Read Novel Full Chapter 549: Entering the Tomb
Chapter 549: Entering the Tomb
Liang stood at the front of the hall for a few more seconds, his eyes moving across the gathered groups as if checking whether anyone still had something to say. Most people were already preparing to leave, but his gaze eventually shifted toward the ChaosKnight table.
More specifically, it landed on the masked figure seated near IceQueen.
The hall noticed his focus almost at once.
Some of the Tianlan cultivators followed his gaze, while ChaosCleric’s shoulders tightened slightly. IceQueen remained calm, though her eyes moved once from Liang to Gabriel.
Liang looked at Gabriel for a moment before speaking.
"Before we depart, I have one personal request."
The room quieted again, everyone curious to know what this personal request was.
Liang’s voice stayed calm as he continued, "White Phantom, I would like to spar with you."
Several people reacted immediately. The Tianlan cultivators looked interested, and even Longsword’s members straightened in their seats. Olympus also turned their attention over. Sophie’s eyes narrowed beneath her veil as she looked at the white masked figure.
Liang raised one hand slightly. "Thirty minutes is enough. It will not delay the departure."
ChaosCleric looked toward Gabriel at once, his face showing both curiosity and worry. IceQueen did not speak, but from the slight change in her fingers, she was clearly interested in seeing the result.
Gabriel stayed seated.
For a short moment, no one knew what he would say.
After everything he had shown the night before, many people expected him to accept without hesitation. Liang was strong, famous, and one of Tianlan’s top figures. A spar between the two would be enough to make everyone here watch closely.
Gabriel only looked at him calmly and then gave a reply that shocked everyone.
"I decline."
The hall froze at those words. Even Liang paused slightly.
A few Tianlan cultivators reacted first. Some smiled, while others laughed under their breath. Longsword’s side did not bother hiding their amusement.
"So he can bully one woman but not face Liang?"
"Looks like the mask hides more than his face."
"Maybe he knows who he can act tough against."
"Smart. At least he knows his level."
The mocking voices spread quietly but clearly enough to be heard.
ChaosCleric’s face twitched, and he glanced at Gabriel as if wondering whether the masked man would suddenly cut someone down. Vv remained still beside him, helmet facing forward.
Gabriel did not react because he had no interest in proving himself here.
Liang was already too curious about him. The brief exchange last night, the way Liang spoke, and how his eyes lingered all told Gabriel that the man suspected something. Fighting him now would only give him more information to work with.
Strength, rhythm, reactions, weapon habits, instinct.
A careful fighter could read too much from a spar.
Gabriel had no reason to hand that over.
Liang studied him for another second before nodding slowly.
"Understood."
That calm response made the Tianlan cultivators quiet down a little. Liang did not mock him, did not push him, and did not look disappointed in the usual way. If anything, his eyes looked more thoughtful than before.
Liang finally turned away from him and addressed everyone again.
"Prepare to depart."
...
Within the hour, the groups left the residence under Martial Palace’s guidance. The streets of Tianlan were busier now, but the route had been cleared ahead of time. Guards stood along the road, keeping citizens back while the invited forces moved through the city.
The journey out of the city took some time. Tianlan’s outer districts were wide, and the farther they went, the more training grounds and military posts appeared. Tall walls, watch towers, and patrol points lined the path leading toward the outskirts.
The Buried God’s Tomb was not inside the city itself.
It was built beyond the main walls, near a restricted mountain region where the land turned rough and quiet. The road leading there was guarded at several intervals. Every checkpoint had cultivators watching, some in Martial Palace robes, others wearing military armor marked with Tianlan symbols.
No one entered casually.
At the first checkpoint, tokens were checked.
At the second, each group was counted.
By the third, even the air felt heavier.
A cultivator walking near the group noticed a few outsiders looking around and spoke with quiet pride.
"This is why the tomb has remained secret for so long. Even if someone hears of it, reaching it is another matter. Very few people in the world can pass through all these layers unnoticed."
A ChaosKnight member swallowed softly after seeing the guards posted on the cliffs.
"These people are all strong."
The cultivator gave him a sideways glance. "Of course."
That cultivator’s voice carried clear pride, which made Gabriel test something.
His perception spread quietly, moving across the checkpoints, the cliff paths, the hidden guards above, and the formations buried along the roads. In only a short scan, he formed a rough idea of the security level.
It was tight.
For most people, forcing their way through this place would be suicide. Even high level experts would be surrounded, exhausted, and killed before reaching the tomb entrance.
But Gabriel was not most people.
With his speed, perception, and current strength, he was one of the few who could break into this place if he truly wanted to. It would not be clean, and it would create noise, but it was possible.
That thought faded as they reached the final path.
The mountain ahead had been split open at its base, not like a cave, but as if a sealed gate had been carved into the stone itself. Two huge stone pillars stood on both sides of the entrance, covered with ancient Tianlan markings and heavy chains that ran from the pillars into the mountain wall.
The entrance itself was a massive dark doorway sunk deep into the rock.
Cold air drifted out from within, carrying a dry smell that made several people frown. Around the doorway, dozens of cultivators stood guard in tight formation, while talismans and metal stakes had been placed across the ground in careful lines.
At the center above the entrance was a large stone tablet where four words had been carved into it.
Buried God’s Tomb.