Chapter 2022: Death to the Disturber of the Dead

Yang Ge Lao stumbled backward in shock, his legs giving way—perhaps from fear or the haste of his retreat—causing him to fall to the ground. His eyes bulged wide, filled with disbelief as he stared at Ye Chen.

As Yang Ge Lao looked at Ye Chen, Ye Chen tilted his head and gave him a strange smile.

That smile made Yang Ge Lao shudder all over. Instinctively, he thought that Ye Chen had brought him here as part of a massive scheme, with the sole purpose of ending his life.

In an instant, Yang Ge Lao's face turned deathly pale, and his body felt as cold as ice to the bone.

But just as he tried to get up and flee, a foul-smelling liquid was splashed over him from head to toe. The stench was overwhelming—it was child urine, specifically the kind used for warding off evil.

He froze on the spot, sitting there in a daze, completely bewildered.

"Woken up?" a casual voice asked, coming from Ye Chen. It was he who had thrown the child urine. All along, he had been focused on the person on the ice jade bed and hadn't smiled at Yang Ge Lao at all.

"What... what's going on?" Yang Ge Lao stammered, opening his mouth.

"You fell victim to an illusion technique. From the moment we entered the main tomb, your mind was lost," Ye Chen said lightly. Though he was just an ordinary person, his insight was sharp enough to see through such tricks. He had already unraveled the secrets of this main tomb; the tomb builder's skills were far inferior.

"Illusion technique?" Yang Ge Lao muttered in stunned surprise, instinctively turning his head to look around.

What he saw was astonishing. There were no antiques in the main tomb, no terracotta warriors, no burial goods at all. It was simply a massive Bagua array spread across the ground, with only the stone platform and the suspended crystal stone present—nothing else.

Yang Ge Lao's heart trembled with shock beyond words.

This ancient tomb was utterly sinister. Aside from the illusion technique, which he had never even heard of, even he—a martial arts expert who had cultivated internal energy for decades—was deceived without a trace. How terrifying it was. In that moment, cold sweat poured down him. If Ye Chen hadn't snapped him out of it, he would likely have been lost forever, becoming just another sacrifice to the tomb owner.

The more he thought about it, the more afraid he became. He quickly scrambled to his feet and grabbed onto Ye Chen's robe, no longer doubting him. The young man before him gave him an unparalleled sense of security, like holding onto his very life. Now, as he looked at the tomb owner again, it was an entirely different face.

It was a middle-aged man with sword-like eyebrows, even in death radiating an air of authority.

Ye Chen, on the other hand, simply gazed at the tomb owner, his expression filled with a deep sense of weariness.

There was no mistake—he recognized this man as the reincarnation of Da Chu's hero, named Qin Xiong.

Speaking of Qin Xiong, one had to mention an ancient event.

Back then, Chu Xuan had sent Ye Chen to Zhao Guo on a mission, where he encountered a powerful blood witch in a near-fatal battle. It was the ordinary man Qin Xiong who charged in on horseback, wielding his blade to slay the blood witch. At that time, Qin Xiong was a formidable general of Zhao Guo, and the emperor of Zhao Guo was Xue Yan's father. It was during that mission that Ye Chen was captured by Dan Gui for refining into pills, where he met Shangguan Yu'er. Together, they escaped and first activated the forbidden heavenly illumination technique against the heavens.

For the next ten years, the Tian Mo Yu invaded, and all cultivators of Da Chu joined the fight, including Hong Chen Xue, who left the Tian Ting headquarters to go to the battlefield. Before departing, she carried out Ye Chen's secret order, handing over command to generals in the mortal realm—one of whom was Qin Xiong.

Unfortunately, the Tian Mo Yu was too strong. Nan Chu Cheng fell, and they advanced all the way to the Tian Ting headquarters.

As a general, defending the homeland was his lifelong duty. He never retreated from battle, even in conflicts among cultivators, if ordered, he would charge in without hesitation.

In his past life, Qin Xiong and the other generals were just like that.

Ye Chen would never forget that scene: the mortal realm generals, gripping their weapons, rushing toward the oncoming Tian Mo Yu demons, using their humble bodies to protect every inch of their land behind them.

Time passed in the blink of an eye, now several hundred years across past and present lives.

The mortal general Qin Xiong had died fighting the Tian Mo Yu, earning him the right to reincarnate. But sadly, he didn't return to Da Chu; instead, he was reborn on this mortal ancient star, living another life as an ordinary person. Unable to withstand the passage of time, he died and was buried in this ancient tomb.

"General Qin, I hope you've been well," Ye Chen said, his laughter mixed with tears.

Once, in another life, he too had been a general, spending ten years on the battlefield, fighting without shame for his country or its people. Just as he felt about escorts, he held a special regard for generals—those with unyielding iron wills. It was a mix of reverence and nostalgia.

Yet, he never imagined they would meet again in this way.

"I'm sorry I came so late," Ye Chen's voice was hoarse.

There were nine million heroic souls of Da Chu, and too many had yet to be found. Countless others, like Qin Xiong, had reincarnated as mortals. Mortals weren't like cultivators; a mere snap of the fingers could mean a century for them. Over the past few hundred years, how many such heroic souls had been buried in foreign lands?

At his side, Yang Ge Lao listened in astonishment, realizing that Ye Chen knew the tomb owner.

"After several hundred years, you two are the first to reach this place," a sudden ethereal female voice echoed through the main tomb, carrying a magical power laced with desolation and coldness.

"Who's there?" Yang Ge Lao whipped around.

As he looked, he saw a woman in blood-red clothes entering from the tomb door. She was an extraordinary woman, entirely illusory, like a spirit body, walking as if floating in the air. She wasn't the picture of absolute beauty, but she had a captivating allure, her eyes cold and devoid of emotion.

"A ghost?" Yang Ge Lao swallowed hard and retreated abruptly.

Ye Chen turned slightly, his expression calm, his eyes like still water as he watched the woman. At a glance, he could tell she was a cultivator, but only at the Qi Condensation realm. She was already dead, her physical body long decayed, and her soul lingered only because of deep obsessions. This was similar to what had happened with A Li years ago, waiting under the peach blossom tree for her brother.

"Disturbers of the spirits must die," the woman whispered softly. With her words, the tomb door slowly closed.

Clearly, she intended to seal them in and kill them.

"Playing tricks with the supernatural? I'll cut you down!" Yang Ge Lao shouted, gripping his sword coated in child urine and black dog blood, and charged straight at the woman. In his eyes, she was an evil entity, and these substances warded off evil. As a martial arts expert, he saw no reason to lose.

The sword hummed as it cut through the air, piercing like a rainbow.

The woman said nothing, merely raising her hand slightly and using two slender fingers to clamp the incoming sword perfectly. No matter how much internal energy Yang Ge Lao exerted, he couldn't advance it an inch.

Ye Chen wasn't surprised by this.

Though the woman was only a spirit body, she was still a cultivator bolstered by source crystal. Yang Ge Lao was no match for her. More importantly, she wasn't an evil spirit, so child urine and the like had no effect.

Thud!

Yang Ge Lao spat blood and was flung back, crashing onto the stone platform.

The woman didn't pause, continuing toward the stone platform.

Yang Ge Lao staggered to his feet but instinctively retreated, his eyes filled with terror as he watched her.

No wonder so many who entered never came out.

In that moment, Yang Ge Lao understood. Whether grave robbers or martial arts masters, even if they evaded all the traps to reach the main tomb, none could stand against this woman. She was beyond human limits; even he was defeated in one move, let alone those with weaker internal energy.

Compared to him, Ye Chen remained composed, standing quietly.

"This female ghost is quite fierce!" Yang Ge Lao muttered under his breath.

"Disturbers of the spirits must die," the woman said as she arrived like the wind, pointing a finger at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen didn't move—it would be futile in his current state to dodge that finger.

As expected, he would be killed instantly.

But he wouldn't wait passively. Just as her finger was about to pierce his brow, he spoke, uttering a calm phrase:

"I can revive him."

Remarkably, his words had an impact; the woman stopped.

Seeing her halt, Ye Chen let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Yang Ge Lao, meanwhile, was so frightened he nearly wet himself. In this ancient tomb, his only reliance was Ye Chen. If Ye Chen died, so would he. He was only in his fifties and didn't want to die yet.

The woman approached, her cold eyes fixed intently on Ye Chen.

"You're clever, using the source crystal to seal his last breath," Ye Chen said with a slight smile.

"You recognize source crystal?" The woman's delicate brows furrowed slightly.

"The essence of source stone—how could I not?" Ye Chen replied with a smile.

"Who exactly are you?"

"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is that I can save him," Ye Chen said leisurely.

The woman fell silent, her brows furrowing even deeper.

For some reason, she sensed a terrifying aura from Ye Chen, like a mountain pressing down, making it hard for her to breathe. If it fully manifested, it could shatter the heavens and earth.

But she was also puzzled—Ye Chen was clearly just a mortal.

After a long while, she didn't speak.

Finally, she realized that an ordinary person couldn't conceal such power. There was only one possibility: the young man before her was a cultivator, and one far superior to her. A great master could hide their aura completely, beyond her detection.

Yang Ge Lao, standing to the side, was once again baffled, having no idea what the two were discussing.

As he stood there in confusion, the woman suddenly stepped forward and knelt before Ye Chen, bowing her head.

"I've been blind and disrespectful, not recognizing a senior's presence. I beg your forgiveness."

"We're on the same side. I don't deserve this bow from you," Ye Chen said hastily, helping her up.

"On the same side?" The woman asked in surprise.

"On the same side?" Yang Ge Lao echoed, equally confused.

"He and I shared life-and-death battles," Ye Chen said, glancing at Qin Xiong as they watched. His words were true; in their past life fighting the Tian Mo Yu, they had fought side by side.

The woman was somewhat bewildered; she had never heard the reincarnated Qin Xiong mention this.

"Hey, female ghost—ah, I mean, female hero! What's your background? Did you build this massive ancient tomb?" Yang Ge Lao asked the illusory woman tentatively.

"I am the Yin Yue Empress," the woman said with a self-mocking smile, her expression tinged with melancholy.

"You're the Yin Yue Empress?" Yang Ge Lao's eyes widened in utter shock.

"It seems you know," Ye Chen said, taking a sip of wine.

"Who on this land doesn't know the Yin Yue Empress?" Yang Ge Lao took a deep breath. "Hundreds of years ago, this land was ruled by the Pre-Qin ancient kingdom. The wife of the Pre-Qin emperor was the Yin Yue Empress. Legend has it she was an extraordinary woman, versed in yin and yang, Bagua, military strategy, summoning, and even rainmaking. The people of Pre-Qin worshiped her as a deity. But a sudden rebellion caused the Pre-Qin ancient kingdom to collapse overnight. The Pre-Qin emperor died, and the Yin Yue Empress vanished, leaving only legends through the generations."

With that, Yang Ge Lao glanced back at the reincarnated Qin Xiong on the ice jade bed. "If I'm not mistaken, he was the emperor of the Pre-Qin ancient kingdom back then."

Turning his gaze from Qin Xiong, he looked at the woman again. "What I've said is correct, isn't it?"