Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time

The silence in the corridor was heavy, almost suffocating, broken only by the sound of their footsteps echoing faintly against the cold stone floor.

The faint smell of scorched air and frost still lingered on their clothes from the last chamber, a constant reminder of how close they had been to disaster. None among the group needed to say it aloud.

If this was only the first chamber of the repository, what awaited them deeper inside would undoubtedly be worse.

Senior Sister Xuan Qing kept her sword drawn as they walked, her eyes scanning every groove and tile they passed.

The blade reflected the faint glow of the illumination talismans, its edge gleaming like a sliver of moonlight. "The elders were right," she muttered, her voice low but carrying in the corridor. "The arrays here aren't like anything we've seen in the other complexes. This place was built to keep intruders out at any cost."

Senior Brother Duan gave a grim nod. "The earlier chambers we explored in other complexes: spike traps, collapsing halls, even beast ambushes, they were all crude compared to this.

What we just faced was an array of a level I doubt even our sect elders would dismiss lightly. If not for Han Yu's sharp eyes, we would've lost one of ours already."

Han Yu, walking in the middle of the group, kept his expression neutral, though inside his thoughts were racing.

'They're not wrong. The danger here is greater than everything we've faced combined… and this is only the beginning. If the repository truly holds the legacy of an alchemist who reached heights few could even dream of, then of course his resting place would be guarded by layers upon layers of arrays.'

Han Yu was even starting to believe that the immortal who was buried here might have been an alchemist when he was alive, hence the added protection and a full repository.

Fatty Kui, trailing just behind Han Yu, groaned softly. His frostbitten arm was bandaged, though the burn still throbbed. Thankfully, with his physique, he would recover soon enough. If it were anyone else in the group, they might have just lost the arm already, or at least a good chunk of flesh.

"I don't like this one bit. We've only walked a few steps and already faced enough traps to fill a lifetime. The next time one of those things goes off, I'll be frozen into an ice sculpture before anyone blinks."

"Quit whining," A senior snapped, though his own brow was furrowed. "The danger matches the value. If you want the treasures of an alchemist who probably touched immortality itself, you should expect to gamble your life. Otherwise, you can turn back."

"I would if i didn't fear the exit was collapsing behind us!" Fatty Kui grumbled, though he didn't slow his pace.

The tension rippled through all of them.

Even the Core Condensation realm disciples, hardened by battle and training, were on edge. They hadn't faced anything this intricate in the other complexes.

Poison vents, hidden pits, spear arrays—those they could deal with. But this?

Arrays that turned entire chambers into death zones with elements cycling in harmony? That was on another level.

Han Yu, however, was distracted by another matter gnawing at him beneath the surface.

'Where is the Mist Eye Sect?'

From his earlier talks with Meng Jueyan, he knew they wouldn't come through the main entrance which was located in the section that the Orthodox Sects had taken.

The orthodox sects guarded those jealously, and for the Mist Eye Sect to step in openly would be an act of open hostility. That would shatter the fragile balance between sects, and while the Mist Eye Sect was ambitious, even they weren't reckless enough to provoke that without preparation.

No, they would come another way.

The hidden corridors.

The tomb was a labyrinth, with some paths connecting to others in ways not immediately visible.

Han Yu had already heard other disciples describing how they stumbled into neighboring complexes while fleeing traps. If beasts like the rat wolf had managed to cross over, then humans could too. Meng Jueyan had confirmed as much, admitting that her sect was already studying ways to use these hidden paths.

But the problem was… she hadn't contacted him since.

It had been over an hour since they entered, and his Communication Jade Slip remained silent. He had checked it several times, holding it to his palm and sensing its faint hum. The jade slip still worked; he could feel the tether, the subtle pulse of connectivity, but no message came.

If not for the elders proving that jade slips functioned inside the tomb's boundaries, he might have thought the entire thing was cut off. Many disciples who had gotten lost or trapped before were saved by those very slips. They had become lifelines in this death-trap of a tomb.

Without them, exploration would have been suicide.

So why the silence?

'Did something happen to her? Or… is she waiting for the right moment to reach me?' Han Yu wondered. 'Either way, I need her information. If she can map the hidden routes, I'll have a way to navigate this place while others stumble in the dark. And if she betrays me… well, the Undying Life Charm is my greatest shield.'

He almost laughed aloud at that thought, though he quickly suppressed it. To his companions, he only looked thoughtful, his brows furrowed as if studying the walls.

At last, the corridor widened, opening into a new hall.

The ceiling here was lower, though still broad enough to fit all of them comfortably. But unlike the earlier chamber, this one was stark. No shelves, no cauldrons, no obvious treasures. Instead, four separate corridors branched out from it, each leading deeper into shadow.

One corridor behind them, the one they'd just come from, and three more yawning ahead.

They paused as a group, the silence heavy.

"Another split," muttered Senior Brother Duan, his eyes scanning the paths. "But this time… it feels different."

Indeed, even Han Yu could sense it.