Legacy of the Spirit Stone

Chapter 49 – Enter the Ancient Tomb

The next day, two of Li Cheng's trusted aides dragged him out of bed, reeking of alcohol.

To them, it was just another one of the young master's hangovers.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting."

Li Cheng arrived in the courtyard where the other cultivators had been waiting for a while.

He greeted Duan Yong and then smiled and nodded at Yang Lingrui, who returned the gesture.

The location where the ancient tomb had emerged was a low-lying area.

According to Duan Yong, this place was once a settlement for several small families long ago.

Later, it disappeared due to a natural disaster, an earthquake.

"That's the place, you can all see it now."

Following Duan Yong's direction, everyone looked over and saw a purple-black protrusion in the depression.

As they approached, they could see it was an inclined, square structure.

In the center was a circular main entrance that could open to both sides.

"Heaven Round Earth Square, interesting. No wonder you needed help to solve it," Li Cheng said.

Duan Yong's eyes showed admiration. "As expected of Young Master Li, you recognized it at a glance. I had to study it for quite a while."

"Alright, alright, enough flattery. Since you called us here, you must have found all the points, right? Let's get to work."

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"Yes, let's do it!"

This Heaven Round Earth Square method was a type of restriction.

It required finding the four corners of the square and circle engraved underground, as well as the central point, totaling nine locations.

Only by simultaneously injecting enough spiritual power into these nine points could the restriction be activated.

Duan Yong divided everyone into eight groups according to their cultivation levels, with Li Cheng handling the central point. They each stood on their designated spots.

"Once the restriction is activated, who knows what changes might occur. Be careful, fellow cultivators."

Duan Yong reminded everyone, then shouted, "Begin!"

The cultivators at the eight points simultaneously injected spiritual power into the ground beneath their feet. The power flowed beneath the surface, forming the pattern of the restriction and quickly enveloping everyone.

Boom—

As the restriction activated, the entire area began to tremble.

Yang Lingrui and Zhao Qi were at the same location, stabilizing themselves as they continued to channel spiritual power.

"Senior Brother, look around."

"Yes, I see it. It seems to be about to complete."

At the eight points, light screens rose, surrounding the cultivators infusing spiritual power.

"Haha!"

The next moment, accompanied by eerie, hoarse roars, blue phantom ghosts began to crawl out of the ground, manifesting in the area.

Bang, bang, bang!

The cultivators quickly attacked, dispersing the ghosts before they could fully form.

But this was just the beginning. As time passed, the phantom ghosts grew stronger.

"Damn! They're already at the Qi Condensation Second Layer?"

"Be careful, fellow cultivators!"

"Don't hold back!"

Most of the cultivators who came here were only at the Qi Condensation First or Second Layer, so they couldn't afford to be careless against the Qi Condensation Second Layer phantom ghosts.

Any mistake could lead to injury or even death.

With Yang Lingrui present, the phantom ghosts posed no real threat.

Zhao Qi observed from the side and noticed that each phantom ghost, upon death, would turn into a wisp of blue smoke, drifting toward the ancient tomb's entrance.

He tried using the Golden Light Technique on the smoke and found that it could be dispersed.

"Senior Brother."

He quickly called Yang Lingrui and informed him of this.

Yang Lingrui looked up and raised a whirlwind above them, dispersing the smoke as it rose.

At that moment, Duan Yong's voice rang out again.

"Fellow cultivators, quickly disperse the smoke! Don't let it escape!"

Hearing this, Yang Lingrui looked toward the center and saw a massive figure faintly appearing in front of the ancient tomb entrance.

By interrupting the smoke, it lost its energy supply and stopped expanding.

"Junior Brother Zhao, your insight is sharp, noticing the anomaly before Duan Yong."

"Just a small talent, nothing worth mentioning," Zhao Qi replied modestly.

Though he said this, Yang Lingrui thought otherwise.

They were aware of Zhao Qi and Wu Tong's backgrounds.

Zhao Qi had fallen into a river at five and survived by clinging to a branch.

At eight, he got lost in the mountains for three days and still managed to find his way out.

During a beast tide, he was hunted by two wild wolves but escaped.

This couldn't simply be explained by luck. Even Zhao Dapeng didn't know the extent of his son's abilities.

After continuously defeating phantom ghosts for a quarter of an hour, the restriction's effect finally came to an end.

The light screens dissipated, and the massive figure solidified, transforming into an armored ghost soldier.

However, due to the insufficient smoke, it only reached the Qi Condensation Third Layer, and Li Cheng easily shattered it with a kick.

With the ghost soldier dealt with, the ancient tomb's entrance officially opened.

As the circular door opened, a chill emanated from within.

Everyone slowly descended the stairs, and after walking down about ten meters, the space before them opened up.

The first level of the ancient tomb was quite expansive. After some discussion, they decided to explore in pairs and inform each other if they found an entrance to the second level.

Yang Lingrui and Zhao Qi chose a direction and began their exploration.

The first level was the shallowest, with low danger levels. Some traps were only effective against ordinary people and useless against cultivators.

During their exploration, they only encountered a few Qi Condensation First Layer ghouls, which they easily dispatched.

"Senior Brother, here's another one."

Zhao Qi found a ten-pound piece of black ore.

There weren't many treasures on the first level, and the best thing they found was this kind of refined ore.

Refined ore could be directly exchanged for spirit crystals, making it a valuable find.

As they prepared to continue their exploration, they suddenly sensed spiritual power fluctuations behind them.

Turning around, they saw a cultivator from the Li Clan approaching.

He said, "Fellow cultivators, the entrance to the second level has been found. The young master sent me to find you two."

"Thank you for letting us know," Yang Lingrui and Zhao Qi quickly expressed their gratitude.

"Please follow me."

Following the cultivator, they arrived at the eastern area of the first level.

Other cultivators were also arriving one after another. Everyone looked ahead at a deep, pitch-black passageway, so dark that even divine sense struggled to penetrate it.

Faced with this, many Qi Condensation First Layer cultivators hesitated, unsure if they should proceed.

Li Cheng was speaking with Duan Yong, and upon seeing Yang Lingrui arrive, he waved him over.

"Lingrui, you're here. Did you find anything good on the first level?"

"Greetings, Young Master Li, Mayor Duan. We didn't find anything special, just some refined ore," Yang Lingrui replied.

"That's normal. The first level is like that. Unless you can find something from clues, it's hard to find anything valuable."

Li Cheng shrugged and pointed to the passageway. "Huang Yan and Zheng Huaming couldn't wait and went down first. Now that you're here, you can join me."

"That would be best. Thank you, Young Master Li."

"No problem, it's on the way. But your brother can't join us."

Li Cheng glanced at Zhao Qi, who was only at the Qi Condensation First Layer, making the second level dangerous for him.

Zhao Qi quickly waved his hands. "It's fine, Senior Brother and Young Master Li, you don't need to worry about me. I'll just stay on the first level."

Yang Lingrui gave him a few reminders to take care of himself, then followed Li Cheng into the passageway.

Duan Yong stayed behind. He and Li Cheng had agreed that he would remain here to provide support in case of any emergencies below.

After the exploration, Li Cheng would share some of the treasures he found.

After them, several Qi Condensation Second and Third Layer cultivators also entered in groups.

The remaining large group of Qi Condensation First Layer cultivators began discussing among themselves.

"Fellow cultivator, we're planning to go down together. Would you like to join us?"

Just as Zhao Qi was about to leave, someone called out to him.

It turned out that a dozen or so Qi Condensation First Layer cultivators were unwilling to give up and planned to form a group to enter the second level.

Knowing Zhao Qi was from the Yang Clan and likely had some strength, they wanted to recruit him.

"No, thank you. I'll just stay on the first level."

Zhao Qi declined decisively and turned to leave.

If he had wanted to go down, he would have followed Yang Lingrui earlier and wouldn't have stayed here.

Seeing this, the other cultivators showed disdain.

"Such a coward, not even brave enough to take a look."

"Exactly, looks like he's only fit to be a follower behind the young master of the Yang Clan."

With that, the group of over ten people entered the passageway.

Duan Yong tried to persuade them, but they wouldn't listen.

Zhao Qi walked slowly, hearing their words but not caring.

Zhao Dapeng often told him that no matter what blessings one had, they needed to be alive to enjoy them.

He could only hope these people would make it out alive.

Not dwelling on it further, Zhao Qi's gaze fell on a stone pillar.

The first level of the ancient tomb had many such pillars, seemingly for support.

However, Zhao Qi noticed that their distribution was uneven and peculiar.

"Well, since I have some time now, I might as well investigate this thoroughly."