Chapter 39: The Tomb of the True Immortals.
Chapter 39
Qing Yan had never made this kind of expression before, and Bu Xingjin became even more certain that the person in front of him was definitely not Qing Yan.
At the moment Bu Xingjin was resolute in his decision, the information that had been obscured by the fog in his mind suddenly came back to him. He clearly recalled Qing Yan's true appearance.
Bu Xingjin didn't respond to the black-clad elder's words. He silently took a few steps back, but the rope in his hand held him still. He didn't care if the person on the other side of the rope changed. He threw the rope to the ground without hesitation, then closely watched the black-clad elder's every move.
In stark contrast to Bu Xingjin's nervous, almost enemy-like demeanor, the black-clad elder appeared unhurried, even smiling kindly, as if looking at an ignorant child. He continued, "Why are you standing so far away from me? Come here?"
Bu Xingjin had difficulty discerning the black-clothed old man's cultivation, nor could he detect any danger from him. If he closed his eyes, it was as if no one existed before him.
Bu Xingjin didn't know how the situation suddenly turned out like this. He carefully recalled all his experiences from entering the tomb to the present. Only the sudden appearance of the eternal lamp in the corridor seemed unusual.
Looking back now, he realized something was wrong. He had been walking in a dark corridor since entering the ancient tomb, and then he accepted the sudden appearance of light without a second's doubt. If the eternal lamp was really on, he should have seen the light from afar, not just darkness one moment and light the next.
Therefore, Bu Xingjin guessed that Qing Yan and the others should have been replaced at that moment.
Bu Xingjin only then remembered the little turtle. He hurriedly wanted to look over his shoulder, but he didn't dare to turn his head. He could only glance out of the corner of his eye and found that there was nothing there.
Bu Xingjin never responded to the questions of the old man in black. The old man in black did not change his expression, nor did he become angry and attack him as Bu Xingjin expected.
Although he was smiling amiably, Bu Xingjin still felt an increasing fear. He didn't even dare to look away, as if something bad would happen if he didn't keep looking at the old man in black.
Bu Xingjin was trapped, momentarily at a loss. He had entered this tomb of scattered immortals because the two masters, Little Turtle and Qing Yan, were always by his side, giving him an endless sense of security. However, who could have predicted that they would lose contact with him the moment they entered the tomb?
No, Bu Xingjin observed the black-clad elder, who remained in the distance and hadn't approached him, and realized something. Little Turtle and Qing Yan must be trying to save him. Their actions must have influenced the black-clad elder to some extent; otherwise, he wouldn't have stood by so amicably, offering only seductive words without attacking.
Bu Xingjin's entire body tensed, not daring to relax. He stared sharply at the old man in black, and gradually noticed that the old man's smile had gradually disappeared. The old man in black stared at Bu Xingjin expressionlessly, and then his expression became increasingly ferocious and terrifying, and then black smoke began to permeate his entire body.
"Come here quickly." The old man in black finally stopped pretending, roared, and stretched out his right hand. He seemed to be restricted by something, and his body could not move. Only his right hand left his arm at his wrist and grabbed Bu Xingjin at an extremely fast speed.
Bu Xingjin didn't dare to look away. He condensed two wind blades one meter away from him and tried his best to block the black-clothed old man's right palm, which was as dry as a chicken claw.
The spiritual energy in his body was consumed very quickly. Bu Xingjin knew that he could not hold out for long. At most, the spiritual energy in his body would be used up in three incense sticks of time.
Bu Xingjin used all his strength to block the black-clothed old man's right palm, and had almost no time to pay attention to anything else. However, the black-clothed old man, noticing this, cleverly used his other hand behind his back. His five fingers flew and swirled in the air like a nimble dancer, controlling the actions of the other person present.
At the critical moment, Bu Xingjin seemed unaware that the young man in red who had replaced the man in gray had not made any move. At this moment, under the control of the old man in black, the young man in red was quietly approaching Bu Xingjin's back.
He took the bait, Bu Xingjin had noticed it long ago. How could he forget that there was someone behind the rope? His previous behavior was intentional.
The moment the red-robed youth suddenly slapped out, Bu Xingjin, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, nimbly leaped aside, successfully avoiding the attack. However, this distraction prevented him from blocking the black-robed elder's right palm in time. In the blink of an eye, the palm had fiercely shattered his flying wind blade defense and headed straight for his body.
Good to come!
Bu Xingjin unleashed the Seven Killing Secrets he had learned yesterday. A visible blue blade energy instantly emerged, as if it were tangible. With a single strike, the black-clothed elder's right palm was split in two. The blade's gleaming light remained undimmed, continuing to sprint towards the black-clothed elder, slashing fiercely at him.
The black-clad elder was caught off guard by the sudden blow, dark blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. He quickly withdrew his right palm, which had been split in half. Amazingly, the palm instantly returned to its original intact state after returning to his body.
He laughed out loud in anger, raising his head to the sky and howling, "Ha, ha, ha! How dare you hurt me? Don't think you can rest easy just because someone out there is out there to rescue you. I'm telling you, give up! Once you step into this illusion, you won't be able to leave alive. Become nutrients and nourish your old husband."
After these words, the old man in black slowly closed his eyes, his entire body seemingly transforming into a puff of black smoke, dissolving into the air like ice cream. Even the young man in red beside him vanished into nothingness, blending into the black smoke.
Bu Xingjin stared at the thick black smoke ahead, his expression serious and deep. He had an ominous premonition in his heart. The old man in black had transformed into a body of black smoke, seemingly gaining the ability to move freely and unrestrainedly.
As expected, just as Bu Xingjin had this thought, the black smoke transformed from the old man in black instantly spread out into a huge net and suddenly rushed towards him.
Between the two, numerous short stone figurines were scattered among them. Bu Xingjin keenly noticed that once these stone figurines came into contact with the black smoke, they began to sizzle as if they were corroded.
Not wanting to be caught in the black smoke, Bu Xingjin retreated swiftly. The narrow chamber allowed him to touch the stone wall in a matter of moments. As he retreated, the wind blades he shot out, upon contact with the black smoke, were like water droplets on a lake, creating a faint ripple that instantly dissipated.
Even if he didn't die instantly after being enveloped by the black smoke, his vitality would be severely damaged. In this life-or-death situation, he suddenly transformed into his original form. His Jindan stage cultivation had greatly increased the toughness of his blades, making them comparable to rocks. However, contact with the black smoke was still something to be avoided. Bu Xingjin seized the opportunity, gliding nimbly along the ground, narrowly avoiding the smoke's attack. Then, in an instant, he transformed back into his human form and sprinted towards the tomb's entrance.
The black smoke missed its target, and then surged and raged, quickly chasing after Bu Xingjin.
At that moment, the top of the tomb was like a mirror shattered by an endless force, and a crack quietly appeared. As time passed, the crack gradually widened, making a crackling sound, as if something was constantly knocking on it.
The black smoke paused, its gaze fixed on the obvious crack in the air, its heart filled with disbelief. If it could speak, it would have flatly denied the terrifying scene it had witnessed—the illusion it had carefully woven had been shattered from without.
Fragments fell, and a huge hole appeared in the air above the tomb, through which light shone. With a flash of golden light, Qing Yan and the little turtle slowly emerged from the dark tomb.
Qing Yan was left behind to stop the black smoke, and the little turtle instantly appeared in front of Bu Xingjin who was running fast, without noticing that there was no black smoke chasing him from behind.
"Stop, there's no need..." Before the little turtle could finish his words, he was bumped by Bu Xingjin, who was running with his head down and didn't see him suddenly appear.
"Oh my god! What is that?" Bu Xingjin felt a sharp pain and instantly lost his balance. He flew backwards like an arrow.
"Bang!" Bu Xingjin fell heavily to the ground. He quickly got up and looked, only to find that it was the little turtle that had disappeared for a long time that had bumped into him. Bu Xingjin, who had originally thought that he was unlucky and had accidentally bumped into an obstacle in the tomb, suddenly felt happy.
"Senior, you are finally here." Bu Xingjin ran towards the little turtle in ecstasy, and in an instant, his nervous mood dissipated.
The little turtle looked at Bu Xingjin carefully, and after making sure he was not injured, he spoke up and said, "Even if you escape, you must be careful of your surroundings. If you had discovered me earlier, you wouldn't have encountered this disaster."
Bu Xingjin nodded. He decided that from now on he would always keep his eyes and ears open to avoid the embarrassing situation of accidentally bumping into someone and being knocked away.
Bu Xingjin looked around but didn't see the person he was looking for. He asked, "Senior, where is Qingyan? Aren't you guys together?"
"Over there," the little turtle gestured for Xing Jin to turn around. That was the tomb he had just escaped from the black-clad old man. At that moment, the tomb was completely silent, as if it were empty. After a while, a large amount of black smoke corroded the walls of the tomb, emanating from it and instantly enveloping Bu Xing Jin's entire space.
Bu Xingjin, who had previously been avoiding the smoke, now showed no fear. As expected, just as the black smoke was about to reach him, the little turtle exhaled lightly, emitting a large transparent bubble that formed a protective shield around Bu Xingjin. The encroaching black smoke did not harm him at all.
Bu Xingjin waited anxiously for a long while, but Qing Yan still didn't show up. Worried, he asked the little turtle, "Why isn't Qing Yan here? Only black smoke is pouring out. Could he have been harmed by the smoke?"
"Haha." As if hearing a joke, the little turtle sneered twice, then said: "A mere demon cultivator wants to kill him, it's impossible even in dreams."
"Don't worry, he'll be out soon. This black smoke doesn't mean the demon cultivator has won, but it means he's dying."
Dead? So fast, less than a cup of tea, and he hadn't even heard any major noise. Could it be that Qing Yan's attainments had reached a state of utter perfection? Bu Xingjin couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder. He had thought you were already exceptional, but he hadn't expected your strength to be so astonishing.
Just as the little turtle said, after a while Qing Yan walked out of the black smoke easily and without any injury.
Following Qing Yan's steps, the black smoke gathered again, transforming into the form of an old man in black, who fell to the ground. At this moment, he looked as if he were in deep sleep, with no trace of anything on his face, as if he had been wiped out from the soul in an instant.
Bu Xingjin gently passed through the protective shield and came to Qing Yan's side. However, before he could open his mouth, the ground suddenly began to shake violently.
Qing Yan tightly grasped Bu Xingjin's wrist, and the little turtle instantly swooped down. The fall of the illusion's master signaled its imminent collapse. Trapped within the illusion, they must escape as quickly as possible, or else they would vanish into thin air along with the crumbling illusion.
"Let's go, let's talk outside."
Qing Yan brought Bu Xingjin with him, and the little turtle followed closely behind. The two of them and the turtle flew out from the dark hole in the air above the tomb.
They came to a gray-white stone platform. About ten meters above the platform, there stood a gate that was exactly the same as the one Bu Xingjin saw when he entered the Tomb of the Immortals.
This is the real cemetery for casual cultivators.
Bu Xingjin originally thought he had entered the black-robed old man's illusion while in the corridor, but facts proved his judgment was completely wrong. As soon as he stepped into the gate of the Sanxian Tomb, he was captured by the black-robed old man's illusion.
Bu Xingjin stood on a circular stone platform less than three meters in diameter. Surrounding him was a vast expanse of open space, and he could see many similar platforms. These platforms had no guardrails, and beneath them lay a bottomless abyss.
On their platform, in addition to him, Qingyan and the little turtle, there was also an extremely finely crafted black wooden box.
"What is this?" Bu Xingjin wanted to walk over and pick it up to take a look, but was stopped by Qing Yan in time.
"That is the illusionary prison that trapped you, cleverly hidden within a black wooden box. Before it was damaged, once the box was opened, the illusion could be placed anywhere you desired. However, now that the owner of the illusion has fallen, the illusion has automatically returned to the black wooden box."
Qing Yan finished a lengthy speech expressionlessly. Then, pointing to a subtle crack on the black wooden box, he said, "This illusion has lost its original power. Later, you can reopen the box, and the collapsed illusion will reunite, transforming into a heart of illusion. With it, you can recreate another illusion."
"I see."
Bu Xingjin decided to wait until the Heart of Illusion was successfully condensed before he went to get the black wooden box.
Bu Xingjin looked around and asked, "Is this the tomb of a wandering cultivator?"
Compared to the immortal tomb he had seen in his fantasy, this place seemed to be more in line with his idea of an immortal tomb. However, he was still confused and didn't understand why so many stone platforms were set up in this immortal tomb?
If it's solely intended to prevent tomb robbery, its effectiveness might be limited. After the Nascent Soul stage, cultivators are capable of long-term flight, so this stone platform is likely only effective against cultivators with lower levels of cultivation.
"Yes. We are currently in the assessment phase. Every time you successfully pass a test, you will receive a precious reward left by the tomb owner."
"Anyone who can pass the final test and enter the center of the tomb will obtain the weapons and inheritance left by the tomb owner."
"Once you take the assessment, you cannot quit. Quitting is considered giving up. The same applies to those who fail the assessment. They will be imprisoned somewhere in the tomb until someone passes the assessment. Only then can they be granted the operating authority to the Sanxian Tomb and be released."
Qing Yan told him in detail the information he knew. After following Bu Xingjin in, he came directly to the stone platform. The moment Bu Xingjin disappeared, Qing Yan immediately noticed this and spent some time looking for the black wooden box before he was able to find the place where the illusion was.
While the little turtle managed to avoid being drawn into the illusion, it also had to control the illusion's master from the outside. He, in turn, was tasked with breaking the illusion and entering to rescue Bu Xingjin. While they were busy, the tomb master's voice echoed throughout the Sanxian Tomb, forcing him to distract himself by listening to the tomb master's announcement of the assessment rules. Even before successfully rescuing Bu Xingjin, he had already effortlessly passed a test.
Therefore, those who have never left since entering are not in danger of their lives, but are all undergoing tests in this immortal tomb?
For some reason, Bu Xingjin found it quite amusing. Then he thought, this also meant that the person Madam Zhilan wanted to save was probably alright too, and could leave after the assessment was over.
Bu Xingjin was thinking this way, not realizing that he had unknowingly spoken his thoughts out loud to himself.
"That may not be the case." Qing Yan stared at Bu Xingjin deeply. He always habitually thought of people and things in the best possible way, but reality often did not develop as he expected.
"Ah? What do you mean not necessarily?" Bu Xingjin looked at Qing Yan blankly, not knowing what he was talking about.
"If a villain passes the final assessment, he won't necessarily release everyone."
A more likely approach would be to eliminate everyone. That way, no one could reveal that he had obtained priceless treasures from the Tomb of the Lost Immortals, or even that he had gained control of the Tomb's secrets. Once people no longer dared to set foot in the Tomb, he would be able to control this mysterious tomb, disappear from sight, and then reappear in front of the world with a completely new identity.
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The author has something to say: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided me with nutrient solution between 2024-01-16 23:41:08 and 2024-01-17 23:12:19~
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated the nutrient solution: Good tea!! 10 bottles; Death String, West Wind? 2 bottles; Wind Blowing Rain Falling 1 bottle;
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