Chapter 186 : Gathering of Experts
Chapter 186: Gathering of Experts
On the other side of the Chen Residence, Tao Zhiquan, who was sitting in the courtyard smoking a dry tobacco pipe, slowly raised his head when he heard the call, and looked in the direction of the voice with a somewhat dazed expression.
A moment later, his granddaughter Tao Fang ran out, asking excitedly, “Grandfather, has the False Tomb been opened?”
The legend of the Eternal Life Emperor’s False Tomb had circulated for thousands of years. It held immense allure for everyone.
Tao Zhiquan shook his head, indicating he wasn’t sure.
Tao Fang asked again, “Grandfather, will that thief show up?”
“He definitely will.”
This time, Tao Zhiquan’s tone was very firm.
…
“They're here!”
In a luxurious garden within the city, Jiang Shihua lifted his head excitedly and looked toward the source of the sound. “Sixth Great-Uncle, is this—”
As he turned his head, he found that Sixth Great-Uncle was already gone.
“Where is he?”
Standing nearby, Uncle Fu replied, “He already rushed over.”
“Sigh!”
Jiang Shihua felt somewhat frustrated. He had wanted to ask Sixth Great-Uncle to take him to witness the event. After all, this was the Eternal Life Emperor’s False Tomb—surely experts would be gathering.
Unfortunately, Sixth Great-Uncle had no intention of bringing him along.
Uncle Fu reminded him, “Young Master, this place is not safe to stay in for long.”
Jiang Shihua naturally understood how dangerous this place was. Without Sixth Great-Uncle by his side, he couldn’t guarantee his safety if he stayed. So he stood up and said, “Let’s go.”
…
The entire Qingfeng City descended into chaos amid the repeated cries of “Chen Ming, come quickly.”
People like Jiang Shihua, who had self-awareness, were already packing up and fleeing.
Meanwhile, a large group of martial artists seeking fortune in danger were rushing toward the source of the sound.
The majority left were clueless civilians, trying to figure out what was happening.
At this moment, outside the Sea-Calming King’s Mansion, over a hundred martial artists had gathered. They all stood one zhang away from the outer wall, none daring to step forward.
When Chen Ming arrived, carrying Yu Haitang in his arms, he immediately understood why no one dared approach.
As he got closer, he could feel a terrifying pressure enveloping the Sea-Calming King’s Mansion.
By the wall lay over a dozen corpses, without any visible injuries, appearing to have died peacefully.
These people must have died while trying to force their way in—a silent but deadly warning.
Chen Ming’s arrival drew many gazes, especially since he was carrying a woman in broad daylight, and at such a critical moment. Naturally, it caught people’s attention.
He ignored them and walked straight to the front gate, loudly calling out, “Senior Shang, I’m here.”
With a creak, the gate opened on its own.
At the same time, he felt the pressure ease and stepped inside.
Those outside, seeing this, wanted to follow. Ultimately, only the two fastest managed to enter. The rest, who were a moment too slow, died outside.
“Thanks, little brother.”
One of them thanked Chen Ming after entering and then sped ahead to explore the interior.
…
After entering the Sea-Calming King’s Mansion, Chen Ming felt a strange heaviness in his heart. He suddenly looked down at Yu Haitang and said, “If anything happens to me, please take care of my family.”
Yu Haitang replied, “What makes you think that if you die, I’ll survive?”
“I know you're no ordinary person. Since you dared to come, you must have confidence.”
“Even so, why should I take care of your family?”
“…I was presumptuous.”
Chen Ming said no more and continued walking toward where Senior Shang was.
Seeing his demeanor, Yu Haitang felt a tinge of regret in her heart. What she wanted to ask was, “What am I to you?” But when the words reached her lips, they turned into something else.
As the courtyard drew nearer, she suddenly said, “You’re not allowed to die.”
Chen Ming replied, “If I can help it, of course I don’t want to die.”
After speaking, he stepped into the courtyard.
As expected, many people were already inside.
The most eye-catching was a middle-aged man in a bright red robe—the official uniform of the Six Doors Authority. He must be the Red Robe of the Six Doors Authority.
Beside him stood a radiant young woman in palace attire, exuding natural nobility.
Nearby were three Third Grade Inspectors in golden robes—Zhao Shouchang was among them.
What shocked Chen Ming the most was the green-robed Seventh Grade Patrol Envoy nearby—Zhuang Xiaotian.
“What is he doing here?”
…
The second group also had familiar faces—Madam Yu was there, with a heroic man standing beside her, likely Ling Qiyang, Sect Master of the Cangyue Sect.
Aside from the two, there was also a white-haired elder.
When Madam Yu saw Chen Ming and Yu Haitang, she was quite surprised, but her composure was deep, and she managed to hold back from calling out.
The third group consisted of several black-clad individuals, exuding a very unpleasant aura.
The leader was tall, with crimson eyes that sent a chill down Chen Ming’s spine with just a glance.
Blood Demon Sect!
He was very familiar with that aura—after all, he had seen part of the 《Blood Demon Scripture》. He immediately recognized where these people were from.
“If it’s the Blood Demon Sect, could he be here too?”
Chen Ming instantly thought of Deng Ziyang. With a sweeping glance, he noticed one person whose figure resembled Deng Ziyang’s.
However, that person’s cold gaze made it hard for Chen Ming to be certain.
…
While Chen Ming was observing the people present, they were also scrutinizing him and the woman in his arms.
One elder, with hair and beard standing on end, loudly said, “Shang Jianfei, Yuan Zhixing, this little fellow is the one you’re all waiting for? His cultivation is a bit weak, but his conduct rather reminds me of myself in my youth.”
An old woman holding a dragon-head cane snorted, “Rash and shameless, ruining a woman’s purity. He deserves death!”
Clearly, the old woman had past grievances with the elder.
But no one knew who these two were.
There were seven groups in total. It was obvious that a terrifying melee was imminent.
As a mere Fourth Grade Martial Artist, how could he possibly survive such a situation?
That was the question.
Finally, Shang Jianfei’s voice rang out, “Chen Ming, come over here.”
The voice came from inside the house.
Under the gaze of all seven groups, Chen Ming, carrying Yu Haitang, walked step by step toward the door he had once entered before.
Even as he walked into the room, no one made a move to stop him.
At the deepest part of the room, Shang Jianfei sat facing a white-robed, handsome middle-aged man. Around them circled two strands of power—one blue, one white.
Indeed, it was magic power.
It was said that once a martial artist broke through to the Divine Repository Realm, their Gang Origin would transform into magic power, granting them incredible, supernatural abilities.
That white-robed middle-aged man must be Su Zhi Ning’s master. From what the white-haired elder said earlier, he seemed to be called Yuan Zhixing.
Chen Ming was slightly surprised. “Wasn’t he a First Grade? When did he break through to the Divine Repository Realm?”
He said, “Senior Shang, I’ve come to fulfill the promise I made—with you back then.”
He nearly said “back in the day,” though it hadn’t even been a full year since he made the promise to Shang Jianfei.
Shang Jianfei opened his eyes and looked at him with a complicated gaze. “You really surprise me. You’ve reached Fourth Grade so quickly.”
Chen Ming had heard this too many times to feel anything. He replied, “What does Senior want me to do?”
Shang Jianfei’s expression turned solemn. “Do you know that beneath the Sea-Calming King’s Mansion lies a massive fire vein? Once awakened, lava will erupt from underground and engulf the entire Qingfeng City.
“Originally, this fire vein was sealed with immense magic power. But something went wrong back then, and the seal began to loosen. This sin was caused by me. So I’ve stayed here all these years, doing my best to delay the fire vein’s eruption, to avoid mass destruction.”
Hearing this, Chen Ming couldn’t help but suck in a breath. To be honest, this was beyond what he had imagined.
So it turned out Shang Jianfei wasn’t just a love-struck fool—he had a compassionate heart, using over twenty years to suppress the fire vein alone.
Then again, why build a city on top of a volcano?
Shang Jianfei continued, “However, since the beginning of this year, the fire vein has become more active and harder to suppress. Even with Brother Yuan here, the two of us together can barely manage.”
Chen Ming asked in confusion, “If even seniors like you are struggling, what can a low-level martial artist like me do?”
Yuan Zhixing replied, “Have you heard of the Eternal Life False Tomb?”
He nodded. “I’ve heard a little.”
Yuan Zhixing said, “Back then, it was the Eternal Life Emperor who used great magic power to seal the fire vein, and ordered a family to guard it for generations. That family’s cultivation method was precisely the 《Blazing Sun Divine Art》 you now practice. Later, the family inevitably declined, and the secret leaked. Eventually, it fell into the hands of the Sea-Calming King.
“It turns out that the Eternal Life Emperor used a cave dwelling to seal the fire vein, continuously absorbing its power and converting it into pure fire essence. After ten thousand years, the fire vein’s power would be completely dissipated.
“There’s a key detail: someone must enter the cave dwelling at intervals to retrieve the condensed fire essence. But after the last person who mastered the 《Blazing Sun Divine Art》 died more than twenty years ago, no one has entered the cave since.”
Hearing this, Chen Ming finally understood. “So, the two seniors want me to go into the cave and retrieve the fire essence?”
Shang Jianfei nodded. “That’s right. As long as the fire essence is extracted and condensed into a Fire Essence Pearl, the cave can continue functioning and absorbing the fire vein’s power. The crisis will be resolved.”
Chen Ming said, “I’m afraid it’s not that simple. All those people outside came for the key to the Eternal Life Emperor’s False Tomb. If they don’t find it, they won’t let it go.”
Shang Jianfei replied, “That key is inside the cave. If they want it, let them try to take it.”
Chen Ming asked curiously, “Why are you so sure the key is still in the cave? Even if the Sea-Calming King didn’t take it, couldn’t someone from that old family have taken it back then?”