Chapter 124: The Translucent Man

Xiao Yang noticed something: this group’s destination seemed to be exactly the same as his own.

When the group stopped again, a dilapidated shack stood before them—the kind that looked as if it might collapse at any moment.

"The entrance is inside this room," Zhao Zhongtian said to Elder Wu after confirming the location several times.

Elder Wu stared at the ramshackle building, unable to look away for a long time.

"Something is strange here!"

That was his immediate thought upon seeing the room. Moreover, the longer he looked, the stranger it felt, though he couldn't quite put his finger on why.

"Tell the men to get ready. We’re moving out soon."

This expedition had been costly. They had lost more than half their men just crossing the river. Now, only thirty remained. To lose seventy percent of a hundred-man team before even entering the Tomb of the Martial King was a heavy blow.

In an instant, the expressions of both Zhao Zhongtian and Elder Wu darkened. They could clearly sense danger, but they had come too far to turn back now.

Before long, the group stirred, opened the eerie shack, and stepped inside with extreme caution.

"Big Cat, is this the lair of that zombie?" Xiao Yang asked, watching the group enter.

The Profound Ice White Tiger shook its head. "The corpse is below. This is just the entrance."

Xiao Yang nodded thoughtfully, deciding to wait a while before going down. Otherwise, he would run straight into the group ahead. Although he didn’t fear them, letting them scout the path for him was a better option.

After a full quarter of an hour, Xiao Yang stood up and walked toward the shack. Concerned that the people inside hadn't left, he lowered his footsteps and approached slowly. When he was only thirty meters away, he heard movement inside. Clearly, there were guards.

"Go and take care of the guards," Xiao Yang said, choosing not to act rashly himself. He sent the Profound Ice White Tiger in first. He knew that while he had the strength to kill them instantly, they would surely have signaling devices. If they managed to contact the others, the situation would turn against him.

But the Profound Ice White Tiger was different now. It looked like a mere house cat. Even the most vigilant guard would never suspect a Demon King of masquerading as a feline.

"Understood," the tiger muttered with a hint of annoyance before pacing toward the room with a cat’s gait.

As it reached the door, it deliberately made some noise, instantly drawing the attention of the two men inside.

"Who’s there!" The two Great Martial Masters stared warily at the doorway.

The next moment, they saw a snow-white cat walk in. Sensing no aura of cultivation from the creature, they let out a sigh of relief.

"It’s just a damn cat."

"Watch this." One of the Great Martial Masters picked up a stone, clearly intending to kill the tiger.

However, before they could act, they felt a chill in their lower bodies. Looking down, their expressions shifted to sheer horror: their lower halves had been frozen solid, and the ice was spreading rapidly.

One of the Great Martial Masters realized what was happening and immediately tried to signal the main team below that they had been infiltrated.

"Freeze!" the Profound Ice White Tiger said coldly.

The Great Martial Master stared in shock at the talking white cat, unable to trigger his emergency signal no matter how hard he struggled.

"Heh! You called me a cat?" The tiger strolled over to one of the men and, without another word, gave him a light swipe. The Great Martial Master instantly shattered into a pile of ice shards.

After finishing, the tiger returned to the doorway and nodded at Xiao Yang. "Done."

Seeing this, Xiao Yang knew the matter was settled. For a Demon King, such a task was effortless. As he entered, he heard the tiger’s voice: "I left one for you. I figured you might want to ask some questions."

Xiao Yang walked over to the survivor and lifted him up by his collar with one hand. "Thoughtful of you!" he said with a grin before turning to the man. "Who are you people? Why are you here?"

This place was incredibly remote; it was difficult for ordinary people to find it. Furthermore, Xiao Yang sensed that this group had come here with a specific purpose.

"You map-stealing thief, the Head Instructor and the Elders will never let you go," the Great Martial Master sneered coldly.

*Head Instructor? Who stole a map?* Just as Xiao Yang was puzzled, the man suddenly began to foam at the mouth, convulsing violently.

Within a few breaths, he was dead.

"Could it have been that guy Zhen Zhuang?" Xiao Yang wondered, though he quickly dismissed the thought. Zhen Zhuang hadn't possessed that kind of capability, and he had claimed he found the map in the belly of a demon beast. That seemed unlikely to be a lie.

Xiao Yang’s theory was that the real thief had been eaten by a beast, and due to the map’s unique material, it hadn't been broken down by stomach acid, eventually being discovered by Zhen Zhuang by pure luck. The idea that Zhen Zhuang had stolen a map from this group was absurd; they were all at least Great Martial Masters. Even for Xiao Yang, stealing from such a heavily guarded team would be nearly impossible, let alone for a low-level martial artist. The moment he appeared, he would have been caught.

"Big Cat, do you know the layout below?" Xiao Yang asked.

The Profound Ice White Tiger didn't hide anything and nodded slightly. "I know the layout, but that corpse is truly dangerous. There is still time to turn back."

"Just lead the way!" Xiao Yang remained firm in his resolve.

The tiger sighed and nodded. "Fine. Put me down, and I’ll guide you."

"Good." The tiger landed and led Xiao Yang to a cabinet, extending a claw to touch a specific brick. The cabinet swung open, revealing a pitch-black passage.

Xiao Yang looked at the hidden entrance in surprise.

"This is the real entrance. The place those people went into is filled with immortal monsters," the tiger explained as it stepped inside. Xiao Yang followed closely.

"How did you find this place?" Xiao Yang asked. The area was strange; his spiritual sense couldn't penetrate the walls, making such hidden compartments nearly impossible to discover.

"Found it by accident," the tiger replied dismissively, brushing the question aside.

As the man and the tiger descended, two eerie blue lights suddenly appeared in the dark passage ahead, drifting toward them. The Profound Ice White Tiger frowned, grumbling with irritation: "I remember clearing out all the freaks in this passage last time. Why are there still some left?"

Just then, the "freak" came into view. It was a semi-transparent figure, appearing only as an upper torso with no legs, its eyes glowing with that cold, blue light.