CHAPTER 96: CHAPTER 96 BREAKING THE PROHIBITION_1

"Thank you, Senior Brother Lu, for bringing our fellow disciples to assist me."

After they had walked a distance, Shen Mo sincerely expressed his gratitude to Lu Ming and the others.

"As fellow disciples of the same sect, we should naturally support each other. We couldn’t just stand by and watch you being bullied and beaten by outsiders."

Lu Ming, however, didn’t think much of it, waving his hand dismissively.

Hearing Lu Ming’s words, Shen Mo felt quite touched. Actually, before this, Shen Mo hadn’t really considered his fellow disciples from the Riverside Sect as his own people, as he was used to being alone.

"In the past few days, I have found quite a few spiritual medicines in the Mountain River Realm."

"I can share them with you all as a token of gratitude for your help."

Even without them, Shen Mo was confident that no one could have stopped him from escaping. Nevertheless, the fact that Lu Ming and the others came to his aid demonstrated great righteousness, and Shen Mo felt he must express his thanks.

"Thank you for your kindness, Junior Brother Shen."

Seeing that Shen Mo was willing to share his spiritual medicine, Lu Ming didn’t refuse. After all, the spiritual medicine was not just for him but for all the Riverside Sect disciples who had come to assist; he couldn’t speak on behalf of everyone.

However, when Shen Mo took out the spiritual medicines, Lu Ming and the others were genuinely astonished. The spiritual medicines, spiritual ores, and treasures Shen Mo presented were only a tenth of what he had collected over the last five days. Even so, the sheer amount was enough to leave everyone amazed.

"Shen Mo actually found so many spiritual medicines in the Mountain River Realm?"

"What he’s sharing with everyone is likely not even the full amount..."

"It seems Junior Brother Shen truly has unique methods when he chooses to go solo."

Lu Ming gave Shen Mo a meaningful look and asked, "What are your plans next, Junior Brother Shen? Will you continue exploring solo, or join our team?"

"Now that I’ve joined up with you all, I will no longer act on my own." Shen Mo thought for a moment and said, "I will send a message to another friend and ask him to join us. For the next few days, let’s move together with the team."

The only reason he had chosen to go solo before was his desire to use the Spirit Storage Rat to collect as many treasures as possible. Now, the Spirit Storage Rat, having received the Inheritance Seal of the Barbarian Bull Venerable, had fallen into a deep sleep. With it unlikely to awaken anytime soon, Shen Mo’s efficiency in finding treasures would naturally decrease significantly, meaning the conditions for traveling solo no longer existed. Furthermore, as they approached the end of their time in the Mountain River Realm, fights for treasures would inevitably become more common. Even for safety reasons, Shen Mo knew he should change his solo strategy.

「In the Southern Zone of the Mountain River Realm.」

Shen Mo sent a message asking Cao Ren to join him. The original fifteen Riverside Sect disciples, plus Shen Mo and Cao Ren, now formed a party of seventeen.

Lu Ming informed Shen Mo that they would be exploring the mausoleum of the Spirit Talisman Master in the next few days, but they didn’t leave right away.

Such a mausoleum would certainly be filled with various dangerous traps. During exploration, one misstep could put them in peril, forcing them to crush their Space Breaking Talisman to save their lives and escape. Therefore, Lu Ming and the two powerful teams from the Profound Moon School and the Ghost Corpse School had agreed to arrive on the ninth day. That way, even if some disciples were forced to leave the mausoleum early, it wouldn’t waste too much of their precious exploration time in the Mountain River Realm.

For the next three days, the team simply wandered around the Southern Zone in search of treasures. It wasn’t until the ninth day that they finally set off, using Flying Escape towards the mausoleum’s location.

「The barren land, the northernmost part of the Southern Zone.」

A grand, palace-like mausoleum stood before them, as imposing as a roaring tiger between heaven and earth. Upon closer inspection, one could see a thin, light-blue film above the palace, like a protective barrier, blocking anyone attempting to intrude. This film might have seemed vulnerable, but in reality, it was a meticulously arranged mountain protection prohibition. Those below the Spirit Sea Realm lacked the power to break through it by force. However, due to the long passage of time, the once impenetrable prohibition had gradually become unstable.

After Shen Mo and his group arrived, they set up camp on the outskirts, waiting for the people from the Profound Moon School and Ghost Corpse School to arrive so they could break the prohibition together and enter to search for treasures.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Shortly after their arrival, streaks of light appeared in the sky—practitioners arriving via Flying Escape, just as expected.

The first to arrive were the people from the Ghost Corpse School. The Ghost Corpse School’s team was now led only by Li Chen. Xun Tian had been seriously injured by Shen Mo and couldn’t recover quickly, so he had ended his training in the Mountain River Realm ahead of time.

"Have the people from the Profound Moon School not arrived yet?" Li Chen asked Lu Ming and the others after surveying the area.

"They should be here soon," Lu Ming replied calmly, his hands tucked into his sleeves, showing no signs of impatience.

Hearing this, the disciples of the Ghost Corpse School also rested where they were, waiting for the Profound Moon School to gather.

While waiting, many gazes frequently drifted towards Shen Mo, filled with scrutiny, shock, and hatred. Clearly, Shen Mo’s counterattack a few days prior, which had severely injured Xun Tian, the backbone of the Ghost Corpse School’s team, had caused them considerable shock.

Shen Mo paid no heed to these gazes. Although there were grievances between him and the Ghost Corpse School, the matter was considered resolved. As long as the others did not provoke him, he would not engage them. The mausoleum was right before them; treasure hunting was the primary task.

Indeed, not long after Li Chen’s arrival, another group flew in, appearing as streaks of light in the sky. The newcomers were Xiao Ling’er and her contingent from the Profound Moon School, as previously arranged with Lu Ming.

Xiao Ling’er, dressed in a green robe, had long hair cascading over her shoulders. Her face, though without makeup, couldn’t hide her natural beauty; she was incomparable to the other female disciples of the Profound Moon School Shen Mo had encountered earlier. Not only was she beautiful, but like Lu Ming, Shen Mo, Xun Tian, and Li Chen, she was among the rising stars of the new Profound Moon School disciples.

"Everyone is here. Let’s get started and break the prohibition!"

Once everyone had gathered, there was little idle chatter or greeting. They immediately prepared to break the prohibition and enter to hunt for treasures. These new disciples from the three major sects and schools were largely unfamiliar with each other, only gathering because they needed to join forces for this exploration.

The Ghost Corpse School team was the first to strike. Li Chen took out a bone flute, and as he played, a black fog billowed forth, surging forward. The rest of the Ghost Corpse School members also employed their various techniques. Some launched magic attacks, while others relied on magic artifacts. However, most of them opened their black coffins, releasing their Destined Ghouls to fight. The Ghoul-refining method of the Ghost Corpse School relied on their Destined Ghouls as their primary source of power.

A deafening BOOMING sound erupted as dozens of attacks smashed against the prohibition shield above the mausoleum. These attacks were like a huge stone thrown into calm water, causing ripples, but that was the extent of it. The shield rippled continuously for a moment before quickly returning to calm. These forces were still not enough to destroy the prohibition.

"Attack!" Lu Ming now ordered the Riverside Sect disciples to strike together.

"Five Thunder Magic!" He cupped his palms, conjuring bolts of purple lightning.

Shen Mo, meanwhile, took out the Dragon Sparrow Sword and unleashed the Shangqing Sword Qi. The others also made their moves.

Just as the Riverside Sect members launched their assault, the female disciples from the Profound Moon School also attacked in a timely manner.

DING!

Xiao Ling’er took out a dark-hued Paired Dragon Phoenix Ring. She channeled the mana in her body into it and, with a gentle shake, the Paired Dragon Phoenix Ring immediately emitted an extremely powerful fluctuation, slamming into the prohibition shield.

Meanwhile, the other female disciples from the Profound Moon School also struck consecutively.

The combined strength of over fifty Gas Gathering Disciples from the three major sects and schools was already quite terrifying. Even so, this prohibition shield resisted for nearly two hours without completely shattering.

It seems it’s still difficult to break this prohibition! Shen Mo thought to himself, observing the considerable effort everyone was exerting.

Just as this thought crossed Shen Mo’s mind, a CRACK! emanated from the prohibition shield before them.

The next instant, everyone’s gaze converged on the source of the sound. The once smooth prohibition shield had begun to show its first crack. This crack was extremely small, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, but it soon began to spread. Eventually, dense, spider-web-like cracks covered the entire prohibition.

BOOM!

When the cracks had spread all over the shield, this prohibition, which had protected the mausoleum for countless years, finally could no longer bear the strain and shattered loudly. Fragments of the prohibition transformed into a sky full of glowing motes, slowly fading away. At the same time, the entrance passage to the mausoleum was finally revealed unreservedly before everyone’s eyes.

"The prohibition has shattered!"

Witnessing this scene, everyone’s spirits lifted. They immediately streamed into the mausoleum, each vying to be the first to explore its depths.

Watching the streaks of light—practitioners using Flying Escape—enter one after another, Shen Mo and Lu Ming remained unhurried. The prohibition had merely been the first obstacle to exploring the mausoleum. Many dangers still lurked inside, and entering earlier didn’t necessarily grant an advantage in acquiring treasures.

Only after everyone else had entered the mausoleum did Shen Mo and Lu Ming step inside.