Chapter 1: Grave Mound in Chaos

  The deceased bid farewell at Yellow Crane Tower, the flowers and willows of March are drifting down to Yangzhou. This poem by Tang Dynasty great poet Li Bai fully conveys the beauty of Yangzhou in spring.

  March fireworks, is the most beautiful time in Yangzhou. On the wide avenue, from time to time, young men in bright clothes and angry horses are seen, three or five people gather together and shout as they go, pedestrians on the side of the road often dodge aside, whispering, the sound of laughter on horseback fills the spring breeze, there is a flavor brewing in it.

  The sun sets in the west, and travelers become fewer and farther between. Even the hardest working farmers have finished their day's work and returned home. The distant mountains swallowed up the last rays of sunlight, and a dull haze spread over the land. Yangzhou, which was once full of vitality and vigor in the spring breeze, gradually became shrouded in gloom.

  The fog slowly rose, and more than ten miles west of Yangzhou City, there was a bare and desolate burial mound. The horizontal and vertical stone tombstones stood on the burial mound, even at noon when the sun was high in the sky, it was gloomy, let alone at dusk. A gentle breeze blew by, adding a hint of eeriness. People with timid hearts would be frightened out of their wits at this time.

  In the distance, cicadas cried out tirelessly, unknown beasts howled, adding a layer of eeriness to the silence, a sheet of stillness, devoid of any sound.

  A blue light suddenly appeared on the west side of the Luanyu Gang, and a tall figure emerged from the light, carrying a strange lantern. The figure walked slowly up the mountain, its Taoist robe dirty, hair disheveled and tied in a knot. In the blue light, the face was deeply lined, at least 70 or 80 years old, but the feet moved steadily on the rugged mountain path. As the blue light shone on the face, the eyes suddenly opened, and a sharp glint flashed in them for an instant.

  Slowly and quietly, it went up the mountain road, slowly walking to the center of the Luanyang Ridge, swaying back and forth, stopping in front of a grave. This grave was very large, about 7 or 8 square meters, round and rolling like a bun, without even a tombstone. In the Luanyang Ridge, such graves were unknown in number, all were people who died unjustly, hastily buried in this place, not even with a tombstone.

  The old Taoist stopped here, motionless, in the slowly falling night color, like a statue, only the blue lantern in his hand swayed in the wind.

  It's unknown how much time has passed, the moon slowly rises, a thin mist envelops the chaotic grave mound, and the blue lanterns are extinguished at some point. On the dark mountain, only one person is left standing still in front of a tomb.

  In the sky, a vast expanse of stars appeared, and the moon hid shyly behind the clouds. The distant and near surroundings were shrouded in a faint starlight, adding a layer of cyan gas. Suddenly, a white light flashed, and a beam of light came from afar, fast as lightning. In an instant, it arrived at the Luanyang Ridge, where a giant sword light appeared. The sword light was magnificent and majestic, as if it had seen Lao Dao. With a slight flash, a sturdy man suddenly appeared beside Lao Dao.

  A fine Han man, around forty years old, with a pair of angry eyes and a pair of whiskers standing upright on his cheeks, exactly like a fierce Zhang Fei. What's most frightening is that from the man's body, a sharp aura shoots out straight, as if it were a precious sword unsheathed, its energy overflowing in all directions, everything around him dispersing with him at the center.

  The old Taoist suddenly turned his head, looked deeply at the strong man, and the strong man's heart trembled. He didn't speak either, standing beside the old Taoist. The sharp aura was instantly retracted, leaving no trace. The strong man was bewildered, just like the old Taoist, transformed into a statue standing still. The tombstone's statue changed from one to two.

  After a long time, from the distant horizon, came a faint sound, as if in the garden, Soft Fragrance was embracing Nina. Listening carefully, it couldn't help but make one's face flush with excitement, wanting to enter that enchanting state. The dark sky had six peach blossoms, blown by the wind, floating and drifting, sometimes far, sometimes near, slowly moving towards the mountain.

  The sturdy man standing behind Lao Dao turned his eyes and cursed with a smile: "Dead witch, you're pretending to be mysterious again. The boss is here, why don't you come over quickly!"

  A shrill voice, yet restrained and not released. A flash of peach-colored light, a beautiful woman with revealing clothes, slender figure, charming and radiant, at first glance, she is the master of national calamity, suddenly appeared in front of the grave and said: "Old big brother, little sister has arrived!"

  The old man nodded slightly, and as he raised his head, all signs of age had vanished. His eyes sparkled with a divine light, and when he turned to look at the robust man and the beautiful woman, they felt a sudden jolt in their hearts. They withdrew their thoughts and stood up respectfully, hands clasped together.

  "It's been 20 years, I've waited a full 20 years for today, are you all ready?"

  "Alright, I'm ready!" The burly man made a casual gesture, and streaks of sword light flew out from his body, converging into countless points of light. A massive and intricate array was thus set up on the Graveyard Hill, within the mortal realm's field of vision. The Graveyard Hill seemed to become blurry all at once.

  "Hehe, Second Brother is always so violent, I'll make up for it!" As soon as the woman's voice fell, countless fragrant winds rose, and petals gradually fell, the chaotic mound reappeared in people's sight, just like usual, gloomy and terrifying. However, the three figures on the mound had disappeared without a trace.

  The sudden change, any master who has passed by will definitely exclaim, the Wan Jian Cang Ying Great Array and the Wan Hua Mi Zong Array. These are the specialties of the second evil, Duoming Pursuing Soul Sword, and the third evil, Taohua Sha Nu, among the three evils of Beihai. The third evil has a high level of cultivation and is skilled in hiding, roaming the world for hundreds of years, and their reputation remains undiminished. What are they doing in this ordinary burial mound?

  The night grew darker, and at the center of the double-layered formation, that massive tomb had turned into a huge pit. The means by which the cultivators repaired it were truly ingenious. To say nothing of ordinary graves, even one made of refined steel could not withstand the footsteps of the three evil ones; they had already descended to the bottom of the earth.

  In front of the tomb, three to five meters away, where San Xiong had stood before, a sudden tremor appeared on the ground, and an arm suddenly emerged from the soil.

  It was late at night, and in the midst of a chaotic graveyard, this suddenly appearing arm would have frightened even the bravest person to death if they had seen it. Was it a zombie emerging from the earth?

  The master of the hands was very agile, and his hands moved quickly in the soil, as if entering a realm without people. Soon, a figure that looked like a 14 or 15-year-old boy emerged from the soil, covered in mud all over, with only a pair of bright and cunning eyes shining with a sly light.

  "The Breath-Hiding and Air-Sealing techniques worked, deceiving the three masters at the Condensation Realm. It's not like I've been reborn or anything, how dare I be so bold!" The young man muttered to himself, his hands and feet moving swiftly as he bent down and entered the graveyard.

  "Donghua Emperor's Tomb! Who would have thought that on a chaotic hill of graves in the west of Yangzhou City, there would be the tomb of such an important figure? If word gets out, it will probably cause endless waves throughout the nine provinces and four borders of the cultivation world. It's really thanks to the Extinct Ancient Dao that he found a clue from an ancient book, spending 20 years preparing before finally finding the location. What patience!"

  The young man seemed to have been holding his breath for a long time, or perhaps he was nervous in his heart. He muttered to himself all the way, and before long, following the path opened up by the three villains, he arrived at a magnificent golden gate. The gate was naturally open, and it was clear that the previous three people had entered a long time ago.

  Most of the gate was blocked by yellow earth, but its grandeur could be seen, with various precious stones, gold and silver jewels, almost everything, night pearls as big as a head, emeralds as big as a fist, casually inlaid on it, luxurious at the same time, but with some rustic flavor of nouveau riche.

  A single gate in front of me, I reckon it's enough to cover a palace for the ordinary imperial court. Gold and silver are the ultimate temptation for ordinary people, but for cultivators, they are dispensable things, unless you want to develop some influence in the mundane world, otherwise, they're just like sand and dust.

  The young man's goal was the gate, of course he wasn't there for the jewels. He wasn't one to be trifled with, and under the watchful eyes of the three villains, even if he made a slight move, his life would be forfeit. Looking around cautiously, he felt along the door downwards, touching the left side, then the right, a puzzled expression on his face: "This isn't right, it should be here! Zhou Liang, don't be afraid, they've entered the Eastern Emperor's tomb, and within two hours, they'll definitely not come out!"

  His hands didn't stop, Zhou Liang's heart was somewhat anxious. The ones inside weren't some kind-hearted men and women, but the infamous North Sea Three Evils. The number of cultivators who died at their hands was unknown, let alone ordinary people, which were too numerous to count. Both the second evil and third evil's great arrays had used the souls of ordinary people to refine them. The number of ordinary people who died within them was probably not less than ten thousand. Once discovered, death would be a light punishment. It was possible that they might never be able to transcend even in death.

  Zhou Liang ventured here, taking such a great risk, because that thing was too important, related to his future height, with high hopes of getting it, so he came, but now, in the urgency, he couldn't find it anywhere.

  A hint of anxiety appeared on the young face, but his hands and feet did not slow down. He felt around, and his right hand slid down along the door until it reached a slightly lower spot. His eyebrows rose as he pressed down forcefully, making a soft clicking sound. A hole suddenly appeared silently in front of the door. He reached in and pulled out a thin piece of cloth that didn't seem to be made of any special material, but felt incredibly soft and flexible to the touch. The cloth was wrapped around a sheep fat jade bottle.

  "Found it!" Zhou Liang exclaimed, putting the two objects into his bosom and turning to run. Behind him, the cave returned to its original state, as if no one had been there at all.

  After returning by the original route, he didn't even bother to look at what was in his hands, dug a hole and buried himself. A golden light flashed, and the surrounding spiritual energy overflowed, restoring the ground to its original state, without leaving any trace.

  The desolate hill regained its tranquility, a gentle breeze blew across the clouds, and the moon somehow revealed its face, generously sprinkling its radiance over the earth.

  Two hours later, the three villains left the tomb with joyful expressions. The sword "Duò Mìng Zhuī Hún" exclaimed excitedly: "Big brother, I didn't expect Donghua Lao to leave the Taiyang Three Elemental Sword here! With this, our trio can form a sword array and conquer the world!"

  "Right! Big brother, there's also the Zi Xuan Tian Yun umbrella and the Hua Gai Wu Yun Luo. All of these are ancient treasures!" Peach Blossom Sha Nu said excitedly.

  "Alright, the treasure hasn't been refined yet. This place isn't suitable for a long stay, let's go!" The ruthless old Daoist waved his hand casually, and the big tomb returned to its original state - an ordinary grave on a chaotic burial mound, with all the treasures inside taken out, who would notice?

  The three evil masters of the North Sea, also considered to be among the few top-notch experts in the world, had a mysterious background and possessed formidable strength. The treasures they obtained from the tomb of Emperor Donghua still left them ecstatic. This time, after robbing the tomb, the three of them reaped a rich harvest, and their mood was elated. Without checking if there were any people around, the second and third evil masters directly dismantled the formation and rode together on the sword light, fleeing northward. The cultivator's skillful means of flying through the air allowed him to disappear into the night sky in the blink of an eye, leaving no trace behind. Only the massive tomb remained, standing still for a long time in the night sky.