Chapter 400: Tomb Robbery (Request for Monthly Votes)
"Boom!"
Outside the ancient tomb, the loud explosion raised dust, and a group of figures dressed in the fashion of the Republic of China were taking cover behind shelters, softly coughing while they waved their hands to disperse the smoke-filled air.
It was midday, and although the scorching sun was obscured by the dense forest, the heat brought by the humid air was even more uncomfortable than the blazing sun itself.
"I see the entrance to the tomb!"
Upon this exclamation, the youth in military attire hurried towards the direction of the entrance, not forgetting to look back, "Old Black Dog, make sure we've got the right place."
"Okay."
The man in gray with a stubbly beard pulled a piece of black cloth from his bag and spread it out, revealing a bloody red Zhouyi Map.
Tai Chi and Yin-Yang, the eight trigrams.
On the map, a tiny mouse was crawling forward.
Old Black Dog, the man addressed, stared intently at the blood-red cloth, his gaze following the mouse's movements, quickly memorizing everything he saw and, astonishingly, mentally calculating its significance in various combinations and permutations.
"Trouble three, Pit twenty-nine, Adversity thirty-nine, Marsh forty-seven."
Old Black Dog's complexion changed dramatically in an instant, and he looked towards the man in military attire with horror, his voice trembling, "One water is already a great misfortune, now with the presence of four, it is rarely seen in this world."
"What does the divination say?"
The military man clearly trusted Old Black Dog a lot and wanted to hear the result of his divination.
"Water like roiling waves brings bumps and falls; as one wave settles, thunderous mountains of trouble arise; by the dried lake's edge, trapped soil surrounds the parched waters, and the rushing stream unseen warns against climbing the mountain."
"Great misfortune!"
Old Black Dog was about to stand up when suddenly, with a 'pop', the mouse crawling on the map exploded, causing him to gasp in shock, "A land of great misfortune like never seen before!"
"It can't be wrong here."
The white-haired female in Taoist robes spoke up, "This place is extremely rich in Yang energy; nobody would choose to bury a tomb here, yet here lies such great misfortune."
"Opposites beget!"
A spot of extreme Yang on the surface, below must be extreme Yin.
"We have found the place; this must be the source of the calamity."
The Taoist-robed woman was the Supreme Sect Leader of the Zhengyi Sect, known by the Taoist name Yunxiao, and she was also the Transcendent Level peak powerhouse that Bailuo had sensed.
An impressive practitioner who managed to live over a hundred years on the Lower Tier, solely through her remarkable innate gifts.
"If Senior Yunxiao says so, it must be here."
The burly man had a rough appearance and a voice like a tolling bell, but the muscles bulging beneath his clothing spoke silently of his extraordinariness.
Unlike Yunxiao, the burly man named Li Zhen, was a Martial Arts Grandmaster. Even the so-called invulnerable zombies could not withstand a single punch from him.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Li Zhen shouted, "Let's go down and tear this place apart, flip the old bones's coffin upside down, and if he's turned to ash, let's scatter him a bit more."
"Be careful, Brother Li."
Among the group, there was only one Transcendent, and three Extraordinary individuals, one of whom was Li Zhen.
The remaining two were Daoist Lin from Maoshan, and the present Celestial Master Zhang from the Dragon Tiger Mountain.
"What's beneath is not simple."
Daoist Lin said, "I communicated with the Underworld yesterday, and the Yin God was moved, specially transmitting a Geomantic Map of the Underground Palace."
"Which Yin God?"
At the level of Yunxiao, she could sense some things that ordinary people could not, such as the faint Underworld outside this world.
However, as far as Yunxiao knew, the Yin Gods in the Underworld were no easy beings to deal with, and they were not much better than the Evil Gods.
Therefore, Yunxiao really wanted to know, the Underworld ruler that Daoist Lin spoke of, was it an Evil Ghost or something else.
"Show me the map."
Yunxiao took the map that Daoist Lin handed over, she also knew a bit about Feng Shui and Geomancy, and with just a glance, she could tell that the map was no fake.
"The real deal, and this Underground Palace is truly too complex."
Yunxiao was amazed in her heart, "Who on earth built such a palace in a place like this, could it be that there were indeed gods and devils in ancient times?"
About a hundred years ago, the first Zombie mysteriously appeared from somewhere.
No one knew where it came from, nor did they understand what this bizarre creature really was.
This world had been invaded by Dimensional Creatures in ancient times, leaving behind some legacies that allowed individuals of extraordinary talent to harness the mysterious Dimensional Power.
Both Yunxiao and Li Zhen present were bearers of the power of Taoist magic and martial arts.
"It's very likely that it was indeed a devil from ancient times."
Daoist Lin said, "Our Maoshan has had the secret Zombie expelling techniques since ancient times, but you all know, it's just a trick, stimulating acupoints with Mana to make them walk again."
In this world, Maoshan did not have the spell to create Zombies; the so-called Zombies were creatures bred from the Yin energy in tombs and Underground Palaces.
The Corpse Bride was not the creator of Zombies, as 'Underground Palace miracles' had existed before her, though they had fallen.
However, the Zombies cultivated by the Corpse Bride were completely different from those bred with Dimensional Power through resentment; the gap between them was colossal.
In simple terms, the latter were very weak, almost incapable of change, while the former were evolving at an incredibly fast rate.
"Are these the people you sent over?" Read latest stories on My Virtual Library Empire
Just a few dozen individuals, both Ying Muyao and Mu Yunji didn't need to make any judgement, a casual sense of these people's condition had already given them clarity.
Compared to the composure of Ying Muyao, Mu Yunji had fewer interactions with Fengdu, and was not as familiar with him.
"Their strength seems a bit weak."
Mu Yunji thought Fengdu was being too presumptuous, "Your target is prepared a hundred times more than you, are you giving up already?"
"Female Sword Emperor, there are always two sides to everything."
Fengdu, no longer dressed as White Impermanence, was now clad in dark imperial robes and wearing a crown, decidedly appearing as the ruler of the Underworld, "In the battle of miracles, with this level of intensity, a clash between two Heroic Level individuals might shatter it."
This was why Fengdu and the Corpse Bride didn't send their own subjects, but rather improvised with materials on hand by choosing the indigenous beings from this plane.
It was too fragile to withstand their meddling.
"But if it's just with the local forces," Fengdu continued, "she has been developing for hundreds of years, while I've only entered this place a few decades ago, far from being her match."
So Fengdu was clever, choosing not to engage in what is called war.
Otherwise, if the Corpse Bride released the millions of Zombies she had stored in this world, Fengdu felt, it seemed there would be no need to fight, and it would be more straightforward to just surrender.
"Is it that map?"
Ying Muyao identified the key point at a glance, the Geomantic Map of the Underground Palace that Fengdu gave to Daoist Lin; that was Fengdu's source of confidence.
"Big sister, worthy of being the big sister."
Fengdu saluted Ying Muyao, smilingly saying, "I beseech you two Female Emperors to use the Ghost Immortal Spirit Bodies I've prepared for you, and enjoy this little adventure."