Chapter 118: Descending into Chaos

“It's done, you can come out now.” Since Ling’er had already awakened and Lin Yanghao’s plan had succeeded, the next matter to consider was how to make their escape.

“Kid, are you messing with us? This stone door looks perfectly fine!” When those men emerged and saw the stone door, it appeared unchanged from before. It certainly hadn’t opened. Clearly, they had been tricked.

Boom!

Lin Yanghao didn’t bother wasting words. Without hesitation, he struck the stone door and shattered it outright.

The Star Emperor Purple Iron Stone Gate had had its extreme cold energy absorbed by Ling’er, thus becoming as brittle as the previous piece of Star Emperor Purple Iron.

Are your eyes just for show? I really wonder how you managed to reach the Spiritual Transformation stage of cultivation. Did you get there by taking drugs or something? To not notice such a drastic change in the stone door is beyond comprehension.

Of course, Lin Yanghao wouldn’t dare say this directly to their faces—otherwise, he’d be struck down on the spot. Although he possessed the mysterious Ghost Step technique, he wasn’t confident he could escape a coordinated assault from dozens of Spiritual Transformation stage cultivators.

The group watched as Lin Yanghao effortlessly broke open the stone door, their faces falling into awkward expressions. Upon closer inspection, they realized the stone door was indeed different from before, though they couldn’t discern exactly how.

Suddenly, their eyes lit up.

“This treasure belongs to our Pill Sect! If you’ve got the guts, come and take it!” The Pill Sect charged forward first, rushing inside the stone gate.

“Hmph, do you think the Artifact Sect fears you?” Soon, the Artifact Sect, Talisman Sect, and Pill Sect erupted into a chaotic battle.

The scene quickly descended into disorder.

As for Lin Yanghao, he was successfully ignored. This suited him perfectly. Let them fight—it only pleased him more to see them clash violently.

Lin Yanghao sneered coldly, then activated his Ghost Step and quietly slipped away. Staying longer? Was he supposed to spend the night?

If these people remembered him later, it would be impossible to run.

“Big brother, how did you do that?” Zeng Quan’s eyes had caught every detail of Lin Yanghao’s actions. Although he didn’t know what material the stone door was made of, so many Spiritual Transformation cultivators combined couldn’t open it, which meant it was extraordinary.

Yet Lin Yanghao, seemingly without effort, shattered it with a single punch.

How could Zeng Quan not be amazed?

There was one more thing puzzling Zeng Quan: why did Lin Yanghao open the stone door in the first place? Was he feeling generous, helping those people who were stuck?

But Lin Yanghao didn’t strike him as the type to act out of kindness. After spending some time with him, Zeng Quan realized Lin Yanghao was someone who wouldn’t do anything without personal gain.

So this matter left Zeng Quan utterly confused.

“Oh, maybe the stone door was intimidated to pieces by my handsomeness and intellect...” Lin Yanghao shamelessly joked.

There was no way he would reveal Ling’er’s involvement to Zeng Quan. Seeing that Lin Yanghao refused to explain, Zeng Quan gave up asking. If Lin Yanghao wanted to say, he wouldn’t have hidden it.

“Ling’er, do you know what this place is?” Lin Yanghao asked.

Ling’er was knowledgeable and well-traveled; in Lin Yanghao’s mind, there was hardly anything she didn’t know, so naturally, she was the first to ask.

“When Master and I came to the Thousand Saints Swamp, we didn’t discover this place. But from what I sense, this might be an ancient tomb,” Ling’er hesitated before answering.

“Why do you say that?” Lin Yanghao was puzzled. How could she know it was an ancient tomb if she hadn’t been here before?

“Because I feel a strong aura of death,” Ling’er replied.

Lin Yanghao nodded, deep in thought. With Ling’er’s sharp perception, she couldn’t be wrong.

Weren’t there supposed to be treasures here? Why are there dead spirits?

Could the treasure be a burial offering?

Lin Yanghao immediately considered this possibility.

“Zeng Quan, how did they find out there was treasure here?” Lin Yanghao asked.

“Not long ago, there were signs of a treasure awakening above the Thousand Saints Swamp, which attracted so many people to fight over it,” Zeng Quan explained.

Meanwhile, the others were still locked in combat, with nearly half already dead.

“Stop fighting! Enough!” At this moment, Daoist Changchun stepped forward.

Lin Yanghao felt a strong urge to tear that old man apart. Why was he always the one causing trouble? Why was he so irritating?

If the old man hadn’t stopped them, most of these people would probably be dead by now. Wouldn’t that create the perfect opportunity for Lin Yanghao?

But the harsh reality was that everything was because of that damn old man. Why did he always have so many problems?

Yet Lin Yanghao could only watch helplessly. The blame lay with his own lack of strength.

“Daoist Changchun, do you have a solution?” As expected, the crowd stopped fighting and looked to the old man for guidance.

Zhang Wang glanced at him, frowned slightly, and spoke coolly.

“If we keep fighting like this, both sides will suffer losses, and no one will get the treasure. It’s better to listen to this old man. We temporarily join forces, set aside past grievances, and after obtaining the treasure, we settle the dispute through combat. The strongest will claim it,” Daoist Changchun proposed.

His words struck a chord, and everyone fell silent in thought.

He was right. Continuing to fight only meant mutual destruction, which might let others take advantage.

Cultivators of the Demonic Path were watching hungrily from the shadows, waiting for them to weaken each other before seizing the treasure.

If that happened, they would lose both people and wealth, with no time even to mourn.

Daoist Changchun’s suggestion was a good solution.

“Daoist Changchun makes a good point. Let’s get the treasure first, then discuss ownership later, so we don’t lose it to others,” someone agreed, and the crowd stopped fighting.

They formed a temporary alliance.

At that moment, Lin Yanghao despised that old Daoist more than ever, realizing he could only take things one step at a time.

The treasure’s allure was too great for him to resist, which was why he was willing to take risks. Without this, he wouldn’t have achieved his current level of cultivation so quickly.

Soon, the others entered through the stone gate, and Lin Yanghao prepared to follow quietly behind.

“Zeng Quan, are you coming in with me?” Lin Yanghao asked.

“I’ll pass. If I go in, I’ll only be a burden,” Zeng Quan declined. He didn’t have Lin Yanghao’s courage. Entering meant risking death.

Seeing Zeng Quan’s hesitation, Lin Yanghao didn’t press. With his current strength, Zeng Quan’s presence wouldn’t help and might even distract him.