"No one could even come close to him. That was the time when the Black Tortoise Clan enjoyed the eternal glory. We were the strongest Godly Beast Clan. It was the time of prosperity."
"It's only after the first Ancestor left when the Dragon Clan and the White Tiger Clan started getting an edge. Since it's the Tomb of the First Ancestor, it's certainly not going to have bad rewards either," he further added.
"That's why hundreds of people try exploring the dungeon. Unfortunately, only three or four of those hundreds come out alive. That's why people try to be as prepared as they can before getting here."
"And that's the main reason I told you to bring the Revival Talisman. If something goes wrong, you really can die before you could even leave."
"Fortunately, you have your teleportation. As long as you're careful, you won't be at a risk. On the other hand, Xun has the Revival Talisman, and you can send her to your Inner World as well."
"And me... I have my own protection. I think I'm going to be safe. Still, now that we're here, I want to ask, do you want to go ahead? If not, you can wait outside?"
"You're asking me now if I want to come?" Long Chen asked, rolling his eyes. "I'm not going back now."
"That's good. Let's continue then."
...
Zhu Chi and his friends also appeared inside the tomb, but because of their bloodline purity, they appeared slightly farther than Zhu Chang in a different section of the tomb.
"Where are they?" One of the men asked.
"They must be ahead. That guy has a closer bloodline to the First Ancestor. Of course, he's going to have an advantage," Zhu Chi said.
"Just keep advancing ahead while being careful."
...
The man who was tasked with informing the patriarch soon reached the bottom of the mountain and entered his carriage after telling the person in the lead to take him back to the clan.
The carriage started moving before it rose in the air. It advanced at extreme speed.
"If Zhu Chang actually had the permission, it wouldn't matter since I won't be scolded. I am just acting as a concerned clan youngster. But if he doesn't have the permission, it'll be incredible! He might truly be banished from the clan for taking a demon into the treasured place of ours."
"If he is eternally banished from the clan, he won't be the future patriarch! Moreover, the current patriarch doesn't have a son or a daughter. The seat of the heir would be empty!"
"Then I would certainly be able to attempt taking the throne of the heir! I would be the next Patriarch! What a perfect opportunity for me!"
"Zhu Chang, I really hope you didn't have the permission. Then your days are going to be numbered! Just you wait!"
Sitting in the carriage, the Zhu Clan youngster kept laughing while imagining the future.
His dreams and imagination soon broke as he was brought out of the world of imagination by a sudden scream! The scream seemed to belong to his carriage driver, which appeared to be filled with fear.
The scream soon disappeared.
"What happened?" Zhu Qin exclaimed.
He swiftly brought out his Sword before opening the door. He flew outside the carriage.
"What?"
As he left the carriage, he noticed that the driver was missing entirely. He couldn't be seen anywhere.
Moreover, the two winged horses were just standing there calmly, not moving at all.
He wondered what was happening here. There was no way that the carriage driver was attacked, and the horses weren't scared.
The calm of the horses was saying that nothing serious had happened. They weren't attacked.
"Is the carriage driver trying to fool us? Is this a joke?"
"If you are joking, you are really in for a massive punishment unless you come out right now and ask for forgiveness! Just remember that!" Zhu Qin yelled out loud.
He waited for a minute after issuing a warning, but there was no response.
"Strange... He wouldn't dare to take this prank that far. Did something really happen to him?"
"Confused, Zhu Qin started looking in the surrounding. As there was a forest under him, it was difficult for him to locate the carriage driver in case he was hiding.
"Alright, come out! We promise we won't scold you! Just come out!" He yelled again.
No response came even now. However, as he turned back, he noticed that the two horses were still there, but the entire carriage had disappeared.
"That doesn't seem like a prank. Who is doing it?!" he asked, yelling in rage.
Swiss~
He abruptly heard a sound behind him. He turned around, but there was nothing.
Eek~
Suddenly, he heard the call of the horses, but by the time he looked in their direction, the horses had disappeared as well.
"Alright, this is going too far! If you don't come out right now, you will really suffer my wrath!" He raised his sword.
"Is that so?" A grim voice came from behind him once again.
Zhu Qin abruptly looked back, finding nothing behind him.
"Just as arrogant as always, you people..." The voice once again came, this time from above Zhu Qin.
He looked above but didn't find anyone.
"Who is doing it!" He yelled in rage. "Stop hiding!"
Even though he warned the other person to stop hiding, he cast a barrier on himself to protect himself.
"If you say so." The grim voice came again. A figure appeared right before Zhu Qin.
His barrier shattered abruptly. Only a loud scream was heard, which soon disappeared, along with Zhu Qin.
There was nothing left there, not even a single evidence that Zhu Qin was ever here.
"As always, the tortoises are just as delicious." The grim voice chuckled. "No wonder I crave them so much."
The figure disappeared.
...
In the Black Tortoise Clan, the patriarch had increased the security of the whole realm. Guards were told to search every place and follow every clue. The main clan was no less than a fortress at the moment.
Zhu Chang's father and his two uncles were standing on top of their clan, looking towards the city.
"I can't believe it. How did he pass through our barrier so easily?"
"I'm not sure either. But I can only hope he left just like he came."
"I doubt that's the case. If he wanted to leave that easily, he would've arrived here. I have a feeling that he's still here... Still searching for his prey.. And we need to stop him at any cost before he causes too much damage."