.
“Junior Brother Wanyan!”
Senior Brother Zhan also recognised Wanyan Jun, a glimmer of joy appearing on his face.
“Quick! Save my disciple!”
His voice suddenly grew louder, though due to his extreme weakness, it still sounded feeble.
“Senior Brother Zhan, where is your disciple?” Wanyan Jun asked with a frown.
He was only interested in completing the task, not in saving anyone.
“My disciple was captured by a ferocious beast and taken to its lair. That beast’s strength is comparable to mine, but it can manipulate the plague, making it extremely terrifying. It possesses a treasure, likely a divine-grade artifact,” Senior Brother Zhan said, gasping for breath.
Divine-grade artifact!
Upon hearing those four words, the previously uninterested expressions of Wanyan Jun, Chen Zui, and Shangguan Lei instantly changed, filled with greed.
Ling Xiao, standing nearby, shook his head silently.
Greed often leads people to lose their reason.
“Where is this beast’s lair?” Wanyan Jun asked.
“It’s in the manor’s basement,” Senior Brother Zhan said with a bitter smile. “That basement was originally where I stored martial arts manuals, various miraculous elixirs, and weapons, but it was taken over by the beast and turned into its lair. All the valley’s people are imprisoned down there.”
“Are they still alive?” Ling Xiao suddenly asked.
“I don’t know. I’m barely clinging to life myself, just waiting for death. The beast doesn’t dare come for me, probably fearing I might choose to detonate my martial veins,” Senior Brother Zhan said, suddenly breaking into sorrowful tears. “Alas, I’m useless. As the valley master, I let this place become a lair.”
“Senior Brother Zhan, don’t be sad. We’ll help you rescue those people,” Wanyan Jun said excitedly. “Ling Xiao, you stay here and take good care of Senior Brother Zhan. We’ll be back soon.”
“But Senior Brother, I also want to complete the task,” Ling Xiao said hurriedly.
“Stop talking nonsense. Do what you’re told, and we’ll give you some benefits after we complete the task. Otherwise, you’ll get nothing!” Wanyan Jun threatened.
“Fine then,” Ling Xiao nodded, but a faint, cold smile crossed his lips, barely noticeable.
Since these three were eager to rush to their deaths, why should he stop them?
“Let’s go!”
Wanyan Jun, Chen Zui, and Shangguan Lei had a simple plan. Although the underground lair might be dangerous, it was just a third-level ferocious beast, equivalent to a third-level Mortal Realm martial artist. The three of them could handle it with ease.
There was no need for Ling Xiao to tag along.
If Ling Xiao went with them, he might even hinder their task and their chance to obtain the treasure.
As their figures disappeared, Ling Xiao suddenly foamed at the mouth, collapsed to the ground, and began convulsing. Moments later, his eyes rolled back, and he passed out completely.
“Heh heh heh, a mere half-step master daring to venture deep into the Plague Valley. I knew you’d be infected by the plague,” Senior Brother Zhan, who had been leaning weakly against the wall, let out a sinister laugh as he looked at Ling Xiao lying on the ground.
“Now, time to deal with those three fools. Raising a ferocious beast isn’t easy; I can’t let those three kill it.”
Senior Brother Zhan casually hoisted Ling Xiao over his shoulder and followed Wanyan Jun and the others into the underground lair, then sealed the door completely.
Of course, Ling Xiao was pretending to be unconscious.
From the start, he had sensed something off about Senior Brother Zhan. Others might not notice, but with his keen perception, he could tell this man was radiating an evil aura.
Such a person couldn’t possibly be normal.
Slung over Senior Brother Zhan’s shoulder, Ling Xiao noticed that the stone door sealing the underground lair was embedded with two array stones.
Once the two array stones were activated, only someone skilled in formations or familiar with the mechanism could open it.
His master, Yuan Zun, had once told him that array masters no longer existed on the Tianlong Continent, at least not for the past ten thousand years.
Could Senior Brother Zhan have had contact with someone from ten thousand years ago?
As they neared the lair’s core, Ling Xiao heard the sounds of fighting, likely Wanyan Jun, Chen Zui, and Shangguan Lei clashing with the plague beast.
Senior Brother Zhan quickened his pace and soon reached the core of the lair.
There were no valley residents here, not even corpses, but there were indeed many martial arts manuals, a large number of elixirs and weapons vital to secular martial artists, and thousands of low-grade spirit stones.
Senior Brother Zhan tossed Ling Xiao to the ground and quietly slipped into the darkness.
This guy was cautious, clearly planning an ambush.
“Ah!”
In the darkness, a withered claw struck Shangguan Lei’s back. He let out a horrific scream as a black handprint appeared on his back, signaling he was as good as dead.
“Someone’s ambushing us!” Wanyan Jun and Chen Zui’s faces changed drastically. They shielded Shangguan Lei and backed against the wall to avoid further attacks.
“Isn’t that Ling Xiao?” Wanyan Jun spotted Ling Xiao lying motionless on the ground, eyes rolled back.
“Is he dead?”
“But outside, there was only Senior Brother Zhan. How did he end up like this? Could it be Senior Brother Zhan?” Wanyan Jun suddenly realized a possibility, his heart turning ice-cold with fear and regret.
“Run!”
Wanyan Jun shouted, no longer caring about Shangguan Lei.
Chen Zui followed closely behind.
They didn’t spare Ling Xiao a glance, not caring about him any more than they did Shangguan Lei, and fled toward the lair’s exit.
However, the plague beast was already blocking the entrance, baring its fangs and claws, looking ferocious.
“Heh heh heh, none of you are escaping today. Since you’re here, why be in such a hurry to leave? I went to great lengths to set up this trap. If I let you escape, wouldn’t that be a waste?” Amid the laughter, Senior Brother Zhan’s figure slowly emerged.
Behind him was a skull with glowing red eyes.
Though Ling Xiao had seen many martial souls, this was the first time he’d encountered one like this.
Indeed, the Mysterious Realm was full of wonders, where anything bizarre could happen.
Deep in this lair, Ling Xiao felt no fear, only excitement.
This was true adventure, the path a martial artist should take.
Hiding in the sect all day was far too dull.
“Senior Brother Zhan, as a disciple of the Moonlight Sect, what are you trying to do?” Wanyan Jun, seeing no escape, steeled himself for a fight.
He and Chen Zui together might not be outmatched by Senior Brother Zhan and the plague beast.
After all, they were both third-level Mortal Realm martial artists, and having often trained and undertaken tasks together, their coordination was likely no worse than their opponents’.
Besides, there was still Shangguan Lei. Though heavily injured, he wasn’t dead and might prove useful at a critical moment.
