"How long do you plan to stay?" Su Xiaoxiao asked hurriedly.
"Uncertain. I'll come back when I'm strong enough," Li Yang said calmly.
"Alright then. That's all we can do for now." Su Xiaoxiao knew the seriousness of the situation, and that was the only option for now.
"Okay, you can explain it to them!" Li Yang said and hung up the phone. He looked at the sky, got out of the car, and his Blood Wings moved without wind, fluttering in the wind like a huge roc, soaring into the sky and flying in the boundless sky.
Although the cultivation technique Li Yang obtained from that Falun appeared to be a Buddhist technique on the surface, after careful analysis and understanding, he finally comprehended its three layers of true meaning. It was actually a bizarre technique close to a demonic art. In addition to absorbing the spiritual energy composed of the yin and yang energies of heaven and earth, it could also absorb demonic energy and other forms of energy for its own use, tempering its indestructible body.
The Yin and Yang energies of Heaven and Earth, or the spiritual energy between Heaven and Earth, are extremely scarce. The Earth today is no longer suitable for the existence of cultivation sects. This is why those major cultivation sects occupy a specific grotto-heaven for their own use; those places are rich in spiritual energy, many times higher than ordinary places.
The most impressive aspect of this Nine Revolutions Golden Body Technique is that, besides absorbing spiritual energy, it can also absorb evil energies such as demonic energy and death energy, transforming them into pure energy for its own use. It's practically a demonic cultivation technique. Li Yang couldn't help but admire the extraordinary person who created this technique.
This cultivation technique was originally created by a brilliant figure in the demonic path, so incredibly powerful and extraordinary. Later, it was modified into a Buddhist technique by a highly accomplished Buddhist master. This led to the Nine Revolutions Golden Body Technique we know today. However, the problem is that the technique only goes up to the Earth Immortal realm. Where the other realms are is unknown.
Spiritual energy is hard to find, but death energy and malevolent energy should be easier to find, right? Li Yang's decision was to enter the western mountains, ancient battle ruins, or former mass graves. Those places would surely be rich in death energy and malevolent energy—astonishing amounts of energy. He could absorb it and transform it into pure energy to improve his cultivation level.
Li Yang's first thought was of the Battle of Changping during the Warring States period, the site where the infamous Bai Qi, the god of slaughter, massacred 400,000 Zhao soldiers. This site is located in what is now the western suburbs of Gaoping County, Shanxi Province. He originally wanted to go to Nanjing, given the extremely heavy casualties and vengeful spirits of the Japanese invasion and massacres there. However, those events occurred relatively recently, and Nanjing, being a large metropolis with a large population, would be easily discovered. Another reason was that those people had died unjustly under the Japanese invaders' swords, and Li Yang felt a mental block against absorbing their vengeful spirits. Therefore, searching for the site of the Battle of Changping in the western suburbs of Gaoping County seemed more reasonable.
The speed at high altitudes was comparable to that of an airplane, and the cold wind blowing in his face only brought a refreshing feeling, without any discomfort or pain. Looking down at the matchbox-sized towns and towering skyscrapers below, Li Yang suddenly felt an urge to unzip his pants and urinate.
"The feeling is so strong~" Li Yang suddenly stopped in mid-air, unbuckled his belt towards the bustling metropolis below, and a white line shot out, which was blown away by the strong wind in the air and turned into raindrops after falling down, nourishing countless thirsty souls.
"Comfortable. Great!" Li Yang shook himself, pulled up his pants, and continued speeding along.
After reviewing the map, Li Yang memorized the location of Gaoping County. He then hovered high in the air, looking down at the ordinary little town below. Li Yang frowned slightly, because from the air, it appeared as unremarkable as any other ordinary town. He couldn't sense the slightest fluctuation of any vengeful spirits or malevolent energy.
Could it be that the legendary malevolent aura isn't here, or that this place was already purified by a historical master, and the vengeful spirits have dispersed? Li Yang landed with a mix of trepidation and slight disappointment. Damn it, if he couldn't find those vengeful spirits, wouldn't his trip have been in vain? How could he improve his cultivation level then? If he couldn't improve his cultivation level quickly, that so-called general had already started targeting him, and those prestigious sects probably wouldn't last much longer. They'd become sworn enemies over him killing their disciples. They would definitely seek revenge.
If my strength is not strong enough, let alone that General Ma, even the experts from these major sects will be enough to make me vanish into thin air and die a horrible death.
He wandered around outside Gaoping County, but couldn't detect even a trace of demonic energy. Frustrated, he had no choice but to use his X-ray vision. While casually glancing at a wall, his eyes were suddenly drawn to two pale, white bodies writhing and twisting together, making a panting sound like oxen plowing a field.
"Holy crap, I actually won the lottery like this?" Li Yang stroked his chin, quickly averting his gaze. He couldn't let this interfere with his important business. Li Yang frowned and began circling the western outskirts of the county town. This was clearly an ancient mass grave, so how could there be no aura of death here? Li Yang stood under a dense old locust tree and used his X-ray vision to peer down.
After penetrating layer upon layer of soil, the line of sight gradually penetrated deeper: five meters, eight meters, ten meters, fifteen meters, twenty meters... Hmm? Why can't I see through it anymore? Can't I go any deeper? Li Yang suddenly froze. He knew very well how good his eyesight was and how far it could reach.
However, after only about twenty meters, the light could no longer penetrate. It was blocked by a strange barrier, like a thin film, obstructing his vision and preventing him from going any deeper to see further.
Chapter 948: Tomb Thief
After a moment of stunned silence, Li Yang was overjoyed and excited. Since he had encountered such a situation, it meant that he had found the right place. It wasn't that there were no vengeful spirits or malevolent energy here, but rather that they were sealed by a powerful and strange energy, which blocked them from dissipating.
Li Yang immediately guessed why there was no deathly aura here. His expression became excited, and he activated his X-ray vision, walking around the western suburbs of the ground. He wanted to test the extent and intensity of the energy layer below. Only by finding the area with the weakest energy distribution could he find the best place to attack.
But as he looked around through the strange membrane below, he made an extraordinary discovery: he saw people moving about below, crawling on the ground like ground rats. Just as he saw the people below, he felt a chill on his neck as a cold dagger was pressed against it.
"Don't move. Don't make a sound!" A low, muffled command rang in Li Yang's ears. Li Yang was extremely frustrated. He had been completely focused on the underground exploration and hadn't noticed anything unusual around him. Besides, it was the middle of the night, and he hadn't found anything after scanning the area. So he hadn't paid much attention to it.
I never expected to be cornered like this. This is a major defeat.
"Are you tomb raiders?" Even as a knife was held to his throat, Li Yang had already figured out what the man below was up to—standard tomb raiding. A sizable tomb lay several meters below, and the dark tunnel they had dug led diagonally into the burial chamber. A lean, short man crawled underground like a groundhog, then scurried into the chamber, where he had already pried open the thick blue bricks.
"Kid, you're out of luck. Instead of sleeping at home and cuddling your wife in the middle of the night, you're out wandering around here. Don't blame us for being ruthless~" The man with the knife had a muscular face and a lingering earthy smell emanating from him, a typical tomb raider.
"What do you want to do?" Li Yang asked calmly.
This surprised the tomb raider. He glanced at Li Yang and said, "What do you think I want? You've interrupted our good deed and even saw my face. You're asking for death!"
"What? You tomb raiders think you're in the right? You want to kill me?" Li Yang said in a deep voice.
"Kill you? Hmph, let me tell you, I'm not only going to kill you, I'm going to bury you too. Don't worry, you won't die unjustly, and you'll even have a very high-level burial ceremony. You see? This tomb belongs to an ancient scholar, it's quite large, and there are many good things inside. But you won't be able to enjoy the good things, but the coffin and the tomb below are all yours. You should be content~" The burly tomb raider finished speaking and flashed his dagger, intending to kill Li Yang with one blow. However, he found that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move his arm an inch, as if he was being controlled by an extremely powerful and hard object.
"What's going on? Why can't I move my arm? What, what did you do to me?" His face changed drastically, and he was shocked. Holy crap, encountering this guy in the middle of the night, scurrying around like a cat, it's incredibly eerie. Could it not be human? How can a human have such strength? It's gripping his arm, and even with all his might, he can't budge it. Unbelievable. Could it be something from below? He's a tomb raider, frequently dealing with the dead and experiencing many strange things. Just thinking about it sent a cold sweat down his back.
"Hero, spare my life! I... I'll never dare to do it again! I'll leave right now, I'll leave right now!" The burly tomb raider was immediately terrified. Although he suspected that Li Yang was a lifeless zombie who had come to eat and kill people, he dared not say so. He could only beg the hero to spare his life and then try to take the opportunity to break free and escape.
"Trying to leave? Didn't you want to kill me? Why aren't you doing anything? I'll stand here and let you kill me. Also, your thing down there seems to be in trouble." Li Yang glanced at the ground and said calmly.
This sentence nearly scared the tomb raider to death. Holy crap, to know what's down there just by looking at the surface? Is that even possible for a human? Damn, you've come up here; that guy down there is definitely not doing well. He might already be meeting his maker before me.
"Grandpa, spare me! I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have disturbed your rest. I kowtow and beg you. I know I was wrong. I promise you, I will come to burn incense for you on every festival, the first and fifteenth of the lunar month. Please, please spare my life!" The tomb raider said, his voice breaking with tears.
Li Yang found it amusing; he hadn't expected that simply grabbing the man's wrist would nearly scare him so badly he wet himself. He'd only just discovered his talent for playing tricks. But could he let him off the hook? Of course not. Tonight, not only had he stumbled upon their affair, but they'd also stumbled upon his. They were preventing him from going out and leaking the news; did he really think he could let them leave and expose his own affair?
They've already dug a tunnel for themselves in this tomb, but even if they haven't, digging a hole with my sword would be a piece of cake. There's a thin membrane underneath, and I need to break through it first to absorb the deathly aura below. Besides, whether the area beneath the membrane is actually the abode of deathly spirits is just my guess. This means I'll have to spend even longer here.
These two can't be allowed to live. Li Yang sneered, gripping the burly tomb raider tightly. With a slight twitch of his arm, the man's neck snapped, and he saw his own backside. He exhaled a faint Samadhi True Fire; the almost transparent, bluish-white flame touched him, and the man instantly turned into a wisp of smoke and vanished from the world.
As for the two ground rats underground, Li Yang was watching the show. They were incredibly lucky. Today, the moon was hidden, and the yin energy was abundant, making it the perfect time for zombies and ghosts to rise from the dead. Li Yang's claim that the one underground was no good was just a lie to the tomb raider from before. Right now, the one down there was still intently selecting the porcelain, jade, calligraphy, and paintings—all priceless treasures. An ancient scholar's tomb was no small affair; the burial goods were all treasures.
Li Yang sat down and unleashed the Heavenly Sword. The sword emitted a faint, radiant sword aura, swaying in the air and shimmering under the moonlight, exuding a terrifying aura. Li Yang pointed a finger, and the sword hummed as it plunged downwards into the ground, spinning forward. The hard soil was easily cut and dug away as if it were tofu, instantly creating a hole as thick as a bucket.
Chapter 949: Evaporation
The cave entrance pointed directly at the tomb below. Li Yang looked up at the sky, nodded slightly, and with a flash of light in his hand, he sent a swift wind talisman into the air. These talismans were all made by him in his spare time or when he meditated at night.
The Swift Wind Talisman streaked across the sky in a blue light, instantly reaching high above. With another flash, it unleashed a powerful gust of air, rapidly stirring the clouds. The dark clouds dispersed, and a gap appeared in the sky, revealing a cold moon. A bright beam of moonlight shone down, entering the tomb directly through the opening, instantly illuminating the pitch-black tomb.
The tomb raider, already terrified by the sudden appearance of the Heavenly Sword while stealing from the tomb, was even more horrified. With a cry of alarm, he squatted down, smashing a beautifully crafted porcelain bottle. Shards pierced his clothes and cut his skin, drawing blood, and he lost consciousness. Because the Heavenly Sword had vanished, and the bright moonlight shone directly on the coffin, a cracking sound was heard. The previously severely corroded and silent coffin suddenly trembled, as if it had come alive.
Then, with a bang, the coffin lid was knocked off from the inside, kicking up dust. At the same time, a man dressed in Qing Dynasty official robes stood upright, his arms stiff, eyes fixed, and mouth full of fangs, looking ferocious and terrifying. He twitched his nose slightly, let out a cold snort, and then unleashed a shrill scream. He suddenly turned to the tomb robbers behind him, leaped nimbly out of the coffin with a whoosh, and headed straight for them.
At the same time, the Heavenly Sword reappeared, striking the coffin with lightning speed. The coffin shattered into pieces, revealing the area beneath it. A faint blue light flashed, radiating a chilling and piercing aura.
Upon seeing this, Li Yang was overjoyed. Just as he had expected, the area beneath the coffin was the weakest point of the protective barrier below, and a faint yin energy was rising from below, directly hitting the coffin. This was why the corpse inside the coffin was gradually turning into a terrifying zombie.
"Hehe, I guessed right this time. But that tomb raider is in for a rough time; he'll become a zombie's meal. But it's his just deserts, isn't it? Who told them to specialize in tomb raiding and not let people die? They deserve it."