"There must be a specific sequence to activate the Senluo Seven-Star Rock, right?" Mu Chen said speculatively, recalling the two star-shaped carvings on the rock.

Feng Shanshan said, "You’re as sharp as they say. Indeed. If entering the Senluo Tomb only required activating the Seven-Star Rock, it would be far too simple. There’s a correct sequence, and it’s one the Blood Python Family doesn’t know. That’s why every twenty years, the Blood Python Family sends people in to try dozens of new sequences. You could say their luck is just terrible. Ten thousand years have passed, and their family still hasn’t managed to figure out the right combination. As of this year, only seventy-some permutations of the seven stars are left. If nothing unexpected happens, the Blood Python Family is certain to find the true sequence within these ten days and open the Senluo Tomb. That is absolutely not something my family wants to see happen, which is why I entered the Senluo Ruins."

Mu Chen asked in confusion, "Wait, so the Senluo Seven-Star Rock can be reset if you get the sequence wrong?"

Feng Shanshan nodded. "That’s right. If the activation sequence is wrong, all the activated Senluo Seven-Star Rocks will be extinguished, returning to their original state. However, the seven rocks are located very far apart. Once you make a mistake, you have to fly a great distance all over again. That’s why even with ten days, they can only test a few dozen combinations at most."

Mu Chen asked in surprise, "If a mistake resets all the activated rocks, couldn’t the Blood Python Family just deliberately activate any old Senluo Seven-Star Rock to reset the ones we’ve done?"

Feng Shanshan smiled. "Of course not. Once a Senluo Seven-Star Rock is activated, only the person who activated it can reset it. Unless I’m willing to make a mistake on the next rock, they can forget about ever resetting the ones I’ve activated. A pity for them, but I won’t be making any mistakes, because I have the correct activation sequence."

Mu Chen took a deep breath. He finally understood why Feng Shanshan hadn’t been in such a hurry after activating the first Senluo Seven-Star Rock. "So, where to next? Since we can do this at top speed, let’s get it done. Delays just breed trouble."

Feng Shanshan hummed in agreement and held out her hand again. Mu Chen grabbed it and said, "Direction!"

"Fly forward for seven hundred kilometers. When you see a sea of thorns, go around it, and I’ll tell you the next step."

Hearing this, Mu Chen sucked in a sharp breath. "That’s seriously far."

"Of course it is. Otherwise, how could the Blood Python Family fail to find the way in for ten thousand years?"

"Good point..."

This candid exchange completely erased the last trace of wariness Mu Chen had for Feng Shanshan. Their teamwork became perfectly synchronized. In just half a day, thanks to Mu Chen’s breakneck pace, Feng Shanshan had already activated four of the Seven-Star Rocks in the order of two, five, three, and seven. Only three were left: one, four, and six.

"Knowing the sequence really is a shortcut. I bet those four so-called elites from the Blood Python Family are losing their minds right now," Mu Chen laughed heartily.

"All the better. If I could, I’d love to see the looks on their faces right now." Feng Shanshan shot Mu Chen an exasperated glance. Amidst their banter, the two flew swiftly toward the location of the fifth Senluo Seven-Star Rock. There were no beautiful landscapes along the way, but looking back, the four golden pillars of light soaring into the sky from the horizon were exceptionally dazzling.

...

At the same time, not far from the fourth dazzling golden pillar of light, four crimson mists of blood materialized from thin air. Four red-haired men then stepped out of the mists, their expressions utterly grim.

"Big Brother... that’s the fourth one, and the sequence is completely correct..." Xue Nie’s voice was tinged with panic.

Xue Yan’s long, crimson hair drifted as if in a phantom wind. His fists were clenched tight, and wisps of scarlet aura churned around his body. Rampant Primordial Power stirred restlessly, like an overinflated balloon that would explode with the slightest touch. "It must be the remnants of the Ninghun Family! Ten thousand years, and it seems that disaster didn’t teach them their lesson! We’ve already confirmed who the two of them are. They better hope they don’t run into us. Otherwise, I’ll make them experience the feeling of being steeped in Blood Poison—a state where you can neither live nor die!"

Xue Shitian was the youngest of the four, and also the most impulsive. He roared, "Big Brother! In that case, what are we waiting for? Let’s hurry up and chase them! My Blood Python is thirsting for battle!"

"Reckless! Haven’t you realized we’ve been doing it wrong from the very beginning?!" Xue Yan snorted coldly and snapped, "They’re from the Ninghun Family, so of course they know the activation sequence for the Senluo Seven-Star Rock. If we keep trailing them from behind like this, we’ll never catch them!"

Xue Lie, Xue Nie, and Xue Shitian were all taken aback. Thinking about it, they realized it was true. For the past half a day, they had been chasing from the first Seven-Star Rock to the fourth, moving faster and faster, yet the distance between them and their quarry only grew. Often, by the time they arrived at the site of one activated rock, another one had already lit up elsewhere. This method of pursuit was, without a doubt, utterly stupid.

Xue Lie asked, "Then what should we do? We can’t just stand by and watch them activate all seven Senluo Seven-Star Rocks, can we?"

Xue Yan sneered, "Are you kidding? We may not have the activation sequence for the Senluo Seven-Star Rock, but we do have another crucial piece of information. Xue Nie! Bring out the distribution map of the Senluo Seven-Star Rocks."

Xue Nie paused for a moment, then instantly retrieved an ancient map from his Storage Ring. The map was covered in strange, bizarre paths, so profoundly esoteric that an ordinary person would find them impossible to read. The four Blood Family brothers, however, understood it perfectly. Xue Yan pointed to four marked locations in succession and said, "Look. These are the locations of the four Seven-Star Rocks activated by those two Ninghun Family remnants. Right now, in this Independent Space, only the Seven-Star Rocks in the southeast, south, and southwest have yet to be activated. The southeastern one is the closest to our current position, the southwestern one is the farthest, and the southern one is in between."

The three other Blood Family brothers at his side nodded. Xue Yan continued, "So, the next one they activate is bound to be one of these three."

The three nodded again. Xue Yan grinned. "In that case, why don’t we go directly to the farthest of these three Senluo Seven-Star Rocks and lie in wait? Heh heh. If they choose the farthest one directly, even if we can’t catch up to them there, we will definitely be able to catch them at the next one! Our speed when doubling back is much faster than theirs. If they go to the closest one, then let them activate it. When they get to the very last rock, they’ll find us already waiting for them to walk right into our trap. Four against two—the advantage couldn’t be greater. If things go smoothly, killing them will be a matter of moments. Not only will we eliminate the troublemakers, but we’ll also get the correct activation sequence directly. Isn’t that a flawless plan?"

After hearing the plan and mulling it over, the three exclaimed that their Big Brother was brilliant. They agreed to it instantly, transformed into four clouds of blood mist, and vanished into the pitch-black night sky.

"Mu Chen."

"Hm?"

"As the number of unactivated Seven-Star Rocks decreases, don’t you think those four from the Blood Python Family might have figured out our path and gotten to the next location ahead of us?" On the way to the southeastern Seven-Star Rock, Feng Shanshan asked Mu Chen, bracing herself against the strong winds she had already grown accustomed to.

Mu Chen grunted in acknowledgment and thought for a moment before replying, "Since the four of them are the Blood Soul Empire’s renowned elites of the Blood Python Family, they certainly aren’t stupid. We didn’t see a trace of them while activating the first four Senluo Seven-Star Rocks, nor did we run into an ambush at any of those locations. This suggests they were most likely just chasing us the whole time. As for now... from the distribution map you showed me, the remaining three Seven-Star Rocks are arranged from nearest to farthest. If it were me, I would definitely lie in wait for you at one of those three locations and set up an ambush. There are two benefits to this: one, they get to eliminate us, and two, they get the correct activation sequence for the Senluo Seven-Star Rock."

"As for which Seven-Star Rock they’ll choose for their ambush, we can only gamble. We have to bet our luck isn’t so bad that we run into them at the very next one. But the further we go..."

Feng Shanshan finished his sentence, "The more dangerous it gets."

Mu Chen nodded. "Yes, the further we go, the more dangerous it gets. However, only the person who activates the Senluo Tomb and anyone in physical contact with them can enter. So, as long as we can successfully activate the final Seven-Star Rock and survive, we’ll have succeeded."

Feng Shanshan nodded. "You’re right, but the people from the Blood Python Family are very tricky. They’re incredibly powerful, and with the boost from their Blood Python Blood Poison, they can rapidly elevate their Martial Artist Realm. I’m afraid the two of us will be no match for four High-Level Martial Sects. Plus, they have four Blood Python Magical Beasts to help them."

Mu Chen frowned. "That is a bit troublesome. But have you ever heard of something called Shadow Concealing Dust?"

"’Shadow Concealing Dust?’" Feng Shanshan was stunned. "’You have something like that? But it’s useless now. Blood Pythons have an extremely sensitive sense of smell when it comes to blood. I used my own blood to activate the Seven-Star Rocks, so their pythons have definitely memorized my blood’s scent. Even with a heaven-defying item like Shadow Concealing Dust, I can’t escape their notice.’"

Mu Chen smiled faintly. "I never said I wanted to use the Shadow Concealing Dust to escape their notice. You have to remember, both humans and Magical Beasts have a certain reaction time. That’s enough time for us to do a lot of things. For example... enter the Senluo Tomb..."