Chapter 1437: Chapter 534: Lotus Graveyard (Part 2)
The coffins had to be carried up to those famous mountains and great rivers; no matter how much money it cost to hire porters, they wouldn’t skimp on that.
At the time of burial, grave goods were a must—gold and silver treasures, calligraphy, paintings, celadon—whatever should be buried, had to be buried.
The construction of the tombs even more so had to be carved by master craftsmen; not to mention the overall grandeur of the cemetery, just the stone "tomb‑guarding beasts" in front of the graves were carved so finely that even their fur looked vividly lifelike.
And the graveyard where Zhou Xuan currently stood was set right in the midst of this splendor and wealth.
A graveyard like this had gold and treasure buried underneath; to keep common tomb‑robbers from eyeing it, they naturally had to hire specialists to watch over it.
This was Lotus Mountain, and the Tomb Guardians of the graveyard were hired with money by Lady Lianhua—three in total, all Daoists from the "Heavenly Eye Temple."
The moment Zhou Xuan appeared, the three Daoists of Heavenly Eye Temple showed themselves as well.
The leading Daoist was short in height and stocky in build, and had a nickname: "Old Cat."
Nicknames never come by mistake—Old Cat’s eyesight was excellent. When Zhou Xuan and Zhao Wuya entered the mountain, the "Heavenly Eye" in his palm had already seen that the qi in the mountain had changed.
It was just that his incense level was far too low to see the true forms of Zhao Wuya and Zhou Xuan.
Now that he saw Zhou Xuan, he naturally realized that this young man was the one who had just caused the great upheaval in the mountains.
He couldn’t help but click his tongue, thinking to himself, "This youngster’s beard hasn’t even fully grown, and he’s already cultivated such a Taoist depth? I’ve no idea what his background is."
Knowing how profound Zhou Xuan’s Taoist cultivation was, he naturally did not dare act arrogant. Faced with such an unfamiliar and formidable visitor, he led the other two Tomb Guardians forward, cupped his fists, and said respectfully, "Immortal Master before us, may I ask from which Taoist sect you hail?"
Zhou Xuan didn’t feel like playing word games, and directly reported his name: "Zhou Family’s Troupe of Ping Shui Prefecture, Young Master Zhou Xuan."
"Oh, so the Zhou Family’s Troupe has produced such a character."
Old Cat didn’t feel much at hearing the name "Zhou Xuan."
Knowing he lacked talent, he had long since given up on cultivation, spending his years guarding tombs in the mountains, earning some silver, and quietly enjoying the rest of his life.
Living in the mountains, cut off from the world, he naturally had no idea how great a storm Zhou Xuan had stirred up outside.
The version of cultivation he knew was long outdated, still stuck in the era from years ago when "the Zhou Family couldn’t produce high‑incense cultivators."
"I’ve heard that the Zhou Family’s Great Nuo is formidable—that at three or four sticks of incense, he can fight those five‑ or six‑stick incense masters to a draw. I wonder, Immortal Master, have you reached three or four sticks yet?"
"Which motherfucker are you insulting?"
Zhou Xuan was just about to answer when Zhao Wuya finally swept over wrapped in wind, and immediately bellowed, "Brother Xuan is the Zhou Family’s Nuo God, already at Seven Incense Sticks now. If he calls upon Nuoshen Qi Ji again, he can approach nine sticks of incense without limit."
"Nine sticks?"
Old Cat and the other two Tomb Guardians were so shocked their tongues almost tied themselves into knots.
For little disciples like them, the most powerful Tangkou expert they had ever seen in their lives was only at Six or Seven Incense Sticks; a Nine‑Incense master, to them, was no different from an Immortal.
And this young man approaching Nine Incense Sticks wasn’t just from some ordinary Tangkou—he was the Zhou Family’s Great Nuo.
"Has the curse that the Zhou Family’s Great Nuo can have no high‑incense cultivators been broken?" Old Cat muttered in his heart, but didn’t dare ask more.
For a man like that to kill him would be easier than stepping on an ant; if he provoked even a hint of impatience, he might bring death upon himself.
Zhou Xuan, however, didn’t put on any airs. He simply asked Old Cat, "Brother, what’s your surname and name?"
"Old Cat," Old Cat replied obediently.
"You all are the Tomb Guardians of this graveyard?" Zhou Xuan asked again.
"Yes, yes, just earning enough to fill our bellies," Old Cat replied again.
"I know there must be plenty of gold and silver in these coffins. I didn’t come this time for that gold and silver. Brother, don’t overthink it."
The moment Zhou Xuan said this, the three Tomb Guardians all let out a breath of relief.
But as soon as Old Cat relaxed, he cursed himself for being stupid—would a Nine‑Incense Immortal be greedy for the small change buried underground?
That was Nine Incense Sticks. For someone at that level, gold and silver had long since lost their value. However much they wanted, they could get.
Zhou Xuan went on, "I came here only to search for a certain criminal. In a while I may have to open some coffins and examine them, but I’ll say it again—I won’t touch a single coin of the money."
"This..." Old Cat was somewhat troubled; this Immortal was going to open coffins.
Their duty as Tomb Guardians was precisely to keep outsiders from touching the coffins here.
He was still tangled up over it when he saw Zhou Xuan raise his right hand high, lifting it toward the Heavenly Dome.
With that one lift, the earth shook and the mountains trembled.
The hundreds of mausoleums split open with crisscrossing, jagged cracks like a dog’s teeth.
"Holy hell, this really is an Immortal’s method."
Just seeing this one move of Zhou Xuan’s, Old Cat’s guts and gall almost shattered, and his face turned the color of earth.
He instantly stopped hesitating; hesitating was useless—this man hadn’t come to negotiate whether or not to open coffins, he was here to inform the three of them that coffins would be opened.
"If we don’t let this Master Zhou open coffins, the three of us will probably get our heads cracked open. Oh, our employers, I, Old Cat, have been diligent and conscientious all these years, but today’s matter is really beyond my control."
Old Cat and the other two Tomb Guardians backed away, forced to stand by and watch as Zhou Xuan "stirred up wind and waves."
"Rise!"
Zhou Xuan’s right hand supported upward, while his left hand stirred the air out of nothing. With his movements, the thick layers of earth sealing the tombs obediently slid aside to both sides.
One deep pit after another appeared before their eyes,
and those hundreds of coffins, at this moment, once again saw the light of day.
At this time Zhou Xuan clapped his palms together with force,
and the coffins immediately began to hum and shake. An invisible, immense force seemed to be hoisting up those heavy coffin lids.
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