Chapter Thirteen: The Ancient Tomb of the Lord of the Underworld

After a long while, Su Fan rose to his feet and sighed. “I cannot return to my cave at the Tianyuan Sect for now. Moreover, my talents are mediocre and my cultivation weak; if Hong Yuan were to encounter me, she would surely kill me without mercy. With my current abilities, I would not be able to resist her. Since that ancient tomb holds Foundation Establishment Pills that could help me advance, it is worth the risk. Yet after so many years away, I should return home to see my mother.”

With this thought, Su Fan’s heart stirred, and he took flight toward his home. His cultivation had advanced again, and with the Five Elements Metal Technique aiding his flight, his speed was greater than ever. Soaring through the sky, Su Fan felt joy welling up within him.

Suddenly, Lan Yifeng’s disdainful voice came from the jade pendant, “Hmph, you youngster, truly unworldly. In my prime, I could travel ten thousand miles with a mere flick of my finger.”

Su Fan smiled and replied, “With such power, senior, why not come out and fly for yourself?” Lan Yifeng did not bicker, instead saying, “This trip to the ancient tomb will surely be perilous. I doubt that Ling Yuan has good intentions. You must remain vigilant. If you sense he means you harm, kill him without hesitation.”

Su Fan frowned at this and said, “Senior, you do not know Ling Yuan; how can you judge his intentions? Besides, taking a life lightly is the path of villains and scoundrels. For others, the cultivation path is not easy either; such actions cannot be justified.”

Lan Yifeng scolded him, “You know nothing of the cruel world of cultivation. It is a place where the strong prey on the weak, and a single misstep can spell disaster. With your temperament, you will not survive long in the cultivation world.”

Su Fan ignored him, changed his hand seals, and took to the skies again. Lan Yifeng could only sigh and fall silent.

Before long, Su Fan arrived at his village. Nothing had changed from before. He walked to the familiar courtyard gate, where the old locust tree still stood tall outside. Sweeping the courtyard with his divine sense, he saw a middle-aged woman sitting in the sun, murmuring to herself, “I feel that Fan’er will come home today. Yes, I just know he will.”

Her face was alight with a smile. This woman was Su Fan’s mother. Years of labor had left her looking even older. At the sight, Su Fan rushed into the yard and cried, “Mother, Fan’er has come home to see you!” With that, he threw himself at her side.

His mother hurried to embrace him, unable to hold back her tears, which traced the wrinkles of her face and fell to the ground like blossoming flowers. Yet through her tears she smiled, saying, “Fan’er, let’s go inside.” Supporting each other, they entered the house.

No one knew how long mother and son talked. Su Fan told her he was well at the academy and would soon take the imperial examinations.

Late at night, Su Fan knelt quietly by his mother’s bedside and kowtowed three times. She did not notice, for with his current cultivation, mortals could not perceive him if he wished to remain unseen. Finished, Su Fan rose and slipped out the door.

Three days later, Su Fan arrived at the appointed place and saw a young man in blue robes standing with his hands behind his back. When the youth saw him, he cupped his hands and smiled, “Daoist Su, I hope you have been well.”

Su Fan returned the gesture. “Daoist Ling, I will accompany you to explore the ancient tomb. Before we go, please tell me what makes this tomb so formidable.”

Ling Yuan glanced around before replying, “There’s no rush, Daoist friend. I am waiting for another companion. The three of us together will be safer.”

As he finished, a loud voice rang out in the distance, “Daoist Ling, sorry to keep you waiting!”

The newcomer was a burly man with a fierce face and a thick beard. Ling Yuan sent a mental message to Su Fan, “This is Hu Peng, chief disciple of Suo Rongcheng, leader of the Three Sovereigns Bandit Fort. He has already reached the Foundation Establishment stage. We must be cautious around him.”

Su Fan gave no outward reaction, thinking to himself, “Three Sovereigns Bandit Fort… I’ve heard that name before.” Hu Peng swept Su Fan with his divine sense but said nothing, aware of his superior cultivation.

Ling Yuan stepped forward to introduce, “Daoist Hu Peng, this is Daoist Su Fan, who will be joining us. The cultivation path is arduous. With such an opportunity, let us all go together. Whatever benefits we gain will depend on our own fate.”

Hu Peng gave Su Fan another look and said in a deep voice, “As you say, Daoist Ling. Now, would you please tell us about the ancient tomb?”

Ling Yuan replied, “Time is short. Let us talk as we travel.” With that, the three performed their hand seals and flew into the sky, heading toward the tomb.

Ling Yuan began his tale: “The tomb is called the Tomb of the King of the Underworld. Its owner was once a mere mortal, but driven by the pursuit of immortality, he sought out the great sects and was eventually accepted by a millennia-old order. There, he cultivated the Dao, and his power grew until he reached the late Core Formation stage, just a step away from Nascent Soul.

After leaving his sect, he saved the Zhou Kingdom from destruction several times. The emperor cherished him, showered him with treasures, and bestowed upon him the title ‘King of the Underworld.’ But at the height of his glory, he vanished mysteriously. Some say he failed his Nascent Soul breakthrough and perished; others claim he was chosen by immortals to ascend. But who in this world has truly seen immortals? To honor him, the King of Zhou built the tomb, filling it with treasures, including many Foundation Establishment Pills.

After the King of the Underworld was gone, Zhou fell without his protection, and the tomb was plundered. A hundred years have passed; the tomb lies in ruin, and few remember it now.”

At this, Hu Peng shouted, “Ling Yuan, if the tomb has already been emptied, are you making a fool of me? You owe me an explanation!” He began forming hand seals.

Su Fan remained outwardly calm, watching Ling Yuan.

Ling Yuan gave a bitter smile. “Please, Daoist Hu Peng, don’t be angry. Listen first. One day while I was cultivating in the tomb, I discovered faint traces of a formation in a hidden spot. I believe the tomb has more than one level, and the true treasure lies below.”

Hu Peng sneered, “Do you take me for a fool? With your mere Qi Refining cultivation, how could you detect the ripples of a formation?”

Ling Yuan replied, “You are unaware, Daoist Hu Peng. There were cultivators in my family, and they left behind books on formations. I have loved them since childhood and studied them after embarking on my path.”

Hu Peng snorted and fell silent. Ling Yuan sighed, “Let us continue then.” The three flew on in silence, each adjusting their state to be at their peak when they reached the tomb.

Su Fan quietly called out to Lan Yifeng in his jade pendant. “Senior Lan, I have not learned any useful techniques, nor do I have a weapon. How can I protect myself in that tomb?”

Lan Yifeng replied with disdain, “Techniques? Magic weapons? Those two brats are nothing—I could crush them a hundred times over with a single gesture.”

Su Fan sighed, “Senior, I lack your power. I am asking how to survive in the tomb, not how to deal with them.”

Lan Yifeng paused, coughed twice, and said, “In that case, I have no solution. Your cultivation is too low for my techniques, and my treasures vanished along with my storage pouch when I entered this place. But do not worry. If you are in danger, I will help you. I have no wish for you to die. If you were to die…”

Su Fan did not wait for him to finish, knowing what he meant, and withdrew his divine sense, focusing again on their flight.

Three days later, the trio landed at the edge of a dense forest, much like the place where Su Fan had once trained. Each wore a different expression—Su Fan’s was unreadable, Ling Yuan’s was filled with excitement, and Hu Peng’s was grave. From the moment he arrived, Hu Peng felt a sense of peril but was unwilling to turn back; he was about to fly into the forest when Ling Yuan grabbed his arm.

“Don’t be hasty, Daoist Hu Peng. There are many formations here. Though many have decayed or been damaged, some still remain, including ones that forbid flight. I saw with my own eyes a Foundation Establishment cultivator try to fly here; the moment he rose, a blast of fire fell and burned him to ashes.”

Hearing this, Su Fan thought to himself, “My experience is still shallow; I hadn’t realized that formations could be as powerful as divine abilities.”

Hu Peng shuddered and said quietly, “Then I leave it to you, Daoist Ling.”

Without another word, Ling Yuan led them on foot into the forest, Su Fan and Hu Peng following. They traveled for seven days without incident, though occasionally a beast would lunge from the undergrowth, only to be slain by a casual flick of Ling Yuan’s hand.

At length, Ling Yuan spoke quietly, “Friends, the road behind us was not dangerous as long as we were careful. The way ahead, however, is fraught with peril.”

Su Fan asked, “What dangers do you mean, Daoist Ling?”

Ling Yuan smiled slightly. “From here, the path is riddled with swamps. The slightest misstep will drag you into the mire to die. And it’s not just swamps—this place is crawling with monsters, venomous insects, and even the legendary spirit beasts.”

At the mention of spirit beasts, fear flashed in Hu Peng’s eyes. Even a single spirit beast would be equivalent to a Golden Core cultivator, able to kill the three of them in a heartbeat.

“But do not worry,” Ling Yuan continued. “I am familiar with this area. Unless something unexpected happens, the three of us can make it through together.”

Su Fan nodded with a smile. “Then we’ll follow your lead, Daoist Ling.”

And so, the three ventured deeper into the forest.