Lin Mu heard the information given out by Elder Weimin and Jing Luo and thought of something.
"The sects that came here… they have other intentions for it, don't they?" Lin Mu said.
"What do you mean?" Jing Luo questioned.
"How many people failed to escape when the disaster happened?" Lin Mu asked.
"Hmm… it is said to be about half of them." Jing Luo replied.
"No… it's far more than that." Elder Weimin suddenly said.
"Oh? Do you know something else, elder?" Lin Mu asked.
"Officially, it was said that half of them had died, but the reality was different. The sects had secretly sent more cultivators, including some of their high elders, to the tomb. There are rumors that the disaster that happened was because of those that entered it secretly.
They managed to do something that caused a failure in the formation arrays and that resulted in the disaster. Of those that entered secretly… none of them ever returned." Elder Weimin replied.
"This… then just how many percent does that become?" Jing Luo asked, feeling surprised.
As far as he knew, his own clan hadn't taken part in it when the disaster was said to have happened. His grandfather was still the patriarch back then and had chosen to avoid sending his people to the tomb because of the ongoing conflicts with the northern tribes.
There were many orders that they needed to fulfill, thus they could not go then. But when the news about the disaster spread, everyone in the clan couldn't help but take a breath of relief.
"If we consider the number of people and add both the ones that entered official and the ones that did so secretly… the numbers of people that never escaped is at around 90%." Elder Weimin answered.
"No wonder…" Lin Mu said as the things started to make sense to him.
"The sects are in such a hurry not because they want to be the first to enter… but because they want to claim whatever was lost by their people five hundred years ago." Lin Mu stated.
Elder Weimin nodded his head, and Jing Luo furrowed his brows.
"Did the Noon Grass sect take part in this, too?" Jing Luo asked in concern.
"We did, but only in the official aspect. And the ones that entered were just disciples and two elders. Nearly all other than one of the disciples managed to escape. The elders failed too…" Elder Weimin answered.
"Hmm… the elders sacrificed themselves, didn't they?" Jing Luo asked.
"They did indeed. One of the elders was the junior brother of patriarch Hua too. He was struck by grief when that happened. It was also one of the reasons why we withdrew even more from the secular world." Elder Weimin replied.
Lin Mu walked ahead and spread his spirit sense as much as he could before speaking.
"I guess this is our chance at some redemption then. We will rescue Elder Liqiang and if it's possible we will reclaim the remains of the two elders as well." Lin Mu stated.
"The sect will be in your debt, Junior Lin Mu." Elder Weimin said with his hands cupped.
Even if he called Lin Mu a junior, he knew that it was only temporary. Elder Weimin himself was only at the Shell Genesis stage of the Dao Shell realm, and Lin Mu might overtake him soon enough if his growth stays the same.
Lin Mu simply nodded his head and continued on, taking the lead in guiding them in the ruins.
~shua~shua~shua~
Since most of the areas were dark and they were unable to use their spirit sense, the disciples used several methods to illuminate the area ahead. Some used techniques, some used tools and some just lit up some lamps they carried in their storage.
Lin Mu was still able to use his spirit sense, to see what was ahead, though his range was rather limited to just a few tens of meters right now. Another problem was that he couldn't see beyond the walls either, as they completely isolated the spirit sense.
"Be careful everyone, we could encounter something hidden in the corners." Lin Mu stated.
The ruins were like a large labyrinth and had multiple turns and forks. Unless one reached the very side of it, nothing could be seen if it was hidden behind them. Lin Mu was fully alert and ready to act if something happened.
"Nothing seems to be the problem now though?" One of the disciples said to his companion in a low voice.
~click~
Little Shrubby's ears perked up as he heard an almost inaudible click. Then in the next second, his eyes went wide as he felt something.
"FIRE! COMING FROM THE BOTTOM!" Little shrubby growled out, stunning the disciples.
Lin Mu though understood it and felt the approaching heat from beneath as well.
"DAMMIT! PULL THE DISCIPLES TO THE FRONT!" Lin Mu ordered.
~shua~
Little shrubby moved instantly and started yanking and throwing disciples beyond where Lin Mu was standing. Elder Weimin and Jing Luo understood the gravity of the situation as well and helped them out.
Still, they were not fast enough and a couple of disciples were still left when the heat started to rise up from the ground.
It was as if molten metal was pouring out from the floor and the area lit up with the bright red color from the glowing metal.
"ARGH!!!!!" One of the disciples burned his legs in the molten metal.
The other one managed to jump up, but his clothes were still burned.
"SHIT!" Lin Mu cursed as his mind worked quickly.
"MELDDDDD!" Lin Mu waved his hands.
~humm~
The moment he did this, it was as if something had changed around them. The two disciples were frozen in place, but the same could be said for the molten metal that was around them.
Lin Mu gritted his teeth and gestured with his hands, carefully controlling the space he was handling.
He separated as much of the molten metal as he could from the disciples and pulled them towards him.
