Translator: AnubisTL
Rumble!
The earth suddenly collapsed, a vast area nearly three kilometers in diameter plunging downward as if struck by a localized earthquake.
The Ghost Sword Sect cultivators hovering in the air exchanged shocked glances.
"What's happening?"
"The formation flags have been overturned! Such dense Yin Fiend Qi!"
"Wait... the rogue cultivators who entered just now... they've all been drained into mummies!"
"..."
As the dust settled, desiccated corpses emerged from the shattered earth, their life essence completely drained, as if they had been dried by the wind.
The remaining rogue cultivators, who hadn't yet rushed inside, felt a chill run down their spines.
This wasn't some immortal treasure trove; it was clearly a demon's den, a bottomless abyss of demonic power!
Then, movement stirred within the tomb mansion once more.
Footsteps echoed, slow and deliberate, each step resonating like a tread upon their hearts.
Soon, a figure clad in royal robes emerged from the darkness, gradually stepping out of the tomb mansion.
In that moment, they stood face-to-face with a royal marquis from the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty, a figure who had lived a thousand years ago!
"King Jing... he's still alive?!"
Hiss!
Everyone gasped, the words nearly shattering their minds and freezing their thoughts.
On the distant mountain cliffs, Qiu Zhen, who had witnessed everything, trembled violently, waves of fear washing over him.
"This is wrong! How could it become a yin corpse? Impossible!"
"This is clearly a dragon-bearing land, not a corpse-raising site! Could there be something strange about this terrain?!"
As a feng shui master, Qiu Zhen felt utterly lost, questioning everything he had learned throughout his life.
Just as he was spiraling into self-doubt, a loud burp erupted beside him.
"Burp~"
"Nothing strange about it, young man. Your skills are simply lacking. Our lineage of dragon-seeking and geomancy emphasizes both understanding the terrain and observing the celestial phenomena. You focused only on the terrain and neglected the celestial phenomena."
"Look, what does the flickering pattern of the stellar constellations resemble here?"
Hearing this, Qiu Zhen stiffly turned his head toward the old man speaking beside him.
It was none other than the goatee-bearded old daoist he had chased for miles earlier! Now, the old daoist stood beside him, radiating an air of serene composure, and Qiu Zhen hadn't even noticed his approach!
"I... I haven't studied any of this," Qiu Zhen stammered, his voice trembling. Even his dullest instincts now screamed the truth: this old man wasn't some mere qi refining realm cultivator, but a unfathomably powerful senior!
"Please, Senior, enlighten me!"
Below, the millennial yin corpse had already begun slaughtering the remaining living cultivators. Their vital energy and blood were the perfect tonic for the undead creature.
Whoosh!
Its speed was terrifying. The royal robe billowed in the air as it instantly seized a cultivator.
"Ah!"
The cultivator's scream was cut short as the yin corpse drained his blood and vital energy, leaving behind another desiccated corpse.
"Run! Run for your lives!" The Ghost Sword Sect cultivators in the sky abandoned all pretense of maintaining their blockade, desperate to escape as far as possible.
Meanwhile, the goatee-bearded old daoist above remained calm, sipping from his gourd as he explained:
"This is indeed a Dragon Conception land, but the celestial phenomena here indicate a Fallen Star configuration. Look at that section of the stellar vein—isn't there a missing star where one should be?"
"A demon star has fallen, severing the stellar vein. How could this place possibly nurture a true dragon? It's clearly meant to cultivate an extremely malevolent entity."
Qiu Zhen, who knew nothing of celestial phenomena, looked utterly bewildered but nodded as if he understood.
"A Corpse Dissolution Immortal... I truly wonder which unscrupulous feng shui master gave King Jing this ghastly idea. Alas, it seems even this node is unsuitable."
With these words, the goatee-bearded old daoist shook his head in disappointment and staggered away.
Though Qiu Zhen didn't grasp the daoist's words, he understood something else.
"Senior, did you see through these anomalies yesterday? Is that why you stopped me from entering the tomb?"
"Thank you for saving my life, Senior! Please accept me as your disciple. This Qiu will serve you like a beast of burden for the rest of my days."
"Senior, wait for me!"
"Don't leave me here alone! If that millennial yin corpse catches up, our lineage's inheritance will be severed!"
Qiu Zhen tried to chase after him, but despite the old daoist's slow pace, he couldn't close the distance.
Shrinking the earth to an inch!
What an astonishing divine ability! Qiu Zhen was dumbfounded, utterly beyond his comprehension.
I have to cling to this powerful figure!
Yet the goatee-bearded old daoist continued to walk further and further away, unconsciously leaving Qiu Zhen far behind.
"Don't worry," the old daoist called back. "The yin corpse can't stray too far from this terrain. Just keep your distance."
With those parting words, the goatee-bearded old daoist's figure vanished, leaving Qiu Zhen staring blankly at the spot where he had stood.
Royal marquis's grand tomb... Millennial yin corpse!
The news spread like wildfire across Giant Deer Prefecture, then began to ferment even further afield.
"Nearly eighty percent of the cultivators died! Even the Ghost Sword Sect elders barely escaped!"
"It's terrifying! The entire mountain range is saturated with yin energy, and the earth has collapsed in places."
"King Jing transformed into a yin corpse? Unimaginable!"
"What about the burial chambers beneath the tomb? Were any treasures discovered?"
"Everyone who went down died! How would anyone know?"
"..."
In Nanyang Market, Li Qing closed his eyes, carefully listening to the reports about the grand tomb.
Millennial yin corpse... This is getting more interesting. Good thing I didn't get involved. This place is clearly fraught with danger.
The Ghost Sword Sect won't let this go unanswered. They'll likely send at least two core formation realm supreme elders to deal with it.
"Now that the final stages of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty's destruction are upon us, the righteous and demonic paths will likely exploit this incident for their own purposes. They might even use it to disgust the old emperor of the dynasty."
"Hmm, this is all good for me. With the Ghost Sword Sect's attention diverted, the black market's development will be even safer."
Li Qing thought to himself, then slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint in his pupils.
"It seems the second trade fair can begin. Now, while the Ghost Sword Sect's resources are stretched thin, it's time to add fuel to the black market's growth!"
The core item he planned to sell remained the crimson crystal. Though he could obtain vast quantities of it in the World of Eternal Night, he would continue to market it sparingly to maintain its scarcity and value.
"I should make another trip to the World of Eternal Night. This time, I'll try hunting some second-tier strange beasts. Hopefully, I can trade them for even more valuable goods."
With that, Li Qing stood up and slowly closed the Hundred Refinements Pavilion's heavy doors.
Clang!
The doors slammed shut, and Li Qing began preparing his supplies inside the pavilion.
"If possible, I should also try to find an opportunity for Fan Tong to advance. That blockhead still hasn't even reached the mid-second-tier threshold."
As he spoke, Li Qing descended to the refining chamber at the pavilion's lowest level.
It had been several years since his last visit to the World of Eternal Night. By the world's time, it was nearly a decade.
What changes might have occurred in those ten years?
(End of the Chapter)
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