As Leo approached the coffin, a chilling aura enveloped him. He continued forward, and when he was just three steps away from the coffin, a strong sense of danger made his heart race. Leo stopped, staring intently at the coffin before him.
This coffin was not an ordinary wooden one; it was made of stone and was about three times the size of a regular coffin.
Leo’s eyes flashed with determination as he struck the stone coffin with his palm. With a loud “bang,” the stone coffin slowly shattered, scattering debris everywhere. Inside, there was nothing.
Leaving the burial chamber, Leo found another passageway and had no choice but to continue forward.
After walking for a while, he heard footsteps approaching. Two guards appeared, patrolling with Miao Blades at their waists. Leo strode towards them.
The guards saw Leo and, mistaking him for one of their own due to his uniform, spoke to him in a dialect he didn’t understand.
Leo looked confused, not comprehending a single word. Realizing something was wrong, the guards reached for their blades, but Leo swiftly attacked. The guards fell to the ground without uttering a sound.
Leo spared their lives as he needed information. He woke one guard and placed the curved blade against his neck.
The guard instinctively tried to shout, but Leo covered his mouth. “Don’t scream, or I’ll kill you,” Leo whispered coldly into his ear. The guard nodded frantically, understanding his predicament.
Leo released his grip, and the guard stammered in broken Mheffada, “Don’t kill me, don’t kill me.”
“Good. Cooperate, and I won’t kill you. Is this the headquarters of the Curse Sorcery Cult? Why are you capturing children?” Leo demanded.
“This is the main hall of the Curse Sorcery Cult. I don’t know why they capture children; maybe for sacrifices,” the guard replied.
Unsatisfied with the answer, Leo pressed the blade harder against the guard’s neck, drawing a thin line of blood. “Tell the truth, or I’ll kill you.”
Panicking from the pain and blood, the guard pleaded, “I really don’t know. I’m just a patrol guard; they don’t tell us much.”
Seeing that the guard seemed truthful, Leo asked, “Are there people from other sects here, like the Five Poison Sect or Ghost Path Church?”
“Yes, I’ve seen them. Master Amirah invited them for some grand plan,” the guard quickly responded.
“How many children have you captured? Where are they?” Leo continued.
“I don’t know how many or where they are kept,” the guard replied helplessly.
Leo struck the back of the guard’s neck with a swift chop, and the guard collapsed lifelessly. Standing up, Leo grew more curious about the situation. Other sects were involved-what were they planning? He continued forward.
At a three-way fork in the path, Leo chose to go left. After walking for a while, he saw an entrance ahead. As he was about to enter, a guard emerged, smoking a cigarette and looking relaxed. Mistaking Leo for an ally, the guard nodded and tossed him a cigarette.
Leo caught it and approached with a smile. “Got a light?” he asked.
The guard realized too late that something was off. Before he could react, darkness enveloped him as Leo knocked him out.
With the cigarette in his mouth, Leo proceeded into the cave. Inside, he found a large space with multiple smaller chambers branching out.
Using his senses, he detected activity in the leftmost chamber and headed there.
In the dim light, Leo saw rows of iron cages on either side. They were large enough to hold people.
A table stood in the middle of the cave with a guard drinking alone. The cages were empty but had remnants of bedding and children’s clothing.
The guard noticed Leo and mumbled something in his drunken state, thinking he was a fellow patrolman. It seemed the children had been held there but were moved elsewhere.
Leo swiftly approached the table and grabbed the guard by the throat. The guard’s vision blurred as he struggled to breathe, dropping his bowl of wine.
“Where are the children?” Leo demanded, loosening his grip slightly.
The terrified guard stammered, “Master Amirah took them to Demon God Cave…”
“Where is Demon God Cave?” Leo asked.
“Exit this cave, walk fifty steps forward, then turn left at the first fork. Walk two or three hundred steps to reach Demon God Cave,” the guard replied fearfully.
“What are you planning to do with the children?” Leo pressed on.
“I heard it’s for sacrificing to our ancestor Chiyou. But I’m not sure,” the guard answered cautiously.
Leo smirked coldly and tightened his grip until he heard a snap. The guard went limp and lifeless. Without hesitation, Leo headed towards Demon God Cave.
He soon arrived at its entrance-large stone doors sealed tightly shut. Two vigilant guards stood at their posts on either side of the entrance. Sensing their stronger malevolent aura compared to previous guards, Leo approached them directly.
The guards glanced at him and barked warnings in their language, mistaking him for an ally again. Leo nodded vaguely and gestured for a light for his cigarette.
One guard reached for his lighter while Leo seized the moment to strike swiftly. His right hand delivered a powerful chop to one guard’s head while his left elbow struck the other guard’s temple with iron-like force.
The second guard tried to dodge but found himself immobilized mysteriously. With a final blow to his temple, he collapsed against the rocky wall without a sound.