Chapter 115: Ancient Tomb

Several men in black were seen walking out from inside the house; the one in the lead had a tall build and wore a ferocious mask on his face. He looked around and said coldly, "Be careful, everyone. Make sure nothing goes wrong."

Another man in black said in a low voice, "Boss, what do we do now? Ji Tang has already run away, and there's no telling where she hid that Three Pure Pill Furnace."

The masked man gave a cold snort. "The monk may run, but the temple stays; she will show her face sooner or later. As for the Three Pure Pill Furnace... as long as we can find the key to opening the Star Gate, nothing else matters."

Cheng Fenglan felt a shock in her heart; so their goal really was the Star Gate.

Cheng Xi had guessed correctly!

Cheng Fenglan and Jiang Weiran hid behind a broken wall, not daring to even breathe loudly, terrified of being discovered by those men in black.

The masked man gave a few more instructions before leaving in a hurry with his subordinates. Once the sound of footsteps had completely vanished, the two of them emerged from the effects of the Invisibility Talisman and stepped out from behind the broken wall.

"It seems Cheng Xi's guess was right; they really are searching for the key to opening the Star Gate," Jiang Weiran said in a low voice, his brows tightly locked and his expression grave.

Cheng Fenglan gritted her teeth. "No matter what conspiracy they have, I must find a way to save my brother." As she spoke, she started to walk toward the house, wanting to search for some clues.

Jiang Weiran hurriedly stopped her. "Be careful of traps."

Cheng Fenglan took a deep breath, suppressing the anxiety in her heart. "I know, I will be careful."

The two of them walked into the house cautiously; the interior was a mess, clearly the result of a fierce struggle. Cheng Fenglan rummaged around the room, hoping to find some useful information, while Jiang Weiran stood guard at the entrance, vigilant against anyone suddenly breaking in.

Suddenly, Cheng Fenglan discovered a dusty box in a corner. Her heart filled with joy, and she hurriedly reached out to open the box, only to see an old, tattered ancient book and a jade pendant inside.

Cheng Fenglan picked up the ancient book and the jade pendant to examine them carefully. The ancient book recorded some legends and methods for opening the Star Gate, but the content was obscure and difficult to understand, impossible to penetrate in a short amount of time.

As for the jade pendant, it was engraved with some strange symbols that were somewhat similar to the tattoos Jiang Weiran had previously seen on the attackers' arms.

"Jiang Weiran, come and look at this quickly." Cheng Fenglan hurriedly called Jiang Weiran over.

Jiang Weiran walked into the house and saw the ancient book and jade pendant in Cheng Fenglan's hands; he was also full of surprise. "Could this be the key to opening the Star Gate?"

"I'm not sure either, but the symbols on this jade pendant are very similar to the tattoos on those attackers' arms; perhaps they came specifically for this pendant," Cheng Fenglan said.

Just at this moment, a burst of noisy footsteps suddenly came from outside the house. Jiang Weiran's expression changed. "Not good, someone is coming. Let's go quickly."

The two of them had no time to think; they hurriedly put away the ancient book and jade pendant, climbed out through a window, and took advantage of the night to quickly leave the ruins of the City Lord's Mansion.

Returning to the place where Jiang Weiran was temporarily staying, Cheng Fenglan and Jiang Weiran took out the ancient book and jade pendant to study them carefully.

They tried to decipher the content of the ancient book, but those characters were like they were shrouded in a layer of fog; no matter how hard they tried, they could not fully understand the meaning within.

"The content in this ancient book is too profound; studying it blindly like this is not a solution," Jiang Weiran sighed and said helplessly.

Cheng Fenglan was also somewhat dejected. She looked at the jade pendant in her hand and suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "Since we cannot decipher the content of the ancient book, can we start with this jade pendant? Perhaps the symbols on the jade pendant are the key to unlocking the secrets of the ancient book."

Jiang Weiran's eyes lit up. "What you say makes sense; we can try to find some clues related to the symbols on the jade pendant."

Thus, the two of them began to inquire everywhere in Wanxing City about news regarding the symbols on the jade pendant. They visited every market in the city and asked many people, but all they received were shakes of the head and negative answers.

Just when they were feeling desperate, Cheng Fenglan suddenly remembered one person: an old craftsman in Wanxing City.

Yan Qingli had once asked her to go to this old craftsman to pick up a set of extremely exquisite jewelry; this old craftsman was famous in the city for his superb craftsmanship, especially skilled at carving all kinds of exquisite jade artifacts. Perhaps he could discern the origin of this jade pendant.

The two of them hurriedly arrived at the old craftsman's shop. The old craftsman was sitting inside, focused on carving a piece of jade. Cheng Fenglan walked up and politely asked the old craftsman if he had ever seen the symbols on the jade pendant.

The old craftsman took the jade pendant and examined it carefully for a long time; his expression gradually became grave. "Where did you get this jade pendant?"

Cheng Fenglan and Jiang Weiran exchanged a look, a glimmer of hope rising in their hearts. Cheng Fenglan briefly told the old craftsman the sequence of events.

After listening, the old craftsman let out a long sigh. "The symbols on this jade pendant are a type of ancient Rune, said to have a close connection with the Star Gate. Many years ago, I once heard a senior mention that a peerless treasure of immense power is hidden within the Star Gate. And the key to opening the Star Gate lies in finding a specific set of Runes; the symbols on this jade pendant are very likely one of them."

Cheng Fenglan and Jiang Weiran felt a shock in their hearts; they had not expected this jade pendant to be so important. They hurriedly asked the old craftsman if he knew of any clues to other Runes.

The old craftsman shook his head. "I have only heard some rumors; I am not clear on the specific clues. However, I once heard that the Ancient Tomb beneath Wanxing City might hide more secrets regarding the Star Gate; perhaps you could go there to look for clues."

Cheng Fenglan and Jiang Weiran thanked the old craftsman, and the two decided to head to the Ancient Tomb immediately to search for clues.

They knew well that time was pressing; if they could not find a way to save Cheng Yunjian as soon as possible, Cheng Yunjian might be in mortal danger.

After preparing the necessary items, Cheng Fenglan and Jiang Weiran arrived at the outskirts of Wanxing City. According to the clues provided by the old craftsman, they found the entrance to the Ancient Tomb. The entrance was blocked by a huge stone, on which some strange symbols were carved.

Jiang Weiran studied it carefully for a while and discovered that these symbols were somewhat similar to the Runes on the jade pendant. He tried using the symbols on the jade pendant to lightly touch the symbols on the stone in a certain order.

Suddenly, the stone emitted a low, rumbling sound and slowly moved to the side, revealing a deep, dark opening. A damp, decaying aura rushed toward them, making one feel a chill.

Cheng Fenglan and Jiang Weiran exchanged a look, took a deep breath, and walked cautiously into the Ancient Tomb. Inside the tomb, it was pitch black, and one could not even see their own fingers.

Jiang Weiran took out a Night Pearl to illuminate the path ahead.