The Taoist Master Yuqing sat in meditation for a moment, reflecting upon Jing Xu’s earlier behavior, and suddenly sighed again, “A poor deluded child!”
“My Yuqing lineage rose alongside the Great Zhou dynasty, and through this fortune, enjoyed three hundred years of prosperity, and obtained this blessed land of Yuqing…”
“To repay past karma, this old Daoist has already forsaken any hope of attaining immortality in this lifetime. Previously, during the calamity of the Three Stars of War, I sent my beloved disciple to fulfill his destined fate…”
“And now, during this recent incident in the imperial tomb of Great Shang, Yuzhenzi perished, severing even the last vestige of our connection…”
“How could I possibly shoulder the karma of that imperial tomb? Previously, I was compelled by the promise made to the founding emperor of Zhou to temporarily guard it. Now that the court is impatiently seeking it, I will simply go along with the flow, getting rid of this hot potato once and for all…”
“With our karmic ties severed, why should I still involve myself in a doomed situation?”
In the past, the Yuqing lineage relied on imperial power, hence we fought desperately for Ji Yi.
But now, with the blessed land established, we have a secure rear base. At the very least, we can preserve our core strength. With our karmic debts settled, there’s no need to rush forward recklessly.
“Jing Xu’s involvement in worldly affairs has deeply entangled him in worldly connections, and now he is suffering the consequences…”
A clear aura flashed across Master Yuqing’s face as he flew forth a talisman: “To survive this tribulation and protect our lineage, there must be a change of leadership!”
“By divine decree! Jing Xu shall step down! Jing Xuan shall take over!”
In an instant, the supreme leader of all Daoist sects was replaced. Compared to the past, Master Yuqing now appeared even more profound and unfathomable, like an abyss.
The establishment of the blessed land marks the true attainment of an Immortal’s status, capable of protecting disciples, advancing when possible, retreating when necessary.
Though still at the fifth level, his power has increased manifold compared to three hundred years ago.
With such confidence, he could now calmly sit back and watch the world’s affairs unfold.
This is the power of the prevailing trend!
…
“Speaking of it, Master Yuqing is quite cunning, hiding within the blessed land without stepping out, sending only his junior disciples and fellow practitioners to face the tribulations…”
Wu Ming strode through a pitch-black passage, a halo of clear light glowing around him, repelling the thick, ink-black malevolent energy.
“During the previous calamity of the Three Stars of War, he dispatched one of his disciples. This time, he stationed his junior brother to oversee matters concerning the imperial tomb while he himself remains in hiding… Could it be that he is also attempting to sever all karmic connections?”
The Great Zhou dynasty has now deteriorated to the same state as the final days of the Shang dynasty. Any clear-eyed observer could see that staying aboard this sinking ship would only lead to ruin.
Therefore, Master Yuqing’s attempt to distance himself was indeed a wise move.
Dao cultivators seek the Dao of Heaven, pursuing personal freedom and detachment—where would they find true loyalty? If any exists, it must have been forced upon them unwillingly.
Were he in Yuqing’s position, Wu Ming would have done the same.
During the previous chaos of the Shang dynasty, Master Yuqing managed to escape unscathed—that was already a miracle.
Even now, having secured an escape route, his foundation still pales in comparison to the ancient, established powers. How dare he risk stepping into the fray again?
This time, sacrificing some outstanding disciples is like a gecko severing its tail or a brave warrior cutting off his own limb—to completely cut all ties.
“Considering this… Sister Wu Qing entering the Yuqing Palace just happened to coincide with the golden era when the sect closed its gates to focus entirely on cultivating disciples. Not only is it safe, but resources are also concentrated—truly a time of fortune…”
Stepping out of the passage, he entered an expansive underground space, paved with bluish stones, exuding solemnity and majesty.
In the distance, a grand and magnificent imperial tomb came into view.
“Hmm… The materials used in this tomb are relatively new, not from the same period as the underground palace itself!”
Wu Ming paused before a stone dragon statue, rubbing his right palm over its smooth surface, instantly making a judgment: “This underground palace was likely built during the Shang dynasty, while the imperial tomb was added later…”
The tomb passage was extremely long, and every few paces there was a giant luminous pearl emitting a faint green glow—not appearing like something prepared for the dead, but more like something meant for the living.
Of course, the most prevalent element throughout the entire underground palace was the omnipresent malevolent energy.
Through the ritual arrays spread across the palace, the negative energies from the entire capital region were continuously drawn in, concentrated, and became visible to the naked eye.
Even forming malevolent nodes and minor malevolent veins, similar to the small pools of triple malevolent yin veins where the White Bone Spirit once resided—there were countless such formations.
“Hmm?”
Wu Ming activated his Celestial Eye, and even saw the thick malevolent energy gathering, forming a fierce and ancient black dragon centered around the tomb!
The dragon’s eyes were blood-red, its body faintly adorned with patterns resembling the mystical Xuan bird, and even exuding a hint of the imperial dragon aura from the Zhou dynasty.
The moment he arrived, the Bagua-shaped pouch on Wu Ming’s waist trembled, and a golden light seeped out, almost tearing through the space itself.
“Hmph… I knew you couldn’t wait!”
Wu Ming patted the pouch, almost as if soothing it: “Don’t be in a hurry… It will come soon enough!”
Buzzzz!
The golden light quivered in an almost human-like fashion before retracting itself.
“Ah? This place, one never knows until one sees it. Judging by the land veins, it used to be a genuine Feng Shui treasure land!”
Wu Ming descended hundreds of stone steps, and from above, he could see the varied terrain surrounding the tomb, vaguely resembling the landscapes of the nineteen provinces, all man-made.
Moreover, the ceiling of the underground palace was embedded with giant luminous pearls, glowing with Daoist techniques, resembling the stars of the heavens from this vantage point.
“With gold and silver forming mountains, mercury rivers, wooden and stone beasts, and luminous pearls as stars… clearly mirroring the dual forces of Yin and Yang, subtly concealing the four celestial beasts…”
Wu Ming’s eyes flickered.
The *Book of Burial* says: “Burial is about harnessing the vital breath. To hide the wind and gather the breath, water is best. Thus, the grave should have the Azure Dragon on the left, the White Tiger on the right, the Vermilion Bird in front, and the Black Tortoise behind—this is the supreme auspicious site!”
Yet the burial site within this underground palace was not merely “supreme auspicious”?
It was practically recreating a miniature universe! Such a layout was fit only for an emperor!
For ordinary people to be buried here, their fate would be too shallow to bear such fortune. It would be like overloading a weak constitution with excessive nourishment, bringing great calamity instead!
“Of course… that was three hundred years ago… Now, no matter how auspicious the original Feng Shui was, it has turned into its opposite!”
After the earth tremors and the infusion of malevolent energy, this place is no longer a noble and auspicious site, but a cursed, malevolent, and deadly location—the land of the Nine Malevolent Veins!
Looking at the black dragon within the tomb, exhaling and inhaling malevolent energy, Wu Ming was deeply shaken.
“With such a commotion… it’s likely that the ancestral dragon of the Shang dynasty was truly buried here…”
He arrived at the tomb’s entrance, his face showing hesitation.
But soon, his attention was drawn to a massive breach in the door.
Originally, the tomb door was several feet thick, weighing thousands of pounds, inscribed with countless talismanic runes glowing with spiritual light.
But now, the lower left corner had been torn open, the surrounding runes dimmed, clearly having been broken from within.
“Tsk… That lazy Yuqing fellow didn’t even bother to send someone to repair it. Perhaps he himself is too afraid to come here and risk his life?”
Wu Ming squatted down and immediately found several black scales near the door. They were shrouded in thick dark energy that refused to dissipate, faintly forming the shape of a dragon, poised to pounce, ferocious and menacing.
“Such scales wouldn’t be found on ordinary dragon creatures. They must have come from a royal dragon…”
Wu Ming pondered, his expression suddenly changing.
“Roar! Roar!”
With a dragon’s roar, a shadowy figure nearly twice the height of an ordinary man surged forward like a gust of wind, appearing almost instantly behind Wu Ming. The palm, covered in scales, extended its claws like five sharp blades, slashing toward Wu Ming’s back.
Bang!
Dragon Qi suppresses all techniques, while Dragon Sha also possesses the power to break spells, along with a layer of defiling force.
Around Wu Ming, the serene light of the Earth Immortal’s Dharma Realm, which had been as unshakable as a mountain, suddenly began to tremble violently, as if it might shatter at any moment.
“Roar roar!”
As he got closer, he could clearly see that the attacking monster was none other than the half-dragon humanoid from before, only now it was even taller and exuded an even more terrifying aura of killing intent.
“Rivaling the Martial Saint! What a formidable fellow!”
A thought flashed through Wu Ming’s mind as he saw the dragon monster emanate black mist, transforming into a vast black dragon. The energy swiftly gathered onto its arm, roaring and hissing with overwhelming ferocity. The dense, malevolent aura struck once more, distorting the clear light to an extremely perilous breaking point.
“Heh heh!”
A flash of white light appeared in Wu Ming’s hand as a white bone talisman shot out. Mid-air, it transformed into a Bone Demon God, its eye sockets flickering with eerie flames. Clad in dense armor adorned with bone spikes, it lashed out with its claws!
Sizzle!
The bone claw clashed with the dragon claw, as if even the void itself was instantly compressed and shattered, emitting a sharp, hissing sound.
In the violent explosion of energy, two figures—one black and one white—were forced apart, revealing a deadlock between them!
“Behold! The power of the Dharma Realm, the divine thunder of creation!”
Wu Ming extended his five fingers, merging the five elements and five-colored thunder into thunderous chains. Every ounce of power was condensed to the extreme, with not a single trace of leakage.
Threads of lightning instantly coiled around the dragon monster, as the Five Elements Divine Thunder annihilated its baleful aura, provoking furious roars from the creature.
“Heh heh!”
Spotting the cheap White Bone Demon, it immediately flew forward, circled around behind the dragon monster, and launched a treacherous breath attack.
Bang!
The starlight crisscrossed as the White Bone Demon God fused the joints of its two hands, transforming them into a pair of flying swords that slashed down in a cross.
Snap!
The flying sword slashed at the dragon monster’s neck, sending sparks flying in two trails, then struggled to cut through amidst the howls of wolves and flashes of lightning.
Bang! The dragon monster’s enormous head fell to the ground, rolling once, from which oozed pitch-black blood reeking of a foul stench.
“Which emperor of the Great Shang Dynasty is this? What a pity he has already passed away, with no imperial aura remaining!”
Wu Ming took out the Xuan Bird Blood Seal of the Great Shang Dynasty. A layer of dragon miasma emerged from the corpse of the dragon monster, only to be completely absorbed without a single drop wasted.
The black dragon in the imperial seal stirred, appearing even more lively, as if resonating with the mausoleum.
Imperial Qi is formed by the mandate of heaven and earth, and it only exists when a ruler recognized by heaven and earth is on the throne. Back then, if it hadn’t been extracted while King Jie of Shang was still alive, there wouldn’t even be this trace in the imperial seal… These deceased imperial dragon monsters can at most contribute baleful dragon fortune—don’t even think about obtaining Imperial Qi from them…
Whew!
As the baleful aura was drawn in like a whale sucking in water, the dragon monster corpses on the ground rapidly decayed, leaving behind nothing but withered bones.
The Bone Demon unwillingly shuffled its bones, and a piece of malevolent energy crystal fell out. Instantly overjoyed, it hastily swallowed it whole, crunching loudly between its teeth.
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