Chapter Ninety: Concealment, Part Three

The lake was not large. Its waters glimmered a deep blue, and on either side rose dense woods. Through the shelter of those trees, one could faintly make out a towering city in the distance.

“That is Water City.”

General Wang pointed toward the city far away.

“And those are the soldiers of the Forest Kingdom.”

Then he gestured to a patrol of vine-armored troops moving along the edge of the lake.

The equipment on these soldiers was not much different from that of the troops from Guo City, save that their bodies were far more robust.

“Guo City has sealed off Mirror Lake as well; they must be scheming after the ancient tomb within it,” General Wang analyzed.

“Hmph. The entrance to the Mirror Lake tomb has already been sealed by my royal father with secret arts. Without the bloodline of Water City’s royal house as a guide, the Forest Kingdom can forget ever setting foot inside it.”

The Water City prince snorted coldly.

“Stop wasting time. It is time to enter the tomb,” Li Ju said flatly.

“I think we should first draw away the Forest Kingdom soldiers’ attention before slipping into Mirror Lake. Otherwise, once they learn that we have broken in, they will inevitably send an army to encircle and crush us,” General Wang said after a thoughtful pause, hearing Li Ju’s urging.

“No need to make it so troublesome.”

Li Ju glanced at him, then let a trace of his aura leak out.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

The several dozen soldiers patrolling along the lakeside fell to the ground at once.

“Even if the people of the Forest Kingdom come, it would matter little. That would only let you retake Water City sooner,” Li Ju said as he stepped toward the lake.

After spending several days in the great oasis, he had grown somewhat weary of it all. Right now he only wanted to obtain the divine weapon as quickly as possible, finish the matter, and set out again, crossing the Yellow Sand Desert at the earliest opportunity to reach the Western Unfettered Kingdom.

General Wang and the Water City prince exchanged a look behind him, both eyes filled with shock.

He had simply stood there, without even raising a hand, and rendered several dozen soldiers unconscious. This had already surpassed the limits of their understanding of martial arts.

Although they had never been able to see through Li Ju’s true strength, they now had an even deeper appreciation of how terrifying he was.

Plunk.

General Wang and the Water City prince walked to the lakeshore and plunged straight into the water. Seeing this, Li Ju followed them beneath the surface.

After the three had swum more than a hundred meters below, Li Ju dimly saw, in the dark water, an area flickering with light.

They swam another several dozen meters before finally reaching the lakebed. Ahead of them, a venerable-looking gate jutted up from the mud and sand below. The gate was entirely white and carved with mysterious patterns. Its body shimmered faintly, illuminating the surrounding depths.

Beside the gate lay a number of broken, pallid corpses.

Once Li Ju drew within a few feet of the gate, he felt as though he had passed through a barrier that repelled the lake water. Within that barrier was a space filled with air and lacking any water at all.

After entering the barrier, Li Ju reached one hand past the invisible boundary and touched the lake water outside it.

“This tomb is far from simple...”

A contemplative look appeared in Li Ju’s eyes.

By his judgment, the value of this invisible barrier far exceeded even the divine weapon and the Lesser Three-Element cultivation art hidden within the tomb.

It was only a pity that the people of Water City and the Forest Kingdom were so short-sighted, regarding only the divine weapon and the technique as priceless treasures.

“They are Uncle Wang and the others...”

“The Forest Kingdom’s beasts!”

The Water City prince’s eyes turned red as he stared at the corpses at the bottom of the lake.

Those bodies belonged to collateral branches of the Water City royal family. It was clear that the Forest Kingdom, unable to capture the Water City prince, had not been idle; they had at least tried using those collateral relatives as test subjects, hoping to open the gate with them.

“Your Highness, please accept my condolences.”

General Wang patted the prince on the shoulder and let out a long sigh.

He had long expected this fate for the Water City royal family. After all, how could one possibly expect the Forest Kingdom to treat these worthless royals kindly?

Without another word, the Water City prince walked to the gate, drew the longsword at his waist, and cut several wounds into his own hand, letting blood soak his entire palm.

He pressed a bloody handprint into the center of the gate, then somehow produced a small white bead and embedded it into the central recess.

With a rumble, the gate slowly opened, revealing the tomb passage beyond.

“General Wang, you go on in. I want to stay here with Uncle Wang and the others.”

After opening the gate, the Water City prince walked straight to the corpses and said expressionlessly.

“Alas.”

General Wang sighed once more. After giving the prince a deep look, he led Li Ju into the passage.

As soon as they entered, they saw rows of murals carved into the walls on both sides, along with luminous pearls set into the ceiling overhead.

There was no need to delve deeper into the tomb. Even if one merely took these luminous pearls from the passage and sold them outside, it would be enough to ensure a person lived out the rest of their days in ease and comfort.

As he walked, Li Ju looked at the murals along the passage. They depicted the rites of a kingdom’s sacrificial ceremony.

From the selection of offerings to the process of the ritual and its conclusion, every stage was depicted upon the walls.

After walking several hundred paces, General Wang and Li Ju emerged from the passage into a great hall. The hall was dozens of feet long and wide, extraordinarily spacious. At its center hung a massive glowing orb, about three feet in diameter, brightening the entire chamber.

The hall was filled with all manner of jewels, gold, and ornaments. Their reflected gleam cast the whole room in resplendent gold and jade.

Li Ju’s gaze did not settle on those treasures. Instead, he looked toward the skeleton seated amid the heap of wealth, and at the longsword and book placed before it.

“My lord, according to our prior agreement, that longsword is the divine weapon intended for you. In addition, all the gold and silver treasures in this hall, apart from the cultivation art, may also be taken at will, so long as my lord is willing to serve as Water City’s honored protector.”

When General Wang said this, his eyes flickered.

He dearly hoped Li Ju would be dazzled by wealth and strip this place bare. For Water City, if they could use a bit of treasure to bind an inner-house expert to their side, it would undoubtedly be a great gain.

Having lived through the destruction of his nation, General Wang understood better than ever that this world ultimately answered to strength. Money was nothing more than ornamentation. Lose it, and so what? So long as you still had power, you could earn it again.

“Whose corpse is that?”

Li Ju did not respond to General Wang. Instead, he looked toward the skeleton and asked.