In response, Yu Yaoguang secretly pinched him on the waist.

"..."

Fang Shuwen sighed. ’Life is like a stage, all about the performance. What senior expert? It’s all just an act...’

Aside from that brief exchange between Fang Shuwen and Yu Yaoguang, the group walked the rest of the way in silence.

The path ahead was unobstructed, and the rumbling sound never came again.

Still, the sounds of combat could be heard intermittently.

But this subterranean area was a complex labyrinth. A sound might seem close one moment, only to recede into the distance the next.

Yu Yaoguang believed that an array must be at play within the Earth Palace.

Fang Shuwen was completely ignorant on the subject, so he wasn’t in any position to comment.

After walking for less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea, the passage suddenly opened into a wide space.

As far as the eye could see, there was a circular chamber.

There was a door behind Fang Shuwen’s group, and there were eight such doorways in total, set into the circular walls.

In the center of the chamber, between the eight doors, lay a massive Yin-Yang Fish Diagram.

At that moment, the Yin-Yang Fish Diagram was slowly transforming. The yang half rose high into the air as a mechanical staircase snaked downward, connecting to its edge with a series of clicks and clacks.

At the same time, the yin half sank.

Through the gap, one could see nothing but pitch darkness below, like a bottomless abyss.

At the location of each "eye" of the Yin-Yang Fish, a pedestal stood out.

Within them lay a hidden mechanism. Inside the "eye" of each Yin-Yang Fish, an Eight Trigrams Box was placed.

Right then, a man was standing on the high platform of the yang side, reaching out to take the Eight Trigrams Box in hand. But before he could inspect it, a sword strike tore through the air toward him.

The man who’d grabbed the Eight Trigrams Box was entirely unfazed by the attack. He took a single step aside, drew the longsword from his back with a reverse grip, and used the momentum to slash directly at his attacker’s waist.

The blade was sharp, glowing with a purple light.

The sword fell, and the attacker was instantly split in two.

However, there was more than one assailant. In an instant, a flurry of flashing blades descended upon the man.

The man brandished a long purple sword, its blade a flowing arc of light. In a flash, several people were wounded. Their injuries weren’t severe, and they intended to press forward, but they hadn’t realized the blade was coated in a deadly poison. Even a light graze would allow the toxin to enter the body, and any wound that drew blood was instantly fatal!

This person was none other than Lin Fan.

He carried the Purple Nether Sword, which already made him a target for everyone.

Now that he had also taken an Eight Trigrams Box, the others would never let him escape, even if he hadn’t been the one to acquire the Seven-String Ancient Chapter.

While the group assault wasn’t enough to take his life, it did succeed in forcing him down from the high platform of the yang side.

Lin Fan simply flipped over, head down and feet up. With a turn of his blade, a series of DING DING DINGs rang out as weapons clashed, clearing a space below him.

He pushed off the ground with one hand, launching himself back into the air.

With a flash of his blade, two more men died on the spot, clutching their throats.

However, many people had gathered here, and more were emerging from the Stone Gates, just as Fang Shuwen’s group had.

Although Fang Shuwen’s group had been the last to enter the labyrinthine array, they had taken far fewer wrong turns thanks to Yu Yaoguang, and had thus arrived ahead of many others.

Among these newcomers, some immediately recognized Lin Fan and charged forward to fight, intending to snatch the Purple Nether Sword.

Others spotted that there was another Eight Trigrams Treasure Box in the "eye" of the yin half. One of them flew down and retrieved it, but just as he leaped back into the air, before his feet could even touch the ground, someone else snatched the box and kicked him into the dark abyss.

Although no one knew what was hidden inside these Eight Trigrams Treasure Boxes, this place was clearly no ancient tomb. From the array and the maze to the final Yin-Yang Fish Diagram, it was obviously a trial ground for some kind of inheritance.

The Eight Trigrams Treasure Boxes likely contained something very useful, if not a Divine Skill Manual itself.

Like the Seven-String Ancient Chapter, these items were bound to be coveted.

The man who had just snatched the box had no time to hide it, instead taking a step and flying toward the exit on the yang side.

But just as he neared it, a palm strike sent him flying back.

The fight erupted once more, and though fewer people were involved, it was no less brutal.

In the midst of the crowd, Lin Fan was temporarily invincible, relying on the power of the Purple Nether Sword. However, his Inner Strength was not especially deep, and he was already showing signs of exhaustion.

Yet the crowd around him was only growing larger.

He leaped and dodged but couldn’t break out of the encirclement. His gaze swept across the room and landed on Fang Shuwen’s group, standing outside the crowd.

His pupils contracted sharply. Then, gritting his teeth, he suddenly rushed in the opposite direction.

Fang Shuwen took in the scene, and his expression toward Lin Fan softened, losing some of its earlier disdain.

’Whatever this blond kid is thinking, it’s a fact that he saved Lingxin...’

At this thought, he glanced at Yu Yaoguang.

Yu Yaoguang found the look familiar. Realization dawned, and she gave a resigned nod.

Fang Shuwen grinned. With a tap of his foot, he vanished, leaving only faint arcs of light drifting through the empty space.

Yu Yaoguang’s pupils contracted sharply.

’That Lightweight Technique... What was that?’

Previously, Fang Shuwen’s Lightweight Technique had been decent, but nothing more.

But the speed he had just unleashed in that instant was something even she couldn’t hope to match!

’That brat... he was still hiding his true strength!?’

At this thought, Yu Yaoguang’s gaze toward Fang Shuwen grew even more intense.

By this point, Lin Fan was at the end of his rope. The hand gripping his sword trembled, and each collision of weapons sent a violent tremor up his arm.

Finally, with a sharp DING, he could no longer hold onto the Purple Nether Sword. It was knocked from his grasp and sent flying. He looked up at the blade tumbling through the air, feeling as if time had stretched to an eternity.

His life began to flash before his eyes...

However, before he could finish reliving his life, a hand suddenly tightened on his shoulder, and his entire body was lifted into the air.

The world spun around him. When he looked up again, he had landed beside the staircase on the yang side. Two words reached his ears:

"Take it."

He turned his head to see Fang Shuwen standing beside him, holding the hilt of the Purple Nether Sword in a reverse grip and presenting it to him.

"You..."

Lin Fan took the Purple Nether Sword in a daze.

Fang Shuwen then turned to the crowd still surging forward to attack and suddenly roared:

"All of you, STOP!!!"

He didn’t know any Sound Technique, but his Inner Strength was immensely profound and overbearing.

As he shouted, the few Jianghu people who were lunging at them were struck by the sonic wave. In an instant, blood poured from their seven facial orifices as their bodies went rigid and fell.

The others who had been about to charge were also cowed by the shout, freezing where they stood, too afraid to move.

Fang Shuwen looked at the people before him and slowly exhaled. He disliked wasting words before a fight, but this time, he really had to say something.

"I don’t care what grievance you have with this man. He once saved my disciple’s life, and that debt must be repaid.

"Today, I am guaranteeing his life.

"I have one piece of advice for all of you: stop now, and we can all go our separate ways in peace.

"But if you dare to attack again, don’t blame me... for being merciless!"