The old man could not help but feel a pang of sorrow after saying those words...
That immense vitality was like a blazing sun hanging high in his eyes. Such supreme medicinal treasure—if he had to pay for it, and without cheating Qin Yang, he truly could not afford it...
As the inheritor of the grand Thieving Sect, he could not bring himself to prey on small sects, while major sects were cautious in their dealings and did not dare take risks lightly. Tens of thousands of years ago, the Thieving Sect had been wiped out; the blood of that lesson had not yet dried...
Unable to act without restraint, he naturally had nothing good on hand...
"Senior, how about this? I'll sell you a few chunks at a discount?" Qin Yang could not bear it. What a fine old man. Since arriving in this world, he had never encountered such a powerful expert who still cared about his dignity. Even with his thick skin, he felt that digging such a pit for the old man to jump into was going a little too far...
"Forget it, forget it. Once this old man gathers enough suitable treasures, I'll come trade with you again. For now, let's leave this place first. It's no longer safe..." The old man let out a long sigh, seeming rather dispirited.
"What happened?"
"Why do you think those three bastards kept guarding that place? The secret realm is collapsing, and Purple Firmament Dao Lord's true tomb is about to emerge. To be so resolute that he would rather see the secret realm collapse than allow his inheritance to be seized by others—Purple Firmament Dao Lord has plenty of backup measures. In this old man's view, they'll try to steal a chicken and lose the rice used to lure it." The old man shook his head, gazed into the distance, and chuckled.
The moment his voice fell, an anomaly arose in the distance.
Rumble...
A thunderous tremor echoed between heaven and earth. All the lingering fragments of phantoms in the sky vanished, and the entire sky turned dim yellow as a trace of ominous aura appeared out of nowhere.
Then the earth shook and the void twisted. The hundred-li stretch of land where the Nether Acacia Ghost Tomb stood suddenly flipped upside down into the sky, while that dim yellow sky inverted and became the earth.
In an instant, heaven and earth turned upside down.
Within the huge pit where the penholder had previously been, a spring eye emerged. Yellow Soup surged out in rolling torrents, and before long, it became a tsunami that blotted out the sky and swept across a hundred li. Looking into the distance, the skies for a hundred li had all become a rolling ocean of Yellow Soup.
Strands of dim yellow aura drifted about. Faint outlines of buildings appeared within the Yellow Soup, and after only a few breaths, vast clusters of structures emerged from it—pavilions and towers, beams of purple gold, pillars of white jade, blue bricks and emerald tiles arranged row upon row, all displaying a majestic and grand air.
As more and more of those upside-down structures hanging from the Yellow Soup manifested, the three great powers attacked together. Divine radiance crisscrossed through the air, shrouding the hundred-li sea of Yellow Soup.
"Purple Firmament Dao Lord's tomb has emerged. Join forces and pin it down. Do not let it escape!"
His voice was like thunder exploding beside the ear. His furious shout could be heard throughout several hundred li. Yet only moments later, a skeletal claw tore through the dazzling divine light enveloping the Yellow Soup sea and burst out, lunging straight toward one of the great powers.
This monster was nothing but bones from head to toe, stretching a thousand zhang long. Its head alone occupied half its body, while its pair of claws were a third larger still than its head. Pale white and pitch-black light flickered across its bones, and the divine radiance in midair had no effect on it whatsoever.
In the blink of an eye, another eight-hundred-zhang-tall black One-Eyed Ape burst from the sea of Yellow Soup. Deathly aura coiled around its entire body, corpse qi filling the heavens. Merely by spreading its aura, it transformed into Zombie Apes several zhang tall, churning the Yellow Soup.
There was also a firebird engulfed in black flames. Its eyes were like lamps, its wings ragged and tattered, and when spread, they spanned eighteen hundred zhang. Within the flames burning around it, faces of Netherworld Souls from countless races continuously formed, struggling in agony. Their miserable wails seemed like demonic music resounding between heaven and earth.
In no more than an instant, only intersecting divine light remained in the sky, making it impossible to see clearly. The terrifying aftermath spread outward like ripples without end...
Clearly, the three monsters had already clashed with the three great powers...
"Heh, didn't this old man say so? They'll definitely try to steal a chicken and lose the rice used to lure it. Those three strange beasts died long ago, but who knows what secret method Purple Firmament Dao Lord used to refine them. Though they cannot wield the power they possessed in life, they are more than enough as Grave-Guardian Corpse Beasts. One has the bloodline of the Ancient Taotie, one has the bloodline of the Ancient One-Eyed Water Ape, and one even has the bloodline of the Black Luan. Whether those three bastards can deal with the three Grave-Guardian Corpse Beasts is another matter, but with this much time, the tomb will certainly be able to flee."
The old man was somewhat gleeful at their misfortune, grinning happily.
Qin Yang stared at the clusters of buildings continuously drilling out of the Yellow Soup beneath the divine radiance in the distant sky. He remained silent for a long while, his expression complicated. Only after some time did he suddenly speak.
"Senior, do you know Purple Firmament Dao Lord's name?"
"Hm? Why ask that?" The old man was taken aback, utterly baffled by the question. "If you asked anyone else, they might not know, but this old man is among the very few who know Purple Firmament Dao Lord's surname and personal name."
"Was it Wu Bi'an?"
"Hm? How did you know?" The old man was slightly startled—truly startled. Purple Firmament Dao Lord's name had not been used for ten thousand years. Those who knew it were all antiques from the older generation. How could Qin Yang, a junior, know it? "Ah, I knew it..." Qin Yang sighed. He had suspected before that Bao Yu's father was Purple Firmament Dao Lord. After all, Bao Yu had learned the Purple Firmament Dao Scripture and wandered around Purple Firmament Dao Lord's secret realm for at least several thousand years. The possibility that he was not Purple Firmament Dao Lord's son was truly slim.
From what the old man said, once the tomb emerged, it would surely flee far away. No one knew where it would go; perhaps it would disappear forever. If the tomb failed to escape, getting near it afterward would be even more impossible.
There was only this one chance to send Bao Yu back.
Moreover, there was now a possibility that might allow him to enter that tomb.
"Senior, take this." Qin Yang took out a Storage Bag containing crystals of Yi Wood Essence and stuffed it into the old man's hand. Before the old man could speak, Qin Yang bowed deeply with a grave expression. "Please help me enter that tomb."
"Are you insane?!" The old man's hand trembled, and he hurriedly tossed the Storage Bag back to Qin Yang. "You little brat, what are you joining in for? Is that a place you can go? If even a trace of the battlefield's aftermath brushes against you, you'll immediately be reduced to nothing, body and soul destroyed. Even if you can enter the palace grounds, do you think it will be safe there? That Yellow Soup is Yellow Springs Water, formed from the gathering of endless deathly qi. If a living person touches even a single drop, their flesh and bones will melt away and their Dao Foundation will collapse. The Yellow Springs Water here has turned into a sea; even a Divine Sea Grand Cultivator who falls into it will meet the end of death and Dao dissolution!"
"I truly have a reason I must go." Qin Yang stuffed the Storage Bag back into the old man's hands, then took out another bag and stuffed that into his hands as well. Once he was done, his hand continued reaching into his robe to take out more...
The old man already had three Storage Bags in his hands. Seeing that Qin Yang's hands still had not stopped and how decisive he was being, his tone softened somewhat. "Tell me first."
"Purple Firmament Dao Lord's deceased son showed me kindness. I promised him that I would send him back to Purple Firmament Dao Lord's side. If you were not here, Senior, I would turn around and leave. But since you are here, there is still a sliver of hope, so I have to gamble on it." Qin Yang was rarely so serious.
The old man looked Qin Yang up and down, but Qin Yang still did not stop. He stuffed all seven Storage Bags filled with Yi Wood Essence crystals into the old man's hands.
"That's all I have."
"You aren't afraid of death?" There was a strange light in the old man's eyes, as though he were seeing Qin Yang anew.
"Of course I am. Who isn't afraid of death? I've lived until today by doing quite a few disgraceful things, but I cannot just abandon something I promised someone. Now that there's a chance, I have to try. Besides, aren't you here, Senior? Whether I die or not is not certain. Even if I truly die, at least my heart will be at ease."
"Hahaha..." The old man burst into laughter and patted Qin Yang on the shoulder. He took one Storage Bag and returned all the rest to Qin Yang, then took out a penholder and stuffed it into Qin Yang's hands. "You have good judgment. With this old man here, there is indeed a great chance of success. One bag is a little too much, but this old man happens to need this thing, so I won't stand on ceremony. I'll also give you a Penholder Secret Treasure to make it barely fair."
"Thank you, Senior." Qin Yang's expression turned solemn. He stepped back two paces and bowed respectfully.
"Enough. You're quite the strange one, kid. Hahaha, but this old man finds you pleasing to the eye. Let's go..."
Before you continue