After an unfruitful venture into the corpse littered passageway, Zhang, Wenji and the band of seven from the Jiang clan, decided to try to find a way out of the ancient tomb instead of searching for treasure that was most likely already in the possession of others.
Having obtained the eight Demonic Devil Spheres and a treasure trove of cultivation pills, Zhang and Wenji were already somewhat content with their harvest. As for the seven members of the Jiang Clan, the dozen or so pill bottles they had each obtained could already be traded for an astronomical sum of gold that would allow them to live the rest of their lives in luxury. When taking into consideration the dangers still lurking within the tomb and the wealth they had already obtained, they entirety of the group felt it would be a wise choice to locate an exit to the tomb rather than seek more treasure.
"Everyone, stay vigilant and alert the rest of the group if you spot any abnormalities in our surroundings, else we may end up dead without even knowing how we were killed." Zhang said in a serious tone before taking the lead and retracing the group's steps back toward the tomb's main chamber.
Without a single clue nor idea as to how or where their chances of escaping the tomb lay, the group were hoping to stumble upon a means of survival by returning toward their point of entry into the tomb.
With gentle steps and vigilant eyes, the group proceeded with utmost caution as they walked passed the dozen or so corpses that they had previously dismembered.
Silence filled the air as a symphony of rhythmic heartbeats softly reverberated in the chests of the seven members of the Jiang Clan. Like most people who were thrusted into unknown peril, the members of the Jiang Clan were all donning brave faces all the while being utterly enveloped in fear and anxiety.
Unlike Zhang and Wenji, who both possessed higher realms of cultivation and a teleportation jade which could bring them to safety whenever they wished, the members of the Jiang Clan felt that their fates were now in the hands of others.
If Zhang and Wenji along with Little Red and Little Blue, decided to abandon them, the seven members of the Jiang Clans would be akin to fisherman stranded on a boat without a paddle.
With every step they took, the group inched ever so closer toward the tomb's main chamber, before long the mind chilling silence that had enveloped the group was washed away by an orchestra of undistinguishable noises that caused everyone's hearts to race.
The chatter of teeth against bone, the scraping of broken nails upon the cold hard walls that made up the tomb and the gut wrenching muttering of the undead.
"Bro-brother Zhang, should we turn back?" A member of the Jiang Clan asked.
"Ye-yea, from the sounds of things, there might be hundreds of them out there." Someone else said as their legs began to wobble.
Before Zhang could respond, a valiant cry accompanied by a loud boom rang throughout the ancient tomb.
"Everyone attack! If we fail to defeat this monstrosity, it'll be the end of us!" Master Yu Tong's yelling could be heard as a storm of battle cries and raging weapons soon followed.
"It's Master Yu Tong!" A member of the Jiang Clan cried in excitement.
"Shhhhh!" Wenji shushed, as someone else was about to cry out in excitement.
"Be quiet… From the sound of things, even Master Yu Tong, who is a profound realm expert is struggling in battle against the undead. If you alert whatever he is fighting here, then it'll be the end of us." Wenji said sternly, causing the rest of the group to instantly shut their mouths.
"She's right, if a profound realm expert hasn't been able to come out on top, then we would only serve as canon fodder if we were to make our presence known." Someone in the group voiced.
"How about this, I will go observe the situation and if the opportunity arises, we will group up with everyone else and take part in battle." Zhang suggested as he reached out and gently held Wenji's hand, reassuring her that he knew what he was doing.
After a nod from Wenji, Zhang retrieved the eight demonic devil orbs from his interspatial ring, manipulating them to orbit around his body, before running further into the passageway.
A short distance away from where Zhang and his group had split up, a hellish battle was taking place.
Master Yu Tong could be seen locked in combat with a fully armored silhouette, while the core realm experts from the various factions of Twin Blade City and their subordinates stubbornly resisted the rest of the undead.
Vastly outnumbered and burdened with the task of protecting their subordinates, the core realm experts could not fully display their martial superiority against the undead, rather they were slowly being overwhelmed and from the look of things, their final stand would soon end in calamity.
In hindsight, all of the undead appeared to be the same, consisting mostly of the foolhardy fortune seekers that had entered the ancient tomb alongside Zhang and Wenji, however upon closer inspection one would be able to spot distinct looking undead who were all clad in similar looking armor.
When generally compared with the regular undead, these armor clad undead weren't as nimble and moved very rigidly, however their strength and resilience were at an entirely different level. It was because of these armor clad undead, that the core realm experts were being pushed back into a corner.
"Although slightly worn out and tattered, it is without a doubt, they are all clad in magical armor." Zhang noted upon catching a glimpse of the armored undead and the battle currently occurring between the living and the undead.
"I might not be an expert, but if my guess is correct, their armor could be classed as core realm ranked armor." Zhang pondered as he tried to assess the current situation.
Having fought and witnessing first hand the difference between himself and a profound realm master, Zhang was slightly hesitant from jumping headfirst into battle alongside Master Yu Tong against the hopping undead which is also called a Jiangshi or a hopping vampire.
There was also the issue in regards of Master Yu Tong's character. With little to no interaction with Master Yu Tong, Zhang felt he couldn't fully trust this seemingly righteous Profound Realm expert.
For all Zhang knew, the instant he participated in battle alongside Master Yu Tong, he could be setting himself up to be a scapegoat.
"It would be best for me if he could triumph on his own. That way I won't have to worry about so many variables." Zhang thought to himself as he silently watched the undead and living locked in a massive melee.
Some may say that Zhang was acting too cowardly or heartless by watching from the sidelines as many were risking their lives in battle, however they must also remember that everyone within the tomb besides Wenji and the two pups could be considered Zhang's enemies in one way or another.
Human nature is something that is forever changing, like the waves of a churning sea, one could not fathom nor comprehend the desires and thoughts of others.
It was only after experiencing a few life or death situations with each other were Zhang and Wenji above to forge the relationship they currently had.
And to some extent, one could even question how far the depths of their feelings for each other went. Zhang's knowledge regarding Wenji's background could still be considered minuscule, their time together but a short fleeting moment.
Of course there were things that did not require time, nor logic, to forge.
Blending into the shadows, Zhang continued to observe the fierce battle. The shattering of bones could be heard as well as the snapping of swords while the two sides fought eye for eye, tooth for tooth.
"Tch, although I looks like he's locked in a battle of life or death, that Master Yu Tong hasn't even suffered a single scratch. None of his disciplines seem to have taken any life threatening injuries either." Zhang muttered to himself after clicking his tongue.
It was obvious Master Yu Tong and his disciples still had a full deck of cards at their disposal and was simply waiting for the other practitioners to expend more of their strength and essence.
"They must be waiting for the others to be completely tired out before quickly finishing off the undead so that they can keep all the spoils in this tomb." Zhang thought as a plan of action began forming in his mind.
As the battle continued on, the cultivators of Twin Blade City grew more desperate, fighting with tooth and nail. Like cornered beasts, they mustered all the strength in their bodies, minds and souls.
In such a chaotic battle, no one was able to notice eight palm sized spheres rolling across the tomb floor.
From the shadows, Zhang was manipulating the Demonic Devil Spheres, using them to aid the cultivators of Twin Blade City while silently attacking the disciplines of Master Yu Tong.
"In an ideal situation, after a few more of his disciplines fall, Master Yu Tong would be forced to give his all and kill that undead he's been fighting. Hopefully by then the two sides will be left with about the same amount of fighting strength." Zhang though as he plotted to lead the current situation into a favorable outcome for himself.
Although Zhang's control over the Demonic Devil Spheres was not perfect, making it impossible to remain completely unnoticed by the core realm cultivators. But since none of the masters of Twin Blade City were oblivious enough to have not figured out Master Yu Tong's intentions, hence they did not say a word about this mysterious helper that had appeared from nowhere.
On the other hand, rather then noticing Zhang's meddling, Master Yu Tong disciple's began to become suspicious of the cultivators of Twin Blade City while the regular cultivators of Twin Blade City remained oblivious to what was occurring behind the scenes on this stage of life and death.
"Disciples of the Serene Lotus Sect! Deploy the Blossoming Lotus Formation! Push the undead back! I will finish off this monster soon!" Master Yu Tong's voice boomed throughout the tomb as he finally caught sight and tallied the number of disciples who had fallen in battle thus far.
Leaping through the air while using the heads of the undead as stepping stones, the disciples of the Serene Lotus Sect began to congregate.
With sword in hand and dance like movements, Master Yu Tong's disciples filed into formation, forming what would look like a giant lotus from above.
Agilely working in unison with one another, the disciples of the Serene Lotus Sect separated themselves from the other cultivators while mincing every single undead that approached them into bits and pieces.
"Fellow cultivators of Twin Blade City, regroup! Give our friends from the Serene Lotus Sect space so they can better deploy their formation!" Patriarch Mang cried as he watched the members of the Serene Lotus Sect, worriness and murderous intent flickering in his eyes.
"Vile beast! Die!" Master Yu Tong's voice echoed throughout the tomb once more as a white colored talisman with a golden lotus drawn on it appeared in his hand after a simple flick of a wrist.
Illuminating the poorly lit halls of the tomb, the golden lotus on the white talisman began to shine brightly, before it could be seen slowly peeling off from the talisman and change from something abstract to something physical.
"To think he would have a sealing talisman with a high level technique engraved upon it. From the looks of things, it was even an Enlightened Realm practitioner who has personally inscribed the talisman as well." Wenji's soft voice could be heard as it drifted into gently into Zhang's ear.
Hearing the words Enlightened Realm, causes Zhang's inner thoughts to slightly be disrupted. Although his understanding of cultivation was lacking and his timer as a cultivator was shallow, Zhang knew that Enlightened Realm cultivators were kings in their own right. Overlords who could trample cities such as Twin Blade City with but a thought.
Compared to the forces of Twin Blade City, the Misty Mountain Sect could be considered a colossus that stood high above in the heavens, peering down from above. But even with such a drastic difference in power and influence, the number of Enlightened Realm cultivators in the Misty Mountain Sect probably numbered less than ten in total.
From the little time Zhang had spent familiarizing himself with the Misty Mountain Sect, he knew for a fact only the very upper echoes of the sect had those within the Enlightened Realm. As for those who has surpassed enlightenment and reached the emperor realm, he was certain there were none, else the Misty Mountain Sect would not be considered a lower grade sect.