Was this old man the wild sorcerer Qian You had mentioned?
He seemed to recognize that Zhong Li was also a sorcerer, so he must know she was from the Bureau of Astronomy. After all, wild sorcerers were as rare as giant pandas – two couldn’t appear simultaneously near Xiangcheng.
Xu Qi’an thought to himself.
“The owner of this tomb is no ordinary person. Hehe, it wouldn’t be good to see things you shouldn’t,” Public Sheep Xiu chuckled. “This is the experience I’ve gained from years of tomb raiding. You sorcerers from the Bureau of Astronomy disdain such work, so you lack this kind of experience.”
Sorcerer from the Bureau of Astronomy?!
The members of the Houtu Gang looked at Zhong Li in astonishment, as if shocked.
So she was hiding her true identity – she’s a sorcerer from the Bureau of Astronomy… Indeed, these quiet types are often the core figures.
The Sickly Gang Leader thought to himself.
He looked at Xu Qi An again, increasingly feeling that this man had the lowest status.
Firstly, being a martial artist made it difficult to be a core member of such a team. Secondly, when killing the evil beings earlier, this man’s role was merely that of a shield.
It clearly and vividly demonstrated his function.
“Mm-hmm.” Zhong Li nodded, indicating she understood.
She absolutely would not use any spells, nor would she participate in any battles. This was the experience summarized by a mature prophet.
Chu Yuanzhen remained silent, his gaze alternating between scrutinizing Xu Qi An and observing Daoist Jin Lian.
Xu Ning Yan was very strange; he was certainly not as simple as he appeared on the surface.
Entering this side room three times could mean only two things: either Xu Ning Yan was doing it deliberately, or there was some special reason causing him to repeatedly return to this place.
“What secret is Xu Ning Yan hiding… Hiss, Number Three is related to the pure qi soaring to the heavens at Yunlu Academy, Number Three is a Confucian disciple. And his cousin has another secret… Oh Daoist, you hide it well.”
…
The group entered the side room with heavy hearts. At the end of the side room was a passage leading deeper into the tomb.
“Um… Daoist, why don’t you go first? I’m still just a child,” Xu Qi An hesitated at the entrance of the passage, staring into the darkness ahead.
“Do you sense any danger?” Daoist Jin Lian’s expression turned serious.
No, I’m just a bit scared. It’s bringing back childhood trauma from watching horror movies… Xu Qi An answered in his heart, taking a deep breath before raising his torch and entering the passage.
The passage was long and narrow, with signs of artificial excavation on both stone walls, now tinged with an orange glow.
The sound of their footsteps echoed in the silent passage. No one spoke, highlighting the tension in everyone’s hearts.
At the end of the passage stood a tall stone door, tightly shut, with no signs of previous visitors.
Xu Qi An stopped in front of the stone door, placing both hands on it. He tried to exert force but didn’t truly push hard. After a few silent seconds, he received no warning from his divine sense.
Withdrawing his hands, he nodded to Daoist Jin Lian: “No danger, at least none that I can sense.”
“Open the door then,” said Daoist Jin Lian.
Creak!
Amidst the sound of rusty, heavy friction, the stone door slowly opened inward.
The torchlight shone in, illuminating only a few zhang into the distance. Beyond that, the light was swallowed by darkness.
Xu Qi An noticed the torch dim slightly and quickly said, “Wait a bit more, there’s no air inside.”
Then he instructed Zhong Li: “Do you have any detoxification pills? Share some with our Houtu Gang brothers.”
Public Sheep Xiu, in his dirty white robe, said, “No need for courtesy, we’ve already taken detoxification pills.”
After waiting for a quarter of an hour outside, Xu Qi An stepped halfway into the burial chamber. With no danger warning and the torch not dimming, he breathed a sigh of relief and said:
“I’ll take the lead. You follow behind, and remember, don’t do anything unnecessary.”
The members of the Houtu Gang nodded vigorously.
By now, not just the Sickly Gang Leader, but even the ordinary members could see Xu Qi An’s low status.
Scouting ahead, shielding from danger.
Such was the crude role of a martial artist.
I’ve shown my worth this time, being the most useful. Even Daoists and the others have to rely on me… Xu Qi An’s lips curled slightly upward.
At the same time, Xu Qi An recalled details he hadn’t noticed before.
“Daoist Jin Lian is indeed a remnant soul. I remember now, during the Sangbo case, when we infiltrated Marquis Pingyuan’s mansion and encountered Heng Hui possessed by Shen Shu, Daoist’s move was to charge in with his primordial spirit.
“At that time, my ‘cultural level’ wasn’t high, so I didn’t think anything was odd. But looking back now, it’s very strange. Where were his magic treasures? His spells? His Golden Core?
“Charging in with just his primordial spirit is like taking off your pants and fighting someone’s iron gun with your flesh gun. Pure suicide.
“But if Daoist is a remnant soul, everything can be explained. Even his fondness for cats makes sense since neither the human body nor the cats is his original form.
“However, can a remnant soul live this long? The Dao School truly lives up to its reputation as ghost experts.”
Despite his rich inner monologue, Xu Qi An didn’t neglect the potential dangers in his surroundings.
Upon entering the main tomb, five torches dispelled most of the darkness, and the scene inside the burial chamber gradually took shape before everyone’s eyes.
The main tomb was enormous. If compared to a house, Xu Qi An and the others were now in the entryway. Yet even this entryway gave the impression of entering a temple.
Pillars as thick as several people’s embraces supported a ceiling of indiscernible height. The distance between the walls on either side was estimated to be twenty zhang, meaning the width of this main tomb was twenty zhang (60 meters).
The depth was unknown, awaiting exploration.
“According to the layout of the tomb, the coffin of the tomb’s owner must be in the center. I suggest we don’t go there first. Let’s circle along the walls to estimate the size of the tomb, and see if we can find any valuable information,” the Sickly Gang Leader walked up to Daoist Jin Lian and suggested.
An old tomb raider indeed… But why didn’t he consult me? I’m the leader here, Xu Qi An grumbled inwardly.
“Reasonable,” Daoist Jin Lian nodded.
Xu Qi An led everyone to start exploring from the left, moving cautiously until they saw a huge mural.
Before the advent of writing, murals were the only way to record events. Even now, the tradition of “recording events through murals” is still popular.
Xu Qi An and Chu Yuanzhen, one in front and one behind, raised their torches high to illuminate the mural.
The content of the mural was: A terrifying giant snake invaded a human city. When it coiled up, its body was taller than the city walls. Its pupils glowed red, fierce, and terrible.
At this moment, a Daoist riding a flying sword descended from the sky and slew the giant snake.
The emperor of the city led his ministers out to welcome the Daoist, kowtowing, and prostrating before him. The Daoist stood on his flying sword, suspended in mid-air, looking down at the emperor and ministers below.
“Such a big snake, is it a demon race?” Heng Yuan frowned.
Chu Yuanzhen shook his head, indicating he didn’t know. Although he had traveled far and wide, since the Demon Purge sixty years ago, great demons had gradually become extinct. During the Battle of Shanhai Pass twenty years ago, although demon races appeared, Chu Yuanzhen was still a child then.
As for Xu Qi An… he joined everyone else in looking towards Daoist Jin Lian.
“Indeed, some naturally gifted demon races have enormous bodies. But it shouldn’t be this exaggerated. Moreover, if you knew that when demon races reach the fifth rank, they form a demon core, you wouldn’t think the snake in this mural is a demon race,” Daoist Jin Lian stood with his hands behind his back, the very picture of an enlightened master.
The three men had different thoughts.
Xu Qi An was thinking, so fifth-rank demon races form a demon core. From Daoist’s tone, does forming a demon core reduce their size? Or is the path of demon race cultivation not about physical growth?
Chu Yuanzhen was wondering, if it’s not a demon race, then what is this snake? He had a vague guess in his mind.
Heng Yuan’s thoughts were simpler: he couldn’t defeat this snake; it was an evil being that Buddhist methods couldn’t subdue for now.
Daoist Jin Lian didn’t keep them in suspense, saying, “An enormous body isn’t necessarily a good thing. Although it brings increased strength, it also exposes many weaknesses. In this world, those known for their enormous size and formidable power are the ancient gods and demons.
“However, in the era when ancient gods and demons were active, humans were still in a primitive state, living in tribal societies. So, the snake in this mural should be a descendant of the ancient gods and demons, not a true god or demon.”
Chu Yuanzhen nodded slightly; what the Daoist said matched his thoughts.
“Even so, for this Daoist to slay such a great snake, his strength must be extraordinary,” State Preceptor Chu said.
The entire wall was like a scroll painting. As they talked and walked, they saw the subsequent content.
To thank the Daoists, the emperor built a high platform for himself and led all his civil and military officials to worship him.
“Isn’t this the mural we saw earlier?” Xu Qi An said.
The scene of officials worshipping at the high platform was identical to the mural they had seen outside.
The content of the following murals astounded everyone. The Daoist with the blurred face swung his sword and killed the emperor, then donned the dragon robe and crown – he had usurped the throne.
What kind of plot twist is this… Xu Qi An was dumbfounded.
Chu Yuanzhen opened his mouth, equally shocked by the Daoist’s actions.
Daoist Jin Lian furrowed his brow.
Master Heng Yuan frowned and said, “Such a great master shouldn’t be attached to power. What meaning does becoming emperor have for him?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Qi An and Chu Yuanzhen both snorted simultaneously.
They exchanged a knowing smile, realizing they had both thought of Emperor Yuanjing.
Next, the content depicted in the mural turned to war. Black-armored troops and white-armored troops were locked in battle. Behind the white-armored troops stood the giant-like emperor – the Daoist who had usurped the throne.
Behind the black-armored troops was emptiness.
The emperor’s army quelled the rebellion, but he didn’t seem to intend to be a good emperor. He began indulging in group activities.
The emperor sat high on his throne, with a naked woman in his lap, surrounded by equally naked women.
Further on, the number of men and women gradually increased. Countless groups of men and women engaged happily in group activities.
“Isn’t this the mural we saw outside?” Xu Qi An said, feeling a sense of déjà vu as he spoke.
This “group activity” mural was the same as the one they had seen outside, except it lacked the meridian charts… Was the message this mural trying to convey that the emperor later became obsessed with dual cultivation, turning into a fanatic worshipper of Daoist dual cultivation techniques, and indulging in debauchery?
“No, he was originally a Daoist who usurped the throne and became emperor!”
Various thoughts flashed through Xu Qi An’s mind, then he heard Chu Yuanzhen say softly: “Daoist, this emperor has a profound connection with the Dual Cultivation sect of the Dao School.”
What he wanted to say was, could this Daoist be the founding ancestor of that sect?
State Preceptor Chu is quite clever, I was thinking the same thing… Xu Qi An nodded while looking toward Daoist Jin Lian.
“I don’t know,” Daoist Jin Lian’s answer was concise.
The group walked slowly, continuing to observe the mural.
Perhaps even Heaven couldn’t tolerate the emperor’s foolish behavior. One day, dark clouds suddenly gathered, and lightning struck him dead. The emperor had passed away.
“A Daoist usurps the throne, indulges in debauchery, so Heaven sends lightning to strike him dead… This is far too theatrical,” the Sickly Gang Leader shook his head, offering his critique.
“Too theatrical” meant something similar to “dramatic,” as in this era, most theatrical performances were held in brothels.
The expressions of the Heaven and Earth Society members were extremely strange, as they associated it with many other things.
Xu Qi An analyzed from a rational perspective: “Strange, some parts don’t make logical sense.”
Jin Lian, Chu Yuanzhen, and the others knew of Xu Qi An’s extraordinary talent for solving cases, so they all suppressed their scattered thoughts to listen to him speak.
“If the owner of this tomb is the emperor in the mural, that is, the Daoist, then this mural is very strange,” Xu Qi An said gravely:
“Even our Great Feng’s wise and mighty emperor knows to revise history books to cover up his blemishes. Yet this mural is blatantly painted here. Is it satire?”
The wise and mighty emperor revises history books to cover up his blemishes… Xu Ning Yan is being too cautious, even in such a situation, he doesn’t leave behind any handle for “great disrespect,” Chu Yuanzhen thought.
“Heaven’s lightning struck him dead, so shouldn’t this tomb have been built by his ministers or descendants? Isn’t it normal for them to criticize him?” Heng Yuan said.
“Master, you might build a tomb for your enemy, but others wouldn’t necessarily do so,” Xu Qi An shook his head and said:
“If his descendants hated him, they wouldn’t have built such a grand tomb. Conversely, if they didn’t hate him, they wouldn’t have painted such a mural. Unless the content of the mural is true.”
Everyone nodded, accepting his explanation. Chu Yuanzhen said gravely: “With the Daoist’s strength, ordinary lightning couldn’t kill him. Does this lightning have some other meaning?”
At this moment, Daoist Jin Lian spoke, enunciating each word: “It’s the Heavenly Tribulation.”
“Heavenly Tribulation?”
Hearing this, Xu Qi An and the others looked towards Daoist Jin Lian. This was an unfamiliar term.
Daoist Jin Lian nodded slowly: “In the Dao School system, the second rank is called ‘Crossing the Tribulation’. Surviving the Heavenly Tribulation allows one to become a first-rank Earthbound Immortal. Hehe, this is not comparable to the divine punishment of the Bureau of Astronomy’s prophets. The previous generation’s Human Faction Leader was obliterated in the Heavenly Tribulation.”
So the Dao School’s second rank is called “Crossing the Tribulation,” and the first rank is called “Earthbound Immortal.” The Heaven and Earth Society members were quite pleased to learn this.
Xu Qi An slapped his forehead and said: “I remember now, Daoist, you said that the damned Earth Faction Leader failed to cross the tribulation, which is why he was overcome by demonic nature and fell to become an evil Daoist.”
Back then, after killing Purple Lotus, Daoist Jin Lian had sneaked into Xu Qi An’s room at night and had a frank conversation with him.
“So, this emperor was a second-rank Daoist, and at the peak of the second rank, just a hair’s breadth away from the Earthbound Immortal realm,” Chu Yuanzhen said.
Daoist Jin Lian suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, “Dying in the Heavenly Tribulation, obliterated to ash, this tomb should be a cenotaph. There shouldn’t be too much danger.”
The others also breathed sighs of relief. Xu Qi An joked rather lightheartedly: “Daoist, overly certain judgments often invite the opposite outcome.”
Don’t jinx it, you old fellow.
Under Xu Qi An’s lead, they came to the other side of the main tomb, disappointingly finding no murals.
The exploration of the main tomb’s periphery ended here. Xu Qi An, torch in hand, led everyone to the central area where they saw a wide black passage.
This passage led straight to the central platform. On both sides of the passage were shallow pools of murky water.
“There are candles on both sides…”
Xu Qi An moved the torch, the orange glow illuminating the edges of the passage. Every ten steps stood a man-high candlestick, extending all the way to the platform.
On the candlesticks were candles not yet burned out, blood-red yet crystal clear, like rubies.
“This seems to be oil refined from the East Sea red dragon. One such candle can burn for decades without extinguishing,” Daoist Jin Lian sniffed, identifying the material of the candles.
As they spoke, Xu Qi An and Chu Yuanzhen lit the candles. Clusters of candlelight burned quietly, bringing more light to the vast main tomb.
Xu Qi An had people watch the pools on both sides, guarding against evil beings hiding in the water, while he lit the candlesticks along the edges of the passage.
Torches couldn’t last too long and would eventually go out. They needed to replace the lighting task with something else before they burned out.
As they approached the platform, Xu Qi An suddenly stopped because on the stairs leading to the platform stood two rows of soldiers, silently watching these uninvited guests.
Damn, scared the hell out of me… Xu Qi An cursed as he walked over, first listening carefully to confirm there were no heartbeats, then observing these mummies.
“They’re just mummies. Everyone, don’t touch them carelessly. Follow behind me.”
After this admonition, he ascended the steps, crossing ninety-nine stairs to reach the platform.
The scene on the platform first entered Xu Qi An’s eyes. In the center was placed a huge bronze coffin, and at the four corners of the platform stood four tall figures.
These figures held different weapons, standing silently, having stood for thousands of years without falling.
Daoist Jin Lian glanced at the bronze coffin, then shifted his gaze, walking to the edge of the platform to examine the nearest mummy.
This mummy wore fish-scale armor, held a purple-gold hammer, and wore a bronze mask that only revealed its eyes.
The fish-scale armor was strung together with red thread, each scale engraved with strange symbols, both eerie and exquisite.
“This seems to be a work of the Dao School?” Chu Yuanzhen was also observing a mummy, though the one he looked at held a rusty bronze sword.
After examining all four mummies and observing the armor on their bodies, Daoist Jin Lian pondered:
“Indeed, there are traces of the Dao School, but I can only guess at these ancient symbols. The one on the west represents Metal, while those on the south, north, and east represent Fire, Water, and Wood respectively.”
“What about Earth?” Xu Qi An asked.
Daoist Jin Lian didn’t answer but looked toward the bronze coffin placed in the center.
“The center represents Earth!” Chu Yuanzhen said softly: “What does this arrangement signify?”
“Is it about rebirth?” Public Sheep Xiu, the wild sorcerer, looked toward Zhong Li.
Zhong Li nodded and said: “All things in heaven and earth are manifestations of the Five Elements. Ancient people believed that when a person dies and is buried in a tomb, the tomb is in the earth. If the Five Elements Array could be arranged in the tomb, the deceased would one day be reborn from the earth.”
While the others listened with great interest, Xu Qi An suddenly felt a chill down his spine and said:
“This doesn’t make sense. Daoist, didn’t you say he died in the Heavenly Tribulation, obliterated to ash? If nothing was left, how could he be reborn? What use is this Five Elements Array?”
Daoist Jin Lian was stunned at first, then his pupils contracted slightly as he said gravely: “Let’s go. We’ve explored the main tomb, there’s no need to linger.”
Xu Qi An nodded, about to announce their retreat, when he suddenly heard a sigh from inside the bronze coffin:
“You’ve come…”
A chill rose from his tailbone, straight to his scalp. Xu Qi An gulped, swallowing his saliva, and suddenly turned to look at everyone, only to find that although their expressions were serious, they didn’t seem terrified.
Daoist Jin Lian noticed Xu Qi An’s extremely unpleasant expression and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”
“I heard, from inside the coffin…” Xu Qi An’s lips quivered a few times, then he spat out each word through gritted teeth:
“Someone—speak—ing.”
A chill ran up everyone’s spine, their scalps instantly going numb.
Zhong Li slowly shuddered, almost unable to support Lina.
Chu Yuanzhen’s face turned ashen, his voice low and hurried: “Go, leave the main tomb, quickly…”
At this moment, everyone showed a strong desire to survive, and without any unnecessary words, they turned to leave.
Creak!
At this time, everyone heard a rusty and heavy friction sound coming from behind.
It was the sound of the bronze coffin being opened.