Chapter 240: The Grand Master

“You brat, what are you doing?” Second Uncle had just climbed ashore when he dashed toward the third coffin.

But he found Zhou Qing had run beneath the ancient tree, squatting and frantically digging at the ground.

After shouting twice with no response, Second Uncle no longer cared—he threw all his strength into shoving.

Those three corpse-wax crows shifted between Soul Transformation and Spirit Severing; even he couldn’t endure them for long.

The moment the coffin lid opened, three corpse-wax crows emerged from the darkness across the Blood River, their cold eyes locking onto Second Uncle.

“Boy, are you truly seeking death?” Second Uncle, seeing this, immediately swung one leg into the coffin and screamed at Zhou Qing.

At that moment, Zhou Qing also rushed over, heart pounding, and vanished inside.

Second Uncle slammed the lid shut just one second before the three crows descended.

…

Lava land!

After they landed, Second Uncle began cursing loudly.

“Madman, you’re a little madman—do you know what you just—”

“Here!”

Before Second Uncle could finish his outburst, Zhou Qing pulled out a small box and handed it to him.

Second Uncle snatched it angrily, snapping: “No matter what it is, you shouldn’t risk your life—wait, is this spiritual soil?”

Upon seeing what was inside the box, Second Uncle’s pupils shrank, disbelief flooding his eyes.

He immediately turned to Zhou Qing, eyes filled with suspicion: “I’ve thought more than once you’re the tomb guardian here—how did you know this treasure lay beneath that tree?”

Zhou Qing wiped sweat from his brow and said, “I just guessed. Didn’t expect it to be real.”

He paused, then continued: “Zhang Wanbao gave me a jade slip detailing heavenly treasures. I happened to learn about spiritual soil’s use—and you’ve got a ten-thousand-year blood ginseng, right? Perfect match.”

“I coerced you into coming. I owe you some sincerity.”

Seeing Zhou Qing’s flushed face, Second Uncle felt a surge of emotion.

“Little Blood will love this. Thanks. Next time, don’t take such risks!” Second Uncle clapped Zhou Qing on the shoulder.

Zhou Qing nodded vigorously. “It really was dangerous—I only dug up a little, and I felt like the tree was about to strike me.”

Second Uncle chuckled at that.

“Of course it would. Didn’t you see it keeping that heart beating? That’s a true divine tree!” Second Uncle said.

Zhou Qing nodded repeatedly—he could test it during his next simulation.

Then he glanced at the large pile of spiritual soil in his storage pouch and couldn’t help but grin.

No wonder the divine tree had turned hostile—he’d dug too much.

“Let’s go!” Second Uncle grabbed Zhou Qing and vanished on the spot.

When they reappeared, they stood at the rim of a volcano.

Twelve Flame Spirit Flowers grew there, unmistakable.

Zhou Qing, thrilled, carefully pulled out his spirit box and spade and began digging.

“What’s the point of these? Worth next to nothing!” Second Uncle scoffed, watching Zhou Qing’s earnestness.

He’d been trapped in this small world for years—he’d seen countless such spiritual plants.

At most, they were obscure and hard to find.

“Finally… I’ve waited… for you!” At that moment, a furious roar erupted from the lava field ahead—the Flame Ancestor Crocodile.

Second Uncle immediately pulled out the Jin Wu Fan and hurriedly said: “This thing’s thick-skinned and has evolved ancestral crocodile blood—extremely stubborn. Hurry up.”

Zhou Qing, sensing the danger, instantly sped up his digging.

“Go!”

The moment the last Flame Spirit Flower was sealed in the jade box, Second Uncle grabbed Zhou Qing and shot into the air.

ROAR!

The Flame Ancestor Crocodile burst from the lava, unleashing a deafening roar.

Then it flapped its massive wings, summoning a scorching gale. Lava splattered everywhere; searing air surged toward them in pursuit.

“You beast, we’re practically friends—no need to go this far!” Second Uncle laughed heartily.

He hurled the Jin Wu Fan into the air, his hands forming seals as potent spiritual power surged into it.

Instantly, golden rays shot from the fan like blades, blazing with heat, striking straight at the Flame Crocodile King.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Followed by endless explosions and roars.

“You… wait!”

The Flame Crocodile King’s eyes burned crimson as he let out a furious, helpless roar. His massive body wobbled in midair, then crashed heavily into the lava, splashing huge waves.

“This Jin Wu Fan is truly a treasure!”

Second Uncle grew fonder by the second, quickly stowing it away, then grabbed Zhou Qing and pushed open the coffin lid to leap out.

Zhou Qing’s face glowed with excitement—all the materials were finally gathered!

“What are you standing there for? Help!”

Seeing Zhou Qing frozen, Second Uncle dashed to the first coffin and shouted.

Zhou Qing rushed over; together they shoved open the lid and jumped down before the corpse-wax crows could emerge.

Upon landing, Zhou Qing immediately went on guard.

Compared to his last simulation, the air no longer reeked of putrid blood—instead, a faint scent of decay lingered.

“We’re not well-prepared this time—only two [Invisibility Talismans] left. Maybe you should skip it. As a tomb guardian, you shouldn’t need these!”

Second Uncle held up two talismans, eyeing Zhou Qing with a teasing glint.

Zhou Qing hurriedly said: “Uncle, I’m not a tomb guardian—feel me! I’m flesh and blood, not some spirit!”

“Boy, even a stone in this world can become a spirit—” Second Uncle’s words cut off as low growls erupted all around.

Dozens of Nascent Soul-level wandering souls, sensing living energy, burst from the mist, snarling and lunging forward.

Zhou Qing’s face changed—he turned to Second Uncle.

He froze.

Second Uncle was gone. Precisely—he’d used the [Invisibility Talisman] to erase all his traces.

“Uncle, you can’t be serious—” Zhou Qing cried.

But Second Uncle’s voice drifted from nearby: “Talismans are limited. Wait a bit. If you two are allies, I’ll save one.”

What could Zhou Qing do? He cursed inwardly, hands sparking with lightning as he prepared to fight.

Though his [Reduced Presence] had reached Level Six, granting 90% chance of being ignored by Soul Transformation cultivators, he dared not grow careless.

Fortunately, when the wandering souls drew within three meters of Zhou Qing, they lost sight of Second Uncle and grew confused.

Then they simply ignored Zhou Qing and drifted apart.

“My god, you still say you’re not the tomb guardian? Introduce yourself—do you open doors or close them?” Second Uncle exclaimed in shock.

Zhou Qing exhaled slowly. “They’re definitely doing this on purpose—likely the Ghost Emperor’s doing.”

“Heh—” Second Uncle gave a dry chuckle, laced with something unreadable.

He’d joked, but he was genuinely puzzled—why didn’t these souls attack Zhou Qing?

Last time it happened. Now again. It made no sense.

Was it the invisible boost from Zhou Qing’s Four Flowers at the Crown?

As Zhou Qing prepared to fabricate another excuse, a Soul Transformation-level wandering soul suddenly roared and charged straight at him.

Zhou Qing’s face lit up with excitement.

I knew it—can’t all be blind.

“Uncle, look—”

Second Uncle was even more baffled. He slapped a [Invisibility Talisman] onto Zhou Qing.

In an instant, Zhou Qing vanished.

The wandering soul blinked, confused, then let out a roar and moved on.

“Strange… truly strange,” Second Uncle muttered.

But talismans had limited duration—he had no time to ponder this.

Don’t end up like last time, with someone showing a thigh and someone else a butt cheek, wobbling around awkwardly.

Zhou Qing sighed in relief, glancing at the old hen in Second Uncle’s arms—it hadn’t been marked with a talisman.

It had simply been hidden by proximity to Second Uncle.

“Uncle, I have an idea to save a talisman…”

“I have an idea too—carry me!” Second Uncle cut in.

Zhou Qing’s face twitched.

That was my line.

“Uncle, you’re joking—you’re a Spirit Severing expert. I walk slow and’d hold you back. Plus, I’m light—how about—”

“Are you reversing heaven and earth? Move!” Second Uncle snapped, striding forward.

Zhou Qing smiled sheepishly and hurried after him.

Soon, they spotted fresh white bones and tattered clothing—but no storage pouches.

“Impossible!” Zhou Qing frowned. He’d come here specifically to collect storage pouches.

In his simulations, nearly every corpse’s pouch hung on its clothes—but now, none remained.

Those wandering souls may appear to be at the Nascent Soul or Soul Transformation realm, but they have no self-awareness whatsoever.

They merely act on instinct and consumption, and logically would not deliberately collect storage bags.

“Could there still be living people here? Or did the Ghost Emperor command these wandering souls to gather the storage bags?” Zhou Qing muttered to himself, unease creeping in.

The two continued forward; along the way, every white bone they encountered lacked a storage bag—a sight that sank Zhou Qing’s heart.

“That place is—”

Soon, he spotted a familiar stone forest and sprinted toward it.

Then he closed his eyes, recalled carefully, walked about a hundred meters east, and indeed found a dried corpse lying still.

But now, a Nascent Soul wandering soul was turning Xuanjizi’s corpse over and yanking off its storage bag from its waist.

Zhou Qing was about to act when Erdaye hurriedly stopped him: “Let me handle it.”

Erdaye spoke, then instantly appeared behind the wandering soul and jabbed a finger into its occiput.

“Strange—no spiritual sense or memory at all, yet it must have been ordered by that Ghost Emperor!”

Erdaye frowned, his face filled with confusion, then flicked his finger—the wandering soul instantly dissolved into black smoke and vanished.

Xuanjizi’s storage bag was caught steadily by Zhou Qing.

“You found this corpse first—I give it to you!” Erdaye said, then continued walking forward.

Zhou Qing expressed his thanks and casually tucked it away.

After all, Erdaye hadn’t come here for these storage bags—his true goal was to verify whether the Ghost Emperor was truly Canglong True Person.

Long after, Zhou Qing noticed his feet beginning to manifest; Erdaye’s head was next.

Both quickened their pace until they reached Hongta Mountain.

“Can you break it?” Seeing the tower still intact, Erdaye’s eyes gleamed with eager anticipation as he turned to Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing frowned helplessly: “Big Elder, there are three-color prohibitions on it—I’ve only just condensed a thousand spiritual seals.”

“Try anyway! Just crack a tiny opening, and your Big Elder has a way!”

As he spoke, Erdaye gently placed the old hen on the ground, his face beaming.

He coaxed it: “Little chicken, go in first and show us the way—I’ll treat you to something delicious later!”

The moment the hen touched the ground, its feathers instantly flared up, and its body trembled uncontrollably.

The surrounding wandering souls sensed life and let out piercing shrieks, charging toward them.

Seeing this, Erdaye hurriedly shoved the hen toward the tower gate—but the three-color prohibition instantly manifested spiritual runes, repelling it outright.

“Hey, you’re supposed to ignore prohibitions!” Erdaye growled in frustration, then reluctantly picked up the hen again and re-hidden its form.

The charging wandering souls circled a few times, lost their target, and reluctantly shrieked before slowly dispersing.

Zhou Qing also exhaled in relief and stepped forward to comfort: “It’s undergoing a second transformation—maybe it can only ignore partial single-color prohibitions now. Let me try.”

Zhou Qing spoke, and immediately a thousand spiritual seals floated forth, beginning to attempt breaking the tower’s prohibitions.

After a full hour, Zhou Qing rose, exhausted, and shook his head at Erdaye.

This wasn’t an ordinary three-color prohibition—it contained countless rare spiritual runes, the elite among elites.

“If I had only one chance to come here, I’d smash it open by brute force—I’d rather destroy it than leave it for others!”

Erdaye’s eyes flashed with ruthlessness, then he deflated, sighing: “But we’re regulars—this time won’t work, maybe next time will.”

“Let’s go!”

Erdaye looked up and saw that each of them had manifested one arm—his concealment talisman’s effect was about to vanish entirely. Without hesitation, he accelerated.

Soon, the air ahead grew bitterly cold, and both slowed their steps.

Ahead, thick black mist obscured everything, revealing only indistinct silhouettes; as they drew closer, the mist thinned gradually.

When the scene before them sharpened, both froze in stunned silence.

Before them stood a grim city, its walls carved with strange runes glowing with eerie green light.

Above the city gate, a massive plaque bore two twisted, monstrous characters: “Yin Xu,” radiating overwhelming pressure.

Countless wandering souls surged frantically into it.

“They’re building their own capital!” Erdaye stared, disbelief etched on his face at their disciplined coordination.

Without a ruler directing them, this would be impossible.

Zhou Qing swallowed hard.

He could feel—each wandering soul performed its duty without chaos or hesitation. That was the most terrifying part.

Who knew how many wandering souls inhabited this small world? And they feared no death—they could evolve repeatedly by absorbing blood qi and devouring.

At that moment, a Soul Transformation wandering soul drifted slowly from the ghost city, holding a storage bag.

It halted abruptly three meters from the two, then spoke in a hoarse, low voice, as if rising from the deepest pits of hell.

“The Emperor… commands… final… gift… Exit… closes… entrance…”

Though halting and broken, the meaning was clear to both.

Seeing the offered storage bag, Erdaye felt utter disbelief.

In that moment, he was certain—what Zhou Qing had seen might truly be the former Canglong True Person.

Otherwise, why?

Because he was handsome?

“Half a stick… of incense… seal… the coffin lid!” The wandering soul spoke again, then turned and left.

Erdaye frowned: “It even knows about the coffins!”

He recalled how, when he’d reached the third coffin, he’d subtly questioned the Flame Crocodile—yet the beast knew nothing of the outside world.

Nor could it escape—it seemed bound by some force sealing it in.

Zhou Qing turned his gaze to Erdaye, eyes full of inquiry.

Erdaye said gravely: “Take the storage bag—it’s clearly not meant for me. Didn’t you notice the wandering soul never stopped staring at you?”

“I never expected this Concealment Talisman to be useless before the Ghost Emperor.”

Zhou Qing stared at the floating storage bag, hesitated briefly, then slowly reached out and took it.

Then, he bowed deeply and respectfully toward the grim city.

He’d wanted to call out “Master Grandfather,” but the words died on his lips.

Strictly speaking, he’d only seen Canglong True Person in simulated environments—the current Ghost Emperor had never met this grand-disciple.

If you shouted that out now, a lot of things would become impossible to explain.

Besides, the situation was clear—Master Grandfather must have unbearable reasons.

BOOM!

At that moment, a violent rumbling erupted overhead, shaking their eardrums and trembling the air.

Seeing this, Erdaye no longer lingered—he grabbed Zhou Qing and shot skyward.

He had found the answer he sought.

When he’d been trapped inside the third coffin, something had happened he never knew about.

Canglong True Person had secured him an opportunity—but judging by this scene, the cost must have been horrific.

As soon as the two stepped out of the coffin, black mist-iron chains erupted across its surface, wrapping it tightly, then gradually faded back to normal.

Erdaye, unwilling to accept it, stepped forward and tried pushing the coffin again—but it didn’t budge.

As if sealed from within by an unbreakable barrier, utterly severed from the outside world.

“What a pity—” Erdaye sighed at the sight.

So many treasures, slipping through his fingers like this.

He should’ve broken open Hongta Mountain.

Seeing the Corpse-Wax Crow about to emerge, the two hurried across the river and stopped at the passage.

“Let’s see what your Master Grandfather left you—hope it’s not some soul-possession trick. Wait—I forgot, you’ve Four Flowers at the Crown—you’re safe from those.”

Erdaye’s mood was excellent—he’d already forgotten his regret, snatched the storage bag from Zhou Qing, and began examining it.

Soon, his eyes flashed with unmistakable shock: “It’s rare top-grade Yin Spirit Jade!”

He flipped his wrist—a fist-sized jade appeared in his palm.

The jade glowed with an eerie black hue, its surface riddled with irregular cracks, yet the energy within was strangely potent—partly life-force, partly death-force.

The two energies intertwined like the Yin-Yang Qi Zhou Qing had once cultivated—the number-one ranked one.

Zhou Qing, curious, leaned in, eyes fixed on the strange jade.

Erdaye carefully checked the rest of the storage bag, then sighed: “Fourteen pieces—all top-grade. Clearly meant for the thirteen peak masters… and you.”

“What do you mean?” Zhou Qing frowned.

Erdaye’s expression turned complex; he sighed deeply: “Yin Spirit Jade is a priceless rarity.”

“Let me put it this way—someone once acquired a similar jade, though far inferior in quality and size.”

“Even so, the secret final price was thirty top-grade Thunder spirit stones.”

Hearing this, Zhou Qing could no longer suppress his shock—he gasped sharply, then stared at the Yin Spirit Jade with blazing eyes, utterly stunned.

“This thing is worth that much?” Zhou Qing exclaimed.

Thunder spirit stones were already far rarer than the Five Elements spirit stones—let alone thirty at once.

Its rarity clearly exceeded ordinary understanding—even Zhang Wanbao’s jade slip hadn’t recorded it.

Seeing Zhou Qing’s astonishment, Erdaye patiently explained:

“Its only function: to enhance cultivation at the Soul Transformation realm—especially helpful for those nearing full comprehension of their own realm.”

“If you give these to your Master and the others, I guarantee—in less than three years, every peak master of Taiqingmen will reach Soul Transformation’s peak!”

Hearing the words of Erdaye, Zhou Qing’s face filled with fresh shock.

Among the five great sects of the Eastern Region, all their Sect Masters, except Sikong Yan, had stalled at the late stage of Soul Transformation.

This seemingly mere step away was like an insurmountable abyss, trapping countless powerful cultivators here.

Even his own master, when he once felt a stir in his heart, had entered seclusion with the Five Elements supreme spirit stones returned to him, attempting to break through—only to fail in the end.

The former Sect Master, Canglong True Person, had also passed away in regret while entrenched in this realm.

The several Grand Elders, being one generation older than his Master and the others, had barely managed to break through to the peak of Soul Transformation.

“This thing is peculiar—it harms Nascent Souls but is useless against Soul Severance; he’s sent out so much of it now, clearly as his final act of service to Taiqingmen.”

Erdaye’s expression softened, his tone carrying a hint of emotion and reverence.

(End of Chapter)