Chapter 1227: Chapter 368: What an Old Emperor, What a Xuanyuan Chong! (6k)
Underneath a gloomy sky, a desolate cemetery was shrouded in thick deathly air.
Occasionally, a gust of cold wind would sweep by, stirring the deathly air.
Faintly, deteriorating stone tablets and the contours of collapsed halls were revealed, resembling a netherworld forgotten by time.
At the entrance of the ancestral land, five royal guards clad in dark golden armor were leisurely leaning against a mottled stone tablet.
Their regulation long halberds were casually planted in the cracked ground, with fine dust already layering the blades.
At this moment, they were casually chatting.
"This ghastly duty, guarding for decades without seeing even a ghost shadow."
The guard surnamed Liu, with a face full of stubble, spat fiercely and kicked a piece of blue-gray stone far away.
"Shh!" The older guard surnamed Sun lowered his voice, a hint of caution in his cloudy eyes.
"After all, it’s the royal family’s ancestral land; isn’t it better that no one comes? This is a stable job, both leisurely and undisturbed."
The lean guard surnamed Li grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: "Elder Sun makes a good point. I think this place is nice, the salary is promptly paid, and there’s no worry about being interrupted during cultivation."
"It’s true there’s no disturbance," the youngest guard surnamed Wang sighed, "but also no guidance. If it keeps up like this, when will we ever break through to Nascent Soul?"
...
While a few were chatting idly, none noticed the enigmatic twist in the deathly air at the edge of the ancestral land.
"Whoosh—"
Two figures emerged quietly from the void, like ghosts, behind a broken wall.
Zhou Qing surveyed the scene before them, frowning deeply behind the mask: "This place is..."
Sikong Yan breathed deeply, a sickly fascination gleaming in his eyes beneath the mask: "Such a familiar scent... I’m finally back again."
Seeing Zhou Qing’s puzzled gaze, he had to explain quietly: "This place is just like the Cangyan Daoist Palace Ancestral Land your third senior brother Yan Xiaohu unearthed during the Five Sects battle years ago."
"Let’s stay on topic," Zhou Qing interrupted coldly.
Sikong Yan chuckled lightly: "Still protective, I see. Alright, although this place lies in the inner city, it was the royal cemetery of the Holy Martial Dynasty when it was still a third-level cultivation country."
"Three thousand years ago, after Xuanyuan Chong broke through Spirit Slash, a Dynasty Alliance envoy came, and everything here was moved to a better feng shui land."
"So..." Zhou Qing’s gaze sharpened.
"So despite its ruined appearance, it actually hides secrets," Sikong Yan looked meaningfully into Zhou Qing’s eyes.
"Last time, when breaching the Nangong Family’s inner vault, I noticed your blood-colored heavy pupils were unusual. Now, why not use them to look deep into this deathly air..."
Zhou Qing remained silent, only casting a cold glance.
Then, his gaze turned forward, and the originally pitch-black pupils split instantly, transforming into a pair of eerie blood-colored heavy pupils.
His vision penetrated layers of deathly air, discovering black, white, red, and cyan evil qi intertwined into an array, quietly hidden within.
"Four-color Array?" Zhou Qing’s pupils contracted slightly.
Sikong Yan’s eyes flashed with brilliance: "You can actually see through it? Your double pupils..."
He leaned in with interest, "Is it a cultivated Divine Technique, or... unearthed from some ancient tomb?"
Zhou Qing swept a cold glance, his expression beneath the mask growing more vigilant.
This assistance, he was always wary of this madman.
If not for the chance to refresh the [Random Sticker], he wouldn’t have waded into these murky waters.
After all, the Old Emperor’s Spirit Slash secret formula wasn’t even here.
Your so-called ’certainty’ is just wishful thinking.
The Xuanyuan Family’s ways are always cunning.
This ancestral land before them was undoubtedly just another bait laid by their meticulous arrangement.
Once you break the array and complete the [Friendship Sticker], I’ll withdraw immediately.
Being stared at by Zhou Qing’s displeased gaze, Sikong Yan grinned: "Just joking with you."
Soon, his tone shifted, "This array is indeed the Four-color Array, obtained by Xuanyuan Chong from a Jiuli Dynasty auction back then."
"On the surface, it seems harmless as dead air, but it secretly harbors the capability to devour essence, especially bloodthirsty, even a Spirit Severing Realm, prolonged exposure could lead to being drained dry."
As he spoke, Sikong Yan shook his sleeve, and two ink-green cloaks shimmering with a bright green light appeared spontaneously.
The cloaks’ surface had dense wood spirit patterns flowing like water, exuding abundant vitality.
"Remember when you asked me about wood spirit stones? Back then, I feigned refusal but deliberately led you to break into the Nangong Family’s vault and the royal treasury..."
Saying this, he handed over one cloak, "And the wood attribute spirit stones I retained were prepared for today’s situation."
Zhou Qing took the cloak, feeling a rush of refreshing vitality coursing through his hand straight to the spirit platform, invigorating him greatly.
"All the wood attribute spirit stones I have were refined into this; I’ve even kept a few, which I intended to save for your array-breaking consumption, but..."
He glanced meaningfully at Zhou Qing’s waist storage bag: "Last time, in the royal treasury, I didn’t take a single wood spirit stone. By my reckoning, you should still have quite a few left?"
Zhou Qing’s brow twitched, a pang of hidden pain at his heart.
Those should have been his reward!
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, calculating gains and losses.
Though fifty wood spirit stones is a considerable number, what he gained from breaking into the Nangong Family’s vault and the royal treasury far exceeds it.
With this thought, a slight bitter smile tugged at the corner beneath his mask.
It’s a profitable deal after all.
Sikong Yan raised a brow, a hint of amusement in his gaze: "What’s wrong?"
"No problem." Zhou Qing slowly opened his eyes. "Let’s discuss the actual plan?"
Sikong Yan gently stroked the flowing wood spirit pattern on the cloak, speaking in a low voice: "Both cloaks are woven from thousand-year-old green silk and refined with dozens of top-grade wood attribute spirit stones."
