After resting for a moment, everyone returned to their peak state and prepared to enter the Ancient Tomb!

"Let’s hurry! I just saw several groups sneak in. We can’t let them get there first!" Luo Xiaowen said, eager to go.

Looking at the naive and reckless Luo Xiaowen, Luo Wenqing lectured, "Xiaowen, you need to be more careful. This Spirit Emperor’s Ancient Tomb is no ordinary place. It’s filled with dangers. If anything happens to you, how am I supposed to explain it to your father?"

"I know, I know!" Luo Xiaowen waved her hand dismissively, clearly not taking Luo Wenqing’s words to heart at all.

"You... *Sigh*. Younger Brother Shen, I’ll have to ask you to look after Xiaowen once we’re inside..." Luo Wenqing could only say, shaking his head helplessly. Although Luo Xiaowen’s strength was higher than Shen Haoran’s, his survival skills—honed from his past expeditions—were countless times greater than hers.

"Mhm, I’ll do my best!" Shen Haoran replied. He could only guarantee Luo Xiaowen’s safety until he found the Fire Elemental Spirit. After that, it would all be up to her own fate.

"Alright, alright, enough with the chatter! Let’s go!" Luo Xiaowen said, then took the lead and stepped into the Spiritual Barrier. Shen Haoran and Ji Lingxuan quickly followed.

Not far away, Wu Mengqi and Yang Yu saw Shen Haoran’s group enter the Ancient Tomb. They snorted coldly and led their own teams to follow closely behind.

The moment he entered the Ancient Tomb, Shen Haoran felt his body enveloped by a surge of pure Energy. The pleasant sensation was so overwhelming he almost let out a moan.

"Whoa! Where are we? I can smell so much yummy food!" Suddenly, a small, furry beast appeared on Shen Haoran’s shoulder, its eyes gleaming as it stared into the depths of the Ancient Tomb.

This was none other than the Taotie Divine Beast, Changmao. He had devoured numerous Spirit Beast Pills back in the Profound Spirit Mountain Range and fallen into a deep slumber afterward. Today, this sudden burst of pure Energy had jolted him awake.

"I thought you’d slept yourself to death! What made you decide to come out now?" Shen Haoran said, rolling his eyes at Changmao.

"Hehe, you haven’t had much going on recently, so I just rested up... Anyway, where is this?" Changmao said, quickly changing the subject.

"An Ancient Tomb. The Ancient Tomb of a Spirit Emperor Powerhouse!" Shen Haoran said, his eyes burning with fervor as he stared into its depths.

"A Spirit Emperor’s Ancient Tomb? Are you sure? How could a mere Spirit Emperor’s Tomb release such pure Spiritual Power?" Changmao asked with a frown.

A "mere" Spirit Emperor’s Tomb. Hearing Changmao’s words, the corner of Shen Haoran’s mouth twitched. ’Only he would dare to speak of a Spirit Emperor so dismissively!’

"So you’re saying there’s something strange about this tomb?" Shen Haoran asked.

"How would I know? But I can definitely feel a massive source of Energy deeper inside!" Changmao said, licking his paws.

’Elder Yan? Do you know what’s going on?’ Since Changmao didn’t know, Shen Haoran asked Elder Yan in his mind. After all, Elder Yan was the one who had opened this Ancient Tomb!

’Well... actually, I’m not too sure myself. I only came here to take refuge and recover from my heavy injuries. I didn’t pay any mind to this Ancient Tomb. After all, back then, a mere Spirit Emperor’s Tomb wasn’t enough to pique my interest!’ Elder Yan replied in his mind.

Great, another big shot. Hearing what Changmao and Elder Yan said, Shen Haoran began to doubt whether this Spirit Emperor’s Ancient Tomb was worth anything at all.

"What’s wrong, Brother Haoran?" Ji Lingxuan asked, seeing Shen Haoran standing motionless.

"It’s nothing. Changmao just said this Ancient Tomb is a little strange, so we should be careful. Let’s go, or we’ll fall behind the main group!" Shen Haoran said softly, then took Ji Lingxuan by the hand and hurried after them.

After a few turns, Shen Haoran and Ji Lingxuan caught sight of the main group ahead. However, they were all clustered together, not daring to take another step forward.

’What’s going on?’ Shen Haoran frowned. He could smell the faint scent of blood in the air.

"Little Brother Shen, what took you so long? I thought you’d gotten lost!" Luo Xiaowen said, pouting as she walked up to Shen Haoran.

"No, no, I just had to answer the call of nature. Sister Xiaowen, why is everyone stopped here?" Shen Haoran asked.

"*Sigh*. See for yourself..." Hearing Shen Haoran’s question, Luo Xiaowen stepped aside and gestured ahead.

When Luo Xiaowen stepped aside, Shen Haoran saw the scene before him. In an open area not far ahead, more than a dozen corpses lay on the ground. The bodies of these Martial Artists had all been sliced in half at the waist. Severed limbs were strewn everywhere, and fresh blood stained the ground. The scene was utterly gruesome.

"This..." Shen Haoran had been through countless life-and-death situations in the Profound Spirit Mountain Range. He’d seen plenty of corpses and had even killed people himself. But even so, this scene sent a chill down his spine.

"This must be the group that snuck in earlier!" Luo Xiaowen said, her voice trembling. As the young miss of the Celestial Martial Auction House, when had she ever witnessed such a horrifying scene?

"Yes, they must have triggered some kind of trap," Shen Haoran responded, then began to scan his surroundings for any clues.

"What’s there to be afraid of? What a bunch of cowards. They obviously triggered a trap. We’ll just go around by the wall!" a burly man in the crowd suddenly shouted. He then began to move forward, hugging the wall.

Shen Haoran’s brows furrowed as he watched the burly man. ’It’s foolish to charge ahead without understanding the situation. If he runs into danger, it’ll be too late for regrets.’

To Shen Haoran’s surprise, however, the man advanced a hundred meters without encountering any danger. Soon, he had moved far beyond where the corpses lay.

"So you just have to stick to the wall!"

"Hah, I was worried for nothing. If the wall is safe, let’s get moving! We can’t let that big guy get a head start!" Seeing the man was unharmed, the crowd quickly moved to the wall, preparing to follow his example.

"Little Brother Shen, let’s go too," Luo Xiaowen called out.

"Wait! It can’t be that simple!" Shen Haoran had a bad feeling. He trusted his intuition—it had saved his life many times in the Profound Spirit Mountain Range.

Sure enough, just as the words left Shen Haoran’s mouth, several blinding flashes of light shot past. The burly man in the distance froze, standing completely still.

"What’s wrong? What happened?" the crowd cried out in alarm.

"Ugh... AAAH! Look at that man!" one of the Martial Artists screamed amidst the panic, pointing at him. The crowd followed his gaze and witnessed a horrifying spectacle. The distant man’s body was slowly separating, splitting into three distinct sections! Blood instantly sprayed across the floor. His head fell, rolled for several meters, and came to a stop. Its eyes, wide with disbelief, stared back at the crowd, forever open. At this sight, many of the more timid Martial Artists collapsed to the ground and began to vomit violently.

"Th-th-this..." Luo Xiaowen was so terrified she was speechless.

"Ling Xuan, did you get a clear look?" Shen Haoran asked with a frown. Ji Lingxuan had an extraordinary background and knew far more than he did.

"No, but I felt a very familiar Energy. It must have been released by some kind of weapon. As for which one, I can’t recall," Ji Lingxuan said, shaking her head.

’A weapon? A weapon...’ As soon as Ji Lingxuan finished speaking, Elder Yan began to ponder within Shen Haoran’s mind.

’Oh! I know what it is! Shen the kid, you’ve really hit the jackpot this time!’ Elder Yan exclaimed in his mind, his voice filled with delighted surprise.

’Hit the jackpot? Elder Yan, can you be a little clearer?’

’To be honest, the scene felt familiar the moment I saw those corpses on the ground. When the little lady mentioned a weapon, it all clicked. This is the legendary Godslaying Crossbow!’ Elder Yan’s voice was practically trembling with excitement.

’The Godslaying Crossbow?’