Chapter 38: Great Emperor Daoist Ground

South City lies on a vast plain, extremely broad, its walls tower into the clouds, the black walls gleam with a metallic cold light, as if indestructible, able to withstand any enemy.

Even so, no matter how prosperous South City is, it is merely a corner of South Ridge, as tiny as a speck of dust in the sea.

The coming and going crowds are bustling; here there is a rule forbidding flight above the city, so everyone chooses to enter through the city gate.

In the mountains a few li outside South City, Yang Zhu was about to enter the city when he inadvertently caught a familiar figure.

Only see the unscrupulous Daoist Duan De sneaking about nearby, glancing left and right, as if searching for something.

"Yang Xiao... brother, I didn't expect it to be this coincidental!"

Duan De spotted Yang Zhu, smiling broadly as he walked over.

"I didn't expect you to be this capable, single-handedly slaying over a hundred demon tribesmen."

Duan De naturally also heard of Yang Zhu's deeds, praising him, saying that each time he thinks of it he secretly feels glad, having restrained his impulse when they first met.

"Just a casual matter."

Yang Zhu nodded; although the other is somewhat lacking in virtue, if they could become close friends, when a major event arises he truly dares to step forward.

Duan De is versed in funerary feng shui, worthy of being called a genius of the age, and his origins are astonishing—his previous incarnation was a Heavenly Venerable who survived the tribulation, linked to many legendary figures.

"Young brother, you really have good eyes—did you also notice that?"

Who would have thought Duan De suddenly leaned toward Yang Zhu, wearing a mischievous grin.

"I don't understand what you're saying."

Hearing this, Yang Zhu frowned, looking at the fellow's expression, he was definitely holding a belly full of bad water.

"You aren't here for that thing..." Duan De seemed somewhat disappointed, he muttered something lowly, then suddenly clapped his hands.

"How about we two pull off a big job together!"

Since their last meeting in the secret chamber, Duan De has been impressed by Yang Zhu's "methods," actually opening the stone gate a step ahead of him.

Little did he know that Yang Zhu possessed the Walking Character Technique, which reaches the nine heavens above and the netherworld below—places he does not go.

"You mean digging up human ancestors' graves together with you?"

"This time it's absolutely not!"

Upon hearing this, Duan De solemnly patted his chest, promising, this time it's absolutely not digging up human ancestors' graves!

"Speak, let's hear it."

Yang Zhu did not immediately believe it; he knows the other's character well—once they appear, someone is sure to be screwed, truly lacking virtue to the extreme.

Seeing hope of winning him over, Duan De instantly perked up and began a detailed explanation.

"Do you see that city ahead? Do you know when it was built and where it stands?"

Yang Zhu shook his head; he had only just arrived in South Ridge, so naturally he doesn't know these past events.

"According to my extensive research, this city was built no later than tens of thousands of years ago, and it was constructed atop an abandoned Daoist ground!"

"What's so special about that?" Yang Zhu was completely baffled, still not understanding what was special.

Duan De did not answer immediately, but looked left and right, being very cautious of his surroundings, only lowering his voice after confirming no one was eavesdropping.

"If I'm not mistaken, that might be a Great Emperor-level Daoist ground."

Great Emperor-level?

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhu startled; according to his knowledge, South Ridge has produced a Great Emperor before, and it was none other than an incarnation of the Ruthless Person! Following what this unscrupulous fatso said, could it be the Ruthless Person's Daoist ground?

After all, given his expertise in this area, there's an eighty percent chance he won't be mistaken.

"Is this really true?"

"During this time, Dao Master has dug up and studied the nearby ruins thoroughly—I can absolutely guarantee it!"

Seeing Duan De's appearance, not wanting to joke further, Yang Zhu temporarily believed his words.

If it truly is the Ruthless Person's Daoist ground, he definitely wants to go down and have a look; the harvest will surely be not small. "Alright, let's go together."

"Follow Dao Master."

Seeing Yang Zhu agree, Duan De's face instantly lit up with red light, without hesitation he took the lead.

After winding around for half an hour, the unscrupulous Daoist stopped at a mountainside.

After confirming no one was following, he moved aside a huge stone, revealing a black opening.

"I didn't expect it to be hidden this well." Yang Zhu joked, this fellow is indeed cautious enough.

"That's what you call professional!"

Duan De was quite pleased; after the two entered, he restored the huge stone, leaving outsiders not even a trace to find.

Inside the cave it was pitch black with no light at all, yet Yang Zhu needed no external aid to see the interior details clearly.

After looking around, Yang Zhu was slightly surprised; he found the cave was not naturally formed, apparently man‑made, and it couldn't have been long ago.

Could it be……?

Duan De produced from his bosom a lustrous jade pendant, emitting a soft glow that instantly illuminated the cave.

"Let's go; this was personally dug by Dao Master, there will be no danger ahead."

Indeed it is his masterpiece.

The two began to go deeper; since Duan De personally did the work, he avoided many dangerous spots, making their passage smooth and unobstructed.

After walking about a quarter of an hour, Duan De suddenly stopped at a sharp turn.

"Hold onto this jade pendant."

He gave the jade pendant to Yang Zhu, then took out another identical one himself and walked ahead.

After passing the turn, a gust of yin wind came howling; though not strong, it was extremely sinister, like countless blades slicing, capable of rending the soul.

In some places the cave wall, eroded over time, had loosened; a fist‑sized stone fell off and was instantly torn to powder by the yin wind.

This jade pendant, unknown what sort of treasure it is, when held in hand seems to add a protective layer around the body, keeping all yin wind from approaching within half a meter.

Yang Zhu and company advanced against the yin wind; thanks to the pendant, they felt no strain at all.

After walking several dozen meters, a cliff suddenly appeared ahead of them, and a huge pit blocked their way.

The pit is several dozen meters wide, smooth top and bottom, resembling the shape of a jade pillar, and the cave entrance seems to be located somewhere in the abyss.

Yang Zhu stood at the edge and looked down; below was a pitch-black expanse, as if he had arrived at an abyss.

At the bottom of the pit, accompanied by howling sounds, gusts of yin wind constantly surged out, racing upward along the pit; sometimes they carried fragmented bones and some unidentified fragments.

They merely vanished into the darkness with a quick glance, being blown upward to a higher place.

"The Dao field is just below, but the yin wind gets stronger the lower you go, and spiritual jade cannot withstand it."

Duan De explained that he had tried many methods, but could never enter the bottom to investigate.

During this time he visited various ruins everywhere, searching for rare materials, hoping to gather them to set up a grand formation and try again.

He brought Yang Zhu in as a precaution, so that if anything happened he could lend a hand.

"You trust me this much?" They had only met once, and Yang Zhu never expected the other to trust him so much.

"Even the Dao Master doesn't know what's going on, but he somehow always has some inexplicable trust in you..."

Duan De muttered, then took out over a hundred kinds of materials and began to quickly set up a formation on the ground.

"What a pity we lack God-Nether Soil; otherwise our chance of success would increase by at least thirty percent..."

While setting up the formation, Duan De sighed, saying that despite visiting many ruins he still hadn't found it, for this thing is extremely rare, and many people have never even heard of it.

(End of chapter)