Chapter 332 - 187: Plundering the Tomb

Chapter 332: Chapter 187: Plundering the Tomb

"I think you’re right..."

He hesitated for a moment, then also picked up a rock and threw it at the door.

There was another "CLANG" as the rock bounced back. The door didn’t move an inch.

Feng Jiuchen stroked his chin, lost in thought. "The Seal’s lethal force only targets the act of approaching, not the door itself. In other words, if you can touch the door directly, you won’t be attacked. The key is, can this door be opened?"

Wan Ze didn’t answer. His gaze fell upon the bronze door as he cautiously reached out his hand.

His fingertips approached the bronze door inch by inch. With every fraction closer, his heart beat a little faster.

He was ready to sever his Spiritual Form at any moment.

The next second, his fingertips touched the bronze door.

A bone-chilling cold shot from his fingertips, racing up his finger, past his wrist, up his arm, over his shoulder, and straight to his head.

"Hiss!"

Wan Ze sucked in a sharp breath, his entire arm trembling.

Feng Jiuchen looked over anxiously, his expression changing. "What’s wrong?"

"It’s bone-chillingly cold," Wan Ze said through gritted teeth, forcing himself to endure the chill spreading from his arm.

But he didn’t pull his hand back.

Instead, he took a deep breath, already looking eagerly at the data frame.

He knew what this feeling meant. Every "abnormal" contact like this brought an opportunity for Stealing Celestial Secret.

The data frame unfolded in his vision.

Stealing Celestial Secret successful!

[Spiritual Form +10%]

[Spiritual Form +10%]

[Spiritual Form +10%]

The numbers jumped in his vision. With each jump, his Spiritual Form reserves shot up.

10%, 10%, and another 10%!

After that wave of cold subsided, his hand was still pressed against the bronze door.

He thought it was over, but a second wave of cold surged forth immediately, more intense and sudden than the first, like a basin of ice water being poured over his head.

[Spiritual Form +10%][Spiritual Form +10%][Spiritual Form +10%]

Another wave.

A third wave, a fourth, a fifth!

The cold came in wave after wave, each one more violent than the last. His Spiritual Form was skyrocketing: 10%, 20%, 30%, 50%, 100%, 200%... The numbers in his vision jumped faster and faster, so fast his eyes couldn’t keep up.

Only after he had absorbed a full 680% in Spiritual Form did the sensation finally vanish completely.

...

「At the same time.」

An image appeared before Wan Ze’s eyes... the back of a man, seemingly radiating countless brilliant rays of holy light that inspired an unconscious desire to worship.

The man seemed to sense something and turned around.

...

Unfortunately, before Wan Ze could get a clear look, the vision before him vanished completely.

He slowly pulled his hand back. His fingers were still trembling slightly, but his face showed a look of relief.

680% in Spiritual Form—nearly seven times more than what he had previously stolen from Xiao Yunkai’s pendant.

’This trip to Huangliang was worth it.’

He was already burning with anticipation to get inside and use Stealing Celestial Secret on a grand scale.

’Everything behind that door could be a target for Stealing Celestial Secret.’

"Brother Feng, you’ve got to step it up," he said, looking at Feng Jiuchen.

Feng Jiuchen gave a wry smile. "I’m feeling the pressure."

He tried to push the door.

But it wouldn’t budge at all.

Having no other choice, he turned to face the bronze door, took out a stack of Talisman Paper from his sleeve, and began to affix them one by one to the sides of the doorframe.

After being placed, the Talisman Papers flashed with golden light and merged into the mountain wall, disappearing from sight.

He applied seven in a row, each in a different position.

"I should probably hide this place first to keep others from finding it."

He spoke as he worked. "But I have a feeling this place will eventually become a hot spot. A Tomb this large can’t be hidden forever; it’s bound to be discovered sooner or later. We should just grab what we can. As long as we get something, it’s not a loss."

Wan Ze asked in a low voice, "You’re not planning to get your sect involved?"

Feng Jiuchen shook his head, his hands never ceasing their work. "Now is not the time."

He said no more, but Wan Ze understood.

After all, Tongchen Pavilion didn’t belong to Feng Jiuchen alone. It had factions, interests, and all sorts of things he didn’t want to face but had to.

If he handed over this Tomb, how much would Feng Jiuchen’s share be?

Would his martial brothers try to steal it?

Would his rivals try to sabotage him from behind the scenes?

Feng Jiuchen didn’t say much, but Wan Ze could still feel the cruelty within Huangliang.

The machinations of the human heart had always been cruel.

It was true in reality, and it was true in Huangliang Village. The world was different, the rules were different, but human nature remained unchanged.

Feng Jiuchen left his Qi on the mountain wall, attaching it to the golden patterns left behind by the Talisman Papers.

The Qi flowed from his palm like a thin thread, weaving around the patterns and connecting them into a single whole.

"You should leave some Qi as well," he said to Wan Ze over his shoulder. "In the future, you’ll be able to descend directly into this area. You won’t have to go through the pavilion or start from the old spot every time. You can come straight here. It’ll save time and effort."

Wan Ze copied his actions, placing his palm on the mountain wall and channeling the Qi in his body, letting it flow out from his palm and attach to the golden patterns.

"So in the future, when I’m in the real world, I just need to activate the Qi here to descend to this spot?" Wan Ze asked, retracting his hand.

"Correct. But it’s not a permanent solution. Qi slowly dissipates, and it becomes unstable over time. When you come back next time, you can top it up if it’s not too much trouble." As he spoke, Feng Jiuchen took a handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped the dust from his hands.

He seemed to recall something and added, "That phone Beixi gave you—the Qi in it will only last for about half a month at most. When the time comes, I’ll either make a trip myself or have Beixi bring you some more ’specialties.’ My advice is that we shouldn’t have any obvious contact in the real world."

His tone became cautious. He looked at Wan Ze and lowered his voice. "I suspect I’m already being watched by certain factions in the real world. Last time at Chaos, someone was tailing me. Their methods were very professional, not like a regular private investigator. It took a lot of effort to shake them. But you’re different. You’re in the shadows right now. No one knows you’ve entered Huangliang."

Wan Ze nodded.

The two of them, one in the light and one in the dark, could actually work well together.

Feng Jiuchen would draw fire out in the open, while he would build up his Power in the shadows.

Just as he was about to speak, a voice came from high above.

"To see a Hidden Truth Talisman from the Cloud Treasure Talisman in my lifetime... what a stroke of luck."

The voice was rich and resonant, seeming to come from directly above them, but the sky was clear and empty.

The light of the Red Moon shone down on the empty expanse of sky above, where not even a bird could be seen.

Wan Ze and Feng Jiuchen exchanged a look.

"Since you’ve come, fellow cultivator, why not show yourself?" Feng Jiuchen called out, his voice not loud, feigning composure.

In truth, his fingers had already withdrawn into his sleeve, pinching a piece of Talisman Paper between them.

He secretly shot Wan Ze a meaningful look.

Just then, two figures appeared on a distant cliff.

The cliff was about two or three hundred meters away and clearly visible under the Red Moon—a protruding rock suspended in mid-air.

Two figures stood there: one tall, one short; one fat, one thin.

For their voices to carry so clearly from such a distance in the dead of night, they were obviously no ordinary people.