Chapter 221: Spectral Troops Cross Over

Amidst the dark clouds, countless blurred figures moved through.

Chu Danqing could not discern their details, but he could make out their general outlines.

They were soldiers wielding spears and halberds, clad in ancient armor, yet both weapons and armor were ragged and broken.

Despite this, the aura they emitted was terrifying; even Guo Ming dared not move.

“Spectral troops crossing over,” Chu Danqing whispered. This was not merely knowledge tied to his status—he had also heard legends and tales of such things.

“The living must not look up or turn back.”

Chu Danqing spoke solemnly, then immediately turned away. Guo Ming, naturally trusting Chu Danqing, followed suit.

But now they could no longer observe the spectral troops; yet behind them, footsteps mixed with hoofbeats and the rumble of chariots.

Clearly, cavalry and war chariots—or perhaps a spectral commander.

The icy chill behind them intensified, and even Guo Ming’s array began to crack.

It was clearly unable to withstand the yin energy of the spectral troops crossing over.

Guo Ming involuntarily swallowed hard, sweat beading on his forehead, yet the cold instantly froze it into ice crystals.

He clenched his fists tightly, face taut with tension.

Since entering the Paradise trials with Chu Danqing, he had never faced such a situation.

In the past, relying on his rank, few could stand against him—save the Holy Empress Dowager.

He had assumed his dominance would continue even at Stage One, yet his first trial delivered a harsh lesson.

Chu Danqing noticed Guo Ming’s state and immediately pressed his shoulder in reassurance, signaling him not to worry.

This eerie trial world, like his own reserve trial and first trial, belonged to the type where local elements matched reality but the trial world’s inherent power was immense.

Outside the tomb, planes and cannons; inside, monsters abound.

Now spectral troops had appeared—this meant the trial world very likely contained realms like the Nether Court or Hell.

Yet they normally had no contact with the living.

But Cangmang Guling might be an exception; it was almost certainly a yin-yang convergence point, so entering the tomb could bring encounters with netherworld entities.

Moreover, another reason: the feng shui layout of Yuanping Wang’s tomb appeared to offer nine deaths and one life, but in truth, it sealed off all paths to survival.

This caused stagnant death energy, making the yin-yang convergence even more pronounced.

After Guo Ming shattered it by force, the spectral troops were forced to cross from the nether realm into the yang world through this breach.

Yet the spectral troops chose not to attack them—likely bound by military orders, and since Chu Danqing’s group did not obstruct them, they were ignored.

After roughly an hour, the footsteps gradually faded, and the icy chill began to dissipate.

The array was now riddled with cracks; Guo Ming had no time to retrieve it before it shattered completely before their eyes.

This was merely the aura generated by the spectral troops crossing over—without any actual attack, it had already reached this state.

Guo Ming could not help but let out a bitter smile: “Now I see—the world is vast, and I remain but a gnat.”

If I could fully master the Twelve Zodiac Sword Scripture, perhaps I could fight the spectral commander.

But only the commander.

“Don’t belittle yourself—we’ve only trained for so short a time,” Chu Danqing comforted. “Besides, you’ve been suppressing your growth for my sake.”

“Otherwise, with your cultivation pace, you’d already be at least equal to your elder brother.”

Guo Ming had said he could catch up to his brother in three years.

So his current growth rate was clearly problematic.

After all, if he unleashed his full potential, Chu Danqing’s cost to summon him would skyrocket.

This would cause Chu Danqing to summon him less often, weakening their bond and depriving the Guo clan of unnecessary gains.

Thus, suppressing his growth was actually beneficial—after all, the Guo clan did not currently lack a fighter like him.

“No wonder that Mountain-Moving Daoist dared not break the wall—he surely knew how to escape, but understood the consequences.”

“Once he broke it, he’d trigger a brief yin-yang convergence here.”

“We’re lucky—we only got spectral troops crossing over.”

“If we’d been unlucky, we’d have fallen straight into the netherworld—then we’d be doomed forever,” Chu Danqing said.

He himself was shaken, but seeing Guo Ming’s demeanor, he could not show any weakness—he had to stabilize the situation.

So he changed the subject: “Hence he’d rather starve than act.”

“This shows Yuanping Wang’s tomb truly had layers upon layers.”

“The more skilled one is in feng shui or tomb raiding, the less likely they are to enter.”

“I suspect Zhong Ting’s uncle didn’t flee merely from the tomb guardian beast—he sensed this Nether Crossing and left.”

“He knew this journey was one-way, so he fled at the first touch,” Chu Danqing said, finally understanding why the staircase was called a “crossing.”

Then he recalled another thing: Yuanping Wang had dwelled in this place for so long; since death, his corpse had been soaked in yin energy and death energy.

What had he become now?

According to Chu Danqing’s judgment, spectral troops crossing over already exceeded Stage One difficulty.

In truth, as long as one didn’t be reckless and leveraged the knowledge granted by his status, the greatest threat was merely the erosion of yin energy during the crossing.

As long as one didn’t provoke it, the spectral troops would not attack.

Guo Ming quickly regained his composure—he realized he’d rarely faced setbacks.

This was good for him—it prevented him from developing an arrogant mindset.

It reminded him of the caution he once had when he first roamed the world with no strength at all.

“Indeed, one must never underestimate the world,” Guo Ming echoed. “Though the people in this trial world are weak, their feng shui arts are astonishingly profound.”

“Though the yin energy here has leaked, I still think we shouldn’t linger—let’s hurry to Yuanping Wang’s coffin chamber and retrieve the Ziwei Jade Seal.”

Guo Ming urged Chu Danqing—this place was truly eerie.

Chu Danqing did not refuse; they hurried away.

Beyond the Nether Crossing lay the main tomb chamber.

No further traps or mechanisms followed—those who could solve the Nether Crossing to reach here were already top-tier tomb raiders.

What came next could not be guarded against; only a handful existed in an entire era.

Such people likely didn’t even care for Yuanping Wang’s burial treasures.

People like Chu Danqing were rare exceptions.

The so-called main tomb chamber was in fact a vast underground palace.

At its center rested the coffin, surrounded by countless skeletons clad in servant garments, kneeling in reverence around it.

Around them stood more skeletons, clad in armor and wielding weapons—warriors guarding the chamber.

Yuanping Wang, as a prince, had the right to use live human sacrifice.

“This layout is truly ingenious,” Guo Ming observed, noticing something curious: the yin energy generated by the Nether Crossing had not penetrated here.

He told Chu Danqing, who was delighted.

This was good news—if a strong enemy appeared, he wouldn’t be overwhelmed.

Clearly, the tomb builders had anticipated this and prepared in advance, preventing Yuanping Wang from becoming a monstrous entity.

“But Chu, don’t get too optimistic—even weakened, it’s likely stronger than the tomb guardian beast—minimum A-rank,” Guo Ming said, his demeanor now relaxed.

None of them were battle maniacs; none sought to challenge powerful foes or breakthrough through mortal terror.

They all held normal human psychology.

“Same as always—have the Ghost-Resentment Infants lift the coffin and check,” Chu Danqing said, and ten Ghost-Resentment Infants crawled from his shadow.

The central coffin was large, so more were needed.

“Wait, Chu—don’t you feel something’s off?” Guo Ming stopped him.

Chu Danqing scrutinized carefully. At first, nothing seemed wrong—but now, after Guo Ming spoke, he too felt something amiss.

His stats were far lower than Guo Ming’s, and his perception had no bonuses—how could he sense anything if not for Guo Ming?

“What’s wrong?” Chu Danqing hadn’t felt it, but he trusted Guo Ming’s ability.

“I can’t quite say—it’s just that the flow of yin energy feels unnatural,” Guo Ming said.

Chu Danqing had no answer.

Guo Ming could sense something; he himself was blind—how could he offer useful advice?

So the best solution was to pass the problem back to Guo Ming.

“Then what do we do?” Chu Danqing asked.

Guo Ming thought briefly, then said: “Easy—I’ll have Su Nü fire a shot at the coffin.”

“No way—I need the Ziwei Jade Seal, likely a burial item. You blast it to pieces and I lose my quest reward!” Chu Danqing retorted.

Hearing this, Guo Ming chuckled wryly—he’d been focused on efficiency and forgotten the real goal.

“Stick to my plan,” Chu Danqing said. The Ghost-Resentment Infants had already passed through layers of skeletal servants and reached the coffin, beginning to open it.

Guo Ming continued observing, trying to pinpoint the anomaly.

He had no feng shui knowledge—only his own system’s insights—so his efficiency was limited, and he saw nothing yet.

Even if Chu Danqing gave him his feng shui knowledge, it would be useless.

A mere fraction of knowledge could not challenge the craftsmen who built Yuanping Wang’s tomb—they possessed far superior feng shui mastery.

(End of Chapter)