Second Layer of the Tomb

Yang Lingrui and Li Cheng advanced through the passageway.

Judging by the depth, they should have reached the second level of the ancient tomb.

"Oh? A fork in the road, interesting."

The four stopped. Before them were five diverging paths leading in different directions.

Seeing this, Yang Lingrui understood the layout of the second level.

Unlike the open space on the first level, the second level of the ancient tomb was entirely composed of such passageways.

The tunnels continuously extended downwards, twisting and branching, creating a peculiar underground tomb structure.

"Lingrui, are you usually lucky?" Li Cheng asked.

Yang Lingrui thought for a moment, "I guess so."

"Then you choose. I've been unlucky my whole life, I've never chosen anything right."

"Hmm..."

After a moment of thought, Yang Lingrui chose the rightmost passageway.

The four entered. After walking for a short while, they encountered their first wave of attackers.

It was a swarm of corpse-born insects that burrowed out from the ground. These monstrous insects could devour a cultivator's spiritual power. Individually, they were no threat, but in large numbers, they were very difficult to deal with.

However, with Li Cheng, a cultivator at the Sixth Level of Qi Gathering, present, these insects were naturally no problem. A few slaps from him killed them all.

Li Cheng practiced a sorcery that manifested external forms, allowing him to unleash various moves in the form of condensed external manifestations.

According to him, with the enhancement of five-element talismans, he could imbue his spells with corresponding attributes, thus allowing him to fight flexibly.

After overcoming the swarm of insects, the four arrived at a room with a coffin placed horizontally.

Li Cheng examined it and, confirming there were no traps, opened it.

There was no body inside the coffin, only a pile of burial objects.

The most valuable among them was a Spirit Awakening Pill from the Qi Gathering Early-stage. Li Cheng pocketed it.

Walking further, they encountered another fork in the road.

This time, Yang Lingrui again chose the right path.

Nothing happened on the second stretch of the path. The four arrived at a new room without any obstacles, where they discovered three Mountain Moving Talismans from the Qi Gathering Mid-stage.

These talismans could greatly increase the physical strength of Qi Gathering cultivators and were very practical. Li Cheng gave one to Yang Lingrui and kept the other two.

Continuing forward, they encountered the same kind of fork, and again, they chose the right path.

On the third stretch, they encountered a Skeleton Python.

This evil creature was not a demonic beast but was formed from the accumulation of many corpses that had bred resentful spirits.

"Third Level of Qi Gathering. Lingrui, how about you take care of it?"

"Just what I wanted."

Yang Lingrui knew that Li Cheng wanted to see his skills.

He was also itching for a fight, so he decided to use this Skeleton Python to warm up.

"Wind rise."

Yang Lingrui whispered in his mind, and gusts of gale wind rose with his thoughts.

Crackling--

The Skeleton Python writhed and charged.

With the gale wind surrounding him, Yang Lingrui instantly spun around.

He flipped behind the Skeleton Python and then conjured several wind blades, launching them.

Bang bang bang!

The fierce wind blades struck the Skeleton Python's massive body, immediately provoking the evil creature's ferocity. It turned its head and roared.

"Gather."

Yang Lingrui was unhurried. He gathered several gusts of gale wind and condensed them in his palm.

As the evil creature drew near, he released them instantly.

A remarkably fast wind cone shot out, appearing as a gray line to the four's eyes. It pierced the Skeleton Python's head and emerged after passing through half of its body.

The Skeleton Python fell with a thud, its skeletal remains scattering across the ground and gradually turning to dust.

"Excellent technique!"

Li Cheng clapped in admiration.

The two confidants behind him also looked at Yang Lingrui with changed expressions.

A Skeleton Python was not an easy enemy to deal with. If it were them, they would not have been able to finish the fight so quickly at the same cultivation level.

"This kid's wind technique is formidable."

"Impressive, and cultivated to a profound degree. It possesses both power and speed."

The two spoke in low voices, calculating in their minds how much of a chance they would have if they were to face Yang Lingrui.

"I'm just showing off. To be honest, Lingrui only knows this one sorcery," Yang Lingrui said with a smile.

"So what? One trick is all you need to succeed! Sorcery isn't about quantity, it's about quality. Look at me, I only cultivate outward appearances."

Having witnessed Yang Lingrui's strength, Li Cheng was very satisfied, and his mood greatly improved, his steps becoming lighter.

In the third room, everyone found a stone.

Li Cheng examined it and confirmed it was an Exotic Stone formed naturally.

"Does Lingrui know what this is?"

"I know a little. It's recorded in a book my elders brought back," Yang Lingrui replied.

In fact, the moment he saw the Exotic Stone, Yang Lingrui felt a surge of excitement, though he concealed it well.

Being of the same element as stone, this could be a supply for his family's Immortal Venerable Spirit Stone.

"Hmm, but its use is unknown, and its value is hard to determine. It might be useless."

Li Cheng patted his waist pouch. "How about I trade you something else for it?"

"Ah, it's alright, Young Master Li. No need to worry about these things. Treasure hunting is all about luck and skill,"

Yang Lingrui politely declined. "No need for a trade, I'll just take this Exotic Stone."

"Indeed, maybe it's a treasure."

The Exotic Stone was handed over to Yang Lingrui. He suppressed his excitement and put it into his storage bag.

"This counts as a harvest. I'll give this to the Immortal Venerable when I get back."

Yang Lingrui thought to himself.

Afterward, the four of them went through two more branching paths.

One path was safe, while the other contained a Ghost General at the Fourth Layer of Qi Gathering. Li Cheng didn't make a move; Yang Lingrui and the other two worked together to defeat it.

In these two rooms, they obtained a treasure sword at the Qi Gathering Early-stage and a Vitality Returning Grass at the Qi Gathering Early-stage, respectively.

After successfully traversing five passages, there were no more forks. A wide path led straight to the third level of the ancient tomb.

Yang Lingrui's luck was quite good; he chose two safe passages out of the five options.

It seemed that if one were lucky enough, even a Cultivator at the First Level of Qi Gathering could obtain five rewards without much effort and reach the third level by consistently choosing safe paths, provided they encountered no dangers.

Upon reaching the third level, a gloomy grand hall came into view.

When Yang Lingrui and the other three arrived, Huang Yan and Zheng Huaming had already reached the location.

"You two fellow cultivators are truly swift," Li Cheng said with a smile.

"Not at all, it's all thanks to Young Master Li's politeness. Otherwise, how could we have gotten here first?"

"Indeed. We hope Young Master Li won't hold it against us."

The two apologized.

Li Cheng was not one to dwell on such matters and turned his attention to the hall.

The entire hall was constructed from purplish-black stone, the same material as the entrance to the ancient tomb.

The lower part of the hall was carved with kneeling figures in supplication, the middle section featured complex incantations, and further up, a figure with a blurred face could be seen seated on an altar.

He now understood why Huang and Zheng had not opened the hall door to proceed further and had chosen to wait for him here.

It was precisely because this grand hall was extremely bizarre.

The patterns above clearly mimicked the common folk worshipping Buddha statues.

However, the effect presented here did not resemble worshipping Buddha at all.

It looked more like worshipping ghosts.