Entrance to the Ancient Tomb
Not long after Zhang Lingxiao and the others left, Dragon Spring Tooth and Li Hongtao arrived with their respective teams.
The only things left behind were several Netherworld Serpent corpses that had yet to be collected.
As for the bodies of the Zhang and Ma families' Martial Artists, they had all been burned to ashes by the Netherworld Serpents' poisonous flames, leaving no trace behind.
"Oh? It seems a fierce battle took place here not long ago."
Dragon Spring Tooth squatted down and examined the body of a Netherworld Serpent.
"This Netherworld Serpent was killed by Senior Sister Yinger's Sword Qi. It appears that the Zhang and Ma families have formed a temporary alliance. They should already be ahead of us."
Dragon Spring Tooth and Ma Yinger were both disciples of the same sect, while Li Zhan, Zhang Yuyang, and the others were also Martial Artists who had trained at Qingyun Mountain.
Qingyun Mountain, built against the mountain that shared its name, was the strongest sect near Qingyun Town.
Young Martial Artists from Qingyun Town who sought training and experience outside generally belonged to Qingyun Mountain.
Thus, those who had entered the Ancient Tomb Space this time were mostly fellow senior brothers and sisters. However, because they represented different family factions, their relationships were far from close.
Although the sect strictly prohibited disciples from killing one another, it could not control everything that happened outside its gates.
It was worth mentioning that Dragon Spring Tooth, Ma Yinger, Li Zhan, and Zhang Yuyang were all Inner Sect Disciples of Qingyun Mountain.
The basic requirement to become an Inner Sect Disciple of Qingyun Mountain was naturally to reach the Lingwu Realm.
With Zhang Lingxiao's current strength, if he chose to join Qingyun Mountain, he could skip the Outer Sect entirely and become an Inner Sect Disciple directly.
Becoming an Inner Sect Disciple came with many benefits. Not only would one receive a monthly salary of Spirit Stones from the sect, but they could also earn additional rewards by completing missions.
Inner Sect Disciples could learn powerful cultivation techniques unavailable outside the sect and even gain access to the sect's Trial Tower, which was reserved exclusively for them.
Of course, Zhang Lingxiao was currently unaware of these matters.
"This Dark Forest is truly dangerous. Everyone, remain vigilant," Dragon Spring Tooth warned.
He stood up and casually tossed the Netherworld Serpent's corpse aside. A Martial Artist from the City Lord's Mansion immediately stepped forward, collected the corpse, and stored it in his Storage Pouch.
Li Hongtao nodded in agreement.
"We should leave this place as soon as possible. The strong smell of blood here may attract even more powerful Yao Beasts."
After speaking, the two teams gathered several remaining Netherworld Serpent corpses before quickly departing.
Among the Li family's Martial Artists was a young man with a pale complexion. His body was tightly wrapped from head to toe, leaving only a pair of cold eyes visible.
Like Dragon Spring Tooth, he looked at the Netherworld Serpent corpses with obvious disdain.
His gaze shifted forward as he adjusted the half-mask on his face before silently following the group.
The young man possessed a pair of eyes as sharp as an eagle's.
On the surface, his cultivation was only at the middle stage of the Qi Martial Realm, making him seem relatively ordinary among the group.
However, the other members of the Li family team instinctively kept their distance from him. Few people dared to approach or speak to him.
Dragon Spring Tooth naturally noticed this.
He paid special attention to the young Martial Artist whose cultivation appeared average yet gave off an unfathomable aura.
What trick was the Li family playing?
Could this person be their hidden trump card for the Ancient Tomb expedition?
---
After Dragon Spring Tooth and Li Hongtao led their teams away, the strong scent of blood left behind in the Netherworld Serpents' territory soon attracted several second-order Yao Beasts.
They lowered their heads and sniffed the ground cautiously.
Suddenly—
A thunderous roar echoed through the forest.
The Yao Beasts were instantly frightened and fled into the tall grass.
The deafening roar reverberated throughout the entire Dark Forest.
Naturally, Zhang Lingxiao and the others heard it as well.
"That's the roar of the Six-Armed Giant Ape," Zhang Lingxiao said gravely. Having encountered one before, he was very familiar with its voice.
"We need to move faster. Otherwise, we might end up in that ape's stomach before we even find any opportunities."
Just as his words fell—
Ma Yinger suddenly walked toward a massive tree and pressed her fair palm against its trunk.
A white glow instantly flashed beneath her hand.
"Ah! That's strange. Everyone, come take a look. Is there some kind of mechanism on this tree?"
Hearing her call, everyone gathered around.
Zhang Lingxiao also stepped forward.
Before them stood a giant tree so thick that five people would be required to wrap their arms around it.
As Ma Yinger pressed her palm against the trunk, a burst of white light illuminated the otherwise ordinary tree.
After the light faded, a glowing character appeared on the trunk.
Ma.
"A 'Ma' character?"
Zhang Lingxiao stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"This giant tree should be the entrance to the true Ancient Tomb."
He stepped forward and placed his palm beside Ma Yinger's handprint.
Another brilliant white light flashed.
When the light receded, a second character appeared beside the first.
Zhang.
The characters "Ma" and "Zhang" glowed faintly on the tree trunk, with an empty space remaining beside them.
"It seems that to enter the true Ancient Tomb, we must wait for someone from the Li family to arrive," Zhang Lingxiao said.
"We still have to wait for them?" Ma Yinger asked with a frown.
Zhang Lingxiao nodded.
"If we want to obtain the inheritance opportunity, it appears that representatives from all three families are required."
Ma Yinger's small face immediately fell.
Because of her father's influence, she had always harbored a strong dislike toward the Li family.
While training at Qingyun Mountain, she had once encountered a young Martial Artist from the Li family.
That man was already at the late stage of the Lingwu Realm and was considered one of the most outstanding Inner Sect Disciples.
After meeting her only once, he began persistently pursuing her, which caused her considerable distress.
Since then, she had formed the impression that no one from the Li family was any good.
The group decided to rest while waiting for the Li family to arrive, taking the opportunity to recover their Spiritual Qi.
During the earlier battle against the Netherworld Serpents, everyone had fought with full strength, exhausting a large amount of energy.
Zhang Lingxiao was no exception.
He sat down cross-legged and began circulating the Devouring Heaven Demon Art.
First, he absorbed the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, then refined it into spiritual power to replenish the energy within his body.
As he cultivated, Zhang Lingxiao suddenly noticed something unusual.
The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi within this Dark Forest was incredibly dense—far richer than that of the outside world.
Before long, his spiritual power had fully recovered.
With nothing else to do, Zhang Lingxiao began observing his surroundings.
Not far from him, Ma Yinger sat on a massive rock, puffing out her cheeks.
Her expression looked gloomy, yet she appeared extremely cute.
Zhang Lingxiao couldn't understand her reaction.
What was wrong with this little girl?
She looked as if someone owed her eight million Spirit Stones and refused to repay the debt.
Still…
He had to admit that she looked rather adorable like that.
Ma Yinger was young and in the prime of her youth.
Her long dark hair was tied into a ponytail, her skin was as fair as snow, and her delicate face possessed a radiant beauty that seemed to glow softly in the forest light.
---