An Eyesore and an Illusion Formation
The World-Saving Medical Hall.
Liu Yi looked at the gaudy, multicolored floral shorts on Little Yellow, his brows twitching. He couldn't help trying to dissuade him:
"Little Yellow, the immortal cultivator's tomb is terribly dangerous. How about you stay at the medical hall?"
"Master, I want to go with you! With me there, I'll definitely be able to help!" Little Yellow held his head high, his tail wagging merrily and his eyes full of determination.
Helpless, Liu Yi tried another angle. "Then can you take off those floral shorts? Dressed like that, you stand out too much."
A dog wearing floral shorts was an eyesore. Standing next to him was guaranteed to make everyone turn their heads.
"No way!"
Little Yellow tilted his head and said with perfect confidence, "I learned from 'How to Be a Moral Dog with the Three Haves: Culture, Morals, and Quality' and 'How to Become a Model Dog with the Three Goods' to strive to be a dog with manners and style!"
Liu Yi was left speechless. After struggling for a long while, he could only squeeze out, "You're right. Let's go."
The main reason he was taking action personally was that the current system hosts were too weak.
It would be too difficult for them to obtain the immortal cultivator's Cultivation Method Secret Manual. They might not even be able to enter the tomb.
And since he wanted to obtain an immortal cultivation secret manual, the best choice was naturally to act personally.
Of course, he could also choose to wait more than ten years until the system hosts' cultivation was strong enough, then have them enter the tomb, obtain the immortal cultivation secret manual, and list it for sale to the System Store.
But he couldn't afford to wait at all.
He had to seize every opportunity to grow stronger, comprehend more Great Dao Principles as quickly as possible, and keep improving and upgrading the Fairness System.
Otherwise, with the Fairness System in its current rudimentary state, it would be easily cracked if a powerful expert noticed it.
The place in Changxing Prefecture where the immortal cultivator's tomb had emerged was already packed with people.
Liu Yi had intended to keep a low profile and blend into the crowd, but Little Yellow, wearing his floral shorts beside him, looked exactly like a walking, multicolored signboard.
The surprised, curious, and searching looks cast their way from all around felt like countless needles pricking him, making him uncomfortable all over.
Before long, however, he calmed down and paid them no more attention, merely sweeping his gaze over the more than a thousand people present.
Most of them were system hosts who had heard that an immortal cultivator's tomb had appeared and come harboring dreams of striking it rich overnight.
Some hoped to find an immortal cultivation method to practice, or sell it to the System Store for a fortune in Energy Points.
Others believed that the Dao Seed Martial Dao System had boundless prospects, but it had only been developed as far as the Dao Seed Realm, leaving its future uncertain. By comparison, immortal cultivation held greater promise.
Besides, the longing for immortal cultivation that had built up over millions of years could not be overturned overnight.
Among those present, he also spotted Xu Cheng'an, Su Muhan, Bai Shuyan, and Xu Wang, all four of whom had already entered the Divine Sea Realm.
Three of the Jin State's top ten experts had also come: the Sword God Ruan Xingye, ranked third, whose Sword Qi was restrained but concealed a sharp edge.
The Spear King Meng Zhixu, ranked fifth, stood with his spear in hand, his bearing as majestic as a rainbow.
Fairy Cloud Dream Su Wantang, ranked tenth, was clad in flowing gauze, a cold, ethereal air lingering around her.
All three had reached the Grandmaster Realm, but none had bound a system.
Liu Yi raised his eyes and carefully examined the immortal cultivator's tomb.
Formation patterns wound and crossed over the burial mound, forming a protective formation.
From the formation, he could tell at a glance that this was indeed an immortal cultivator's tomb.
Presumably, an earthquake had cracked open a corner of the tomb, allowing it to be discovered.
A faint curtain of light flickered across the opening.
The tomb bore many marks left by attacks. It seemed someone had already tried to break the formation.
Although damaged, however, the formation still stubbornly guarded the tomb and had not been completely breached.
Just then, Xu Wang sprang up from the ground, hovered in midair, and called out:
"Everyone, we've come all this way for this immortal cultivator's tomb, hoping to obtain the immortal cultivation method inside."
"But the formation is still here, and the tomb hasn't been opened. Only by working together to break the formation can we get inside!"
Ruan Xingye said, "Brother Xu is absolutely right. Unless this formation is broken, none of us can easily enter."
He raised his sword fingers slightly, sword intent surging around him. "If we wish to see what lies within, I ask everyone to lend a hand!"
Meng Zhixu stood with his spear in hand, a cold light flickering at its tip, and declared, "That's exactly what we should do!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he tightened his grip on the spear, strode forward, and thrust it at the formation. A dazzling spear-light erupted from its tip.
Seeing this, everyone joined the attack.
Su Wantang waved her slender hand, and True Qi turned into bolts of silk that swept toward the formation. Lightning crackled in Xu Cheng'an's palm as he struck out.
Xu Wang unleashed the Nine Yang Heaven-Burning Instruction, his fist slamming toward the formation like the Sun.
The others were unwilling to be outdone. Each unleashed an attack, sending fist force, palm winds, blade Gang, and Sword Qi crashing against the curtain of light like rain.
Liu Yi fixed his gaze on a flaw in the formation that flickered in and out of sight, summoned his True Power, and struck it with his palm.
With a thunderous boom, the formation's curtain of light shattered inch by inch. Brilliant light burst out, finally turning into specks of starlight that faded into the air.
The instant the formation broke, Xu Wang, Ruan Xingye, and the others flickered into motion, using exquisite Movement Methods to rush toward the tomb like arrows loosed from a bow.
"The formation's broken! Charge!"
Someone in the crowd shouted, and the thousand-plus people surged forward at once, pushing and shoving as they raced toward the opening in the tomb.
Liu Yi, however, remained unhurried and ambled forward.
Little Yellow jumped up and down anxiously beside him, barking as he frantically sent messages on Microchat:
"Master! Hurry! If we're any slower, all the treasures will be snatched up!"
Liu Yi replied calmly, "Don't rush. There's a formation guarding the outside of the immortal cultivator's tomb, so there must be mechanisms and traps inside."
"If they rush in first, they'll scout the way for us. Even if someone does get an immortal cultivation method, we can just take it from them."
"Of course, if a system host gets it, I can obtain the immortal cultivation method without having to act."
Seeing the messages, Little Yellow understood at once and stopped worrying. Wagging his tail, he ambled along beside Liu Yi, his floral shorts swaying with every step.
Liu Yi had not gone far into the tomb when the sight before him made his hair stand on end.
Arrows as thick as the mouths of bowls filled the passage, their cold, gleaming tips tinged a strange blue-green.
Dozens of corpses were pinned to the stone walls. Blood ran down the arrows and congealed into dark red pools on the floor, while the pungent stench of blood filled the air.
At the sight, Little Yellow's fur stood on end, and he shuddered involuntarily.
If struck by those arrows, even someone at the Divine Sea Realm would probably be severely injured.
"Master, you're brilliant! Good thing those people cleared the traps for us, or we'd be in danger!"
Liu Yi gave a noncommittal "Mm" and casually waved his hand. A surge of True Power lifted Little Yellow, and they rose into the air and flew deeper into the tomb passage.
Passing through the passage, which was fraught with murderous intent, Liu Yi and Little Yellow entered a spacious burial chamber beneath a lofty dome.
The moment they entered, wisps of hallucinatory power seeped into their seas of consciousness like spirit snakes.
Fortunately, with the Spacetime Realm protecting him, Liu Yi's mind remained clear, completely unaffected.
He swept his gaze around the chamber. The people who had entered earlier had already descended into chaos.
Some stood rigidly in place, their eyes vacant, while others slashed wildly at empty air. Piercing screams mingled with the sound of weapons cleaving the air.
Just then, Little Yellow's enraptured cry suddenly rang out beside him: "Wonderful! That technique is incredible! A little harder! I'll be sure to reward you handsomely in a moment!"
Liu Yi looked down and saw Little Yellow squinting, his tail swaying contentedly, looking as though he were floating in paradise.
The veins on Liu Yi's forehead immediately throbbed. He condensed a wisp of True Power at his fingertip and sent it precisely into the spot between Little Yellow's brows, instantly dispelling the hallucinatory power entangling his soul.
Looking guilty, Little Yellow blinked and asked, "Master, what just happened to me?"
As he spoke, he looked across the burial chamber and saw the chaotic scene of people either attacking in a frenzy or standing dumbly in place. His tail went stiff, and he cried out:
"What's going on? Could this be an illusion formation?"
Liu Yi's expression was stern as he answered, "Mm."