While the outside world was in an uproar over Qing Wenting, Pang Shao, the prince, and the others, Ye Chu continued walking deeper into the tomb. The further he went, the denser the killing aura became. Ye Chu was not afraid. He allowed the killing aura to wash over his body. It gathered in the palm of his hand, condensing into one killing pearl after another.
Occasionally someone passed by Ye Chu. Seeing him walk through the killing aura without a care, they felt astonished inside. To reach this point, they had all moved with extreme caution, avoiding the killing aura at every turn. Yet here was someone strolling freely under its full cover.
Along the way, Ye Chu finally reached the first archway. He was just about to step through when an unexpected burst of light erupted outward. This beam of light struck with such force that everyone present, Ye Chu included, could not withstand it. They were all flung backwards, tumbling several times before crashing to the ground. Some could not help letting out muffled groans. Even Ye Chu felt his blood and qi roiling inside him.
The few people in front of the archway climbed to their feet, secretly relieved in their hearts. They thought to themselves that it was fortunate this was not killing aura. Otherwise, that single strike would have killed them without question.
They drew their weapons, preparing to forcibly resist the next wave of light. But after that one eruption, no further light appeared. The group walked through and entered an open area inside the tomb.
The multicoloured jade stones here were even larger, laid out in magnificent splendour. Birds, insects, and fish were carved upon the jade. Occasionally there were inscriptions as well. One could feel the vigorous power in those characters. They seemed to move across the surface like dragons and phoenixes in flight, vast and terrifying, with artistic conception surging forth from them.
The few who had entered did not dare look directly at these inscriptions. A mere glance made them feel as though their primordial spirits might explode. They could not bear the impact of that conception.
“Boom…”
Just as everyone was still shaken by the terror within the tomb, a powerful tremor came from one side. A dull, massive sound rang out, causing pain in everyone’s eardrums. Even Ye Chu could not help feeling startled. He wondered who would dare use brute force to attack inside the General’s Tomb.
Ye Chu followed the direction of the impact. He saw a group of people surrounding a closed archway. They held weapons and unleashed terrifying waves of power, pounding fiercely against it. Yet the surging radiance was even more terrifying, constantly blasting these people backwards.
“Boom…”
Everyone struck together. Surge after surge of power erupted, crashing against the archway. Finally the archway trembled and slowly began to open. The moment it opened, a vast aura rushed out to meet them. An overwhelmingly mighty force, far beyond what Ye Chu could imagine, poured forth. The cultivators attacking the archway were instantly hurled away. One by one they groaned and fell, their life or death uncertain.
Even though Ye Chu and the others were farther away, they still felt the danger. They retreated frantically to avoid the strike.
The power from inside the archway gushed out. The jade stones that had just been glowing brightly finally dimmed a little. Those cultivators who had not been hit rushed forward and darted inside.
Seeing this, Ye Chu looked at the slowly closing archway. He moved swiftly as well, flashing towards it. The moment he entered, the archway sealed itself shut behind him.
He took out Bai Bao’s curved manuscript and examined it. Finally Ye Chu confirmed his current location. Passing through this archway meant he had entered the depths of the tomb.
Beyond the archway, radiance flickered. On several stone tables lay a few items. These were burial goods belonging to the great general, no ordinary objects. The people who had entered grew excited at once and pounced towards these items.
The objects emitted light and surging power. The force they released was actually no less than that of an Innate Realm cultivator. This startled Ye Chu. He thought to himself that if these were taken outside, they would be priceless treasures that money could not buy.
Ye Chu paid no attention to these things. Watching the others descend into fighting over the limited objects, he flashed past them and quickly headed deeper. In the depths, Ye Chu moved with great caution. In his mind he recalled the curves from the manuscript, following the tiny paths it described.
He had not gone far when he saw white bones and corpses. Ye Chu knew these were the remains of those who had intruded into the General’s Tomb and met untimely deaths.
“Goddess! There is a goddess in the tomb!” Ye Chu walked a bit further and heard several intruders who had reached the deeper parts exclaiming in shock. This made Ye Chu frown.
“It really is a goddess! Did she come from outside, or has she always been in the tomb? She moves freely here, treating the killing aura as nothing.” Several cultivators marvelled, their eyes burning with fervour.
Ye Chu was equally startled inside. Someone else who could ignore the killing aura completely?
“What goddess are you talking about?” Ye Chu could not help asking.
Several of them pointed ahead. “Over there… that passage is thick with killing aura, yet there is a woman who looks like an immortal fairy. She walks through it as if it were nothing, moving swiftly.”
Ye Chu’s heart jolted. After a moment’s thought, he hurried towards the passage they had mentioned.
Seeing Ye Chu enter and walk through it with ease as well, the others who were still stunned by the goddess rubbed their eyes, showing expressions of utter disbelief.
…
The killing aura in the passage was far fiercer than outside, but Ye Chu paid it no mind. With his special physique, the killing aura was transformed by him into one killing pearl after another appearing in his palm. Ye Chu moved quickly along the way. This was a feat other cultivators could not achieve, yet in Ye Chu’s hands it seemed completely ordinary.
Ye Chu pursued onward, wanting to see who could move so freely and at ease inside the General’s Tomb. He chased for quite a distance. At a raised jade platform, he finally saw a woman. She wore pure white robes, holy as snow. As they fluttered in the wind, she truly resembled a goddess about to ascend with the breeze.
Although the woman had her back to Ye Chu, he could still sense her ethereal aura. Like an orchid in an empty valley, she carried a dignified and tranquil beauty. She blended perfectly with the surrounding jade stones, embodying the spiritual essence of heaven and earth.
Ye Chu felt as though even his primordial spirit had been touched. The process of absorbing true source energy became noticeably more active.
This shocked Ye Chu. Just by standing quietly there, this woman could stir artistic conception and influence his cultivation. One could imagine how extraordinary she was.
The woman seemed to sense someone behind her. She could not help turning to look back. Only then did Ye Chu see her face clearly. Her features were flawlessly beautiful, her eyes clear and misty with water, her red lips glistening. Her neck was fair and graceful, her skin like ice and jade. Her five features were exquisitely perfect, capable of toppling nations and cities. Her figure was graceful and delicate!
The woman was not only peerlessly beautiful in appearance, her temperament was also noble and otherworldly, as though untouched by mortal dust. In the presence of heaven and earth, all other beauty would fade before her. She was a woman perfect to the extreme.
But this was not what shocked Ye Chu. What truly stunned him was that familiar face.
“How is it her? Compared to the last time I saw her, her temperament has undergone a complete transformation. The person is the same, yet her aura is now far more captivating. She truly resembles a goddess.”