365: Taiyin Power

The Fourth Ancestor held his forehead with one hand, feeling a severe headache.

He finally understood: these two old bastards hadn't just robbed Shi Wanshan; they intended to pin the blame on the non-existent "villains of the Emperor's Tomb" while silently making a fortune themselves.

"Fine!" The Fourth Ancestor waved his hand, giving up on reasoning with them; these two had never been reasonable anyway.

"Don't worry, don't worry!" The Second Ancestor patted his chest in assurance.

"He's our own kid, how could we go too hard on him? We just used a little trick to let him sleep for a while; when he wakes up, at most his neck will be a bit sore. We even specially left him a few life-saving items. Isn't that decent of us?"

The Third Old Ancestor chimed in, his tone carrying a hint of barely concealed excitement. "Oh, right, Fourth, you didn't see it, but this kid Shi has quite the stash! He's much wealthier than that Purple Robe Saint!"

"Wait, you're saying you robbed him, yet still left him some life-saving treasures?"

"Yeah, yeah, what if he encounters danger and gets himself killed? So we left him a few treasures." The Third Old Ancestor wore an expression that said, 'Hurry up and praise me.'

"You guys!" The Fourth Ancestor stroked his forehead. "What kind of decent person robs someone and then leaves them a trump card? Isn't that obviously telling him this was an inside job?!"

The Second Ancestor chuckled: "Not necessarily, not necessarily. That kid is thick-skinned; he might not think that deeply!"

The Third Old Ancestor echoed: "Exactly! We've even planned out how to lecture him when we return his treasures!"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but start fantasizing about that wonderful scene.

He seemed to already see himself sitting majestically on the Enlightenment Platform, his face dignified, his gaze profound.

Shi Wanshan stood below with hands hanging down, his face filled with the relief of having survived a disaster and gratitude toward the "Senior expert," perhaps with a bit of annoyance at his own "carelessness."

Then, he would slowly take a sip of tea, and in a tone that was both disappointed yet carried a hint of "good thing I was there," he would say in a deep voice:

"Wanshan, you were too careless in the Emperor's Tomb this time! How could you so easily fall for a trick, get knocked out, and be stripped clean? You've simply lost all face for our Azure Profound Sect!"

Watching Shi Wanshan blush and lower his head in shame, he would then sigh at the right moment, flip his palm, and reveal the treasures that had been "just happened" to be retrieved by the Senior expert and "just happened" to be entrusted to him.

What a perfect script!

It showcased his care and dignity as an Old Ancestor, and it explained the whereabouts of the treasures in a reasonable way.

And it also gave Shi Wanshan a profound lesson—three birds with one stone!

He, the Third Old Ancestor, was truly a Genius at educating (tricking) the younger generation!

As the Third Old Ancestor thought about it, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl into a smug, expectant smile.

The Fourth Ancestor looked at the Third Old Ancestor's expression, which was lost in pleasant fantasies and even a bit intoxicated.

Connecting this to the faint, muffled roar of fury and frustration belonging to Shi Wanshan that his Divine Sense had vaguely captured from somewhere in the Emperor's Tomb, his mouth twitched violently.

He felt as if he could already foresee the near future: a chaotic scene within the Azure Profound Sect, with a certain Peak Master chasing an Old Ancestor with a spiked club.

The Fourth Ancestor helplessly shook his head, dispelling the chaotic image in his mind, and subconsciously swept his Divine Sense across the chaotic Emperor's Tomb.

At this moment, the fighting for the various side halls had reached a fever pitch, where Opportunity and slaughter coexisted.

Inside one great hall, the Yao Race and the Lingxiao Holy Land were fighting fiercely over a Seven-Colored Illusion Heart Lotus.

In the end, Ling Canglan was more skilled, snatching the treasure and leaving, which caused the Demon Lord of the Southern Domain to roar repeatedly and turn his rage onto some smaller factions nearby, robbing them brazenly, leaving everyone daring to be angry but not to speak.

The Heavenly Secret Pavilion, amidst a ruin of array foundations, relied on mysterious deductions to avoid killing intent and quietly obtained a tortoise shell with Innate hexagrams related to heavenly secret arts.

Wang Zhan, in a Sword Tomb hall, relied on his fierce and unparalleled Heavenly Azure Sacred Body to forcefully suppress several competitors, seizing a fragment of an ancient sword containing an ancient battle soul.

As the broken sword entered his hand, the majestic Battle Intent resonated with his own sacred blood, causing his aura to surge and his gaze to become sharp as lightning.

Similar events were playing out in turns across the halls of the Emperor's Tomb.

At this time, Yaochi Holy Master Ji Qingyi was leading several Holy Land Elders, cautiously exploring a relatively intact ancient hall.

They had just neutralized a hidden lethal array and harvested a few ancient treasures.

Though not world-shaking, they were quite valuable.

Suddenly, a faint trace of surprise flashed in Ji Qingyi's cold, clear eyes.

Just a moment ago, she had caught a wisp of obscure, ethereal, yet extremely pure Taiyin Power fluctuation.

That fluctuation vanished in a flash, as fast as an illusion; if not for her possessing the Taiyin Divine Body and extraordinary spiritual perception, she likely wouldn't have sensed it at all.

More importantly, that wisp of Taiyin Power had an ancient, desolate aura, carrying an eternal chill that faintly resonated and attracted her own Taiyin Divine Body Origin.

"Holy Master?" Behind her, a Yaochi Grand Elder with a steady aura, who had already reached the Saint King Realm, keenly noticed Ji Qingyi's abnormality and asked in a low voice.

Ji Qingyi raised her jade-like slender hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

She closed her eyes, pushing the perception of her Taiyin Divine Body to the limit. The moonlight aura around her retracted, and she seemed to merge with the surrounding darkness, carefully capturing the remnants of the vanished fluctuation.

After a few breaths, she slowly opened her eyes, her pupils filled with calm profundity.

"There is something unusual ahead. I sensed a wisp of special Taiyin aura that has some compatibility with my Physique. The Restrictions here are complex, so having too many people is actually inconvenient."

She turned and looked at the Saint King Grand Elder.

"Grand Elder, lead everyone to stay in this hall temporarily. Set up the 'Yaochi Immortal Light Array' for defense and carefully search this hall; there might be missed Opportunities. I will follow that sensing to investigate and will return shortly."

"Holy Master, the dangers here are unknown, you are going alone?" The Grand Elder's face showed concern. The Holy Master was the pillar of Yaochi and could not afford any mishaps.

"It is fine!" Ji Qingyi shook her head gently, her tone indifferent yet full of confidence.

"I have my own judgment. That aura is pulling at me; it might be an Opportunity for me. If the situation is impossible, I will naturally retreat."

Seeing that the Holy Master's mind was made up, the Grand Elder said no more and bowed: "Yes, please be careful, Holy Master. We will wait here."

Ji Qingyi nodded slightly and said no more.

Her figure flashed, and she walked into the distance, following that faint, elusive aura.

Half an incense stick later, Ji Qingyi stopped in front of a cracked wall. She could feel that the wisp of Taiyin Power came from behind the wall.

She pointed her slender finger, and a wisp of Taiyin Power, condensed as if substantial, shot out silently.

The originally somewhat dilapidated stone wall collapsed with a boom under this force.

It revealed a deep, narrow passage that led to an unknown destination.

The passage was filled with grey mist; when her Divine Sense probed inside, it felt like sinking into a quagmire, with great resistance.

"This passage can actually isolate Divine Sense. What exactly is in here?"

After pondering for a moment, Ji Qingyi stepped into the passage, her plain white figure instantly swallowed by the mist.

The deeper she went into the passage, the stronger the pressure from the Emperor's Tomb itself became.

The spatial structure seemed to become unstable as well; occasionally, tiny, black cracks invisible to the naked eye would flash and disappear, emitting a heart-palpitating suction.

Within the grey mist, there were also strands of complex and violent residual energy, like fragments left behind after countless different Dao laws collided and annihilated here; touching them could possibly trigger unpredictable backlash.