Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The Corpse Wizard King had just set up the Magical Teleportation Formation at the back of the tunnel when Yang Ling immediately protected it with a restriction, leading the group in retreating into the restriction and observing the situation.

While the troops and adventurers were still in shock and discussing the issue of the strange statues amongst themselves, Yang Ling had sensitively felt a strong sense of threat. As a Soul Wizard, he could sense streaks of an obscure energy ripple coming from the statues, the energy similar to that of Elder Brent’s Divine Power, intertwined with an aura from an ancient wild beast.

There were traps in every corner of the underground tomb. The second level of the tomb was already terrifying enough, able to trap the Divine-level Expert Elder Brent for thousands of years just because he was not careful enough. The third level of the underground tomb, claimed to hold the remains of the Pharaoh, would be even more so! Yang Ling knew that the plaza was as simple as it looks even without having to think too much about it.

Thump…

Just as the people were in a heated discussion while looking at the statues, the faint thump of the Human Skin Drum suddenly rang out, the sound fleeting and unstable. It seems to have come from deep underground, or from the murky sky, but also from the mysterious statues. Even Yang Ling was unable to determine the source of the sound, much less the average troops and adventurers. There was even an instant where Yang Ling suspected that he was hearing things.

Thump, thump, thump…

After the string of fleeting drumbeats ended, a cold wind suddenly appeared in the plaza, brushing past the people, sinister and chilling. The strong fighters instinctively shrunk in their necks, while the Spellcasters lacking in physical strength trembled in the cold. It was already March, the height of the spring, outside the underground tomb, with the weather getting hotter and hotter. No one could have thought that the third level of the underground tomb would be so cold and sinister.

It was not just chilly, but also sinister!

The chilly air penetrated through the thin layers of clothing, through the human skin, and pierced straight into the bone!

“Miss Evelyn, I have a deerskin cape here, see if it fits you!” Seeing the mermaid Evelyn tremble in cold beside him, Yang Ling spoke as he took out a cape made from the hide of a deer from within his Space Ring, gently draping it over her body.

In this period of time, Sofia had been busy with training up her natural magic, hoping that she could advance to become a Great Moon Priestess as soon as possible; Yuna had been busy with the policies in Jaboli. She also had to negotiate with the merchants and console the commoners in the territory… making her extremely busy every day. Only the little lass had poured in effort in making clothes and personally cooking for Yang Ling while she toiled hard at practising the spells used by a Poison Wizard.

Seeing the mermaid Evelyn who had come to the underground tomb despite the distance and the danger for the health of her father, Yang Ling could not help but remember the little lass Alice who had followed him while he was barging into the village of the barbarians back then.

They were both warm and kind, both stubborn!

The only difference between them was that the little lass Alice was like a shy green apple, while the alluring Evelyn was like a lily bud, waiting to bloom. Her fair, clear skin was especially grabbed his attention, but she had a streak of shyness that a young lady would have.

“Thank you, Your Lordship!” With the warm deerskin cape draped over her, Evelyn’s eyes turned red. Her nose suddenly felt sour.

Ever since she became sensible, she had never seen her mother again. Other than her busy father and the benevolent Chief Priest at the divine temple, no one else had been able to give her such a warm feeling. In the eyes of someone else, she was a high and mighty mermaid princess, but who could truly understand the bitterness and loneliness in her heart?

There have been many times while she was sitting in her underwater palace and looking at the blue water and azure sky that she wished that she was just an average member of the sea tribe, and can be with her parents every day; In fact, she even wished that she was a tiny Arrowfish, free of worry, able to swim around the ocean freely.

“Evelyn, you need not call me ‘Your Lordship’ in the future, you can call me Yang Ling or even Brother Yang!” Seeing the mermaid lower her head to rub her eyes, Yang Ling remembered Alice who used to run around him all day in the past. He smiled before continuing, “I have a sister by the name of Alice, her personality is about the same as yours. I’ll introduce the two of you next time!”

“En, alright!” Seeing the soft gaze Yang Ling had unintentionally shown in his eyes, Evelyn was secretly jealous of the young lady by the name of Alice. She then wrapped the deerskin cape tightly around her self, her body getting warmer bit by bit.

The wind was getting stronger and colder. No one knew where such a strong chilly wind could have come from! The sound of the wind cutting through the air was as if the wails of the undead, chilling the people present, causing them to not dare take a step forward. Slowly, dust started being propelled up into the air within the plaza, the ferocious statues of the Evil Demon becoming clearer. The floor that had been covered by a thick layer of ash also gradually got exposed.

“My god, Baikal Sapphire?” After a strong wind blew past, an eagle-eyed troop rubbed his eyes before shouting in shock.

“Baikal Sapphire, Siattu Sea Agate, Alpen Green Opal… The entire plaza is made up of gemstones and premium crystals?” An adventurer who had journeyed through the entire Tailun Continent screamed in shock, his heart almost leaping out of his mouth.

…

After the thick layer of dust got swept away by the strong wind, the floorboard that was filled with gemstones and premium crystals slowly exposed itself to the eyes of the people. Looking at the endless variety of sparkling gemstones, the people gasped in shock, unable to shake themselves out of their daze for the longest time.

Even though the legends had it that the last generation of the Pharaohs had buried the treasures amassed by the Thebes Empire for thousands of years together with him in the underground tomb after he died; But no one expected the entire vast plaza to be paved with gemstones and premium crystals worth fortunes!

Looking at the alluring, sparkling crystals, the heartbeats of the people accelerated uncontrollably. Their hearts thumped faster and faster! A strong sense of desire and longing naturally welled in the hearts of the people.

That feeling was as though a person who was on the verge of dying of thirst after having walked in the desert for many days suddenly saw a spring of water; It was as if a hot-blooded lecher just saw a coquettish little beauty lying on the bed, her legs spread open!

“Hahaha, this is mine, these are all mine…”

After recovering from his shock, a dejected troop charged out without care, using his sharp dagger to pry out one sparkling gemstone and premium crystal after the other, tossing them into his robes in a fluster. One, two… His eyes were red, and he had tossed the strange beats of the Human Skin Drum and the chilly wind to the back of his head.

With someone leading the charge, under the allure of the gemstones and the premium crystals, the people charged forward in an unruly mob. Even the elite warriors and Spellcasters of the various major factions joined the excavation, much less the greedy troops and adventurers. Elder Faern, Elder Klive and the rest could not stop them at that moment, and the entire situation got out of hand in an instant.

Faced with the premium crystals and gemstones whose value could even rival cities, who else but a few trained old fogeys could resist this fatal temptation?

The glow of the blades filled the entire plaza, with everyone manically prying off the gemstones from the floor. The situation was getting messier and messier. A ripple of obscure energy filled the air and unknowingly, the eyes of the people in the plaza got increasingly redder, all of them only having eyes for the incandescent gemstones!

The faint beats of the Human Skin Drum got louder and more hurried, the sinister wind got colder; However, no one stopped what they were doing. They wanted to dig up another crystal after finishing up with the one they were digging up…

The ground was hard, and without a suitable tool to pry the gemstones free, forcefully digging up the crystals was a waste of time. Soon, someone thought up of a more insane idea, raising their sharp blades against the partners by their side without hesitation, directly claiming the gemstones and crystals the other party had dug up for themselves.

More intense riots developed soon after, and the situation got completely out of control!

The men from the different factions fought with each other. In fact, some even sabotaged the partners they were close friends with, willing to even kill the other party for a gemstone! The situation was getting more and more insane, fresh raw blood dying the entire plaza red; A faint strange odor hung in the air. It was as if a pair of smelly socks that had been hanging unwashed for months, or if a vat of expired vinegar had been smashed!

Seeing the situation getting more and more chaotic, sensing the changes in the surroundings, Elder Faern, Elder Klive and the rest clearly felt that something was off, trying their best to restrain their manic subordinates, even willing to kill a few of them as a warning. Unfortunately, the situation in the plaza was in a complete mess. How could it be easy for them to make them calm down quickly?

The only people who could still remain calm was the Dark Dragon King and the rest behind Yang Ling, as well as Evelyn and her group.

Even though he was very tempted by the spread of gemstones and premium crystals, his intuition as a Great Soul Wizard made Yang Ling calm down at the critical moment. The ferocious crystal skull he held in his hand released a Soul Roar, waking the group behind him from their manic desires, calming down the Dark Dragon King and the rest, as well as Evelyn’s group who had been raring to go. They stood motionless in the restriction, coldly observing the frenzy and riots in the plaza.

If one wanted to exterminate someone, he had to make them go insane first!

After absorbing a substantial amount of fresh blood, the ground that was covered in gemstones and premium crystals released streaks of dark red Death Energy, getting thicker and thicker, enveloping all of the statues in the plaza. Some time ago, a faint murmur had been released from the darkness, as if someone was doing an ancient ritual, or if someone was hiding in the darkness and casting a mysterious spell. Soon, a bloody handprint appeared between the brows of the statues at the same time.

“Blood Curse, a Blood Curse that can summon Evil Demons from the Demonic Plane?” Looking at the bloody handprints that had suddenly appeared between the brows of the statues, then looking at the dark red Death Energy enveloping the entire plaza, Elder Brent had a grim expression as he recalled an ancient legend.