‘F*ck! What kind of a freak is he?
‘Why do I have to suffer such a heavy blow right when I come out of seclusion? Can’t they spare my old, weak heart?’ Taoist Master Qing Xu wailed internally.
Taoist Master Zhen Yang then told him about the relationship between Mao Mountain and Tang Hao.
“Thank you so much for taking care of my Mao mountain so many times, Fellow Cultivator Tang!”
Taoist Master Qing Xu grabbed Tang Hao’s hand and shook it emotionally.
Then, he said with some embarrassment, “This time, Mao Mountain has involved you and that villain must have set his eyes on you. We’ll have to deal with that villain as fast as we can, and he’ll have to be captured and sealed. Otherwise, there will be no limit to what he might do to innocent people!”
Tang Hao furrowed his brows and nodded.
It was indeed dangerous now that Wang Changsheng had regained his powers and targeted him.
Wang Changsheng might not know his identity now, but he would eventually find out about him in the future. When the time came, the people around him would be involved too, especially Sis Xiangyi.
“It’ll be difficult! My power is equal to his. In a one-on-one fight, neither of us can hope to beat the other.”
“If my senior brother comes out of seclusion, there will still be some hope. However, he is closer to his mortal limit. Even if he comes out, all will be in vain if he could not capture the villain.”
He sighed and continued, “Alright, all of you, don’t just stand there. Clean up the place. Fellow Cultivator Tang, you’re injured. Go up the mountain and recuperate. We’ll think about how to deal with that villain later.”
After that, he brought Tang Hao up the mountain.
The sky had already darkened.
After resting for a while, Tang Hao recovered quite a bit. At about nine o’clock, he gave Sis Xiangyi a call and informed her that he would not be going back for the next few days.
After putting down the phone, Tang Hao sat in front of the window. Suddenly, as if he remembered something, he picked up the phone again and called Qin Gang.
“What’s the matter, Brother-in-Law?”
“How’s the map? Have you found anything after so long?”
“Oh! About that, there’s a result! I’ve searched the Internet and got you the coordinates. I was going to tell you about it tomorrow!”
“Where is it?”
“It’s in the Kunlun Mountains. I’ll give you the coordinates!”
“OK!”
Qin Gang told him the longitude and latitude, and Tang Hao memorized it.
After hanging up the phone, Tang Hao took out the strange mirror and examined it carefully.
It was definitely a powerful Artifact. If he could explore the tomb, he might be able to find the missing parts.
Even if he guessed wrong and there were no missing parts, he should at least be able to find a way to use it.
There might be other gains too.
After he made up his mind, he stood up and went to the main hall to tell the Taoist masters about it.
He did not know what dangers he might face in the tomb. It would be if more people went along. As the saying went, “Strength comes with numbers!”
After Taoist Master Qing Xu heard that, he picked up Tang Hao’s strange mirror, examined it carefully, and said, “This is not an ordinary item! That tomb must have something supernatural to it as well.”
“Zhenyang and the rest of you, go with him. I’m in charge here. Don’t worry.” As he spoke, he pointed at the elderly Taoist masters.
“Yes, Elder!”
“There’s no time to lose. Let’s set off now!” Tang Hao said.
“But, your qi reserves…” Taoist Master Zhen Yang said hesitantly.
“It’s fine. It’ll be fully replenished by the time we reach there,” Tang Hao said.
Tang Hao was anxious. He had to eliminate that Wang villain before his identity was known. Otherwise, he would definitely come to Westridge.
“Good to know. Let’s go!” Taoist Master Zhen Yang nodded and said.
Tang Hao contacted General Bai and asked him to arrange a military plane. Then, the group of twelve cultivators took advantage of the night to sneak out of Mao Mountain and rushed to an airbase.
From there, they flew directly to the west.
The next morning, they boarded helicopters and flew toward the Kunlun Mountains.
In the high sky, the wind whistled.
Several helicopters flew past like falcons.
The view below was majestic and awe-inspiring.
The mountain range stretched endlessly like a slumbering dragon.
Soon, they arrived at their destination.
“Look over there, Fellow Cultivator Tang.” Taoist Master Zhen Yang raised his hand and pointed at a place below.
Tang Hao looked over and saw an immense sinkhole.
“That’s it!” Tang Hao said.
The helicopters descended and the group jumped off, after which the helicopters left.
After checking their equipment one last time, the group went to the side of the sinkhole and looked down.
“It’s at least two or three hundred meters deep!” Taoist Master Zhen Yang said.
“Be careful, everyone! Now, let’s go!” Tang Hao said and jumped down first.
At the bottom of the sinkhole was a patch of jagged and strange rock. Tang Hao looked around and found a tunnel.
The tunnel sloped downward as if it was leading to the netherworld. Along the way, they encountered many threats such as corpse beetles.
However, those things would not be a threat to cultivators.
If the earlier group of dirt skimmers could go into the tomb and retrieve the mirror, it proved that the tunnel was relatively safe.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, they finally arrived at the end of the tunnel.
The narrow suddenly opened up into a vast cavern. They could even see a palace not far away.
“Wow! How extravagant!” Taoist Master Zhen Yang exclaimed.
Tang Hao was also speechless. He could not imagine that someone built such a huge palace so deep in the ground.
Be careful!” Tang Hao warned as he led the way.
The eyes of the Taoist masters lit up when they went nearer to the palace.
“Wow, look! the bricks, the roof tiles, and that bronze lamp are all antiques! It’s all worth a lot of money!”
“And that cauldron too. They’re all antiques!”
Then, they all looked at Tang Hao.
“What? You’re not sparing those?” Tang Hao was surprised.
The elderly Taoist masters nodded as their eyes sparkled. “We must carry forward the spirit of frugality. We can’t waste a single cent.”
“Fine, fine. Let’s take them all!”
Tang Hao nodded helplessly.
The people swept over their path like a tornado. All the tiles and bricks were torn down and taken apart, and not a scrap was left.
Soon, they arrived at the central chamber of the palace.
Everyone was stunned by what they saw.
A coffin with elaborate ancient carved patterns was placed in the center of the chamber. Above it, a ball of light floated and emitted a blazing brilliance.
Surrounding the coffin were nine golden pillars, upon which dragons were carved.
“F*ck, this is bad news!” One of the Taoist masters exclaimed.
“What’s wrong?” Tang Hao asked.
“This is the Nine Dragons Subdual Formation. Look, the nine dragon pillars are drawing qi from the leylines to suppress whatever’s inside the coffin. And there’s that.”
He pointed at the ball of light.
“That’s a mirror!”
Tang Hao’s expression changed slightly. He focused his gaze and saw that there was indeed a mirror floating within the ball of light.
However, that mirror was completely white.
“A black mirror and a white mirror. Could they be halves of a complete set?” Tang Hao wondered.
“It should be!” Taoist Maser Zhen Yang said.
The cultivators furrowed their brows.
If there was a subdual formation, it meant that something sinister was inside the coffin. What if they broke the formation and released the thing inside?
“What should we do now, Brother Tang? Should we go for it?” The Taoist masters looked at Tang Hao eagerly.
Tang Hao hesitated.
After a long time, he made up his mind. “We’ll go for it! Whatever evil might be inside, it should be dead after so long.”
“That’s true!”
The Taoist masters nodded, and their eyes sparkled again. They were almost drooling as they looked at the nine pillars.
“The pillars aren’t made of ordinary metal. That’s Kunlun steel! It’s a high-quality material for crafting Artifacts! It’s almost impossible to find it in modern times, but there’s so much of it here. We’re rich!”
“Tear them down and bring them back!”
“Don’t worry, Fellow Cultivator Tang, everyone gets a share. You can take half of everything here.”
Immediately, the Taoist masters rushed forward and began to tear down the pillars.
Tang Hao went forward and took the mirror.
Just as he did that, the coffin suddenly trembled and shook violently.
Then, the pillars collapsed one by one.
The coffin began to shake violently as if something was pushing its way out.
Tang Hao was stunned, and so were the Taoist masters.
“F*ck! It’s not dead yet!”
The Taoist masters quickly moved into formation and prepared to fight.
Tang Hao took a step back and took out the black mirror at the same time.
Instantly, the two mirrors vibrated at the same time. Then, they flew out of his hands and crashed into each other in mid-air, instantly fusing into a single mirror.
The mirror looked totally different after the fusion.
It seemed ancient and unassuming. Mountains, rivers, and various birds and beasts were carved on its surface, giving it a sense of boundlessness.
“So, that’s it?” Tang Hao was stunned.
At that moment, the coffin trembled violently, and the lid flew away. A withered corpse with a skeletal face rushed out.
Everyone was startled, and they reflexively took a step back.
However, upon closer inspection, they realized that the animated corpse’s cultivation base was not too strong. He was probably at the peak of the State of Qi Channeling.
The group was immediately amused.
“Wait, should we let him speak first? At least tell us what era he’s from!”
“F*ck no! I’m not interested in his private life! I’m only here for treasure!”
“That’s right. Strike first and gain the upper hand!”
After a brief discussion, they took out talismans and attacked.
After being sealed for thousands of years, the poor withered corpse was blasted into bits without the chance to say a word.
After confirming that the fellow was completely dead, Tang Hao and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
Next, they tore down the pillars and even the coffin.
They continued to plunder as though they were going to tear down the entire palace.
They encountered many zombies and malicious ghosts within the palace. No wonder the dirt-skimmers had suffered heavy casualties back then.
“Nice!”
The Taoist masters were extremely satisfied as they returned to the surface.
It was a massive haul. The Kunlun steel pillars Kunlun was already more than worth the trip.
Tang Hao was also very satisfied.
After the two mirrors fused into a brand new mirror, he found that he could activate it. However, he could feel that the mirror was different from the other Artifacts. With his cultivation base, he could only activate it once or twice at most.
However, the power it released would definitely be amazing.
“Let’s go!”
Tang Hao called for a helicopter, and they returned to Mao Mountain.
