Chapter 135: The Land of No Trace

Infiltrating the tomb was surprisingly simple.

Despite the Black Scale Army’s exceptionally tight security—so strict that even a fly would struggle to pass—it posed little trouble for the crafty… ahem, resourceful Priestess.

Due to her distrust of the outdated 【Chameleon Cloak】, Miss Vilyric soon decided to utilize a moment of solitude to mimic an item she had once seen in a game, the semi-artifact level equipment named 【Land of No Trace】.

This peculiar gear specializes in stealth and assassination; as a semi-artifact, its abilities were certainly not limited to mere invisibility.

In a certain sense, it could temporarily hide the 【existence】 of anything cloaked under it, making it impossible for anyone to associate or recognize them. Even if you were to punch someone while covered by 【Land of No Trace】, they’d only think they unfortunate ran into a pole—no kidding!

Vilyric recalled this equipment from her early game days in a dungeon boss fight, where her team mistakenly believed that the effect would cause players to randomly lose health or even die. After trying all sorts of methods and spending a considerable amount of time, they finally figured it out and defeated the boss.

However, 【Land of No Trace】 isn’t something that drops as loot, and after that single-use dungeon was cleared, it hadn’t appeared in the game again. If it weren’t for her recent exposure to matters involving 【existence】, the Priestess might have forgotten about this bizarre item entirely.

As expected, after enveloping her entire party with this thing, their existence could no longer be perceived by outsiders. They could stroll through the middle of the Black Scale Army without a care in the world, and it would be as if they didn’t exist at all.

And so, the four of them easily crossed numerous barriers and successfully entered their destination.

This space, known as the Ancient Tomb, is a ruin built into the mountainside at the edge of a basin.

From the surrounding evidence, it appeared that this place was originally completely concealed within the low hills of the Wangxi Basin. Due to some environmental changes, or the passage of time, the entrance might have collapsed, revealing the inner space.

Perhaps it was the news of the Ancient Tomb’s discoveries that attracted the nearby Black Scale Army, the main combat force under the Ink Sect of the Five Element Sect, leading them to seal off the area and dispatch personnel for investigation.

Crossing the threshold, the initial scene of the mountain tomb quickly unfolded before Vilyric and her companions.

Before them stretched an ancient stone path leading deeper into the tomb, roughly three meters wide. Torches burned at regular intervals along the route, casting light that added a touch of warmth to this ancient site, perhaps untouched for thousands of years.

It was evident that these were left behind by the Black Scale Army, and it remained unknown how far their advance parties had penetrated.

Previously, that general had mentioned in conversation with his men that the Black Scale Army’s commander would return within three to ten days, but considering that guy was a fake, the credibility of those words might be questionable.

After entering the tomb for about a hundred meters, as the sounds from the outside basin gradually faded, Vilyric deactivated the effect of 【Land of No Trace】, freeing the four of them from their hidden state.

“We should be fine here. See, I told you it was foolproof, right?”

“Miss Vilyric’s abilities are truly exceptional… I’m impressed.”

It seemed that in Murong Yun’s eyes, the formless and shadowy 【Land of No Trace】 was regarded as a power of Vilyric herself, merely a gesture on her part to apply it to her companions, rendering the Black Scale Army’s guards completely oblivious.

In other words, he probably didn’t trust external items and focused more on the cultivator’s intrinsic powers.

Although it sounded a bit amusing, considering his ordinary perspective as a mere mortal, it was understandable. Vilyric didn’t elaborate further, merely nodded, and glossed over the topic.

“Next, we need to explore the interior of this tomb. We know nothing about this place; anything could happen, so let’s not touch anything randomly and be careful.”

Miss Xiao Kong surveyed their surroundings and suddenly spoke up.

“Vilyric, the space here is sealed off ingeniously. Unless true power is used, I might not be able to move freely with you like before. You should prepare yourself.”

“Space is sealed, huh….”

Gazing at the three branching paths within the tomb, the Priestess appeared to contemplate.

This place was indeed far more mysterious than she had originally anticipated.

It might sound strange, but within this seemingly ordinary tomb, there existed an invisible suppression similar to divine power. Her sp seemed to dissipate naturally if it spread beyond a certain distance here.

If she truly wanted to probe, she would likely have to descend into a divine realm to forcibly dismantle the powers here. Not to mention how few in this world could achieve that feat, even doing so would likely lead to the total collapse of the tomb, burying everything beneath the dust, along with treasure and ruin.

Since Vilyric crossed over and learned to use sp, this was the first time she encountered a presence that applied such powers so skillfully.

Adding to Xiao Kong’s warning…

This tomb was likely constructed by a deity of the Ancient Spirit Realm or a being equivalent in strength, leaving behind some of their power.

Not a lot, but just enough.

That feeling was akin to smashing a Rubik’s cube to bits with brute force yet being utterly incapable of putting it back together with the same approach.

Clearly, the entity that built this place did not wish for later arrivals to scan the area easily with divine awareness and thus wished for them to explore it step by step.

The skillful use of mental and spiritual techniques by the other party far surpassed that of Xi Fu Lin, who once embodied the Earth Mother Goddess, suggesting a true mastery in this area, unfathomable.

“Interesting… Hen, what do you think?”

Instead of directly answering, the Silver-haired Girl paused for a moment, her deep-seeing eyes sweeping across the shadowy surroundings of the tomb, highlighting the crucial point.

“Vilyric, this is a sealing structure designed like a tomb, which is why it needs to suppress whatever’s inside. Don’t act impulsively.”

Lifting her arm without hesitation, she pointed toward the center of one of the three paths.

“Follow me, let’s go this way.”

   

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