Blood spurted from Meng Qi’s nose, blood also oozing from the corners of his eyes and mouth. The pain pierced deep into his bones, and dizziness overwhelmed him. The feeling of merging with heaven and earth and the ancient, godlike perspective vanished instantly. His hands, gripping the Tianzhi Shang and Zi Wu, trembled violently.
At the same time, a howl filled with boundless hatred and fury erupted from beneath the earth, reverberating within everyone’s souls.
It seemed to be hidden deep within the tomb, truly beneath the Nine Springs. Awakened by Meng Qi’s “Sky-Transforming Earth-Shaking Method,” it felt the intrusion, angrily revived, sending chills down people’s spines.
The “living corpse” capable of merging with moonlight remained in a state between life and death, its breath faint, showing no sign of madness, as if the “Sky-Transforming Earth-Shaking Method” had no effect.
Nonetheless, “it” did show obvious hesitation, allowing Jiang Zhiwei and others to finally see “its” appearance.
It was a woman, her hair white and disheveled, her face deeply wrinkled, yet her attire was elegant and dignified, like the matriarch of a noble family.
Her eyes glowed silver-white, like twin moons. Just standing there, the surrounding temperature dropped dramatically. She was undoubtedly a formidable Grandmaster-level cultivator in her prime. But now, her neck was rotten, pus flowing, and she could only exert the strength of an average Half-Grandmaster cultivator. It was as if her soul had been forcibly confined within a decaying, mortal body, unable to escape.
Given the opportunity, Qi Zhengyan, who had already initiated an attack, would not let it slip away. Suddenly, the tip of his “Dragon Pattern Red-Gold Sword” erupted with a brilliant sword beam, extending three chi in length!
The sword beam was crystalline, refined and dazzling, as if forged from ten-thousand-year-old ice. In an instant, it crossed the remaining distance and pierced the living corpse’s forehead.
Just then, a streak of lightning flashed from afar, rushing forward in a blink, instantly arriving and illuminating the tomb chamber like a moon palace in daylight.
Meng Qi barely recognized it as a transformed spear, but its speed was simply too fast—faster than the “Lightning Sword” of Xiao Zhenhai by an unknown margin. It completely surpassed Meng Qi’s capabilities. The moment he sensed it, it was already before his eyes, giving him no time even to raise his blade in defense. Though not true lightning, it was far from ordinary.
Within his field of vision, lightning surged, filling Meng Qi’s pupils with silver-white brilliance.
Before it, they were like clay or wooden figures—lifeless and powerless.
Suddenly, a sword light flared, graceful like a fleeting swan or flying rosy clouds, breathtakingly beautiful. The void trembled, heaven and earth shifted with it. There was no self, no others, no objects, no forms.
The sword qi surged, directly severing the moonlight in the tomb chamber, dividing it into half brightness and half darkness. No other sword marks appeared, as if the sword qi and inner energy were so highly concentrated that not a trace leaked outward.
Blinding light burst forth like blossoms in the night, sword energy scattering in all directions as lightning streaked wildly. The ground and walls were either charred black or gouged with deep scars—a scene of complete devastation.
Peng!
Honglong!
Only after all this did Meng Qi and the others hear the clash of sword and spear, followed by rolling thunder.
This was truly a scene where the spear moved faster than its own sound!
Jiang Zhiwei, gripping the “White Rainbow Through the Sun Sword” in her right hand, slightly trembled and took three steps back, each leaving an imprint on the bluestone floor. Her eyes were like a calm lake, seemingly lifeless, with lingering silver-white afterimages, as if her previous strike had not been her own doing.
Striking before thought! Reacting instinctively! Meng Qi immediately understood Jiang Zhiwei’s other level of sword mastery. Otherwise, if she had merely reacted and issued the command to attack, the White Rainbow Through the Sun Sword would have barely risen before the spear would have pierced them all.
Affected by the lightning-like spear, Qi Zhengyan instinctively wanted to withdraw his sword for defense. However, before he could act, the spear was already upon them, blocked by Jiang Zhiwei, but this slight hesitation allowed the white-haired woman to tilt her head back, narrowly avoiding the sword tip, a few strands of white hair severed.
The hair had not yet fallen when it turned to snow.
Before Ruan Yushu’s zither sound could rise again, the white-haired woman took a small backward step, her figure fading into the moonlight, vanishing without a trace.
Meng Qi had no time to chase her. The one wielding the spear must be a genuine Grandmaster cultivator, forcing Jiang Zhiwei to unleash her treasure weapon and use “Sword Without Self”—how could he afford to be careless?
Since it could control lightning, it must have some resistance to thunder-based techniques. Using “Tianzhi Shang” combined with “Thunder Shocking the Nine Heavens” might not be effective… As this thought arose, Meng Qi was about to summon the “Bodhi Lamp Before the Buddha.”
But at that moment, the lightning-like spear light withdrew on its own, too fast for Meng Qi to follow, reappearing by the door on the opposite side of the tomb chamber.
This was another living corpse, weak in aura, between life and death. His body showed no decay, dressed in wide robes with long sleeves, holding a long spear in hand. This seemingly mismatched combination exuded an aura of imperial might, with silver-white lightning snakes coiling around his body, like a thunder god descended from heaven, vastly different from the usual sinister and terrifying lightning.
His face appeared youthful at first glance, but upon closer inspection, one could detect subtle wrinkles and a deep weariness. His eyes were cold and emotionless. He glanced indifferently at Meng Qi and the others before casually stepping back, disappearing into the darkness outside the door.
“He didn’t attack…” Meng Qi was slightly taken aback.
Other living corpses had attacked recklessly, only retreating after sensing danger. Could it be that he had sensed the “Bodhi Lamp Before the Buddha”?
But how much power could Meng Qi truly wield with the lamp? And how effective would it be against a true Grandmaster?
Jiang Zhiwei calmed her turbulent inner energy and frowned slightly: “I didn’t sense any hostility. That previous spear strike was mainly to obstruct.”
“Perhaps he still retains some lingering consciousness, capable of resisting control to some extent?” Meng Qi speculated. “Since he maintains Grandmaster-level strength, he must be one of the recently turned living corpses, making this quite possible.”
Qi Zhengyan pointed his sword diagonally, assuming a defensive stance to guard against any living corpse that might use moonlight to maneuver. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Perhaps your ‘Sky-Transforming Earth-Shaking Method’ earlier gave him hope, hence the lack of hostility.”
“That makes sense,” Meng Qi nodded slightly. “But facing living corpses at the Grandmaster and Half-Grandmaster levels is proving far more difficult than I anticipated. Did you all hear that howl from deep underground or within the tomb?”
What worried him most was that howl—it had chilled his very soul.
“Yes,” Ruan Yushu replied succinctly. “Without using the ‘Sky-Transforming Earth-Shaking Method,’ we wouldn’t have disturbed whoever is deep within the tomb, nor would we have drawn out that Grandmaster-level living corpse.”
“So it’s my fault then?” Meng Qi, with his thick skin, used humor to deflect the embarrassment of his flaw being exposed.
Indeed, much of the current situation was his doing. If he hadn’t used the “Sky-Transforming Earth-Shaking Method,” they would have only needed to deal with a Half-Grandmaster-level living corpse, and with proper preparation to expel the dark forces, it wouldn’t have been too dangerous.
Ruan Yushu’s expression remained unchanged: “We agreed to it.”
This was an indirect way of absolving him…
Suddenly, Meng Qi understood Ruan Yushu’s intention.
Jiang Zhiwei, unconcerned, said with enthusiasm: “So what? We can retreat anytime we want. Completing the chain quest is great, but even if we fail, it’s no big loss. For me, being able to block that spear with a single sword strike was already worth the trip, all thanks to the little monk provoking him out.”
It seemed that under the pressure of a powerful enemy and the entanglement of battle auras, she had tapped into her potential, further improving her sword skills, which allowed her to calmly block that spear strike. Otherwise, she would have been in a much more difficult position, rather than merely suffering great exhaustion after using “Sword Without Self” and activating her treasure weapon.
Of course, this was only possible because the opponent showed no hostility and did not use full strength.
“We have the Earth Spring Lingzhi and the Taiyin Exorcism Manual. We’re not leaving empty-handed,” Qi Zhengyan, with his ever-stoic expression, comforted Meng Qi. “Besides, that Grandmaster-level living corpse used a spear and controlled lightning—I suspect he might be one of the inheritors of the Thunder God’s legacy.”
At Qi Zhengyan’s reminder, Meng Qi suddenly exclaimed: “That does sound right.”
“The True Martial Emperor and the Thunder God were contemporaries, with the former being even more powerful, and one of the Five Emperors of the Five Directions, ranking among the Nine Supreme Daoist Sages of antiquity. It’s not strange that some of the Thunder God’s techniques would exist here,” Jiang Zhiwei smiled.
The True Martial Emperor, also known as the Heaven-Sweeping Demon-Slayer and the Nine-Heaven Demon-Slaying Patriarch, was one of the Nine Supreme Daoist Sages. He was not a subordinate of the Celestial Emperor but more of an ally.
Ruan Yushu pursed her lips slightly: “I’ve heard from elders at home that the True Martial Emperor primarily suppressed the Nine Nether Realms, vanquishing demons and evil spirits. In the ancient Celestial Court, this responsibility fell to the Thunder God. They must have collaborated many times.”
“Yes, even if it’s not the ‘Nine Heavens Thunder Annihilation,’ it shouldn’t be too far off from a mere Qi-opening technique,” Meng Qi said with anticipation.
Even if it wasn’t the Thunder God’s legacy, a Grandmaster-level lightning-based technique would still be great!
“Oh, by the way, little monk, what exactly did you awaken with the ‘Sky-Transforming Earth-Shaking Method’? Why were you counterattacked?” Jiang Zhiwei was concerned about Meng Qi’s condition.
Meng Qi’s expression turned grave: “During the awakening, I saw the True Martial Emperor.”
“What?” Jiang Zhiwei and the others were astonished. Meng Qi had actually seen the True Martial Emperor himself! With what could they possibly oppose an ancient supreme powerhouse? Even the Master of the Six Dao Reincarnations might not be certain of victory!
“Don’t worry. If it was indeed the True Martial Emperor, our mission is already complete, and we can return now. But since that wasn’t the case, I suspect something else is at play,” Meng Qi tried to ease the tension.
The chain quest was to investigate the mystery of the True Martial Emperor’s fall. If he were alive and controlling the living corpses, then their discovery alone would be sufficient to complete the mission.
Qi Zhengyan, expressionless, said: “That should be the case. Let’s hurry and copy the Taiyin Exorcism Manual first.”
The four worked in an orderly fashion, defending as they copied the “Taiyin Exorcism Manual,” storing it within their jade rings before cautiously leaving the tomb chamber.
Outside the tomb chamber was a staircase leading downward, its bottom invisible at a glance.
On either side of the staircase’s starting point, stone pillars extended upward, forming a strange high platform in midair, resembling an ancient seal, majestic and desolate.
“The Dragon-Taming Platform… something is wrong with this tomb,” Qi Zhengyan’s expression changed slightly.
“Why is having a Dragon-Taming Platform strange?” Meng Qi asked, puzzled.
Ruan Yushu furrowed her beautiful brows, thinking for a moment before replying: “The previous arrangements of the True Martial Emperor’s tomb were all meant to conceal heavenly omens, transforming life into death. Even the ‘Nine Springs Below’ could be interpreted as being hidden beneath the Nine Springs, beyond the reach of the Heavenly Dao. But with the addition of the Dragon-Taming Platform, everything has changed. It seems as though these elements together are suppressing something.”
What a family legacy… Meng Qi sighed inwardly, instinctively glancing at Jiang Zhiwei, who nodded slightly, confirming his sense of unease.
The howl from beneath the earth, the emergence of the living corpses, and the eternal presence of the Dragon-Taming Platform caused Meng Qi and the others to instinctively narrow their eyes:
“What kind of being could be so terrifying that the True Martial Emperor would seal it within his own tomb?”
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