Disappointed?

Qin Yang raised the Storage Bag hanging around his neck before him, its mouth wide open, his gaze locked firmly onto the Unicorn Hoof Monster.

This was a desperate last stand! The Unicorn Hoof Monster's presence was far too overwhelming, at least three realms above his. Its mere aura could tug at his soul, causing illusions to rise one after another before his eyes. Fighting was definitely impossible; he could only hope this thing had some intelligence and could be reasoned with...

The Unicorn Hoof Monster stared at Qin Yang for a long while without saying a word. Then it slowly raised its head and looked toward the heavens, resplendent with divine radiance.

Ripples undulated across the sky. At its very center, a point of divine light abruptly transformed into a crimson sun. The blazing sunlight became seven-colored ripples that slowly spread outward. In an instant, vast pure yang and scorching heat blanketed the entire mausoleum.

The sinister dead silence and bone-piercing chill within the air seemed like winter snow beneath the blazing summer sun, melting away at incredible speed. A faint glow rose over every building, Dao Patterns appearing to ward off the searing heat.

Qin Yang was slightly startled. He felt it most clearly: at this moment, he no longer needed to use the Blood Lama and Yi Wood Essence crystals to resist the erosion of that aura...

Had those three outside already dealt with the Grave-Guardian Corpse Beasts? Or had another powerful expert arrived? Before Qin Yang could think further, doors within these grim, deathly clusters of buildings opened one after another...

From a small building not far away, an enormous flood dragon head poked out. Then, shaking its head and wagging its tail, it soared into the sky and became a Thousand Zhang-long pitch-black flood dragon. Its scales were black as ink, a single broken horn stood atop its head, and four claws grew beneath its belly. With one sway of its body, boundless corpse qi materialized from thin air, turning into black clouds that blotted out the sky and sun.

Elsewhere, a frog's croak exploded through the air. A three-legged giant toad as massive as a mountain range occupied the sky, opening its mouth to swallow clouds and draw in mist. Its terrifying aura churned the heavens, and even the divine radiance flowing there seemed to be devoured by it. For a time, heaven and earth went dark.

Then came a long wolf howl. A Thousand Zhang wolf-man with a wolf's head, a human body, and sharp claws for all four limbs raised its head and howled at the sky. A black moon abruptly appeared overhead, its grim moonlight streaming down in threads, as though turning a blazing summer day into a bitter winter night in an instant.

All manner of phenomena arose in succession. One powerful and extraordinary Grave-Guardian Corpse Beast after another appeared. The summer-like heat that had just emerged vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye, and the entire mausoleum became grim, cold, and deathly once more.

Qin Yang strained his eyes to look, and felt only one thing: his heart trembled with fear.

Every single pavilion contained a Grave-Guardian Corpse Beast. Not one of them was inferior to the first three Grave-Guardian Corpse Beasts he had encountered.

One had to know that those three Grave-Guardian Corpse Beasts had been able to fight three mighty experts to a standstill, neither side able to gain the upper hand.

And how many were there here? If not a thousand, then at least eight hundred!

Quite a few Grave-Guardian Corpse Beasts possessed a presence and ferocity far surpassing those first three. Looking around, he could not identify the vast majority of them. Only a very few could Qin Yang match with the records, and every one of them was renowned far and wide, their vicious reputations reaching the heavens.

Unicorn Flood Dragon, Sun-Devouring Golden Toad, Eternal Night Demon Wolf...

Any one of these could be the protagonist of a myth told to young children...

Yet here, they were merely Grave-Guardian Corpse Beasts allowed to dwell alone in a single building.

The numerous Grave-Guardian Corpse Beasts shot into the sky. The dazzling heavens formed from divine radiance were obscured by their aura, transforming into night in an instant.

Though Qin Yang could not see the precise details, he could still sense terrifying fluctuations like raging seas overturning the heavens and earth. Had the mausoleum's power not dissolved the aftermath before it descended, he would likely have been shaken into dust in an instant.

After all the Grave-Guardian Corpse Beasts vanished, Qin Yang stood where he was and glanced at the Zombie Apes crouching motionlessly nearby. He swallowed hard. The pressure was simply too great...

A single zombie ape could easily put him to death, let alone the forty or fifty here.

Gritting his teeth, Qin Yang took one step forward. Every zombie ape turned its single eye toward him in unison and continued staring, yet not one made a move.

Qin Yang continued walking. The Zombie Apes continued watching him, and still not one made any other movement.

Qin Yang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately activated the Golden Light Ink Talismans, and a Golden Path appeared beneath his feet, extending ahead.

Stepping on the golden light, Qin Yang raced in great strides toward the depths of the mausoleum.

Once Qin Yang moved, all the Zombie Apes remained crouched in place without budging. Only their gazes continued to follow him.

Even more Zombie Apes arrived from every direction. Like those forty or fifty, they all crouched atop the buildings, their eyes fixed on Qin Yang.

After racing for some distance, Qin Yang had a sudden thought and strained his eyes to look. These Zombie Apes had not gathered in one place. Instead, as though guarding an imperial road, they crouched along both sides of a great avenue, all their gazes following him...

Were they showing him the way? A flicker of understanding arose in Qin Yang's heart, yet he did not dare be certain. Perhaps some great mausoleum guardian had given them an order, and they were unable to set foot upon this avenue...

Whatever the case, following this avenue should be the safest route.

Unwilling to take risks, Qin Yang immediately changed direction and ran in great strides. The Golden Path beneath his feet carried him forward at top speed, and he pushed his speed to its limit.

Who knew what was happening outside? Better to hurry...

After less than half an hour, all the Zombie Apes guarding the avenue had vanished. Ahead, only a nine-story tower stood in the center. Qin Yang stopped and looked back. The Zombie Apes remained behind him, yet not one dared look directly this way. Even those facing this direction all bowed their heads respectfully.

This was the most ordinary place he had encountered along the way. There was no grim chill, nor that deathly silence that seeped into one's bones. Instead, it resembled an utterly ordinary nine-story tower. Its eaves and pillars bore no decoration whatsoever, while the tiles and windows were all exceedingly plain...

Placed anywhere else, it would have had no distinguishing feature apart from its height.

Qin Yang drew a deep breath and walked forward. Reaching the tower, he gave the doors a gentle push. They opened silently, revealing an empty interior. Only a staircase leading to the top stood out conspicuously in the corner.

Qin Yang climbed the stairs. The second floor was still empty, and he continued all the way to the top floor. Only then did he see a figure in a long robe of purple and gold seated in the middle of the empty floor.

The man's eyes were lowered. His features were ordinary and his demeanor calm. His most striking feature was his sharply defined angles, making him seem like a resolute and steadfast man.

The instant Qin Yang saw him, a thought arose from nowhere in his heart, like an unshakable truth rooted deep within him, beyond all dispute.

This was the Purple Firmament Dao Lord! But what kind of figure was the Purple Firmament Dao Lord? Even in death, a tiger's might remained. His divine majesty should have towered to the heavens. Why did he appear so ordinary? Not only did he possess no imposing aura, he had not the slightest trace of presence. Once Qin Yang closed his eyes, he could not sense him at all.

For some reason, Qin Yang felt a trace of disappointment, and for a moment, he was filled with a sense of loss.

Just then, a calm voice sounded within Qin Yang's heart.

"Disappointed?"

A word about the update schedule: barring any accidents, the first update would be at exactly six in the evening. The second would be posted whenever it was finished.

And while I'm at it, please bookmark and vote. Also, how many years have those big shots with over ten votes been reading? Today I saw a reader cast fourteen votes and nearly wet myself.