"Who attacked me!" Wen Cai clutched his waist and jumped out of bed.
"Senior brother, wake up~" Lin Yu looked at Wen Cai helplessly. It was only because there were no people at the mortuary that he woke up. Otherwise, if the house had been emptied out, he probably wouldn't have woken up.
"Junior brother, you're back!" Upon hearing Lin Yu's voice, Wen Cai instantly forgot all the pain in his waist.
"How was it? Was that zombie powerful? You guys came back so quickly, does that mean it was easy to deal with? Junior brothers, did you encounter anything fun while you were out...?"
Wen Cai grabbed Lin Yu's arm and kept babbling.
"Alright, senior brother, Master is still waiting in the hall. We'll talk about it later." Lin Yu had a headache from listening to this, so he manually muted his microphone and led the two of them out.
Wen Cai had countless words stuck in his throat, unable to utter them. Although he wanted to ask more questions, he noticed Lin Yu's strange expression and could only choose to remain silent.
He and Qiu Sheng exchanged a glance, as if asking if something had happened.
Qiu Sheng understood, and shook his head, shrugging. He had just woken up; how could he possibly know what had happened?
After the two of them finished getting ready, they followed Lin Yu into the main room. Uncle Nine was sitting at the table, holding the silk book that had been brought out of the tomb, his brows furrowed.
"Master, what happened?" Qiu Sheng Wen Cai saw that his master was frowning and crying, and he had a premonition that something big had happened.
As a result, their master did not look up or reply, so the two could only stand obediently to the side, not daring to disturb him.
Wen Cai, being quite perceptive, thoughtfully brewed tea for his master.
Uncle Nine looked at the two well-behaved children and hesitated whether or not to tell them about this.
Uncle Nine's gaze swept over the two of them. "Sit down. I have something to tell you. This time it's not just zombies, but a huge problem that could destroy humanity."
Wen Cai Qiu Sheng looked at each other in bewilderment, wondering what kind of "big trouble" could possibly destroy the world.
Even now, the two still think their master was exaggerating.
"We discovered in the ancient tombs that the Three Miao Tribe, these ancient tribes, had set up a 'Indestructible Samsara Formation,' with all the emperors' tombs serving as array positions. They intended to use the malevolent energy of the emperors' corpses to destroy the world."
Regardless of whether the two people believed him or not, Uncle Nine simply spoke his mind.
"World destruction?" Wen Cai slammed his teacup on the table with a clatter, spilling tea all over the floor.
He paused, looking at their panicked expressions, and felt a pang of unease. "Now it's your choice: stay in the mortuary with me, or face life and death."
"Go home and live out the rest of your lives peacefully. It's up to you."
Uncle Nine finally decided to tell them, and even gave them the choice: if they couldn't solve the problem, then cultivating Daoism would be useless anyway, so it would be better to let them go back and enjoy their retirement.
Wen Cai's eyes widened in disbelief. He had always thought his master was exaggerating to scare people, but now that his master was starting to chase people away, it must be true.
Qiu Sheng, usually so carefree, was now scratching at the corner of the table with his fingers, his voice trembling slightly. "Master, is it... is it really that serious? Can we even win?"
Seeing the two men's flustered state, Uncle Nine felt a pang of sadness. After all, they had followed him for so long, and Uncle Nine was reluctant to send them away now.
Not to mention that things were already going well for the two of them, only to suddenly discover that the world was about to be destroyed.
He paused for a moment before slowly saying, "I can't guarantee we'll win."
"This Indestructible Samsara Formation array is intricately linked and can even be reborn using malevolent energy. The Three Miao Tribe is lurking in the shadows. What we will face are countless imperial corpses and array spirits that could revive at any moment."
If there were only one tomb, Uncle Nine might be able to guarantee his victory, but there are countless tombs, and they cannot be destroyed one by one. In fact, even Uncle Nine dares not guarantee his victory.
"Master, we're not leaving. Rather than go home and wait to die, we'd rather fight alongside you!" The two looked at each other, finally made up their minds, and said in unison.
Seeing their resolute expressions, Uncle Nine's tense brows finally relaxed a little, and a hint of relief flashed in his eyes. "Alright, since you're willing to stay, then we'll shoulder this together."
"Don't waste time. Now split up and go to the study to find books. Focus on 'A Study of Ancient Formations,' 'Records of Battle Formations from Records of Maoshan Formations Through the Ages,' and ancient books that record imperial tombs. Copy down anything that mentions the 'Indestructible Samsara Formation.'"
Uncle Nine stood up and gave the group instructions.
One shouldn't be too pessimistic. The founders of Maoshan were no pushovers, not to mention the entire cultivation world.
If everyone works together, there will always be a way.
"Okay!" the two agreed in unison, and this time they didn't delay any longer, turning around and running outside.
Wen Cai ran a couple of steps, then turned back and winked at Lin Yu: "Junior brother, after I finish taking inventory, you have to tell me about what happened in the ancient tomb. What exactly did that Golden Armored Corpse look like?"
Lin Yu smiled helplessly and nodded.
Over the next two days, the group sorted through the clues while waiting for a message from Four Eyes.
On the morning of the third day, a figure was seen running wildly outside the mortuary.
Four Eyes burst in, travel-worn, his face beaming with barely concealed excitement. "Senior Brother! Great news! The Sect Leader has already used the Ten-Thousand-Li Sound Transmission Talisman to notify the people of Mount Lao, Dragon Tiger Mountain, and Quanzhen Sect that a meeting will be held at the Maoshan headquarters in three days!"
"He even specifically said that those of us who discovered this must be present!"
Upon hearing this, Uncle Nine paused, his hand holding the book still. Since completing his apprenticeship, he had been away fighting demons for many years and had never returned home.
In addition, after the incident of his senior brother Shi Jian falling into demonic possession, the elders punished him by making him travel the world to subdue demons and eliminate evil. Now, after many years, he has returned to Maoshan and cannot help but feel emotional.
"Quick, quick, senior brother, let's get going!" Four Eyes grabbed Uncle Nine and ran outside.
"Wait, let me pack." Uncle Nine was very uneasy about returning to Maoshan. He turned and walked towards his room.
After one incense stick
"Junior brother, why don't you go and urge your senior brother?" Four Eyes was getting anxious because his senior brother hadn't come out yet.
Just as Lin Yu was about to speak, he saw Uncle Nine come out carrying a cloth bag.
"Let's go." Uncle Nine's tone was calm, but the complexity in his eyes was undeniable.
He didn't know how to face his elders, or how they would view him.
On the way to Maoshan, Four Eyes kept saying, "When you get back this time, you must meet the three Heavenly Masters. They were officially appointed in this Dharma-ending Age, and they're just one step away from becoming immortals!"
"The last time I saw them, I felt an overwhelming, oppressive aura emanating from them, making me have to be careful even when I was breathing..."
Upon arriving at the Maoshan headquarters, people were already waiting in front of the mountain gate. Following the disciple who led the way through the mountain gate, Uncle Nine looked at the familiar stone steps and halls with a complex expression.
Back then, it was the senior brother who taught them martial arts on the training ground, but now it's a different group of people.
When he reached the offering hall, he suddenly stopped and his gaze fell on a plaque in the corner with the words "Shi Jian" engraved on it.