Chapter 2021: Let's Go!

As soon as these words were spoken, Yang Ge Lao trembled involuntarily, as if he had heard of gu chong before. These creatures fed on human blood, and once they entered the body, they would never leave, drinking blood and gnawing flesh. The agony was unimaginable; just hearing about it was worse than death. With so many gu chong attacking, it was only natural to be terrified.

"Don't just stand there, scatter the glutinous rice," Ye Chen snapped lightly.

"But those are gu chong. Will glutinous rice even work?"

"So many questions! Just do it," Ye Chen scolded, already grabbing a handful of glutinous rice and scattering it like water toward the oncoming gu chong. Sure enough, wherever the rice touched them, the gu chong began to emit black smoke, one after another, turning to ashes.

Yang Ge Lao was stunned. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he never would have believed that glutinous rice could counter gu chong.

Of course, he had no idea that the glutinous rice Ye Chen gave him was specially processed, not the ordinary kind. Otherwise, how could regular glutinous rice handle gu chong?

"What are you staring at? Scatter it!" Ye Chen shouted.

Yang Ge Lao chuckled awkwardly but acted quickly, throwing handfuls of glutinous rice at the gu chong.

Ye Chen was quite surprised in his heart. The person who built this tomb was truly an extraordinary figure, skilled in yin and yang, familiar with the ba gua, knowledgeable in the wu xing, and even proficient in gu breeding techniques. Raising a couple of gu chong was one thing, but having so many was shocking, even to him.

Sizzle! Sizzle!

The sounds echoed endlessly as waves of gu chong turned to ash.

Even so, more gu chong kept swarming in, as if they wouldn't stop until they devoured the two of them.

The gu chong were persistent, but Ye Chen and Yang Ge Lao were growing less composed.

In simple terms, there were too many gu chong and not enough glutinous rice.

"Young friend, I'm out. Give me some more," Yang Ge Lao said in a panic.

"Give you what? That's all we have," Ye Chen grumbled with a dark expression, scattering the remaining glutinous rice to form a circle around them. It protected the two for now, but the gu chong charged relentlessly, slowly eroding the circle. It was only a matter of time before they broke through.

"What do we do now?" Yang Ge Lao asked, his face pale.

Ye Chen said nothing, narrowing his eyes and scanning their surroundings. His gaze finally settled on the two stone lamps, one of which Yang Ge Lao had already extinguished, while the other still flickered with a flame.

"You, the tomb builder, know quite a lot," Ye Chen said with a laugh.

"They're getting in! They're really getting in!" Yang Ge Lao said tensely from the side.

"Use this to light the extinguished stone lamp," Ye Chen said, handing Yang Ge Lao a small pill.

Yang Ge Lao didn't waste words. He picked up the pill and flicked it through the air.

This task was perfect for him. The distance was over ten zhang, and in Ye Chen's current state, he couldn't manage it. But Yang Ge Lao was different—he had abundant inner strength as a martial arts expert, making it easy for him. That was the gap between an ordinary person and a martial arts master.

Sure enough, Yang Ge Lao didn't disappoint Ye Chen.

The pill landed precisely on the lamp stand, and the extinguished stone lamp reignited.

As the stone lamp lit up, the stone chamber hummed again, as if some force drove the attacking gu chong away. Even Yang Ge Lao couldn't tell where the gu chong had come from.

With the gu chong gone, the stone chamber finally fell into true silence.

Yang Ge Lao let out a sigh of relief, wiping away his cold sweat. It was all because he had foolishly blown out that stone lamp earlier—first the rain of arrows, then the gu chong, sending him teetering at death's door twice.

Ye Chen, however, was much calmer and had already walked over to the two stone lamps.

This time, he had gained a new respect for the tomb builder. As an ordinary person, their methods had actually confounded his scrutiny. It was hard to imagine just how remarkable that individual must have been.

"Young friend, let's still leave!" Yang Ge Lao said, stepping forward and suggesting retreat again.

Ye Chen didn't respond. He simply flicked his sleeve, extinguishing both stone lamps completely.

Yang Ge Lao was shocked at the sight.

Earlier, blowing out just one had triggered arrows and gu chong, nearly killing them both. Now, with both lamps out, who knew what horrors might emerge?

But to his surprise, nothing terrifying appeared as he imagined.

In an instant, the tomb chamber shook, and a stone door opened beneath their feet, leading downward via steps.

"There's more to this place?" Yang Ge Lao said in astonishment.

"Below is the true tomb," Ye Chen said calmly, descending the stairs.

Yang Ge Lao thought for a second before following.

Descending the steps led to another passage. The walls were embedded with stone lamps burning with flames, illuminating the path ahead. Additionally, the walls were carved with murals, their meanings unclear.

The passage was quite long, about a hundred zhang.

Before long, they reached a fork with two paths.

From there, no more stone lamps lit the way. The two forks, one left and one right, were pitch-black and impossible to see into. What they had in common was an eerie atmosphere.

"Which one do we take?" Yang Ge Lao asked.

"Whichever," Ye Chen replied casually, heading into the left passage.

After another hundred zhang, they encountered another fork, this time with four paths.

Yang Ge Lao didn't bother asking anymore and simply grabbed onto Ye Chen's clothes, following silently.

Since he stayed quiet, Ye Chen was happy for the peace.

More forks appeared one after another, each with more paths than the last, leaving Yang Ge Lao completely baffled. This was clearly a maze! With so many forks, getting lost was inevitable.

Yang Ge Lao didn't understand it, but Ye Chen saw right through it.

Indeed, it was a maze based on the ba gua. Hundreds of forks awaited, and one wrong turn meant a dead end. Fortunately, Ye Chen was well-versed in the ba gua principles; otherwise, even he might not escape, and this place could become his grave.

In the end, they reached the dead end.

It was a massive stone door engraved with ba gua patterns, flanked by two stone lamps without oil but still burning. At the base of the door lay two skeletons covered in spiderwebs, dead for who knows how long.

"Looks like tomb raiders," Yang Ge Lao said meaningfully.

"You two were quite skilled," Ye Chen sighed. They had evaded the tomb's arrows and gu chong and navigated this complex ba gua maze, meaning they knew the ba gua and came prepared. Sadly, their abilities fell short, and they met their end here.

"How do we get in?" Yang Ge Lao asked, not daring to act rashly.

"May I borrow your sword?" Ye Chen took Yang Ge Lao's sword and hurled it forcefully. The sword shot straight into the stone door, embedding itself in the center of the ba gua pattern.

Immediately, the stone door hummed.

Instead of opening, nine long spears thrust out from it.

Yang Ge Lao's heart skipped a beat at the sight. He understood why the two raiders had died here—they must have been impaled by these spears. Who would expect a mechanism on the door itself? Not even he, a martial arts expert, could dodge them, and it was lucky they were standing far enough away; otherwise, they'd have been pierced too.

After just three breaths, the spears retracted, and the stone door swung open.

Ye Chen stepped through first, with the sighing Yang Ge Lao close behind.

Beyond the door was a cliff, dark and bottomless. Just looking at it made one feel their spirit being pulled in. Three suspension bridges connected to the opposite side.

The other side was also a cliff.

Even from a distance, they could see an ancient stone door on the far cliff, engraved with the same ba gua patterns as the one they just passed.

"Another fork, huh?" Yang Ge Lao coughed.

"Stay close to me and don't look down," Ye Chen said calmly, stepping onto the middle suspension bridge.

Yang Ge Lao nodded and followed closely.

They walked one after the other, Ye Chen's steps steady and unhurried. Occasionally, he glanced down, his brows furrowing slightly, as if he had seen something dreadful that even he found unsettling.

By now, he realized the owner of this tomb must have been no ordinary person.

Behind him, Yang Ge Lao walked with trepidation. Seeing Ye Chen look down piqued his curiosity, so he couldn't help but glance below. What he saw was a ghastly face grinning menacingly at him.

Ah!

He was terrified, stumbling backward. Only the iron chains of the bridge kept him from falling.

Ahead, Ye Chen stopped and crossed his arms, watching Yang Ge Lao with interest. "I told you, old man, you never learn. You have to tempt fate, don't you?"

Yang Ge Lao gasped heavily, his face ashen, his legs still shaking.

He had no retort for Ye Chen's scolding; this place was just too eerie.

"Let's go," Ye Chen said, glancing once more before continuing.

Yang Ge Lao wiped his sweat and didn't dare look down again, sticking close to Ye Chen. When it came to fighting, Ye Chen wasn't his match, but for exploring tombs, Yang Ge Lao was far outclassed. To survive, he had to stay by Ye Chen's side—this seemingly unreliable young man was actually a hidden master.

With Ye Chen leading, the rest of the way was relatively smooth.

They crossed the suspension bridge and reached another stone door.

"I'll handle this one," Yang Ge Lao volunteered, stepping forward.

"Don't cause trouble," Ye Chen pulled him back. The door and ba gua were the same, but the mechanism was different. Following the old method would be a fatal mistake. The tomb builder was far too clever to leave such an obvious flaw.

This time, Ye Chen led Yang Ge Lao to the base of the stone door.

Then, Ye Chen raised his hand and pressed his palm against the ba gua on the door.

A hum sounded, coming from behind them, where a large hole suddenly appeared.

Yang Ge Lao's heart jumped—it was a good thing they were positioned correctly; otherwise, they'd have fallen into the hole. Traps were everywhere, impossible to guard against.

The stone door opened, and they both entered.

Before them was a shallow pool, only reaching their calves, with crystal-clear water.

"What's this supposed to mean?" Yang Ge Lao asked in surprise.

"Smear it on your sword. Use it to slay any evil spirits you see," Ye Chen said, handing him some boy's urine mixed with black dog blood.

Yang Ge Lao didn't delay, coating his sword thoroughly with it.

Ye Chen drew his peach wood sword.

Together, they stepped into the pool.

At first, nothing unusual happened.

But after advancing about ten zhang, they heard wailing sounds, like the howls of vengeful ghosts.

Soon, the water's color changed, shifting from clear to pitch-black, with misty yin fog rising. Vengeful ghosts materialized, baring their fangs and claws as they lunged at the two.

"Ghosts!" Yang Ge Lao shouted, simply closing his eyes and gripping his sword with both hands, slashing wildly. Surprisingly, his sword, coated with the boy's urine and black dog blood, worked wonders, dispatching each attacking ghost and reducing them to nothing.

Ye Chen watched with a meaningful expression. All he could say was one word for this guy: talented.

After about a quarter of an hour, they reached the opposite shore.

Yang Ge Lao knelt on the ground, panting heavily, unsure of what he had just done.

Ye Chen had already opened the final stone door.

As the door swung wide, light poured out.

The true tomb chamber came into view, leaving even Ye Chen stunned, let alone Yang Ge Lao. Before them was an underground palace, larger than the imperial palace itself, majestic and grand.

"Is this an imperial tomb?" Yang Ge Lao swallowed hard.

He stared in awe; above ground, it was just a small mound, but underground hid such vast secrets—a entire palace that upended his worldview.

Ye Chen walked in slowly, looking around carefully.

He saw even more clearly than Yang Ge Lao. Building a tomb of this scale was beyond ordinary people; it would require an army, meaning the owner was at least a general, perhaps even a prince or noble.

What interested him most was a faint trace of cultivator energy he detected.

He couldn't help but look up. Above was another realm, shrouded in clouds and mist. Parting the mist revealed a starry sky with a glowing crystal suspended in it.

That was yuan shi, more precisely, a yuan crystal, the essence of yuan shi.

"Interesting," Ye Chen murmured, stroking his chin.

"What's with all these terracotta warriors?" Yang Ge Lao muttered from the side. There were so many, arranged in neat formations like a real army, each one carved with lifelike detail. As he walked among them, he couldn't help but want to reach out and touch one, or even knock on it.

But remembering Ye Chen's warnings, he dismissed the idea.

"No wonder I couldn't figure it out," Ye Chen sighed along the way. The yuan crystal was masking everything, making it hard for him, as a non-cultivator, to see through this cultivator's domain.

"Can we take these treasures with us?" Yang Ge Lao chuckled, pointing to the burial goods. Since entering the main tomb, he had seen plenty—calligraphy, vessels, pearls, weapons—all ancient artifacts that could fetch a fortune.

"Sure, go ahead and take them," Ye Chen shrugged.

"Really?"

"Really."

"But I have a bad feeling about this," Yang Ge Lao said with a dry laugh.

"Then why ask?" Ye Chen scolded, quickening his pace. This old fool never learned; he'd nearly died and still thought about loot. A martial arts expert like him should have transcended worldly desires, yet here he was, obsessed with wealth—what a joke.

Yang Ge Lao felt embarrassed and quieted down, behaving himself.

Soon, they reached the central stone platform.

The platform was a hundred zhang high, topped with an ice jade bed. On it lay a person, undoubtedly the tomb's owner, clad in armor. Though dead for who knows how long, the body hadn't decayed into bones; it looked as if they were merely asleep, full of life.

Ye Chen approached and scanned it, his eyes suddenly flashing with shock.

Yang Ge Lao stepped forward and glanced over, freezing on the spot. After a few seconds, he reacted, looking from the person on the bed to Ye Chen, then back again.

It wasn't surprising—he looked exactly like Ye Chen.