The Left Shrine Hall led the peak-infant level experts to immediately engage, significantly reducing the pressure on other members of the Thirteenth District.
"The stone puppets outnumber us five to one. We must tie down about two thousand stone puppets to ensure the casualties of our other Thirteenth District members are minimized," said the Left Shrine Hall.
Although the Thirteenth District was exceptionally cunning and treacherous in combat and external affairs, they were united towards their own members. Otherwise, the thirteen organizations would not have merged and possessed such cohesion.
Wave upon wave of stone puppets fell with the cooperation of the Thirteenth District members. Naturally, some Thirteenth District members also died, but compared to the previous casualty figures, the current losses were negligible.
It was unclear how long the battle lasted.
As the last stone puppet fell, the square was littered with rubble and the corpses of Thirteenth District members, none of them intact. The moment the final stone puppet fell, a large number of martial artists began to meditate to recover from their injuries, awaiting unknown dangers. In contrast, the ordinary armed personnel dropped their weapons and collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.
"Report casualties!" the somewhat weary Left Shrine Hall looked at the researchers they had protected.
The researchers acted swiftly, and within a quarter of an hour, they submitted the casualty report to the Left Shrine Hall.
Nine surviving peak-infant level experts, fifty Golden Core stage experts, eighty-three Innate realm individuals, sixty Postnatal realm individuals, and a total of two hundred thirty-four armed personnel.
"These casualties are truly heavy." The Left Shrine Hall looked at the report without saying much. Although the King's order was to find the artifact, and the provided instruments and equipment were the finest, it seemed the King, only knowing the location, had dispatched people rashly without complete intelligence. This time's casualties would surely be the most severe for the Thirteenth District.
"Creak... crack...." The sound came again.
The Left Shrine Hall looked up at the閣樓 (ge lou - pavilion/attic) door not far away, which suddenly opened. The previously dark pavilion was instantly illuminated.
The previously dark pavilion was instantly illuminated. Without the need for signal flares, the entire pavilion platform was brightly lit. The mermaid lamps on the surrounding stone walls were instantly covered by torches, completely dispelling the previous eerie feeling and replacing it with warmth.
"What kind of infernal mechanism is this?" The Left Shrine Hall was a little bewildered.
But it wasn't just the Left Shrine Hall. All the martial artists of the Thirteenth District opened their eyes, looking at this scene, which was completely different from the previous Shura battlefield. If it weren't for the corpses and the scattered rubble still on the ground, they would have suspected they had fallen into an illusion long ago.
"All members of the Thirteenth District! Seize this time to rest! There is no time to lose." The Left Shrine Hall looked at the open pavilion door and said nothing more, merely reminding the Thirteenth District members to hurry and rest, as they might need to venture further in later.
"Yes!"......
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Meanwhile, on land, a small group of troops was quietly assembling.
"Greetings to all members of the Death Knights," said a man in a black trench coat.
"I am Chris, dispatched by Slugh. I am in charge of this Death Knights operation."
The members of the Death Knights had arrived quickly despite the long journey, though about a day later than the Thirteenth District and Chen Fan and his companions. However, if they could accelerate their progress, they could still meet Chen Fan and the others.
"Our mission this time is: the primary objective is to heavily damage the Thirteenth District by defeating the Left Shrine Hall. The secondary objective is to find the artifact, which can be used to constrain Chen Fan to work for us. Do you all understand?"
"Yes."
Upon receiving the orders, the members of the Death Knights began burying explosives. Of course, this was simple for the battle-hardened Death Knights, and with the intelligence provided by Chen Fan before he descended, they could accurately pinpoint the ancient tomb.
After a few roars, a deep pit caused by a collapse appeared on the ground.
The sound of this explosion also attracted the Thirteenth District members stationed above, who rushed over upon hearing it.
"Everyone, let's go down quickly. This is Thirteenth District territory, so we shouldn't make too much noise." With that, Chris secured the rope and was the first to descend, followed closely by the other Death Knights into the tomb...
-------
"Huff....." At this moment, Chen Fan stood up, his breathing steady, and his imposing aura largely contained and recovered. Bai Zhannian also opened his eyes.
"Brother Chen Fan, thank you for saving me," Bai Zhannian said to Chen Fan.
"We are brothers. This is a small matter, nothing to mention. You will likely help me a lot in the future!" Chen Fan smiled at Bai Zhannian and then observed their surroundings, contemplating their next move.
Chen Fan did not know that behind him, Bai Zhannian was silently vowing to protect Chen Fan for life. However, Bai Zhannian could not have imagined that Chen Fan would eventually become an existence he would have to look up to...
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"Click......"
The center of the platform began to rotate counter-clockwise. This sudden development stunned both Bai Zhannian and Chen Fan. They watched as the platform, which should have been a single unit, began to rotate. This was a scene Bai Zhannian had never encountered even in the Kunlun Secret Realm. The outer ring slowly descended, while the inner ring in the center slowly rose.
Within the inner ring was a spiral staircase. The dark staircase instantly lit up. The torches on the inner walls quickly ignited, as if someone had meticulously planned every step.
"This is truly like dealing with ghosts. I haven't even started looking for a path, and yet mechanisms keep activating. I had clearly cleaved through the ground ahead, yet I didn't discover this mechanism," Chen Fan said, completely speechless at the sudden appearance of the stairs.
Bai Zhannian joked, "Brother Chen Fan, how can one always be omniscient? If so, you might as well become a god. Hahaha."
"Let's go, Bai Zhannian," Chen Fan called out.
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