I Have an Omen System-Chapter 55 - 54: The Choice of the Living Gate

Ahead, the mist parted unnaturally, revealing a clearing.

The ground abruptly sank, forming a pit dozens of zhang in circumference. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

At the bottom of the pit, ten massive bronze tombstones, half-buried in the earth and numbered from one to ten, jutted out from the ground!

Each Bronze Tombstone was carved with countless lifelike patterns of humanoid puppets. Some held swords, some brandished sabers, and others were forming Sealing Techniques...

The most conspicuous among them was a giant, three-headed, six-armed puppet carved into the center of the tombstones. Its six eyes, inlaid with dark red gems, glinted with a bloody light in the dim surroundings.

"Just as I thought. The handiwork of the Thousand Mechanism Puppet Sect," Bai Ningshuang said, her eyes narrowing.

A Loose Cultivator shouted, "Everyone, look! The patterns are moving!"

Qin Xuan was startled by the words.

Looking closely, he saw that the puppet patterns on the Bronze Tombstones were indeed changing shape at an extremely slow pace, as if pulled by invisible strings!

Before the other Loose Cultivators could react,

Bai Ningshuang had already taken half of a broken jade tablet from her robes and roared, "Cold Nether Sect disciples, form the array!"

The moment her voice fell, four more people flew out, holding identical broken jade tablets. Along with Bai Ningshuang, they each pressed their tablets into the recesses on the chests of the puppets on Bronze Tombstones One, Three, Seven, Nine, and Ten.

CLICK—

With a soft sound, the runes on the tombstone-like doors lit up one after another, shifting from dark red to a faint blue. The carved puppets on the five Bronze Tombstones suddenly accelerated, moving as if they had been brought to life.

The next moment, the central head of the six-armed puppet slowly lifted, its gem-like eyes staring fixedly at the crowd.

"State... your... sect..."

A mechanical voice echoed from within the doors, carrying the sluggishness of a thousand years of dust.

"Of no sect or school, I am the Loose Cultivator Bai Ningshuang, here to pay respects to the senior’s legacy."

The light on the bronze doors flickered a few times, and the six-armed puppet’s head slowly lowered again.

"Ver...i...fi...ca...tion... passed..."

As the voice faded, the five large Bronze Tombstones rumbled heavily and slowly slid to the sides, each revealing a pitch-black entrance.

A cold, decaying stench washed over them, mixed with the strange, faint smell of metal and oil.

From within the five entrances, some howled with the sound of wind, and some echoed with the neighing of steeds. Others, however, carried the roars of beasts and the wails of living people!

With a wave of her hand, Bai Ningshuang led nearly a hundred disciples of the Cold Nether Sect to leap forward. In the blink of an eye, the well-trained group had jumped into the two entrances—One and Nine—from which the sound of howling wind emerged.

Before leaving, Bai Ningshuang shot a provocative glance back over her shoulder.

"You Sinful Demons from the Blood Demon Sword Sect, come after us if you have the guts! Hahaha!"

However, after the Cold Nether Sect disciples jumped in, before the Loose Cultivators could react, a vast white fog suddenly arose, thick enough to block even Foundation Establishment Divine Sense!

It was accompanied by the CLICK-CLACKING sound of mechanical gears and mechanisms turning.

A full incense stick’s time later, the fog dissipated. The ten Bronze Tombstones reappeared, but now they bore no numbers. Only five unfathomable, pitch-black entrances remained.

Luo Tianyi, who had the appearance of a young girl, frowned. In a coarse voice, she said, "We’re done for. I’ve read about this in an ancient text. It’s the long-lost Living Gate Technique of the legendary Thousand Mechanism Puppet Sect!

"Legend has it the Puppet Sect excelled at combining mechanisms with Curse Techniques. Each of these ten Bronze Tombstones is itself a giant Puppet with strength comparable to the Foundation Establishment Stage, used specifically for inheritance trials."

"Those with an inheritance token will, at worst, suffer some minor injuries. But if you lack a token and choose the wrong gate, you’ll become a vengeful soul suppressed beneath the Puppets!"

Wan Tao let out a savage laugh. "Jie Jie, what’s there to be afraid of? With so many Loose Cultivators here, we can just test the gates one by one."

Luo Tianyi’s eyes lit up. "Senior Brother Wan, that’s a great idea!"

Hearing this, the assembled Loose Cultivators were horrified.

Some turned to flee, but the outside was shrouded in a vast white fog, making escape impossible.

In an instant, a bloody slaughter erupted.

Wails and cries for help filled the air.

Qin Xuan’s brow furrowed slightly.

It wasn’t that he felt sorry for the Loose Cultivators. Rather, he felt that Wan Tao and the others were too hasty, lacking even a hint of the caution a Demon Cultivator should have.

Just as he expected, after Luo Tianyi threw in the third Loose Cultivator and found the Bronze Tombstone entrance with the howling wind, she leaped inside without a second thought.

The next moment, a bloodcurdling scream came from within the tombstone. "AHH!"

It was immediately followed by the sound of some vicious beast chewing on bones, and the distinct, bloody stench of a Demon Cultivator wafted out.

Wan Tao’s expression turned grim.

The ten Bronze Tombstones before them were once again enveloped in white fog, and the CLICK-CLACKING of turning gears and mechanisms sounded as they rearranged themselves.

When the fog dissipated for the third time, only five of the original ten Bronze Tombstones remained. Each had a pitch-black entrance, now marked with the numbers One through Five.

At the entrance of each Bronze Tombstone, the central head of the six-armed puppet slowly lifted. Its jeweled eyes lit up, its arms transformed, and three-foot-long blades shot out!

"Those who enter through trickery... die..." The mechanical voice echoed from all directions.

Wan Tao’s face instantly turned ugly.

"A Foundation Establishment Stage Puppet!"

Following the six-armed puppet’s warning, a crimson blood-mist gradually rose around them, cleverly separating everyone from one another.

The surviving Loose Cultivators breathed a sigh of relief.

In the final moment before the crimson mist enveloped everything, Qin Xuan noticed Xiao Ran step into Bronze Tomb Three, while Hou Qi entered Tomb One.

’Which tomb should I enter?’

Qin Xuan’s brow was tightly furrowed.

Just then, the giant sphere of light in his mind suddenly began to flicker.

[Middle-Upper Draw: Enter Tomb Four. Encounter the chief True Inheritance disciple of the Cold Nether Sect. Obtain the Puppet Sect’s inheritance and a Seventh-Grade Opportunity. Auspicious.]

[Middle-Middle Draw: Enter Tomb One or Five. Encounter a few Cold Nether Sect disciples. Largely without danger. Neutral.]

[Middle-Lower Draw: Enter Tomb Two or Three. Encounter fellow disciples from the Holy Sect and a few Cold Nether Sect disciples. A struggle will ensue, resulting in heavy losses and possible death. Inauspicious.]

Seeing the contents of the Divination, Qin Xuan’s eyes lit up.

He finally understood. The current Tomb Four must be the same as the original Tomb One that Bai Ningshuang had entered—the one with the most treasures and the least danger.

As for Tombs Two and Three, there was definitely something fishy about both of them.

’Xiao Ran definitely has some kind of powerful destiny. Everywhere that kid goes, misfortune follows. Fucking incredible!’

Qin Xuan leaped into Tomb Four. The wind howled in his ears, and a moment later, he landed lightly on his feet.

It was pitch-black in front of him.

With a flick of his fingers, three Lighting Talismans flew out and hovered in the air, illuminating the passage ahead.

Only then did Qin Xuan discover that the walls of the passage were cast entirely from bronze and were densely engraved with runes and puppet schematics.

Countless broken puppet parts were scattered across the floor. Some looked as if they had been torn apart by immense force, while others seemed to have exploded from within.

To Qin Xuan’s surprise, Lu Ming was already there, a step ahead of him. Both of them had entered Tomb Four!

"Fellow Daoist Huaizhong, we truly are fated to meet!" Lu Ming said in pleasant surprise, a Thunder Talisman crackling in his palm.

"Indeed, Fellow Daoist Lu," Qin Xuan said with a chuckle. Before Lu Ming could react, he backhanded his sword straight into the man’s heart.

BUZZ!

The Lifebound Blood Sword trembled with pleasure.

Lu Ming’s face was a mask of astonishment. He looked down in disbelief at the Ancient Bronze Long Sword plunged into his chest.

His blood gurgled as it was sucked into the Blood Sword. The shock was still on his face as, in an instant, he was reduced to a pile of withered bones.