Chapter 61
Hearing the noise outside, Qin Mo’s eyebrows furrowed. He glanced at Lin Zizheng, who still had no sign of waking up, then rose and exited the room.
“Old Man Wen, I heard that you have two outsiders hidden here?” The man’s loud voice rang throughout the small courtyard.
“How… How is that possible? Where did you hear this?” Old Man Wen’s voice was dry as he stutteringly replied.
When he heard Old Man Wen’s words, Qin Mo stopped, but he was already out of the house, exposing himself to the person outside.
“You dare lie to me, get lost!” The one who spoke was a young man. After spotting Qin Mo, he pushed Old Man Wen out of his way with an impatient expression.
Old Man Wen was already very old and his nascent spirit power was also not very high. So he fell directly on the ground.
Qin Mo’s expression chilled. He rushed to Old Man Wen and lifted him up. Angrily looking at the young man, he shouted, “Scram!”
Hearing Qin Mo’s shout, the young man’s eyebrows raised, “Oh, the newcomer is not timid!” Then he glared at Qin Mo and said fiercely, “No matter what your status used to be outside of the Dark Tomb, when you arrive here, you have to lie down and serve me even if you were a fighter or an imperial.” Then he burst out laughing. His right hand slowly turned into a fist and made a crisp noise. He didn’t make the slightest hesitation when he moved to fiercely smash Qin Mo’s body.
Seeing how quickly the young man took action, a fierce light flashed through Old Man Wen’s eyes. The young man took action in such a violent manner. If his punch landed on Qin Mo, the injury wouldn’t be light. Old Man Wen tried to move, but before he could act, Qin Mo held out his right hand with an indifferent expression and waved gently in the young man’s direction.
“Bang!” A clear and crisp sound rang in the air. Old Man Wen gazed at the young man’s frozen movements as if he were blocked by an invisible barrier and quickly retreated.
The whole courtyard suddenly quieted down. Old Man Wen gazed at Qin Mo in disbelief. “Nascent spirit power attack.” He muttered, not expecting that in just a few short days, Qin Mo had managed to awaken his nascent spiritual power and could attack with it right away.
“Nascent spiritual power, haha…” The young man who’d been slapped by Qin Mo was gloomy. He glared at Qin Mo and spoke through gritted teeth.
“Brat, remember this in your next life. Tomb Palace is not a place you can easily provoke as someone who recently awakened his nascent spiritual power!” The young man leaned forward and stepping heavily with his right foot. With darkness flowing through his eyes, he clenched his left hand tightly in front of his chest and a huge palm slowly formed in front of him. He laughed mockingly and fanned hard in Qin Mo’s direction.
Seeing this giant palm, Qin Mo’s expression changed. His nascent spiritual power just awakened and his most severe attack was what he used earlier. He pulled Old Man Wen beside him and quickly retreated.
“Ha!” Suddenly, a low cry came from the other side. A man burst out and stood before Qin Mo. He slammed his hands down violently. A rumbling of an explosion erupted… The sound of impact rang loudly in several people’s ears. For a time, the wind was strong and all the surrounding objects had turned into flying ash.
When the energy fluctuation in the middle calmed down, Qin Mo could see that it was the former unconscious Lin Zizheng standing before him.
As he looked at him, joy inevitably showed on Qin Mo’s expression. He said faintly, “You’re awake.”
Lin Zizheng took back his palm and the brutal energies around them slowly disappeared without a trace. He smiled in Qin Mo’s direction. “En.”
After trading a blow with Lin Zizheng, the young man was pale as he stared in their direction. He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
“You will regret what you’ve done!” His gaze was like a poisonous snake, glaring at the newly emerged Lin Zizheng. In the Dark Tomb, no one dared to hurt him this much.
As he moved, a powerful force fluctuated over him. His hands shone with a brilliant light and when he gripped his hollow hand, a huge ax appeared within it.
The ax was a light transparent color, not a substance. It was like the weapon Qin Mo had seen in the ice chamber.
“Avoid it, it is a nascent spirit power weapon.” Seeing this huge ax, Old Man Wen displayed a panicked look as he pulled the two to flee.
The young man holding the huge ax fiercely hacked in their direction. With the ax, the air in their surroundings began to tremble and rush towards the three.
Lin Zizheng broke away from Old Man Wen’s hand and wrapped him in his visible nascent spiritual power. At that moment, the sky seemed to darken and the winds were blowing about harshly. Lin Zizheng grasped his right hand where an unremarkable long staff appeared. His eyes were sharp as the staff met the young man’s ax.
When the two men were about to confront each other, Qin Mo condensed his nascent spiritual power into several thin needle-like objects and sent them flying to the young man’s head.
“Boom!” When the long staff and giant ax collided fiercely, a deep sound dispersed in the air. Violent and forceful fluctuations spread sharply. As the power escalated, several people’s figures kept retreating a few steps.
In this confrontation between two weapons, Lin Zizheng and the young man were almost equal in power, which startled the old man.
“Good weapon… Ah!” The young man stared at the long staff in Lin Zizheng’s hand, his gaze shining with a chilling light. But before he could finish, he felt a sharp pain in his mind, as if something was constantly stirring inside. The fine needles sent out by Qin Mo eventually shot into his head.
Seeing the situation, Lin Zizheng stepped forward. The long staff in his hand danced expertly and with a flash of light, he rushed towards the young man, carrying an aura of death.
Feeling the fierce attacks before him, the young man was so frightened that he didn’t dare neglect it. He held onto his pained head and rolled to the ground. He suddenly hit an invisible wall that kept him in place, and at that moment, Lin Zizheng’s attack landed on him without mercy.
The young man’s pupils shrank sharply, apparently not expecting that he’d be forced into such a situation by the man before him. He endured the pain and mobilized the nascent spiritual power in his mind. With eyes red, he murmured low in his voice, “Golden Bell Shield.”
A layer of faint golden light suddenly emerged from the young man and covered his entire body. Even though his head was painful, the man’s face still showed a happy smile. The Golden Bell Shield involved more than half of his nascent spiritual power. He believed that he could block Lin Zizheng’s attack.
As expected, Lin Zizheng’s long staff was blocked by the shield.
But before the man could be happy, the long staff shocked violently. In an instant, plenty of energy was injected into it. He only listened to a “click” sound, and the Golden Bell Shield, which he thought was unbreakable, burst open and scattered into tiny spots of light in the air.
Lin Zizheng’s blow finally landed on him.
The man’s low shout could be heard throughout the sky. When the surrounding area was quiet, Old Man Wen could see the situation of the young man. He weakly laid on the ground, his hands spread at his side, as he looked at Lin Zizheng wickedly, “You dare offend the people of the Tomb Palace. You won’t come to a good end.”
Lin Zizheng’s eyes were black but a flicker of blood appeared in them.
He waved the long staff, preparing to attack the young man again.
Watching the long staff coming for him, the young man’s face went pale. Not caring for his injuries, he tried to retreat while shouting, “Just you wait, the Tomb Palace will not let you go.”
“I never leave behind any unwanted disease alive.” Lin Zizheng’s voice was low, full of killing intent. He waved his long staff mercilessly at the man.
“Wait.” Old Man Wen’s voice sounded behind him. Even when he heard him, Lin Zizheng’s movements remained unchanged, about to attack in the young man’s direction.
Seeing the anxious color on Old Man Wen’s face, Qin Mo’s eyes glinted.
He directly grasped Lin Zizheng’s hand and whispered, “Wait a minute.”
Held by Qin Mo, Lin Zizheng’s body stiffened. It also restrained his murderous intent and brutality. He looked down at Qin Mo’s slender fingers and replied in a whisper, “Alright.”
Seeing that Lin Zizheng stopped his attack, the frozen blood of the young man once again flowed throughout his body. His sight surged, trying to say something, but then he didn’t dare open his mouth. He left the courtyard at a high speed.
The old man breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the young man leave safely. Hearing the sigh, Qin Mo’s face cooled. He turned to look at Old Man Wen and said word for word, “What motive do you have?”
As Qin Mo’s voice fell, the whole space quieted down. Lin Zizheng also gazed at Old Man Wen. For a while, the surrounding atmosphere was extremely tense.
Translator(s): Teo Editor(s): Dark Proofer(s): Sarah
Chapter 62
Hearing Qin Mo’s words, Old Man Wen laughed dryly two times. While his sight drifted, he asked, “What did you say?”
Qin Mo’s expression remained unchanged, just staring at the old man coldly.
Old Man Wen wasn’t a good liar and he was bad at concealing his emotions. He already had a guilty conscience. Now listening to Qin Mo and seeing his emotionless mask, his heart trembled and the muscles on his face began to shake. With twinkling eyes, Old Man Wen looked strange, “Haha, how can I possibly have any motive?”
Qin Mo had some doubts. Old Man Wen’s intention to let the young man go was too eager. Now when he saw the old man this guilty, it immediately confirmed his guess. He didn’t know if what he was feeling was disappointment or something else, but he was a little sad which was why he was fixed on asking Old Man Wen.
Lin Zizheng, on the other hand, held his long staff tightly, the light in his pupils dark. If he didn’t take into account Qin Mo, he would have gone forward and ended the old man’s life.
“I… I helped both of you for a reason.” Old Man Wen slowly calmed down, and his gentle appearance was a little deep.
He looked over Qin Mo and Lin Zizheng and finally settled his gaze on the clear sky above. He slowly opened up, “The young people of the Dark Tomb are all controlled by the military dictator, forcing them to enter a place called the Black Cavern. My motive is for both of you to enter the cave as well.”
Without waiting for their reply, the old man continued, “If either of you killed that man today, what will come would be endless pursuits of the military. Even if both of you are lucky enough to escape them, you two will never get a chance to enter the Black Cavern again.”
Qin Mo’s brows wrinkled slightly. He asked, “What do you want us to do inside of the Black Cavern?”
“Help me find someone.” Old Man Wen squinted his eyes. As he looked at clouds in the sky, a figure gradually emerged before him.
The wind blew and swirled up the pure white corner of Qin Mo’s sleeve.
At this moment, Qin Mo’s figure appeared to be lonely.
After a long time, Qin Mo’s cold voice slowly echoed in the courtyard.
“Alright, I’ll go.”
Hearing Qin Mo’s affirmation, the old man’s fingers shook, and he breathed a little quicker. He exhaled and turned to look at him. There was a bright flash in his eyes, then a phantom figure appeared before Qin Mo.
Qin Mo nodded and left without a word.
Lin Zizheng’s gaze twinkled. He wanted to kill this old man already. There was no need for anyone who upset his Da Shixiong to exist. But if he did it, Da Shixiong wouldn’t be happy. He licked his lips and looked at the old man before him. Such a pity. Thinking of this, he turned and disappeared from his original spot.
“He is my son and…” Old Man Wen sighed softly. The rest of his unheard words slowly disappeared into the air.
Lin Zizheng entered the house and spotted Qin Mo, who was sitting quietly on the bed. He held the nascent stone, close to transparency in his hand. He seemed to be concentrating on practice. But Lin Zizheng knew that at the moment, Qin Mo’s mind wouldn’t be focused on training.
“Da Shixiong, they are irrelevant people. I would never lie to you.” He intoned as he walked to Qin Mo’s side and kneeled in front of him. Lin Zizheng had a soft look on his face.
Qin Mo opened his eyes fiercely, and those glass-like orbs fixed on Lin Zizheng as he spoke with a rare tone of mockery. “Never lie to me?”
Who betrayed him? Regarding Lin Zizheng, Qin Mo’s mood was very complicated. He thought he would hate him, but after their reunion, Lin Zizheng stood up for him many times, even at the expense of himself. Qin Mo wasn’t foolish. He could see that Lin Zizheng cared very much for him, but to just forgive Lin Zizheng? His heart was unwilling.
The small room quieted down. Qin Mo closed his eyes and stopped looking at Lin Zizheng. He seemed to be a little soft-hearted toward the young man.
Lin Zizheng’s face paled. When Qin Mo closed his eyes and no longer paid attention to him, a scarlet color emerged in his eyes. He slowly extended his hand in Qin Mo’s direction. He wanted to imprison his Da Shixiong, so he would never show such an expression again.
“Bang!” A loud crash rang outside of the house. There was a thin figure slamming violently against the wall.
“Here’s the place!” A familiar voice was heard and Qin Mo immediately opened his eyes. Lin Zizheng’s outstretched hand also snapped back, and the two men immediately walked out of the room.
“Haha, it’s these two?” When both Qin Mo and Lin Zizheng appeared, a light laugh sounded in the courtyard. With a flash of dark shadow, two figures suddenly came into view.
One man dressed in purple glanced at Qin Mo and Lin Zizheng. He said to the young man who had visited the courtyard before, “Huang Yan, they both have very weak nascent spiritual power. You were messed by them this violently? You’re placing our Tomb Palace to shame.”
Huang Yan’s face turned red and couldn’t speak. He only stared at Qin Mo and Lin Zizheng.
“Come with us. Maybe you two would suffer less.” The man in purple said in an indifferent tone. He looked at them like they were ants.
Qin Mo snorted coldly and turned to help Old Man Wen up from the ground, ignoring the man’s meaning.
“Such a courageous spirit. Too bad people with this characteristic rarely live long!” Seeing Qin Mo acting this way, the man in purple clothes had a bloodthirsty smile on his face. With a flash of movement, he clenched his hands into fists and aimed them directly at Qin Mo.
Watching the man heading so quickly at him, the nascent spiritual power around Qin Mo vibrated. An invisible attack met the man and collided with him.
Bang!
The invisible nascent spiritual power exploded in the middle. Qin Mo’s expression paled and he staggered back a few steps.
“Da Shixiong.” Seeing Qin Mo injured, Lin Zizheng’s face changed and he immediately went forward to support him.
“Such trash.” The man smiled and his right hand made a claw-shaped gesture. Five transparent spikes visible to the naked eyes appeared on his fingertips. He first clenched at Qin Mo’s chest, but he thought of something and showed a look of pity. When he turned his wrist, the five spikes attacked Qin Mo’s legs.
Lin Zizheng’s eyes were sharp. A strong wind swept away beside him and wrapped Qin Mo tightly in it. The sound of impact and the sharp attacks seemed fierce. It hit the wind wall but didn’t cause any harm to Qin Mo. When the powerful wind slowly subsided, the opponents saw both Qin Mo and Lin Zizheng still standing intact.
“Su Dong, it was that guy who defeated me. This boy can condense power from nascent spiritual power.” When Huang Yan saw Lin Zizheng, he, who had been defeated by him, immediately said while gritting his teeth.
“Oh? He could condense weapons. His nascent spiritual power has reached the third layer.” The purple clothed man named Su Dong showed a dignified expression. Then he moved his feet as a huge shadow appeared at his hand and he slammed it fiercely at Lin Zizheng’s head.
Lin Zizheng was never someone at a disadvantage. He coldly snorted once, and the tremendous wave of nascent spiritual power slowly dispersed around him.
“Wait.” A plain voice suddenly spoke up and a figure of a man appeared directly on the battlefield where the two men were fighting. With his hands raised, both Su Dong and Lin Zizheng’s fierce attacks were easily eliminated.
“With your strength, you can easily join our Tomb Palace and enjoy a higher level of treatment.” The man slowly retracted his hands and straightened out his somewhat messy clothes. He looked back at Lin Zizheng lightly. In a moment, a strong pressure suddenly emitted from him.
Feeling the tremendous pressure, Lin Zizheng immediately shielded Qin Mo beside him. His gaze radiated with murderous intent.
“Your friend can enter with you.” As if he didn’t notice Lin Zizheng’s malicious aura, the man looked at Qin Mo and said with no fluctuation in his eyes.
“Yang Shishu, how can you let this guy off so easily? The boy hurt Huang Yan.” Su Dong shouted discontendly with a dark face. “That’s right, Yang Shishu. You must not let this kid join Tomb Palace.” Hearing what Su Dong said, Huang Yan glared at Lin Zizheng.
“Shut up!” The man in green clothes cried out, and the two faces suddenly blanched. They stopped talking and only looked at Lin Zizheng with blatant hatred.
“How about it?” The man turned to Lin Zizheng with a heavy gaze.
“I want to enter the Black Cavern.” Lin Zizheng casually said. He thought of the thing that Qin Mo had promised Old Man Wen from before so Lin Zizheng supported it without glancing at the three men.
Qin Mo’s body trembled slightly, and his thoughts toward Lin Zizheng became more complex. It was he who promised the old man to go to the Black Cavern. After listening to the old man’s words, he deduced that the Black Cavern must be a very dangerous place. When they first arrived here, the situation wasn’t clear but Lin Zizheng gave up such a good opportunity to go to the Black Cavern without hesitation.
The man in green also showed some surprise in his expression. He didn’t expect Lin Zizheng to make such a request.
“Alright!” Su Dong immediately promised while beaming with joy. The man frowned but said nothing, apparently agreeing to Su Dong’s statement.
Once consensus was reached, several people were ready to leave. The three men from the Tomb Palace led the way while Qin Mo and Lin Zizheng followed behind.
The moment they stepped out of the courtyard, the quiet Old Man Wen suddenly ran up and grabbed Qin Mo’s hand. His gaze was complicated. At last, he sighed lowly, put a cloth bag into Qin Mo’s hand, and said, “Be careful.”
Facing the old man, Qin Mo pursed his lips and grasped the cloth bag in his hand tightly. Finally, he nodded slowly. Translator(s): Teo Editor(s): Dark Proofer(s): Sarah
Chapter 63
The Dark Tomb was all dark and gray while only the Tomb Palace was bright red. It stood on the edge of the Dark Tomb like a giant beast and appeared very publicized, disallowing people ignoring its existence.
Both Qin Mo and Lin Zizheng didn’t enter the Tomb Palace through its main entrance, but through a remote side door.
Once inside, Yang Shishu, Huang Yan, and Su Dong’s breathing changed.
Instead of being in control, they grew reserved as if afraid of something.
Unlike the lively red outside, the interior of the Tomb Palace was mostly dark, with black walls, black brick-paved paths, and black robes worn by the surrounding followers. They were fully concentrated, as if they didn’t see Qin Mo and the others, each minding their own business and continuing doing their own things.
Yang Shishu hurried around several corridors with Qin Mo and Lin Zizheng until he came to a remote and quiet courtyard. The courtyard looked desolate from the outside, with only one dying old tree standing in the middle, and from time to time, a few dead leaves falling from it.
“Both of you will live here from now on.” Yang Shishu’s tone was still indifferent. Afterwards, he prepared to leave the place. Halfway through, he turned around and looked straight at Lin Zizheng. His tone contained no emotion, “If you regret now, there is still time.”
Lin Zizheng laughed lowly. Even though his face was smiling, his eyes were not. He didn’t reply. Yang Shishu’s expression remained the same, but his eyes flashed a dark light, obviously angry. He flung his sleeves and said nothing more, leaving with the two men behind him. Following Yang Shishu, Su Dong looked back at Lin Zizheng with a mocking smile.
Seeing it, Lin Zizheng fingertips moved and a black smoke entered the bodies of Su Dong and Huang Yan beside him. Lin Zizheng’s eyes were dark and the corner of his lips curved upward. Although he still couldn’t use spiritual power here, he could still use other means. For example, both of the two were as good as dead.
After the three left, the whole courtyard was instantly quiet. A moment later, a rustling sound came from the corner and a thin man emerged from the house next to them.
He sized up both of them and felt Qin Mo’s cold aura that repelled people to a thousand miles distance. Finally, the man looked at Lin Zizheng with a smile and said carefully, “Did you two also get caught by them?” He paused and lightened his voice a lot.
The smile on Lin Zizheng’s face became more and more brilliant. His eyes shone as if a ray of sunshine fell on him, exuding a warm feeling, “Yes.”
As soon as Lin Zizheng swept past him, he found that several people were all standing inside the house and watching them secretly through the door crack. He quietly took back his sight and looked at the thin man before him.
The man’s originally nervous mood slowly eased. Looking at Lin Zizheng’s bright smile, his face turned a little red, “Tomb Palace is becoming more and more domineering.”
Once he finished, the man clenched his fists and an angry color rose on his face. When he saw their doubtful eyes, he sighed, “Follow me inside.”
Lin Zizheng held Qin Mo’s hand. When he noticed the man didn’t struggle away, an inexpressible joy slowly surged within his heart. He pulled on Qin Mo’s hand and walked into the house with the thin man.
The moment they stepped inside, Lin Zizheng’s eyebrows wrinkled. The room wasn’t huge and there were two rows of long connecting plank beds inside. It was sat by many people staring at them.
This kind of setup wasn’t uncommon. When he was an outer disciple in Yunqing Sect, he slept in this kind of connecting plank beds. More than a dozen people crowded together. Even if it was uncomfortable, he could bear it. But now, Lin Zizheng peeked at Qin Mo beside him.
Qin Mo’s white clothes were spry and lively. Even if he didn’t say a word, he always had a sense of nobility beyond anything, which was incompatible with the environment here.
The previous thin man also noticed this problem. His face showed some embarrassment. He secretly glanced at Qin Mo and said, “Both of you are in those large families from the outside of the Dark Tomb. We were born in the Dark Tomb and caught by the Tomb Palace as soon as we reached adulthood.”
Neither Qin Mo nor Lin Zizheng spoke. Qin Mo never enjoyed talking while Lin Zizheng showed a smile on his face as if he were listening to them patiently.
“Chi, whether they were children of a large family, as long as they came here, they are the same as us. Those with slightly better qualifications get caught as slaves and those with slightly worse qualifications were asked to enter the Black Cavern.”
A laugh suddenly erupted beside him. A man with messy hair slowly emerged from the quilt. He looked at them from the corner of his eyes and casually said.
“It’s better to stand together than be alone.” The skinny man’s eyebrows wrinkled, speaking somewhat unhappily. “What’s good about it? We only have one end here. Death!” The man’s tone had a sense of accepting his fate. When he finished, he staggered away from the room.
The whole room became quiet. There was an unspeakable depression in the air, even the previously thin man stopped talking.
“What exactly is this Black Cavern?” A cold voice suddenly broke the silence. Only then did people realize that the speaker was Qin Mo who had been silent this entire time.
“Black Cavern…” Just speaking of these words, the thin man’s face portrayed deep fear. He opened his mouth but didn’t utter a word. Finally, he only mumbled, “When you enter tomorrow, you will know what that place is… Ai, the few people who enter the Black Cavern never have a good end.”
Having said these words, he was no longer interested in opening his mouth. He shook his head and sat down among the crowd.
Qin Mo’s eyebrows wrinkled and his mind agitated. At that moment, his right hand was gently pulled up and then wrapped in a warm place. He turned his head and saw Lin Zizheng standing beside him holding his hand tightly. Lin Zizheng gave him a gentle smile when he noticed Qin Mo’s gaze.
Qin Mo’s frown slowly unfolded and his mind was still.
When Qin Mo and Lin Zizheng arrived, it was close to noon. It was time for lunch. Before the two of them could sit down, they heard a shrill cry outside of the door. “Come out and eat.”
At that moment, everyone’s expression in the room became urgent. They looked at each other and quickly got up. Not caring to arrange their appearance, they all rushed out in a hurry.
The house’s door wasn’t big but there were many people running through it. For a while, all of them were blocked at the door. “Scram!” The thin man, who had stood in the middle and explained to Qin Mo and Lin Zizheng patiently earlier, now had a fierce expression on his face. A strong force suddenly broke out of his weak body, pushing several people around him to the ground and rushing out of the door in excitement.
Several people who were knocked down by him shouted loudly and immediately got up and rushed out of the door.
Watching this rather dramatic scene before him, it stunned Qin Mo. Seeing that the room that was just full of people was empty, he turned to Lin Zizheng and went out with him.
A burst of “ping ping pong pong” sound of the tapping bowls and chopsticks constantly rung out in the yard. Qin Mo walked outside and saw them eating deliciously with slightly worn-out porcelain bowls in their hands.
Seeing the two, they moved their bodies and covered their bowls closely. As if they were afraid that Qin Mo and Lin Zizheng would steal their food.
“Lowlives, these are yours. Catch!” The sharp voice sounded at one side, and a flying object came from the side. Qin Mo looked at it and his pupils shrank slightly.
A man was standing under the dead tree in front of him. He was dressed in rather delicate clothes, obviously different from this group of people. Looking at Qin Mo and Lin Zizheng, his eyes showed a strong disdain.
He raised his right foot and stroke hard under it. The porcelain bowl at his foot was kicked, and it flew in Qin Mo’s direction at a high speed. He shouted, “Lowlife is a lowlife, dare to offend senior Su Dong.”
The air on the edge of the porcelain bowl kept shaking. The man used his full strength to kick. The faces of the feasting people around them displayed a tinge of panic. They tightly guarded the food in their hands and retreated one after another. Qin Mo snorted coldly, the chilly light in his eyes surged and the nascent spiritual power around him began to vibrate. He clenched his right hand and a huge palm slowly formed before him. This was the trick that Huang Yan once used. He observed Huang Yan’s movements during that time and noticed that this trick focused on the condensation and circulation of nascent spiritual power.
The huge palm fanned in the porcelain bowl’s direction. The bowl circled several times in mid-air. Under the startled eyes of all, it turned its direction and attacked the man with the palm.
The bowl hit the man’s chest first, with a crisp “ka-shh” sound, the porcelain bowl broke into a sky of debris and burst out. Under this powerful force, the man’s body was shocked and moved back dozens of meters.
“Dong!” a loud muffled noise came from the yard. The palm attacked followed the bowl and patted the man’s chest. The man’s clothes split inches by inches, revealing the damaged chest under. The man felt similarly damaged in his mind, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and he stepped back with his body in a sorry state.
“Lowlife, you dare to hurt me!” The man steadied his figure looking at Qin Mo with vicious eyes.
As soon as his voice fell, he quickly left the area and roared, “Just you wait.”
After this brief encounter, he understood that he wasn’t Qin Mo’s opponent. But Dark Tomb’s rules were strict, so he could only leave this sentence in a hurry.
Qin Mo slowly retreated his hand and looked at the man leaving with no intention of pursuing it. Lin Zizheng’s expression darkened. He looked at the distance with gloomy eyes.
“Why… Why didn’t you kill him?” The thin man who had been hiding on the side slowly gathered around Qin Mo and asked with some caution. “Why should I kill him?” Qin Mo lifted his gaze and his tone was doubtful. Now he was in the Tomb Palace and killing Tomb Palace’s servants immediately seemed improper.
Looking at Qin Mo’s expression and thinking of his amazing, powerful value, the weak man swallowed his saliva and said, “Neither of you know since you first came to the Tomb Palace, but this place respects the strong. As long as you can kill him, you can take his place with no trouble.”
“Is that right?” Qin Mo lowered his sight and landed on his jade-like hand. No one knew what he was thinking.
As Qin Mo no longer spoke, the thin man slowly retreated and dared not to face Qin Mo again.
Translator(s): Teo Editor(s): Dark Proofer(s): Sarah
Chapter 64
As the night deepened, Lin Zizheng slept beside Qin Mo and blocked Qin Mo’s body with his own, isolating others from being close to him.
Lying on the innermost bed facing the mottled wall, Qin Mo didn’t feel sleepy at all. He took out the small cloth bag that Old Man Wen gave him and carefully caressed it.
He found that this small cloth bag was a simple Qiankun bag. He had some doubts as there was no spirit energy present in this world, so there wasn’t a trace of spirit tools. But at this moment, a Qiankun bag appeared which was a common object in the Cultivation World. Did it mean that there was a certain connection between this world and the Cultivation World?
Opening the Qiankun bag with his divine spirit, Qin Mo found many medicinal liquids and a gray colored lower-grade nascent stone stored by the old man.
He held the nascent stone and closed his eyes, emptying his mind. He slowly began to cultivate.
This period of one night was fleeting; the next day at early dawn, Qin Mo and Lin Zizheng were carefully awakened by the others around them. It was time to enter the Black Cavern.
People crowded within a small courtyard, looking pale and hardly speaking a word. They stood in a line as if waiting for someone. Qin Mo and Lin Zizheng randomly found a place in the crowd and waited quietly with them.
“They arrived.” Someone in the crowd suddenly whispered.
Qin Mo’s eyes narrowed slightly. After a moment, three faint figures came from the front, and a strong wave of nascent spiritual power slowly dispersed around them.
“Not bad, everyone’s here.” With this loud shout, the pressure from the three men became more and more intense, almost suffocating. The crowd facing the three men trembled and turned pale, but they dared not say a single word.
Qin Mo looked up and saw clearly the appearances of the three figures.
A familiar face was among them who at the moment had a cold expression, sweeping his sight through the crowd. When he finally locked on Lin Zizheng, he grinned and said viciously, “I look forward to this.” This man was Su Dong.
Feeling the weird atmosphere, the people around Lin Zizheng slowly spread out.
Lin Zizheng, who had everyone’s attention, raised his head. His expression was calm, eyes dark. Then his lips slowly curled up into a smile.
“You!” Seeing this, Su Dong’s face changed. He seemed to want to say something but the black-clothed man stopped him. “It’s important to go to the Black Cavern now.”
Su Dong’s ferocious expression slowly calmed down. He only glared sharply at Lin Zizheng and sneered. He replied, “I understand, Senior Mo.”
Glancing at the crowd, the one named Senior Mo waved his hand once,
“Move!” At his command, the surrounding crowd did as they were told, following him outside.
When they were out, another wave of people approached. They had about a hundred with them and their leaders had an arrogant attitude. From time to time, a faint wave of nascent spiri scattered from them. They were also part of the Tomb Palace. When they met Su Dong and the other two, they nodded. The two teams quickly merged into one and continued to walk outside.
The whole Tomb Palace was very large, and its shape was like a huge oval. The Tomb Palace was located at the edge of the Dark Tomb which prevented people from leaving, while the Black Cavern was located in the south of the Dark Tomb.
Although there was a “cavern” word in “Black Cavern”, it was actually a large barren area, which occupied one-fourth of the Dark Tomb’s total area.
Most of them were ordinary people. Even though they were walking in a great hurry, it took several hours to reach the Black Cavern. There was a little white light on the horizon.
Just after entering the Black Cavern’s scope, Qin Mo felt burning air emanating from the ground. He looked up and saw a barren land. Except for the absence of yellow sand, it was similar to a desert environment.
They saw a huge volcano standing before them in the far distance, giving a powerful force of impact in everyone’s sight. Even before approaching, they could feel the heat coming from it.
“Rumble… rumble…” A strange sound echoed from it, and then fiery red magma rushed out of the crater and shot straight up into the sky. It covered and darkened the atmosphere, looking very terrible. Even at a great distance, one could feel its tremendous power.
“Go up!” Senior Mo ordered coldly. His eyes shone at the sight of the volcano. The gloomy black color in the sky eventually dispersed. The sun that carried a sense of coldness fell vertically, brightening the volcano’s surroundings.
The crowd stood trembling atop the volcano and looked down at its crater with fear. The boiling magma was rolling inside without pause. The hot air was similar to a black smoke slowly emitting from the lava’s surface, lingered around and obscuring people’s views.
Unlike the other’s frightened expressions, a few leaders had smiles on their faces. They looked at each other, and one of them said excitedly, “As expected.” Several others nodded with a smile.
After the silent communication, the head leader, Senior Mo, slowly swept his gaze through the crowd. They all looked pale and a strong sense of uneasiness filled their hearts.
“Everyone goes down.” Senior Mo said in a cold and fierce tone. When they looked puzzled, he moved his eyes to the lower crater of the volcano, a feverish glint in his gaze.
The crowd suddenly became lively upon hearing this. A small voice spoke up. “The entrance to the Black Cavern is not through the crater. We used to enter from another entrance.”
As soon as these words were out, those who dared not speak began to echo it slowly.
When Senior Mo heard the noise, his face was calm but a thick shadow flashed through his eyes. His sight moved from the volcano to the person who had spoken.
Then in a flash, a burst of air cut through the crowd. As they cried in alarm, Senior Mo caught the man. His face was flat but his tone was fierce, “You dare question my words?”
He then extended his hand directly above the crater and released him.
The man fell straight into the hot magma. “Ah!”
The crowd suddenly quieted down, leaving only the man’s miserable screams in the air.
Seeing this scene, Su Dong’s expression changed and his sight fell on Lin Zizheng. Then he turned to Qin Mo, who had been standing quietly. He remembered that the troublesome brat seemed to care about this person very much.
His figure dove and he appeared directly behind Qin Mo. He reached out and gave a shove, pushing Qin Mo into the crater.
“Da Shixiong!” Lin Zizheng’s pupils shrank and he cried out sharply. His palms stretched out, but he couldn’t even grasp the corners of Qin Mo’s clothes.
“This is great, great!” Lin Zizheng turned slowly and looked gloomily at the proud Su Dong. He noticed Su Dong early when he came behind Qin Mo, but it was a surprise that he dared to push Qin Mo directly into the magma.
The nascent spiritual power around Lin Zizheng was violently rioting, and a dark band of light loomed behind him. Seeing this appearance, a tightness filled within the crowd’s hearts.
This moment, Lin Zizheng’s expression was very penetrating, even Su Dong’s smile stagnated. But when he reacted, he gave a low-pitched laugh. Although this boy had some strength, he wasn’t afraid at all.
Lin Zizheng slowly extended his hand. Under the sunlight, a light white glow emitted around it, it’s form morbid and beautiful.
He looked at Su Dong with dark shadows contained within his eyes. A transparent giant eagle appeared and loomed behind him. His hand slowly curled up, as if he had grasped something, and a crisp sound came out between his slender fingers. The corner of his lips raised light and easy, showing a strange smile. A low murmur slowly flowed out of his mouth. “Die.”
Su Dong’s face suddenly stiffened and his ruddy face turned pale. He huddled over his chest and curved his body down to the ground. He made a low howl and a strange black light came out of his body, forming a black silk thread, which tightly wrapped around him.
As soon as Lin Zizheng’s words fell, the black silk thread tightened sharply and cut Su Dong’s body into several segments.
Bright red blood flowed out from Su Dong’s body, staining the whole volcanic head red. Su Dong’s eyes were prominent and filled with astonishment. He had lost his life before he even understood what had happened.
The surroundings suddenly became quiet. Even several faces of the Tomb Palace people revealed their shock by Lin Zizheng’s actions, including Senior Mo. He stepped back, swallowed his saliva and said dryly, “You…”
As soon as he opened his mouth, Lin Zizheng’s gaze shifted to him. The transparent giant eagle behind him had taken shape, and it locked its sight onto Senior Mo.
“You die.” Lin Zizheng’s tone was plain and strange. As soon as he finished, the eagle behind him rushed towards Senior Mo.
“Divine Eagle!” When he saw the giant eagle, Senior Mo’s eyes were wide and full of disbelief. But before he could say anything more, the giant eagle had opened its sharp beak, tearing him to pieces.
“You all need to die!” When Senior Mo died, the giant eagle didn’t return to Lin Zizheng’s side but rushed directly to the people of the Tomb Palace. Everyone died under the eagle’s beak.
After it had torn those men’s bodies, the giant eagle lifted its neck as if its stomach was filled. It gave a low cry and turned into a transparent nascent spiritual power, entering Lin Zizheng’s body. Lin Zizheng’s face turned red and his body was full of blood. His strength hadn’t reached the point of killing so many masters of the Tomb Palace barehanded. It was only when he saw Qin Mo being pushed into the lava by Su Dong before him that this astonishing power exploded out.
His eyes swept over the trembling crowd, seeing their timid expressions.
He furrowed his brows, turned and jumped directly into the magma.
The people at the crater watched Lin Zizheng jump down in shock. They glanced at each other, looked around the pieces of corpses, and fled the area one after the other.
Translator(s): Teo Editor(s): Dark Proofer(s): Sarah
Chapter 65
The moment Qin Mo fell into the crater, an unspeakable heat wave rushed across his face. With a stern expression, he quickly circulated his nascent spiritual power and slowed his descent.
When he was still above the crater, he had heard strange sounds below and in a moment of distraction, Su Dong pushed him.
He was still falling, looking at the magma getting closer and closer. He moved his wrist and the long-unused Thunderbolt appeared in his hand. With a backward stab, he inserted the blade into the mountain wall to stop his drop.
He twisted around and stood on top of Thunderbolt. The sword trembled under his weight. Without the support of spiritual power, Thunderbolt was now the same as any other ordinary sword.
He wrinkled his eyebrows and looked up. He could only glimpse the tiny area where the crater circled the sky.
His current location was too far from the crater. Perhaps it would have only been a short distance for him if he could circulate spiritual power into his sword and escape from here. Unfortunately, he could only use this unfamiliar nascent spiritual power.
Lost in thought, he suddenly saw a figure falling rapidly from the crater.
He squinted his eyes. When he saw who it was, his pupils sharply shrank. Without thinking, he released all of his nascent spiritual power and gathered it into an invisible long rope. He waved it in the newcomer’s direction. The long rope whirled several times in the air and tied to the person’s waist. With a strong tug, he managed to pull the man onto Thunderbolt.
What he just did was extremely intensive. Once Lin Zizheng stood steady on the sword, Qin Mo supported himself on the rocky wall. He almost exhausted his nascent spiritual power but his gaze stayed sharp. “Why are you here?” With Lin Zizheng’s strength, it would have been easy for him to escape those people from the Dark Tomb.
“Da Shixiong, were you worried for me?” Without paying attention to Qin Mo’s icy tone, Lin Zizheng raised his lips and laughed. There was an unspeakable joy in his voice.
Qin Mo dully looked at Lin Zizheng, his face complicated. He knew in his heart that Lin Zizheng must have done this for him.
Splash! A large suction came from below. They looked down to see a huge whirlpool rapidly forming in the center of the magma. The harsh sound of water was coming from below. Around the whirlpool, the air faintly twisted.
Under the whirlpool’s action, the hot magma rose rapidly before them. Both of their expressions changed, and they glanced at each other once before jumping up from the sword to rise quickly.
The gravitational pull below was getting stronger and stronger. Qin Mo kept stabbing Thunderbolt into the rock wall before they could fall. Fine sweat beads appeared on his forehead but Qin Mo couldn’t even wipe them now. On the other side, Lin Zizheng held onto his long spear in the same situation.
As he inserted Thunderbolt into the stone wall, Qin Mo breathed out faintly when a hand suddenly reached out to him. He stared blankly, spotting Lin Zizheng’s bright and sparkling eyes. He slowly extended his free left hand to it. There was a faint smile on the other’s face. He mumbled, “Da Shixiong…”
As soon as he said those words, Qin Mo felt Lin Zizheng pull him up with great strength and directly threw him out of the crater. Meanwhile, a violent force erupted from Lin Zizheng and a giant eagle slowly formed behind him.
Lin Zizheng pointed his hand in Qin Mo’s direction, and as if the giant eagle had its conscience, it flew straight upward. It quickly came below Qin Mo and carried him on its back upward.
ly, Lin Zizheng had killed several people from the Tomb Palace and almost drained all of his nascent spiritual power. Now he summoned the giant eagle again, which had exhausted his last strength. The hand that held the long spear loosened and he fell.
Qin Mo laid on the back of the giant eagle and couldn’t move at all. He could only watch as Lin Zizheng loosened his grip and his falling figure.
Lin Zizheng’s black hair flew upward, a smile still on his face. Qin Mo could read the words “Da Shixiong” from his moving lips.
Bang!
Lin Zizheng fell into the lava, splashing many sparks. The center of the magma boiled, slowly covering up his body.
Seeing Lin Zizheng disappearing before him, Qin Mo’s eyes gradually grew moist. He stared until there were no traces of him left in the magma. He hesitantly called out, “Zizheng…”
When Lin Zizheng’s body completely disappeared, the giant eagle’s body suddenly froze under Qin Mo. Then it turned into spots of light in the sky and disappeared into thin air. Qin Mo’s body stagnated and fell again. He looked at the bright red color in front of him. He held Thunderbolt tightly and slowly closed his eyes. He gave up all resistance. At this moment, Lin Zizheng’s smile appeared before his eyes.
His face softened and in a low voice, he said, “If we survive, I’ll forgive you.”
Blood continuously dripped from the crater, forming a fine bloody line along the mountain and eventually gathered in a small sunken spot on the wall. Within the flowing blood, the sunken spot became a hole that trembled and inhaled Qin Mo’s entire body within it.
When his body moved, he opened his eyes. He was now in a damp cave surrounded by cloudy winds.
Drip drip… drip drip…
The sound of dripping water came from the side. Qin Mo turned with unfocused eyes at the hole behind him. Red magma suddenly began pouring into the hole, covering the road ahead completely.
His pupils shrank, and he waved his sword directly at it. Without the driving force of spiritual power, the lava easily swallowed the flashing sword light.
He retreated without pausing and ran deep into the cave. Feeling the burning smell behind him, he dared not relax at all.
After a long while, a light shined before his sight. A glittering boundary appeared in front of him.
He wrinkled his brows. He reached out and touched the boundary gently. The boundary shook and separated slowly from the center like a water current. He walked in without hesitation. The moment Qin Mo entered, the boundary restored its original appearance.
The lava behind him also reached the boundary but to his surprise, the boundary that hadn’t caused him any hindrance blocked the powerful magma.
When he turned around and looked at the scene before him, amazement filled his gaze. The place was the group’s original destination coming here and he finally knew why it was named Black Cavern.
The cavern was very large, surrounded by many black stones. There was only a strangely shaped altar in the center. Four stone pillars stood at each corner of the altar with several evil spirits carved on it. They either bared their fangs or danced and gesticulated in joy. Their shapes looked frightening.
A huge stone tablet lay in the center of the altar, which looked ancient and was locked by an iron chain. It had a strange and creepy feeling.
Walking up to the center of the altar. His fingers caressed the stone tablet slowly and he felt as if a slight chill had passed from his fingertips and to his heart.
He squinted and carefully felt the tablet, but he didn’t find any other strange spots. He could only turn his sight to the black stones beside it.
The stones were all nascent stones and their color was pure black, which meant better quality than the middle-grade nascent stone given to him by Old Man Wen. But to his surprise, a weak aura constantly emanated from these nascent stones.
Grabbing a random piece by his feet, he pondered for a while and slowly inserted a trace of his divine sense in it. As soon as he entered the stone, a black aura came pounding in his direction.
This black aura was full of dark intentions and a lot of negative emotions. Along with his divine sense, it rushed toward his body. He was shocked and tried to cut off the trace but it was too late. The dark aura directly entered him. His body shivered and he couldn’t block off the cold feeling inside.
His lightning fire that had withdrawn within his Dantian since arriving at the Dark Tomb suddenly flourished brightly and burned the blackness moving along his veins. Afterwards, the lightning fire returned into his Dantian sea again, restored to its prior pea size and somewhat dull color.
He took a slow breath and wanted to throw away the nascent stone in his hand, but paused. He tossed the weird nascent stone into a Qiankun bag as if he thought of something.
After a time, he could find no exit. He sat beside the stone tablet, took out the nascent stone given by Old Man Wen, and started breathing slowly.
He sighed once and opened his eyes. Every time he closed them, the memory of a smiling Lin Zizheng falling into the magma would appear.
He reached out and felt his chest. For the first time, confusion appeared in his dark eyes. To this day, he wondered what kind of feelings Lin Zizheng had for him.
“Whoosh…” The altar shook, and a huge black force slowly seeped out from the ground behind him, turning into a huge black palm.
The black palm was like a demon claw coming straight out from the abyss. With gusts of wind, it pounced directly toward his back.
Translator(s): Teo Editor(s): Dark Proofer(s): Sarah
Chapter 66
A harsh wind whistled behind and Qin Mo’s pupils shrank. He took a step forward and quickly retreated.
Bang!
The giant black palm slammed down at his previous spot, and a deafening crash sounded throughout the cave. The altar swayed and a huge crack appeared on it.
The palm constantly emitted a terrifying kind of force, surging towards his direction.
Leaving the palm’s attack range, Qin Mo felt its astonishing pressure and his expression became more and more dignified.
When its attack missed, the palm solidified for a moment, then black light shook, enlarging to an even bigger size. It turned into a residual shadow, whistling towards Qin Mo once more.
With his gaze fixed, he stepped back, crossed both hands over his chest and boundless nascent spiritual power rushed forth from within. He clenched his right hand, and an invisible attack hit the black palm head-on.
When the palm collided with his nascent spiritual power, the whole space shook, and a violent force dispersed from the middle. Smoke and dust flew everywhere. The altar in the center was severely damaged, revealing a hidden empty part beneath. Looking at the black palm, he narrowed his eyes. The part where his attack had hit faded a bit of the black air. His power seemed to be able to swallow up the strange shadow.
Whoosh…
A shrill whistle sounded, and more black smoke emerged from the bottom of the stone tablet. The moment it appeared, the whole altar shook.
The stone tablet in the middle trembled even more. When the shadow moved, the stone body followed with a quiver. Under the tremor of the stone tablet, a force erupted from it and the black smoke was pushed back to the ground.
The shadow tried to rise again but the stone tablet followed by swaying left to right with it. The stone tablet seemed old and likely to fall any time, but it stood in place, looking heavy. It suppressed the black smoke below.
With a flash of dark light on the iron chain that locked the stone tablet, the vibration of the tablet slowly stopped. Taking advantage of this opportunity, several black shadows drilled out of the ground. The archaic feeling from the stone tablet increased, and dust fell from it from time to time.
Those several black shadows intertwined and covered the air. Eventually, they weaved into a huge cage and covered Qin Mo.
Stifling black energy quickly infiltrated Qin Mo’s body. His brows furrowed. This energy gave people a feeling similar to the black energy from the nascent stone before, which had chilled him to the bone.
The black smoke seemed to have a life of its own as the cage trembled and several tentacles surged from within to attack him.
When those tentacles approached, his body glistened faintly and his nascent spiritual energy floated out to form a piece of armor that wrapped him within. The moment they closed in, it made a series of buzzing noises and then disappeared into thin air. Qin Mo’s gaze brightened. As expected, nascent spiritual power had a certain subduing effect on the black shadow.
But his nascent spiritual power was still very weak, far less than that of the shadow. After he had attacked it with his power, it became fiercer and harsher, bombarding him violently in all directions.
He watched the fierce black smoke and took a deep breath. No sense of retreat showed on his face. With his eyes flashing cold, he crossed his right hand before him and a hurricane slowly formed behind.
The hurricane grew bigger and bigger with his gestures and it quickly rampaged within the black cage, trying to drill out an exit.
His attack was very crafty but he still couldn’t break through.
Watching the darkness that constantly attacked him, he glared at it thinking if he only had a sword that he could use…
Enlightened, he clenched his right hand, and the nascent spiritual power around him slowly boiled up, like a steam of hot air slowly dispersersing from its surroundings.
The air in his hand continually wrinkled up. A light flashed through his mind, and a long transparent sword appeared in his hand.
The shape of the sword was like Thunderbolt. Because it was made up of invisible nascent spiritual power, the blade was so abnormal and mist-like that it had no weight. But he could feel a sense of life from it.
“Nascent spiritual energy weapon.” He observed the long sword in his hand. Despite his pale expression, a sense of joy was in his gaze.
His expression became solemn as he held it. There was a subtle change in his aura, as a kind of awe-inspiring momentum poured out of him.
“Broken.” With a low whisper under his breath, he raised his sword and spit it down on the black cage before him. Some power around him started to rebel, and a bright light emanated from him, illuminating the small field.
The cast energy spread out with him in the center. As the black smoke was sliced by the sword, they suddenly trembled and slowly dispersed like water as if the encountered something frightening.
Witnessing their retreating, it returned towards the stone stable but still made threatening gestures. He snorted coldly and with a slight turn of his hand, he wielded his sword again and the energy around him burst out to turn into a fierce sword aura. It went straight for the black shadow.
At that moment, the quiet stone tablet shook again and a shadow appeared out of the void, swallowing his biting cold sword light and absorbing the power. A jade light flashed across the stone.
He grasped his sword and stepped back, warily looking at the bizarre tablet.
Buzz!
There was a deep cry from it and the vibrations stopped. A heavy sense of desolation emerged within the space.
The black smoke emitted a sharp cry as if it encountered something terrible. The dark color faded instantly and then quickly returned to the bottom of the stone.
When the black smoke in the cave completely dispersed, he relaxed. He walked towards the stone tablet and stopped a few steps away from it. He reached out and touched the stone’s rough surface.
A sense of darkness passed along to his hand. Unlike before, it revealed a certain gentleness.
He lowered his gaze, a puzzled feeling in his chest. What were the stone tablet and the black smoke? This thing seemed to exist to suppress the black smoke. After the fight, the fissure on the altar floor was much bigger. Under it, there appeared an empty stone chamber.
He took back his hand and walked towards the edge of the crack. The moment he turned around, a tiny spot of light emerged from the stone tablet and entered his body.
The stone chamber below wasn’t deep. The bottom of it could be seen just by standing on top. He hesitated for a moment, then jumped inside.
The bottom was pitch black, only the shallow light shined in the furthermost corner. He walked toward its without stopping.
As he approached, he found that there was also a smaller altar in the corner. Similar to the one above, there was a square coffin that was emitting the light. The coffin was about three meters long and one meter wide, occupying the entire altar.
Stepping on the edge, the only sound that could be heard was his footsteps. Feeling the cold air around, he paused. Something was usual here. After being distracted for a moment, he raised his feet and continued to move forward.
When he ascended the altar, before him displayed the image of the coffin. It was made of fine camphor-wood, its workmanship very meticulous, smooth on both ends, and perfectly straight. But strangely, the coffin was carved with evil spirit designs.
He moved his hand and his spiritual weapon reappeared. He grasped the sword and pushed the tip against the coffin lid.
Crash!
The lid slid back slowly, revealing the contents inside. He peeked and saw a man lying quietly in it.
The man wore white clothes with both eyes closed. There was a smile on his face, lying within the coffin with a peaceful posture. It stunned Qin Mo. He lightly furrowed his eyebrows because the man in the coffin was the one that Old Man Wen had asked him to look for.
As if feeling his burning gaze, the person’s dark eyelashes quivered and opened slowly. His eyes were very dark. At first, a flash of confusion could be seen. When he saw Qin Mo, he moved his lips and squeezed out from his throat a hoarse voice, “Who are you?”
Sweeping his gaze vaguely over the body, Qin Mo’s tone was cold and unfeeling, “Old Man Wen asked me to look for you.”
Hearing those three words, it stupefied the man. A light flashed through his gaze, “He’s my dad.” Seeing that Qin Mo had no intention of replying, he continued, “My name is Wen Qing.”
As soon as he finished, the whole place suddenly shook violently. Under the violent tremors, Qin Mo’s body followed and shook. His pupils shrunk and he looked down. It was if the whole volcano was shaking.
“Go.” He pursed his lips and pulled up Wen Qing who was still lying in the coffin and hurried out of there.
Translator(s): Teo Editor(s): Dark Proofer(s): Sarah
Chapter 67
The whole volcano seemed to have been hit so hard that it rocked violently. Crushed stones continued to fall from the top of the cavern. While pulling Wen Wing, Qin Mo rushed outside with a solemn expression, not saying a word.
Standing in a pile of nascent stones, his expression was ugly. The protective boundary still shrouded the entrance of the Black Cavern, and outside of it was a layer of molten lava.
Somehow, the magma had increased and was more frightening than before.
The lava flow was like a giant hand, slapping and smacking the boundary with scorching energy. The boundary trembled and gleamed like the reflection of sunlight on clear water. A hidden light flashed across it as if the magma would break through within the next few seconds.
Looking at the boulders falling from above, Qin Mo focused and a faint light spread out from him. Finally, it turned into an invisible barrier to protect him and Wen Qing.
The boulders wouldn’t stop, dropping around them with great strength but the barrier Qin Mo erected helped keep the stones away. Unfortunately, the barrier only lasted for about half a cup of tea, and the light dimmed down, fragmenting inch by inch until disappearing into thin air.
After the barrier dispersed, there were fluorescent flashes around him. Qin Mo looked downward slightly. He didn’t expect the strength of these rocks to be so powerful that they could easily break his defense.
He grasped his empty right hand and a long sword appeared. A cold light gleamed through the sword blade with sharp radiance, and he rushed toward the surrounding rocks.
Under the long sword’s attack, the boulders broke up one after the other, and turned into fine dust floating in the air.
With debris flying everywhere, Qin Mo’s shadow flickered within it. Wen Qing, who was standing behind him, stayed silent and watched his back. An unclear meaning passed through the deep pupils of his squinting eyes.
As time passed, the rocks around them were still falling without pause in an endless torrent. After a long battle, Qin Mo’s energy was somewhat drained and his movements slowed down.
At that moment, the mountain trembled again, and the cracking sound outside was like thunder in their ears. With this tremendous noise, a crack appeared above them. A few rays of sunshine leaked through, illuminating the dark cave and brightening the surroundings instantly.
Qin Mo stopped and with a look of surprise, he swept away the stone before him with his sword. Wen Qing backed up a few steps and looked at the crack above them.
The crack wasn’t big, only vaguely letting in a bit of light. Qin Mo’s hand was still firmly grasping onto the sword, looking at the top vigilantly.
Boom!
A loud noise suddenly echoed. Boundless power from outside was launched directly onto the middle of the crack. The force was so violent as it rampaged at the small crack continuously. Under the power’s pressure, the originally narrow crack grew larger and larger, until finally, it split in the middle. Qin Mo’s pupils shrank when the cave burst open. The scene before him imprinted into his eyes.
A giant eagle soared in the air with its wings outstretched. On its back proudly stood a man, who was holding a strange long staff. When he raised his right hand, the long staff manipulated the lava below and fiercely swept it.
The sun shone behind him and outlined his figure. Looking at his profile, Qin Mo’s heart skipped a beat, that’s Lin Zizheng.
The moment the long staff waved, a huge shadow slowly formed in the air, carrying a strong pressure on its surroundings. It trembled and, with its violent force fluctuating, clashed into the boiling magma below.
Boom!
The instant they collided, a muffled sound dispersed in the air, and the volcano walls shook again.
Noticing Wen Qing’s pale face, Qin Mo pulled him to his side and whispered, “Be careful.”
As soon as Qin Mo spoke, Lin Zizheng seemed to have heard it. He retrieved the long staff flying in mid-air and turned around suddenly to look at Qin Mo. Even from afar, Qin Mo could see his bright gaze at this moment.
Seeing Qin Mo’s figure, Lin Zizheng’s originally cold expression changed. His eyes filled with joy and a smile appeared. The giant eagle under him moved toward Qin Mo.
However, the magma’s atmosphere changed, and a terrifying force slowly loomed over them. The temperature around the lava suddenly increased as a fire dragon roared out from within.
The dragon was about a hundred feet long. Its body was made of magma, full of astonishing heat. It stepped on all fours and the dragon’s eyes stared fiercely at Lin Zizheng. It flickered its long tail and struck hard at his direction.
But he stood in place with a cold expression. His right hand flattened before him, and a golden flash emerged from his palm, wrapping itself around the dragon.
Surrounded by the golden light, the dragon roared and struggled continuously.
Seeing the dragon acting this way, he sneered and raised the long staff in his hand. With a fierce light in his glare, he rushed in the dragon’s direction.
Bang! Thud! Clash!
Huge rackets echoed in the air as Lin Zizheng landed hit after hit. The staff was so powerful that the dragon trembled every time it was attacked. Flames kept spewing from the dragon, and not long after, the dragon’s shape shrank down a lot.
The dragon was furious. The two sharp horns on its head emitted a red light. It raised its head towards heavens and roared. It broke free from its golden shackles and ran directly at Lin Zizheng. As soon as it spread its body, it wrapped Lin Zizheng within it.
With the fire dragon in the center of the sky, it quickly curled in on itself and formed a huge ball with Lin Zizheng. Then, when a red light shone, a powerful force burst out from the center, and a large flame appeared in the sky, dying the whole sky crimson.
A terrible pressure spread throughout from the red ball. Under this, Qin Mo unconsciously retreated a few steps back. By the time he regained his footing, Lin Zizheng’s figure had been completely submerged by the red flames in the sky.
Qin Mo’s face paled and his body stiffened. Looking at the bloody sky, he walked towards Lin Zizheng. Suddenly, a tremendous force pulled Qin Mo back, who was about to walk into the lava. Wen Qing’s voice sounded beside his ear. “Don’t worry, that person is still alive.”
Listening to him, Qin Mo stopped and calmed down to find that there were strong fluctuations of life within the brilliant red flame.
A slender white palm emerged from the sea of fire, and Lin Zizheng stepped out from the flames, taking no damage.
Even with the hot temperature around him, Lin Zizheng’s expression remained unchanged. He spread out his palms and suddenly closed them.
In an instant, a strong suction gushed from the middle, the flames burning in the air trembled and rushed toward where the palms connected.
The surrounding flames were abruptly absorbed. Lin Zizheng narrowed his eyes and a satisfied expression crossed his face. He turned slightly and looked at Qin Mo.
Qin Mo stood in place and watched Lin Zizheng coming towards him step by step. Under his feet was a road paved by nascent stone, while behind him was rolling lava.
He walked to Qin Mo’s side and disregarded Wen Qing in the back. Lin Zizheng inspected Qin Mo up and down. His mouth curved up with obvious joy. “Da Shixiong, it’s great that you’re alright.”
Seeing Lin Zizheng standing intact before him released a heavyweight in Qin Mo’s heart. He looked at Lin Zizheng’s spotless hands and replied, “En.”
Even though Qin Mo was acting cold and indifferent with no changes to his expressions, Lin Zizheng still heard some special emotions from Qin Mo’s tone. His gaze sparkled and his fists clenched behind him, resisting the impulse to go forward and embrace him. Da Shixiong was worried about him. He shifted his sight and noticed Wen Qing behind Qin Mo. Observing his appearance, Lin Zizheng also showed a bit of surprise. He didn’t expect that the person Old Man Wen wanted them to find was standing right here. “He…”
“En.” Immediately understanding Lin Zizheng, Qin Mo nodded and looked at Wen Qing behind him.
…
Inside a stone chamber in the deepest parts of the Tomb Palace, a figure sitting on the ground suddenly moved. He opened his eyes, dark with no emotion, and appeared strange and abnormal.
His gaze turned to a portrait on the wall which was hanging in the middle. Several evil spirits could be seen faintly. If Qin Mo were here, he’d recognize that the spirit was the same as the one who had carved on the coffin in the Black Cavern.
Looking at the portrait, the man opened his mouth and gave a frightful laugh. “Ha ha, the chance that I have been waiting for has finally arrived!”
Translator(s): Teo Editor(s): Dark Proofer(s): Sarah
Chapter 68
Droplets were falling from the sky. Qin Mo stood under the collapsed rock wall and looked ahead with a flickering gaze.
When the three men prepared to leave the Black Cavern, it suddenly began to rain heavily. This heavy rain didn’t affect them, but they waited for it to stop before leaving.
Qin Mo reached forward to catch the rain droplets. He looked at the water in his palm and his eyebrows wrinkled slightly. There was some black color in the water. No matter how hard he observed it, he couldn’t find a reason for its unusuality.
Lin Zizheng stood beside Qin Mo, blocking the gale reaching toward Qin Mo’s face. Even though he knew these winds had no impact on him, he was accustomed to protecting Qin Mo.
In the corner behind the two, Wen Qing sat quietly. He looked at the back of them with a smile of interest.
A sound of footsteps suddenly appeared in the originally quiet space, and a figure slowly appeared before them.
The man wore a long black robe and came towards the three with an emotionless expression.
Under Lin Zizheng’s previous heavy blow, the whole volcano had collapsed, leaving only the center with still burning magma. The man walked on the flat ground among the rubble and stopped two steps away from them.
He slightly lifted his gaze, and his emotionless eyes swept over Wen Qing and Lin Zizheng, before finally landing on Qin Mo as his lips moved, “The master of Tomb Palace requests your presence.”
Qin Mo and Lin Zizheng froze on the spot and couldn’t say a single word. When the man appeared, he had done nothing, but they suddenly couldn’t move a single muscle on their body.
Drip drip… drip drip…
For a moment, only the sound of falling raindrops hitting the rocks could be heard in the whole space.
Seeing Qin Mo not replying, the man didn’t care at all. He still maintained his expressionless face. With a gentle wave of his hand, the broad sleeve drew a strange arc in the air. Under his action, the three men stiffened and their lower bodies moved. They walked to him involuntarily.
The man turned around and left without haste, while the people behind followed him uncontrollably.
Feeling the stiffness all over his limbs, a fierce light flashed through Lin Zizheng’s glare as he looked at the back of the man in black. He had never been controlled like this by others before. He glanced at Qin Mo beside him and felt a flame burning in his body. The nascent spiritual power within him began to stir restlessly.
“Huh?” Feeling the fluctuation behind him, a surprised sound came from the man, but his face remained unchanged and he waved his long sleeves.
A dark light shot straight at Lin Zizheng, who turned red and spat out a mouthful of blood. He glared even more fiercely at the man in black.
Those two eyes were very dark, with endless meaning. The man’s heartbeat sped up. He raised his right hand, ready to strike Lin Zizheng again.
Witnessing this, Qin Mo stood in a flash before Lin Zizheng, blocking him. He circulated his nascent spiritual power and expelled it in the man’s direction.
The man’s sight glimmered slightly, as if in fear of something. He jerked his long sleeve and retreated the previous attack on Lin Zizheng. When Qin Mo’s attack hit, it immediately turned into a cluster of lights and dissipated in the air.
The man looked at Qin Mo. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something.
“Not bad. The previous fluctuation of power happened here.” Just then, a voice sounded around them.
The man in black paused his movement and looked forward with a blank face. The air warped in front of them and a figure appeared.
Qin Mo’s pupils shrank. A long white line loomed in front of him, showing how this man’s speed has reached its peak.
The newcomer was an old man with a long beard and grey spots of white hair. But his eyes were bright, looking not like an ordinary elderly.
The old man absent-mindedly scanned them. When he saw Lin Zizheng, whose body was full of nascent spiritual power, his sight gleamed brightly. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. After a moment, he opened them, rubbed his hands and looked excitedly at Lin Zizheng. “Sure enough it’s you. You have returned.”
He extended his right hand towards Lin Zizheng, seeming to want to grasp him to his side.
Pa!
A crisp sound rang and the old man retracted his hand to see bright red marks on it. His gaze turned to the man in the black robe. His long beard trembled and doubt showed within his pupils.
But then, the old man’s expression calmed down again. He stepped out with a bright gaze. His immense nascent spiritual power started to circulate, until it condensed into a huge fist. He directed it to smash at the man in black.
Watching the old man’s action, the man in black waved his long sleeves with a blank and fearless expression. Instantly, three men behind him fell to the ground. Then, with another gesture of his hands, a huge golden light formed before him to block the old man’s attack.
The two men’s powers collided with each other severely. Under this collusion, both men stepped back.
The man in the black robes looked at the old man with a tight face and vigilant eyes. He didn’t expect the old man to be this strong.
The same surprise was reflected on the old man’s face who sized his opponent up and down. He said in a low voice. “When did the Dark Tomb have such a powerful man?” In his mind, everyone in the Dark Tomb was ordinary who couldn’t awaken nascent spiritual power. It was very unexpected that someone could resist his attack.
However, the old man glanced at Lin Zizheng and shook his head. If it was only for this, then it wasn’t enough.
His face was solemn as he extended his hand forward. A strange wave slowly opened from his palm, and a simple brush appeared in his hand.
He wrote in the air and a faint golden light flowed from the brush tip. A complex series of words appeared in mid-air with the brush’s movement. Looking at the golden letters floating, the old man mumbled, “Go.”
The word emitted a brilliant ray of light so blinding that people couldn’t open their eyes, as a strong wave of nascent spiritual power spread throughout. The giant character flickered and directly attacked the man. When the man in black robe saw the word, he moved his palm. His expression changed and his lips trembled. For the first time, his tone became somewhat unstable, “Elder Jinbi.” From his words, a strong sense of fear could be heard, but his movements didn’t stop.
His eyes widened angrily, and a black light flashed across his body. His hands moved in front of his chest and quickly formed a series of hand seals. As he moved, a shadow slowly formed behind him.
Qin Mo’s pupils sharpened when he saw the shadow from the sidelines.
The shadow was the image of a fierce evil spirit from the coffin.
As if it felt Qin Mo’s gaze, the evil spirit ground its teeth in his direction.
The malice couldn’t be seen on the evil spirit’s face.
The huge gold letters was nearing the man. The evil spirit’s figure shook and turned into a ghostly black smoke, intertwining with the gold letters.
Rumble…
Heaven and earth seemed to shake. The black smoke and golden light colliding caused great energy fluctuations. With the wave of power, the surrounding air tightly contracted.
Under the strong pressure, the other three men, who weren’t strong enough, had all stepped back.
As the black smoke and golden light slowly dispersed, revealing the figure of the man in black. His breathing was weak, and blood was dripping from the corners of his mouth. He was seriously injured. The old man’s clothes were also damaged, but he was in better condition than the other.
Looking at the old man, the black robed man glared. He swiped the fresh blood on the ground with his foot, and then lifted his leg to step hard on the ground.
The earth suddenly cracked, and a huge-black thorn emerged from below, about to pierce through the old man’s body as fast as lightning. The old man tightly held out his hand and formed a fist. He hit the ground with a fist and quickly retreated.
When the old man was busy defending against the attack, the man in black appeared behind Qin Mo in a ghostly flash. He waved Lin Zizheng aside with one hand and pressed his arm on Qin Mo’s shoulder. He directly lifted Qin Mo in his arms and took a step to leave quickly.
“Da Shixiong!” Watching the two men getting farther away, Lin Zizheng clenched his first and gave a sharp cry.
A violent nascent spiritual power sprang out from him and turned into a giant eagle, chasing after the man’s direction.
“The Divine Eagle.” Seeing the giant eagle, the old man’s eyes glittered, and Wen Qing’s breathing changed slightly, though it vanished in a moment.
Facing the giant eagle that came after them quickly, the man’s expression changed. Then he gave a cold hum and stretched his free hand forward. The blue veins on his arms roamed forward like a snake, bulging out one after another and a long black whip flew out of his palm to hurl toward the eagle.
Qin Mo, who had been controlled by the man, dropped his gaze and clenched his palm. The long sword appeared in his hand and a chilly light flashed through his eyes. He waved the sword and stabbed the man’s chest behind him.
Translator(s): Teo Editor(s): Dark Proofer(s): Sarah
Chapter 69
A dazzling light emitted from the tip of the sword and in a fierce momentum, inserted directly into the chest of the man. The black-dressed man’s face grew paler, blood dripping from his chest, and his attacks instantly slowed.
Qin Mo’s body jolted once and he shifted to his feet, breaking away from the man’s control.
The nascent spiritual power within Qin Mo’s body immediately surged forward like river water as he stood opposite the man. The sword in his hand flashed once, disappearing from the man’s chest and reappearing before him.
Qin Mo’s gaze was sharp, and his sword lay across his chest, shining brightly. He carried his sword forward for a strike, and the weapon instantly transformed into a light shadow. It contained a fearful power that landed all over the man’s body.
Faced with this fierce blow, the man’s eyebrows jumped. If he had his usual strength, he wouldn’t be afraid of this attack. But during his fight with Elder Jinbi, he had been badly injured, and now there was a strange giant eagle constantly striking him from behind. This blow from Qin Mo caused him a lot of trouble.
The black-clad man’s glare was dark, and a strange scarlet color slowly enveloped it. An intense black smoke spread from him and then vibrated continuously, quickly wrapping around the man’s entire body. The man’s figure rapidly grew larger, while the black smoke surrounding him also became denser.
Qin Mo’s powerful sword energy attack finally landed. Unfortunately, the black smoke around the man moved and blocked his single attack head-on.
The black gas slowly dispersed, and the man’s figure had disappeared. In his place was a giant black monster, standing before Qin Mo. He was tall, about five meters tall, but very thin. From a distance, he looked like a dried corpse.
The moment the black monster appeared, the Elder Jinbi’s expression changed. He stood in place with his lips tightly pursed. He glanced at Lin Zizheng and said in an astonished tone under his breath, “It’s them. They came out.”
“Follow me.” A dry and astringent voice came out from the monster’s mouth. Ruby’s eyes kept flashing, staring at Qin Mo, while a hand extended towards him. A cold and gloomy breath came from him, which made the surrounding air sluggish.
As soon as he opened his mouth, Qin Mo knew that the monster was the black-clad man.
A shrill cut through the air, and from a distance raced a pale figure.
This was the giant eagle that was fighting with the man earlier. Under Lin Zizheng’s control, the eagle attacked the man’s head with its sharp beak in an extraordinarily strong force.
The unexpected attack didn’t change the man’s expression. His sight was still stubbornly fixed on Qin Mo. His smokey palms waved freely in the eagle’s direction. There was a flash of black light and the eagle’s shape suddenly froze in place.
Boom. The sound of an explosion echoed as the moment the black light entered the eagle’s body, it burst out from the inside, turning into spots of light that disappeared into thin air. This eagle was formed by Lin Zizheng’s nascent spiritual power. Now that it was scattered, Lin Zizheng’s breath was suddenly weak.
Without speaking a single word, the man once again waved a hand in Lin Zizheng’s direction, and a violent force landed on him. Lin Zizheng’s body was quickly shot backwards.
Seeing Lin Zizheng injured, the elder’s expression changed from a relaxed to a somewhat nervous one.
He didn’t know Qin Mo, so he didn’t care about his life or death, but Lin Zizheng was different. He moved and came behind Lin Zizheng in a split second, catching his flying body.
Qin Mo glanced at Lin Zizheng. When he saw it wasn’t serious, he spared no energy to pay attention to him. Because after the man waved a blow at Lin Zizheng, his palm charged at him next.
He stood in place with an icy cold expression, alertness deep in his eyes. A breeze blew by and gently swept his black hair in front of his forehead,
blocking his dark eyes. Under this tense atmosphere, he suddenly moved.
He stepped backward and loosened his right hand. His sword floated across his chest. Quickly forming a series of hand seals with bright eyes, Qin Mo said in a low tone, “Sky Scattered Sword.”
Sky Scattered Sword was his strongest attack that he mastered. It needed a lot of spiritual power to perform. However, when confronted with such a powerful enemy as this man, he couldn’t care less about it.
A fluctuation of power slowly burst out around Qin Mo. Not knowing if it was an illusion or not, the distant sky seemed to somewhat darken. The sword which was condensed from his nascent spiritual power was suspended before him, emitting a buzzing sound. The air seemed to tremble as a powerful force emerged from the space around the blade.
This power wasn’t the spiritual power he was familiar with, but another kind of mystical energy scattered in the world.
Under the impact of this energy, the original transparent sword gradually solidified, and a vague but heavy pressure released slowly from the sword blade. The blade quivered and became immense in size, with its tip pointing directly at the man, striking towards him with a terrible killing aura.
The black-clad man’s movement halted for a moment and the darkness around his body bloomed, forming a huge shield to protect him within.
A huge, muffled sound reverberated when the sword and shield collided. The man’s body shook, and he took a few involuntarily steps back before stopping.
He raised his head to look at the huge sword before him, the scarlet in his glare even more serious. A sneer appeared on his mouth as the black smoke around him flashed constantly. He stretched out his smokey hands and grasped the huge sword.
The next moment, the blade swayed and became transparent again, slowly losing its powerful energy in the stalemate.
Qin Mo fixed his eyes on the man. When he saw that he couldn’t land a hit on him, he clenched his right hand tightly, and another sword appeared in front of him.
Expression solemn, he commanded the sword ability, “Hurricane Slash,” and the sword immediately waved in the man’s direction.
When the sword fell, a gale erupted all around. A sword light that carried enough energy to tear the heaven and earth flew straight toward the black- clad man. This attack was undoubtedly more powerful than the previous one. “You actually can use the energy from heaven and earth…” Elder Jinbi was surprised and narrowed his eyes.
“No wait. This isn’t the energy from heaven and earth.” Looking at the withered plants around, the old man frowned. “This is the life force between heaven and earth.”
As he said this, he paused and glanced at Qin Mo. He gently shook his head. “But it’s a pity. If this young man’s nascent spiritual power is just a bit stronger, maybe he could defeat this man, but now…”
Clash!
A loud explosion sounded right as he finished the last word. The sword had confronted the man and a fierce energy storm spread out from the center. The surrounding wind and clouds changed for a time.
When the fluctuation subsided, both figures in a sorry state retreated, barely standing firmly in the air.
Qin Mo’s breath was uneven, and a stream of blood poured out from his throat. However, he continued to stand upright with a pale face. Except for this, no anomaly could be seen on his appearence.
The man in black stood opposite him, looking much more miserable. His left arm hung feebly on the ground, crippled during the confrontation with Qin Mo. Black blood continuously bled out on every open hole on his head
—eyes, ears, nostrils and mouth.
The black-clad man’s glare was fixed on Qin Mo. He moved and extended his intact hand at him.
Qin Mo held his sword, preparing to slash once more. But his hands suddenly trembled, and the sword in his hand disappeared.
A grim smile appeared on the man’s face. He noticed that Qin Mo had exhausted all of his nascent spiritual power after that powerful blow just now. Lin Zizheng’s pupils shrank as he watched. He dragged his injured body, struggling to stand up from the ground, and staggered toward Qin Mo.
His nascent spiritual power surged without stopping. But at the moment, he could only condense the long staff. Holding the long staff, he was ready to attack the man with eyes full of murderous intent.
The old man’s face stiffened and he moved to block Lin Zizheng. While stroking his long beard that gave him a rather divine and sage-like appearance, he advised, “Don’t be impulsive. You are currently not his opponent.”
“Scram!” Darkness and ice-filled Lin Zizheng’s glare, a strange darkness surging deep in his pupils. A bloody thirsty smile appeared slowly on his lips.
Strings of black lines emerged from his body and they directly wrapped around the old man blocking his way. He pulled the old man aside and continued his attack on the black-clad man.
Startled by Lin Zizheng’s appearance, the Elder Jinbi suddenly froze in place, and could only respond once his body had been moved aside.
Knowing that Lin Zizheng would once again be beaten by the man, the elder immediately struggled out of the black bindings and rushed toward Lin Zizheng.
He held on Lin Zizheng’s wrist tightly and felt the nearly boiling nascent spiritual power coming from him. The old man frowned and looked at the other two men in the distance. With a move of his fingertips, Lin Zizheng was trapped in place.
He was hit by Lin Zizheng’s glare that could make one’s blood run cold. With a glimmer in his eyes, the old man laughed dryly. “You stay here. I’ll help you.”
Feeling the tremendous pressure behind him, the black-clad man’s face twitched. He wanted to take Qin Mo away from here as quickly as possible but didn’t expect such great offensive force from the boy. He couldn’t keep his current monstrosity form for long. If he dealt with the elder again, he surely couldn’t take Qin Mo with him today.
Shifting his attention to Qin Mo in front of him, red glinted through his gaze. His face looked determined. No matter what, he must capture this man today. This was master’s orders.
Focusing on that thought, the man changed tactics. His hand grasped firmly on the drooping left arm and pulled down on it with a strong force while muffling his groan. He whispered a few words with lips trembling as he slowly drew a circle in the air.
Under his action, a door suddenly appeared in the air. Watching it, he waved a hand in Qin Mo’s direction.
Qin Mo’s figure dodged, trying to avoid the man’s attack, but his body suddenly stiffened and pain burst from all of his limbs. The moment he paused, the man’s palm landed on him, and the blow pushed him directly into the black door.
As Qin Mo entered, it slowly disappeared into thin air. The man in black witnessed this with a satisfied smile on his face.
The old man’s attack suddenly reached him, but the man didn’t defend against it as a burst of black light slowly dispersed from his Dantian.
The old man’s expression changed. He stopped his attack and quickly retreated. He pulled up Lin Zizheng behind him and shouted, “Get out now, he’s going to self-explode.”
Boom!
The surrounding space twisted and torn apart. A rich black gas covered the whole atmosphere, and everything in it turned to ashes, disappearing into the air. In a stone chamber deep in the Tomb Palace, the air warped suddenly and a figure stepped out of thin air.
Qin Mo stabilized his body and looked around. A portrait appeared in front of him.
The portrait depicted a ferocious evil spirit whose scarlet eyes were fixed on him. Even though it was a non-living object, he felt strong malice from it.
“Hehehe, welcome to the Tomb Palace.” When his attention was focused on the portrait, a frightening voice suddenly came from behind him.
His body stiffened and slowly, he turned around to see a figure sitting on a praying mat in the center of the stone chamber. A dim crimson light emitted from the figure’s sight, which was fixed on him.
Translator(s): Teo Editor(s): Dark Proofer(s): Sarah
Chapter 70
When Qin Mo awoke again, he was disoriented for a moment, then immediately got up from the floor to survey his surroundings.
His eyebrows wrinkled. He remembered being in a stone chamber where he heard that strange noise, and suddenly, he lost consciousness. When he woke up, he appeared right here.
Looking at his current situation, it was most likely some prison. However, what was their purpose of capturing him? And what were the eerie shadows in the secret room and the picture on the wall?
“Qin Mo?” As he was pondering, a faintly familiar voice came from the side.
He turned and saw a familiar figure in the single cell next door.
“Old Man Wen?” Qin Mo’s tone carried a hint of doubt. It was unexpected to meet Old Man Wen here.
Old Man Wen’s clothes were messy and dirty. If not for his friendly face, Qin Mo might not have recognized him.
Old Man Wen had only thought the figure in the other cell looked familiar and asked hesitantly. But he didn’t expect the man to be really Qin Mo. When he heard Qin Mo’s voice, his face suddenly became difficult to look at. He grabbed the iron fence between the two cells with both hands and asked, “Why are you here?” Qin Mo didn’t reply where he stood as the lights in his eyes flickered. He didn’t know why he was here.
When Qin Mo didn’t reply, Old Man Wen sighed. As if remembering something, he sat on the ground in low spirits.
Watching the old man like this, Qin Mo narrowed his eyes. He looked around the simple and crude environment, then slowly opened his mouth, “What on earth is this place?”
“The is Tomb Palace’s Dark Prison.” Old Man Wen’s voice was low, a deep despair hidden in his tone.
As he heard this, Qin Mo walked several times around his cell. He looked ahead and gathered an invisible attack of nascent spiritual power, aiming for the iron railings before him. But when the attack hit, the nascent spiritual power suddenly disappeared into thin air.
Feeling the fluctuation of Qin Mo’s nascent spiritual energy in the air, the old man looked at him. He shook his head, “It’s no use. This Dark Prison was built particularly for nascent spiritual power users. The iron railings here have been specially handled. Once you’ve entered this place, there’s no chance to get out.”
“Really?” An unclear meaning sounded from Qin Mo, but he locked his gaze on the iron gate. There was a light shining in the depth of his pupils.
Even in danger, Qin Mo still carried his usual indifferent expression, not a trace of nervousness at all. When he saw him like this and thought about the reason he was caught, Old Man Wen impulsively blurted out, “I will teach you how to refine medicine.”
Qin Mo’s calm eyes shifted onto him, making Old Man Wen realize what he’d just said, but he didn’t regret it. He focused his sight on him with a persistence that Qin Mo had never seen before. Old Man Wen continued to ask, “How about it?” After a moment, Qin Mo finally nodded slowly, “Alright.” Then his eyebrows rose slightly upward and his eyes shone with a brilliant light. “I found your son in the Black Cavern.”
Thud!
The items that the old man had just scooped up fell to the ground again. He froze and stared at Qin Mo before he swallowed and carefully asked, “Really?”
Under Old Man Wen’s expecting gaze, Qin Mo gently nodded.
There was no light in the Dark Prison, so Qin Mo and Old Man Wen couldn’t feel the passage of time.
The old man was taken out of the prison once a day at a fixed time to make some prescribed medicines for the Tomb Palace. He once said that his strong level of refining medicine wasn’t a lie, otherwise, the Tomb Palace wouldn’t catch him to specifically refine medicine for them.
Every time he returned from the outside, the old man would be very weak and tired. But he was very serious about teaching Qin Mo how to refine medicine. Even if he wasn’t energetic enough, he would watch Qin Mo accomplish his daily task with his own eyes.
There were four main elements in the process. The first was to refine medicine with an array on the iron plate; the next was the grade of nascent stone used in refining; the third was the quality of the raw herb materials used, and the last was the refiner’s degree of nascent spiritual power control.
The array method had been lost in the Dark Tomb for a long time, and the old man only had a low-grade nascent stone with a limited amount of herbs. So Qin Mo could only improve the fourth point, which was the ability to control nascent spiritual power.
Fortunately, his poor talent in refining pills didn’t affect his ability to refine medicine. With the careful guidance of the old man and many days of practice, he managed to produce a variety of medicinal liquid.
After several days, Qin Mo felt that there were some faint improvements in his nascent spiritual power.
“Not bad.” Looking at the red medicinal liquid Qin Mo made, Old Man Wen nodded satisfactorily. He took out a small-brown booklet, and passed it to Qin Mo through the gap between the railings. There was a deep sorrow in his tone as he spoke, “Keep it. It’s from all of my years of experience. This is not much for what you have done.”
After receiving the thick booklet, the corner of Qin Mo’s lips curved up slightly, “Thank you.” After so many days of interaction, he already realized that the old man had a hard exterior with a soft heart.
In the distance, there was a movement in the silence. Picked up by the old man’s ears and he realized that it was time for his daily pick up. Looking at Qin Mo’s opposite of him, his expression changed slightly. But when Qin Mo noticed it, the expression returned to normal.
Suddenly he grinned and said in a solemn tone, “Today the Tomb Palace requested me to make some simple medicine liquid. You go with them and take it as an exercise.”
“Eh?” Retrieved the medicine liquid in his hand, tone filled Qin Mo’s tone. Although he didn’t know the reason, the Tomb Palace captured him. He didn’t think they would let him out.
In an instant, the old man understood Qin Mo’s thought. He extended his right hand, a jade bottle appeared in his hand. There was a kind of yellow liquid in it which constantly swirling from the hand movement.
There was a triumphant smile on his face, “I had unintentionally produced this special liquid, which has only one effect. To allow two people to take this liquid to exchange appearance for a certain period.”
Looking at the expression on Old Man Wen’s face, Qin Mo’s face remained unchanged. Without hesitation, he took the medicine liquid with his hand and drink it.
The old man laughed twice, apparently very satisfied with his initiative, and drink the liquid following Qin Mo’s movements.
A pale yellow light flashed through Qin Mo and the old man, and when the light slowly dissipated, the appearance of Qin Mo and Old Man Wen had changed.
Looking at the familiar and cold face opposite of him, Qin Mo reached out and touched his cheek, and sure enough, he found rough wrinkles. Looking at his clothes, which changed with his face.
“Old Man Wen, come out.” Following this roar, they heard heavy footsteps. Then two figures appeared. They are the people from the Tomb Palace that escort the old man out.
They looked at Qin Mo and Old Man Wen and had a moment of blank yet confused expression. At first, they felt vague that something was wrong, but they always disdained on paying attention to these people locked in the Dark Prison, so they didn’t think about this carefully.
One of them opened Qin Mo’s prison door and shouted, “Come out, time is up,”
Qin Mo paused his movement and saw the old man secretly nodded to him. He somewhat ignored the people from the Tomb Palace by straightening out his clothes, then went out of the house where he had been trapped for a long time.
“If you can get out of here, I hope you can take good care of Wen Qing.”
At that moment, Qin Mo turned around with Old Man Wen’s soft voice rang in his ears. The voice was wrapped in the old man’s nascent spirit power and spread to Qin Mo. The two people beside Qin Mo didn’t hear it. He paused his footsteps and furrowed his eyebrows tightly. He looked back at the old man with some doubts in his heart. Old Man Wen still smiled at him warmly. Qin Mo nodded back, maybe it was in his imagination.
With that in mind, Qin Mo followed the two men and continued forward.
After the three men, Old Man Wen watched Qin Mo’s retrieving back and slowly put away his smile. Qin Mo never saw the solemn expression on his face. After a long time, he sighed lowly and murmured. “This old man would not live long anyway.”
Maybe because it is the Dark Prison, but it is quiet throughout the way. Qin Mo also saw many others in prison. They crouched in the corner of their cell and looked at them with empty eyes. They were lost all hope for a life outside of their cell.
Seeing these people, Qin Mo felt pity but not sympathy If they lost all hope in themselves, then no one else could help them.
Once out of the Dark Prison, the two men led Qin Mo straight into a room and handed the materials to him, then they stopped paying any attention to him.
They sat in front of the door and chatted freely. Translator(s): Teo Editor(s): Dark