Into the Catacombs

Lu Fengrou snorted and looked Cao Ya over. "From the look of you, heading out?"

"Yes."

Cao Ya nodded and smiled. "I'm planning a trip into the Catacombs."

Lu Fengrou fell silent for a few seconds. Entering the Catacombs meant going to war, especially for experienced teachers like them.

But no matter how much experience they had, if they encountered an enemy they could not match... death was all that awaited them!

Lu Fengrou seemed to recall an upheaval in the Catacombs more than a decade ago. She had lost her beloved daughter, and Li Changsheng had lost all hope of becoming a Seventh-Rank Grandmaster. Her temper had begun to grow volatile from that time onward, too.

Coming out of her memories, she found that Cao Ya had already walked some distance away. Her voice was low. "Come back safe."

Meanwhile, Cao Ya was thinking.

My strongest power is the Indestructible Diamond Divine Art. I don't need a weapon... Hmm, if I had a suitable weapon to increase my killing power... I could inflict even more damage in the Catacombs!

Since I'm taking the brute-force approach, swords and the like definitely aren't right for me.

Brother Monkey's Adamantine Staff... heh, that would suit me perfectly.

Cao Ya could not be bothered to ask someone at the Manufacturing Academy to forge one, so he simply went to the Logistics Department to pick one out.

The Logistics Department.

When Cao Ya arrived, a student was bargaining with Li Changsheng, the Logistics Department's warehouse keeper.

"Fang Ping?" Cao Ya's eyes flickered slightly.

That student was Fang Ping, the protagonist of Global Martial Arts, whom the War Heavenly Emperor had specifically pulled out of the world inside the Seed as part of his plans against the Heavenly Emperor.

"Sir." Fang Ping spotted Cao Ya and behaved very politely.

Li Changsheng bristled and glared. "I'm a teacher too. Why aren't you this polite to me?"

Fang Ping offered an ingratiating smile. "Sir, I've always called you sir."

The two bickered, but theirs could be considered a friendship that bridged generations.

Cao Ya shook his head and spoke softly. "Li Changsheng, help me pick out a weapon."

"Didn't you used to go without weapons? What, have you finally come around? I recommend a sword. Swordsmen are the most badass!" Li Changsheng recommended it emphatically.

Fang Ping rolled his eyes beside them.

You're clearly only recommending a sword because you're a swordsman!

"I don't use swords." Cao Ya tapped the tabletop lightly and smiled. "Pick out a good-quality staff."

Li Changsheng scoffed. "A stick? That's something barbarians use."

Still, he found a staff suitable for Cao Ya.

Cao Ya swung it a few times. It was not a perfect fit, but it would do.

Unless he was willing to wait a while longer and have the Manufacturing Academy custom-make a staff for him.

"Thanks. Just deduct the points." Cao Ya waved and left with the staff.

He did not strike up a conversation with Fang Ping.

The current Fang Ping was still too weak.

But Cao Ya also knew that Fang Ping would rise at a speed beyond imagination. From ancient times to the present, no living being had ever risen as swiftly as Fang Ping would.

Fang Ping watched him, rubbed his chin, and asked, "Sir, is that Teacher Cao strong?"

Li Changsheng shot him a sidelong glance. "Thinking of switching to Cao Ya as your teacher? Careful, Lu Fengrou will skin you!"

Fang Ping smiled sheepishly. "Of course not. My teacher is very strong too, you know."

"Cao Ya, eh? He's certainly not weak. Compared with your teacher... hmm, six of one, half a dozen of the other. But neither can compare with me. Below Grandmaster, I'm invincible!" Li Changsheng lifted his head slightly and gazed at the warehouse ceiling, wearing an expression of snow-like solitude.

Invincible below Grandmaster? Keep boasting. Fang Ping grumbled inwardly, but continued flattering Li Changsheng to his face.

There were plenty of things for which he needed Li Changsheng's help.

Li Changsheng smiled calmly. He could tell at a glance that the brat Fang Ping was merely flattering him and did not believe a word of it.

He could not be bothered to explain further.

Ever since the Heaven Gate City Lord had grievously damaged his Mental Power more than a decade ago, leaving him with no hope of becoming a Grandmaster, he had painstakingly nurtured his sword.

When that sword strike was unleashed,

Unless it tasted a Grandmaster's blood, it would do an injustice to all his years of painstaking devotion! Even a Seventh Rank would be a waste. It would take at least an Eighth Rank to do that strike justice!

As for a Ninth Rank, that was a little too strong. Li Changsheng knew his own limits.

Otherwise, he would have had the others create an opening no matter what-an opportunity for him to aim that sword strike at the Heaven Gate City Lord!

Heavenly Gate City was the nearest city in the Magic City Catacombs. For years, it had fought a seesaw war with Earth's humans, with casualties on both sides.

Cao Ya did not delay. He went straight to the Magic City Catacombs.

He brought no pills or luggage, only a staff.

After all, the art he cultivated was the Indestructible Diamond Divine Art.

His defensive power was off the charts!

Upon arriving, the first thing he saw was a restricted military zone enclosed by electrified barbed-wire fencing that stretched beyond sight.

There was a guard every three steps and a sentry every five, with armed soldiers standing watch everywhere.

Inside the wire fencing, tanks were everywhere, with virtually no attempt at concealment.

Artillery and mortars also offered fleeting glimpses of themselves from the various fortifications.

These were only the military forces visible to the eye.

Cao Ya was a familiar face who had entered the Catacombs to fight many times, but he still produced his identification and was only allowed through after it had been checked.

All along the way, security inside the base was tight. Guard posts were everywhere, everyone carried a gun, and martial artists were a common sight. From time to time, small units could be seen withdrawing from deeper within.

Every one of them exuded a chilling killing aura!

They had just left the battlefield, and bloodstains still marked their bodies.

They were not just soldiers. There were also celebrities and hosts often seen on television, such as a songstress surnamed Chen. Not only did she sing beautifully, but she was also decisive and ruthless in battle when she entered the Catacombs.

A heroine!

Everyone who fought their way into the Catacombs was a true hero!

Cao Ya also encountered some acquaintances and greeted them without stopping for much conversation.

Everyone who came here did so to fight their way into the Catacombs. There was no need to say more.

He only hoped they could all return safely!

A minute later, Cao Ya reached the end.

An enormous alloy gate barred his way.

The gate was bronze-colored all over, nearly ten meters tall, and joined seamlessly with the surrounding alloy walls. At present, only a small door a little taller than a person stood open within it.

The small door was open, yet it was difficult to make out what lay beyond.

This alloy gate had been built by humans. The actual entrance to the Catacombs was merely a passage resembling a spatial vortex.

Beyond the door was a room.

The room was built entirely of alloy to guard against Catacombs martial artists fighting their way onto Earth. At a critical moment, the room could be sealed off completely.

There were lights inside, so it was not dim.

The so-called Catacombs entrance resembled a whirlpool in water, suspended in midair.

Within the small space, alloy steps had been built, their surfaces mottled with blood.

Cao Ya nodded to the martial artist standing guard to one side, then strode into the vortex.

What first came into view was not the world of the Catacombs, but a tunnel-like passage. Its sides and ceiling were neither alloy nor soil, but energy particles!

This was an energy passage!

Cao Ya had been here many times and was not surprised in the slightest. With a calm expression, he crossed the energy passage and stepped out through the vortex on the other side, into another alloy room.

The room was not large. He walked outside.

Hurrying soldiers, passing martial artists, low buildings, and that enormous sun in the sky!

It was huge!

Absolutely enormous!