Star Martial Era: From Mortal to Emperor

The tunnel narrowed, the walls on either side squeezing inward, and the soil overhead pressed low, forcing Lin Chen to duck slightly as he walked. The air was stuffy and humid, feeling like breathing in a damp towel, leaving his throat sticky. A layer of dark, unidentifiable substance covered the walls, reflecting a greasy sheen in the dim light of the array flags. In some places, it dripped down like melted asphalt, falling drop by drop to his feet with soft "plop" sounds.

Su Muyue walked at the front, holding the Evil-Breaking Array Flag in her hand. The runes on the flag flickered, emitting a silvery-white light that repelled the evil mist within a three-foot radius. She walked slowly, each step steady, but Lin Chen could see that her knuckles were white as she gripped the flagpole, and her arm was exerting a slight force—she was using the array flag to clear a path, which was quite taxing.

Lin Chen followed half a step behind her, his right hand holding her wrist. He channeled his stellar energy from his dantian, flowing gently and slowly through her fingertips, like warm water in winter, into her meridians. He could feel the evil poison within Su Muyue's body, like a living thing, shrinking back and hiding far away upon contact with his stellar energy. Her tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and her breathing became easier.

Neither of them spoke. She walked ahead to clear the way, while he followed behind to protect her, one in front and one behind, keeping a half-step distance between them.

The tunnel was dug by hand. The shovel marks on the walls were still there, neatly spaced, not made by a ferocious beast. The soil beneath his feet was compacted and hard, leaving no footprints. Chu Fan squatted down, touched the ground, rubbed the soil between his fingertips, smelled it, and then stood up and wrote a few words in his notebook.

Leng Feng walked slightly ahead of the middle of the group, not looking at the road, but staring intently into the darkness ahead. His ears were better than his eyes; in the enclosed space of the tunnel, what the eyes could see was limited, but sound did not lie. He tilted his head, his left ear pointing forward, like a wolf listening for its prey.

Suddenly he raised his left hand, his five fingers spread open.

Everyone stopped at the same time. Su Ling'er's foot was halfway up, but it hung there, not daring to touch the ground. She blinked, held her breath, and didn't even dare to exhale.

"There are people ahead." Leng Feng's voice was very low, so low that you had to lean in to hear it. "They're talking. And there's the sound of metal clanging. Two or three people, no more."

He turned sideways and walked forward, hugging the wall. His footsteps were very light, almost silent, each step following the footprint of the previous one.

Chu Fan took out five miniature array plates from his backpack. They were made of bronze, about the size of a palm, and engraved with fine runes. He gave one to each person and whispered, "Crush them. They will conceal your presence and footsteps. Within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, no one below the Transformation Realm will be able to detect you."

Su Ling'er clutched the array plate in her hand and glanced at Lin Chen. Lin Chen nodded to her, then with a flick of his thumb, the array plate shattered. A cool sensation spread from head to toe, as if enveloped by an invisible film of water. He looked down at his hand—it was still there, but that "presence" had vanished, as if it had turned into a wisp of smoke in the air.

The five people crushed the array plate and moved forward silently.

After rounding a bend, the tunnel suddenly opened up.

A stone chamber came into view. It wasn't large, about four or five steps square, with walls made of rough stone slabs, the gaps filled with black mud. Two oil lamps were lit in the corner, their bases made of copper, but the wicks emitted a green, dim light, making the entire stone chamber look as if it were soaking in a vat of green water.

In the center of the stone chamber sat a stone table, around which sat three people dressed in black robes. Their robes were wide, and their hoods were pulled back, revealing bald heads and black tattoo-like patterns on their faces. These patterns stretched from their foreheads to their chins, dense and numerous, like cracks or the tracks of insects.

Several items were spread out on the table. A letter, the envelope was black, and a dark red wax seal was placed at the opening; a fist-sized earthenware jar, the mouth of which was sealed with a talisman, the characters on the talisman were crooked and did not resemble human writing; a black token was placed on the corner of the table; and a map, the paper was yellowed, folded several times, the edges were worn, and there were many marks drawn on it in red pen.

"In another half month, the New Life Secret Realm will open," said a man in black robes. His voice was hoarse, like the clanging of a rusty iron gate. "At that time, the restrictions around the Martial Emperor's Mausoleum will loosen. We'll proceed according to plan, working together from the inside and outside to open a breach. We'll send in the Soul-Controlling Gu, control those geniuses, and the ancient inheritance within the secret realm will be ours."

"They specifically instructed us," another man in black robes interjected, his voice shrill and sinister, "that guy named Lin Chen possesses a Star Martial Core. If you encounter him, you must capture him alive, and the core must be brought back intact. It cannot be injured, much less broken. Anyone who messes it up knows the consequences."

"Vice Principal Qin has already made arrangements," the third man in black robes said, his voice muffled, as if it came from a jar. "During the secret realm trial, they will leave us a secret door so we can enter directly without having to force our way in through the main entrance."

Lin Chen heard every word the three people said.

Leng Feng made a move.

He gave no one time to react. The sword was drawn—without a sound, without a flash, the blade sliding out of the scabbard like a snake emerging from a hole, silently. He had already reached the table, the blade slicing across the throat of the first man in black.

The man opened his mouth, a string of blood bubbles gushing from his throat. His body swayed, and he slid off the stone bench, his hand grabbing at the table and overturning the green oil lamp. Oil spilled all over the table, flames leaped up, and the green light made everyone's faces look like ghosts.

Lin Chen followed suit. Stellar energy surged from his dantian, flowing down his arm and into the Star Sword. He didn't need to charge up or prepare; his mid-stage Meridian Opening Realm Stellar Energy was already ready to be deployed. The sword trembled, and silver sword flowers bloomed at its tip, blocking the second black-robed man's retreat.

"Who goes there!"

The remaining two men in black robes were shocked. One of them suddenly stood up, drew a circle with his hands in front of him, and a cloud of black mist surged from his palms. The mist condensed into two sharp claws, which he lunged at Lin Chen's face. A stench of decay filled the air, and the black claws carried considerable power, their tips hissing as they sliced ​​through the air.

Su Muyue waved the array flag. The runes on the flag shone brightly, and silver-white array patterns spread out from the base of the flagpole, covering the floor and walls of the stone chamber like a spider web.

"Evil-trapping Formation, activate!"

The instant the array patterns lit up, the two streams of black mist seemed to be choked, shrinking violently. The black-robed man's evil power was greatly reduced; his black claws became thin and transparent, like paper, and dissipated after swaying in mid-air. The two men's expressions changed instantly—they sensed that these array patterns inherently suppressed the power within them, like sunlight shining on snow.

Chu Fan immediately reinforced the formation, pulling two array flags from his backpack and inserting them into specific positions on the ground. He formed hand seals, and the array patterns brightened further, like adding a lock to the trapping formation. Su Ling'er threw out two Evil-Breaking Pills, which arced through the air and landed precisely on the two black-robed men. The Evil-Breaking Pills ignited upon contact with evil; the moment they touched their bodies, the evil mist on the black-robed men burst into flames as if oil had been poured on them. Green flames danced on their bodies, and the two men let out piercing screams that echoed through the tunnel.

In less than half an incense stick's time, the three men in black robes were completely unable to resist. Two were pinned to the ground by the array patterns and could not move, while one was already dead, blood still gushing from the wound on his throat, lying face down on the ground, with a pool of dark red blood beneath him.