297: Bidding Farewell

Bidding Farewell

Tremors could be felt everywhere within the ancient tomb, and the ceiling had begun crumbling bit by bit. These signs of imminent collapse came so suddenly that it caught everyone offguard.

With hearts filled with reluctance, everyone dashed for the exit, retracing their steps as fast as they could.

There were also those who hesitated, considering if they should just ignore the signs and continue forward. Still, the heart might be willing, but the flesh was weak.

It was simply far too time-consuming to clear each obstacle within the ancient tomb. If the tomb were to collapse before they could clear the obstacle, then all their efforts would just directly go to waste!

Even as Origin Core realm martial artists, they would still suffer injuries if crushed by a collapsing cave, not to mention the fact that this was the tomb of an ancient poison master, laden with traps of all sorts.

There was always a chance that because of this collapse, something too much for them to handle would be released from the depths of the cave.

It was only a small possibility, but a possibility nevertheless.

If that really happened, then wouldn't they have died for nothing?

Thankfully, the poison mists at the entrance seemed to have dispersed, allowing the poison masters to exit without much trouble.

Group by group, the poison masters hurriedly exited the ancient tomb, finding themselves back in the warm embrace of the sun.

Lu Tianzi and Nanlan Qianxue were not the slowest, but they were far from being the fastest either. By the time they stepped out of the ancient tomb, there was already a large crowd waiting outside.

The elders of the Healer Circle, Wuye Mingxuan, as well as many other poison masters were present.

Some of them were in quite a bad state, perhaps yet to recover from the injuries suffered while clearing the poison mist obstacles, but most of them appeared to be in good condition.

If anything, they only looked irritated and confused.

"Brother Tianzi!" Beiwei Jinguo exclaimed in relief when he saw Lu Tianzi and Nanlan Qianxue emerge from the ancient tomb.

"Looks like the braggart managed to get out safely as well," Xiquan Chong remarked in discontent.

"Chong'er, stop." Elder Xiquan cautioned, though there a hint of a smile on his face.

"My apologies, Father," Xiquan Chong quickly apologised.

Lu Tianzi ignored their conversation, leading Nanlan Qianxue over to where Beiwei Jinguo was waiting.

From afar, Elder Ximo nodded towards him in acknowledgement, a greeting which Lu Tianzi promptly reciprocated.

"It's good to see that you are safe, Brother Jinguo," Lu Tianzi smiled.

"Yeah," Beiwei Jinguo forced out a bitter smile. "After we split, I got stuck at the very next obstacle. While I was unable to advance any further, I guess it was a blessing in disguise too. Otherwise, I might still be rushing to get out right now. How about you, Brother Tianzi? How far did you manage to go?"

"Not very far either," Lu Tianzi shrugged.

"Is that so?" Beiwei Jinguo looked at him with eyes full of suspicion.

Rumble-!

A huge portion of the roof of the ancient tomb collapsed upon the entrance, creating a stone blockade that almost sealed it up entirely.

This sudden crash drew everyone's attention back towards the ancient tomb.

World Origin Energy churned wildly, and a storm of energy started rushing out from the depths of the tomb. Accompanying this surge of energy was a cloud of green fumes, perhaps forced out of the tomb by the rushing energy wave.

"These fumes…" Elder Xiquan frowned.

He could tell that these were no ordinary poison fumes, and were perhaps even more potent than the green poison mist that they had encountered at the entrance.

Thankfully, both the surge of energy and the green fumes were blocked by the newly formed blockade at the entrance of the tomb. Met with the firm blockade, these fumes were directed upwards, leading it straight into the sky.

Before they could even sigh in relief, those present noticed green flames following right behind the green fumes, burning through the rock tunnels of the ancient tomb.

With the underground formation array no longer able to hold everything in place, the stable system within the ancient tomb had finally crumbled.

These green flames advanced all the way to the entrance, stopped only by the stone blockade.

Even so, the heat could be felt all the way where they stood, testament to the sheer destructive power of these green flames. None of the poison masters present were confident of surviving if they were to be subjected to direct contact with these green flames.

"Did everyone manage to get out safely?" someone asked in concern.

"Do you see everyone here?" Elder Beilan snapped in response, his expression grave. "There are some who hesitated a moment too long. We can only hope that they managed to avoid the flames."

"What actually happened? The tomb had remained standing everytime we tried to enter, so why did it suddenly collapse?" Elder Xiquan rubbed his chin in contemplation.

"I am not too sure, but it seems like the underground formation array lost its power," Wuye Mingxuan answered. "Perhaps it had finally run its course."

"If that is the case, then it can't be helped," Elder Xiquan let out a helpless sigh. "I guess we can only wait for the situation to clear up before going in again. Hopefully the items in the tomb have remained intact."

The group continued staying by the entrance of the tomb to observe, but the flames did not seem like they were dying off at all.

If anything, it only seemed to be growing in intensity as time passed.

After an hour, Elder Beilan finally decided not to wait any further and turned to address everyone. "Honoured friends, on behalf of the Healer Circle, I sincerely apologise for the unexpected situation. But as you can see, we can no longer access the ancient tomb. May I invite everyone to return to your accommodations for now? If the situation clears up, we will inform everyone immediately."

"Please don't apologise, Elder Beilan," one of the poison masters clasped his fist in respect. "Everyone here knows the risks involved. No one would be able to expect such a situation, so it is naturally not the fault of the Healer Circle."

"That's right, the fact that the Healer Circle has allowed us into the ancient tomb is generous enough. We certainly would not ask for more."

The other poison masters present chimed in as well, expressing their gratitude.

Except for a small minority, everyone present was at the Origin Core realm.

Even though none of them had managed to obtain any tangible benefits from this trip, just the widening of their horizons was enough for them.

At their current level, improving their state of mind was far more difficult than anything else.

But in the end, between precious items and a strong state of mind, it was the latter that would be a greater aid in their breakthrough towards the next boundary, be it in terms of their cultivation or their poison arts.

"Thank you for your understanding, everyone," Elder Beilan nodded. "Well then, even though it ended a little prematurely, I am sure everyone has gotten our own share of benefits from this. For those who did not, don't be disheartened, for there is still a long road ahead. As for those who did, our offer from before still stands. The Healer Circle is willing to offer rewards for anyone to share with us what they have gained from the ancient tomb, be it in terms of material or knowledge gains. Rest assured that we will not take anything away from you. All we wish for is to have a look at what you obtained for our own knowledge. Any interested parties, please approach any of our elders later, and we will be sure to compensate your efforts greatly."

"If there is nothing else, let us leave." Elder Xiquan announced before personally leading the way out of the private area.

Lu Tianzi, Nanlan Qianxue, and Beiwei Jinguo followed the group out, not speaking much along the way.

Despite Elder Beilan's assurance, Lu Tianzi knew better than to take up his offer.

Except for Elder Ximo, Lu Tianzi did not have a good impression of anyone from the Healer Circle at all. At the same time, he was certain that the feeling was mutual, especially for their leader Elder Xiquan who saw him with disdain.

Given their poor relations, if he were to mention that he obtained Lord Er's inheritance, who knew what they would do to him?

Of course, there was always the chance that the elders of the Healer Circle would have a full turnaround in terms of their attitude because of this, but there was also the chance that they would turn against him in an attempt to rob him of his gains.

In any case, Lu Tianzi had no interest in the rewards of the Healer Circle.

To save himself from any future troubles, he decided to keep everything to himself.

He held it in, and the others did not suspect him either.

After all, even with the help of Wuye Mingxuan, the elders of the Healer Circle had been unable to obtain anything material in nature. In their eyes, it was extremely unlikely for any of the poison masters to have obtained anything that they would care for.2

Otherwise, they would never have allowed everyone to leave just like that.

***

"Please excuse me, Sir Tianzi. But I shall take my leave first," Elder Ximo clasped his fists towards the group at the entrance of their inn. "Even though the Healers' Meet is over, there are still too many things for us to do."

"Thank you for making the effort to walk us back, Elder Ximo," Lu Tianzi returned the greeting.

"It's nothing," Elder Ximo waved him off nonchalantly. "If anything, it has been a pleasure. Let's continue our chat tomorrow then, I will come over in the morning."

"About that, there is something I would like to inform Elder Ximo," Lu Tianzi smiled. "We will probably be leaving tonight."

"Eh?" Beiwei Jinguo looked at him in surprise. "Brother Tianzi, why are you leaving so soon?"

"Young Brother Jinguo has a point," Elder Ximo added. "Now that the Healers' Meet has officially come to an end, we will be holding a banquet for everyone in the coming week, and I would love to host you there. It is certainly not too late to leave after that."

"I am grateful for Elder Ximo's kind intentions, but I'm afraid I will not be taking up the offer," Lu Tianzi was firm. "Qianxue and I have spent quite some time here on Wondertrap Mountain, and it is about time we continued on our journey."

"It seems like you have made up your mind about this. It's a shame then," Elder Ximo sighed. "Pardon me for asking, but where are you headed next?"

"We are heading east, and will probably make Bog Town our next stop," Lu Tianzi answered truthfully.

"So that's the case," Elder Ximo nodded. "Bog Town is not too far from here, so it is wise to have chosen it as your next rest point. Take care then, Sir Tianzi, Lady Qianxue."

"Take care as well, Elder Ximo" Lu Tianzi smiled.

"Since that is the case, I will be leaving as well," Beiwei Jinguo interjected. "This trip to Wondertrap Mountain has truly allowed me to widen my horizons. I might not have obtained any material gains, but I have no doubt that this experience would surely be of help in my future path on the poison arts. Given that, I would like to return home quickly so as to fully digest everything that I have learnt."

"Wait, Young Brother Jinguo. While I understand your feelings, that wouldn't be too appropriate," Elder Ximo hurriedly stopped him. "After all, you are one of the top rankers in the Healers' Meet, and will be receiving your reward during the coming banquet!"

"Oh, there's such a thing?" Beiwei Jinguo asked in realisation.

"That's right," Elder Ximo answered. "If you wish to have better conditions for your meditation, why don't you come back with me instead? I will make sure to provide a quiet room for you so that you will not be disturbed."

"I would have to impose on Elder Ximo then," Beiwei Jinguo nodded. "Brother Tianzi, Sister Qianxue, I will bid you farewell here as well then. Our time spent together might be short, but thank you for your help all this while. When we meet again in the future, I will surely show you the aura of a distinguished poison master!"

"I am looking forward to it," Lu tianzi laughed. "Farewell then."

"Farewell, Sir Tianzi, Lady Qianxue."

"Farewell, Brother Tianzi, Sister Qianxue."

And with that, the four of them parted.

One group headed back to the permanent area where Elder Ximo's residence was, while the other group headed to the exit.

***

Back in his residence, Elder Xiquan was sitting behind his desk, listening intently to a message that had just come in through his communication ring.

"Understood, keep an eye on them for now. I will be there shortly," Elder Xiquan spoke into his ring before leaning forward into his desk. "Men!"

"Yes, Elder Xiquan!" a white robed man rushed into his room upon being called.

"Gather the Five Shadows, ask them to meet me immediately," Elder Xiquan ordered.

"The Five Shadows?" the man hesitated. "All five of them?"

"All five of them," Elder Xiquan repeated. "A mere Essence Condensation realm girl actually dared to make a fool out of me. If I don't teach them a lesson, I will change my surname to follow theirs instead!"

pqdm.com