Instinct

Xie Mo...knows the layout?

I'm getting more curious about his background.

Extract.

----------------

Successful!

A map panel can be pulled up once the host enters the dungeon. Simply think of the map and the panel will show up.

Parts of the map will be highlighted depending on the degree of danger:

From safest,

Green

Yellow

Red

Exclamation marks will be displayed on the map to notify an "event".

A treasure chest will be displayed to demonstrate areas of "treasures".

---------------

*grrrr*

The ground rumble as a full giant block structure rises. One side of the structure is a gigantic door that is as big as the structure itself.

People participating start to jump in. My sect and I follow and land inside.

Looking at the numbers, almost everyone here is in the range of Foundation Establishment to Core Formation.

The spectators are all strong cultivators and elders of sects.

I still cannot find Xie Mo but did not dwell on it.

The event has two rules:

1. Nobody is allowed to kill anyone unless they are in the tomb domain.

2. Winner takes everything.

Cultivators cannot die in the tomb. At most, they will lose consciousness and will be sent outside immediately. It is the main reason why the tomb was classified as a competition.

Due to the shortage of artifacts, the tomb is mostly a "survival" game, the last to come out is rumoured to be rewarded by the tomb handsomely.

Is the blood sect planning to sabotage the competition again? The imperial cultivators assured us that nobody can sabotage a tomb made by the transcendent realm.

I look at the man floating up in the sky in a luxurious throne chair. There are many cultivators in a formation around the man, protecting him.

A man dressed in a lavish yellow silk robe with patterns of dragons engraved, the Jade Emperor. His long black hair is tied up and his condescending gaze rains upon the earth.

The door slowly swings open as the ground shivers to reveal a blinding gold light.

"It's opening! Quick! Get in!"

Like an unstoppable flow of the river, everyone dashes into the tomb while pushing and kicking aside to pave a path.

"Let's go."

The core disciples nod.

---------------

*thud*

I land on a dark grey cobblestone ground. After jumping through the light, I arrived in a long corridor alone.

Let's see...

I think about the map and the panel pops up.

A green dot indicating my location can be seen in the haphazard combinations of pathways.

The tomb is a maze. The corridor I am in has a gradual yellow colour highlighting it; no matter how much I scroll around the panel, the maze appears endless.

"Hah-" A cultivator ambushes from behind with his sword up high yet I twirl my body and stabs him through the chest.

"Y-You..."

My victim coughs and struggles as he slowly disappears into blue particles.

"It's the Patriarch! Get rid of him!" A woman shouts.

To my left are a woman and a man. To my right, 3 men.

I channel Qi through Azrim and it starts to glow in red.

!

They erect barriers and bring up their defence artifacts.

However, with a single curl of my torso, the red energy extends into a long crescent blade from Azrim and slashes every defence.

"F-Fuck!"

One swift decapitation is all it takes to create blood-stained walls. The headless body oozes blood and disappears, even the blood is gone.

Deep marks are left on the walls.

I should get going.

!

I arrive at a T junction and can see arrays in both directions.

What the...

The corridors are still marked yellow.

...

I step back to dodge a sword that pierced into the wall.

"Tch." The attacker leaps to me and activates one of the arrays.

!!

Several blades are launched into his body mercilessly from the gap in the walls.

...

Traps.

However, that attack wasn't one that is hard to avoid. As long as you have the speed, you can dash past the onslaught.

A deep breath and I embrace myself. With my foot rooted into the ground, I dip past the arrays which activated one after another. I did not look back to see what activated.

However, a huge array that spreads throughout the corridor appears.

!!!!

Two rows of barrels appear on both sides of the wall.

"What?"

The right barrel spews out waves of the inferno while the left sprays intense icy cold.

"Argh!!"

What is this?

It doesn't kill me but it hurts! The polar temperature of suffering is consuming my willpower.

I grit my teeth as I run through.

After what seems like the end of the barrels, I drop onto my knees to catch my breath. The barrel disappears back into the walls.

Huff huff... What...?

I look behind to see the rest of the traps. Poison arrows, spears, swords, as well as spikes pop out. Most of the traps have a small tiny gap or flaw that can prevent a death...or in the barrel case, unable to cause death but excruciating pain.

This tomb can be called more of a training area than an actual tomb.

!

I realise a space up ahead, I am near an exclamation mark.

A spacious room with four tall statues of a man in armour standing at the edge. Even further behind is a door with a palm imprinted at the bottom of the door.

Cold tingly runs through my skin as I push forward. From the map, there is a "treasure" behind the door.

Once I step in, the eyes of the statues light in red and I feel a sudden surge in gravity.

"Arg-" I was forced to my knees.

What the fuck? How much fold of gravity is this?!

I have trouble kneeling, at this rate my entire body will be slammed to the ground.

My legs tremble as I draw Azrim.

I grit my teeth and look upfront. Cracks can be heard before the void quickly opens nearby, cancelling and confusing gravity.

The pressure on me loosens and I take a wide swing to cut all four statues.

*BOOOM!*

The void disappears when the pressure dissipates.

Huff...what...the...

I trudge to the door and place my palm on the engraved space. The door receives Qi from my body and slides open.

What's beyond is a blue spear laying on a green block of bed.

Azrim, are you able to influence the weapon and force it into submission?

(I can give it a try. Touch the spear while holding me.)

I did so and red mist flows from Azrim to the spear.

*PING!!*

The spear starts to shake as small statics spark here and there. About 4 minutes later, it stops moving.

(It is done.)

The whole room lights up in gold light.

------------------------

Outside the tomb, a pillar of light shoots up, writing Wang Ji's name.

"T-That is the Patriarch of Heavenly Divine Dragon sect!"

"That lucky bastard!"

"Shit! Isn't the number of artifacts in the single digits? How can he be so lucky!"

The Jade Emperor sighs. A servant comes to him and pours tea. "Is something wrong, your majesty?"

He ignores the servant and continues to stare at the tomb.

The princess of Tianwu clenches her fist. "Xie Mo..."

Xie Mo widens his eyes as everyone in the tomb was subconsciously notified of my achievements.

"Fuck! He found that!?" Exclaims Xie Mo. "Tch... It doesn't matter, I just need that weapon."

Xie Mo swiftly dodges all traps before clashing with somebody. He draws his sword and prepares for battle.

"Xie Mo?!" Exclaims Li Xing.

!

"It's you..."

Beside Li Xing is Xiang Hou.

"Tch." Xiang Hou clicks his tongue.

...

Li Xing grits her teeth as her grip tighten.

"He is mine." Li Xing says, glaring at Xie Mo.

"Sure princess." Xiang Hou leans against the wall.

Xie Mo frowns. "You know my strength better than anyone."

"You are still injured." Says Li Xing.

Xie Mo sheathes his sword.

"Don't compare yourself to Wang Ji; You are getting too cocky." Xie Mo warns Li Xing.

"Bastard!"

Li Xing leaps at Xie Mo who attempts to direct the flow of attack away using Qi. However, Li Xing bashes through the Qi and thrusts at Xie Mo.

!!!

*BOOM!*

Xie Mo barely dodged that attack as blood drips from a cut on his face.

Right beside Xie Mo is a deep trench.

"You...interesting..."

Xie Mo smiles and roots his feet firmly on the ground. "Alright come at me."

Li Xing appears behind Xie Mo and attempts a horizontal slash. Xie Mo leans back to dodge it and kicks Li Xing's knee.

?!

Xie Mo follows up with a strike of his leg to Li Xing's face as he kicks her to the wall.

"Li Xing!" Xiang Hou shouts.

"Ack! Ack..." Li Xing grabs her bleeding nose.

"Our gaps are heaven and earth apart, both of you don't have a chance against me." Says Xie Mo.