Chapter 276: Chapter 276: Backdoor
Just now, while Shen Hao was drinking and chatting with Nie Yun, he couldn’t help glancing down instinctively. That mass of pitch-black fog blocking the entrance to the Sword Emperor’s Tomb always gave him a familiar feeling, almost like the Dark Cloud Sword he’d seen before in the Cloud Sword Domain.
But the Dark Cloud Sword could be touched, while this fog was blocking the way. According to Nie Yun, even a Profound Sea Realm cultivator couldn’t open it.
Yet Shen Hao couldn’t help but be curious, especially after Nie Yun left earlier; he deliberately calmed his mind for a few breaths and tried to sense it. That fog blocking the entrance really did seem to be "greeting" him the same way it greeted his Black Beast Tattoo before.
So how could Shen Hao not be curious?
"Sir, you’re here!"
"Greetings, Sir!"
"Salutations, Sir!"
...
For the first time, Shen Hao felt the sensation of so much attention focused on him. Before, whether back in Li City or in Fengri City, he was never very well liked—people either hated him or avoided him, and very few were willing to approach him. Even the Black Banner Battalion treated him mostly with "fear."
But now, wherever Shen Hao went, the Xuanqing Guards—even the garrison soldiers—would smile and greet him, calling him "Sir" with eyes full of pure "admiration" and "gratitude."
The reason, naturally, was because Shen Hao had saved everyone he could from dying inside the Illusion Realm of the Cloud Sword Domain; those people would never forget it. Even if they didn’t understand at the time, afterward, thanks to Nie Yun and those three Golden Sword cultivators, the story had spread everywhere. Tang Qingyuan even filed a commendation for Shen Hao, and word was that Shen Hao had directly saved hundreds from starving to death or dying of thirst.
A debt of life is like being reborn, especially for people working in the Xuanqing Guard, where you might risk your life at any moment. Who wouldn’t want to follow a superior who values the lives of his subordinates so much?
Unconsciously, Shen Hao’s reputation among the Xuanqing Guards in Fengri City had been raised several grades all at once.
Nodding and smiling to the soldiers around him as a greeting, Shen Hao was soon met by Liu Kuan, who now looked back to normal. This guy also owed Shen Hao his life—after being fed rations by Shen Hao, he now bowed respectfully, no longer showing that sly, evasive look from before.
"Sir, are you here to inspect the tomb entrance?"
"Mm, just came for a look around. How are you guys arranging things here?"
Liu Kuan explained, "We’re planning to build a stone hut every ten zhang around here, then set up fixed guard posts. On the outside, we’ll do some cleanup and set up warnings. The garrison side also came over and we coordinated; they’ll be increasing regular patrols in the Caiyuan Village area to help us keep watch here."
"No defensive array?"
"Heh, Sir, you must be joking. There’s nothing here now, not even a blade of grass—no need for any defensive array, that’d be a waste. Having a few people standing guard is good enough. Besides, by usual practice, if things stay quiet here for a few months, the guard posts will be withdrawn anyway." Liu Kuan thought Shen Hao was testing his management, so he quickly spilled everything out at once.
Shen Hao nodded, knowing what was up. As long as things carried on as usual, it should be fine.
Strolling casually to the cave entrance, Shen Hao was faced with that mass of jet-black mist.
"Any results from investigating this thing?"
Liu Kuan stood half a step behind Shen Hao and smiled. "Sir, we can’t even figure out what it’s called. Even those three Golden Sword Sirs couldn’t get a clue. We’ve tried almost everything, even blasting it with Thunderbolt Talismans, and it still couldn’t be budged an inch. Try to force it harder and you start feeling small tremors in the ground."
In other words, it can’t be forced open. If you try to break in, you could destroy everything inside the tomb. So it can only stay this way, waiting for the next time it opens on its own.
Now right at the entrance, Shen Hao took a breath and tried to sense it—and sure enough, that feeling came again. He reached out to touch it; to the feel, it was soft and doughy, and he felt that if he tried harder, his fingers could sink right in.
Beside him, Liu Kuan continued, "Sir, this thing feels hard as stone, and it even pricks your hand."
"Hard?"
"Haha, you think so too, Sir? I thought it would feel soft like a cloud, but it’s the opposite—hard as a rock, haha..."
Liu Kuan thought he was playing along, not noticing the flash of surprise in Shen Hao’s eyes. Shen Hao quickly relaxed his fingers, which had been gently squeezing.
Hard? Why did he feel it was so soft?
"Go get on with your work. No need to stay with me—I’ll look around myself. This thing’s interesting; let me study it."
"Uh..."
"Go on."
"Then I’ll take my leave, Sir. Take your time. If you need anything, just call—the others are all nearby." Liu Kuan bowed and stepped away.
The area around the cave was busy again, and no one was keeping a direct eye on Shen Hao.
Once everyone had left, Shen Hao stretched out his hand again to the black mist. He felt nothing like the "hard" and "prickly" that Liu Kuan described—instead, it was as if he was pushing into dough, his fingers sinking right in as soon as he used any force.
"I should be able to rip this open..." Shen Hao suddenly realized something that made his hair stand on end in shock.
The reason? Shen Hao wasn’t entirely sure, but he was certain it had something to do with those golden souls he’d devoured inside the Cloud Sword Domain.
He even wondered: was it possible that, by devouring the golden souls—and that "golden" was a crucial foundational something in both the Cloud Sword Domain and the Sword Emperor’s Tomb? So much so that the Black Beast Tattoo absorbed the "golden" instead of converting it into basic energy like before?
The Black Beast Tattoo got "golden" on it, and that "golden" is likely tightly linked to the Sword Emperor’s Tomb. So now, even though the tomb is closed, it treats Shen Hao—stained with "golden"—as a part of itself? Allowing him to enter, or even "return"?
Shen Hao remembered how, when the Sword Emperor’s Tomb contracted, all those Cloud Swords poured back into the tomb, and their foundation seemed to be those golden souls he’d devoured.
And now, Shen Hao himself has a soul, he has the "golden"... becoming a walking Cloud Sword?
While thinking this over, his hand kept groping forward without the slightest hesitation. Still, not wanting to attract attention, he didn’t probe for long—just two or three breaths, then pulled his hand out. Yet in that brief moment, his whole right arm had sunk into the black mist.
He even poked his leg in, naturally sending it in as well.
He really could rip the fog open!
Inside was the Sword Emperor’s Tomb, filled with treasures that could make even first-class sects drool, maybe even inheritance items of the Sword Emperor himself... Shen Hao couldn’t help but think of all that.
But... his cultivation was too low; he wouldn’t dare take the risk yet. What if there was a sudden danger inside and he couldn’t handle it? He’d be sending a meat bun after a dog—gone forever.
No rush; wait a bit longer. He’d act after all the attention here faded and things returned to normal.
