Chapter 104: Thunderous Words of Imperial Inspector Liu

The next stage’s task is set by my teammates?

These three unreliable fools?!

Oh my god… This Star Gate is so damn ridiculous.

Ren Ye suddenly felt as though his life was in the hands of others. His body trembled, and panic surged through him.

He certainly wasn’t naïve enough to believe that if he died again, he could simply revive once more.

Judging by the Star Gate’s logic and twisted nature, each stage was unique—there was no way they would repeat the same mechanic. Moreover, the “sacrifice” in the third trial had been heavily foreshadowed with numerous clues and details. In simple terms, it was a bluff. The ones who jumped into the pool from the three factions were probably all still alive.

As he pondered this, Ren Ye glanced down at the “image” displayed on the floor and saw Imperial Inspector Liu standing beside Tang Feng, the two of them examining the murals.

The tomb passage was too dark, and his current angle was poor, so Ren Ye couldn’t make out the mural’s details.

He thought to himself—if only this “image” could zoom in closer, that would be perfect.

The moment the thought arose, the image on the ground actually changed, instantly shifting to a close-up view of Tang Feng and Imperial Inspector Liu’s position, giving him a clear view of the mural’s contents.

“Holy shit, this is so user-friendly. If those first-person VR adult films had this level of cinematography, they wouldn’t be in decline.” Ren Ye sighed in admiration before focusing on the mural’s details from Tang Feng and Imperial Inspector Liu’s perspective.

In the tomb passage, Old Liu and Tang Feng spent nearly four hours meticulously examining the murals.

This floor’s information was more concentrated, mainly depicting the process of Princess Anping constructing her nine-layered tomb.

During the late days of Jing Dynasty, Emperor Ling¹ was assassinated by the treacherous minister Wang Bingquan, while Li Mu was forced to sever his own arm by Wang Bingquan’s son, Wang Tong.

To take revenge, Princess Anping joined forces with the new emperor and wiped out the entire Wang family on her wedding day. However, she herself was gravely wounded by the Wang family’s unique sword technique and was left with little time to live.

Heartbroken for his sister, the emperor summoned a Daoist named Tianji to examine Anping’s condition.

Daoist Tianji divined that Anping had no more than a year left. If she had unfinished regrets, she could construct a nine-level tomb on Qingliang Mountain in Qingliang Prefecture. In the future, she might gain an opportunity—perhaps she would be able to see him once more.

Ren Ye carefully followed the imagery and fully absorbed this portion of the mural’s story. He deduced that the him mentioned by the Daoist Tianji was likely Li Mu, and Anping’s lingering regret was that she had never had the chance to see her beloved one last time before her death.

Records of Princess Anping’s life indicated that three days after the Daoist Tianji’s visit, Li Mu appeared outside Shangyu County, where he broke the legendary Lingyun sword and slew Huang Zi, the man known as the greatest swordsman in the world. Li Mu cut down four thousand soldiers clad in armor, shaking the land with his name and becoming the unparalleled swordsman of his time.

However, after that battle, Li Mu also perished. From that moment on, the land of Sichuan no longer had a Sword Immortal.

Upon receiving news of Li Mu’s death, Princess Anping was overcome with sorrow and sought out the Daoist Tianji once more.

She asked, “I… will I really have a chance to see him again?”

“If you construct a nine-level tomb on Qingliang Mountain, rising toward the heavens, and set trials within the tomb, then it will be possible,” the Daoist Tianji replied.

“Then… when will my opportunity arise?” Anping asked again.

“The opportunity will come after your death. But as for when… that, I cannot calculate,” the Daoist Tianji shook his head. “I only know that after you pass away, a visitor from beyond this world will enter your tomb, carrying the Human Emperor Seal, and will wait for someone with a special fate to appear. If that person can pass the trials, your opportunity will arrive.”

Anping remained silent for a long time before asking, “Why, Immortal Master? Why reveal the secrets of fate to me and help me fulfill my wish?”

“I am not helping you,” the Daoist Tianji replied. “I am merely a player in this grand game, making my own move upon the board.” He was unwilling to say more. “If you wish to construct the nine-level tomb, I will lay down formations in Qingliang Mountain and leave behind the energy of yin and yang to conceal your tomb from the world until the visitor from beyond arrives.”

“I am willing.” Anping agreed without hesitation.

Shortly afterward, Anping discussed the plan with her brother, and they built the nine-level tomb on Qingliang Mountain, setting numerous trials based on Li Mu’s personality and virtues.

Before she passed away, Anping took the Human Emperor Seal, walked alone through the rain with an umbrella, and thus, a lonely soul entered a lonely tomb.

…

Inside the tomb passage, after reading the entire story, Tang Feng turned to Imperial Inspector Liu and asked, “What do you think? Analyze it for me.”

Imperial Inspector Liu looked utterly confused. After a long pause, he finally replied, “If you really want me to analyze this… well, that’s easy. I’ll analyze us straight into the Court Faction.”

“…Good point. You better not analyze anything,” Tang Feng snapped back, nodding repeatedly. “Using your brain is not your job.”

With that, Tang Feng stepped over to Li Yan and sat down on one of the stone pillars. “Now it all makes sense. I’ve been wondering… Princess Anping was undoubtedly skilled in both literature and combat, a remarkable woman in her own right. But to say that her inheritance was some earth-shattering, mysterious legacy… that always felt like a bit of an exaggeration.”

Not far away, Imperial Inspector Liu walked over. “You sound pretty smart. So why couldn’t it be Li Mu’s inheritance instead?”

Tang Feng shot him a glare. “Could you, for once, take your brain out of your heels and use it properly? If it were Li Mu’s inheritance, it wouldn’t be in the princess’s tomb. It should be in Qinglian Village or Shangyu County! You still don’t get it—the information on this level’s murals can be summed up in three words: ‘visitor from beyond.’ I suspect the inheritance is definitely connected to that.”

Imperial Inspector Liu, instead of getting angry at the insult, simply nodded. “Makes sense.”

“Sigh… what a pity. Prince Huai is dead, so we can’t enter the final stage. The princess has waited for so many years, but her chance never arrived,” Tang Feng said wistfully. “I don’t even know how to explain this when we get out.”

“I can’t enter the final stage either, or I’d at least keep the princess company for a chat,” Imperial Inspector Liu said, rubbing his face. “It’s almost the hour of the Rooster (5-7 PM). Let’s move on to the next stage.”

Li Yan remained silent, while Tang Feng, after reading the mural’s clues, seemed disheartened. He had come here to help Ren Ye obtain the inheritance, but with the protagonist gone, what was the point of struggling anymore?

In the mirror space, Ren Ye watched his two teammates looking so dejected and mentally screamed, Don’t give up, damn it! I can still be saved! You two need to pull yourselves together! If there’s no next stage, I can’t get out either!

He was panicking. If Li Yan broke down and Tang Feng lost motivation, then relying on the “analytical” Imperial Inspector Liu alone was a disaster waiting to happen.

But no matter how desperate he felt, he had no way to communicate with the three of them directly… It was maddening.

Inside the tomb passage, silence hung heavy for a while.

Imperial Inspector Liu squatted on the ground, glanced at the other two, and suddenly asked, “Are you two moving or not?”

Both of them were momentarily stunned but didn’t respond, each lost in their own frustrations.

“You two look like a couple of losers right now. It’s honestly embarrassing,” Imperial Inspector Liu stood up, hands on his hips, frowning at them. “It’s obvious you’re just a pair of privileged brats who’ve never been beaten down by life. The moment you hit a setback, you hang your heads and act all depressed. To be honest, if I’d known you were this pathetic, I never would’ve thrown my lot in with Prince Huai’s faction!”

Li Yan frowned. “You’re not in a position to lecture me.”

“Oh yeah? And what if I do? You got a problem with that?” Imperial Inspector Liu jabbed a finger at him and cursed, “Tell me I’m wrong! No. 5 died, and now you act like you have no other teammates? I risked my damn life to join your side, and did either of you ever give a shit about how I felt? In the sacrifice chamber, you wanted to kill me. Now that No. 5 is dead, you’re just giving up. And you still want to act like some top-tier expert? Expert my ass! Even if you make it back to a high-level Star Gate, you’ll just be someone else’s pawn waiting to be slaughtered! What kind of so-called expert crumbles this easily?”

Li Yan was completely dumbfounded. He never expected Imperial Inspector Liu to suddenly explode like this.

“You know what real despair looks like? You know what real rock bottom feels like? Let me tell you—back when I got into trouble, I didn’t even dare go back to my village to see my parents one last time before they passed. That’s despair! When I got out of prison the first time, I had no money, no family, and nothing to my name. In the dead of winter, I had only a single thin jacket to wear and spent three nights sleeping under a bridge, fighting against the wind and snow. I lay there for three whole days and nights, wondering how the hell I was supposed to keep on living. That’s despair!”

Imperial Inspector Liu glared at them, speaking each word with deliberate force.

“But today, not only am I still alive—I’m a Star Gate player. Even if you got Heaven itself to write your script, it wouldn’t be as dramatic as this!”

“What’s that saying? You should be grateful for your experiences, for every blow and setback in life, because one day, when you’ve made it through, they’ll be the stories you brag about!” Imperial Inspector Liu’s words were deafening. “I don’t know about grand philosophies, but I do know this—No. 5 died for us, no matter what his reasons were. So if we have any sense of honor, we can’t just give up; we have to live up to his sacrifice. Besides, this is a Star Gate of immense power and mystery. Stop acting like you’re so smart that you’ve already figured out the ending. Until the answer is truly revealed, who the hell knows what’s really going on?”

“Damn, that was brilliant! Well said!”

Inside the mirror space, Ren Ye felt like he’d found a voice for his frustrations. “Getting hacked up at the start, then locked up for ten days—no wonder he’s got a tougher mind than the rest.”

Sometimes, being too smart becomes a trap, leading people into dead ends of their own making.

That’s why even successful people, celebrities, and elites end up struggling with depression—or even taking their own lives.

Li Yan had been convinced that he would never reach the ninth level. That belief had sunk him into a state of despair, clouding his thoughts. But now, Imperial Inspector Liu’s words were hitting him hard, sending shivers down his spine.

“If it were me, I’d at least make it to the princess’s bedroom door. Even if I couldn’t reclaim my body, I’d still say hello to her.” Imperial Inspector Liu gave them both a look of disdain. “If you two want to stay here and rot, be my guest. I’ll go take on the Court Faction alone!”

With that, he turned to leave.

“Shhhk!”

Tang Feng suddenly sprang up, rolling his eyes. “Why the hell are you shouting so loud? I never said I wasn’t going—I was just exhausted for a moment….”

Imperial Inspector Liu turned back to look at her, then at Li Yan.

Tang Feng met his gaze. “I think… Old Liu is stronger than both of us. He has a point.”

“Sigh…”

Li Yan let out a deep breath, pressing a hand to his knee as he stood. “Fine… It’s been so many years… I should at least go back and see her one last time…”

Imperial Inspector Liu grinned. “Stand up straight, and let’s go! No more moping!”

The three of them hesitated for just a moment before, at the stroke of the hour, stepping forward into the seventh level.

As they walked through the pitch-black tomb passage, Tang Feng muttered under his breath, “I’ve been a psychologist for so many years… Never thought I’d be the one getting a lecture….”

“The hell are you sulking for?! Straighten up and talk to me properly!” Imperial Inspector Liu barked.

Tang Feng flinched at the outburst—and actually straightened his posture.

Inside the mirror space, Ren Ye watched this unfold and felt a deep sense of relief. He never would have expected that Old Liu, who had always been on the sidelines, would be the one to step up and carry the team forward.

A little while later, the three reached the end of the tomb passage. With a flash of light, they stepped into the seventh level.

…

Meanwhile, in another mirror space…

Xing Tao slowly regained consciousness. His body, previously melted away in the blood pool, was now reforming.

Unlike Ren Ye, whose body had been reconstructed by fortune, Xing Tao’s was being rebuilt by Stellar Essence.

As the Stellar Essence dissipated, Xing Tao opened his eyes, his gaze filled with ruthless determination. “I’m alive again. Horsekeeper and that Scholar bastard have to die. No. 5 has to die too. Just wait for me.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Star Gate’s notification rang in his ears.

After hearing it, Xing Tao froze—then completely lost his temper. “‘Interesting,’ my ass! I got killed by my own teammates, and now you expect me to take a mission they assigned?!”

Just as he was cursing, he suddenly noticed a glowing book floating in the distance.

[Congratulations, you have discovered a long-lost sword manual.]

[Heavenly Fiend Sword Formation: It is said that Grand Chancellor Wang Bingquan of Jing Dynasty, in his quest for the throne, secretly plotted against Emperor Ling. He sent men to the desolate northern lands, where they discovered a forbidden sword technique capable of countering those blessed with great fate. The Wang family’s core members all mastered this sinister sword art, and it was this very technique that ultimately led to Princess Anping’s death. The formation consists of five techniques, each of which can be passed on to a different partner. When all five are mastered and combined, they form the ultimate sword array.]

…

At the same time…

At the bottom of Qingliang Mountain.

Xu Qingzhao floated at the center of an ancient formation, her body enveloped in dense streams of black and white energy.

If a cultivator were present, they would immediately recognize it.

This black-and-white energy was none other than Yin-Yang Qi, an unparalleled treasure capable of evolving all things in existence.

She had risked everything to come here—just for this.