Mo Qingkuang was flung into the tomb, utterly distraught.
Out of nowhere, he had become the target of everyone's hunt.
That damn Fallen Leaf King, even after being dead for so many years, wouldn't let people have peace! Just because he inherited the Flower Plucking King's legacy?
Using the strong to bully the weak—what kind of mighty warrior does that make?
Reflecting on the odd tone his ancestor had used earlier, Mo Qingkuang was certain the old ancestor had foreseen this situation.
"Ancestor..." Given that his ancestor had anticipated the Fallen Leaf King's actions, Mo Qingkuang believed that within the Fallen Leaf King's tomb, the ancestor would surely help him survive.
Mo Fan chuckled softly, "You little rascal, start running! Why do you think I had you undergo three months of special training? It was all for this escape!"
Hearing this, Mo Qingkuang started running. He knew that the others would be inside in no time.
Especially the disciples of the Yuan Sword Sect, who would undoubtedly kill him on sight without hesitation.
"Don't run aimlessly, watch the leaves under your feet!" Mo Fan reminded him.
The Fallen Leaf King's tomb was far more dangerous than the Flower Plucking King's. There were dozens of paths branching off from the entrance. Some led to safety, others to certain death. All the paths looked the same, but only three led to the end.
The Fallen Leaf King's bloodthirsty nature was no joke. Just because he had set up a game to hunt Mo Qingkuang didn't mean the place wasn't fraught with danger.
His tomb was filled with traps and mechanisms. Out of the hundreds entering the tomb today, it would be fortunate if one hundred came out alive.
According to Mo Qingkuang's setup, these traps and mechanisms had discernible patterns. As long as he could figure out the clues, he could turn danger into safety and pass through securely.
The traps left behind could even serve as obstacles for his pursuers.
The most obvious clues were the leaf markers.
The entire underground palace was divided by dozens of paths, with only three leading to the correct destination. The rest were either dead ends or detours.
The ground was covered with dead leaves, making it impossible to see the ground and thus the triggers for the traps.
Many would accidentally activate a trap and die on the spot, eternally accompanying the Fallen Leaf King underground.
Although Mo Fan was the original creator, he didn't know the layout of the underground palace. He only knew the methods to avoid traps and find the correct paths; the rest was up to Mo Qingkuang to figure them out.
"Hurry up, do you see the leaves on the ground? The places with fresh green leaves are safe to step on!" Mo Fan said, guiding Mo Qingkuang to pick a path.
Mo Qingkuang looked closely and indeed saw that among the piles of yellow dead leaves, there were small, barely visible green leaves every few steps.
The green leaves were tiny, with only a tip showing. If not for Mo Fan's guidance, they would be almost impossible to notice.
After three months of training, Mo Qingkuang was light-footed, landing gently from one green leaf to the next.
At the entrance, many people started emerging from the dark tunnel—members of the Imperial Academy and the Yuan Sword Sect.
These were the first to enter the Fallen Leaf King's tomb.
They arrived just in time to see Mo Qingkuang's figure disappearing around a corner.
"He went that way!" shouted a Yuan Sword Sect disciple, pointing in Mo Qingkuang's direction.
The disciples of the Yuan Sword Sect drew their swords, ready to chase him.
"Stop them!" Chen Kong ordered in a low voice, leading the Imperial Academy disciples to block the Yuan Sword Sect disciples' path.
Wu Ming had ordered that Mo Qingkuang's safety must be ensured.
Wu Ming's order was clear: Mo Qingkuang's safety was to be ensured at all costs.
Treasure could be forfeited, but every effort must be made to stop the Yuan Sword Sect from hunting Mo Qingkuang.
"Chen Kong, if you know what's good for you, step aside. Save yourself the embarrassment in front of your juniors," sneered the Yuan Sword Sect's senior disciple, Lu Feng, drawing his long sword.
Lu Feng, a senior disciple from the Yuan Sword Sect, ranked second on the Young Qilin Ranking and seventy-ninth on the Hidden Dragons Ranking, stood higher than Chen Kong.
Chen Kong, ranked third on the Young Qilin Ranking and eighty-first on the Hidden Dragons Ranking, was a notable figure in the Central Province but not the top of his generation.
Lu Feng's threatening stance with his sword underscored his confidence. According to the current information, both of the top two on the Young Qilin Ranking had already broken through to the grandmaster realm, including Lu Feng.
However, there was no news of Chen Kong reaching the grandmaster realm, which gave Lu Feng some assurance.
Both were of similar age and talent, but there was a significant gap between a martial master and a grandmaster.
Chen Kong's expression was emotionless, his dark pupils intimidating as he simply said, "I won't."
"Arrogant! Do you really think you can stop me?" Lu Feng shouted angrily. Backed by his juniors, there was no way he could back down from Chen Kong's defiance.
He drew his sword, slashing out a beam of sword light!
The disciples from the Imperial Academy were shocked: "Grandmaster Realm!"
The sword light didn't aim directly at Chen Kong but instead slashed a deep groove into the ground beside him, demonstrating his power.
Lu Feng didn't want a fight with Chen Kong. The Imperial Academy's members were not to be underestimated. Even if they weren't as strong as the Yuan Sword Sect, a fight would result in significant losses, potentially benefiting the Tiandao Sect, which would be unfavorable.
After all, the number one on the Young Qilin Ranking was currently leading the Tiandao Sect and would soon enter the tomb.
Seeing Lu Feng's display of strength, the Yuan Sword Sect disciples were elated, cheering, "Brother Lu is mighty, Brother Lu is mighty!"
The mood among the Imperial Academy disciples turned somber. Few inner courtyard disciples under twenty were present, and even fewer had come.
Only the inner courtyard knew of Chen Kong's breakthrough to the grandmaster realm; and the outer courtyard disciples were in awe of Lu Feng's powerful strike.
But Chen Kong was now a grandmaster and an Earth Spirit Physique, unafraid of Lu Feng.
Given some more time, he would easily surpass the current top two on the Young Qilin Ranking.
Without hesitation, Chen Kong rubbed his foot on the deep groove Lu Feng had carved into the ground.
Then something astonishing happened.
The groove, a foot wide and three feet deep, made by Lu Feng's grandmaster-realm sword energy, was restored to its original state by Chen Kong's touch.
The ground returned to normal under the disbelieving eyes of everyone.
Seeing the dazzling golden light under Chen Kong's foot, Lu Feng was shocked and puzzled: "You... you've also become a Grandmaster?"
"Do you think only you can break through?" Chen Kong replied coldly, standing before Lu Feng like an insurmountable mountain.
Lu Feng felt something was off. He wasn't afraid of Chen Kong reaching the Grandmaster realm; their breakthroughs were close in timing, so it wasn't surprising.
But the way Chen Kong restored the ground was beyond comprehension.
It was almost magical. How did Chen Kong do it?
The Imperial Academy disciples were overjoyed!
Chen Kong was so powerful! Not only was he not inferior to Lu Feng, but he also seemed to have the upper hand.
"Brother Chen is mighty! Long live Tianxuan!"
***
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