Chapter 89: Clouds of Suspicion

"You, what are you doing? You are slaughtering your own comrades!"

Zi Ming was struck dumb with shock. He had never imagined that Lin Fan's counterattack would be so ruthless, coming straight in with a lethal blow.

Aside from his background, Zhao Wei was still a formidable fighter, already at the peak of the fifth level of the Meridian Condensation Realm. Lin Fan, by contrast, was only at the third level. By ordinary standards, the latter should have been far weaker than the former.

But under the awakening of the Great Devouring Art, Lin Fan's potential had already risen to the level of a once-in-four-thousand-years genius, enough to fight across four whole levels. Zhao Wei, on the other hand, had not even reached the level of once in a thousand years. How could he possibly be Lin Fan's match?

"Comrades? A man who repays kindness with treachery is unworthy to stand beside me. Besides, he was too weak; even if he had not died now, the road ahead would still have been hard on him."

Lin Fan gave Zi Ming a sidelong glance, his arrogance unconcealed. He had already activated his art of discerning fortune and talent, and every person's aptitude was laid bare before his eyes.

This truly startled him. He had not expected the strongest talent among them to belong to Yi Xiaoxian, whose gift reached the level of once in two thousand years. Close behind was Lord Falling Flower, somewhere between once in a thousand years and once in two thousand years. As for the ever-haughty Zi Ming, his talent was the weakest of all, not even reaching once in a thousand years.

"Who do you think you are, that you can decide life and death as you please?"

Zi Ming's anger surged. Zhao Wei, a man without background, had not been worthy of his attention, but after the deaths of the two attendants, Zhao Wei, who had been the first to side with him, had become one of his trusted men. To see him executed alive before his very eyes—how could Zi Ming not be enraged?

"And who do you think you are? The young master of Purple Robe Pavilion? To me, you are worth nothing. If not for the fact that you have some skill, I would have slain you as well."

This was arrogance in its purest form.

Lin Fan did not care at all about Zi Ming's identity. He had refrained from acting only for certain reasons. If the other man continued to make trouble, he would not mind striking him down without mercy.

"You..."

Zi Ming's face was as ugly as could be, killing intent surging within him, yet he did not dare reveal it. From their earlier clash, he had already understood that he was no match for Lin Fan.

"Enough. There is no need to speak of this further. Zhao Wei got what he deserved. We should rest for a while and then set out. We are still far from the heart of Mount Wangwu."

The old blacksmith stepped forward to smooth things over. He knew Lin Fan had killed one to warn the rest, all to keep Zi Ming from causing trouble.

Since someone had spoken up, Zi Ming naturally took the chance to step back down. Though he lost some face, it was not too severe. After a cold snort, he said nothing more. Still, he now seemed out of step with the others, as though set apart from them.

Yet Lin Fan let out a soft exclamation of surprise. He looked at the old blacksmith for a long moment, a strange gleam flickering in his eyes.

"What secret does this mine cave actually conceal? Something about it feels wrong."

Lin Fan frowned and looked around. An icy chill pierced to the bone, making his scalp tingle.

"This was a place recorded by our ancestor in his hand notes. They only said it was relatively safe; there was nothing else written. If not for the blood bats, I would not have come here."

The old blacksmith drew a deep breath. He too was uneasy.

"Since even you don't know whether this place is safe or dangerous, wouldn't it be better for us to turn back and take the safe route from the beginning?" Zi Ming snorted. He had now been almost completely pushed to the edge of the group and had little say.

"Impossible. Blood bats swarm across all of Mount Wangwu. More will gather outside very soon. Once we go out, death is certain."

The old blacksmith rejected the suggestion, and with that, the path of retreat was sealed as well.

"Since we have no choice, we can only move forward."

Lin Fan spoke calmly. His expression did not change in the slightest.

"Adjudicator, do you know what secret lies here? I can feel that something is off."

A thought spread outward, and Lin Fan spoke directly with the Spear of Judgment. It had taken up the place once occupied by the prison cauldron, appearing within Lin Fan's heart like a shard of stone, though the two remained distinct, without the slightest exchange.

"The heavenly secrets here are hidden. It is difficult to infer anything. But clearly, this is not a mine cave. It is a tomb, burying some powerful figures."

The Spear of Judgment did not continue its slumber, for it too felt that Mount Wangwu might conceal some immense secret.

"A tomb?"

Lin Fan frowned. Under normal circumstances, the tombs of powerful beings contained great secrets, and those people often left behind hidden contingencies. Countless years later, such things would become ominous.

"You need not worry. As long as you do not deliberately destroy anything, there will be no problem."

The Spear of Judgment's vision was far beyond what Lin Fan and the others could compare with. It could see far more.

Lin Fan's conversation with the spear lasted only an instant, and the connection was soon severed.

"All right, then let us set out. Everyone follow me closely. Do not move recklessly. If you trigger any danger, it will not be something I can control."

The old blacksmith gave everyone their instructions, then led the way ahead. He was extremely cautious, not daring to relax for even a moment.

A sinister wind howled through the passage, which was damp and heavy with a strong, fishy stench.

The old blacksmith walked in front. Beneath him was Zi Ming, with Yi Xiaoxian and Lord Falling Flower following closely behind Zi Ming, while Lin Fan remained alone at the very end.

A sharp crack suddenly rang out, echoing through the entire passage.

Everyone jumped in fright and turned to look at Lin Fan at the back, because the sound had come from there.

"It's nothing. I merely stepped on a piece of old bone."

Lin Fan waved a hand, revealing the broken bone beneath his foot with a helpless smile.

Only then did the others breathe a sigh of relief, but the atmosphere in the passage grew even more oppressive, until no one dared make a sound.

Lin Fan's brow, however, furrowed more and more deeply, because he had already seen that broken bone earlier. He had only been testing the skeleton's condition.

By Lin Fan's judgment, that fragment should have come from a powerful being who had died not long ago. Yet why had only a single bone been left behind, stripped even of flesh and blood?

As they wound through twists and turns and ventured deeper and deeper, the passage gradually widened, and a patch of light appeared ahead. They should be nearing the end.

A breeze drifted toward them, carrying a faint fragrance. It was no longer the heavy dampness from before, but something fresh and invigorating.

"We're finally leaving this damned place. Could the front be the center of Mount Wangwu?"

Zi Ming's expression relaxed, a trace of joy appearing on his face.

At that moment, the old blacksmith in front of him suddenly turned around and swung his sword down with all his might, brilliance exploding from the blade.

The strike came too abruptly, too inconceivably. Almost no one had foreseen it, yet the old blacksmith did it anyway. Zi Ming had not even had time to react.

Blood sliced through the heavens, and then a severed arm flew through the air, landing far away. A moment later, the flesh on that arm vanished in a bizarre and unnatural way.