As the stone gate slowly descended, it completely isolated the inside from the outside.

Xie Shuci was stunned for a moment, but did not continue to think about it.

At the same time, the disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect around him breathed a heavy sigh of relief and helped each other to sit down in the corner.

Xie Shuci placed the king in Xie An's arms, gave him a few instructions, and then walked over to Deng Changqing.

Without exception, these disciples of the Free and Unfettered Sect were covered in wounds, large and small, some of which had even formed scabs. Xie Shuci felt pain just by looking at them; if they were on his own body, it would be a matter of life and death.

Deng Changqing was lucky; he only had a wound on his waist.

When Xie Shuci walked over, he was bowing his head and tending to his wounds.

"Who were the people you were fighting with just now?" Xie Shuci asked.

Deng Changqing raised his head, his face pale and his expression solemn, and said, "You evil spirit, Chu Yezhao."

"It's him?" Xie Shuci was shocked. No wonder he felt that this person was familiar. In fact, judging from his figure and blurry facial features, he did look about five points similar to Chu Guiyi.

Upon hearing this, Deng Changqing gave him a complicated look. "You also saw the murals and Chu Yezhao's coffin?"

"Mm," Xie Shuci nodded.

Deng Changqing couldn't help but sigh, "This tomb is really too strange. What kind of immortal tomb is this? I think it's a tomb for villains! Once you die in this tomb, your soul will be imprisoned here forever, becoming a monster that is neither human nor ghost. I don't think there is any Qiankun Mirror here. It's just a way to lure these cultivators here and use our souls to suppress the spirits of the Banxia clan!"

Xie Shuci sighed. On their way here, they had already encountered the corpses of several disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect. The fact that their former fellow disciples were dying one after another in the secret realm was something that would be hard for anyone to accept.

"Since we can't find the Qiankun Mirror, we should leave the tomb as soon as possible," Xie Shuci advised.

"We can't get out." Deng Changqing said bitterly. "No matter how we go around, we can't find the exit, let alone go back to where we came in. The monsters in the tomb are elusive and have been chasing us. Once someone sees the murals, no one can leave this place."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a tremendous crash resounded outside the tomb. Hearing the sound, everyone's nerves immediately tensed up.

Deng Changqing gripped his sword tightly and used it to block Xie Shuci from behind. "Step back."

The violent impact made Xie Shuci's heart tremble. All the disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect present were seriously injured and had no chance to heal themselves. They also had very little strength left. If the thing outside broke in, they would probably all die here!

As the only healthy person among them, Xie Shuci could not be protected by a group of wounded people.

He looked around anxiously and saw a disciple lying unconscious in the corner. He went over and checked the disciple's breathing, which was very weak. Xie Shuci took out a Resurrection Pill from his pocket and put it into the disciple's mouth, then picked up the sword that had fallen beside him.

"Awooo!" The king sensed something and immediately jumped out of Xie An's arms, transforming into a red snow wolf and staring fiercely at the restless stone door.

He didn't know why that thing was making such a racket; he felt the entire tomb chamber trembling slightly. Xie Shuci gripped his sword tightly, his palms drenched in cold sweat. Chu Yezhao had died over two thousand years ago! This wasn't just a zombie resurrection; it was an ancient corpse! The thought sent a chill down Xie Shuci's spine.

Compared to the fear and trepidation of others, Xie An was quite relaxed and at ease.

He crossed his arms and leaned leisurely against the wall, looking completely at ease.

"careful!"

When the violent impact caused the stone gate to loosen, Xie Shuci was in a state of high tension.

Unfortunately, the tomb chamber was surrounded by stone walls on all sides, with no way to leave. The group had no choice but to hold their breath, grit their teeth, and face the stone door with their weapons in hand.

Dust fell through the cracks in the door, but suddenly, the crashing sounds outside stopped.

Everyone was stunned, and after a moment of suspicious silence, there was no further movement outside the door.

"This means...giving up?" Xie Shuci asked in surprise.

Deng Changqing shook his head, indicating he didn't know. The king sniffed the air, then took two steps forward and sniffed along the crack under the stone door. It seemed to have caught a familiar scent, as it pawed at the crack with its paws, looking somewhat anxious.

"Your Majesty? What's wrong?" Xie Shuci asked in confusion.

The king turned and ran back to Xie Shuci's side, grabbed his clothes and pulled him toward the door in a very hurried manner.

"Awooo!" The king cried out excitedly twice. It wanted to turn into a little child and tell Diedie that two of Diedie's friends had come to the door. However, Diedie had said that it could not turn into a little child without its permission, so it could only keep banging its head against the stone door and roaring at it.

Fortunately, Xie Shuci wasn't too stupid. Seeing it sniffing at the door crack incessantly, his expression immediately changed, and he asked, "Are Chu Wenfeng and the others outside?"

"Aww!!" The king immediately nodded his head.

Xie Shuci was startled and quickly pressed his body against the stone door to listen for any sounds outside.

Sure enough, he heard some faint sounds of fighting!

Chu Guiyi could barely move thanks to the effects of the Spirit Gathering Pill, and Chu Wenfeng was so young, how could he possibly defeat Chu Yezhao, who had lived for thousands of years? Besides, there were so many monsters outside!

"Can this door be opened? My friend is still outside!" Xie Shuci asked Deng Changqing anxiously.

Deng Changqing hesitated for a moment. Chu Yezhao had become a vicious demon, and even all the disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect combined were no match for him. Opening the door now would be tantamount to courting death. Xie Shuci's friends had nothing to do with them, so it wasn't worth risking their lives for them.

Xie Shuci knew their concerns, so he looked around. The tomb chamber was neither too big nor too small, and he could unfold the Dragon-Subduing Ritual Artifact.

"Don't worry, I won't involve you. The Dragon Subduing Artifact can form a sky dome that no one but me can open. You can go inside and heal your wounds first."

Not knowing what was happening outside, Xie Shuci looked a little pale. He took out the Dragon-Subduing Magic Artifact and the Bronze Medicine Cauldron.

Xie Shuci handed the bronze medicine cauldron to Deng Changqing and said, "The Fulong magic weapon will absorb your spiritual power. If you keep the bronze medicine cauldron with you, you will not be affected. If you need pills, I have some here, but I have to save my friend."

Deng Changqing stared in disbelief at the bronze medicine cauldron in his arms. How could someone so casually hand over something so valuable to someone else? He was speechless for a moment.

“Junior brother, open the door. We can’t just hide here and wait to die. Why don’t we borrow this fellow Daoist’s Dragon-Subduing Magic Artifact to heal our injuries? After we’re healed, we can reunite with Elder Ye of the Hehuan Sect and maybe then we can fight him,” said an older disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect.

Deng Changqing didn't dare to hesitate any longer. He handed the bronze medicine cauldron to his senior brother and said to Xie Shuci, "I'm not seriously injured. Perhaps I can help."

Thank you.

Xie Shuci nodded, opened the sky dome to cover Xie An and several injured disciples, and Deng Changqing found a mechanism by the door and opened the stone door.

As the stone gate rose, the sounds of fighting in the passageway became increasingly clear.

"Be careful, I've heard something!"

Chu Guiyi leaned against the stone wall, a deep wound running down his back, blood staining most of his body. Not far from him, Chu Wenfeng was locked in a fierce battle with someone, taking two blows and being forced to retreat.

"Guiyi! Are you alright?" Xie Shuci rushed forward and helped Chu Guiyi up. The latter's face was as pale as paper, and a trickle of blood hung from the corner of her mouth. She looked extremely disheveled.

"Shuci? I'm fine. You guys go quickly. Wenfeng won't last long. Hurry up!" Chu Guiyi rarely showed a look of anxiety and pushed Xie Shuci back.

"Pfft..." Chu Wenfeng was sent flying by a palm strike, his body crashing heavily against the wall. He clutched his chest, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Chu Wenfeng!" Xie Shuci exclaimed, and the king beside him pounced like an arrow towards the figure in the dim light.

Chu Wenfeng shuddered, then braced himself with his hands on the ground and looked in Xie Shuci's direction. Blood stained his teeth and lips as he shouted, "Take my senior brother away!"

Xie Shuci's breath hitched. Ignoring Chu Guiyi's struggles, he grabbed Chu Guiyi's arm and led him back into the tomb chamber. "No! That's Chu Yezhao... Wen Feng is no match for him..." Chu Guiyi struggled to get up from the ground, but Xie Shuci pressed him back down.

"Chu Wenfeng is no match for him, and you are even less so!" Xie Shuci roared, taking off his small pouch and stuffing it into Chu Guiyi's arms. "Find it yourself; there are healing pills inside. I'll go help you."

After saying that, Xie Shuci ran out of the tomb again.

Chu Guiyi sat on the ground, a sharp pain shooting through the wound on his back. The effects of the Spirit Gathering Pill were almost gone, and he could barely muster any strength in his legs.

Shuci is right. Wen Feng is no match for him, but what about me? If I stay there, I'll only be a burden to them.

burden!

Chu Wenfeng gripped the strap of his pouch tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hand. No matter how much others mocked him or how disappointed his fellow disciples were, no moment had made him realize more clearly than this that he was a piece of trash! A useless burden!

He couldn't bear the weight of his responsibilities. He gave hope to everyone in the Chu family. He carried the shame and criticism the Chu family had suffered for a hundred years. He had vowed to bring the Chu family back to the Floating Pagoda Realm and to make the Chu family disciples hold their heads high. But in the end, everything turned into a joke.

How could he possibly accept this?

"I can help you."

In the quiet tomb chamber, a strange voice suddenly rang out.

Chu Guiyi's gaze faltered, her lips parted slightly, "Help me?"

The voice was very gentle and ethereal, like a slowly flowing stream, full of endless vitality and carrying a gentle kindness.

"Yes, I can help you. I will lend you my power and help you fulfill your greatest wish in this life, as long as you offer your body to me."

It means to possess or seize another's body.

Chu Guiyi was an extremely steady and wise person. When the thoughts that had caused him to go astray many years ago took hold of his mind again, and when faced with great temptation, he miraculously calmed down.

He took out a healing pill from his pouch and swallowed it. He leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and calmed his turbulent emotions, expelling the unfamiliar voice from his head.

"This world is unfair, unfair to you and unfair to me. I need to make humanity pay the price for their words and deeds, and you need my power, so why not?"

Chu Guiyi closed her eyes tightly and stopped reacting.

A fierce fight is taking place in the narrow passageway.

The blurry figure held a Green Dragon Crescent Blade in his hand. The dim candlelight illuminated his pale skin, which was cold and lifeless. He looked to be about the same age as Chu Guiyi and even resembled him by about 50%. However, his expression was too empty and his pupils were completely black with no whites.

He was dressed in clothing made of scales, presumably for preservation purposes, and apart from being too pale, he looked no different from an ordinary person.

Chu Yezhao swung his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, aiming at Deng Changqing, who was leaning against the wall with little strength left. Chu Wenfeng roared and swung his whip forward, wrapping the whip around the long staff of the crescent blade and pulling hard, causing the blade to stop moving the instant it approached Deng Changqing.

"Aww!"

The king waited for an opportunity to strike from behind, opening his sharp claws to grab Chu Yezhao. Chu Yezhao tilted his head to the side, pushed off the wall, and suddenly leaped into the air, dodging the king's attack. He then turned around and kicked the king into the door that had opened in the passageway.

The king let out a sob and his body slammed to the ground.

Seeing this, Deng Changqing thrust his longsword forward, piercing Chu Yezhao's abdomen.

"It's no use! He's not human, he doesn't bleed, and his wounds heal very quickly. Our attacks are completely ineffective against him!" Chu Wenfeng warned.

After Xie Shuci returned to the passageway, he used his spiritual power to control a flying sword and attack Chu Yezhao. Although Chu Yezhao's eyes clearly had no pupils, his senses were extremely sensitive to his surroundings, and he easily dodged Xie Shuci's attack.

"What should we do? Is there anything we can do to stop him? We can't beat him in a fight, and we can't just wait for him to kill us, can we?" Xie Shuci asked anxiously.

The king also returned from the adjacent tomb chamber, but unfortunately, Chu Yezhao's cultivation was exceptionally high. In the narrow and enclosed passageway, he was able to handle the three of them and the dog with ease. After a few moves, everyone was injured.

Xie Shuci was relatively unscathed; he only suffered a cut on his arm from the blade. Under such tense circumstances, Xie Shuci did not feel much pain.

Of the three, Chu Wenfeng was the most seriously injured, suffering not only numerous wounds but also significant internal injuries.

"You take my senior brother away from here, I'll stay and hold him off!" Chu Wenfeng said through gritted teeth.

Xie Shuci blocked Chu Yezhao's attack with his flying sword, and upon hearing this, he angrily cursed, "Are you crazy? Staying here is just suicide!"

Chu Wenfeng was already no match for Chu Yezhao and was already so badly injured. He tried to sacrifice himself to cover Xie Shuci and the others, but instead got a scolding. Naturally, he was in a bad mood and retorted, "You're the one who's sick! Do you think I want to die? I still want to ascend to become a great power! Who wants to die in this godforsaken place?!"

Using the flying sword consumed a great deal of Xie Shuci's spiritual power. At this moment, he did not have the bronze medicine cauldron with him, and he felt extremely weak, as if he would lose all his strength at any moment.

Xie Shuci said breathlessly, "Then shut up and figure out a way to get this thing out of here! Your Majesty, there should be a mechanism in the passageway leading to the next level. Let's get this bastard down there!"

"Aww!"

The king responded, dodged Chu Yezhao's crescent blade, and entered the passageway. He sniffed at the mechanism on the wall, while the other three worked together to lead Chu Yezhao in the opposite direction.

"Young Master Xie, step back!" Deng Changqing shouted, and Chu Yezhao, holding a long sword, pointed directly at Xie Shuci as he left.

Xie Shuci watched as Chu Yezhao, who was like a puppet, attacked him. He instinctively wanted to run, but his body had consumed too much spiritual energy and he didn't have much strength left. He could only grit his teeth and use his flying sword to stab Chu Yezhao in the back.

As Xie Shuci's flying sword pierced Chu Yezhao's chest, the gleaming Green Dragon Crescent Blade also swung towards Xie Shuci's neck. The icy aura made Xie Shuci shiver. "Fuck you! So what if I die! When I become a ghost, I'll settle this score with you and get my revenge sooner or later!"

Just then, a whip wrapped around Xie Shuci's ankle, pulling him forward. Due to inertia, Xie Shuci's body leaned backward, and the blade's edge grazed the skin of his neck, barely dodging the fatal blow.

"Brother Wenzi loves you!"

As he fell, Xie Shuci shouted.

"Get out!" Chu Wenfeng frowned, disgusted.

Xie Shuci's flying sword piercing Chu Yezhao's chest did have some effect. After landing, Chu Yezhao staggered forward a few steps. Deng Changqing took the opportunity to stab at his right hand, trying to knock the weapon away. Unfortunately, Chu Yezhao reacted quickly and swung his sword, breaking Deng Changqing's sword in two.

Amidst the ear-piercing clang of cold weapons, the king let out an excited howl, leaped onto the stone slab at the other end of the passageway, and frantically gestured to the group.

Xie Shuci immediately understood its intention and shouted, "Lead Chu Yezhao over there!"

In the blink of an eye, Chu Wenfeng gritted his teeth, wrapped the end of the Green Dragon Crescent Blade with the Flying Bird Nine-Section Whip, and then leaped towards where the king was.

Chu Yezhao's killing move was fierce. Using the force of the nine-section whip, he flew behind Chu Wenfeng and slashed his entire shoulder with a knife. Blood splattered onto the wall instantly.

Chu Wenfeng grunted and rolled to the ground with a thud. Chu Yezhao landed beside him and, before the others could react, slashed at him again. Just then, the Great King kicked off the wall with his legs and pressed a mechanism with his claws. The stone slabs under Chu Wenfeng and Chu Yezhao's feet split open to the sides, and the two of them fell down.

"Oh no!" Deng Changqing's expression changed. He rushed forward, trying to grab Chu Wenfeng's falling body, but that knife had almost taken half of Chu Wenfeng's life. He no longer had the strength to move and there was no way to save him.

If Chu Wenfeng were to fall to the next level at the same time as Chu Yezhao, one can imagine what the consequences would be!

The king stood anxiously by the hole in the ground, unable to hold back his sobs.

"Chu Wenfeng!!" Xie Shuci suddenly shouted, his broken voice seemingly using all his strength to instantly clear Chu Wenfeng's confused consciousness.

At the same time, a flying sword swept overhead. Upon seeing this, Chu Wenfeng suddenly chuckled. With his last bit of strength, he raised his arm and swung the Flying Bird Nine-Section Whip, wrapping it around the blade of the flying sword. Propelled by the flying sword, his falling body was lifted into the air, and he flew out just before the mechanism stone slab closed.

When Xie Shuci saw Chu Wenfeng successfully fly back to the tunnel, he could no longer hold on. His last bit of strength was exhausted, his legs went weak, and he collapsed into the tunnel with a "thud." The flying sword in the air lost control and fell down. Chu Wenfeng had already lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.

Deng Changqing and the king worked together to move Xie Shuci and Chu Wenfeng into the original tomb chamber and closed the stone door of the tomb chamber.

Xie Shuci had never been this tired in his eight hundred lifetimes. And it wasn't just tired; his arms and neck were burning with pain. He even felt as if he had been woken up by the excruciating pain.

As he slowly opened his eyes, he wished it were all a long dream. Unfortunately, when he opened his eyes wide and saw the dim, mottled ceiling, he realized it wasn't a dream.

"Shuci? How are you?"

Xie Shuci was sighing inwardly when a handsome face full of worry came into view. Who else could it be but Chu Guiyi?

"Ha!" The king also noticed that he was awake and immediately stuck out his big tongue and surrounded him.

Xie Shuci moved his arm, and the pain had lessened considerably. He slowly sat up, pushed the king a little to the side, and shook his head, saying, "I'm fine."

Chu Guiyi breathed a sigh of relief, but then said reproachfully, "Do you know that you almost died from spiritual energy exhaustion? You only recently learned to use spiritual energy, how can you be so irresponsible towards your body?"

Xie Shuci heard that his tone was just like his high school homeroom teacher. His inherent fear of teachers made him scratch the back of his head awkwardly, and he quickly changed the subject: "What about Chu Wenfeng? How are they doing?"

Chu Guiyi's expression darkened considerably. Perhaps finding it difficult to speak, he gritted his teeth and hesitated before saying, "I heard that Wen Feng's condition is not good; he's seriously injured. I..."

Chu Gui hesitated, then lowered his head. "Shu Ci, may I ask you for another Healing Pill? I will find a way to make it up to you in the future, but right now, I don't want to be a burden to you."

When he said the last two words, Chu Guiyi's expression turned somewhat forlorn.

The word "burden" sounded incredibly cruel coming from Chu Guiyi's own mouth. He erased his pride and accepted his incompetence.

He knew Xie Shuci wouldn't abandon them, but he was a cripple, and Wen Feng was seriously injured.

If Xie Shuci continues to keep them by his side, he will definitely be dragged down.

Xie Shuci glanced at him without saying a word, took out two healing pills from her small pouch, threw one to Deng Changqing who was resting with his eyes closed in the corner, and then walked to Chu Wenfeng's side and stuffed the healing pill into his mouth.

Deng Changqing stared blankly at the crystal-clear pill that landed in his palm. The quality of the pill was not difficult to distinguish, and he could tell at a glance that it was a high-grade healing pill.

Even the Xiaoyao Sect would never casually produce a high-grade pill.

So he didn't refuse, but instead thanked him.

Seeing that his wounds were not deep and that his own recovery ability was relatively fast, Xie Shuci did not waste the pills.

He leaned against Chu Guiyi, holding the king in his arms. Just as he was about to ask what to do next, he suddenly felt something was missing and felt uneasy all over.

Just then, Chu Guiyi softly reminded him, "Shuci, have you found Young Master Xie?"

Xie Shuci's face froze instantly. She glanced at him blankly and nodded.

The King: "Awoooooo!"

Found it!

Chu Guiyi looked around suspiciously, "Where is Young Master Xie?"

Xie Shuci swallowed hard, glancing guiltily at the sky that was almost integrated with the tomb chamber. Since none of them had ever seen the sky from the outside, they didn't react immediately.

Until the king ran over excitedly and kicked the outer wall of the sky twice.

"Inside?" Chu Guiyi asked in surprise.

Xie Shuci nodded and asked blankly, "How long have I been asleep?"

"About half an hour."

The thought of locking Xie An and a group of smelly men in a cramped place for half an hour made Xie Shuci jump up from the ground. Fortunately, his spiritual power had recovered somewhat, enough for him to retrieve the Dragon-Subduing Artifact.

The moment the sky was shattered, many wails of agony echoed from within.

"Ugh...it's so hot!"

"The injuries have mostly healed, but I was suffocating!"

There's not much air in the tomb to begin with!

"I thought something terrible had happened to you all!"

The dozen or so people, sweating profusely, dispersed the instant the sky disappeared.

Xie Shuci quietly craned his neck to glance into the crowd. Xie An stood tall and elegant, his chest heaving violently, his arm holding the knife trembling slightly, his face ashen, his teeth clenched, as if he was trying to restrain something.

Because of the critical situation, Xie Shuci didn't have time to explain to him before locking him inside the Sky Dome as well. He probably still doesn't know what happened.

Xie Shuci shrank his neck. Judging from the little blind man's expression, was he angry?

Xie Shuci hesitated to move for a moment, because if he moved, Xie An would know his location.

"Aww!"

Just then, the king called out at his feet, wanting a loving hug from Xie Shuci.

Xie An was so clever; upon hearing the sound, he immediately looked in Xie Shuci's direction, his face turning incredibly grim...

Xie Shuci glared at the king with exasperation, "Hug my ass! Get out of here!"

When he looked up, he found that the little blind man clearly knew where he was, but he just stood there without moving.

Seeing this, Xie Shuci sighed.

Well, he's definitely going to get angry again this time.