Eternal Sacred King Chapter 682 to 691
Chapter 682: Astral Dragon Sputum Lair
“Fatty, I’m here too,”
Shi Jian said with a silly smile, “Although I’m not as strong, I’ll also help you for sure.”
“Brother Fatty, we’ll help you too!”
Little fox was a sentimental person to begin with. At that moment, she raised her furry paws and cheered Little Fatty on; her voice was cute and extremely soothing.
During this period of time, she traveled with Su Zimo and witnessed many things in the world. She was no longer as shy and cowardly as before and had become much more lively.
Su Zimo chuckled. “Fatty, if you don’t mind, the seven of us brothers will stand by your side.”
“Boss, what are you talking about?”
Little Fatty rolled up his sleeves and rubbed away his tears hastily. He patted his chest soundly with his fat palm and declared, “Boss, other than that utmost treasure of the sect, you guys can have every other treasure in the tomb!”
“There’s no need for that. After all, these are items of Tomb Sect,” Su Zimo shook his head.
“You must take them all!”
Little Fatty’s eyes widened and he turned serious. “We might encounter a lot of danger along the way and there will definitely be a massacre if we come across Leng Ming. You guys deserve all the treasures in the tomb.”
Leng Ming was Little Fatty’s senior brother.
Through Little Fatty’s words, it could be seen that the two of them were not on good terms.
Su Zimo remained silent.
This was the tomb of a Conjoint Body Mighty Figure!
Furthermore, this Conjoint Body Mighty Figure was once a titular disciple – all the treasures in the tomb were definitely extremely rare!
If the dozens of diversionary tombs outside were enough to fuel everyone’s greed, how could there be a lack of amazing treasures in the actual tomb?
When he saw how Su Zimo was still hesitant, Little Fatty almost got angry. “Boss, don’t decline any further. I’m sure Leng Ming promised treasures inside the tomb to the super sect disciples that he sought help from.”
“For the two of us, the true treasure we have to get our hands on is that utmost treasure of our sect!”
“Alright,”
Su Zimo nodded. “If I come across something suitable for me, I’ll take it.”
“That’s settled then! Let’s go!”
Little Fatty cheered and withdrew a circular geomantic compass
The geomantic compass was filled with countless circles with stars, the five elements and Yin and Yang – it was as though it contained endless secrets.
Little Fatty followed the geomantic compass and verified the way before pointing to the southeast direction. “That way!”
Su Zimo and the rest followed closely behind.
After speeding for close to an hour, Little Fatty suddenly stopped and looked to the geomantic compass again. After a moment, he pointed in another direction. “This way!”
Su Zimo and the others had no objection.
Although he was strong in combat, he knew nothing in this regard.
Everyone had their specialties.
In terms of sense of direction, Su Zimo could not compare to Little Fatty.
In terms of controlling puppets and multitasking, he could not compare to Shi Jian either.
Shi Jian was honest and not very sharp. In fact, he was a little slow. However, he was appreciated by one of the five heretical doctrines, Puppet Sect, and taken in as their disciple.
In the past, Su Zimo doubted their decision for a moment.
He wondered why Puppet Sect took to Shi Jian.
However, during this journey, Shi Jian cleared that doubt of his.
One had to be able to multitask if they wanted to cultivate the art of controlling puppets.
When a person is too sharp and articulate, it’s difficult for them to multitask!
Shi Jian did not have Su Zimo try his hand on multitasking five things at one go, merely two.
He tried to have Su Zimo draw a circle and square on the ground at the same time. However, Su Zimo could not do it no matter how many times he tried and could only chuckle in exasperation.
Although he was the strongest monster incarnate in history, it did not mean that he was good at everything.
When Little Fatty was looking for the actual tomb, he was not smiling. Instead, he looked extremely serious.
Under Little Fatty’s lead, the group of them traveled through vast plains, deserts, swamps, mountains and forests...
At times, they headed east. At times, they went north. The direction was never fixed and always changed.
As Little Fatty expected, they encountered many more cave abodes along the way – there were at least 10 of them!
There were many cultivators fighting around all those tombs.
“That’s the power of a Mighty Figure from Tomb Sect,”
Su Zimo was secretly shocked. “The terrain is so complicated and there are countless diversionary tombs. Unless it was by accident, no one would be able to locate his tomb.”
However, on second thought, Su Zimo understood the reason for it as well.
The tomb should have been prepared by the Mighty Figure for the successors of Tomb Sect.
Only successors of Tomb Sect would be able to distinguish and locate the actual tomb among the diversionary tombs.
In the blink of an eye, six hours passed.
It was already late at night.
The group of them did not rest at all, traveling with twists and turns for a long time. Although the journey was long, in actual fact, they had not left the region.
Up ahead, Little Fatty suddenly stopped and looked at the geomantic compass with a deep, pensive expression.
“What’s wrong?”
When he saw Little Fatty stop for a long time, Su Zimo could not help but head up and ask.
“We’re lost,”
Little Fatty looked a little helpless and dazed.
“Ah?
Everyone was stunned.
If even Little Fatty was lost, the rest of them had even less idea of what to do.
Su Zimo took a look at the geomantic compass in Little Fatty’s hands.
Initially, there was a magnetic needle indicating the direction on the geomantic compass.
But now, the magnetic needle had gone crazy and was spinning wildly on the geomantic compass!
They could not even identify where they were at currently, let alone locate the tomb.
Su Zimo asked with a frown, “What happened to the geomantic compass?”
“I have no idea as well.”
Little Fatty said with a vexed expression, “It suddenly became like this when we arrived here.”
The moment he said that, Little Fatty’s eyes lit up as he exchanged glances with Su Zimo. The both of them blurted almost at the same time, “The tomb is here!”
Everyone looked down.
Not far away, there was a verdant mountain peak and they were surrounded by greenery as well.
There was also a small lake not far away with a little beast drinking water at the moment – everything looked serene and peaceful.
Although they deduced that the tomb was around here, nobody knew its exact location.
The spirit tiger said loudly, “Since the tomb is here, let’s smash the ground together! Sooner or later, we’ll dig out a hole!”
“No, we can’t,”
Su Zimo shook his head. “Although this region is not humongous, it’s not that small either. There’s no way of finding out how deep the tomb lies. How long are we going to dig for?”
“That’s right, the commotion will most likely attract countless cultivators before we even locate the tomb,” Qing Qing nodded in agreement.
“We must not do that!”
Little Fatty said with a solemn expression, “There must be many seals set up around this senior’s tomb! If we try to break through them forcefully, the seals might injure us instead!”
The spirit tiger shuddered when he heard that and no longer dared to offer any suggestions.
If they triggered the seal of a Conjoint Body Mighty Figure, they might not survive even if they had ten lives.
Little Fatty looked up into the skies and his eyes flashed with a gradual realization.
“I’ve got it!”
A moment later, he leaped up in joy. “This is the legendary Astral Dragon Sputum Lair[1]... !”
[1] According to legend, dragon saliva is extremely precious
Chapter 683: Utterly Shameless
Shi Jian asked with curiosity, “What’s the Astral Dragon Sputum Lair?”
Little Fatty beamed widely and became more excited the more he thought about it. “It’s a burial method from the ancient era that has been lost for a long time. To think that this senior would have set it up.”
Gradually, Little Fatty calmed down from his excitement and asked, “Do you guys remember the dozens of diversionary cave abodes we came across?”
Everyone nodded.
Little Fatty chuckled. “Although those dozens of diversionary cave abodes were merely distractions, they are in fact a large part of this tomb’s formation! Or rather, they are the key to locating the tomb!”
“These dozens of diversionary tombs align to dozens of stars up in the skies. Although they seem messy, they form the network of a dragon’s veins. This is the dragon vein that is mentioned by Tomb Sect!”
There were two types of dragon veins – the first was made by nature and the second was man-made.
A dragon vein can be used to gather fortune as well as alter Feng Shui. It is extremely mysterious and it’s almost impossibly difficult for anyone to create a man-made dragon vein.
Ordinary cultivators would not be able to identify a dragon vein.
However, legacy disciples of Tomb Sect could sense the presence of a dragon vein and can even make use of its power to kill their opponents – it was incredibly amazing!
Everyone followed Little Fatty’s gaze and looked upwards.
Right now, the skies were dark.
Stars dotted the heavens.
Above the region they were at, dozens of stars shone with a particular brightness, flickering in tandem with the dozens of diversionary tombs on the surface as though they had a mysterious connection.
Although the stars seemed like they were in a chaotic order, if one were to connect them through a particular order, the shape of a dragon vein could be seen!
A dragon’s tail, claws, head, body – everything was present!
Su Zimo closed his eyes and was able to visualize a gigantic dragon with magnificent horns hovering in the firmaments, looking down at the world with a cold indifference!
Suddenly, Su Zimo felt a sensation in his body and his blood qi surged, as though it was resonating in a faint manner with the gigantic dragon up in the firmaments.
He shuddered and opened his eyes.
That feeling went as quickly as it came.
Su Zimo did not think too much about it and merely assumed that it was a change brought along with his cultivation of the Ancient Dragonification Art.
After pondering for a long time, Little Fatty blurted as though he thought of something, “I’ve got it!”
“What?”
Everyone turned to him with curious looks in their eyes.
He said slowly, “The reason why this tomb has been buried for such a long time and only appeared now was because... this dragon vein was only just formed!”
“Dragon veins are almost entirely made by nature. It’s not so easy making one artificially.”
“This senior of Tomb Sect laid down the Astral Dragon Sputum Lair to connect Heaven and Earth, drawing in the power of the stars into this place so as to gather fortune from the universe to form the dragon vein. Eventually, the dragon vein was finally formed in this era!”
Shi Jian could not help but ask, “When did that senior pass on?”
Little Fatty replied darkly, “At least dozens of thousands of years ago!”
“Ah!”
Everyone was dumbfounded with shock in their eyes.
“That’s incredible,”
Su Zimo lamented internally, secretly in awe.
Using an ancient secret skill to connect the Heaven and Earth in order to form a dragon vein and pass down a legacy after dozens of thousands of years!
Although this Mighty Figure of Tomb Sect did not manage to advance to the Mahayana realm, his methods could be considered as divinely!
“Brother Fatty, what did you mean by the Dragon Sputum Lair?” Little fox blinked her large, clear eyes and asked curiously.
The spirit tiger urged as well, “Fatty, so where is the entrance to the tomb after everything you said?”
He was anxious to enter the tomb and see if he could get a few treasures.
Noticing the spirit tiger’s intentions, Qing Qing glared at him with a warning look.
Su Zimo smiled gently.
After all, Qing Qing had been in Ethereal Peak for a long time and knew more about manners.
While Little Fatty made the promise that they could take anything they wanted from the treasures in the tomb, this was still a tomb of a Mighty Figure of Tomb Sect after all.
It would be greedy of them if they were to just stuff anything they saw that was good into their storage bags.
Furthermore, none of them knew the situation within the tomb right now.
With his intentions seen through, the spirit tiger looked embarrassed and coughed gently to hide his awkwardness.
Little Fatty pointed to the lake not far away. “If I’m not wrong, the entrance to the tomb is that lake!”
“Beneath the lake?”
The Golden Lion asked with disbelief.
The lake looked unassuming with dirty waters – there was nothing special about it.
Little Fatty pointed up into the skies. “Check out the direction of the dragon vein.”
Everyone raised their heads.
Little Fatty continued, “That’s the dragon’s tail and that’s the dragon’s body. When we continue up, the dozens of stars that are clustered together more tightly form the dragon’s head!”
“At the lower end of the head is the mouth where sputum is produced. This lake corresponds to the dragon’s sputum directly!”
Everyone was enlightened.
Shi Jian was the only one who shook his head with a confused expression. “I’m still unable to understand. I’ll just tag along with you guys.”
“Follow me!”
Little Fatty waved and pointed to the lake not far away, leading the way.
When they approached the lake, everyone started noticing something unusual.
The surface of the lake was cold and ghastly!
Little fox could not help but shudder.
She hid behind Su Zimo and secretly tugged his sleeves.
Su Zimo glanced sideways.
Little fox looked up, revealing her tender neck as she gazed at him with widened, pitiable eyes. Although she was clearly afraid, she bit her cherry lips and did not say anything.
Su Zimo let out a smile – he naturally knew what was on little fox’s mind.
“Come on in, but just this once,”
Su Zimo smiled and nodded.
Little fox snickered and transformed into her true form.
A fiery-red fox waved its furry tail and climbed up Su Zimo’s leg into his embrace in an experienced manner. She only stuck her petite head outside, blinking her huge eyes in a beautiful manner.
The moment she scurried into Su Zimo’s embrace, she felt a sense of warmth.
The chilling aura of the lake vanished instantly!
Su Zimo’s body was like a gigantic cauldron that was warm – she almost wanted to take a nap if they weren’t about to enter the tomb.
When he saw that, the spirit tiger’s eyes darted as a thought struck his mind. Puffing his chest, he walked beside Qing Qing and declared courageously, “Qing Qing, don’t be afraid. Hu Batian’s chest will warm you up! Hurry and come scurry in too!”
As he said that, the spirit tiger bared his chest and revealed chest hair with rows of black and yellow...
Monkey rolled its eyes.
Little fox exclaimed and chuckled.
“F*ck, is this guy for real?”
The Golden Lion frowned and his jaws nearly dropped to the floor.
Qing Qing’s face was steely dark as she clenched her fists, snarling, “Get lost!”
The spirit tiger scratched his head and his naughty eyes darted towards Qing Qing’s puffed up chest, muttering, “Qing Qing, it’s fine if you don’t like this. How about you bare your chest for me to scurry inside instead?”
Silence overwhelmed their surroundings.
The Golden Lion roared internally, “I’ve never seen anyone so utterly shameless before!”
Without a second word, Qing Qing raised her legs and kicked the spirit tiger viciously on the bum!
Thud!
The spirit tiger was instantly sent flying into the lake, looking extremely wretched.
Everyone roared in laughter.
The eerie atmosphere from earlier on lightened significantly as well.
Little Fatty waved his arm. “Come, let’s head in too!”
Chapter 684: Ancient Frost Crocodile
All of them were Golden Cores.
After entering the water, monkey and the others circulated their Inner Cores and released demonic qi, forming light barriers around them to keep the lake water out.
Little Fatty and Shi Jian released spirit energy to form a barrier so that they could breathe with ease as well.
It was dark beneath the lake.
The lake water was extremely dirty. Although Su Zimo’s eyes were sharp, they could not see through material obstructions – his vision right now was not great either with the filth in the water blocking his sights.
Su Zimo was extremely cautious and looked on keenly while twitching his ears, not daring to be careless.
Although they had verified the location of the tomb, nobody knew what was in the lake.
This dimension of the ancient battlefield had existed for a long time and it would not be surprising if any monster was born in that ghastly lake.
Furthermore, up till now, they had not found any traces of Leng Ming, Little Fatty’s senior brother.
Nobody knew if he had arrived here before them!
With little fox in Su Zimo’s embrace, the remaining seven of them formed a circle with Qing Qing in the middle before sinking gradually.
The water was cold when they just entered. However, everyone’s cultivation realm was high and they could endure it.
The deeper they dove, the colder the water became. In fact, it was so chilling that it showed signs of penetrating the demonic qi and spirit energy barriers!
Not only that, the water pressure in the surrounding intensified the deeper they went.
Right now, apart from Su Zimo, even monkey experienced waves of pressure and difficulties in breathing.
“This lake seems unassuming, but it’s actually so deep?” The spirit tiger was secretly shocked.
Frowning, monkey asked, “How deep are we now?”
Su Zimo said darkly, “We’re more than three thousand feet down now!”
That meant that they were a kilometer down!
The pressure of the water a kilometer down was shockingly strong. Ordinary Golden Cores would die bleeding from all orifices by the time they reached this point.
Furthermore, there was a piercing chill everywhere in the water!
The spirit tiger lamented with relief internally.
If they had smashed the ground as he had suggested, they would have found this place even if they spent an entire year smashing.
The water was dirty and it was pitch-black underneath, resembling an eerie endless abyss that was waiting for them to jump in on their own accord.
The surrounding pressure was intensifying. Apart from Su Zimo who could still maintain his composure, the demonic qi and spirit energy around everyone else had started shrinking.
The Golden Lion was a little worried.
Where would be the end if they continued as such?
Even Su Zimo would not be able to withstand it if they sank another kilometer down and explode to death!
“How much further is it?”
The Golden Lion panted with breathing difficulties.
Su Zimo shook his head.
Even his senses were suppressed firmly given the environment.
He said deeply, “If we still don’t reach the bottom of the lake a while longer, you guys can head up first. I’ll continue alone to check things out.”
Little Fatty waved it off with his forehead filled with sweat. Already unable to speak, he patted his storage bag and withdrew an azure bead.
The bead was the size of an infant’s fist and swirled with an azure current, illuminating a beautiful glow.
The moment that bead was taken out, it emanated a mysterious energy that pushed away the water around the nine of them, forming an azure barrier of light with a huge space that could fit dozens of people!
The light barrier did not only suppress the pressure of the water, but also filtered more than half of the chilling aura in the water.
Everyone was invigorated and heaved a breath of relief instinctively.
Su Zimo’s eyes lit up. “Anti-Water Bead?”
Anti-Water Beads were mostly refined from the Inner Cores of river or ocean demons.
The fact that this Anti-Water Bead could have the strength to create such a huge barrier a kilometer down meant that it was definitely made from the Inner Core of an ocean demon!
It was extremely hard for cultivators that lived on land to obtain the Inner Cores of ocean demons.
In Tianhuang Mainland, there were three deep oceans with a myriad of demon races in them. Coupled with the unique environment, most cultivators and demons that lived on land could not enter them with ease.
The three oceans took up three of the eight demon regions!
“Brother Fatty, you’re amazing!”
Little fox was sprawled in Su Zimo’s embrace and stuck her head out, clapping her paws merrily.
Shi Jian grumbled, “Why didn’t you take out such an amazing treasure earlier? I could barely breathe! A little longer and I would have fainted.”
“There’s already a crack on this Anti-Water Bead and it won’t last much longer. I can only take it out at the most critical juncture,” Little Fatty explained as he wiped the sweat on his forehead.
In truth, he had no confidence either.
If they did not manage to reach the bottom of the lake by the time the Anti-Water Bead was destroyed, their expedition would be a complete failure.
Suddenly, Su Zimo’s expression changed as he warned everyone hurriedly, “Watch out!”
Not far away, the water currents shifted, as though a gargantuan creature was headed towards them!
The others were not as sharp as him and by the time they realized, a massive shadow had already shrouded them!
Boom!
The shadow clashed against the barrier of the Anti-Water Bead violently, causing everyone to tremble.
Instantly, another crack appeared on the Anti-Water Bead!
Little Fatty’s face turned frightfully pale.
If things continued the way it was, it would take less than 10 attacks for the Anti-Water Bead to be destroyed!
Everyone turned their gazes over.
Outside the light barrier, there was a massive demon beast that was silver-white all over and had a menacing gaze. It emanated a chilling aura and bore sharp teeth that resembled daggers!
“Ancient Frost Crocodile!”
The Golden Lion’s expression was terrible. “Legend has it that this Frost Crocodile lives deep in the seas where it’s coldest and is extremely violent. They’ve gone extinct in Tianhuang Mainland a long time ago. To think that one of them would be in this lake!”
The moment he said that, the water on the other side rumbled.
Another shadow enveloped them!
It was another Ancient Frost Crocodile!
In less than three breaths, two Ancient Frost Crocodiles could shatter the barrier of the Anti-Water Bead!
“You guys take care! I’ll head out!”
Su Zimo had a cold expression and with that said, he darted out of the Anti-Water Bead’s barrier in a flash!
At that moment, they were a kilometer deep in the water. Notwithstanding the piercing chilling aura of the lake, the pressure alone could kill most living beings!
The reason why the Ancient Frost Crocodiles could move about so freely at this depth was because they were not weak and at the same time, this was the place they first lived in.
Their bodies were formed after countless years of evolution and they had long adapted to their surroundings.
At that moment, monkey and the others could not leave the protection of the Anti-Water Bead and could only look at everything from within the barrier!
The Inner Core in Su Zimo’s chest circulated wildly and his blood qi surged with a terrifying might – even the water in the surroundings was affected!
“Om!”
Before his sentence was finished, a blood-colored saber had already appeared in Su Zimo’s hands!
Blood Quencher trembled and shone brightly, bursting forth with a massive blood beam!
In the lake, Su Zimo wielded Blood Quencher and his black hair danced while his eyes shone brightly.
A rumbling demonic qi surged out of his nose and mouth. Even against the crushing waters of the lake, he was unyielding like an unquestionable divine being!
As though they were agitated, the two Ancient Frost Crocodiles roared in rage and abandoned the Anti-Water Bead before them, charging towards Su Zimo instead.
Chapter 685: Boiling Water
The two Ancient Frost Crocodiles seemed to be able to sense the strength of Su Zimo the intruder and they did not hold back, releasing their Inner Cores immediately!
Instantly, the temperature of the lake dipped!
The Inner Core was like an ice-cube shrouded with thick demonic qi, emitting an endless frost.
The chilling aura shot over and a layer of frost formed over Su Zimo’s body.
In the blink of an eye, ice crystals extended from his limbs to his entire body and finally his head. They covered everything and stacked layer over layer thickly!
The chilling aura was so intense, ferocious and terrifying that it froze the demonic qi Su Zimo conjured around his surroundings!
Everyone in the barrier of the Anti-Water Bead became nervous.
Although they were protected by the barrier, they could sense the chilling aura.
Given the environment, any external living beings that arrived at this extremely cold place, no matter if they were cultivators, demon beasts of land or the deep oceans, their combat strength would be diminished!
It would be considered good if they could even retain half of their original combat strength.
As for Ancient Frost Crocodiles, because they lived here, they could unleash their maximum potential!
Given the severe disadvantages he faced, everyone was not confident whether Su Zimo could defend against the attacks of the two Ancient Frost Crocodiles.
One of the Ancient Frost Crocodiles swiped its tail. Although it had a massive body, it was unusually agile in the lake with a shocking speed and it arrived before Su Zimo instantly!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Suddenly, cracking sounds echoed from within Su Zimo’s body!
Cracks started appearing on that humanoid ice statue!
Boom!
Immediately after, there was an explosion!
Right in front of monkey and the others, a huge figure burst forth from the ice crystals and soared into the skies. His tendons and bones echoed at the same time and his blood qi soared!
In the blink of an eye, Su Zimo’s body expanded to a height of a hundred feet and his black hair danced. In the dirty lake waters, his eyes were frighteningly bright and he resembled a towering divine being!
The two Ancient Frost Crocodiles were much stronger than Su Zimo had imagined.
When he circulated his Inner Core, his blood qi surged and his body was like a cauldron. Despite that, the two Ancient Frost Crocodiles could freeze him!
Right now, he was no longer holding back and the power of his blood qi and Inner Core was released entirely!
Swash!
Su Zimo gripped Blood Quencher tightly glared at the Ancient Frost Crocodile that was charging towards him before slashing forward!
A series of ripples spread through the lake. Although they seemed gentle, they possessed a terrifying killing intent!
The Ancient Frost Crocodile was smart. When it saw that it was unable to dodge in time, it channeled the power of its Inner Core wildly and formed an invisible ice wall before itself!
Crack!
The ripples struck the ice wall.
Immediately after, another ice wall rose!
The ice wall thickened continuously.
Continuing forward, the ripples shattered ice wall after ice wall. Finally, at the seventh ice wall, the power released by the slash was completely dissipated!
“Not bad,”
Su Zimo nodded with a flash of surprise in his eyes.
The Ripple stance was a saber stance created by the Saber Emperor. That slash possessed the power of ‘force’ and was something that most demon beasts wouldn’t be able to defend against.
However, it was clear that the Ancient Frost Crocodile was rather capable since it could go unscathed against the Ripple stance.
Another Ancient Frost Crocodile seized the opportunity to rush forward murderously.
“Slash!”
Su Zimo stood where he was motionlessly and attacked once more.
Swoosh!
Countercurrent was released!
In that lake, not only would there be no sluggishness in the saber stances of the Sea Calming Manual, they could even be released to their full potential!
Countercurrent was the stance with the greatest power in the Sea Calming Manual.
Against that slash, the Ancient Frost Crocodile did not dodge or avoid at all. Instead, it lunged forward and spat out its chilling Inner Core in front of itself!
Clang!
The demonic qi released by the Inner Core formed a shield of ice.
When Blood Quencher struck the shield, the shield exploded instantly – it could not defend against the sharpness of Blood Quencher and the power of Countercurrent!
The Inner Core was repelled. It dimmed significantly as the Ancient Frost Crocodile devoured it back into its stomach.
Blood Quencher descended.
The eyes of the Ancient Frost Crocodile were extremely calm without any trace of panic, as though it had already expected everything. It opened its mouth and bit Blood Quencher!
Head-on!
This Ancient Frost Crocodile chose to take on a connate spirit weapon head-on!
Su Zimo’s gaze turned cold and the blood beam on his saber intensified.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
That single slash severed close to a hundred of the Ancient Frost Crocodile’s sharp teeth!
The remaining few hundred teeth were loosened as well as blood seeped out from its mouth, dying the lake waters red.
However, the Ancient Frost Crocodile’s mouth was lined with sharp fangs that crossed in a zig-zag manner like a valley of swords.
The depletion of the power of Su Zimo’s slash caused Blood Quencher to be jammed in that mouth of sharp fangs!
“Watch out!”
Qing Qing and the others yelled nervously and pointed to Su Zimo’s back from within the Anti-Water Bead barrier.
A dark shadow blanketed over Su Zimo’s head.
Behind him, another Ancient Frost Crocodile surged over with a widened mouth, devouring Su Zimo who was a hundred feet tall in a single mouthful!
At that moment, Su Zimo finally understood why the Ancient Frost Crocodile at the start wanted to take his attack head-on.
Both Ancient Frost Crocodiles sensed his strength and one of them wanted to open up an opportunity for its partner regardless of how severely it would get injured!
“Boss!”
“Brother Su!”
Little Fatty and Shi Jian yelled and in a moment of impulse, wanted to charge out of the Anti-Water Bead barrier.
“Don’t go out first!”
A tall figure blocked the two of them. He glared at the Ancient Frost Crocodile outside with a flickering scarlet glint and said in a deep, hoarse voice.
Monkey said, “Let’s wait first.”
Among the group, monkey and the spirit tiger had been through many fights with Su Zimo in the ancient battlefield and understood his strength best.
Although Little Fatty and Shi Jian had not seen Su Zimo for many years, their impression of him was the same as it was 20 years ago.
In the lake.
After devouring Su Zimo, the Ancient Frost Crocodile floated in its original spot quietly and motionlessly, as though it was trying to feel something.
A moment later, it suddenly opened its mouth and let out a tragic shriek – its eyes were filled with endless pain!
Right in front of everyone, the water current that flowed out of the Ancient Frost Crocodile’s mouth burned with a thin layer of flames!
Swish!
A blazing flame ignited from within the Ancient Frost Crocodile’s body and covered it instantly, turning that massive body transparent from the heat!
Within the Ancient Frost Crocodile’s body, a faint figure of a dragon-like gigantic beast could be seen, spreading its wings and roaring into the skies with lava gushing out of its mouth.
“Ah!”
Little Fatty came to a realization and yelled, “That’s the legendary Primordial Soaring Serpent!”
“Not bad,”
Monkey and the others nodded.
The Ancient Frost Crocodile belonged to the extreme end of the cold spectrum while the Soaring Serpent was a divine being of the flames and belonged on the extreme end of the heat spectrum.
The difference between cold and hot produced an intense reaction in the Ancient Frost Crocodile’s body that resulted in a destructive power.
In less than a few breaths, the Frost Crocodile’s life was wiped away entirely!
Su Zimo broke out with a phantom of the Primordial Su Zimo behind his back, standing among the blazing flames with a torrential aura!
The lake water that was initially piercingly cold had already started to bubble with heat.
The lake was now boiling!Chapter 686: Nine Palace Diagram
Little Fatty and Shi Jian’s eyes widened with disbelief.
Those means were far from the legendary divine powers of being able to incinerate the heavens and boiling the oceans. At best, it could only be boiling a lake. However, the visual impact caused by the scene was way too shocking!
Fear filled the eyes of the other Ancient Frost Crocodile and it turned to flee.
“Go!”
Su Zimo raised his arm and pointed forward.
The Primordial Soaring Serpent behind him spread its wings and tore through the layers of waves, causing the lake to bubble and boil everywhere it passed.
Almost instantly, the Soaring Serpent arrived above the Ancient Frost Crocodile and devoured it in a single mouthful!
Swoosh!
The Ancient Frost Crocodile struggled and howled miserably within the stomach of the Soaring Serpent, causing endless flames to surge inside and outside of the latter’s body. Before long, it was burned into ashes that scattered across the lake.
No matter how violent the Ancient Frost Crocodile was or how strong of a bloodline it possessed, it could not do anything against the presence of a Primordial Soaring Serpent!
The Soaring Serpent was a divine being of the flames. Back in the primordial era, it would even dare to roam the deep oceans, let alone a puny lake as such.
Everyone in the Anti-Water Bead’s barrier heaved a sigh of relief.
Without the threat of the Ancient Frost Crocodile, the Anti-Water Bead could still hold out for a period of time.
Suddenly, something moved in water currents in the depths of the lake!
Everyone in the Anti-Water Bead was unnerved once again, gazing around with widened eyes.
It was as though their dive into the lake had alerted a certain life-form within it!
The movement intensified and came from all directions!
However, the strange thing was that no matter how they tried, they could not detect any signs of life – all they could see was the water currents surging towards the Anti-Water Bead barrier!
Su Zimo’s spirit perception was strong and he had naturally noticed danger a long time ago.
However, even with his powerful vision, he could not identify the origin of that danger!
Psst! Psst!
The Primordial Soaring Serpent reared its head and hissed, surveying the surroundings with its cold eyes in a warning manner.
Swoosh!
Opening its mouth, the Primordial Soaring Serpent spewed out scorching lava that surged into the waters.
“Squeak, squeak!”
Suddenly, a strange sound could be heard from the waters in front of them, as though some living being was screeching!
Su Zimo focused his gaze.
Within the lake, there were countless thick and thin arms that came from long fish demons who were howling and screaming. Their gaping mouths were lined with sharp teeth that shimmered with a cold glint!
The bodies of those fish demons were almost transparent and it was difficult to identify them as they moved through the water.
If not for the scarlet lava blazing on their bodies, even Su Zimo would have difficulties identifying their existences!
“Bloodthirsty Silverfishes!”
Su Zimo was alarmed.
Bloodthirsty Silverfishes and the Soaring Serpent were both beings of the primordial era. The former was violent, bloodthirsty and chewed through every single thing they came across – they were ferocious beasts that were irrational and showed no fear!
The most frightening thing was that Bloodthirsty Silverfishes moved in schools!
At any moment, hundreds or thousands of Bloodthirsty Silverfishes could appear!
Life was devoid everywhere they passed, leaving nothing but corpses in their wake!
Even a perfect spirit weapon would be shredded into shards by the Bloodthirsty Silverfishes, let alone bodies of flesh.
In the deep oceans back in the primordial era, even the strongest demons within would stay away when they encountered Bloodthirsty Silverfishes.
Su Zimo had not expected that he would lure out these bloodthirsty things after summoning the Primordial Soaring Serpent!
In the eyes of the Bloodthirsty Silverfishes, it did not matter if they were facing the Soaring Serpent or Divine Turtle – they lunged at everything that showed signs of life!
“Squeak, squeak!”
Many Bloodthirsty Silverfishes were burned to death by the lava the Soaring Serpent spewed.
However, many more Bloodthirsty Silverfishes surged forward and gnawed at Su Zimo’s Golden Core phenomenon relentlessly!
A small portion of the Bloodthirsty Silverfishes swam to where monkey and the others were and started attacking the barrier of the Anti-Water Bead!
The barrier showed signs of dissipation.
Another crack appeared on the Anti-Water Bead!
Su Zimo channeled his spirit energy to control his Golden Core phenomenon, purging away the Bloodthirsty Silverfishes nearby the Anti-Water Bead as he shouted, “Hurry and head down! The bottom of the lake is right below! See if you can locate the entrance of the tomb!”
During his fight with the Ancient Frost Crocodile earlier on, Su Zimo’s body expanded to a height of a hundred feet and his feet touched the bottom of the lake – that was how he knew they were close.
Everyone’s eyes lit up and hope reignited in their hearts.
Buzz! Buzz!
More Bloodthirsty Silverfishes surged forward and chewed at Su Zimo’s Golden Core phenomenon.
The glow of the Primordial Soaring Serpent had already started to diminish.
The Golden Core phenomenon was on the verge of dissipating!
After all, this was a phenomenon created by spirit energy and was not the true body of the Soaring Serpent – even the Soaring Serpent phenomenon was showing signs of defeat against the relentless bites of the Bloodthirsty Silverfishes!
“I see it!”
Right then, Little Fatty’s voice echoed excitedly from the bottom of the lake.
On the west of the bottom of the lake, there was an obvious semicircular entrance to the tomb with a width 20 feet apart and height 50 feet tall. Although tens of thousands of years had passed, it still looked extremely majestic!
Little Fatty maneuvered the Anti-Water Bead and advanced towards the tomb.
There was a gigantic stone door at the tomb’s entrance with no handle on it.
“Let me try and lift this stone door up!”
The spirit tiger declared bravely.
Qing Qing glared at the spirit tiger and scolded, “Stand at the side! Don’t interfere blindly if you don’t wish to die!”
With that, Qing Qing turned to look at Little Fatty.
The spirit tiger glanced over instinctively as well.
Little Fatty was standing on the spot, glaring at the ground on the tomb’s entrance motionlessly as though he was in a trance.
He had a grim expression that did not look good.
A lattice diagram was etched on the ground at the entrance of the tomb with nine identical squares – it looked extremely mysterious.
The spirit tiger felt a sense of trepidation.
It was obviously a seal that was left behind by the owner of the tomb. If he had barged in forcefully earlier on, he might have already triggered the seal and died on the spot!
“Don’t worry, I’ll hold back these silverfishes! Hurry and try to dispel it as soon as possible!”
Su Zimo’s back was facing the group as he fought against the Bloodthirsty Silverfishes before him, trying his best to fight for time for Little Fatty.
Little Fatty’s gaze shimmered with a wise look in his eyes.
His brains were churning furiously!
Although the diagram before them seemed simple with only nine squares, an immense amount of calculation was required if they wanted to dispel the seal of the tomb master!
This Nine Palace Diagram originated from the legendary River Diagram.
The River Diagram was one of the most mysterious treasures of the primordial era!
Some people managed to comprehend cultivation techniques from the River Diagram, some managed to comprehend secret skills while others managed to comprehend formation techniques!
Rumor has it that the River Diagram contained the mysteries of the universe and the absolute truth of Heaven and Earth!
No matter what, anyone could comprehend something just by taking a look at the River Diagram.
Time slowly passed.
Su Zimo fought against the Bloodthirsty Silverfishes singlehandedly.
The Primordial Soaring Serpent phenomenon had already cracked against the fanatic attacks of the Bloodthirsty Silverfishes and could disperse at any moment.
At the back, Little Fatty was frowning in deep thought, squeezing his brain juices at every single second!
Nobody could help them.
Finally...
“It worked!”
Little Fatty’s eyes lit up.
He lifted his foot and stepped on the Nine Palace Diagram, confident in every step he took.
That seemingly clumsy and fat body of his was extremely light-footed on the Nine Palace Diagram. He tapped left and right, front and back swiftly in a dizzying manner, looking messy and unorganized.
“Open!”
Little Fatty shouted with his final step.
Bang! Boom! Boom!
The stone door rose accompanied by a massive explosion!
Chapter 687: First to Arrive
There seemed to be a mysterious energy within the tomb.
Although the entrance was open, the waters of the lake were unable to seep in.
“Hurry, let’s enter!”
Little Fatty beckoned and brought everyone in.
When he saw that, Su Zimo did not continue fighting against the Bloodthirsty Silverfishes either. He withdrew and bolted through the waters like a fish, leaving a stream of ripples in his wake.
In the blink of an eye, he had already entered the tomb.
Everyone’s eyes lit up.
Shi Jian could not help but praise, “Brother Su, your combat strength and movement techniques don’t seem to be affected even in the waters. Impressive.”
Su Zimo was puzzled regarding that as well.
Normally speaking, demon beasts or human cultivators of the land would naturally be affected in terms of combat strength and movement technique upon entering water.
After all, most demon beasts and cultivators were used to living life on land and their physical structures and habits were starkly distinct from living beings underwater.
It was impossible for them to adapt to a foreign environment underwater.
Furthermore, there was water resistance that intensified the deeper they were underwater!
However, for some unknown reason, Su Zimo could not feel that resistance when he was in the waters and adapted almost instantly.
His body seemed to be one with the waters around him.
It was as though he had grown up living underwater!
Of course, that was merely a fleeting thought for Su Zimo that he did not bother much about.
After everyone entered the tomb, the Bloodthirsty Silverfishes at the back swarmed after them. However, all of them paused in front of the Nine Palace Diagram with wary expressions and did not dare to advance.
After lingering for a moment, the Bloodthirsty Silverfishes slowly dispersed.
Bang! Boom! Boom!
Right then, the stone door descended slowly and sealed the tomb once again!
Everyone heaved a sigh of relief and surveyed their surroundings.
They were welcomed with a spacious passage that was huge and grand.
A Night Luminance Bead the size of a fist was hung on the walls on both sides, spaced a hundred feet apart.
The Night Luminance Beads illuminated the entire passage as bright as daylight!
“Wow, these are good stuff!”
The spirit tiger glared at the Night Luminance Beads above his head and almost drooled.
“Fatty, you’re quite something,”
Shi Jian thumped Little Fatty on the shoulder and praised, “You’ve truly learned many things during these years you spent in Tomb Sect!”
Whether it was his means at locating the tomb or the complex steps he took at the entrance of the tomb earlier, everyone was in awe!
If Little Fatty had not led the way, they would have never found this place even if they had a hundred years in the ancient battlefield!
Even if they managed to find it, they wouldn’t have been able to enter!
This great opportunity was given to everyone by Little Fatty.
“Fu!”
Little Fatty smiled and did not say anything.
Su Zimo furrowed his brows slightly.
Something seemed to be wrong with the way Little Fatty was acting.
Earlier on at the entrance of the tomb, Little Fatty was already stoned for a long time and had a grim expression when he looked at the Nine Palace Diagram.
Given his character, he should have been cheering a long time ago after they entered the tomb.
However, he seemed somewhat dejected at the moment.
“What’s wrong?”
Su Zimo asked, “Did something happen?”
Little Fatty grit his teeth. “We might be late.”
The moment the spirit tiger heard that, he got anxious and asked, “What do you mean by late?”
Little Fatty replied darkly, “Along the way, I did not catch sight of anything suspicious so I thought that we were the first to enter this place. However, it was clear from the Nine Palace Diagram at the entrance of the tomb that someone arrived before us!”
“Ah?
Everyone looked shocked.
Little Fatty explained, “Tens of thousands of years have passed and there should be a thick layer of dust on the ground at the entrance of the tomb. However, from the Nine Palace Diagram, it’s obvious that someone has arrived before us and wiped away the dust on the surface of the ground.”
“Even if he wiped away the dust, he might not have been able to enter this place,”
The Golden Lion said, “The Nine Palace Diagram is extremely complex. There’s only a few people in this world that can crack it.”
At that point, the Golden Lion suddenly went silent.
Everyone exchanged glances and a thought crossed their minds.
If Little Fatty could locate this place and crack the seal of the Nine Palace Diagram, this meant that there was a high chance Little Fatty’s senior brother could do the same!
Instantly, much of everyone’s joy earlier on was erased.
If Little Fatty’s senior brother had arrived first, he would definitely not leave any treasures for them – the utmost treasure of the tomb would naturally be taken away as well.
“Ugh!”
The spirit tiger sighed and murmured dejectedly, “What a wet blanket. We made the trip for nothing,”
He gazed at the Night Luminance Beads above his head. “How about removing these Night Luminance Beads? We can’t possibly leave with nothing...”
Qing Qing frowned and kicked the spirit tiger for the latter to shut his mouth.
“Your senior brother is definitely rather capable if he managed to arrive first,”
Su Zimo said darkly, “There was no blood stench or signs of any fights that happened after we entered the lake.”
“This proved that he managed to avoid the detection of the Ancient Frost Crocodile, Bloodthirsty Silverfishes and many other extinct life-forms to enter this tomb successfully!”
At that point, a vague thought flickered through Su Zimo’s mind.
However, he could not figure out what he was thinking about exactly.
Little Fatty shook his head. “I know my senior brother very well. Although he’s definitely stronger than me in combat, he isn’t at the level where he can completely avoid detection from everyone. An expert is definitely helping him out.”
“Let’s go.”
Su Zimo remarked, “Since we’re already here, we’ve got to head in no matter what. We can’t just turn and leave.”
Little Fatty took a deep breath and nodded. “Boss is right. Let’s enter!”
He walked right at the front so that he could react to any changes.
After all, he knew best about the types of traps, seals and formations in this tomb.
Su Zimo followed at the back of the group.
The passage was extremely long and although it was lit up, their surroundings were quiet and eerie with the sounds of their footsteps echoing.
Su Zimo looked increasingly grim – he had not let his guard down at all.
Little Fatty’s senior brother was much scarier than he had imagined!
He had not noticed any signs of anyone else’s presence in this place along the way.
If Little Fatty had not noticed something unusual at the entrance of the tomb, nobody would know that someone else had arrived here!
A while later, they finally arrived at the end of the passage and the place opened up.
They had arrived at a majestic and spacious chamber.
Greenish bronze coffins were placed in all four corners of the chamber and the place had a morbid aura.
The wall on the opposite end of the tomb revealed 16 passages, each dark and creepy without the light from the Night Luminance Beads.
Everyone had a vague idea of what the tomb master was up to.
The chamber before them was definitely not the main tomb – only one of the 16 passages led to the right one!
If they chose the wrong one, they might never be able to return!
Little Fatty stood where he was and calculated for a long time before pointing to the seventh passage from the left. “This way!”
With that said, he prepared himself to step into the chamber.
Su Zimo frowned slightly and said with a grim expression, “There’s something odd about this chamber. Everyone, watch out!”
Chapter 688: Mighty Figure Skeleton
Su Zimo’s spirit perception was not too useful in that morbid chamber.
However, the moment he caught sight of the chamber, he sensed danger that disappeared immediately after.
Legend has it that ancient Mighty Figures had boundless Dharmic powers and their means could even conceal heavenly secrets, let alone Su Zimo’s spirit perception!
“It’s fine, follow me,”
Little Fatty smiled and headed towards the seventh passage.
Su Zimo and the rest followed closely behind.
The spirit tiger looked around furtively.
“Boss, Fatty, the four coffins look extremely old and no one has opened them before. Let’s go and check out if there’s any treasures hidden within.”
The spirit tiger snickered.
“Don’t go!”
Su Zimo shook his head with a fierce gaze.
The spirit tiger straightened up immediately after meeting Su Zimo’s gaze and no longer dared to entertain those thoughts.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out in all four corners of the chamber!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
It was piercing and sounded as though the coffin lids were being shifted!
Click! Clack! Click!
The next moment, an even creepier sound echoed through the chamber.
Everyone subconsciously turned towards the sounds.
As though they were moved by someone, the four coffins revealed massive gaps and dense shadows crawled out from within. Like a flood, they swarmed towards everyone at an extremely fast speed!
“Carrion Beetles!”
Little fatty could not help but exclaim.
The shadows were swarms of Carrion Beetles!
Every single Carrion Beetle was dark as ink, the size of an adult’s palm and carried heavy shells on their bags. Their six scarlet legs danced and were extremely sharp. Although they had no eyes and ears, they could sense everyone’s location clearly!
Everyone’s faces turned pale.
The little fox was so scared that she hid in Su Zimo’s embrace a long time ago and did not dare to look up.
“Hurry, let’s go!”
Su Zimo shouted.
Everyone soared into the air and bolted towards the seventh passage.
The Carrion Beetles soared into the air along with them like black water currents, surging from all directions to seal all the exits!
Su Zimo was about to attack when he saw Qing Qing turn into her true form. She reared her head and screeched, churning her bloodline as the temperature around her rose rapidly!
Opening her mouth, she spewed out green flames in all directions as she turned her head!
The green flames formed an impenetrable barrier!
Although the Carrion Beetles were deadly, everything in life had a counter to them – they too had things they were fearful of.
They feared the flames of divine beings!
The flames that were released through Qing Qing’s bloodline were not ordinary flames of the mortal realm.
These were flames used by the legendary bird, Bi Fang, and were comparable to the flames of the Soaring Serpent!
The black Carrion Beetles swarm surged over and stopped instantly against the green barrier as countless Carrion Beetles screeched miserably in the flames. They fell, struggled and turned into ashes.
Everyone was invigorated.
With the flames of the Bi Fang, they could definitely break through the obstruction of the Carrion Beetles and enter the passage on the opposite end!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, loud explosions reverberated from the four corners of the chamber and a shuddering aura descended, engulfing every corner of the chamber.
Everyone shivered.
Against that aura, even the raring flames of the Bi Fang showed signs of extinguishing!
“So strong!”
Su Zimo took a deep breath. He did not have time to think as he circulated his Golden Core to its limits immediately to release his phenomenon!
Bang! Boom! Boom!
The firmament cracked opening as thunder roared and lightning flashed.
Countless stars and meteors fell with river currents surging!
A massive demon beast descended and suppressed the raging currents with its limbs, protecting everyone beneath it as it held up the broken firmament with its shell. It roared into the skies and its eyes were unyielding!
The Primordial Divine Turtle had descended!
At the same time, four powerful auras had already torn through the Carrion Beetles and the flames of the Bi Fang and arrived before everyone.
It was four sets of skeletons!
To be precise, these were four skeletons from tens of thousands of years ago!
The bones were pristine and perfect after thousands of years. This implied that the owners of the four skeletons were definitely Mighty Figures of the Conjoint Body realm in the past!
Conjoint Body Mighty Figures cultivated for tens of thousands of years and their bones were infused with their Dharmic powers such that they would not corrode.
Snap!
The skeletons were expressionless against the Primordial Divine Turtle. A sinister glint shone in their glabella as they struck together and shattered the Divine Turtle instantly.
The Golden Core phenomenon was shattered the moment it was conjured!
Although the four skeletons had lost their Dharmic powers a long time ago, the power their bones contained was enough to shatter the Golden Core phenomenon with ease!
Even a single set of skeleton was enough to kill everyone present, let alone four!
Su Zimo’s Golden Core was interconnected to the Primordial Divine Turtle. The moment it shattered, the blow caused him to spit a mouthful of blood as he hurriedly thought of a way to deal with things.
The scarlet glint in monkey’s eyes flashed furiously and it was ready to enter the berserk state at any moment.
Little Fatty seemed to be scared stiff and was thinking about something.
Everyone else had frightfully pale faces and despair in their eyes.
Against the skeletons of Mighty Figures, their powers were as insignificant as ants!
“Oh my!”
All of a sudden!
Little Fatty seemed to have recalled something and exclaimed. He bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood before chanting a complex incantation.
With the augmentation of the incantation, that mouthful of blood hovered in midair and did not disperse.
The four skeletons stopped their attacks as well.
However, the glints in their glabellas were still flickering.
The incantation was recited with increasing haste.
A thin layer of sweat filled Little Fatty’s forehead as well.
Gradually, the mouthful of blood was divided into four drops that floated to the heads of the four skeletons before descending slowly.
The glint on the glabellas of the four skeletons were gradually extinguished.
Turning back, the four skeletons returned to their coffins in the corners of the chamber and crawled within before closing the lid after themselves.
The surrounding Carrion Beetle swarms retreated slowly back into the coffins as well and disappeared before long.
Boom!
The coffins were once more.
Peace returned to the chamber.
If not for the smoking carcasses of the Carrion Beetles on the ground, it would seem as though everything that happened earlier was an illusion.
“W-What is this?”
Shi Jian was drenched in cold sweat as he panted and asked.
“The four coffins could be considered as a trump card left behind by the tomb master. If outsiders were to intrude upon this place, those existences would be alarmed and they would kill the outsiders!”
Little Fatty explained with trepidation as well.
After heaving a breath, he continued, “The incantation earlier was from the supreme classic of Tomb Sect, Astounding Dragon Sutra. It’s something that every single legacy disciple has to memorize, but nobody knows what it is used for nor have they ever used it.”
“However, master once mentioned that at a critical juncture, that incantation can be used to prove one’s identity as a disciple of Tomb Sect!”
Normally speaking, tombs of other cultivators would not have such frightening killing techniques left behind.
Naturally, there was no use for that incantation and it was useless most of the time.
However, the owner of this tomb had set down countless restrictions to ensure that his legacy is only passed down to those in Tomb Sect.
With that, there was a purpose for the incantation.
This time round, Shi Jian understood as he said with lingering fear, “No matter what, I’m never entering another tomb of Tomb Sect again.”
Suddenly, Su Zimo said, “Let’s talk about this later, Little Fatty. Hurry and locate the main tomb. Earlier on, I sensed some activity in the depths of this tomb. There are others here!”
“You mean to say...” Little Fatty’s eyes lit up.
There was a high chance that his senior brother had only arrived slightly before him and had yet to leave!
Chapter 689: Paths of Life and Death
Under Little Fatty’s lead, everyone rushed into the seventh passage.
After countless maneuvers and turns, a spot of light appeared at the front – that was clearly the end of the passage!
Everyone was invigorated and made haste.
After exiting the passage, their vision opened up and they found themselves in yet another tomb chamber.
This time round, there were eight dark passages on the other end of the chamber – it was clear that they had to make another decision.
Everyone turned in unison to Little Fatty.
He brought out the geomantic compass and oriented it according to Tomb Sect’s secret technique. When he opened it, the magnetic needle gradually stabilized and pointed towards one of the passages.
Little Fatty blurted, “This way!”
Before he finished speaking, he had already darted inside.
They arrived at yet another chamber at the end of that passage.
There were four passages on the opposite end.
Shi Jian was out of breath and speechless. “There’s really something wrong in the heads of you guys from Tomb Sect. Isn’t this way too cautious?!”
Little Fatty brought out the geomantic compass once more and received directions before long. He bolted towards the passage on the most left and everyone followed hot on his heels.
The spirit tiger shrugged his huge head and said confidently, “If I’m not wrong, at the end of this passage, there should be another chamber with two passages!”
Little Fatty nodded. “You’re right. There were a total of 32 diversionary tombs outside. Earlier on, there were 16, 8 and 4 passages so there should be 2 at the end of this passage,”
“I’m awesome, right?” The spirit tiger inched closer to Qing Qing and remarked smugly.
Qing Qing pouted her lips.
Indeed, when they exited from the passage, they were met with another chamber with two passages opposite!
Above the passage on the left was a gigantic word, ‘Life’!
Above the passage on the right was a gigantic word, ‘Death’!
The paths of life and death were right in front of them – everyone had to make a choice once again!
They turned their heads in unison towards the geomantic compass in Little Fatty’s hands.
At that moment, the magnetic needle of the geomantic compass was in complete chaos and spun wildly.
“What’s happening?” Su Zimo frowned slightly.
Little Fatty had a grim expression and said in a dark tone, “The Feng Shui of this place is chaotic and the geomantic compass is useless here. This is the final test left behind by the tomb master. One of these paths must definitely lead to the true main tomb!”
“How should we choose?” Su Zimo asked.
“I don’t know,” Little Fatty shook his head and pondered.
“Hey, aren’t you awesome? Choose one then!” Qing Qing nudged the spirit tiger’s ribs and pointed forward while whispering.
The spirit tiger coughed gently. “The path of life might not necessarily be life and the path of death might not necessarily lead to death. The two words above were left behind by the tomb master to confuse the later generations. In my opinion, the path of death is the true path to life!”
“Extreme sorrow turns to joy, life is sought in death!”
Monkey thumped the spirit tiger on the shoulder, “Not bad, perverted tiger!”
“I know, right?”
The spirit tiger raised his head.
Little Fatty had a pensive expression.
Given the tomb master’s wary nature, coupled with the series of traps and formations he set previously, there was a chance that the spirit tiger’s deduction was accurate.
The little fox hopped out of Su Zimo’s embrace and spun, transforming into a young lady. She walked towards the path of life on the left and sensed her surroundings in silence.
A moment later, she headed towards the path of death.
The moment she approached it, her expression changed and she staggered backwards instinctively.
“What’s wrong?”
Everyone swarmed forward and asked.
When they arrived at the path of death, their expressions changed as well!
Everyone smelled a strong blood stench from within. In fact, there were even howls of ghosts and wolves in the depths of the passage, as though countless living beings were struggling in misery – it was unnerving!
The passage was like a gateway to Hell!
As for the path of life, there was a spring breeze that was filled with life – it was like paradise.
It was no wonder why they were distinct paths of life and death!
Qing Qing analyzed, “There’s a high chance that there’s an actual tomb at the end of the path of life and that should be where the main tomb is.”
“That’s right, we’ve got the same idea,” The spirit tiger smirked in a pandering manner.
The Golden Lion nodded. “We can only move in reverse. This path with the torrential blood stench may very well be the true path of life.”
“It can’t be!”
Suddenly, Su Zimo shook his head and rejected everyone’s guesses.
“The auras within the passages are so obvious and clear. Why would the tomb master need to go through the hassle of adding the words life and death above their respective passages?”
Everyone was stunned.
Su Zimo was right. From that perspective, there was no need for the tomb master to leave those words behind.
Little Fatty asked, “What do you think, boss?”
Su Zimo said darkly, “Those words should be instructions left behind for the later generation by the tomb master. The passage with life is the true path to life and the other passage leads to an irreversible path of death!”
Almost everyone had overcomplicated the issue.
However, nobody thought that the path of life truly led to life while the path of death truly led to death!
Little Fatty slapped his thighs. “I trust in Boss. Let’s head down the path of life!”
“How about this,”
Su Zimo said, “I’ll head down this path with Little Fatty first and you guys can wait outside. If we don’t return within an hour...”
“There’s no need,”
Monkey waved his arm. “An additional person means an additional helping hand. Even if the end of the passage is Hell, we’ll be able to break out of it together!”
“That’s right!”
“We’ll go together!”
The spirit tiger and everyone else stood out and shouted as well.
“Alright, let’s do it then!”
Su Zimo nodded and withdrew his Blood Quencher from his storage bag, walking at the front with Little Fatty.
They were not only facing the possible dangers of the tomb – they also had to face the people who had arrived here before them!
In less than 15 minutes, a light shone at the front of the tunnel.
Everyone was invigorated.
They knew that they had chosen the right path!
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
Everyone rushed towards the front at full speed. The moment they arrived at the entrance, danger flashed through Su Zimo’s mind as he yelled, “Watch out!”
A shadow the size of a finger swept over like a spirit snake!
Blood Quencher quivered and shone brightly scarlet.
Su Zimo slashed in reverse towards the shadow!
“Hmm?”
Su Zimo’s expression changed.
He did not manage to sever the shadow with that slash!
Instead, the shadow coiled a couple loops around Blood Quencher before slithering towards Su Zimo!
Su Zimo was decisive and abandoned Blood Quencher right away. He fell to the ground and was almost one with it, slithering away like an anaconda.
Without catching sight of the attacker’s appearance, Su Zimo followed the shadow before him and threw out a punch. It transformed into a gigantic seal that descended fiercely!
That was a killing move from the Mystic Classic of the Twelve Demon Kings of the Great Wilderness!
The person wore gray robes and did not panic nor fluster. Wielding an iron ruler, the person tapped on Su Zimo’s wrist at an extremely fast speed!
“Eh?”
A puzzled look flashed through Su Zimo’s eyes.
The gray-robed cultivator’s motion looked familiar!
Chapter 690: I’ll Recognize You Even if You Turn Into Ashes
If the gigantic seal conjured by Su Zimo’s palm continued descending, his wrist would be snapped by the iron ruler in the gray-robed cultivator’s hands before the latter was even injured.
Su Zimo harrumphed coldly and his eyes shone. He switched tactics immediately and instead of punching, he opened up his fingers to grab the gray-robed cultivator’s iron ruler.
The gray-robed cultivator knew the consequences of this as well – his iron ruler would definitely be snatched away if Su Zimo got his hands on it.
Swash!
Retracting his attack right away, the gray-robed cultivator retreated.
Su Zimo had expected that. After missing, he strode forward and threw a punch!
The gray-robed cultivator’s other hand was nimble and swiftly conjured a massive chessboard in his palm, using it to defend.
The spirit art was extremely domineering. The moment the chessboard appeared, almost all the spirit qi in the surrounding was absorbed completely!
Boom!
Su Zimo’s fist collided heavily against the chessboard and let out a resounding bang!
Snap!
The chessboard shattered.
The gray-robed cultivator staggered a few steps back but was not injured.
There were few cultivators who could defend against a full-powered frontal attack from Su Zimo!
Shrugging his arm that was growing numb, the gray-robed cultivator looked up at Su Zimo. Suddenly, his expression changed as he exclaimed, “It’s you?!”
Su Zimo was motionless and did not continue with his attacks. He glared at the gray-robed cultivator on the opposite end with bright eyes.
The gray-robed cultivator was slightly rotund and had ordinary features. He wielded an iron ruler but there were no sect badges or tokens on him.
Su Zimo raised his brow and asked with a narrowed gaze, “You know me?”
“Humph!”
The gray-robed cultivator avoided Su Zimo’s gaze and harrumphed.
Footsteps sounded.
Monkey and the others had already rushed up and surrounded the gray-robed cultivator with unfriendly, fierce gazes.
Little Fatty rushed over with an imposing aura.
The moment he caught sight of the gray-robed cultivator, Little Fatty froze for a moment before asking with a confused look on his face, “Who are you?”
“Ow?”
The spirit tiger was even more stunned. “Isn’t this guy your senior brother, the guy named Leng Ming?”
“No,”
Little Fatty shook his head.
The Golden Lion asked, “How did he enter this place if he’s not your senior brother? This man managed to get through the Ancient Frost Crocodiles, the Bloodthirsty Silverfishes, unravel the Nine Palace Diagram and chose all the right passages to get to this place?”
Little Fatty was extremely puzzled as well.
Monkey waved it off and remarked casually, “No matter who he is, let’s just kill him and there won’t be any problems anymore!”
The gray-robed cultivator jolted in shock.
“Don’t attack first,”
Little Fatty held back monkey and sized up the gray-robed cultivator. He asked in an unfriendly manner with widened eyes, “You know how to unravel the Nine Palace Diagram?”
“I could unravel something as simple as that when I was eight years old!” The gray-robed cultivator pouted his lips in disdain.
“Oh my!”
The spirit tiger sneered and cursed internally, “This guy that’s on the brink of death is even more arrogant than me!”
Little Fatty was indignant but he did not know how to refute.
After all, this person managed to enter this place before him.
Clenching his teeth, Little Fatty asked spitefully, “How did you find this place?”
“Astral Dragon Sputum Lair? Something as easy as this can’t be hidden from me,” The gray-robed cultivator replied nonchalantly.
Repressing the anger in his heart, Little Fatty panted and asked again, “Only disciples of Tomb Sect are able to pass through the first chamber. How did you manage to get through it?”
“I walked through it of course,”
The gray-robed cultivator snickered with mocking eyes. “Don’t tell me that you’re so stupid that you went to alarm the four coffins in the corners?”
“F*ck...!”
Little Fatty was fuming internally!
Although he had asked many questions, he did not get any answers.
They still knew nothing about the background of this gray-robed cultivator.
They had no clue how this person managed to get in as well.
Su Zimo patted Little Fatty on the shoulder and gestured for the latter to retreat. Turning to the gray-robed cultivator not far away, he asked again with a fake smile, “You know me?”
The gray-robed cultivator rolled his eyes and pouted. “The great monster incarnate of Divine Phoenix Island who annihilated Glass Palace in the ancient battlefield, the one who has a double phenomenon, Su Zimo. Who doesn’t know you?”
“Ok,”
Su Zimo retracted his smile and said indifferently with a cold expression, “Since you know that much, all the more I can’t let you go.”
“Hey!”
The moment the gray-robed cultivator heard that, he panicked. “What are you talking about? We don’t have any deep feud between us and I only wandered into this place by accident. I didn’t lay my hands on anything in this tomb. Why are you trying to kill me?”
This main tomb was extremely huge – it was like a gigantic palace!
There were many things arranged neatly in the palace filled with dust – indeed, they did not seem like they had been touched.
Little Fatty had a hesitant expression.
He could not bring himself to kill this person just because he wandered into this tomb.
Su Zimo was expressionless and his eyes were filled with cold killing intent. “There’s no other way. Since you know so many things, I have to kill you!”
“Fuc-”
The gray-robed cultivator nearly cursed.
When he saw how worked up the gray-robed cultivator was, Su Zimo was delighted and greeted with a wide beam, “Long time no see, Lin Xuanji!”
“Ow?”
Monkey and the others were initially prepared to attack but when they heard that, they were all stunned.
A nervous look flashed through the gray-robed cultivator’s eyes as he looked all around, asking pretentiously with a lost expression, “Who are you talking to, fellow Daoist?”
Su Zimo smiled coldly. “Lin Xuanji, stop pretending!”
The gray-robed cultivator’s expression changed. A moment later, he reached out and removed an extremely thin mask from his face.
The man was pale with no beard and had a dignified appearance – it was Lin Xuanji whom Su Zimo met in the Dragon Bone Valley!
Lin Xuanji glared at Su Zimo and remarked fiercely, “Bloody hell, how did you recognize me even with my disguise?!”
Su Zimo smiled gently. “I’ll recognize you even if you turn into ashes!”
In reality, back when they entered the tomb, a thought had already crossed Su Zimo’s mind.
However, he did not think too much about it.
Lin Xuanji was someone who had the capabilities to avoid the Ancient Frost Crocodiles and Bloodthirsty Silverfishes’ senses and sneak his way into the tomb!
Previously, countless cultivators were buried in the forest outside the Dragon Bone Valley.
However, Lin Xuanji was perfectly fine.
It was as though the ferocious beasts could not see him at all.
This man’s methods and background were extremely mysterious and Su Zimo knew nothing about them initially.
Later on, when he learned about the super sects of Tianhuang Mainland, Su Zimo realized that there was a high chance this person came from the most mysterious faction of Tianhuang Mainland, Enigma Palace!
The moment he exchanged blows with Lin Xuanji earlier on, Su Zimo confirmed the latter’s identity.
Back in the Dragon Bone Valley, the two of them exchanged blows briefly and Lin Xuanji managed to dispel his Sanguine Ape Fist Seal easily with his folding fan.
It was the exact same technique that he had used earlier on!
A playful look flashed through Su Zimo’s eyes as he mocked, “You’re quite something aren’t you. The successor of Enigma Palace coming all the way here to rob someone else’s tomb.”
“Hmph, no one would be able to recognize me if it wasn’t for you.”
Lin Xuanji grunted in displeasure.
He made full preparations for this trip.
Notwithstanding the mask that could alter his appearances, he even hid away his folding fan intentionally and replaced it with an iron ruler.
To think that he would be recognized immediately upon bumping into Su Zimo.
Chapter 691: Fortune
Judging from their tone, it seemed like they knew one another a long time ago and had a good relationship. With that, everyone’s expressions eased gradually.
The tension in the air cleared up as well.
“So, you’re a fellow Daoist from Enigma Palace. That explains your capabilities,”
As a disciple of one of the five heretical doctrines, Tomb Sect, Little Fatty had naturally heard of the famous Enigma Palace.
It was a great sect created by the ancient expert, Fairy Ling Long, that has its roots traced back to history. Enigma Palace was the host for every generation’s Golden Core Phenomenon Ranking.
Enigma Palace did not have many disciples and there would only be a single legacy disciple for every generation to roam the secular realm.
The disciples of Enigma Palace that roamed the secular realm were the most mysterious and almost nobody knew how strong they were.
However, apart from the successors of Tomb Sect, among the successors of the other super sects, the successor of Enigma Palace had the highest chance of locating this place!
Su Zimo knew about Lin Xuanji’s capabilities a long time ago.
Back then, this was the person who infiltrated the Dragon Bone Valley stealthily and brought him along to escape alive!
Lin Xuanji put away the iron ruler in his hands and withdrew his folding fan once more, saying embarrassedly, “You guys sure got here quick. I haven’t had time to take anything yet.”
Su Zimo smiled. “Don’t dream about it. This is the tomb of Tomb Sect.”
Little Fatty waved it off. “It’s fine, since you’re a friend of Boss, you can take anything you fancy in here as well apart from the utmost treasure of our sect.”
Lin Xuanji’s eyes lit up when he heard that.
Su Zimo sensed that something was amiss.
That was when Lin Xuanji snickered. “Fellow Daoist, you sure are easygoing. However, I’m also not a greedy person. I won’t take a single treasure within the tomb.”
“Humph!”
Su Zimo sneered, “Stop pretending. I know your character well enough!”
Previously, Lin Xuanji had already coveted Night Spirit for a long time after noticing that the latter had an unusual bloodline – there was no way he would return empty-handed with so many treasures here.
Lin Xuanji’s mouth cramped for a moment as he ignored Su Zimo and said, “The reason why I’m here isn’t for the treasures in the tomb. It’s for the dragon vein here!”
“You want to take the dragon vein away?” Su Zimo frowned.
“That’s right!”
Lin Xuanji nodded and turned to Little Fatty. “The dragon vein here is man-made. Although it was prepared for you by the tomb master, given your strength, even if you get your hands on the utmost treasure of Tomb Sect, you’ll only be able to receive 50% of it.”
“If you take in too much fortune, you won’t be able to absorb it completely as well. Too much of something will bring about an adverse effect and at that time, you will only bring upon disaster to yourself.”
Little Fatty remained silent.
He knew that Lin Xuanji was not exaggerating.
The dragon vein represented fortune!
This Mighty Figure of Tomb Sect set up the Astral Dragon Sputum Lair and connected to Heaven and Earth, gathering the fortune of the ancient battlefield to form this dragon vein. It took a few tens of thousands of years before it was fully formed in this era.
Fortune was something that was incorporeal and illusory.
Although Fairy Ling Long was not an emperor, her status in the ancient era was extraordinary.
It was not only because she was the wife of the Human Emperor. More than that, she was a legendary wielder of great fortune who could divine everything, predict blessings and disasters and even steal a glimpse of the heavenly secrets!
It was due to her capabilities that the human race managed to gain the upper hand in the ancient war, avoiding countless calamities that would have wiped out the race!
The Primordial Nine Races hated her to the core.
Legend has it that in the ancient war, in order to gain the upper hand, the Primordial Nine Races sent countless experts in their races to ambush and assassinate Fairy Ling Long but to no avail.
Although fortune had no form to itself, it truly existed.
Anyone who possessed great fortune could convert disasters into blessings and even meet with more opportunities!
Although fortune would not bring about a direct raise to a cultivator’s combat strength or any visible changes, its held an imperative importance to the cultivator’s future!
Experts who could cultivate to the level of Mighty Figure or Patriarch were all blessed with fortune!
If they were surrounded by bad luck, they would have died a long time ago at the Qi Condensation or Foundation Establishment realm. In fact, it would be considered lucky if they only died at old age.
Notwithstanding the experts that were so strong they were out of reach, even for the true paragons from the various super sects that entered the ancient battlefield this time round, the 108 on the Golden Core Phenomenon Ranking, all of them had met with an immortal fate!
All of them had entered an ancestral cave or ancient ruin!
All of them had obtained a legacy left behind by some experts!
Lin Xuanji said, “If you absorb 50% of the dragon vein, the remaining of it will dissipate into the world. Rather than letting that happen, you might as well let me take the rest.”
The spirit tiger rolled his eyes and asked, “According to your words, the seven of us brothers can absorb the dragon vein as well. How can we let you be the only one getting all the benefits!”
“Yes,”
The Golden Lion nodded as well.
This time round, Qing Qing did a rare act of not refuting the spirit tiger.
Lin Xuanji said with a fake smile, “Sure thing. If you can manage to snatch the dragon vein away, go ahead. You don’t have to care about me.”
“Remember those words! Don’t regret them later on!”
The spirit tiger said.
Lin Xuanji swore honestly, “I won’t regret!”
“Great!”
The spirit tiger said, “First, tell us how to absorb this dragon vein.”
Lin Xuanji rolled his eyes.
Su Zimo was speechless and broke into a chuckle. “Don’t ask any further. The method to absorb the dragon vein is definitely a secret skill of Enigma Palace. There’s no way he’ll impart it to outsiders.”
The spirit tiger scratched his head. “Doesn’t that mean that we can only stand by the sidelines and watch?”
“Since Fatty has already said that there are so many treasures in the palace, just take one of them,” Su Zimo smiled.
“Ah, alright!
The spirit tiger grinned.
He had already set his sights on the treasures that filled the tomb a long time ago and was just waiting for Su Zimo to say that.
There were two stone shelves on both sides of the palace that spanned several thousand feet into the depths.
On the left stone shelf was weapons, rare ores and materials – there was everything.
On the right shelf was secret cultivation techniques of all kinds.
With a casual glance, Su Zimo even caught sight of many secret skills from the immortal, Buddhist and fiend super sects!
“Amazing!”
Su Zimo was secretly speechless.
Those were the treasures amassed by the Tomb Sect Mighty Figure during his lifetime.
Monkey and the others were not interested in cultivation techniques for humans.
After condensing their Essence Spirits, they would innately inherit some of the memories of their race that was hidden deep in the bloodlines – there would be demonic techniques suitable for them.
They walked towards the stone shelf on the left right away.
It was rare for demons to get their hands on a weapon suitable for them.
This was a rare opportunity.
Su Zimo was also looking to seek a treasure for little fox.
Previously, her Fire Blocking Basket wouldn’t have been taken away by Dao Being Xuan Yu if she hadn’t been trying to save him.
That was the only thing left behind for little fox by her mother.
Monkey and the others meandered along the stone shelf down.
In between, they caught sight of many supreme-grade and even some perfect Dharmic weapons with five Dharmic patterns. However, they did not take any of them.
They had to be extremely careful if they could only choose one.
Suddenly, monkey paused in his tracks and his gaze lingered on a rusty long rod.
Monkey lifted the rod and observed it carefully.
There was nothing special about the rod. In fact, it did not even have any Dharmic patterns on it and it was rusted all over. The only thing that was special was that it would shimmer with a faint golden glow from time to time when it was moved.
It was not a Dharmic weapon.
However, the moment monkey picked up that iron rod, Su Zimo realized that the corner of Lin Xuanji’s eyes twitched for a moment!
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