The true purpose of the Hundred Emperors Tomb
"Greetings, Sect Master!" In a Restaurant in Canghai Commandery, after Zhuge Xiang and the others landed, Dongfang Yan, Ming Chihuo, and Leng Ningxiang greeted Liu Rufang in turn before sitting down. Regardless of the circumstances, although Liu Rufang's strength was lower than theirs, she was the Sect Master of the Azure Sword Sect. Out of respect for Zhuge Xiang, they naturally had to pay their respects according to seniority.
Zhuge Xiang and the others were all listed on the Dragon Phoenix Ranking. They met at this Restaurant and interacted as equals, which made it easy for them to get along. Liu Rufang, as the head of a sect, was not suitable to meet, but fortunately, she was not very old. Because she had passed the Deity Transformation stage, she looked to be only in her early twenties, and her actual age was just over thirty.
"Brother Zhuge, Winning the Championship Dragon Phoenix Ranking today, and your name will surely be known throughout Canghai Commandery. Indeed, gold shines wherever it is," Dongfang Yan said to Zhuge Xiang after they sat down. His voice was gentle but full of pride.
"Indeed, Lei Qianjun wields the Purple Lightning, and even I have no chance of winning. It is evident that Young Master Zhuge's strength is truly unparalleled in Canghai Commandery, which is truly eye-opening," Ming Chihuo said, raising his wine cup.
"I'm just curious, how come you were able to use Lei Qianjun's final, deadly move?" Leng Ningxiang raised her wine glass and asked directly. Having grown up among the Demon Wolf Pack, Leng Ningxiang's personality was straightforward; she said what she wanted to say.
Leng Ningxiang's words made everyone present stare at Zhuge Xiang with curiosity. Her question had voiced what everyone was thinking, and even Liu Rufang and Su Huayu couldn't hide their curiosity. Originally, this concerned the other party's secret, and although they had doubts, they shouldn't ask too much. However, Leng Ningxiang was straightforward and didn't have so many reservations.
There was no intention of hiding anything. Zhuge Xiang's left eye suddenly turned into an eerie Purple-Gold. The eerie pupil gave people the feeling that Zhuge Xiang could see right through them. Then, Zhuge Xiang explained, "This is a special Dao Item. It can be fused with the pupil. Whatever move the opponent uses, this Dao Item can simulate it. Of course, the simulated power is related to one's own cultivation level."
"The Great Thousand World is truly full of wonders; there are even such rare treasures," Dongfang Yan, who came from the Dongfang Family. Even he was astonished by the attributes of this Purple Gold Demonic Eye.
"I see. This thing is really interesting," Leng Ningxiang said with a knowing nod.
"Come, let me toast you. This treasure is indeed amazing, but it is Young Master Zhuge's demeanor that is even more admirable," Ming Chihuo said, raising his wine cup.
Normally, no one is willing to reveal the secrets of their own strength, but Zhuge Xiang speaks frankly, and this free and forthright personality is truly admirable.
"Young Master Ming is also very strong. His Fire Spell is truly unparalleled in this era. I believe that the Fire God Zhurong is comparable to the True Essence Realm Cultivator." "If others respect me by an inch, I will respect them by a mile." This is Zhuge Xiang. He also raised his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.
All of them were top geniuses of Canghai Commandery, and they naturally treated each other as equals. Over drinks, they quickly became familiar with each other and gathered together to exchange their experiences on cultivation and matters concerning the Hundred Emperors Tomb's Mausoleum.
"The Hundred Emperors Tomb will be filled with Genius Disciple from all thirteen prefectures, along with their respective entourages. There will probably be four or five thousand people. In the end, the battle for the Dragon Qi will be fierce. Only if we stick together will we have a chance to seize more Dragon Qi Crystal," said Ming Chihuo, the Fire Spirit Young Master, when the topic of the Hundred Emperors Tomb came up.
"Dragon Qi Crystal?" Ming Chihuo's words startled Zhuge Xiang, who was somewhat surprised.
Zhuge Xiang knew a little about the Hundred Great Qin Empire Hundred Emperors Tomb. They were the Alternate Dimension where the royal families of the Six Nations were killed and buried when First Emperor Six Nations the six kingdoms. Every ten years, the Alternate Dimension would rub against the Great Thousand World and create cracks, allowing talented Cultivator to enter and search for treasures. However, Zhuge Xiang had never heard of the so-called Dragon Qi Crystal.
"Could it be that Brother Zhuge doesn't know about the Dragon Qi Crystal either?" Ming Chihuo naturally noticed Zhuge Xiang's puzzled expression and asked in surprise. Apart from Dongfang Yan, Leng Ningxiang, Su Huayu, and even Liu Rufang all looked confused, clearly not knowing what the Dragon Qi Crystal was.
"I thought that Brother Zhuge, being from the Large Sect Asura Sect, should know about this," Ming Chihuo, seeing that Zhuge Xiang really didn't know, so he explained about the Hundred Emperors Tomb 'Mausoleum. Only then did Zhuge Xiang fully understand the Truth about entering the Hundred Emperors Tomb' Mausoleum once every ten years.
According to Zhuge Xiang's understanding, the official narrative of the Great Qin Empire is that the Hundred Emperors Tomb open once every ten years, allowing talented Cultivator to enter and search for treasures, explore, and compete. That's all. However, the Truth revealed by Ming Chihuo is quite different from what Zhuge Xiang knew.
It turns out that when First Emperor conquered the Six Nations, in order to prevent the Six Nations Imperial Clans from rising from the ashes, he buried the remains of a hundred royal family members in a dangerous place. However, after the Six Nations were destroyed, the resentment and obsession of those royal family members transformed into an enormous Undying Peng Bird, which carried the entire tomb of the Hundred Emperors Tomb on its back and tried to escape. It was then attacked by the experts of the Nine Great Sects and thrown into the Void.
Although the hundred royals perished, their obsessions remained incredibly strong, and the humiliation of their fallen kingdoms was etched deep into their souls. Furthermore, with the Dragon Qi of the Six Nations converging, the Great Qin Empire feared that the Dragon Qi within the Hundred Emperors Tomb might be too abundant and cause disturbances. Therefore, they planted a Phoenix Vine deep in the Void, which blossoms and bears fruit every ten years. The Phoenix Fruit attracts the roc, which is formed from the spirit of the king, hence the saying that the Hundred Emperors Tomb open once every ten years.
Cultivator with excessive strength were to secretly enter the Hundred Emperors Tomb, the Peng bird would inevitably detect it. Therefore, the Great Qin Empire established the Dragon Phoenix Ranking, selecting thirty-two geniuses under the age of thirty from each prefecture to enter the ranking. The main purpose was to allow these talented Cultivator to absorb the remaining Dragon Qi from the Six Nations, making it difficult for them to gain power. This Dragon Qi also has indescribable benefits for Cultivator.
On the one hand, it can eliminate the potential threat of the Hundred Emperors Tomb; on the other hand, it can benefit the young geniuses of the entire Great Qin Empire, injecting fresh blood into the Cultivation World of the Great Qin Empire. This is the true purpose of the Great Qin Empire in establishing the Dragon Phoenix Ranking to select geniuses to enter the Hundred Emperors Tomb's Mausoleum.
"The competition for the Dragon Phoenix Ranking is merely a contest among Cultivator within the county. The real battle actually takes place in the Hundred Emperors Tomb, where the Dragon Qi Crystal are said to be worth a month of arduous cultivation. The real competition lies in the Dragon Qi Crystal, and the contenders are the geniuses of the entire Great Qin Empire..." Ming Chihuo concluded.
A single Dragon Qi Crystal is equivalent to a month of arduous cultivation? This made Zhuge Xiang's eyes light up. Then, each Dragon Qi Crystal is Experience Points! The Hundred Emperors Tomb? Zhuge Xiang was filled with anticipation.
The group drank until midnight before settling into rooms at the Restaurant to rest and await the day they would enter the Hundred Emperors Tomb's Mausoleum. Zhuge Xiang stayed at the Azure Sword Sect, carefully regulating his breathing. At the same time, he also learned the Zhuge Xiang Control Sword Control Technique Skill Book. As a Sword Cultivator, the Sword Control Technique was incredibly powerful, so Zhuge Xiang naturally used his Sword Control Technique Skill Point to upgrade it to the highest level.
Sword Control Technique (Perfection Level): Requires Level 1 of the Spell Control Stage and over 70% Sword Intent. Controls the sword with divine power, increasing attack power by 200% and Attack Speed by 50%. Consumes 300 MP per second.
Zhuge Xiang was overjoyed at the sight of Perfection Level's masterful Sword Control Technique. A 200% increase in attack power? Didn't that mean every strike of the Sword Control Technique would have triple attack power? And there was also a 50% Attack Speed bonus? Thinking back to the day on the Tournament Platform, when he was suppressed by Lei Qianjun's Sword Control Technique, Zhuge Xiang was secretly delighted. The Perfection Level Sword Control Technique was indeed extraordinary, even stronger than Lei Qianjun's back then.
On Zhuge Xiang's side, preparations were underway for entering the Hundred Emperors Tomb on the eighth day of the eighth lunar month. Meanwhile, on Sword Peak Dragon Phoenix Ranking in Yanling Commandery, the Dragon and Phoenix Ranking of Yanling County was coming to an end. Purgatory Elder Lianyu announced the rankings of the Dragon Phoenix Ranking and printed the names of the young talents on it.
Unlike Canghai Commandery, Yanling Commandery's Dragon Phoenix Ranking selection was very meticulous. Before Zhuge Xiang left Yanling Commandery, he had already determined the top 100 finalists. However, there was another step in the final battle: anyone in Yanling Commandery who was unwilling to accept defeat could challenge these top 100 finalists three times. If they won all three battles, they would have a chance to participate in the finals.
Having Three Trials, the remaining hundred finalists are all exceptionally strong. To secure a spot in the finals, one must defeat three opponents in a row. This is no easy feat, but it's not entirely impossible.
The golden Dragon Phoenix Ranking hangs high in the sky. Among the thirty-two nominees, besides the Sarira Skeleton Yin Wugu, Lin Haiyan, Gu Siqi, Zhang Kuang, Pei Yingxiao, and others, there are two people who should not be on the list: Lu Yuling and Qin Qing!
"Miss Lu, are you telling the truth? He's not dead yet?" The Dragon Phoenix Ranking of Yanling Commandery had ended, Qin Qing, who had reached the bottom of the Dragon Phoenix Ranking, asked Lu Yuling beside her.
Qin Qing's cultivation was already quite strong, and with the full support of the Hundred Flowers Palace and the Weeping Blood Demonic Zither Treasure Artifact, the Blood-Weeping Demon Zither, she successfully made it onto the Dragon and Dragon Phoenix Ranking. As for Lu Yuling, needless to say, if Zhuge Xiang were to visit again, he would surely discover that Lu Yuling's cultivation had already broken through to the Deity Transformation stage.
"Myriad Flowers Elder is dead. Only his Nascent Soul barely managed to escape back to the Sect. Although he remained silent about the matter, I was unable to summon Zhuge Xiang's ghost using the Soul Summoning Formation. In my opinion, his chances of escaping are over 60-70%."
Lu Yuling, holding a delicate and elegant white lotus flower, answered Qin Qing's question calmly. (To be continued...)