Ancient Tomb Entrance

On a high slope of Mount Ba Ling, Yan Kuan had the bodyguards stop. The terrain here resembled a Sleeping Daoist about to achieve Ascension to Immortality, with Eight Dragons Leading, pulling him into the posture of ascending to immortality—this was undoubtedly a feng shui treasure spot, and if nothing went wrong, this was where the ancient tomb he sought lay.

"This is the sealed earth of the ancient tomb. The treasure spot is underneath. If I dig straight in, it'll make a huge commotion. I'll have to find another entrance." Yan Kuan got down from the bodyguard's back and gently stamped his foot. Based on the feedback from the energy fluctuations, he could basically confirm he'd found the right place, but the extremely thick sealed earth beneath his feet gave him some trouble.

He wasn't a professional grave robber, lacking the skill for tunneling, and the sealed earth here was so thick that finding an entrance would require digging out a small hill. Such a large disturbance would definitely alert the authorities.

"There are living beings inside the ancient tomb. There should be another entrance." Yan Kuan's 'Fiery Golden Eyes' flickered unsteadily. Through the thick sealed earth, he vaguely detected some living creatures, and air flowing within, indicating that the tomb was connected to the outside world.

"Set up the tents here. Don't wander off." Yan Kuan gave the bodyguards careful instructions, then left the small hill of sealed earth alone.

These bodyguards were specially found by Old Yan before he left home. They had good skills and reputations, didn't ask unnecessary questions, and had few stray thoughts. They'd gotten along well with Yan Kuan on the journey, so he specifically warned them. He had set up a small formation at the sealed earth spot, so staying put would keep them mostly safe from danger. As for whether they'd disobey and cause him trouble, he wouldn't show any mercy.

There were many ancient tombs on Mount Ba Ling, and no small number of buried cultivators. Many things that emerged here were things even he couldn't handle, let alone these bodyguards. If they really stirred up trouble, he'd definitely prioritize saving himself first; the others would have to pray for their own luck.

At one corner of Mount Ba Ling, Yan Kuan wandered alone through the uninhabited deep mountains. He didn't know how long he walked before the view ahead suddenly opened up, revealing a valley. Deep in the valley, jagged rocks lay strewn across a creek bed, with no trace of human presence—a harsh environment.

Yan Kuan carefully observed the surrounding terrain. Rocks were piled haphazardly, and brambles covered the ground everywhere. Wild grass and shrubs stretched wildly, blotting out the sky and sun. Looking up, he couldn't see the path ahead at all; all he could see were branches and vines. Underfoot, broken stones and twigs were scattered everywhere, along with patches of creeping plants that clung to the ground, making every step a stumbling affair.

By now, the sky was growing dark, and visibility was fading. Suddenly, he shifted his body to one side as a black shadow slid swiftly past his feet, darting into the grass with a whoosh and disappearing.

"A wildcat?" Yan Kuan glanced at the shadow—a creature resembling a wildcat, probably some kind of medium-small feline. He was about to continue exploring ahead when another black shadow flashed by. This one seemed to be something that could fly, swooping through the air and accurately grabbing that 'wildcat.'

"A bat?" Yan Kuan looked closely and saw the two black shadows tangled together, fighting for their lives in the grass. A dark, shapeless thing was stuck to the wildcat's neck, its size no smaller than the cat's. On closer inspection, it was a bizarre bat.

Bats are nocturnal creatures, usually coming out at night. Ordinary bats are only palm-sized, but the one before him looked abnormal. Its mouth was clamped onto the cat's neck, and its pitch-black appearance was especially creepy. Bats don't seem like much usually, but if you look at them up close, the more you stare, the more unsettling they become, sending chills down your spine.

The black bat before Yan Kuan was hideously ugly. Its skin was covered in wrinkles, like a layer of dry, dead skin. It was entirely black, with a layer of short, dense fur on its belly, clinging tightly to the flesh, a dark, wrinkled mess—big bumps covered in little bumps.

After a moment's hesitation, he pointed a finger. With two startled cries, the tangled wildcat and bat separated. The wildcat bolted and vanished into the grass, while the bat turned to glance at him before swiftly flying off toward some part of the valley.

"Monsters like this can't be nurtured in just any ordinary place!" Yan Kuan, holding the Trigram Treasure Box, followed the direction the bat had disappeared and found a dark, hidden deep cave. Pitch-black, with no telling where it led, he didn't hesitate to enter.

This cave led straight underground, the path ahead like an abyss with no bottom in sight. Yan Kuan's body was enveloped in a faint reddish flame glow, and the Trigram Treasure Box in his hand emitted a special light. It was with this double assurance that he dared to venture deep into this tomb of the ancient sages.

Such places where ancient sages rested were naturally filled with countless traps. No one likes being disturbed after death, so these ancient tombs are generally very dangerous. But since the Ancestral Star entered the End of Dharma, all kinds of cultivation methods had greatly diminished. Even the dragon veins of many famous mountains and great rivers had dissipated and dried up. The techniques of the cultivators in these tombs were barely one in a hundred of what they once were.

In the original story, this ancient tomb was actually dug up by mortals. Later, it attracted some cultivators at the Wheel Sea Realm. Those people could break into the depths of the tomb, and Yan Kuan had a Great Power Supreme Treasure in hand, so there shouldn't be a problem.

He walked in the darkness for who knows how long when an extremely cold aura swept over him. Divine power surged within Yan Kuan's body, and the crimson flame glow on his surface flared up, easily blocking it.

"This is..." He walked a bit further, and suddenly celestial music rang out in the darkness, as if coming from the underworld, making it feel utterly bizarre.

"Ancient pre-Qin seal script." Yan Kuan's flame glow grew brighter. After passing through a low, narrow opening, he noticed some traces around him. By the flame light, he identified them as some kind of large seal script from the pre-Qin Warring States period or even earlier, resembling oracle bone script or bronze inscriptions.

He paused there for a moment before continuing onward. More distinct music reached his ears. Waves of celestial music, not from the nine heavens, but from deep underground, like the Nine Nether Soul Song.

"White jade steps. I haven't found the wrong place." Yan Kuan walked a bit further, and a set of white jade steps appeared, leading deep into the underground palace. For mortals, such material would be impossible to afford. Who would pave roads with jade?

Every piece of white jade here was flawless. Cutting one off and auctioning it would fetch a sky-high price, yet here they were merely steps leading underground. This showed how extraordinary the master of this place was.

"Clang, clang..." Yan Kuan stepped onto the white jade steps and walked a bit more. The celestial music suddenly changed, and bursts of sword clangs came. His face instantly flushed red, and he quickly sidestepped and retreated a few steps.

"Sword Sharpening Stone? The path I took shouldn't have run into it. Could there be another road?" Yan Kuan barely managed to resist the clanging sword sounds with the power of the Trigram Treasure Box. Glancing sideways, he saw a stone wall blocking the way ahead, covered in sword marks. Clanging sounds emanated from it, as if a peerless master was dueling with swords, echoing from ancient times.