Who let him join the Sword Sect?!
Chapter 98: Good Brothers for Life

Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Good Brothers for Life

After a loud noise, Daxiong pushed the stone door open a crack once again and peeked inside.

Looking at the mess in the tomb chamber, Daxiong was quite satisfied.

"I told you, Barbarian methods work. You humans are always so finicky." With that, Daxiong pushed the stone door open and walked into the tomb chamber.

Daxiong was of Barbarian origin and had been traveling Eastern Continent for more than two and a half years. Not only had he not been killed, he had also made a good brother in Hong Sen.

The reason Daxiong has survived until now is not only because of his good brother Hong Sen’s caution but also due to his mixed heritage and excellent upbringing.

Daxiong’s father was a human and Bear Demon mix.

Daxiong’s mother was a human and Barbarian mix.

Within the tribe, Daxiong’s father was considered cunning yet fierce, while Daxiong’s mother was considered fierce yet cunning.

So Daxiong, the precious amalgamation of three races’ essence, not only inherited his parents’ fierce and cunning wisdom but also their lighter skin tone and fluent Eastern Continent dialect.

This allowed him to thrive in the Eastern Continent.

After all, in the mind of Eastern Continent cultivators, the Western Barbarians were all brown-skinned with battle patterns, muttering incomprehensible words.

Hong Sen didn’t respond to Daxiong’s remarks. With a Red Copper Sword in hand, he followed Daxiong into the chamber.

Looking at the chaotic tomb chamber, Hong Sen had a feeling he had forgotten something, but he couldn’t recall what it was.

Using his sword, he lifted the lid of a coffin at his feet, only to find it was empty.

"Watch out!"

Before Hong Sen could investigate further, Daxiong suddenly shouted and stepped forward, putting Hong Sen behind him.

Daxiong’s arms glowed red as he swung forward, shattering the approaching Body-Stabilizing Talisman.

Hong Sen looked up in the direction from where the talisman was shot and gasped.

On the stone wall above the chamber, there were twelve Western Barbarian Witch Zombies, all black and purple.

They corresponded to the twelve coffins in the chamber.

Three of them were the largest, entirely black and blue, with red battle patterns painted on their faceless faces.

The cultivation of these three Witch Zombies had reached the Half-Step Golden Core level.

Hong Sen was petrified, and so was Daxiong.

Even though they knew these Western Barbarian Witch Zombies were merely adorned with puppet and Low Tier Sword Spirit trappings.

But he didn’t expect the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion could make them so realistic.

The three larger ones were identical to those at Daxiong’s Uncle’s house.

Three big ones, nine smaller ones.

Daxiong calculated that with their current strength, it was impossible to win.

Hong Sen, being meticulous, noticed that the Witch Zombies overhead didn’t make further moves, signaling that there was more to come.

Indeed, in the next second, a salted fish flew up from the ground, heading straight for Hong Sen.

And then, Hong Sen was pummeled to the ground by a headless Witch Zombie wielding the salted fish.

The Western Barbarian Witch Zombies clinging to the stone walls didn’t attack all at once but instead screeched incomprehensibly like bloodthirsty spectators, cheering.

"Daxiong, I’ll hold them off, you... are you gone already? So fast?!"

Hong Sen intended to say he’d hold the enemies off while Daxiong explored elsewhere.

But unexpectedly, his good brother was of one mind with him.

Not only had Daxiong already fled, but he had also thoughtfully sealed the chamber door tightly.

Seeing he no longer needed to buy time for Daxiong, Hong Sen tossed his sword aside, "I surrender, I’m done fighting."

Zhang Ze, who had transformed into a Salted Fish Sword, carried Li behind him, "That decisive?"

Hong Sen, rubbing his throbbing arm, said, "I can’t beat you anyway, and how come you can speak?"

"I’m not a Mechanical Puppet, I’m a staff member of the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion. You can call me Gao." Zhang Ze intended to nod but remembered he was headless now, so he dismissed it.

"And you?" Hong Sen pointed at Zhang Ze’s missing head, unsure how to proceed.

"Oh, that. Actually, I’m not human." Zhang Ze’s silly stories were now instinctual.

"I’m a demon, from a race called Xingtian, born headless, with nipples as eyes and a navel as a mouth. I even have teeth in my navel."

"Wanna see?" Zhang Ze feigned lifting his clothes to show Hong Sen.

Hong Sen quickly shook his head, "No, no."

"Any more questions?" Zhang Ze’s tone was calm since his current identity was that of a Thousand Mechanism Pavilion staff member.

And Hong Sen did have a question.

"Why is this level so hard?" Hong Sen asked, pointing at the Sword Spirits and Mechanical Puppets that had descended from the walls and started tidying up the tomb chamber.

Three Half-Step Golden Core Sword Spirits in an enclosed chamber were unbeatable for someone of their strength.

This seemed like an inevitable doom in his eyes.

Zhang Ze shrugged, "Blame your friend then."

"This level is actually quite simple. Just open any coffin you want when you come in, fight whatever you open."

"Once done, you can choose to open more coffins or leave as you wish."

"Who could’ve guessed your big friend would throw in a Heaven-shaking Thunder."

Hong Sen gave an awkward laugh, "Now I have no more questions, please take me out of the Underground City."

Zhang Ze shook his head, noted Hong Sen’s lack of response, then remembered he was currently headless.

"You’re done with questions, but I have one." Zhang Ze’s voice turned serious, "Time to compensate."

"Compensate for what?" Hong Sen was puzzled.

Zhang Ze pulled out a stack of paper from the Hundred Treasures Bag.

"The agreement you signed." Zhang Ze pointed to a clause, "Heaven-shaking Thunder is a prohibited item, strictly forbidden in the Underground City."

Hong Sen suddenly remembered, during the time he and Daxiong booked their entry, they did sign an agreement.

However, there were so many words in the agreement that he hadn’t finished reading it all.

Upon closer inspection, he realized many Magical Artifacts from the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion were listed as prohibited items.

They did have a sense of self-awareness, Hong Sen thought.

But understanding is one thing, arguing is in a slippery character’s nature.

"Where’s the fairness in restricting Magical Artifacts? Didn’t you say it was a real trial?" Hong Sen retorted.

"Because we restricted too, didn’t you notice we weren’t using full force?" Zhang Ze pulled out a Token from the Hundred Treasures Bag.

"If you want to play for real, just sign this life-and-death agreement with your Divine Sense. Then we go all out, and you fight those three." Zhang Ze pointed at the three Western Barbarian Witch Zombies behind him.

"Wanna sign?" Zhang Ze asked.

Hong Sen decisively shook his head.

Seeing Hong Sen concede, Zhang Ze became gentle once more, "After you step out, remember to follow the staff to the large poplar tree to pay the fine."

"Oh, and here are some cards for you." Zhang Ze handed several cards to Hong Sen, one of which was a rare purple card.

"You’re the first team of cultivators to reach this point, so consider it an extra reward."

A fine is a fine, a reward is a reward; Zhang Ze is always principled.

Besides, these cards and the information they contain will eventually be traded by loose cultivators into Spirit Stones that cycle back into the pockets of the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion.

Taking the cards, Hong Sen used his Divine Sense to scan the purple card, discovering not only information related to the Western Barbarian Witch Zombies.

But also a record about exploring the Barbarian Witch Tomb.

This record detailed how a Sword Sect Elder discovered the ancient tomb, along with some of the elder’s experiences, musings, and swordsmanship insights.

This was the most valuable.

Seeing Hong Sen’s excited expression, Zhang Ze explained, "We weren’t lying, this underground segment is adapted from the Sword Sect Elder’s youthful adventures."

"It’s just a small part of the story. If you open all these coffins, you can collect the entire story."

"Remember, once you’ve collected everything, you can claim a reward. I think it’s a Cultivation Technique."

After weighing the value of collecting this purple card, Hong Sen calculated that the proceeds could offset the trouble Daxiong caused, and his expression relaxed once again.

With the purple card in hand and weighing its weight, after ensuring the benefits could cover the losses caused by Daxiong’s mischief, Hong Sen’s expression brightened again.

Just then, from another chamber nearby, came the explosion of another Heaven-shaking Thunder.

Hong Sen’s eyelids twitched.

With a sigh, Zhang Ze said, "We can’t leave yet; one blast, one settlement. So, you’ll have to pay the fine."