Chapter 128: Wait, You

Returning to a familiar place, Zhou Qing could already guess where they were headed, watching the Second Uncle walk ahead.

Amid his unease, he felt a flicker of excitement.

Now that he had broken through to the Nascent Soul realm, thanks to the Heavenly Dao energy, his combat power nearly crushed peers of the same level.

If he entered the [Divine Ruins Tiangong] simulation again, he wouldn’t even pass the gravity zone.

Back when he was at the late Golden Core stage, he nearly always fell at the second wave—now, entering as a Nascent Soul cultivator, he wouldn’t just fail to explore; he’d likely die quickly.

In reality, even Elder Mu Shu and the other Supreme Elders dared not send Nascent Soul cultivators inside, for it had already crossed a certain red line.

Rash action could very well activate the mysterious entity hidden within, triggering unpredictable consequences.

Last time he entered, he had clearly felt that chilling, bone-chilling sense of being watched.

As for his innate skill [Reduce Presence], he suspected it would be utterly useless against whatever dwelled inside.

First, that thing wasn’t alive; second, even the Supreme Elders, as fully realized Soul Transformation cultivators, feared it deeply—he was nothing before it.

“Sigh, this is completely hopeless!” Zhou Qing sighed helplessly, filled with despair.

If he couldn’t even pass the gravity zone in the simulation, the rest was out of the question.

Then what use was the [Divine Ruins Tiangong] token?

Maybe he had advanced too quickly—he’d wait until he encountered another terrifying forbidden zone in the future, one that had recorded him, and see if there was any chance then.

Of course, that wasn’t certain—mainly, he was broke right now and lacked enough mid-grade spirit stones to even attempt entry.

“What did you just say?” The Second Uncle slightly turned his head, asking.

Zhou Qing quickly replied: “Nothing, nothing—just suddenly felt time flies fast. The last time I left here was already a year ago.”

As he spoke, he stopped walking, staring at the cave entrance to the side.

It was here that the Second Uncle had helped him harvest over twenty pieces of Flame Spirit Blood Paste before leaving.

He himself had chased after, asking—if they met again and he recognized him—could he get more opportunities?

Back then, the Second Uncle had just smiled and kept walking, seemingly not giving any promise.

Hearing Zhou Qing’s wistful words, the Second Uncle smiled faintly, teasing: “Oh? At your young age, you’ve already learned to feel nostalgia from scenery? This is nothing yet—wait till later, there’ll be plenty of moments for you to lament how things change and people vanish. Keep up.”

Zhou Qing immediately quickened his pace, closely following.

Until the two reached the Five-Colored Altar again—after last time’s appraisal, Zhou Qing knew the true entrance array had nine colors, with the first being weakest and the ninth strongest.

This object before them was a priceless treasure.

Then, the Second Uncle skillfully placed eight high-grade spirit stones one by one upon it.

Instantly, the altar blazed with radiant light.

As Zhou Qing was about to step onto it, the Second Uncle gently grabbed his arm, eyes filled with curiosity, asking: “Aren’t you going to ask where we’re going?”

Zhou Qing shook his head, confident: “No matter what, I trust you’ll bring me out safely. After all, I still have to make you proud by properly teaching that so-called disciple of your old acquaintance a lesson.”

Hearing this, the Second Uncle stared at him for a long moment, then burst into hearty laughter.

“You brat—you’re growing more to my taste every day!”

Immediately, the Second Uncle led Zhou Qing onto the altar, and they vanished in an instant.

When Zhou Qing opened his eyes again, he was in another corridor.

The two walked forward steadily, and after a full incense stick’s time, a faint glow finally appeared ahead.

When they climbed out, Zhou Qing gazed at the tunnel before him and couldn’t help but sigh.

He’d seen it many times, but this was the first time he’d emerged from it.

“Leave a message?” The Second Uncle tilted his chin slightly, gazing at his own handwriting for a moment, pride evident, then turned to Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing shook his head vigorously—his chicken-scratch handwriting was far too recognizable.

The two characters “That’s it” the Second Uncle had written already carried a taunting tone—if he added another word, the Supreme Elders would fly into a rage.

But from the unpatched hole, it was clear no one had entered in over a year.

Looks like this place had truly become his iron rice bowl.

Seeing Zhou Qing had no intention of leaving a message, the Second Uncle didn’t press him. He stretched his limbs, his pride deepening: “I bet the farthest you’ve gone helping them turn the key was just here. Watch closely—what I’m about to do is my lifelong specialty, refined over many years.”

After speaking, the Second Uncle pointed at a distant stone mill and called out: “Roll it over here.”

Zhou Qing’s lips curled slightly, then he obediently walked over and slowly rolled the stone mill to the spot, looking up and asking: “Then what?”

“Follow me!” The Second Uncle strode ahead, Zhou Qing pushing the stone mill behind him.

Before the Second Uncle could give instructions, Zhou Qing had already placed the stone mill precisely in position.

The Second Uncle: “...”

Zhou Qing scratched his head and grinned: “Look, there are traces here. When I first came in, the stone mill was already here. And right here, you dragged me in.”

The Second Uncle stared at Zhou Qing, surprise and approval in his gaze: “Back at the Five Sects Exchange Fair, facing the mystery boxes filled with rare treasures, you restrained your desire and knew when to stop.”

“Now, in this unfamiliar environment, you’re not the least panicked—calm, composed, meticulous. With your talent and temperament, you’ll surely achieve greatness—your future is boundless.”

Zhou Qing blushed at these words.

Back then, it wasn’t that I resisted temptation—it was just that [Daily Appraisal] only gave me one chance.

As for this place, who knows how many times I’ve been here.

“Let’s go!”

The Second Uncle now admired Zhou Qing even more. After speaking, the two stepped into the corridor together.

Soon, the familiar yet eerie scene reappeared before them, and only then did Zhou Qing’s face show a flicker of alarm.

Though he trusted the Second Uncle deeply, as the saying goes, life is unpredictable—especially now, with his true body here, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Even the Second Uncle licked his lips slightly, his expression grave, warning seriously: “Remember—do exactly what I do, and move fast. Any delay, and you’ll face unspeakable terror.”

Zhou Qing nodded frantically like a chicken pecking grain, exhaling long breaths to steady himself.

“Go!” The Second Uncle shouted suddenly—and Zhou Qing shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.

Both leapt simultaneously into the river of blood.

“Quickly put the—” The Second Uncle turned to instruct, but was stunned to see Zhou Qing had already placed three dead crows on his left shoulder, right shoulder, and head, then swam toward shore as if born in water.

“Damn it all—” The Second Uncle’s eyes widened in shock.

Without another second’s delay, both scrambled onto the riverbank in near-perfect sync.

Zhou Qing, desperate, sprinted straight toward the third coffin.

“You knew this?” The Second Uncle followed closely behind, his face filled with disbelief.

Zhou Qing waved his hands: “I didn’t know! It was just instinct—I felt I had to do it! Uncle, hurry up!”

After all, once the Corpse-Wax Crows appeared, they’d explode his head—today, with a powerhouse like the Second Uncle here, all three might swarm out.

“You weren’t a tomb guardian beast in a past life, were you? How do you know the door-opening method so well?” The Second Uncle had no time to elaborate—he used all his strength to slowly push open the coffin lid.

Zhou Qing gritted his teeth and rushed to the first coffin, exerting every ounce of strength to push.

Last time in the simulation, he’d used the broken wind talisman and couldn’t budge it—now that he was Nascent Soul, he’d test it now.

The usual creaking echoed, but fully opening it would take hours—ultimately, he was still too weak.

Just as Zhou Qing was about to pull out the broken wind talisman, that bone-chilling chill returned—he stiffly turned his neck.

As expected, from the darkness across the blood river, three enormous Corpse-Wax Crows slowly emerged, their eyes cold as ice, piercing through souls, fixed on them.

“What are you standing there for? Run!” The Second Uncle reached out, grabbed Zhou Qing, and both leapt into the third coffin they’d just opened.

Simultaneously, just before the Corpse-Wax Crows arrived, the coffin lid slammed shut with a heavy, thunderous crash.

…………

At this moment, Zhou Qing felt his body plummeting rapidly, wind howling past his ears like ghostly wails.

A choking stench spread around him, nearly making him vomit.

He forced back his nausea, straining to open his eyes. Below, the scene gradually sharpened.

It was a scorching hell—endless lava surged and boiled like a furious ocean, towering volcanoes loomed, spewing roaring flames and thick smoke, dyeing the world crimson.

Amid the lava and volcanoes, a colossal beast skeleton lay still upon the earth.

The skeleton was astonishingly massive—its length alone stretched hundreds of zhang, radiating an ancient, desolate aura from afar.

Judging by the wing bones, it was clearly the remains of a gigantic crow.

Their figures fell like meteors, crashing heavily to the ground.

Only now, up close, did Zhou Qing notice that besides the volcanoes and lava, the surroundings were scattered with vast ruins—extremely ancient in style, as if this place had once endured a cataclysm, leaving only broken remnants.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing’s throat went dry.

Hard to imagine the third coffin led to something this vast—almost like a miniature world.

Soon, Zhou Qing realized that here, besides his own spiritual power, which he could barely manipulate, his soul force was sealed as if by some mysterious force—he couldn’t summon it at all.

“Uncle, where exactly are we?” After calming slightly, Zhou Qing couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked.

The Second Uncle smiled faintly, waving his hand: “A tomb. The tomb of an ultimate powerhouse. Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand yet.”

Then, with serious, probing eyes, he looked at Zhou Qing: “By the way—could you really be a tomb guardian beast? Just now, your movements were so smooth and precise, anyone would think you’ve been here often.”

Zhou Qing’s heart leapt—he quickly waved his hands: “Impossible! Look at this place—could I possibly come here freely? I swear, this is my first time ever setting foot here.”

As he spoke, he quickly scanned the hellish volcanic surroundings again, emphasizing:

Because he truly had never entered this place before.

After entering, it was purely instinctive reaction—mainly because that Corpse-Wax Crow had exploded his head with its black feathers many times in simulations; he was practically traumatized.

The Second Uncle listened to Zhou Qing’s explanation and nodded slightly.

True—how could this kid possibly have come here? It was absurd.

Even Mu Shu and the others still didn’t understand the situation—they needed to use dead crows to briefly mask their yang fire just to reach the other shore.

Now, they almost always relied on brute force, racing desperately downstream along the blood river, single-mindedly searching for some treasure.

And because of this, they almost always return from missions severely wounded, their methods too rigid, their minds incapable of flexible adaptation.

How goes the saying? If bitten by a snake, the antidote must be within a hundred paces. Yet they saw none of the countless dead crows in that blood river—truly beyond me.

“Old man was trapped in this damned place for years, but good fortune favors the virtuous—I was blessed with great fortune and survived!”

Erdaye gazed at the familiar surroundings, drew a deep breath, his face filled with deep emotion.

Zhou Qing slowly scanned the area, his gaze finally settling on the massive corpse far ahead.

From this ground-level view, the bones appeared vastly larger than when he’d observed them from above—each single bone stretched dozens of meters long.

He couldn’t help but whistle in disbelief, unable to imagine how enormous and powerful such a beast must have been in life.

“That’s the bone of a crow with Jin Wu bloodline!” Seeing Zhou Qing staring fixedly at the colossal skeleton, Erdaye spoke slowly.

Zhou Qing’s eyes widened in shock. “The three-legged Jin Wu?”

Erdaye nodded solemnly. “Yes, the three-legged Jin Wu. Legend says that in one of the sixth-tier spiritual nations, their national auspicious bird was a true three-legged Jin Wu.”

Zhou Qing’s face grew even more terrified—he knew they rarely had any contact with matters of fifth-tier spiritual nations, let alone the far more mysterious and powerful sixth-tier ones.

Are the secrets hidden within this Taiqingmen Cave Heaven truly this shocking? And this is only one coffin among them.

“Zhou kid, this world is boundless, vast beyond your imagining. What you’ve encountered so far isn’t even a fraction of a snowflake in the whole world.”

“So you must work hard—only by growing strong enough, rising to higher positions, can you ever hope to see the dazzling vistas far beyond.”

Erdaye suddenly reached out and slapped Zhou Qing’s shoulder hard, giving him a solemn warning.

Zhou Qing nodded silently, his heart brimming with emotion.

Take the Shengwu Imperial Dynasty, for instance—it governs eight commanderies and seventy-two prefectures, yet the farthest place he’d ever been was Lingyun Prefecture.

The rest of his time was spent wandering among the Five Great Sects—he hadn’t even covered a quarter of Lingyun Prefecture, let alone anywhere else.

“Let’s go!” Seeing Zhou Qing seemed to understand, Erdaye said no more, simply leading him forward slowly.

After walking only a few steps, Zhou Qing couldn’t resist his curiosity. “Aren’t we going to see the crow bones?”

“I was trapped here for years—I’ve seen every spot worth seeing. Nothing left to look at.” Erdaye didn’t turn around.

But Zhou Qing still felt reluctant—he hadn’t used today’s [Daily Appraisal] yet.

As if sensing his thoughts, Erdaye added: “Don’t be fooled by the size of those bones—every trace of divinity within them has long vanished. Now they’re just ordinary bones. Forget about them.”

Hearing this, Zhou Qing reluctantly gave up the idea and continued following Erdaye.

“What about other places? This whole area is ruins—any palaces or buildings left?” Zhou Qing scanned the shattered ruins around him, hopeful.

Erdaye shook his head lightly. “There were some, but I’ve already explored them all. The good items? I’ve already taken them. Only one place remains.”

“Have you been inside the other five stone coffins too?” Zhou Qing asked again, his expression full of regret.

Erdaye stopped, exasperated. “I prefer to fully explore one place before moving to another.”

“Sounds like OCD. Then why didn’t you start with the first coffin?”

“Because my lucky number is three.”

“Oh, I see. But you’ve been trapped here for years—never thought of changing your lucky number?”

“If you keep talking, I’ll leave you here and let you feel what it’s like to be trapped.”

Zhou Qing instantly clamped his mouth shut, saying not another word.

After walking for who knew how long, Zhou Qing suddenly felt something—he looked toward a distant volcano still erupting.

This time, it was Erdaye who spoke first: “Above that volcano is a ruined palace. The Heavenly Dao energy you carry came from there.”

Zhou Qing frowned tightly at this.

When he obtained the Yin-Yang Scripture from the first coffin, the text recorded that a powerful cultivator named Zhong Li Bo had accidentally passed through here, discovered the nascent Yin-Yang energy, and left protective measures—even concealed it.

He also left behind the Yin-Yang Scripture he himself had cultivated, once saved by a friend who had perished on the Starry Battlefield.

Logically, such protective measures shouldn’t belong to the tomb of a terrifyingly powerful figure.

And the current scene around them seemed even older, more ancient.

There was only one explanation: this forbidden zone had always been here—not on the surface, but buried deep underground.

Until one day, for reasons unknown, it slowly rose to the surface, and in the process, swallowed the Heavenly Dao energy and the Yin-Yang Scripture along with it.

Over time, it was discovered by the first Sect Master of Taiqingmen, who then built the sect above it, beginning generations of exploration and guardianship.

Hmm, that must be it.

“This is it!” Erdaye suddenly stopped.

Zhou Qing snapped back to attention and looked ahead.

Before them stretched a raging ocean of fire—endless magma churned and surged wildly.

Bubbles on its surface burst like boiling water, each explosion spewing forth a powerful wave of heat.

Gazing at the nearly endless sea of magma, Zhou Qing involuntarily swallowed hard.

Erdaye said: “This is the last unexplored spot inside the third coffin. It’s inhabited by countless Flame Crocodiles—extremely troublesome.”

Zhou Qing’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You’re not seriously asking me to go down there, are you?”

Erdaye grinned broadly, chuckling—his silence said it all.

Zhou Qing immediately shook his head frantically, stepping backward involuntarily, his face filled with resistance. “I’ve never seen these Flame Crocodiles, but if even you can’t handle them, I’d just be walking in to become their snack.”

Erdaye laughed and explained: “You’re overthinking it. The Crocodile King here is showing signs of ancestral regression—it’s awakened some ancestral crocodile abilities. Every time I fight it, I can’t break away to go down.”

“Your job is to sneak down while I keep it occupied above, and find me a fan.”

“A fan?” Zhou Qing stared, stunned.

Erdaye nodded, eyes gleaming. “Yes. Legend says this fan was forged from Jin Wu feathers, possessing unimaginable power. I only want the fan. Anything else you find down there? All yours. Deal?”

Zhou Qing eyed Erdaye suspiciously.

You’ve nearly exhausted the third coffin—you clearly know far more secrets than you let on.

End of the month—please vote for monthly tickets, they’re about to expire and reset.

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(End of Chapter)