The reason for Feiling’s fear was because they had been to this place before. Tianming and Ye Lingfing had cultivated for half a month here; it was the sealed palace with millions of saint crystals.
"I recall that the entrance I marked last time wasn’t the Divine Tomb Formation we came through this time."
That meant the palace had more than one entrance.
In that instant, Tianming caught a glimpse of something even more terrifying. The wooden door to the huge brick house in the palace was wide open. Who knew if that monster was still in there? It appeared they had entered the tiger's mouth right after leaving the wolf’s den.
At such a critical moment, Tianming couldn’t care less. He immediately turned around and tore a hole in the formation, ready to rush out at any moment. However, he was in no hurry to leave, as there seemed to be sounds of a fight outside.
"Who is Dongyang Fengchen fighting?"
Tianming's eyes were glued to the door of the brick house, and the eye on his dark arm was focused outside. The battle was happening around a corner, so all Tianming could see was the shadow of the beastmaster and lifebound beast.
"What the hell are you!" There was a trace of fear in Dongyang Fengchen’s roars.
"Don't go!"
Dongyang Fengchen seemed to chase after his opponent, leaving the space.
"Big Brother, now that the crown prince is gone, shall we leave?" Feiling asked.
"It's best not to. The poison is still in my body. If I go out now and Dongyang Fengchen has dealt with his opponent, he’ll be able to locate me with it," Tianming said.
He needed two days for the Prime Tower to completely remove the Nineshades Poison. At present, the light from the tower was circulating through his body, expelling the poison.
"I wonder if the monster in this stone house is still there?" Feiling was concerned.
"I’ve been in for quite some time, but there’s been no movement. It may be gone." Tianming was rather relieved.
Now that Dongyang Fengchen had left, and the monster in the palace was gone, the dangers were completely resolved.
"The question is, what was fighting with Dongyang Fengchen? Also, what’s the thing that came out of this brick house?"
"Could our presence have been what released that thing?" Feiling wondered.
The last time they were here, the wooden door had opened all of a sudden. At the time, they ran in a hurry and failed to see what it was.
"There was a gust of wind when we entered earlier. Could this thing have taken the opportunity to escape and fight Dongyang Fengchen?" Tianming speculated.
"There was a gust of wind?"
"It probably wasn’t wind. But I felt as if something escaped," Tianming said.
"That's perfect then. Let that thing kill the bad guy while we hide here, completely safe. After all, this thing obviously can't break the Divine Tomb Formation, so it won’t return," added Feiling.
"That makes sense."
Only then did Tianming completely close the formation and checked the palace to confirm there was nothing else. He stood outside the wooden door and looked at the brick house—it was clean and empty. However, almost every brick was covered with numerous claw marks.
"Only the Grand-Orient Sword is capable of leaving traces on these bricks, yet the claws of this thing could leave so many marks. It’s obviously something frightening. Does that mean Dongyang Fengchen is dead? " Feiling asked.
"What a pity for him to die so easily.”
"Do you hate him so much?"
"Yes, what a bastard! I'm sick of the Theocrats. They’re all aiming for you. You didn't sin against them, did you? Is it such a sin to be beautiful?" Tianming pouted.
"Hehe, I like hearing that," smiled Feiling.
"Of course! I’m an expert at coaxing beauties. I’ll make sure my compliments leave you happy."
Having searched the palace, Tianming confirmed their safety.
"Big Brother, your dark arm is really powerful. You managed to break the Divine Tomb Formation. I'm curious about its origins," said Feiling.
"I was born this way. This arm of mine is the bane of all heavenly pattern formations. With my touch, all heavenly pattern formations will buckle."
"Really?" asked Feiling.
"Of course, including your heavenly patterns."
The Nineshades Poison took less time to dissipate than Tianming had expected. About half a day later, he had completely expelled the poison. Since he was still suffering from some injuries, it would take him some time to recuperate and recover. The injuries caused by Dongyang Fengchen were seared into Tianming’s mind.
"Big Brother, since it's safe here, would you like to cultivate?" Feiling asked.
"God knows where Little Feng is. It's too dangerous outside, so I’m worried about him. Now that the poison’s gone, let's go look for him. It’ll be great if we can bring him in here," Tianming said.
“Alright."
Feiling knew that Tianming would worry as long as Ye Lingfeng’s safety was uncertain. After opening the formation, Tianming waited for a moment to ensure it was safe outside before leaving.
"Let’s return to that underground palace where Little Feng disappeared."
The passage to the underground palace wasn’t complicated. Familiar with the path, Tianming soon reached his destination. The place was empty; even the sea of ants and light had disappeared.
"Where could he have gone?"
Tianming took a turn about the room and found nothing. After all, everything in the tomb was terribly powerful, so there was nothing left behind except for the dust on the ground.
"This maze is so complicated that it's hard to find people."
Tianming realized how lucky he was to have bumped into Ye Lingfeng last time. Just as he was planning to wander through the maze and give it a go, he was surprised to find words on the blue brick wall to his left. This was the exact spot where Ye Lingfeng stood before he disappeared.
"Who could engrave words on the wall of the tomb?"
Doubtful, Tianming examined the wall. Although the words were crooked, he could read them.
"Brother Tianming, don't worry about me, I'm fine. A voice called me somewhere. I couldn't help myself, so I left first. Later on, I came across a monster that listened to me. I told it to return to this place and carve these words."
The words were carved on the wall with claws, similar to the claw marks in the brick house. Although Ye Lingfeng’s words were very mysterious, Tianming understood them.
"The monster he’s talking about must be the one that escaped the brick house in the palace and fought Dongyang Fengchen? If it can engrave the walls, wouldn’t that mean killing Dongyang Fengchen would be easy?"
However, it didn’t seem as if the monsters had the upper hand that time.
"Little Feng said that the monster listens to him?"
Tianming's head was a jumbled mess. The Tomb of the Ancients seemed more and more mysterious.
"And where did the voice call him to?" Feiling was confused.
Tianming could only shake his head in reply. "There are too many mysteries in the tomb—the monster in the brick house, the blood droplets, the ants, and the person who called you here."
Putting together this complicated information made him all the more perplexed.
"The good news is that Little Feng is fine?"
"It looks like it."
"As long as he’s okay. This place is so strange that ‘fine’ is the best news," Feiling remarked.
"Alright, let’s go back then."
"To the palace?"
"Mhmm."
"Then what?"
"A man and woman in the same room.... What do you think we should do?" Tianming laughed wickedly.
"I...." Feiling sounded a little flustered.
"What are you thinking? I'm talking about cultivation."
In the sealed palace, Tianming sat at the edge of the formation with Ying Huo, Meow Meow, and Lan Huang beside him. Having searched the place and ascertained it was completely safe, Feiling came out for a breather. She sat next to Tianming, flipping through ancient books and studying the Infernal Soul Heavenly Pattern Canon.
Tianming had plenty of saint crystals at the moment. After laying them on the ground, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from the saint crystals converged in his body. They were easily absorbed into his Saint Palace Spring, turning into saint ki.
Tianming placed the voidspace stone in front of him. When cultivating the Invincible Sword Body, he drew upon the strands of Invincible Sword Ki from within and continued the painful process of practicing the art.
The sound of screams echoed out from time to time in the palace. The pain was so overwhelming that Tianming and Ying Huo couldn’t resist screaming. At first, Feiling had felt distressed, but now she was used to it.
"Ling’er, are you sure you won’t come over and comfort my fragile heart with your gentleness?" asked Tianming.
"No, you won’t keep your hands to yourself." Head lowered, Feiling was immersed in her book. The starlight on her face made her skin glow.
"It’s all a misunderstanding. Breaking heavenly pattern formations is an instinct of my dark arm. I can’t help it," said Tianming.
Feiling couldn’t be bothered to answer him. Book in hand, she moved aside, her lips rising in a smile.
"Tsk, tsk." Ying Huo shook its head.
"What are you laughing at?" Tianming drew a flame spirit hazard and stuffed it into its mouth.
"Damn you!" When the Invincible Sword Ki entered its body, Ying Huo burned all over, instantly turning into a fiery chicken. It flew up in the air, screaming miserably.
"Tianming, Tortoise Bro is still a child. Why do you have to flirt in front of him?!" Meow Meow stretched, sounding sad.
"Say one more word and I’ll give you a sword ki," threatened Tianming.
"Meow?" Trembling, Meow Meow yawned and lay on the ground, fast asleep as if nothing had happened.
With Ying Huo and Meow Meow around—one openly frivolous and the other inwardly so—laughter was inevitable. Coupled with the giant baby, Lan Huang, there was a constant ruckus in the sealed palace. In such an atmosphere, it was easy to forget the abnormalities and dangers of the tomb.
Of course, Tianming was well aware that there would be many tests ahead. Right now, he would seize the opportunity to improve himself.
Forty days later—
"Sixth-level Earth Saint!"
