### Chapter 1: Form is Emptiness (5)
Unlike those pampered swordsmen growing up in the sect’s embrace,
Leng Yi had been swinging a kn*fe since day one, honing his murderous skills like a true professional.
He had never heard of the whole ‘hold back’ rule in the Martial World; in his eyes, dueling meant only one conclusion: you either bite the dust or take a dirt nap.
Through countless rounds of practice, he had mastered the art of lethality.
“Hidden Ghost Killer” was his signature move.
“Cling cling cling…”
Inside the dimly lit underground palace, the air crackled with the glint of blades as the knight in black armor became ensnared in a lethal kn*fe trap—minus his trusty steed, of course.
The thick armor he wore was shedding like layers of ancient tree bark, clattering to the ground with every slice.
Lin Nan could hardly believe how fierce Leng Yi was. She thought a black-armored knight would at least put up a decent fight.
Little did she know, he barely lasted a few extra minutes before becoming a living target, getting crushed with ruthless efficiency.
d*mn it!
If only she could wield the Solitary Nine Swords and tap into her Luck Value!
The black-armored knight was like a vehicle offering only the basic features to its driver—poor Lin Nan had all her hands tied.
Curse it! If she weren’t a spirit body, she could go toe-to-toe with Leng Yi and see who really reigned supreme.
“Crack!”
Once Leng Yi had stripped the knight’s armor from its vital spots,
It was like a beginner exposing all their flaws; he began slicing it into chunks, and the knight hit the floor with a resounding thud.
Watching the once formidable black-armored knight crumple at Leng Yi’s feet sent chills through the members of the Giant Wave Gang.
Even the guards tasked with watching over the forbidden area had been taken out with apparent ease by their boss. Was there anything their leader couldn’t accomplish?
“Boss is mighty!”
“Boss is mighty!”
The crowd chimed in unison.
Wiping the black bl**d off his blade, Leng Yi merely stated, “Let’s keep moving.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Lin Nan floated in the air, feeling rather dejected. Their mission had flopped spectacularly, and it seemed there was no chance for a comeback.
The only opening to prevent the resurrection of the Human Emperor had slipped right through her fingers.
Undoubtedly, the System still needed to fine-tune details regarding the Human Emperor’s past and future.
It was like telling a lie—you had to spin countless more to uphold it!
One thread and it all unravels.
“Boom!”
Leng Yi reached the end of the underground palace, facing a stone door.
After a thorough search yielding no results, he resorted to brute force, driving his treasured blade about half a foot into the thick stone door, then pouring all his strength into the thin blade.
With a series of explosive sounds, the door blew open, leaving a human-sized hole.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he waved his hand.
His lackeys rushed in, hammering and banging, quickly widening the gap into something one could actually fit through.
By the flicker of the torches, they caught sight of a stone coffin in the center of the small chamber.
Though the space was limited, both the ceiling and floor were adorned with intricate patterns that shimmered as if traversing along with the light every second.
Even before stepping closer, they could feel the immense power radiating from the formation surrounding it.
Without a doubt, this was the seal that held the Human Emperor captive in his coffin.
Getting this far felt like they’d trekked the last mile of a long, arduous journey.
Without sufficient assurance, Leng Yi didn’t rush into the room. He pondered, once the Human Emperor awakens, how he could convince him to join the Giant Wave Gang’s side.
Meanwhile, up in the stronghold, under Fatty’s leadership, the crew was climbing upward, prepping to exit the valley.
Harrowing screams echoed upwards, making him rethink their strategy.
He turned to Trissa and said, “We don’t know what we’re facing in the Human Emperor’s tomb. We must report back to the Great King first.
Besides, whether or not Leng Yi’s still kicking, there’s no way we could stop him with just our dozen or so people.
Blindly charging in will only add to our casualties and we need to be cautious.”
Trissa was convinced.
So the crew promptly retraced their steps.
But just as they stepped off the cave stairs and onto the valley floor…
A huge patch of clouds suddenly eclipsed the bright sky, and through the branches, they horrifiedly realized it wasn’t clouds at all but a swarm of floating demonesses!
“d*mn it, why are there so many?!” Fatty felt his chest tighten.
Stuck between a rock and a hard place, they were at a loss.
Before long, screams echoed from near the mountaintop, as it seemed the workers trying to clear a path came under attack.
Withered corpses drained of juice began falling from the sky like weirdly shaped raindrops, landing with a sickening squelch of what was left—a mere skin sagging around broken bones.
Everyone saw this and was struck with dread, cold sweat pouring down their faces.
Watching the demonesses begin swooping down into the valley, Fatty shouted, “Quick, back into the cave!”
The crowd hurriedly retreated into the cave steps.
Unfortunately, clueless about how to seal the cave entrance, they could only continue racing downward.
Thank goodness the cave was narrow; those demonesses would have to walk in single file, which gave them a glimmer of hope. Perhaps they could hold on until the Great King returned.
Fatty resolutely declared, “Only the Great King can save us! We must hold out till the end.”
Trissa glanced back at the entrance, now a cookie-sized hole, where a demoness had noticed and started peering in, letting out frantic screeches.
It wouldn’t be long before the enemies began to flood in.
That would be the moment when they would have to stand and fight.
“General Duan, we should probably regroup with the Giant Wave Gang. Otherwise, with just the few of us, we might not last much longer.”
“Fine.” Fatty nodded.
Even though he held little hope for Leng Yi and the others, the relentless enemy was right in front of them and they had to search for even the tiniest sliver of survival.
“Go!”
Fatty shouted, and everyone darted deeper down the stairs.
At this moment, Leng Yi was fixated on the stone coffin just ten steps away. To him, those shimmering patterns didn’t pose a threat.
What truly sent shivers down his spine was what lay inside the coffin.
The gang members might not have felt it, but he distinctly sensed waves upon waves of demon energy seeping through the cracks of the coffin, rolling towards him.
It was the first time he questioned whether he could truly control the Human Emperor.
Could he k*ll him while he was still asleep to claim all his power?
Though uncertain, it was worth a shot.
Taking a deep breath, he pointed his kn*fe at one of his subordinates. “You, go inside and scout around.”
The subordinate froze; even the dimmest bulb knew there was something fishy about that room, and stepping in would probably mean an early exit from life.
But faced with their boss’s deadly kn*fe, the poor chap understood that refusing the order would land him right under that blade.
Trembling, he took a step towards the room, sweat pouring down his face.
