Xie Shuci approached Xie An hesitantly.
As he drew closer, he frantically cheered himself on.
What's wrong with him locking Xie An in the Sky Dome? Wasn't that for his safety? What did he do wrong? Of course he did nothing wrong!
Thinking this, Xie Shuci became even more self-righteous, strode forward, and said in a seemingly relaxed manner, "Xie An, the danger has been temporarily resolved..."
Xie Shuci's voice grew weaker and weaker as Xie An, without saying a word, grabbed his collar and led him to a secluded corner after he approached.
Okay, the danger hasn't been completely resolved yet.
"Eh..."
Xie Shuci was slammed against the wall, while Xie An stood in front of him with a livid face, neither speaking nor taking any further action. However, judging from his expression, he was truly furious.
"Little blind man? Are you angry?" Xie Shuci asked hesitantly, while reaching out to touch Xie An's hand.
As soon as Xie Shuci touched Xie An's left hand hanging at his side, the latter immediately dodged away.
Xie Shuci felt a sudden pang of fear rise in her heart, but she dared not touch Xie An any further. She could only withdraw her hand with a pitiful expression and lower her head, not wanting to say anything more.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Xie An's expression became even more unpleasant. Perhaps smelling the bloody scent emanating from Xie Shuci, he took Xie Shuci's injured arm and was about to check it when Xie Shuci suddenly pulled his arm back.
"Didn't you say you wouldn't let me touch you?" Xie Shuci said sullenly.
Xie An: "..."
After a while, Xie An grabbed his wrist again. Xie Shuci tried to break free, but he used a lot of force and couldn't.
"Are you injured?" Xie An asked silently.
This was a good way to save face, and Xie Shuci took the opportunity to do so, even putting on a pitiful act.
"Hmm... my neck is injured too," Xie Shuci muttered.
Actually, his wounds no longer hurt, and they should heal in about half an incense stick's time.
Xie An pursed his lips. "Is it serious?"
"It's serious! It's really serious, it hurts terribly!" Xie Shuci said with such sincerity that he almost burst into tears on the spot.
"..."
Xie An's expression softened slightly. "Heal the wounds."
Xie Shuci said, "I just exhausted my spiritual energy and I have no strength left. Let me rest for a while."
"Exhausted spiritual power?" Xie An's expression, which had just calmed down, immediately darkened further.
Seeing this, Xie Shuci realized something was wrong and immediately pretended to cry out, "Ouch...it hurts..."
Xie An: "..."
He didn't say anything more, and pulled Xie Shuci to sit down where he was.
"Meditate," Xie An said.
After saying that, he leaned against the stone wall, looking like he didn't want to talk to anyone, with a somber expression.
Xie Shuci stared at him for a few moments, then muttered, "Don't be angry, I know I was wrong, okay?"
Xie An turned to look at him, his expression somewhat complicated. He suddenly changed the subject, his lips parting slightly: "After finding the Eastern Yin Chamber, you cannot take the Qiankun Mirror."
Xie Shuci asked, puzzled, "Why?"
Xie An was silent for a moment, then said, "I heard that the last cultivator who used the Qiankun Mirror set up a Hundred Killing Array around it before time reversed. Once an outsider gets close, a hundred swords will be fired at once, and you won't be able to handle it."
"Is it that scary? Why would anyone do that?" Xie Shuci frowned.
Xie An lowered his eyes. "There's no reason. Perhaps he just doesn't want the Qiankun Mirror to fall into the hands of others so easily."
Xie Shuci nodded as if he understood, then suddenly asked, "Xie An, how do you know so much?"
Xie An said calmly, "It comes from the book."
The group rested in the tomb for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, during which time the tomb tilted twice.
Soon after, Chu Wenfeng slowly woke up.
"Are you feeling unwell, Wen Feng?" Chu Guiyi asked.
Chu Wenfeng had taken the Healing Pill, and his wounds healed at full speed, but his internal injuries would take some time to recover.
"I'm fine." Chu Wenfeng shook his head, propped himself up on the cold stone slab, and looked around. There were some disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect meditating in place. "Where's Xie Shuci? He's not dead, is he?"
"Awooo!" The king grabbed his sleeve and turned his head toward where Xie Shuci and the other person were.
He didn't die from the fall!
But that human is angry, and the baby is too scared to go over there. Go and call them over!
Chu Wenfeng looked up and saw Xie Shuci meditating and recuperating, while Xie An leaned against the wall, seemingly lost in thought.
Chu Guiyi said, "There is nothing wrong with the wording."
Chu Wenfeng breathed a sigh of relief without making it obvious.
The disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect just returned the bronze medicine cauldron to Xie Shuci, allowing his spiritual energy to recover rapidly. Soon after, he felt his spiritual energy was full again, just like usual.
He stretched and opened his eyes, just in time to see that Chu Wenfeng had woken up, so he and Xie An returned to their side.
"Are you alright?" Xie Shuci asked.
Chu Wenfeng glanced at him, his expression awkward, and said, "Thanks."
Xie Shuci's eyes widened in surprise. "What did you say? Say it again? Did the sun rise in the west today? Holy crap, you haven't been possessed, have you? Guiyi, quick, your junior brother has been possessed!"
Chu Wenfeng: "..."
"Don't push your luck." Chu Wenfeng turned his head away.
"Isn't this unbelievable to me?"
"Get lost, there's no need for me to thank you!"
Xie Shuci raised an eyebrow noncommittally, then straightened his expression and stopped joking.
"That person must be Chu Yezhao?" Xie Shuci asked.
Chu Guiyi glanced down and nodded. "Yes. That Green Dragon Crescent Blade is Chu Yezhao's contracted weapon."
Chu Wenfeng said with a complicated expression, "He has become a malevolent spirit, and not only does he suppress evil with his evil spirit, but he also hunts down all the living people in the tomb. The reason why the coffin is empty is because he had already awakened the moment a living person stepped into the tomb."
“Even if we succeed in obtaining the Qiankun Mirror, leaving this place will be extremely difficult,” Chu Guiyi said.
"Then what should we do?" Xie Shuci asked, frowning.
Deng Changqing and the others couldn't help but look over at them.
For the disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect, the Qiankun Mirror, though a rare and precious artifact, was not something they absolutely had to possess. After all, there were countless other treasures in the Dragon Fang Secret Realm, and there was no need to lose their lives in the Immortal's Tomb for a Qiankun Mirror, only to have their souls imprisoned there forever, becoming a ghost that was neither human nor spirit.
Chu Guiyi pondered for a moment and sighed, "Use evil to suppress evil, and ask evil to eliminate evil."
Upon hearing this, everyone present was taken aback.
Xie Shuci said in a daze, "You mean, to deal with Chu Yezhao, we need the help of the tomb owner... the evil spirit of the Banxia clan."
Everyone else wore an incredulous expression.
Chu Guiyi nodded, "That's right."
Deng Changqing asked, "Young Master Chu, how can we use evil to dispel malevolence?"
Chu Guiyi said calmly, “Offer your body to the evil spirit and use its power to kill Chu Yezhao.”
The vast, empty tomb chamber was filled with a deathly silence.
After a long silence, Xie Shuci murmured, "Possessed by him? Trapped in the Immortal's Tomb in his place?"
"Yes," Chu Guiyi replied.
“Unless absolutely necessary, I do not recommend using this method to save our lives. We still have time, and perhaps we can find other clues in the tomb,” Chu Guiyi said.
“Yes, that’s right!” Xie Shuci quickly echoed.
If Xie Shuci were to be possessed by the malevolent spirit of the Banxia clan, he knew exactly what the spirit would do with their bodies and would seek revenge against the humans who killed their clan.
In fact, it was none of Xie Shuci's business who they sought revenge against, but Xie Shuci found it hard to accept that they would use his hands to kill a group of people who had nothing to do with him.
He hoped they wouldn't use this method.
"Young Master Deng, did you encounter any disciples of the Joyful Union Sect before you arrived?" Chu Guiyi then asked.
Deng Changqing nodded: "We originally entered the tomb with the disciples of the Hehuan Sect, but we were chased by the 'Yin Fu' not long ago, and we got separated in the heat of the moment. Three disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect, not including us, also got separated from us."
The "Yin Fu" should be the group of monsters that chased Xie Shuci and Xie An in the tomb passage.
"The most urgent task is to reunite with the Hehuan Sect and work together to find a way to deal with Chu Yezhao before leaving the Immortal's Tomb," Chu Guiyi said.
Preserving everyone's lives is more important than the Qiankun Mirror.
Chu Guiyi spoke eloquently and persuasively, which was very convincing, and no one had any objections.
The second Spirit Gathering Pill he had taken had taken effect, and since Chu Wenfeng's external injuries had healed, he told everyone to leave and search for clues and traces of the Hehuan Sect in other tombs.
The group walked out of the passage one after another. Having learned from their previous experience, Xie Shuci insisted on walking behind Xie An this time, keeping a close eye on his movements.
Xie An didn't say anything, but simply took the king from Xie Shuci's arms.
This little guy was incredibly unruly in Xie Shuci's arms, always trying to take advantage of others. But once he fell into Xie An's hands, he became as obedient as a different dog, not barking or moving around, his round eyes looking straight ahead, extremely docile.
"Xie An, it's so well-behaved in your arms."
The King: "..."
Diedie, can you see how utterly hopeless I am?
Upon entering the tomb chamber that opened to the side in the middle of the passageway, one finds signs of a struggle everywhere. The floor is covered with dried bloodstains, and two silent corpses lie in the corner, a truly horrifying sight.
Upon seeing this, everyone fell into an unusual silence.
Because they all knew that the souls of those who died in the Immortal's Tomb would never leave and would become Netherworld Ghosts, while their corpses would soon transform into monstrous Netherworld Ghosts.
"The deceased has passed away, please accept my condolences." Chu Guiyi said to the disciples of Xiaoyao Sect, and then added, "The door to this tomb is different from the other tombs, and there should be a mechanism leading to another passage."
Everyone nodded in understanding and then split up to search for the mechanisms inside the tomb.
Xie Shuci originally wanted to go, but Xie An pulled him back to his side.
Before long, Deng Changqing found a mechanism on the wall. After pressing the mechanism, a stone door slowly rose up, revealing a long and secluded passageway outside.
"Found it!"
"There really is a trap!"
After giving his opinion, Chu Gui said to everyone, "Let's go take a look."
As soon as he finished speaking, the ground trembled. However, everyone knew very well that less than half an incense stick's time had passed since the tomb tilted last time. This time, it didn't seem to be the tomb shaking on its own, but rather it was as if something about to break through the soil was impacting the ground on their level.
"Be careful!" Chu Guiyi said, frowning.
"Awooo! Awooo!" The king howled twice in Xie An's arms, realizing that danger was approaching them.
"Buzz..." A long, low hum suddenly rang out from the ground, and the tremors became more intense. Xie Shuci had no choice but to lean on Xie An to barely steady himself.
"Awooo!" The king, disregarding his fear of Xie An, anxiously stepped on Xie An's arm and jumped all the way to his shoulder, "Awooo! Awooo!"
Seeing this, Xie An frowned, pressed it back into his arms, and tightened his grip on Xie Shuci's wrist. The next moment, a huge crack appeared in the ground at the beginning of the passageway, and quickly spread to the end of the passageway. The surrounding walls were also gradually disintegrating. The originally solid tomb was now like a piece of ice that had been smashed, instantly crumbling apart.
Before they could react, the cracks in the ground stretched to their feet. In an instant, the sound of the stone walls splitting filled their ears. The ground in the distance had already begun to collapse, but they had nowhere to escape and could only fall to the next level as the ground crumbled.
The collapse of the tomb passage happened in the blink of an eye. Xie Shuci watched in shock, feeling a sense of weightlessness. Fortunately, Xie An grabbed his arm in time, preventing them from separating during their fall.
Boulders rolled around them, but Chu Wenfeng, holding Chu Guiyi, leaped between them without sustaining any harm. The disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect had almost recovered their spiritual power and were able to dodge freely.
Xie Shuci was in a bad situation. He hadn't learned how to fly, and he only figured out how to control his flying sword in a moment of desperation. In such a dangerous situation, if the three of them fell, they would definitely die or be crippled. Xie Shuci gritted his teeth and directly used the Dragon-Slaying Magic Artifact to cover the sky above. When he landed, he laid a layer of his spiritual power on the ground in advance, and that's how he managed to land safely.
"Are you all alright?" Xie Shuci asked after landing.
Xie An shook his head, while the king eagerly licked his face, only to be pulled into Xie An's arms.
After confirming that no one was injured, Xie Shuci opened the dome and found that they had fallen from the upper level of the tomb to the lower level. All around them were dilapidated stone walls, and apart from where they were, there was not an inch of intact ground.
"Thank you for your resignation!"
Someone called out to him from not far away. Xie Shuci turned around and saw Chu Wenfeng and the others.
Xie Shuci quickly helped Xie An up and approached the group, stepping on the uneven rocks on the ground.
"Are you all alright?" Xie Shuci asked.
Chu Wenfeng shook his head, and the expressions on the faces of those around him were also very unpleasant.
"Leave here quickly, the noise here will attract the Yin Ghost and Yin Husband," Chu Wenfeng said solemnly.
Remembering those creepy things, Xie Shuci hurriedly pulled Xie An close and followed the others to the other side of the ruins.
However, after taking only a few steps, more than a dozen figures flew over from the front. As if they had been attacked, their bodies crashed through the boulders and fell to the ground beside the group.
Chu Wenfeng's gaze sharpened, and he leaped forward to catch one of them.
Chu Wenfeng leaned against the man's back, and only managed to regain his balance after retreating several steps.
As soon as he landed, the man coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed into Chu Guiyi's arms.
"Elder Ye?!" someone exclaimed.
"They are disciples of the Hehuan Sect!"
The disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect worked together to pull out more than a dozen female disciples who had fallen into the ruins. They were all seriously injured and their spiritual energy was exhausted.
"Go quickly... get away quickly..."
When Ye Changxuan saw Xie Shuci and the others, her expression immediately turned deathly pale.
She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and stood up from Chu Wenfeng's arms. Despite her disheveled appearance, she possessed a pitiful charm. However, at this moment, there was no coquettishness in her eyes; instead, her gaze was sharp as she looked ahead.
The other disciples of the Hehuan Sect also stood up. Although they clearly had very little spiritual energy left, they still straightened their backs and faced forward together.
Ye Changxuan said to the group, "Let's go, leave the Immortal's Tomb, and let the Hehuan Sect cover your retreat."
"This..." Everyone was stunned.
Several heavily injured women stood before them, saying they would cover the retreat for their group of unharmed male disciples, and that the dual cultivation method they practiced was the most despised evil path among all cultivators.
Seeing no movement behind her, Ye Changxuan turned her head, her gaze icy as she looked at the crowd, her demeanor resolute and heroic. "What are you all standing there for? We can't hold out much longer. Do you want us all to die here together?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a light footstep sounded from ahead.
A tall, slender figure appeared in everyone's sight. He stood tall and elegant, holding the Green Dragon Crescent Blade in one hand, the blade gleaming coldly as blood dripped down. With one hand behind his back, he didn't seem to be walking through ruins at all; every step he took as he approached made everyone's hearts pound.
Upon seeing this person, Ye Changxuan's beautiful eyes reddened: "Let's go!"
But none of the many cultivators behind her moved aside.
"We can't leave," Xie Shuci sighed.
Moreover, Xie Shuci didn't want to leave. Whether it was the dog demon, Helian Jue and Lu Jin, Chu Guiyi, or the dozen or so female disciples of the Hehuan Sect in front of him, the sense of righteousness in their hearts was something Xie Shuci never possessed.
The world he had lived in before was too wonderful, unlike them, who carried so many burdens. Therefore, Xie Shuci was always unrestrained and did whatever he wanted. He did not realize that his casual and arrogant words might have a great impact in this world, and even threaten other people's lives.
Xie Shuci sincerely admired these people, and he wanted to become one of them. He also wanted to find something more important than his own life and death.
Ye Changxuan was taken aback when she heard Xie Shuci's words.
Chu Guiyi bowed slightly to Ye Changxuan and the others, "I sincerely admire your courage. However, Shuci is right, we can never leave the Immortal's Tomb unless we defeat them."
At the same time, a piercing roar and a dense, flood-like sound of footsteps came from afar.
Countless ghosts and earth spirits poured into this ruin from all directions.
They were like a net, surrounding Xie Shuci and his group, giving them a chance to struggle in their death throes, but leaving them with no way to escape.
Hearing the sounds from all directions, Ye Changxuan gasped. Her long eyelashes drooped slightly, and she suddenly revealed a stunningly beautiful smile to everyone, her voice incredibly alluring: "Since that's the case, you're really lucky to be able to die alongside some of the most beautiful women in the world."
After saying that, she raised her hand and blew a kiss in Xie Shuci's direction. "Anyway, I can't leave this place even if I die. I wonder if this counts as being together forever?"
Xie Shuci: "..."
Sister, you have such a good attitude; you're still teasing him at this crucial moment.
The bizarrely shaped ghostly figures crawled across the rugged rocks of the ground, approaching the group in an eerie manner; the earth ghosts floated in the air, repeatedly tempting them with their voices.
However, the crowd seemed to disregard them, instead looking at Chu Yezhao, who was slowly approaching and should have died two thousand years ago, with great suspicion.
In the candlelight, his pupils were like the boundless night sky, and his pale skin was as black as snow. He was clearly just an empty walking corpse, yet he sent chills down the spines of everyone present, making them extremely wary.
Xie Shuci pushed Xie An behind him, and the Great King jumped down from Xie An's arms, transforming into the form of a Crimson Snow Wolf, his eyes fixed intently on both sides.
"Don't be afraid, at least I'll die before you," Xie Shuci comforted her.
Xie An stood behind Xie Shuci, the mist in his eyes dissipating, revealing a deep and complex gaze. For him, the outcome was already predetermined.
He suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Xie Shuci's shoulder, and made him turn around to face him. His lips moved slightly: "Xie Shuci, why do you hate Xiao Xun?"
Xie Shuci was taken aback, not understanding why he would ask about unrelated people at such a crucial moment.
But seeing Xie An's serious expression, Xie Shuci replied, "Because he is the worst person I know, or rather, he is not a normal person at all. I not only hate him, but I am also afraid of him. One day he will take my life for no reason."
After listening, Xie An's expression gradually darkened. He released his grip on Xie Shuci's hands and made no further comment.
Xie Shuci felt that his reaction was very strange, but he couldn't think too much about it at the moment, so he told Xie An to follow him closely and then turned his head back.
Xie An stared at Xie Shuci for a moment, her gaze calm and unwavering.
War is imminent.
Chu Yezhao swung his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, cleaving a huge trench in the ground, which also sent the Yin Fu on the boulder flying. But in no time, those things came back again.
Ye Changxuan and the others met Chu Yezhao's attack, while the others cleared out the Yin Husband and the Earth Yin Ghost.
The Yin Husband and the Earthly Yin Ghosts weren't particularly strong offensively, but their sheer numbers made up for it. In no time, some disciples had been scratched with wounds of varying sizes.
Xie Shuci and the King stayed by Xie An and Chu Guiyi's side.
Xie Shuci controlled his flying sword to sever Yin Fu's head. His movements were swift and clean, without the slightest hint of mercy.
However, as more and more Yin Husbands and Earth Yin Ghosts arrived, the disciples were unable to cope. Xie Shuci was exhausted from controlling his flying sword and was almost caught off guard by an Earth Yin Ghost. It was Chu Guiyi who used his flying dagger to scatter the Earth Yin Ghost that pounced on him.
Thank you.
Chu Guiyi shook her head, her hands hanging at her sides already clenched into fists.
A surge of spiritual energy coursed through his spiritual meridians, perhaps because the Spirit Gathering Pill had replaced the Golden Core, causing him to once again experience the feeling of being on the verge of demonic possession.
Just like back then, it has never changed.
What puzzled him back then still lingers in his heart.
From the moment he first showed his talent in his youth, disciples from all the major and minor immortal sects in Yingzhou, including the Chu family, all focused their attention on Chu Guiyi.
Outsiders hoped he would become another laughingstock in the Chu family; his fellow disciples hoped he would become a pillar of the Chu family.
From a young age, Chu Guiyi knew what burdened his shoulders. He knew the Chu family had endured enough ridicule and scorn, and he knew the Chu family disciples longed to one day hold their heads high with pride. Therefore, Chu Guiyi did everything in his power to embrace everyone's hopes.
He wanted to lead the Chu family back to the Floating Pagoda Realm, and he wanted to wash away the humiliation the Chu family had suffered for the past hundred years.
Chu Guiyi cultivated diligently, and his gentle nature meant he never looked down on any disciple, gradually making him the respected senior brother of the Chu family. Later, after his battle with Helian Jue, he became famous throughout the land for his "Flying Bird Nine-Section Whip," becoming a disciple of the immortal sect alongside Helian Jue, finally restoring some face for the Chu family.
But that's not enough.
He can do much more than just this.
When facing his fellow disciples who admired him, Chu Guiyi was always gentle and humble.
"Senior Brother, can you take us back to the Floating Pagoda Realm?"
Whenever someone asked this question, Chu Guiyi would reply, "Yes."
Chu Guiyi always believed that she could do it, and she tried to prove that she could through hard work.
This led him to be eager to improve his cultivation level. Whenever his cultivation stagnated, he was always afraid that he had lost time and was getting further away from the Chu family's entry into the Floating Pagoda Realm.
He worried that he would betray their trust and cause the Chu family to fall back into the mire once again.
When he learned that his best friend Helian Jue had sealed away the Cloud-Breaking Spear and given up after being defeated in the Immortal Sect Tournament, his unease reached its peak, and inner demons naturally arose.
It was only a matter of time before he went mad from practicing qi cultivation.
The fighting continued in the passageway, and the outnumbered disciples of the immortal sects were covered in wounds.
As for myself, I can hide behind others and quietly watch all of this.
In the void, that unfamiliar voice rang out once more:
"Return to your homeland, accept my power, and I will fulfill your long-cherished wish."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
