of Heavenly Beast Claw, and it seemed she had thrown it casually. Where had such a terrifying powerhouse come from? Was she after the stone?

Just as Lu Yin was about to speak, another figure appeared from the darkness. These people could conceal their star energy and evade the Personal terminal's combat-power detection. They were all incredibly powerful experts.

The third person to appear made Lu Yin's heart sink. It was Xia Luo, the man who had given him an intense sense of danger before. That feeling had left a deep impression on Lu Yin, like the sensation he'd had the first time he encountered Silver beneath the moonlight.

In the cramped underground space, four people faced off: two men and two women.

Jennyona looked surprised. She hadn't noticed the other two hiding nearby.

The woman in green also looked at Xia Luo in surprise. She hadn't noticed him. When had he hidden himself there?

"Are you all after this stone?" Lu Yin asked in a low voice.

Jennyona and the woman in green said nothing. Xia Luo smiled warmly. "That's right, Lu Yin. Do you know where this stone came from?"

Lu Yin's gaze flickered. "I don't."

Xia Luo smiled. "Then we can talk. This stone is an inheritance from a powerful race somewhere in the universe. They say you can obtain that race's battle techniques from it. Qing Yu was wanted because of this stone. Since you don't know what it's for, we can explore it together. I'll tell you how. What do you say?"

The woman in green looked at Xia Luo in surprise. "You know how?"

"I know a little," Xia Luo replied with a smile. "This stone is useless in anyone's hands. No one can explore it unless they're a member of that race, which is why that race hasn't acted personally. Otherwise, the entire Canglan Territory would be in trouble. So there's no need for us to fight over it."

The woman in green looked at Lu Yin. "What do you say?"

Lu Yin glanced at the three of them. Aside from Jennyona, he wasn't confident he could defeat either of the others. Even all the experts in the Capital City together wouldn't be able to stop them. "Fine. We'll explore it together, but you can't take the stone away."

Xia Luo nodded with a smile. "No problem. And it doesn't have to be just us. If you have friends who want to explore it, they can join us too. The method is simple: drip some blood onto it. The stone will open, but whether we can receive the inheritance is up to us. I can tell you now that success is almost impossible."

Lu Yin glanced at Xia Luo, then immediately contacted Bai Xue and Zhang Ding Tian. The two soon arrived, and Zhou Shan and Wu Sheng came as well.

Jennyona frowned, staring at them haughtily.

Zhang Ding Tian and the others watched the three experts warily. Two of them were no weaker than Mono. If a fight broke out, it would be a disaster for the Capital City.

"Don't worry, everyone. I'm not hostile toward you. We're just going to explore this stone together. So, I'll go first. Let's begin." As he spoke, Xia Luo made an inviting gesture.

Lu Yin tossed him the stone. Xia Luo casually pricked his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto one of its faces. At once, the stone floated into the air, absorbing the blood. For some inexplicable reason, everyone felt a pressure descend. It seemed as though countless battle techniques flashed before their eyes, and in an instant, they experienced an indescribably chilling and terrifying aura.

Xia Luo sat cross-legged on the ground, gazing up at the stone in thought.

The woman in green went second. After the stone absorbed her blood from its surface, she sat down as well, gazing at it with a deep, intent stare.

The stone had sixteen faces, and everyone formed a circle around it. They all began.

Before starting, Lu Yin glanced at Xia Luo. He was certain that if he attacked now, he wouldn't gain the upper hand. These people seemed defenseless, but they surely had their own ways of protecting themselves.

Putting that out of his mind, Lu Yin pricked his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto one face of the stone. As he watched the blood get absorbed, a fist appeared before him, one that pierced the heavens and crossed through ancient time and space to strike at him.

Pff—

Wu Sheng spat out a mouthful of blood, his face pale. He had failed. Zhou Shan failed right after him.

It was like a chain reaction. Bai Xue, Jennyona, and Zhang Ding Tian failed one after another, all of them pale-faced as they stared at the stone in shock.

The fist before Lu Yin drew closer and closer. He saw the starry sky and the endless darkness, and it seemed as though he could also see the River of Time. Countless people died beneath that single punch. It turned day into night.

Lu Yin instinctively circulated Heavenly Star Art, gritting his teeth until he bit through his lip. The fist rushing toward him slowed down, and he gradually saw it clearly.

The fist covered the starry sky, turning day into night, but it wasn't impossible to dodge.

Wait, why did he have to dodge?

Lu Yin's eyes flew open. Three stars revolved around him, and suddenly, a hazy fourth star appeared. He had been studying the star chart all this time. When the fist's pressure bore down on him, the fourth star had barely appeared as a faint image. As the stars burst apart, the fist before him vanished just as it was about to strike. Lu Yin himself seemed to have crossed an endless distance and arrived outside a corridor.

Endless darkness enveloped everything. He couldn't see how far it stretched. The only thing visible was a corridor filled with an ancient aura and permeated by the stench of blood.

Lu Yin couldn't describe the corridor he saw. There was no light source, yet the entire corridor was clearly visible. It looked one way, but when he glanced at it again the next moment, it had changed. This was a corridor that could transform.

The entire corridor was dark red, and its stone walls were carved with murals he couldn't understand. The figures depicted made no sound, yet Lu Yin felt as if they were howling and shouting. The walls seemed to bleed, and all he could smell was blood.