Nine-Headed Serpent Cypress

"I want some peace and quiet. Just you wait. For your sake, I'll reach Foundation Establishment and learn the Silencing Spell as soon as I can," Yu Zhi said viciously to Hei Xiazi.

There was nothing he could do. The Qi Refining Stage still fell within the realm of mortals, and he could only use simple formulas and incantations. To cast true spells, he had to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage.

"So, what was it you said you needed the two of us to help with? Let's get down to business." Hei Xia was so serious that he seemed like a different person from a moment ago.

"Wait. Something just occurred to me. Once those people have withdrawn, we'll go in and sweep the place clean, just like we originally planned. Let's see what Wu Sansheng comes here to get twenty years from now!" Yu Zhi gave a wicked grin.

"Good, good, good. I like that idea. Sure enough, the two of us are cut from the same cloth." When Blind Man got carried away, he even insulted himself.

Smack. Zhang Qiling raised a hand and smacked Hei Xiazi on the head, leaving him dazed.

"Ow, I said it wrong. He's not cut from the same cloth as me, he's cut from the same cloth as you. He's cut from the same cloth as you, all right?"

"..." All Yu Zhi wanted now was for Xiao Hua to be born and grow up immediately, so he could hurry up and kick Hei Xiazi out.

He pulled Zhang Qiling along to a hundred-year-old tree, and the two of them leaped up into its crown. They rested while keeping an eye on the Nine-Headed Serpent Cypress.

He guessed those people might have come for the Jade Cocoon to extend Zhang Qishan's life. But judging by the later plot, they probably hadn't succeeded. Otherwise, what was the deal with the living Jade Cocoon when Wu Xie came? It was very possible that without Zhang Qiling to lead them, they simply couldn't find it.

Yu Zhi had hit upon the truth. They didn't have to wait long. The next evening, they heard a tremendous explosion from the Nine-Headed Serpent Cypress. Not long afterward, a woman climbed up from the edge of the cliff. It was Chen Wenjin. Next came Qi Yu, carrying an unconscious Huo Ling on his back, followed by Xie Lianhuan and Wu Sansheng. All five sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath and looking utterly bedraggled.

Yu Zhi and his two companions watched them from a tree not far away. The thick forest concealed them so thoroughly that the people below would never see them.

"Third Brother, how are you? How's your leg?" Xie Lianhuan got up and went to check on Wu Sansheng.

"I'm fine. I won't die. It's just broken. See how Huo Ling is." Wu Sansheng panted heavily, his voice muffled and indistinct.

"Huo Ling has lost too much blood. We need to get her to a hospital as soon as possible," Qi Yu answered.

Of the five, only Qi Yu was uninjured. Chen Wenjin and Xie Lianhuan had hurt their arms, while a long wound had been torn across Huo Ling's stomach.

Without wasting any more words, Qi Yu carried Huo Ling on his back, while Chen Wenjin and Xie Lianhuan supported Wu Sansheng as they headed out.

Only when the five were completely out of sight did Yu Zhi and his companions jump down from the tree.

"Useless." Yu Zhi curled his lip, looking down on them. They were supposed to be expert tomb raiders, and this was all they had?

"Xiao Yu, this is normal. Otherwise, why do you think I never get the rest of my pay?" Hei Xiazi explained solemnly. He didn't want Yu Zhi to take entering tombs lightly because of the descriptions in the book. If anything happened to Yu Zhi, Mute would ascend to heaven on the spot. He had only this one brother!

"A Li, tombs are dangerous. What's written in the book isn't a reliable guide. Miss even one of the right timing, favorable terrain, or harmony among people, and everyone dies."

Zhang Qiling also realized how serious the matter was and spoke to Yu Zhi.

"Even with spiritual power, it's dangerous. The book glosses over a lot of things or forces them into place and moves on. That's not how it really is. Even I face a narrow escape from death when I enter a tomb, so it's best to be careful in everything."

When he finished, he nodded to Blind Man in thanks.

"I understand, Xiaoguan. Thank you, Brother Qi."

Yu Zhi was a little shaken himself now. He really had been influenced by the plot, thinking that as long as he brought Zhang Qiling and Hei Xiazi, knew the plot, and had a cultivator's spiritual power, he could crush everything in his path. Sure enough, an ordinary person's script was different from the chosen protagonist's. It wasn't satisfying enough for a power fantasy at all!

Still, this was fine too. Having Zhang Qiling was enough for him. Zhang Qiling wouldn't need to let his blood, and Yu Zhi could accept not having a power-fantasy script. If possible, he even hoped to create a power fantasy belonging to Zhang Qiling.

"We won't need to go down in a moment. I've thought of a good way. Plants are naturally afraid of fire and ice, so your ice and fire spiritual power is just right, Xiaoguan. Besides, the qilin is the most righteous creature under heaven, so it's perfect for countering the resentful, baleful qi on the Nine-Headed Serpent Cypress. Once I bring it up here, Brother Qi, use the Soul-Devouring Primal Spirit Art to devour the vicious ghosts and malevolent things on it. But don't take in too many." Yu Zhi laid out his plan.

"All right."

"That's all? Leave it to me."

"First, let's dig away the soil beneath our feet and expose all the Heavenly Heart Stone. Then we'll get some Heavenly Heart Stone powder and rub it on ourselves, just to cover every eventuality." Yu Zhi's mind raced as he made use of everything he could.

"All right."

Spiritual power flew as the three swung their shovels. In a little over ten minutes, they cleared a patch of ground roughly 150 meters long and wide. They took some powder and spread it evenly over themselves. Hei Xiazi was so afraid of missing a spot that he rolled directly on the ground.

"Xiaoguan, attack it directly with your spiritual power. Don't worry about aiming. That thing's so big that you'll hit it wherever you strike. Be careful of its vines coming up at you."

"All right."

With that, Zhang Qiling used the Ice and Fire Qilin Art, then drew the Black Gold Ancient Saber from his back, poured spiritual power into it, and slashed straight at the Nine-Headed Serpent Cypress.

The slash was fierce and domineering, infused with the power of ice and fire. Some of the vines were reduced to ash on the spot, while others froze solid and shattered into fragments.

"Keep going."

Yu Zhi checked with his mental power and found the results remarkable. Sure enough, it was just as he had thought.

After more than ten slashes, Zhang Qiling felt his spiritual power was almost exhausted and stopped. He still needed to save some strength in case of an emergency. Then he sat down behind the others and meditated to restore his spiritual power.

Hei Xiazi was envious as he watched Zhang Qiling's earth-shattering attacks. But even if he hadn't cultivated his own technique, he wasn't suited to fighting head-on. He was the sneaky assassin type who ambushed people from behind, and this technique suited him perfectly.

Yu Zhi looked down at the Nine-Headed Serpent Cypress, now stripped bare, scorched in one place and frozen in another. He sat cross-legged and began circulating the Azure Nether Creation Art, sending his mental power mixed with spiritual power straight into the cypress.

Sure enough, it was just as he had thought: the Nine-Headed Serpent Cypress possessed no spiritual intelligence. Its interior was merely occupied by resentful qi and vicious ghosts, and the qilin's righteous qi had purified almost all the resentment. He and Zhang Qiling really were a perfect match. Even their techniques went together so well: one killed people and destroyed the bodies to erase the evidence, while the other helped souls pass on.

In fact, the Azure Nether Creation Art could also directly destroy these vicious ghosts and resentful qi, but this energy could help his companion Hei Xiazi grow stronger, so why not?

"Quick, devour them."

Hei Xiazi wasted no time. He continually formed hand seals, using the Soul-Devouring Primal Spirit Art to frantically devour the vicious ghosts on it. His strength soared.

"Blind Man, stop! You can't devour any more!"

Sensing that something was wrong, Zhang Qiling infused his voice with spiritual power and shouted at Hei Xiazi, jolting him back to his senses.

Devouring too many vicious ghosts at once would cause him to lose his mind. Fortunately, Zhang Qiling was worthy of being a qilin and had jolted him awake.

Yu Zhi was busy refining the Nine-Headed Serpent Cypress and hadn't noticed what was happening outside.

The Azure Nether Creation Art was worthy of being an earth-rank technique close to heaven rank. He didn't know who had left the inheritance Chen Qingyu obtained, but they were definitely no ordinary person. Unfortunately, there was no information about it in the old ghost's memories either.

Without spiritual intelligence, the Nine-Headed Serpent Cypress had little power to resist and was subdued without trouble. Its main body rapidly withered and crumbled to ash, leaving only a sapling as thick as an adult's arm. Red vines coiled and writhed around its green trunk, while its roots waved incessantly like claws. Yu Zhi continued forming seals and drew the Nine-Headed Serpent Cypress's true form directly into his dantian.

The Nine-Headed Serpent Cypress was his! Next, he needed to absorb spiritual power, reach Qi Refining Great Perfection, and prepare for Foundation Establishment.

"Let's go straight down. We've already dealt with the most dangerous thing."

Yu Zhi stood and formed a seal for the Water Control Art to clean himself.

"All right."

Zhang Qiling cleaned himself up too. Only Hei Xiazi stood there dumbfounded, watching the two of them become clean in an instant while he looked like a wild man.

"You two can't treat me like this! I don't want to be this dirty either!" Hei Xiazi called to them.

"Teach him," Yu Zhi said, gesturing to Zhang Qiling.

After he was taught, Hei Xiazi found it quite novel and played with it several times.

"Xiao Yu, now that you've taken care of the Nine-Headed Serpent Cypress, how are we supposed to get down such a deep pit? I can't just jump. I'd be smashed into meat paste."

"Didn't you bring a nine-claw hook? A climbing rope? A wire rope? How did you climb up and down before you had spiritual power?"

Yu Zhi looked at him as though he were an idiot.

"Ahem. Well, maybe I swallowed too many ghosts just now, and my brain isn't working too well."

Hei Xiazi patted his chest, pretending to be frightened.

"The most dangerous thing in this tomb has been dealt with. We'll go sweep the place clean and take everything."

The three nimbly descended to the bottom of the cliff along the wire rope. Besides the huge pit left by the Nine-Headed Serpent Cypress, they could see craters blasted into the surrounding ground. There were still wet bloodstains on the ground, but no bodies.

The corpses of a man and a woman on the platform were still in half-seated positions. The mask from the male corpse's face had fallen to the ground beside him. Yu Zhi casually waved a hand.

"Go devour him."

Blind Man didn't stand on ceremony. He circulated the Soul-Devouring Primal Spirit Art and directly devoured and refined the vicious ghost inside the corpse.

After watching him finish, Yu Zhi went forward to take a look. He remembered that there was supposed to be a piece of Qilin Blood on the belt that Wu Xie had eaten.

But he searched everywhere and found nothing. That left only two possibilities: either those people had taken it out with them, or Wu Sansheng had specially prepared the Qilin Blood for Wu Xie.

"Xiaoguan, send the two of them on their way with a fire."

"All right." With a wave of his hand, flames swept over the two corpses, reducing them to ash in an instant.

"Next stop, Jade Cocoon station."

After saying that, Yu Zhi stood there chuckling foolishly to himself.

Zhang Qiling triggered the mechanism and pulled hard on the iron chain that emerged. There was a clanking of machinery, and as it rumbled, a bronze coffin rose from the water.

"Open it and have a look."

Yu Zhi was excited too. A living Jade Cocoon that breathed-he wanted to know whether it was really that miraculous.

Zhang Qiling drew the Black Gold Ancient Saber from his back, casually twirled it, and wedged it into the sealing wax along the seam. He pried hard, and with a crack, the coffin lid came loose. Then he shoved it with his left hand, sending the bronze lid flying into the earth.

"Wow, that was so cool!"

Yu Zhi's heart pounded wildly. He didn't even look to see whether the Jade Cocoon was alive. He just replayed what had happened in his mind; Zhang Qiling had looked so handsome that his legs went weak.

Hei Xiazi paid the two of them no mind. One was deliberately spreading his feathers like a peacock, while the other watched him do it with a flushed face. Every pot really did have its matching lid.

Hei Xiazi went up to look at the coffin inlaid with gold and jade inside, then called without turning around.

"Do you want to keep opening this one?"

"You can't even open one this small?" Zhang Qiling said.

"Fuck... fine, well done."

Hei Xiazi took out a black gold dagger and deftly pried open the coffin, only to find another one inside. Following what was written in the book, he pressed the mechanism on the side, and a corpse in armor sat up.

"It really is breathing. And its skin is so smooth."

A dead person breathing was quite commonplace in the cultivation world. There were even people who refined their own corpses. It only stood out in this world because he always thought of it as the technological world he had come from before transmigrating.

"Hurry up and devour him. I'm going to collect the treasures."

With that, he went and stored the bronze coffin lid that had just been sent flying in his space, then put away all the valuables nearby.

"Xiaoguan, once he's done, hurry up and send him on his way. Be careful not to damage the Jade Cocoon. I just thought of a use for it."

Yu Zhi had suddenly thought of Zhang Qiling's mother, Baima. This thing could trap a soul and repair a body; it truly had the power to bring someone back from the dead. When the time came, he would see whether Zhang Qiling wanted to use it. Whatever decision Zhang Qiling made, he would always support him.

Yu Zhi put away the remaining coffins, then said, "Next stop, the Seven Star Coffins of Doubt." With that, he opened his eyes wide and looked at Zhang Qiling.

Zhang Qiling was briefly bewildered too. His expression asked, Why aren't you going?

"Hahahahaha, you two are too funny. He's not going because he doesn't know the way!"

Hei Xiazi had started watching the show from the sidelines again. Although he was always being force-fed dog food, he loved watching, especially when it came to Zhang Qiling's love life.

Yu Zhi covered his face with both hands. The book only had a written description, and he'd never been here before. Wasn't it perfectly normal that he didn't know the way?

Zhang Qiling's expression froze. He hadn't expected that to be the reason. Then he led the way into one of the caves, with Yu Zhi following behind and Hei Xiazi chuckling at the rear.

The three swept straight through the Seven Star Coffins of Doubt and came to the sacrificial pit. Looking at the coffin, Hei Xiazi said, "The last one. Once we take care of this, we're done. This really was the easiest tomb I've ever entered."

"Hey, Mute, how about you drop to your knees with a clunk for Xiao Yu too?"

Yu Zhi was furious when he heard that. The thought of Zhang Qiling kneeling to the blood corpse for that innocent Wu Xie, and letting his blood many times to save him, made the fire in his heart impossible to suppress. He was full of hatred and jealousy.

He immediately sent the Nine-Headed Serpent Cypress's vines winding toward it. In no time, both the coffin and the blood corpse inside had vanished, completely absorbed by the vines. Only the red seemed a little brighter.

Seeing this, Hei Xiazi felt a little more at ease. He was skilled at reading people, and after seeing the plot, he had noticed that Wu Xie and Zhang Qiling had an unusual relationship in the book.

But Yu Zhi had always acted indifferent, as though he didn't much mind. Mute was too involved to see clearly, but Hei Xiazi saw things differently. Once the many details from the book matched up, the matter of Wu Xie would become a thorn in Yu Zhi's heart. It had to be resolved in advance.

It was better for the two to face it directly, which was why he had kept using Wu Xie to provoke Yu Zhi along the way. Otherwise, if things really developed further, it would become a rift, and Mute would ascend to heaven on the spot again. He had worried himself sick over Mute.

It wasn't that Zhang Qiling wasn't attentive. Yu Zhi had simply treated him so well, offering his heart to him bare, that he had been too busy feeling jealous and moved to notice the signs in time. He pulled Yu Zhi into his arms.

"A Li, there has never been anyone else, only you. I won't hurt myself for anyone but you. The book is only a book. Given my personality, I would never develop feelings for such an innocent person.

"I must have had my own purpose for being with them. It definitely wasn't what you saw. As for letting my blood to save people, you saw it too: I saved many people in the book, and one of them just happened to be called Wu Xie. I also saved Fatty and A Ning."

"Mm, I know. Really, I shouldn't be angry, and I shouldn't take it out on you. But do you know? I want you in every world, every parallel space-time, every moment, even every novel, to belong to me. Life after life, to belong only to me."

Great tears rolled down Yu Zhi's face. Then his crying slowly turned to quiet sobs, and finally to heart-rending wails.

Zhang Qiling had never experienced anything like this. In his anxiety, he pressed his lips directly against Yu Zhi's. When Yu Zhi fell silent, he carefully let go, slowly pulling back while watching his expression.

When he saw Yu Zhi smile, he said gently, "Yu Zhi, I love you. Life after life, I'll love only you and belong only to you." Then he kissed the tears from his face, bit by bit. They were bitter and salty. He knew that Yu Zhi's heart at that moment was just like his tears, bitter and salty, and it made his own heart ache.

"Stop kissing me. My face is covered in dust."

Then Yu Zhi seemed to remember something. He turned his head to look for Hei Xiazi and saw him sitting on the ground, grinning and laughing silently.

"Aaah, this is so embarrassing!" Yu Zhi buried his head directly in Zhang Qiling's chest.

"He didn't see anything. Blind Man." Zhang Qiling's voice was full of threat.

"Ah, I really didn't see anything. I just went to look for treasure in the back. As soon as I came back, I saw you two hugging and kissing. The sight of you being so sweet force-fed me another mouthful of dog food," Blind Man said with a grin.

"Let's go out. There's nothing much left here."

"All right."

"I'm telling you, I've gained a lot from this trip. When we get back, I'll make you two a feast."