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Chapter 142: Despair is the Precursor to Life

Swallow didn’t exactly know what lay buried within this crypt, but she was already aware of its existence and the dangers it posed. Although the secrets of heaven change endlessly, there are always signs to follow.

The Heavenly Covering Divination method isn’t future sight; often, this technique doesn’t reveal the complete past or future to the user but instead guides their actions in a more clever way. After all, the branches of destiny are too complex, and it’s already a limit for mortals to glimpse even a fraction of it.

So, Swallow only knew what needed to be done here to achieve her goal, even if the method seemed absurd and unbelievable, even as if it invited death. She had to trust the technique and the guidance that came from her.

The girl quietly shifted her hand, sending a barely perceptible unusual aura towards a point not far away, while pushing the Heavenly Covering Divination to its limits.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”

The technique, driven with all her might, instantly lifted the long skirt of the Jing Shen Sect, making it sway and rustle, while her three thousand strands of green silk moved of their own accord, causing her aura to erupt like a volcanic eruption!

To her companions, this scene naturally seemed like Swallow was about to unleash some powerful ability against the enemies. Although she hadn’t declared it in advance, Shangguan Hong still instinctively positioned himself behind her, trying to buy time for Swallow’s accumulation of power…

But at that moment, the four strange and powerful straw man warriors simultaneously directed their hollow gazes at a certain girl with a ponytail who was doing who-knows-what, and for the first time, a fierce desire to attack surged within their pupils!

“Liu Quan, Zhang Ze, block the enemies head-on with me! Others, protect Swallow and provide support from the back!”

“Okay!”

“Got it!”

“Bang, bang, bang, bang!!!”

The sound of intense close combat erupted from the front as the Jing Shen Sect members unleashed their full firepower, clashing fiercely with the straw men. Meanwhile, the mystical aura surging from Swallow, unique to the Heavenly Covering Divination, grew denser, making her thoughts and divinations clearer than ever!

“Danger…”

For some unknown reason, the straw men, who usually only fought silently, broke out in stuttering murmurs, but the Jing Shen Sect members, focused on the battle, weren’t paying attention. They just fought to buy time, waiting for Swallow’s decisive strike…

Waiting…

Waiting…

She felt it, the existence that was about to arrive.

It was the predator drawn by the scent of tender meat, bringing forth the crisis, the path guided by the Heavenly Covering Divination.

Even so, a sense of danger and unprecedented panic still surged within the girl, and the alarm bells ringing almost made her turn and run without hesitation!

However, she chose to have faith because this was the only chance.

No one knew her torment… like a moth drawn to the flame, Swallow closed her eyes.

“Buzz!!”

“Danger… escape…”

A white light projected from afar, causing the four straw warriors to crumble into pieces under that light, leaving only a ground strewn with remnants.

“This, this is…”

“Swallow! Get out of the way!!”

That light enveloped her somewhat frail body, and the entire tomb began to shake!

……

“Huh?”

Walking slowly through the maze-like paths deep within the tomb, the black-haired girl lifted her head and glanced at the ceiling above them, raising an eyebrow slightly.

“By the way, did any of you feel the ground shaking?”

“Did we? Is it just the complicated environment down here, poor ventilation, causing Miss Vilyric to feel dizzy? Do you need to take a rest?”

But in response to Murong Yun’s kind words, someone simply rolled their eyes.

“Are you stupid? I wouldn’t feel dizzy even if you threw up! Something’s definitely shaking up there, and it sounds like the noise that comes from a fight, rather loud too! Does that mean others have come in beside us?”

Miss Xiao Kong nodded, affirming.

“I also felt a slight tremor. Could it be those Black Scale Army folks?”

“Impossible…”

The reasoning was simple. According to the fake Cheng Dou’s claims, the first reconnaissance unit of the Black Scale Army had already entered the tomb two days ago and hadn’t come out since. No matter how slow they might be, they should have made their way through the previous intersections by now.

Though complicated, the interior of this tomb was essentially a one-way street, leaving little room for many hands. As Vilyric had deliberately searched most accessible rooms during their journey, she had noticed some traces of burning torches but hadn’t seen anyone.

So, the Black Scale Army must have arrived before them and had already gone deeper inside.

If that were the case, how could they now be appearing directly above where Vilyric and the others had previously walked?

Murong Yun wore a pensive expression.

“Are you implying that a third party has entered this tomb? So what should we do? Should we go back and check it out?”

The Priestess shook her head.

“That wouldn’t be necessary. Who cares who they are? I’m just curious because I heard noises from above. Um… more importantly, did you find anything resembling stone slabs while coming this way?”

“Even if you ask like that…”

The white-clad middle-aged man couldn’t help but chuckle wryly.

“The description of a stone slab is too broad; it’s hard to pinpoint a clear target, and there are surely hidden rooms in this tomb. We probably missed some things not searching too thoroughly along the way.”

“Yeah, let it go, it doesn’t matter ~”

Choosing to let it be, Miss Vilyric turned her gaze toward a large golden retriever that had been silently following beside them.

“Did Little Tooth notice anything unusual?”

My lord, there indeed seems to be something strange.

The massive beast raised its paw and pointed in a certain direction ahead.

I can faintly sense the presence of life there, but it gives me a very peculiar feeling… hard to describe, but perhaps it relates to what you’re looking for.

“Oh? Strange is good; let’s go see!”

The black-haired girl’s eyes sparkled.

Without hesitation, the four of them followed Ya Zi’s guidance and quickly found a stone room just a short distance from their original spot.

From the way its entrance was tightly fused with the wall, it appeared to be a hidden chamber originally concealed within the stone wall, which someone had somehow accessed and, for some reason, hadn’t fully closed the door behind them, exposing it directly to Vilyric and her companions’ view.

“Looks like there’s indeed a design hidden here…”

Muttering to herself, Miss Vilyric took the lead and stepped inside.

This chamber wasn’t too large, roughly equivalent to a normal person’s bedroom, covering less than a hundred square feet.

There were no furnishings within, just a complex circular magical array etched into the central floor, where a solitary stone platform stood empty, but nearby was a scatter of straw and fragments of armor.

Having seen and heard so much within the tomb already, it wasn’t hard to guess the origins of the straw. Clearly, they had once been the hidden forces meant to guard this chamber but had simply been defeated by enemies.

What truly caught Vilyric’s attention were the several strange figures standing eerily still around the chamber, looking almost like sculptures.

“Whoa… it’s the Black Scale Army.”