Translator: CinderTL
Heng Ziping gazed into the dark, narrow passage of the Immortal's Tomb and offered an awkward smile.
It would be a lie to say that he and Song Wen had no designs on the treasures within the Immortal's Tomb. However, both were wary of the unknown dangers lurking inside and dared not rush in recklessly.
"Fellow Daoist Heng, I presume you collected the Pure Origin Heavenly Dew from the two stone pillars nearby?" Song Wen asked, changing the subject.
"Indeed," Heng Ziping replied. "However, the Pure Origin Heavenly Dew from the other two pillars has already fallen into your hands. The amount you possess should be sufficient for your breakthrough to the Body Integration Stage."
Seeing Heng Ziping's candor, Song Wen nodded.
However, he also detected a deeper implication in Heng Ziping's words.
Heng Ziping seemed utterly certain that there were only four stone pillars in this place.
"Fellow Daoist, do you perhaps have prior knowledge of this place?" Song Wen inquired.
"What makes you say that, Fellow Daoist?" Heng Ziping countered.
"Otherwise, how could you know there are only four stone pillars here?" Song Wen pressed.
Heng Ziping smiled faintly. "The Turbid Spirit Realm is making its first appearance in the world. No one has ever entered it before, so how could I possibly know its secrets? My deduction is based on the customs of tomb construction among cultivators in the Southern Nether Region. They typically place guardian stone beasts outside their tombs. In my opinion, the area where we stand is beneath such a stone beast, and those four pillars are its limbs. The two caves that spew the Gang Qi Waterfall are likely the beast's nostrils."
"If what you say is true, fellow daoist, then why is this stone beast exhaling Nine Heavens Gang Qi?" Song Wen asked.
Song Wen actually agreed with Heng Ziping's assessment. However, the sheer scale of the stone beast was staggering—estimated to be two to three hundred thousand miles long.
Heng Ziping replied, "I have no idea either. Perhaps it's related to the tomb itself?"
"Fellow Daoist Heng, since neither of us wishes to enter this 'Immortal's Tomb,' why don't we return to the Gang Qi Waterfall and wait for an opportune moment to leave this place together?" Song Wen suggested.
"I was thinking the same thing," Heng Ziping replied.
Both men wore faint, almost imperceptible smiles as they slowly drifted toward the Gang Qi Waterfall, their attention subtly focused on each other.
Yet, after flying only a few thousand miles, their expressions abruptly shifted.
They suddenly sensed an indescribably foul aura surging toward them from behind, like a colossal black wave.
The Foul Qi was utterly putrid, carrying the stench of decay, malevolence, and murderous intent, as if the Foul Water of the Yellow Springs from the deepest abyss of the Nine Nether had erupted forth.
"Escape!"
The thought flashed simultaneously through both their minds.
Their escape speed surged dramatically.
But almost immediately, they abruptly slowed and came to a halt.
Ahead, the raging Nine Heavens Gang Qi roared toward them like a wrathful dragon.
Their faces instantly turned ashen.
Trapped between a wolf and a tiger, with nowhere to flee?
Could their earlier suspicion be true? That any rash action here would trigger some catastrophic event?
Almost simultaneously, they channeled their spiritual power to the limit, conjuring mana shields. Then, they turned and charged headfirst into the onrushing Foul Qi.
In this desperate situation, their only option was to risk entering the Immortal's Tomb.
Otherwise, the collision between the Gang Qi and the Foul Qi could unleash a cataclysmic explosion!
The moment they plunged into the Foul Qi, they were struck by an overwhelming force and corrosive power.
Their mana shields instantly became mottled with countless tiny, invisible marks, as if being silently gnawed away by swarms of microscopic poisonous insects.
The two men, however, couldn't afford to dwell on this. They sprinted toward the tomb entrance with all their might.
Both the gang qi and Foul Qi were clearly connected to the tomb, so logically, neither should pose a threat to it.
Though they had a path to escape, moving against the surging Foul Qi made their progress arduous.
Song Wen formed a seal with both hands, and a silver Thunderlight erupted, striking directly into the Foul Qi ahead.
The Foul Qi, confronted with the Thunderlight's overwhelming heavenly might, melted away like frost under the scorching sun, carving a path through the miasma.
Song Wen's speed instantly surged.
Seeing this, Heng Ziping subtly shifted sideways, quietly positioning himself behind Song Wen.
Song Wen, however, had no time to acknowledge this opportunistic maneuver, focusing solely on pushing forward.
When they were less than a hundred miles from the tomb entrance,
the gang qi and Foul Qi collided behind them.
Boom!
A deafening explosion shook the air, ringing in their ears and blurring their vision.
Immediately afterward, a massive shockwave swept toward them.
The two men lost control, caught in the shockwave's fury, and were hurled forward in a chaotic tumble.
Simultaneously, the mana shields protecting both of them shattered instantly.
Heng Ziping immediately summoned three flying swords, which began to orbit him at high speed, coalescing into a Sword Qi Protective Shield.
The moment the Sword Qi Protective Shield materialized, it rapidly began to disintegrate.
A black talisman then appeared in Heng Ziping's hand.
With a slightly pained expression, Heng Ziping watched as the talisman shattered, transforming into a stream of black light that merged into the precarious Sword Qi Protective Shield.
Instantly, the Sword Qi Protective Shield solidified, its imminent collapse averted.
Temporarily safe, Heng Ziping looked up toward where Gou Jun had been.
He saw that Gou Jun's physical body had already been torn apart by the shockwave, leaving only shreds of flesh pulverized into dust.
Heng Ziping stared in stunned silence.
He had assumed Gou Jun possessed immense power. How could he have perished so easily?
However, the immediate danger left him no time to ponder the matter. He focused all his efforts on stabilizing the Sword Qi Protective Shield while desperately trying to escape the shockwave's grasp, attempting to maneuver toward the tomb entrance.
At the tomb entrance, Song Wen's figure suddenly materialized.
The overwhelming Foul Qi had disrupted his divine sense, forcing him to expend five Substitute Puppets to teleport the mere dozens of miles to this location.
With a step, Song Wen entered the passageway.
The tomb's interior and exterior were like two separate worlds.
An invisible barrier at the entrance completely blocked the surging Foul Qi and gang qi, preventing even a trace from seeping into the tomb.
However, Song Wen immediately sensed a strange restriction force that completely confined his divine sense within his body, preventing it from extending even an inch beyond.
"Shadow Void, can your divine sense perceive the surroundings?" Song Wen asked in his Sea of Consciousness.
"No. There's a restriction set by you humans here. My divine sense can't leave my body," Shadow Void replied.
Song Wen stared intently at the pitch-black passageway ahead, his expression grave.
With a thought, the Soul Cleaving Blade materialized before him.
But with a clang, the blade fell uncontrollably to the hard stone floor.
Song Wen's lips twitched slightly, his expression turning even more solemn.
The inability to extend his divine sense meant that all mystic treasures could only be activated by holding them in his hand, much like a mortal martial artist wielding a weapon, channeling their inner energy through it.
(End of the Chapter)
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