Chapter 1299: Ancient Tomb

The night sky was deep, scattered with stars like dust.

Ye Chen remained seated in meditation, his storage bag constantly releasing medicinal pills that would burst open on their own, their essence absorbed by him.

In the battle with the Sheng Wang, he had suffered severe injuries. Most of these injuries affected his Yuan Shen and had turned into Dao Shang. Fortunately, the Tian Lei had helped extinguish them, but a complete recovery would still take time.

Dao Zhi lingered beside him, holding a small flask of wine and humming a little tune with a rhythmic flair.

On the desolate ancient star, there was an air of utter silence, without a sound to be heard.

A gentle breeze stirred, rustling Ye Chen's white hair and startling Dao Zhi, who suddenly raised his head. He sniffed vigorously, detecting a peculiar scent drifting in the air.

While sniffing, Dao Zhi stood up and followed the scent deep into the forest.

Boom!

Soon, booming sounds erupted from the direction Dao Zhi had gone, shaking the entire star.

Ye Chen, who was healing with his eyes closed, was jolted awake. He abruptly opened his eyes, a trickle of fresh blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. His injuries were so grave that even his Xian Lun Tian Sheng struggled to recover quickly.

Ye Chen rose to his feet and, noticing Dao Zhi's absence, released his divine sense to envelop a radius of 100,000 zhang.

Boom!

Another thunderous boom echoed from the depths, powerful enough to topple one or two mountain peaks.

With this boom, Ye Chen pinpointed Dao Zhi's location and immediately headed in that direction. As expected, the disciples of the Xuan generation never failed to cause him trouble, and Dao Zhi was particularly exceptional in that regard.

Before long, Ye Chen stopped in a certain area. After scanning around, his gaze settled below. Dao Zhi wasn't above ground but underground, up to something that produced one boom after another, making the mountains tremble and eventually collapse.

Ye Chen furrowed his brows slightly and narrowed his eyes at the ground, detecting a wisp of yin qi emanating from below.

Gu Mu!

Ye Chen murmured to himself, finally understanding why Dao Zhi had ventured underground—he was grave-robbing.

Boom!

As Ye Chen spoke, another boom rumbled from below, and a figure shot out.

"Save me!"

It was Dao Zhi, clutching a bronze ancient lamp in his arms. He was in a wretched state, scrambling desperately as if something were chasing him. Indeed, there was— wisps of dead qi.

The dead qi was extraordinarily powerful, icy and bone-chilling, ancient and weathered. It had already carved deep gashes into Dao Zhi's body. He was lucky to have escaped quickly, or it would have obliterated him on the spot.

Ye Chen cursed under his breath and swiftly raised his hand, enveloping it in immortal fire to erase the dead qi pursuing Dao Zhi.

Only then did Dao Zhi escape danger. He sat on the ground, panting heavily and wiping away cold sweat, before chuckling slyly at the bronze ancient lamp in his arms, even pausing to huff on it and polish it.

Ye Chen glanced at the underground depths and confirmed there was indeed an ancient tomb there, the burial place of an extremely powerful individual. Otherwise, how could such potent dead qi exist, nearly costing Dao Zhi his life?

Turning his attention back, Ye Chen stepped over to Dao Zhi and fixed his gaze on the bronze ancient lamp in his embrace.

The lamp was no ordinary item; it was a terrifying magical artifact, engraved with ancient runes and emanating an aura of profound antiquity due to its immense age.

"Good stuff, hehehe." Dao Zhi continued polishing the bronze ancient lamp, his laughter sly and lecherous.

"Put it back."

"Don't! This is a real treasure." Dao Zhi hurriedly clutched the lamp tighter to his chest.

"Grave-robbing damages your yin virtue, and this one belongs to a great master. Aren't you afraid of inviting karma?"

"Come on, I burned paper money first. That means I bought it."

"Bought your sister!" Ye Chen snatched the bronze ancient lamp away, turned, and used his escape technique to descend underground. Dao Zhi was furious and shouted as he chased after him—the lamp was truly a prize.

Ye Chen ignored him completely, delving deeper with immortal fire protecting his body. The further down he went, the thicker the yin qi became, and even he dared not underestimate it, indicating just how formidable the tomb's occupant had been in life.

He wasn't opposed to Dao Zhi seeking treasures, but grave-robbing truly harmed one's merit. Ancient tombs carried an inexplicable, eerie force that, once tainted, would follow like a shadow, bringing misfortune.

At his level of cultivation, Ye Chen had pierced through many unknown illusions and unexplained anomalies, such as the subtle contract between the living and the dead—especially for those slumbering in ancient tombs, where mysterious powers accumulated over endless years.

At 80,000 zhang underground, Ye Chen came to a halt.

Dao Zhi wasn't far behind and soon arrived, his eyes fixed longingly on the bronze ancient lamp in Ye Chen's hand.

Ye Chen paid him no mind and quietly observed what lay before them: a massive tomb door, ancient and sturdy, thick with an aura of antiquity and covered in indecipherable patterns.

However, a large hole gaped in the enormous stone door—it was clearly blasted open by Dao Zhi.

Ye Chen turned to Dao Zhi. "The tomb door has powerful seals and restrictions. How did you even blow it open?"

"I won't deny it—after years of grave-robbing, I've picked up some experience."

"Is that robbing? That's outright plundering!"

"I left paper money for him." Dao Zhi coughed awkwardly. "In the underworld's terms, this is a transaction."

"Come on." Ye Chen reached out, grabbed Dao Zhi, and pulled him through the hole in the tomb door into the ancient tomb.

The tomb was far larger than expected, more like a grand underground palace than a simple grave. The surrounding stone walls were etched with ancient patterns and texts from unknown eras.

The tomb had existed for an extraordinarily long time, covered in layers of dust from the ages. Even the wisps of dead qi floating about carried a sense of weariness, making one feel as if they had aged just by being there.

Ye Chen quietly surveyed the surroundings. There were numerous stone statues—some human-like, others half-human and half-beast. Some had grotesque, terrifying faces, while others appeared kind and benevolent, all carved with lifelike detail.

Beyond the statues, stone platforms held many bronze ancient lamps. Strangely, each one still burned with a cold, eerie flame.

"Take it from where you found it and put it back." Ye Chen handed the bronze ancient lamp to Dao Zhi, his expression solemn.

"Uh." Though reluctant, Dao Zhi took the lamp and walked to a stone platform, placing it alongside the others. As soon as it was set down, its flame ignited just like the rest.

After returning the lamp, he couldn't help but glance around sneakily.

He had entered in a hurry earlier, grabbing the lamp and fleeing without a proper look.

Now, upon closer inspection, there were indeed many treasures: copper bells, spirit mirrors, divine pearls, ancient swords—they were all exceptional magical artifacts, along with numerous ancient scrolls and oracle bones.

With years of grave-robbing under his belt, Dao Zhi had a keen eye for valuables. Everything in this tomb was top-tier, making him swallow hard in greed. It had been ages since he'd seen such a wealthy grave.

Glancing at Ye Chen nearby, who stood like a statue with his eyes straight ahead, focused on the tomb's depths.

The tomb held its own hidden realm, with secret array patterns everywhere. They were only in the outermost Ming Dian; the true burial chamber lay deeper. Through his immortal eyes, Ye Chen could even see an ancient stone coffin chained with bronze links and sealed with ancient divine talismans.

Ye Chen didn't linger on it and slowly withdrew his gaze. He couldn't see through the coffin clearly, but he knew the person buried inside must have been incredibly powerful in life, even in death exuding an oppressive presence.

"The younger generation means no disrespect." Ye Chen bowed with his hands clasped, offering a respectful gesture to the depths of the tomb.

"Treasures, all treasures." Dao Zhi was still wandering around, rubbing his hands in excitement.

"Don't touch anything here." Ye Chen said sternly. Dao Zhi could see the value of these items, and so could he, but he knew better than to disturb them. This tomb was too ancient, housing a formidable elder, and the eerie forces it had accumulated over time were terrifying.

"Got it." Dao Zhi replied half-heartedly, looking dejected.

"With so many treasures as burial goods, you should realize just how powerful the person in this tomb was." Ye Chen turned and headed toward the exit. "Behave yourself and don't bring trouble upon us."

"Understood." Dao Zhi muttered, head drooping as he followed, though as he passed a stone platform, he couldn't resist snatching a copper mirror and tucking it into his robes without Ye Chen noticing.

The two exited the tomb one after the other.

Ye Chen stood before the tomb door, using his divine powers to restore it to its original state. He lit a divine lamp at the entrance and added multiple seals to prevent the yin qi from leaking out.

Dao Zhi shook his head dismissively, thinking Ye Chen was overreacting and wasting perfectly good treasures.

Let's go!

Ye Chen had already turned and grabbed Dao Zhi, soaring upward.

However, what Ye Chen didn't notice was that after they left, deep within the tomb, the chains binding the stone coffin began to rattle. The coffin was trembling, as if something inside was trying to break free.