Chapter 155: Returning to the Great Mausoleum

Elder An was in high spirits. He had just toured the Situ Clan’s medicinal garden and discovered numerous valuable spirit materials. Particularly noteworthy were the Dragon Whisker Grasses cultivated by three generations of the Situ family, essential ingredients for refining Tier 2 medicinal pills. Even for Foundation Establishment cultivators like himself, these grasses held significant worth.

“What a fortunate turn of events! We must truly thank that newly appointed Elder Chen.”

As Elder An walked back, his steps felt noticeably lighter.

Regardless of what happened to the sect, ensuring his own comfort took precedence.

This confidence stemmed from being a Tier 2 Alchemist.

During the previous crisis, the lower-ranked main peaks faced turmoil, with some even suffering casualties in the battles within the sect.

However, the top four main peaks stood on different footing.

With their mastery over core legacies, even if the Divine Lake Immortal Sect were destroyed, they could effortlessly find new affiliations. Both the Corpse-Raising Sect and Nine Poisons Valley would still require medicinal pills, magical artifacts, formations, and spirit talismans. This is why, during the last confrontation, while other main peaks suffered heavy losses, the top four peaks emerged relatively unscathed.

Elder An strolled towards his cultivation courtyard and pushed open the door.

Elder An stood frozen in shock.

The room was completely empty, not a speck of dust to be seen. Even the floor had vanished, along with all the spirit medicines he painstakingly collected over many years. Not only that, but his hard-earned Tier 2 pill furnace, medicine cabinets, and spirit stones were gone as well.

“Which damned thief! Daring to rob Yakwang Peak?! This is within the sect, with the sect leader still alive!” His anguished cry echoed throughout Medicine King Peak.

Elder An could scarcely believe such audacious treachery could occur under the watchful eyes of the Core Formation patriarchs in the sect. It was a blatant insult to the immortal sect’s dignity and a direct challenge to its order.

Chen Luo did not return to the Divine Lake Immortal Sect.

For him, it would be a long time before he set foot there again. The sect leader’s condition was deeply concerning; although Daoist Wuwei mentioned thirty years, Chen Luo believed that was the most optimistic scenario. If fortune turned against them, it wasn’t inconceivable for it to happen much sooner, perhaps even ten or twenty years earlier.

Relying on others for safety went against his nature.

Back at Blackwood Village.

Chen Luo returned to the very first place he had journeyed from after leaving the Yue Kingdom.

Before embarking on his long journey, Chen Luo decided to visit home first. It had been over five years since he left, and he was unsure how Third Uncle and others were faring. Additionally, he wondered if his master, Longevity Daoist, had successfully cultivated his divine path technique. There were also many mysteries within the Great Mausoleum yet to be unraveled, particularly the vast expanse resembling the starry sky.

With numerous ancestral brains inside, it felt necessary to pay his respects.

Descending near the village, Chen Luo retracted his magical sword and continued on foot.

The village appeared unchanged, still peaceful and serene. Since they didn’t have to pay taxes to higher authorities, the villagers had enjoyed a prosperous life these past few years. The roads were well-maintained, and a watchtower stood at the entrance to defend against bandits, with bow-wielding villagers patrolling from above.

During the turbulent times in the Divine Lake Immortal Sect, nearby villages suffered greatly. Some desperate individuals turned into roving bandits, raiding indiscriminately. When survival is at stake, societal rules and order become meaningless, leaving little room for internal restraint.

Even knowing that Blackwood Village was under the protection of the immortal sect did not deter them; they raided regardless.

Their sole motivation was simply to survive, nothing more.

“Halt.”

As soon as Chen Luo approached, someone atop the wall spotted him. A vigilant villager, armed with a bow and arrow, pointed it directly at him, their face filled with caution.

“Elder Brother!”

“Elder Brother Chen.”

Before the villagers could say more, two figures emerged and flew towards them. It was Xie Shuang and Du Jian, who had arrived ahead of Chen Luo.

Prior to leaving the Divine Lake Immortal Sect this time, Chen Luo had sent messages to both, informing them of his plan to return to the Yue Kingdom. Upon learning they could go back, they immediately abandoned their sect privileges and chose to accompany him. Eldest Apprentice Brother Du De decided to stay behind, entrusting a bag of holding to his younger brother, Du Jian, with instructions to deliver it to their master, Daoist Heartflame.

Everyone has their own choices. While Du De’s aptitude did not match that of Xie Shuang and Du Jian, his dedication to cultivation surpassed theirs significantly. Only he knew the immense effort it took for someone with low-grade six-attribute spiritual roots to reach the late stage of Qi Refinement.

“You two certainly didn’t waste any time arriving,” Chen Luo said with a hint of amusement on his face.

Seeing this from afar, the villagers hastily lowered their bows, frightened. These two were ‘Immortal Masters’ from their village, so anyone recognized as their senior must undoubtedly be esteemed cultivators within the immortal sects.

“Blackwood Village is connected to the Divine Wind Territory; we can directly use the interdomain flying shuttle,” Xie Shuang exclaimed happily. The thought of returning home brought her great joy.

The thought of returning home brought her immense joy.

Over these years, neither she nor Du Jian had found happiness within the Divine Lake Immortal Sect. Both shared a temperament unsuited to constant competition, which clashed with the current state of the cultivation world.

Beside them, Du Jian remained quiet and reserved. Upon seeing Chen Luo again, he distinctly felt the vast spiritual energy fluctuations akin to a boundless sea emanating from him.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator! He never expected Elder Brother Chen to truly achieve it.

‘With his Foundation Establishment strength, we should now be able to activate that teleportation array.’

“Let’s go,” said Chen Luo without lingering further.

For him, Blackwood Village held little to reminisce about.

This greatly disappointed the eagerly awaiting village elders and clan members. One particularly irritable elder even slapped a few unsuspecting youths at the city gate, blaming them for delaying the Immortal Master’s return.

Following their memories, the trio traversed through a dense forest and swiftly arrived at the cave housing the teleportation array. When they initially left, Chen Luo and Xie Shuang had concealed the entrance, and upon returning, they found the camouflaging branches still intact, just as before.

“Elder Brother, I’d like to visit the spirit bamboo,” Xie Shuang suddenly spoke up near the cave entrance.

As they approached the cave entrance, Xie Shuang suddenly spoke up.

“Let’s go together.”

The bamboo had been planted by both Chen Luo and Xie Shuang, imbued with the divine soul of her master, Goddess Emerald Bamboo. It echoed the essence of Longevity Daoist’s ‘Divine Path Technique.’

After rounding the cave, they walked for a short distance and found the spirit bamboo they had personally planted at a narrow spot.

Just as when it was first sown, the spirit bamboo remained only three feet tall, swaying gently in the soil, appearing no different from ordinary bamboo. However, Chen Luo knew that the planting had failed, and the divine soul’s power had dissipated.

This could only be observed through divine sense.

“I visited Uncle-Master Changqing’s shrine too; the village elders have consistently offered incense tributes,” Xie Shuang said, stroking the jade bamboo pensively. As if recalling something, she turned to Chen Luo.

“I know.”

Being a Foundation Establishment cultivator, there were no secrets in Blackwood Village from Chen Luo’s perspective. Before landing, he had already examined the village’s ancestral hall using his divine sense.

Similar to the spirit bamboo, Longevity Daoist’s divine soul technique had also failed.

“It’s been over five years since we last saw our masters. I wonder how they’re doing,” Du Jian remarked sentimentally, following behind them.

Their masters belonged to the same generation, all with early Qi Refining cultivation bases. Theoretically, they should have had a lifespan of only around 150 years. However, due to the unique conditions within the Great Mausoleum, they surpassed the typical longevity limit for Qi Refinement cultivators and lived for over two centuries.

Initially unaware of this peculiarity, after venturing through the cultivation world, Chen Luo, Xie Shuang, and Du Jian came to understand the immense value of such a secret.

A method to extend one’s life could drive the entire cultivation world to madness, even enticing Core Formation ancestors.

Returning to the cave, Chen Luo scanned his surroundings, spreading out his divine sense to search for ways to activate the formation.

Xie Shuang and Du Jian stood obediently to the side.

They had already attempted to test the teleportation array earlier, but their limited knowledge proved insufficient to initiate it.

“Some parts are blurred.”

Chen Luo crouched down, gently tracing the faint markings of the formation.

Within his external brain, the Foundation Establishment Array Grandmaster’s intellect from Guo Mountain County rapidly processed the information. Having experienced travel through this very formation once before, he quickly identified the critical nodes and located the points for spiritual energy input.

“Both of you, come closer.”

Chen Luo retrieved six spirit stones and embedded them into the ground at specific positions.

The formation was highly complex; even with the Foundation Establishment array master’s knowledge, Chen Luo couldn’t fully comprehend it. However, this didn’t hinder his ability to use it. It was akin to driving versus understanding car manufacturing principles—although he couldn’t construct one himself, he could certainly operate it effectively.

Upon hearing Chen Luo’s instruction, Xie Shuang and Du Jian swiftly moved to stand beside him.

Chen Luo extended his right hand, concentrating magical power at its center. He then took out over twenty spirit stones and drained their spiritual energy, gathering it within his palm. Using divine sense, he meticulously channeled the accumulated spiritual energy into the teleportation array beneath their feet. The process was intricate, involving ancient techniques and knowledge of immortal script. Had Chen Luo not studied these before, someone else might have struggled to activate the formation.

Buzz!!

A white light flashed, instantly bringing the teleportation array to life. During this moment, Chen Luo distinctly felt the formation’s structure weakening significantly, as several connection points began to fracture.

‘This formation can endure only one more activation.’

In his mind, the array master’s brain provided feedback.

As the light intensified, it illuminated the entire cave like a blazing sun. In the next instant, the familiar sensation of being pulled from below emerged.

‘Regional Teleportation Array, reverse mode.’

The mummified brain also surfaced, offering just a single line once again.

“Brother, this time I’ll definitely find you some more companions!” With a final burst of light, the three figures twisted like cotton threads and vanished from the cave.

With a ‘crack,’ a subtle fissure appeared on the cave’s stone wall.

On the blank platform, three figures lay motionless.

It was unclear how much time passed before one of them stirred slightly. Spiritual energy began to revive within this person, and their blood qi slowly flowed again.

“Finally back.”

Chen Luo opened his eyes, still seeing double images blur before him.

A wave of dizziness echoed in his mind as the enhanced resilience of his spiritual body, rebuilt after reaching Foundation Establishment, seemed ineffective now. He felt like an ordinary individual once more.

Overwhelmed by a sensation of imbalance, he found it impossible to stand up.

After several moments, he gradually adjusted to his weakened state. Glancing at the two still unconscious companions beside him, Chen Luo unsteadily rose to his feet and looked up, greeted by the boundless expanse of stars above.

Each speck of light represented a tomb—endless tombs stretching far beyond sight!

Having acclimated to his diminished strength, Chen Luo first examined the platform beneath his feet, recognizing it as the same tomb from which they had departed earlier.

Behind him lay the preparation chamber where he had acquired the ‘Mummified Brain.’

Revisiting the familiar grounds, Chen Luo naturally decided to pay another tribute to his mummified companion.

Approaching the tomb entrance, he gently pushed with his hand.

Just as before, the tomb door yielded effortlessly.

Inside, the mummy remained seated cross-legged, unchanged.

Entering the preparation chamber, Chen Luo put on his deer-hide gloves and once again touched the mummy’s skull. The sensation felt similar to before, but this time there was no feedback—the brain had long been removed by him.

“Pity it can’t be collected again.”

Feeling somewhat disappointed, Chen Luo continued searching throughout the tomb.

The chamber remained pristine, with only a cushion beneath the mummy and oil lamps adorning the walls. It was unclear what type of lamp oil they used; despite the passage of years, the wicks showed no signs of wear.

“Senior Brother.”

Xie Shuang appeared at the entrance of the preparation chamber. After waking up without seeing Chen Luo, he and Du Jian immediately assumed he had gone back into the tomb.

Sure enough, upon checking, they found Chen Luo attempting to pry one of the wall-mounted oil lamps loose.

True to form for Uncle-Master Changqing’s disciple.

“Just paying respects to our predecessor,” Chen Luo said reluctantly, withdrawing his hand. Despite trying repeatedly, he couldn’t dislodge the oil lamp, even using magical power proved futile, much to his disappointment.

Similarly, the cushion under the mummy’s seat wouldn’t budge, nor could he move the mummy itself. Although the corpse looked emaciated, its weight far exceeded expectations; even employing the Iron Body Art failed to shift it.

“Senior Brother, let’s head back first.”

“You two go ahead, I still have something to take care of.”

Chen Luo waved his hand. He had no intention of leaving empty-handed after finally returning to this place. At the very least, he needed to acquire one more intellect.

“Be careful, Senior Brother.”

Seeing Chen Luo’s determination, Xie Shuang and Du De decided to depart first. They disliked the atmosphere of the Great Mausoleum; it felt suffocating and fraught with danger, offering them no reason to stay.

At the edge of the platform, they found the tunnel through which they had initially descended.

Someone had filled it back in.

Fortunately, neither of them were ordinary individuals. After some effort, they managed to reopen the tunnel.

“Senior Brother, we’re heading out now.”

Having cleared the passageway, they bid farewell to Chen Luo once again.

“Go ahead,” Chen Luo replied without turning, already engrossed in studying the edges of the Great Mausoleum.

The formation here was even more complex than the teleportation array. Despite utilizing the knowledge from the Foundation Establishment array master’s mind, he couldn’t fully comprehend it, only sensing an overwhelming presence of danger everywhere.

However, Chen Luo knew that reaching the opposite platform must be possible.

When they first entered the Great Mausoleum, Zhang Qing and the other elders landed on the platform across from theirs. This indicated that the opposite platform likely had similar fissures, just like the one they arrived at.