“By chance!” Ye Chu did not say much more, but inside he was thrilled beyond words. Having such a powerful expert by his side greatly increased his chances of success in venturing deeper. Ye Chu even began to look forward to encountering Ye Yuanwang and the others. With such a powerful backer, he could toy with them to death.
…
While Ye Chu advanced along his path, in other directions as well, people were constantly pushing deeper into the tomb. But everyone shared the same goal: all were converging towards the centre.
More and more cultivators surged in, yet the dangers of the General’s Tomb continued to claim lives without mercy. Under the accumulation of deaths and with the aid of great cultivators’ techniques, the crowds still pressed forward relentlessly.
In the northern part of the tomb, Shangguan Minda and Ye Yuanwang led their groups of cultivators. Each drove their power, using their own strength to disperse the killing aura and block the sharp arrows and other deadly weapons shooting out from the tomb. Whenever they encountered an archway, they joined forces to strike and shatter it, then entered.
In the southern part, Pang Shao, Qing Wenting, Ye Jingyun, and the others also brought large groups of cultivators. They used all sorts of marvellous techniques, constantly unleashing attacks to break through the dangers in their path and charge straight ahead.
Pang Shao, whose strength had not yet reached the Innate Realm, lagged far behind. Leading the way at the front were two old men from the Ye family and the Pang family. From the terrifying aura rolling off them, their strength was absolutely horrifying.
Clearly, for the two young masters to enter the General’s Tomb, both families had mobilised powerful experts to protect them and prevent any mishaps.
In the western part of the tomb, an old man struck out with vast, boundless power. He repeatedly shook the surroundings, forcibly blasting an archway to pieces before darting inside. Behind him, a group of excited cultivators followed closely.
In the eastern part, a group of beautiful and captivating women surrounded one central figure. They advanced with an imposing momentum, unleashing waves of power. The leading old women in particular erupted with heaven-shaking force, shattering the eastern archway.
All four cardinal archways were broken open simultaneously, something that had absolutely never happened before. Yet this time, under the combined might of the terrifying cultivators from the major powers, they were forcibly breached.
“Boom… Boom…”
Huge sounds reverberated, making everyone’s eardrums buzz. Inside the tomb, everyone felt the ground beneath their feet suddenly begin to rise. The jade stones erupted with dazzling radiance. Light flashed in multicoloured bursts, surging outward and shattering the tomb itself. The light broke through the tomb walls, shot into the sky, and illuminated the entire heavens in a riot of five colours.
Ye Chu and Ruoshui were walking inside when they felt the ground heave and shake. Their expressions changed. Watching sections of the tomb explode and the path ahead blocked by tumbling jade stones, Ye Chu felt shock in his heart.
“The great curtain is about to emerge!” Ruoshui’s eyes lit up.
Ye Chu took out the manuscript. The originally dim manuscript suddenly began to glow. The tiny curves on it flickered to life. Seeing this, Ye Chu’s eyes blazed with excitement.
“So that is how it is!” Ye Chu stared at the blood-red dot in the very centre, his eyes filled with exhilaration. Bai Bao had once told him that by following this manuscript, one could reach the deepest part of the tomb, yet even then the location of the great general’s buried corpse could not be found.
Ye Chu fixed his gaze on that flickering blood-red dot, wondering whether this was the absolute core of the General’s Tomb.
“The foundations in all four directions have been broken!” Ruoshui suddenly said.
Hearing Ruoshui’s murmur, Ye Chu suddenly understood. Could it be that only when all four directions were breached could the core of the General’s Tomb be revealed?
“Rumble…”
The changes in the tomb gave Ye Chu no time to think further. Multicoloured light surged, radiance scattered everywhere. Killing aura spread violently in all directions. Waves of chilling, yin-cold killing aura erupted, crashing into the cultivators. One after another, they cried out in agony and perished on the spot.
The faces of the many cultivators changed drastically. They all struck out fiercely. All their power converged together, surging and roaring. Working in tandem with the leading powerful cultivators, they unleashed a force like a thousand raging waves.
The powerhouses from all four directions acted simultaneously. Their strength soared to the heavens. Vast waves of power blocked the erupting killing aura, forcibly holding it at bay and protecting their entire bodies. The clash of the two forces made even the sky tremble.
Only Ye Chu and Ruoshui in the centre remained untouched by the killing aura’s impact. This made Ruoshui look at Ye Chu with even greater surprise. She had not expected this fellow to be so familiar with the General’s Tomb that the path he took was truly the safest imaginable.
“Go!” Ye Chu shouted to Ruoshui. Looking at the flickering curves of light on the manuscript, he strode forward quickly. While the other cultivators were trapped by the killing aura, the two of them could take the lead and enter the very centre of the tomb first.
Guided by the manuscript, Ye Chu and Ruoshui charged straight ahead. In less than half an hour, the two reached a certain place.
What appeared before them was a vast open space. At its very centre stood a tomb mound the size of an ancient hall. The entire mound was cyan in colour, entwined with terrifying killing aura. The killing aura had taken form, manifesting as two ferocious beasts guarding the entrance to the mound.
Though it was merely a tomb mound the size of an ancient hall, it erupted with unparalleled might. Overwhelming majesty rolled forth, as though it could shatter space itself. There was a domineering aura that shocked the world.
“The great general’s main tomb!” Ye Chu could not help exclaiming aloud. Only the main tomb could unleash such terrifying power. Ye Chu glanced at the manuscript in his hand. The position of the red dot corresponded exactly to this direction.
“The great general’s corpse is inside!” Ye Chu swallowed hard. He wished he could rush in immediately, but the last remnants of reason told him that if he dared to do so, he would likely die without a burial place.
Legend had it that the retired emperor had once reached this very spot, but he could not break open the tomb and had no choice but to retreat. He never bothered with the General’s Tomb again.
“Are you certain the great general’s corpse is inside?” Ruoshui asked, looking at Ye Chu.
“A single tomb mound possessing such world-shaking power. If it is not where he is buried, then what else could it be?” Ye Chu replied to Ruoshui.
“He once reached the pinnacle of creation. A man like that would not easily allow others to disturb his eternal rest. Though this tomb mound appears to be the true grave, it may not necessarily be so,” Ruoshui said.
Ye Chu was stunned. He could not help looking towards the tomb mound. On top of it was a stone platform, presumably meant to hold something, but the object was already gone. This made Ye Chu puzzled. Could it be that what Bai Bao took was precisely that item? The retired emperor had once been here as well. Why had he not taken it, yet left it for Bai Bao instead?
Ye Chu could not understand, but one thing he was absolutely certain of: Bai Bao had never entered this tomb mound either. With Bai Bao’s strength, it would have been impossible for him to get inside.
“Whether it is the true grave or not, we will know once we go in,” Ye Chu said. “Everything inside belongs to you, but if there is one particular item, could you help me obtain it?”
“What do you want?” Ruoshui looked at Ye Chu, feeling curious inside. Ye Chu was risking such great danger and was so familiar with the General’s Tomb. What exactly was the item he sought?