Chapter 87: The Photography Studio—A Professional "Tomb-Raiding" Team?

It seemed as if fate itself had arranged this encounter.

The path taken by Cao Chengyu was, by sheer coincidence, exactly the same as that chosen by the group from the Shadow Tower. The speed of a lone traveler often far outpaces that of a crowd; by the time the Shadow Tower’s people arrived at their destination, not even the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Cao Chengyu had already ambled over.

Before him stood a vast estate, sprawling over more than five thousand acres. The main gate boasted upturned eaves and intricate brackets, with serpent-headed rings serving as door knockers, and statues of human bodies with snake heads flanking either side.

Around the entrance, a lattice of emerald and white spiritual radiance wound together, the dim glow betraying the faint traces of a formation. The Shadow Tower’s people, their goal clear and their intelligence well-prepared, left five mid-stage Dao Body cultivators to guard the entrance while the rest approached the snake-headed statues in turn.

Upon uttering a specific password, each was instantly transported away, clearly having entered the Estate of the Myriad Serpents True Lord.

Cao Chengyu arrived a step too late. Having observed the situation at the gate, he was just about to enter when, from the surrounding shadows, five black-robed, black-masked cultivators suddenly emerged.

Startled, he quickly retreated several steps. “What is the meaning of this, gentlemen?”

But no answer came. Five jet-black daggers flashed toward his throat, heart, lower abdomen, kidneys, and spine—ruthless and vicious, leaving no room for mercy.

Cao Chengyu raised the Primordial Heavy Water Shield, blocking three attacks. His form flickered, dissolving into a wisp of yellow mist to evade the remaining two strikes.

Since his adversaries struck with lethal intent, he saw no reason to hold back. Azure dragon patterns shimmered on his wrists as he swept his sleeve.

Azure Flood Dragon Sleeves!

In an instant, two slender azure wind-dragons unfurled, descending from the sky with awe-inspiring might.

Moments before, borrowing the art of Cloud Soaring, Cao Chengyu had used the yellow mist to dodge and soared into the air. The Azure Flood Dragon Sleeves struck unexpectedly, and two of the black-robed assailants were instantly torn apart by the wind-dragons, whose razor-sharp gales surpassed the power of any top-grade magical artifact.

Even though their bodies were forged as shadow spirits, they stood no chance against the storm of blades conjured by the wind-dragons.

“What?!”

In the blink of an eye, two companions were slain. Of the three remaining, one swiftly fled, vanishing into a shadow that darted toward the snake-headed statue, intending to enter and relay the news.

Though Cao Chengyu did not know the man’s purpose, since he had already taken action, he would not let his quarry escape. Ignoring the two charging at him, a vivid purple light flared in his pupils; neurotoxins and deadly poisons traversed the space between them, invading the fleeing man's body through his pores.

Blue light flashed in his hand—the Profound Ice Sword appeared. With a sweep of icy sword energy, he struck at the two black-robed men attacking at close quarters.

One transformed into a shadow to evade, but the seven or eight streaks of blue sword energy, each four meters wide, swept across densely. Unprepared, he was instantly frozen into a block of ice and crashed to the ground.

The other black-robed man was more resourceful, unleashing a barrage of needle-like spells to counter two streaks of sword energy before dodging to the side.

A black glint flashed at his brow—a rhombic shuttle, wreathed in dense black mist, shot forth, less than a heartbeat before it sped straight for Cao Chengyu’s brow.

A crisp crack.

“How is this possible?!”

The black-robed man could only offer his shock in vain. Cao Chengyu rubbed his slightly reddened forehead, then, with a casual flick of his sleeve, unleashed the wind-dragon again, which tore the assailant apart, leaving only a mess of flesh and blood.

He had spent years tempering his body; his physical strength and defenses were formidable. The shuttle was only a high-grade artifact, swift but lacking in power.

After shattering the frozen one as well, Cao Chengyu approached the snake-headed statue.

He pushed aside a stiff purple corpse; five storage pouches flew into his arms of their own accord.

His gaze met the statue’s snake eyes.

Hmm?

The three-meter-tall serpent-headed statue abruptly came to life and roared, “Beyond the heavens, beyond the mountains, beyond the towers, there are men beyond men.”

“Men beyond men?” Cao Chengyu muttered quietly. The scene before his eyes shifted, and he found himself transported inside the estate.

Was this riddle not a little too simple?

He had no time to dwell on the estate master’s simplistic puzzles. Before him unfolded a grand hall shrouded in a dense white mist, which seemed to be bound by some force, swirling only within the hall and not drifting outward.

To his right, a freshly-dug tunnel just wide enough for a person gaped open.

“So those men’s companions must be here. No wonder they wouldn’t let me near.”

The tunnel was clearly newly excavated, dusted with a ring of white snake-repelling powder.

After a moment’s thought, Cao Chengyu leapt in without hesitation. Since the others had come prepared, this path should be safe; with someone leading the way, following them was better than wandering blindly.

He had not forgotten the name of the estate he had seen outside.

The Estate of the Myriad Serpents True Lord!

To hold the title "True Lord" meant a cultivation above the Golden Core—an authentic Nascent Soul stage grandmaster, of whom there were fewer than five in all the Hundred Kingdoms Domain.

It was said that Nascent Soul cultivators enjoyed lifespans of three thousand years, far surpassing the twelve-hundred-year limit of the Golden Core. For the Myriad Serpents True Lord to survive the calamity of the past, even as a lingering soul, was not impossible. No matter how feeble, one had to guard against the possibility of possession.

Who could fathom the schemes of such an ancient monster?

Following the tunnel the Shadow Tower’s men had dug, Cao Chengyu advanced without obstruction. Along the way, he found many corpses of venomous snakes—some species now extinct—yielding a fine harvest of rare venoms.

An hour passed.

Inside a room within the mist-filled palace, the space was empty except for a sunken pit in the center. Cautious as ever, Cao Chengyu poked his head out, saw no one around, and drifted into the room.

There were no signs of battle. Where had everyone gone?

Circling the room and stepping out the door, guided by the Heaven-Scent Spirit Cat, Cao Chengyu activated his Cloaking Technique to suppress his presence to the barest minimum.

He crept down the corridor; soon, he came upon at least four black-robed corpses, their storage pouches untouched—plenty for him to indulge in the pleasure of scavenging.

Yet, judging by the blood and scattered remains, the casualties must have exceeded just four.

He pressed on; most of the rooms along the way were empty, littered with more snake corpses—some venomous serpents had grown to over ten meters in length, more monstrous than giant pythons.

At that moment, a thunderous clamor erupted ahead.

A battle was underway!

Cao Chengyu’s eyes lit up, and he crept closer.

After a few turns, he found himself at the threshold of a vast, empty hall, where Commander Hai, accompanied by his three remaining peak Dao Body teammates, was locked in a desperate struggle against a colossal serpent.

Jets of green water shot from all around the commander, chattering like machine-gun fire, battering the serpent’s armored scales to fragments, spraying blood, and twisting its flesh.

Cao Chengyu keenly sensed that the commander was a Purple Mansion cultivator, while the giant serpent was a fierce demon, its power on par with the Purple Mansion stage!