Leo steadied himself and stepped inside. The oil lamps on the walls lit up again.
As Leo entered, the two rock faces merged back together, sealing the entrance.
With his spiritual sense leading the way, Leo walked forward briskly.
After five or six minutes, his spiritual sense detected a living presence around a corner forty meters ahead. The aura felt sinister.
Around the corner was the end of the passage, where a guard stood leaning against the wall, yawning, with a Miao Blade strapped to his side.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed. The guard looked up, thinking it was another returning member.
In a flash of light and shadow, Leo emerged from the corner, appearing three or four meters away from the guard.
“Hello,” Leo greeted with a smile.
“You…” The guard instinctively started to respond but quickly realized something was wrong. This person wasn’t wearing the cult’s uniform and looked unfamiliar.
An intruder!
The guard tried to raise an alarm, but Leo moved like the wind. A powerful hand clamped around the guard’s throat, silencing him instantly.
The guard froze in terror.
“Don’t shout, or I’ll kill you,” Leo warned.
The guard nodded vigorously.
“Good. If you cooperate, I won’t kill you. Answer my questions truthfully,” Leo said, loosening his grip slightly.
The guard nodded again.
“Is this the headquarters of the Curse Sorcery Cult?” Leo asked.
The guard nodded.
“Why are you capturing children?” Leo continued.
The guard hesitated, remaining silent.
Leo tightened his grip, making it hard for the guard to breathe. “If you don’t talk, you die,” Leo’s voice was as cold as ice.
The guard made a sound, and Leo eased his grip.
Gasping for breath, the guard looked at Leo in fear. “I’ll talk, I’ll talk.”
Suddenly, a malicious glint appeared in the guard’s eyes as his right hand moved towards his waist.
Leo anticipated the move and without hesitation, twisted the guard’s neck, killing him instantly.
Almost simultaneously, a silver light shot towards Leo’s face. In a split second, Leo retreated and activated his spiritual energy with his left hand, striking the silver light.
The silver Curse Worm was shattered by the blow.
Looking at the dead guard on the ground, Leo had an idea. He stripped off the guard’s clothes and set a Fire Talisman on the body, reducing it to ashes in moments.
Dressed in the guard’s clothes, Leo pushed open the stone door in front of him and continued deeper inside.
Behind the stone door was another passageway. This one was eerie, with occasional water seeping through the walls.
Though there were still oil lamps on the walls, the atmosphere was damp and filled with an evil aura.
At the end of the passageway was a stone chamber, not very large.
Leo quickly noticed something suspicious. In the upper right corner of the chamber, a dark mass was moving-it was bats!
After some thought, Leo took out a Talisman and activated his internal energy. The Talisman flew from his hand and stuck to the chamber’s ceiling.
Leo stomped down, activating the Talisman. Instantly, blinding white light filled the chamber, making it as bright as day.
The bats screeched and flew around wildly. These strange bats were slightly larger than normal ones, with exposed fangs and blood-red eyes.
Directly opposite Leo was another stone door. As he stepped forward, a bat attacked him.
Leo swatted it down with his right hand. These bats weren’t very strong individually but could be troublesome in groups.
Using the blinding light as cover, Leo moved towards the stone door. As he reached out to push it open, bats attacked again.
Leo stopped and used his spiritual energy to kill several attacking bats. Strangely, as long as he didn’t try to open the door, the bats left him alone.
Puzzled, Leo examined the chamber again and noticed something unusual. In the upper right corner where the bats had gathered earlier, a larger bat hung motionless.
This bat wasn’t affected by the Talisman’s light. Observing closely, it seemed to be absorbing something.
Leo formed a seal with his right hand and struck at the bat, sending it flying. As it flew off, a drop of golden liquid fell from a crack in the corner stone.
Leo quickly caught it with his right hand. “This is…”
The golden liquid didn’t splash like water but pooled like mercury in his palm.
“This is Earth Vein Essence!” After probing with his spiritual sense, Leo was shocked. A natural treasure had appeared here!
Earth Vein Essence is formed from Yin and Yang energies underground and can be used for alchemy to enhance cultivation.
Leo stored the Earth Vein Essence in his pouch and looked back at the bats in the chamber. “No wonder these bats have lived so long. Even an ordinary person consuming Earth Vein Essence could live for two or three hundred years.”
A piercing sound echoed as the bat king issued commands to its swarm. The bats grew agitated and attacked Leo en masse.
Leo moved his hands in a flurry of motions, forming a seal that ignited flames around them. A ring of fire formed as he drew circles with his hands.
Bats that touched the fire burst into flames and fell to the ground as burning balls. The chamber filled with their dying screeches and a burnt stench.
Once all the bats were dead, Leo extinguished the fire ring and approached the stone door again. Channeling his spiritual energy into his hands, he pushed hard.
The stone door creaked open slowly, revealing a tomb chamber larger than the previous room.
The tomb was rectangular with stone pillars on either side adorned with carvings. In the center lay a coffin.
Leo never expected that searching for Curse Sorcery Cult’s lair would lead him into an ancient tomb. Could their headquarters be in an underground tomb?