Chapter Seven: The Battle for Justice

Lin Yu’s expression changed at once. He whirled around and shouted to the others, “The people from the secret organization are coming! Everyone, prepare to fight!”

The members of the grave-robbers’ band quickly gathered together, their eyes hard with resolve. They knew retreat was no longer an option. Here and now, they had to face the secret organization in a battle to the death and protect the Chaos Pearl.

Like a tide, the people from the secret organization poured into the valley and surrounded Lin Yu and the others. At their head stood a cold-faced man in black robes. He fixed Lin Yu with a sinister gaze and said icily, “You fools overestimate yourselves. In the end, you still cannot escape our grasp. Hand over the Chaos Pearl obediently, and perhaps I may leave you a way out.”

Lin Yu met his stare without fear and shouted back, “Dream on! A bunch of greedy scoundrels like you will never get the Chaos Pearl, much less use its power to harm the world!”

The man in black robes gave a cold laugh. “Then don’t blame me for being merciless.”

With that, he waved his hand, and the members of the secret organization sprang forward like famished wolves, lunging at the grave-robbers’ band.

In an instant, cries of battle and the clash of weapons rang through the valley. Lin Yu held a sharp blade and moved with agile grace, weaving through the enemy ranks. Every strike was precise, every blow lethal. Li Yang swung an iron staff like a tiger descending the mountain, beating back one enemy after another. The other members of the band each fought with all they had, locked in a desperate struggle against the secret organization.

The battle soon reached its fiercest point, with heavy casualties on both sides. Relying on sheer numbers, the secret organization launched wave after wave of violent attacks; though exhausted, the grave-robbers’ band fought on stubbornly for the sake of protecting the Chaos Pearl and for the justice in their hearts, refusing to yield even an inch.

In the midst of the chaos, Lin Yu noticed that the man in black robes had remained in the rear, issuing commands without entering the fray himself. He immediately understood that this man must be the core figure behind the operation. If he could be defeated, the tide of battle might yet turn.

“Li Yang, lead everyone in holding the line. I’m going after that man in black!” Lin Yu shouted to Li Yang during a brief opening.

Li Yang nodded and called back, “All right! Be careful!”

Lin Yu drew a deep breath, seized the moment, and shot toward the man in black robes like an arrow loosed from a bow. Seeing Lin Yu coming for him, the black-robed man’s lips curled into a faint, disdainful smile. Unhurriedly, he drew a long sword whose blade gleamed with a cold, ghostly light—clearly a deadly weapon.

“You think you can take me on? How laughably arrogant!” he sneered.

Lin Yu paid no heed to the taunt and attacked at once. His blade whistled fiercely through the air, each strike swift and ruthless. Yet the black-robed man met him with calm ease, flicking his sword and dissolving Lin Yu’s assault.

The two traded blows back and forth, sword light flashing like rain. Lin Yu soon realized that the black-robed man’s swordsmanship was superb and his experience profound; every move concealed some hidden trick. But he did not falter. Relying on his combat experience from a former life and his unbending will, he continued to contend with the black-robed man.

As the fight wore on, Lin Yu gradually discerned the pattern of the man’s sword style. Spotting an opening, he suddenly poured on his strength and thrust his blade straight toward the black-robed man’s chest. The man had not expected Lin Yu to find his flaw; in his haste he could only twist aside, but even so, Lin Yu’s blade still gashed his arm.

“You...” The black-robed man was both shocked and enraged. He had never imagined he would be made to suffer at Lin Yu’s hands.

Furious and humiliated, he intensified his assault, his swordwork growing ever more vicious. Lin Yu felt tremendous pressure, but he gritted his teeth and defended with all his might. At that moment, only one conviction remained in his heart: no matter what, he had to defeat the man in black robes and protect the Chaos Pearl.

On the other side, Li Yang led the grave-robbers’ band in a bloody struggle against the secret organization’s underlings. Though they were badly outnumbered, each of them was prepared to die and fought with fearless resolve. Yet the secret organization’s attacks came in relentless waves, and the grave-robbers’ band steadily ran out of strength as their casualties mounted.

“Brothers, hold on! We cannot lose!” Li Yang shouted at the top of his lungs, lifting everyone’s morale.

Just as the battle reached a deadlock, dark clouds suddenly gathered overhead, and thunder and lightning split the sky. A tremendous surge of energy came from the direction of the Chaos Pearl. Everyone was drawn to the abrupt change, and the fighting temporarily ceased.

The light of the Chaos Pearl grew ever more intense, and the sealing formation around it began to flicker erratically. The mysterious threads of light linking the space around it turned chaotic, as though they might snap at any moment.

“Bad news—the seal is failing!” the guardian leader cried out.

Lin Yu and the man in black robes both stopped fighting and turned toward the Chaos Pearl. They understood clearly that if the seal failed, the power of the Chaos Pearl would erupt uncontrollably, with consequences too terrible to imagine.

“We must repair the seal at once!” Lin Yu shouted.

But the man in black robes only smiled with malice. “Ha! If the seal fails, even better. Then I can seize the power of the Chaos Pearl while it is in chaos!”

With that, ignoring everyone who tried to stop him, the black-robed man charged toward the Chaos Pearl. Lin Yu’s heart clenched, and he hurried after him.

Just as the black-robed man was about to touch the Chaos Pearl, Lin Yu sprang into the air, hurled himself at him, and knocked him to the ground. The two men grappled before the Chaos Pearl.

“You madman—you can’t let the Chaos Pearl’s power run wild!” Lin Yu roared in fury.

“Enough nonsense! Once I have the Chaos Pearl, I will rule this world!” the black-robed man shouted, struggling wildly.

By now, the members of the grave-robbers’ band and the people from the secret organization had all ceased fighting as well. They gathered around, watching this struggle that would decide their fate.

The guardian leader looked upon the chaos with mounting anxiety. He knew that someone had to step forward and repair the seal now, or everything would be lost.

“Everyone, this is no time for conflict. The Chaos Pearl’s seal is about to fail. We must work together to repair it, or the world will be plunged into utter disaster!” the guardian leader urged loudly.

Hearing his words, some of the secret organization’s members began to waver. They realized that if the Chaos Pearl’s power escaped control, they too would be dragged down with it.

“We can’t keep following him! He’d put us all in danger for the sake of some insane scheme!” one of them shouted.

More and more members of the secret organization laid down their weapons and declared that they were willing to work with the grave-robbers’ band to repair the seal.

Seeing this, the black-robed man struggled even more frantically. “You fools, all of you, stop at once! Anyone who dares betray me will pay for it!”

Seizing the moment, Lin Yu forced the black-robed man down and pinned him firmly to the ground.

“I don’t have time to deal with you now!” Lin Yu snapped.

Then he rose and, together with the guardian leader and the others willing to cooperate, began to study how to restore the seal.

Under the guardian leader’s guidance, everyone worked in unison, activating the runes on the sealing formation in a specific sequence. As each rune lit up in turn, the Chaos Pearl’s radiance gradually steadied, the scattered threads of light around it reconnected, and the sealing formation returned to normal.

Seeing the seal restored at last, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

“This time, it was thanks to everyone’s efforts that the Chaos Pearl’s seal was preserved,” Lin Yu said gratefully, looking around at them.

“Yes. After this ordeal, we’ve also come to understand that no matter what difficulties we face, if we stand together, we can overcome anything,” Li Yang said with feeling.

Those members of the secret organization who were willing to repent all declared that they would mend their ways and no longer follow the black-robed man’s mad scheme.

As for the black-robed man, he was imprisoned by the others and left to await the punishment he deserved.

After this hair-raising battle, the members of the grave-robbers’ band also completely changed the course of their lives. They no longer sought the riches brought by tomb raiding, and instead resolved to use their strength to safeguard the peace of the world.

Lin Yu gazed into the distance, his heart full of emotion. He knew this adventure was only the beginning, and that there might be many more challenges awaiting them in the future. But he firmly believed that so long as they remained united as one, nothing could stop them from defending justice.