Star Martial Era: From Mortal to Emperor

Chapter 90 Underground Stronghold: Evil Clan's Secret Letter

Lin Chen sheathed his sword and walked to the stone table.

The letter was still lying on the table, the envelope opened, the letter half pulled out and folded twice. The paper was made of unusual material, not ordinary Xuan paper; it felt smooth to the touch, with an indescribable coolness, like touching snakeskin. There was a faint sheen flowing on the paper, the residue of evil energy.

He picked up the letter and unfolded it.

It was covered with writing, but it wasn't any script he recognized. The strokes were crooked and uneven, like randomly drawn symbols, or perhaps some kind of ancient script. The arrangement was also wrong; some were from left to right, some from right to left, and some from top to bottom, with no discernible pattern.

Su Muyue leaned closer. She only glanced at it before her brows furrowed.

"Evil Clan coded message." She took the letter, her fingers gently tracing its surface. The Su family's Martial Emperor Guardian bloodline possessed an innate sensitivity to evil power, an ability passed down from generation to generation without interruption. She closed her eyes, her brow slightly furrowed, as if carefully discerning a very indistinct voice.

The stone chamber was quiet, save for the occasional soft crackling of the oil lamp's flame. Su Ling'er knelt on the ground, gently re-bandaging Leng Feng's arm, her movements careful not to make a sound. Chu Fan rummaged through the items on the table, carefully peeling off the talisman from the pottery jar, examining it, and then sticking it back on.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Su Muyue opened her eyes.

"The content is—" Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear, "The New Life Secret Realm is a branch entrance to the Martial Emperor's Mausoleum. On the day of the Secret Realm Trial, the restrictions will enter a period of weakness, lasting about three to four hours. During this time, Qin Cang will open a secret door, allowing the evil race to throw the Soul Control Gu into the Secret Realm, control the geniuses participating in the trial, and seize the Secret Realm's origin and ancient inheritance."

She paused for a moment and glanced at Lin Chen.

"Furthermore, they're targeting you and me. They're trying to seize your Star Martial Core and kidnap me. They claim my Martial Emperor Guardian bloodline can be used as a sacrifice to forcibly break the seal deep within the Martial Emperor's Mausoleum."

Lin Chen didn't speak. He folded the letter and stuffed it into his pocket.

Su Ling'er's expression was not good. She stood up, dusted off her knees, and muttered, "Qin Cang is the vice principal. Is it acceptable for the vice principal to collude with the evil race?"

Chu Fan rummaged through the items on the table, carefully examining everything. The ceramic jar contained the eggs of the Soul-Controlling Gu. There weren't many, but each egg could hatch into a Soul-Controlling Gu, which would burrow into a person's body and control their mind. The token was an internal pass for the Evil Clan. The material was similar to the one he had picked up from Scarface, but the craftsmanship was more refined. Instead of the character "Qin," it was engraved with a twisted symbol, resembling a closed eye. The map was a topographical map of the area surrounding Star Martial University, marked with several red circles, including Black Wind Ridge and the location of the Freshman Secret Realm.

He took out a specially made jade slip and inscribed the contents of the secret message word by word. He then used his spiritual power to scan everything on the table—the pottery jar, the token, the map—saving all the images and aura data. He did these things expressionlessly and quickly, as if he had rehearsed them countless times.

"This evidence is enough to implicate Qin Hao." Chu Fan put away the jade slip, adjusted his glasses, and said, "It might even lead back to Qin Cang. But in terms of direct evidence, it's not enough. Qin Cang is very clean and won't leave any dirt on him. If these things are sent to the Martial Arts Alliance, he can deny everything—at most, they'll say he didn't discipline his grandson properly, that he was unaware of his grandson's collusion with the evil race. It's a serious crime for a vice principal to know but not report, but 'unaware' isn't a crime. He'll clear himself of all charges."

Leng Feng put the token into the inside pocket of his camouflage uniform and zipped it up. He moved slowly, as if to make sure the item wouldn't fall out.

"Let's go back to school first," Leng Feng said. "Find Director Chen Feng. He's the deputy director of the admissions office, not one of Qin Cang's men. He's loyal to the Martial Arts Alliance and trustworthy. Tell him the situation and let him decide what to do next."

He looked at Lin Chen, "Right now, the most important thing is to prepare for the Newcomer Secret Realm. No matter what Qin Cang's plans are, the things in the secret realm cannot fall into their hands. We need to be prepared."

Lin Chen nodded. He turned to look at Su Muyue. She stood by the stone table, still holding the Evil-Breaking Array Flag in her hand; the runes on the flag had faded considerably. Her face appeared even paler under the green oil lamplight, and her lips were also pale. Although the array flag had driven back most of the evil energy in the tunnel, the remaining traces in the air still made her blood poison somewhat unstable.

He walked over and gently pressed his hand against her forehead. The temperature in his palm was slightly higher than her forehead, and he could feel the coolness beneath her skin.

"Let's go back first," Lin Chen said. "We'll talk about the secret realm when we get there. I'll get the Star Marrow Liquid; it will definitely cure your blood poison."

Su Muyue looked up at him. Her eyes were large and shone even brighter in the dim tunnel. She didn't speak, but simply nodded.

The five people began to walk back. Su Ling'er walked at the very back, glancing back every few steps to make sure no one was following. Chu Fan walked in the middle, clutching a formation flag in his hand, ready to react at any moment. Leng Feng walked at the very front, his right hand gripping the hilt of his sword, his left hand holding the token he had taken from the table, glancing down at it every now and then as if trying to glean more information from it.

Once outside the tunnel, the light was so bright it was hard to open one's eyes.

The sun was already setting in the west, hanging on the other side of the mountains, burning the entire sky into a golden-red hue. The forest was bathed in this light, the leaves, stones, and soil all tinged with a warm hue. In the distance, the mountains rose in layers, the darker areas tinged with purple, the brighter areas with gold, like an oil painting that hadn't quite dried.

The air smelled of grass, earth, and pine resin. A cool breeze blew in from the other side of the mountain, gradually dispelling the musty and fishy smells that people had brought out of the tunnel.

Lin Chen stood at the cave entrance and took a deep breath. He glanced back at the dark opening; the darkness inside the tunnel seemed to have solidified, blocking the entrance and refusing to let him out. The green light in the stone chamber, the three men in black robes, the secret letter—these things seemed to belong to another world, separated from the sunlight, mountains, and golden-red sky before him by an intangible and invisible wall.

But what happened on the other side of the wall was real. The secret letter was real, the evil clan's conspiracy was real, and Qin Cang's name written on it was real.

The evidence the five of them currently possess is not enough to bring that person down. But at least they know the truth.

Su Muyue walked over and stood beside him. The wind blew her loose hair, a few strands landing on his arm. She didn't speak, and neither did Lin Chen. The two stood side by side for a while, watching the sun slowly sink, watching the colors of the mountains and forests change from golden red to dark red, from dark red to grayish purple, watching the distant peaks go from clear to silhouettes, and then be swallowed by the night.

Su Ling'er sneezed beside her and wiped her nose with her sleeve.

"Let's go," Lin Chen said.

The five people turned around, with the last ray of light behind them, and walked down the mountain.