Chapter 109: The Grave Mound

Liang Yan felt a surge of joy as his cultivation was restored. Turning his head, he watched as figures leaped out of the cyan stone gate one after another. In a short time, all the cultivators who had entered the formation had passed through.

Just like Liang Yan, these people saw their cultivation levels climb rapidly the moment they stepped past the massive stone gate, recovering to their original realms in the blink of an eye.

Liang Yan cast a glance at Yun Xuzi and, seeing that he had returned to the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, could not help but whisper to himself, "What a pity!"

However, he quickly gathered his thoughts and looked around.

They were in a peach blossom forest. The surroundings were a sea of pink, and a small path wound its way from their feet, snaking deep into the grove.

"Wonderful! A peach blossom hermitage in a peach blossom garden; a peach blossom immortal in the peach blossom hermitage. The peach immortal is as beautiful as the Seventh Fairy; when shall I see the peach immortal again!"

Just then, someone behind him began to recite poetry. Liang Yan knew without turning around that it must be Ji Lai.

"I never expected that there would be such a hidden world behind the Gate of Misfortune. I wonder if we are still at the bottom of that great lake?" the Crane Matron remarked slowly as she scanned the surroundings.

"Haha, why worry about that? We came here to hunt for treasure, not to go sightseeing. This monk will take his leave first!" The Smiling Monk let out a hearty laugh, hoisted the young monk on his shoulder, and prepared to use an escape technique to soar into the air.

However, as he formed the hand seals, the earthy-yellow glow of his escape technique flickered and vanished instantly; there was no reaction at all!

"Eh?" The Smiling Monk exclaimed in surprise. "There is a flight restriction here!"

The Foundation Establishment cultivators all changed color at these words and rushed to form seals to execute their own escape techniques. Sure enough, the light around everyone flickered and died; none of them could fly.

"It seems we have no choice but to follow this path and see what lies ahead," Qin Yuan said, taking the lead. Being alone, he had no baggage to worry about.

Yun Xuzi cast a sidelong glance at Liang Yan, his eyes filled with contemplation. After a long silence, he finally spoke: "Follow me on this journey. As long as you serve me with all your heart, I will not treat you unfairly."

Liang Yan felt a chill in his heart but nodded. "I shall follow your instructions, Daoist."

Yun Xuzi looked quite satisfied. With a flick of his large sleeves, he turned and walked onto the peach blossom path.

Everyone walked together. Although the place was strange, it seemed devoid of immediate danger. After traveling along the path for about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a clearing several dozen feet across.

Liang Yan scanned the area and saw a tombstone in the center of the clearing, completely blank with no inscriptions. In front of the tombstone were three offering plates, each holding an ancient mirror, a small bell, and an inkstone.

These three items radiated spiritual light; they were rare, top-tier spiritual artifacts!

Spiritual artifacts are divided into four grades: low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and top-tier. Theoretically, ordinary Qi Refining cultivators can only wield low and mid-grade artifacts, while Foundation Establishment cultivators can handle high-grade and top-tier ones.

The five sect masters present were all at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, and the Crane Matron and Daoist Dog were at the late stage, so they naturally possessed top-tier artifacts. However, no one would turn down such treasures. Seeing these three items right before them, everyone’s expression turned feverish.

The Smiling Monk laughed first and sprinted toward the ancient mirror. At the same time, he flicked his left hand, and a begging bowl flew out from his storage ring. It spun in mid-air, spewing a vast expanse of yellow mist that blocked the path behind him.

Almost the moment the monk dashed forward, Qin Yuan and Yun Xuzi moved as well. Both remained silent, moving left and right toward the inkstone and the bell, respectively.

The others were a beat slower, but they soon recovered. The Crane Matron roared, "You thieving monk!" and sped off in pursuit.

However, the moment she moved, the yellow mist in the air swirled toward her. A look of caution appeared on her face as she formed seals, raising a white halo of light in front of her before charging ahead.

As soon as she stepped into the yellow mist, she felt her spiritual power circulation slow down, causing her speed to drop slightly. Although her white halo neutralized most of the effect, in a battle between peers, such a delay was fatal!

In that split second of hesitation, the Smiling Monk had already reached the ancient mirror. With a grin, he scooped it up and tucked it into his robes.

"Thieving monk, hand over the artifact!" the Crane Matron shouted, filled with resentment.

"Haha, heaven-sent treasures belong to those with affinity. This mirror has an affinity with me, so it chose its master. There is nothing I can do!"

"Nonsense!" The Crane Matron’s face turned livid. She waved her right sleeve, and a black light shot out, landing on the ground.

It was a coffin made of black sandalwood!

With a gloomy expression, she formed rapid hand seals. With a loud "bang," the lid of the coffin was blown off, and a brownish figure soared into the sky, landing between her and the Smiling Monk.

The figure was muscular and powerful, its entire body a bronze-brown color, resembling a bronze statue.

"The path of corpse refinement: gold, silver, bronze, iron... tsk tsk, this bronze corpse is truly extraordinary!"

Though the Smiling Monk sighed in admiration, there was little fear on his face. Instead, he chuckled, "It’s a pity that while others might fear your bronze corpse, this monk does not! What? Does the benefactor wish to trade a few blows with me?"

The Crane Matron did not answer, merely staring coldly at the Smiling Monk, seemingly waiting for an opening.

Meanwhile, Qin Yuan and Yun Xuzi had secured the inkstone and the bell. Li Zheng and Meng Qi had also been a step too slow, losing the initiative.

Li Zheng now stood before Qin Yuan, while Meng Qi confronted Yun Xuzi. The atmosphere in the clearing became tense, ready to snap at any moment.

Liang Yan watched from the sidelines. He knew his own strength was meager; it was impossible to snatch an artifact from these people, and he had no intention of being the first to die.

Seeing these cultivators, who had worked together to break through the formation just moments ago, now ready to fight to the death, he could not help but want to laugh.

He scanned the group. Aside from the deceased Zhao Wuming, the seven sect masters were all confronting each other over the artifacts in front of the tombstone. Only Daoist Dog stood to the side with his hands behind his back, looking as if the matter had nothing to do with him. Liang Yan found this strange.

Curious, Liang Yan secretly circulated his "Hunhun Gong." He saw Daoist Dog shake his head slightly and sigh in a low voice:

"Have you not heard that even in the secular world, there is the story of 'two peaches killing three warriors'? It seems those who walk the path of cultivation are no exception."

Hearing this, Liang Yan was even more confused. They had gone through so much trouble to break the formation for these treasures. Now that the treasures were here, the Dog-Daoist’s tone suggested he had no intention of competing for them. It was truly bizarre.

"Could there be another mystery here?"

With this thought, Liang Yan looked around. The peach blossom forest had reached its end; ahead lay a sheer mountain wall, leaving no path forward.