.....
The sect was restless. Whispers of treasure buried deep in the mountains spread like wildfire, and Sima Jiao, with his cold amusement, decided to make it their next trial.
> "If you seek fortune," he declared, "enter the tomb. Whatever you find, you keep—if you survive."
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The Descent
The disciples, greedy yet fearful, followed the Demon Lord into the forbidden tomb. The air grew heavy with yin energy as they stepped deeper underground. Ancient carvings lined the walls—grim depictions of the dead, their eyes hollow, their mouths twisted in eternal screams.
Tingyan kept close to the group, heart pounding. She felt as though unseen hands clawed at her robes with each step.
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The Corpse Soldiers
At the heart of the tomb, the ground split open, and corpses rose. Once proud warriors, now mindless husks, their eyes glowed with green fire as they lurched forward.
The disciples panicked, blades flashing in the dim light. But for every corpse cut down, two more seemed to rise.
Sima Jiao stood calmly at the center of the chaos, the Spirit Fire burning around him like a living beast. His flames devoured the corpses in an instant, reducing them to dust.
"Pathetic," he said. "If you can't even face the dead, how will you ever grasp power?"
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The Tomb's Secret
Deeper still, they found a sealed chamber. Carved into the stone was the mark of the Sima clan. Tingyan's breath caught—she recognized it from the visions in the coffin.
Sima Jiao placed his hand on the mark. The stone pulsed, opening to reveal a hidden shrine. Inside lay remnants of his clan's legacy—spirit artifacts, blood-written scrolls, and an urn filled with ashes.
His expression darkened as he lifted the urn. "So this is what remains of my people… reduced to dust and offerings."
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A Warning
The disciples trembled, sensing his rage swell like a storm.
"Remember this," he said, voice low but sharp. "The Eight Palaces destroyed the Sima clan. Do you think your fates will be any different, if you stand in my way?"
His Spirit Fire blazed across the tomb walls, the shadows dancing like demons.
Tingyan lowered her gaze, her heart heavy. She could no longer deny it—every cruel act of his was rooted in a wound deeper than she had ever imagined.
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✨ End of Episode 9 — The Forbidden Tomb