Chapter 655 - 662: Tomb of Xuan Yan

Luo Hantian’s heart sank. A terrible premonition washed over him.

’Could this strange phenomenon have something to do with Song Wanning?’

After all, that girl, Song Wanning, was full of possibilities. You couldn’t judge her by ordinary standards.

Now that he suddenly couldn’t reach her, it was easy for his mind to run wild.

In fact, it wasn’t just him. Leng Qingzhu and Liu Lan Yi had also tried to contact Song Wanning, only to face the same result.

Realizing that no one could get in touch with her, they all began to worry.

However, the person they were so worried about, Song Wanning, was currently locked in a fierce battle with the Stone Men.

While they had been a bit clumsy at first, they had now practically perfected a coordinated attack plan. They worked in tandem from the outset, knocking the Stone Man off balance almost immediately.

Then, with a follow-up punch, they shattered the Stone Man’s head.

It was clean and efficient, wasting no time at all.

Pushing forward at this frantic pace, Song Wanning ventured deeper and deeper. The surrounding Demonic Qi grew so thick that it was impossible to see clearly, even with the illumination from her Divine Nether Profound Fire.

But she didn’t turn back. The gravity pressing down on her grew stronger and stronger, forcing her to slow her pace.

"Sister, the gravity here is clearly different. Do you think the one behind all this might be here?"

The Dragon Spirit said worriedly, noticing its sister’s slowing pace.

The stronger the gravity, the slower and lower she had to lift her feet. If danger were to appear now, it would be much more difficult for her to react.

The situation, which had just started to improve, had immediately become difficult again.

"That’s very likely. Everyone, be careful."

Song Wanning nodded slightly, her expression growing even more grave.

Her heart began to race, completely beyond her control...

Before long, another Stone Man appeared.

This time, however, the effects of the gravity were clear. It took Song Wanning a great deal of effort to finally defeat the Stone Man.

She pressed deeper, and Stone Men appeared one after another. Despite her well-practiced strategy, Song Wanning inevitably began to sustain injuries.

Her movements grew increasingly sluggish, each step a struggle.

Eventually, even walking itself became an ordeal.

A heavy feeling settled in Song Wanning’s heart, but her gaze only grew more resolute.

She struggled to lift her foot, managing only to raise it a fraction of an inch before laboriously shuffling a single step forward.

The little companions had also lost their initial freedom of movement; even flying had become difficult for them.

But they endured it silently, unwilling to add to Song Wanning’s burden.

"PFFT—"

Suddenly, Song Wanning spat out a mouthful of blood. Her knees buckled, and she nearly collapsed.

She immediately braced herself, locking her knees to keep from truly falling.

’If I fall to my knees, I’ll never get back up!’

She held on, forcing herself to walk forward with even greater difficulty.

The more her unseen enemy tried to stop her, the more determined she was to find out who—or what—dared to constantly plot against her.

This defiant spirit was the only thing keeping Song Wanning going.

Even if she could only take a few steps in an hour, she still refused to give up.

Finally, after several days and nights, Song Wanning found herself standing before a tomb.

The tomb was surrounded by floating balls of Ghost Fire, which illuminated it as if by torchlight.

Song Wanning panted heavily, drenched in sweat, but her eyes were exceptionally clear.

She stared at the tombstone before her, and her expression flickered.

"Tomb of the Beloved Son, Xuan Yan..."

’Xuan Yan... It’s actually Xuan Yan?!’

Song Wanning was deeply shaken, her eyes wide with astonishment.

She had read about a person named Xuan Yan in a travelogue once.

He was a master of Artifact Refining from Ancient Times. Not only was he exceptionally gifted, reaching the Mahayana Realm at a young age, but he also possessed an incredible talent for Artifact Refining, making him a publicly acknowledged master throughout the entire Cultivation World.

Countless people would have done anything to have him refine a Magical Treasure for them.

But what truly made Xuan Yan’s name echo far and wide was his accidental forging of an Immortal Artifact!

This might have been a common occurrence in the Immortal Realm, but in the Spirit Realm, it was considered virtually impossible!

Yet Xuan Yan had performed this miracle, becoming a legend throughout the Cultivation World.

Countless people came to his door, begging him to refine Magical Treasures and willing to pay any price.

Yet one day, this very master suddenly suffered a Qi deviation and went berserk within his Sect.

For the sake of peace, the Sect had no choice but to hunt him down and kill him, a painful decision.

In the end, Xuan Yan was killed.

The curtain thus fell on a generational genius, a truly lamentable end.

But his story has been passed down to this day. Anyone who studies Artifact Refining has surely heard the tales of Xuan Yan.

Having forged the Jinghong Sword herself, Song Wanning naturally understood the difficulty of Artifact Refining.

When she first read his story, she was filled with immense admiration, but also a deep sense of pity for his fate.

But she never imagined she would find Xuan Yan’s tombstone here today.

’Perhaps it’s just someone with the same name.’

Song Wanning’s expression darkened. It was possible that the name was just a coincidence.

Yet, deep down, she knew this was most likely the tomb of *the* Xuan Yan.

The Stone Men were the best evidence.

Still, without seeing the person responsible, she couldn’t be one hundred percent certain.

"Sister, what do we do now?"

The Dragon Spirit shrank back, looking frightened.

From the moment the tomb appeared, it had been filled with a sudden sense of fear.

The other little companions felt it too, as if they were being watched by a terrifying pair of eyes.

Song Wanning didn’t answer, because she didn’t know either.

She stared at the tomb, lost in thought, when a passage suddenly opened up, leading straight into its depths.

The hair on her arms stood on end, and her entire body tensed.

The passage was like a gaping, bloody maw in the darkness, beckoning to her.

Song Wanning’s expression was incredibly grim. After a moment’s hesitation, she decided to go inside.

’Since I’ve come this far, I have to go in and see for myself.’

She lifted her foot and cautiously stepped into the tomb.

The tomb’s passage was long. Only after entering did she realize the tomb outside was merely an illusion; the true tomb lay somewhere deep within this passage.

The deeper she went, the larger the space became, and the thicker the Demonic Qi grew.

RUMBLE—

At that moment, the entrance sealed shut, completely cutting off Song Wanning’s retreat.

Song Wanning looked back and saw only a roiling mass of Demonic Qi, clawing and grasping as it completely obscured the entrance.

With her path of retreat cut off, she could only press forward.

Unlike the darkness outside, the tomb was brightly lit. The walls were embedded with Spirit Stones of various colors, both practical and beautiful.

The passage twisted and turned, descending ever deeper, and the air began to thin.

She also began to hear the sound of flowing water nearby.

Song Wanning followed the winding passage for a full hour before finally arriving at a stone door.

On the stone door was a lifelike carving depicting a figure standing on the ground as a Magical Treasure ascended into the sky, only to be struck by lightning.