The Descent into the Yinglong’s Tomb

The spectral shadow of the Yinglong appeared, and the world fell silent.

The cultivators’ army instantly grew restless, a palpable unease settling over them. Before such a grand opportunity, who wouldn’t yearn to seize the initiative ahead of others?

“Roar—”

Near the Yinglong Tomb, beyond where the two divine beasts, Taotie and Kui Niu, stood, another colossal roar reverberated. Unlike Taotie’s oppressive malevolence or Kui Niu’s ancient, weighty rumble, this roar contained the faint, yet unmistakable, cries of a dragon and a lion, resonating with an ineffable nobility.

Before long, two more immense figures slowly materialized. The first stretched over a thousand zhang tall, boasting a long beard, a lion’s head, a dragon’s body, and a pair of majestic wings. Black and white qi swirled around its form, lending it an air of extraordinary nobility.

The other beastly figure, though slightly smaller, resembled an ape with crimson limbs and white fur. From its entire being emanated an overwhelming aura of ferocious malevolence.

The four divine beasts stood like celestial pillars, firmly rooted around the Yinglong Tomb, seemingly holding up the very heavens and pinning down the earth. This awe-inspiring sight immediately quelled the cultivators’ earlier restlessness, bringing a sudden calm to their ranks.

“That is the divine beast Chaofeng,” Qi Wuyai murmured. “Legend says it possesses true dragon blood, so it must have sensed the Yinglong Tomb’s presence here long ago and chosen to guard it.” Upon seeing the massive, lion-headed, dragon-bodied divine beast, Qi Wuyai’s usually placid expression finally showed a flicker of emotion.

“The great fiend Zhuyan…” Su Hanxing’s gaze fixed on the ape-like figure, radiating its overwhelming malevolence, and he struggled to conceal the fear etched upon his face.

Zhuyan was infamous for its ferocity, having accumulated a mountain of blood debts since ancient times. It, along with Taotie and the other two beasts, were collectively known as the Four Fiends of Antiquity. However, the original Four Fiends had been vanquished in primordial times; the Zhuyan and Taotie now guarding the Yinglong Tomb were merely their descendants. Yet, even as mere descendants, their power remained astonishing, intimidating countless Dharma Manifestation Realm experts into cautious inaction.

“Everyone—”

Qi Wuyai channeled his true qi, soaring to the forefront of the cultivators’ army. As his lips parted, a resounding voice, like the tolling of a great bell, boomed forth, echoing across the land.

“The Yinglong Tomb is right before us,” he declared. “If we cannot stop these four divine beasts, then the True Dragon’s Aura will surely fall into the hands of these demonic creatures!”

Qi Wuyai’s voice permeated the entire cultivators’ army. Following his declaration, a cacophony of murmurs instantly erupted from all directions.

“I, Prince Heng, Qi Wuyai, representing the Daqi Imperial Family, have reached an agreement with the Tianyan Sect and the other eight great sects,” he announced. “All Dharma Manifestation Realm cultivators shall join me in resisting the divine beasts, thus escorting the younger generation into the Yinglong Tomb to seek their opportunities. Do any other sects or aristocratic families have objections?”

As Qi Wuyai spoke, his eyes gleamed with sharp intensity as he swept his gaze across the cultivators’ army. Wherever his eyes landed, the Dharma Manifestation cultivators of the various powers, with the sole exception of Su He, all revealed expressions of apprehension.

This Prince Heng possessed astonishing combat prowess and a fearsome reputation. A millennium ago, he had been stationed at the borders of Daqi, achieving countless glorious military feats. The Dharma Manifestation Realm cultivators who had perished by his hand numbered no less than dozens. To be targeted by such a god of slaughter was, naturally, an unenviable fate. Over a hundred years prior, Qi Wuyai had returned victorious, and despite not being of the direct imperial lineage, he was bestowed the title of Prince Heng—a testament to his unparalleled military achievements.

“We have no objections—”

After a brief discussion, all the major sects and powers voiced their agreement.

“Good,” Qi Wuyai affirmed. “All fellow Daoists who have reached the Dharma Manifestation Realm, follow me to resist these great fiends!”

Qi Wuyai nodded in satisfaction. Then, his entire body trembled as the spiritual energy of heaven and earth furiously converged around him. A savage, deadly aura emanated from his form, and in an instant, the thousand-zhang-tall Bear Totem Dharma Manifestation once again descended upon the world. Its primal energy dispersed the overwhelming demonic power that permeated the vicinity of the cultivators’ army.

Witnessing Qi Wuyai summon his Dharma Manifestation, numerous powers responded in kind. Within moments, several more Dharma Manifestations coalesced, and a few breaths later, a total of thirteen more appeared, illuminating the scene.

The fourteen Dharma Manifestations stood towering, reaching to the heavens and grounding to the earth, confronting the four monstrous divine beasts from a distance. Among them was the golden-bodied Dharma Manifestation Chi Qiu had seen before, seated atop Mount Sumeru, as well as Su He’s Star River Dharma Manifestation, shimmering with astral light. However, the majority of the remaining manifestations were ones Chi Qiu had never witnessed. They varied wildly in appearance and temperament, yet each was utterly magnificent, inspiring an involuntary sense of awe and reverence in all who beheld them.

“Prince Heng already instructed me,” Qi Feng whispered, leaning closer to Su Hanxing and Chi Qiu. “Once they engage the divine beasts, we are to pilot the warship directly into the Yinglong Tomb. With these eighteen hundred Black Armored Imperial Guards, we have absolutely nothing to fear from those God Concealing stage demon lords.”

Seeing that all the Dharma Manifestation Realm cultivators were thoroughly prepared, Qi Wuyai gave a slight nod toward the golden warship. Then, raising his war spear, he strode forth with meteoric speed, heading straight for the great fiend Taotie.

Behind him, Su He, enveloped by the radiance of stars, sun, and moon, followed closely. In his palm, a colossal star-forged sword materialized, and wherever its edge pointed, faint cracks seemed to spread through the very fabric of space.

Qi Feng saw Qi Wuyai’s subtle nod in his direction and instantly understood. He moved towards the highest point of the warship, where over a dozen Black Armored Imperial Guards were already waiting.

“Move out at once—”

The warship rumbled to life, accelerating ahead of all the other factions’ flying artifacts, which had yet to stir. Within a few breaths, it transformed into a streak of golden light, shooting directly toward the spectral Yinglong’s location. Seeing the golden warship take the lead, the other factions naturally refused to be left behind. Moments later, they too activated their flying artifacts, giving chase to the golden vessel.

Chi Qiu, at this moment, was leaning over the golden warship’s railing, observing the magnificent spectacle of Dharma Manifestation Realm cultivators battling ancient divine beasts. Countless true qi and demonic energies tore at and annihilated each other, unleashing gusts of fierce winds that swept across the heavens and earth like razor-sharp blades. The divine beasts unleashed torrents of demonic power, so dense it blotted out the sky. The entire core region of Sishui Marsh grew dark and ominous, a terrifying scene reminiscent of the apocalypse.

“Get ready,” Su Hanxing said softly, approaching Chi Qiu. “We’re almost at the Yinglong Tomb.”

Chi Qiu nodded, withdrawing her gaze. She then gently rested her delicate hand on the hilt of her Azure Frost Sword, true qi surging within her, fully prepared for battle.

The golden warship pressed forward relentlessly, swiftly piercing through the scattered battlefields. Several streaks of demonic energy splashed out, striking the vessel, yet the warship remained unmoving, as steady as a mountain.

Before long, the warship arrived beneath the spectral Yinglong. There, amidst layered, endlessly stretching mountain ranges, stood a colossal stone gate. Beyond the gate, on a towering peak, lay a cave dwelling. The peak itself was scarred with a thousand ravines and valleys, its strange rocks and steep ridges adorned with luminous herbs and immortal fungi. Around the cave dwelling, misty clouds swirled, and rare fruits and exotic flowers blossomed. Had Chi Qiu not known this was the Yinglong Tomb, she might well have mistaken it for an immortal’s dwelling.

The warship began its slow descent. Just behind it, countless great demons surged forward like a tide. Most of them went to intercept the pursuing flying artifacts, while the remaining wave of demonic creatures advanced to obstruct the golden warship.

“Cheng Lu!” Qi Feng shouted, seeing the tide of demonic beasts drawing near.

“Here!” A soldier clad in black and gold armor stepped forward from the ranks of the Black Armored Imperial Guards.

“You are to lead a thousand Black Armored Imperial Guards to hold back the demonic tide,” Qi Feng commanded. “After escorting the few of us into the Yinglong Tomb, pilot the warship away from this place; those great demons surely won’t dare enter the tomb. Once I send a signal, you shall return to rendezvous.” Though reluctant, Qi Feng still allocated a thousand guards to resist the beastly horde.

“Understood!”

Although these thousand Black Armored Imperial Guards were vastly outnumbered by the demonic tide, holding them back for a brief period would be relatively easy.

“The remaining eight hundred Black Armored Imperial Guards, enter our three personal portable cave dwellings,” Qi Feng instructed. “We will then head straight for the Yinglong Tomb.” He turned, looking at Su Hanxing, Chi Qiu, and the siblings Qi Yun and Qi Yue. “You two, quickly usher the guards into your portable cave dwellings. Brother Hanxing, Fellow Daoist Chi, prepare yourselves; we are moving out immediately.”

Chi Qiu and Su Hanxing nodded; they had naturally been prepared for some time.

Boom—

The warship gently touched down. Cheng Lu led the guards as they leaped from the vessel, taking up formation against the surging tide of great demons.

“Form the Heavenly Qian Array!”

At Cheng Lu’s command, all the Black Armored Imperial Guards unleashed their true qi. Golden array patterns illuminated their dark-colored armor, and an immense array, with humans serving as its very flags, instantly took shape.

This was the Black Armored Imperial Guards’ art of enemy deterrence. The array patterns etched into their armor could be activated by as few as three individuals, and the more people participating, the stronger the array became. Now, with a thousand guards collectively forming the grand array, such a formation would likely be impregnable even for a Dharma Manifestation Realm cultivator, at least for a while.

“Brother Su, Fellow Daoist Chi, let’s go!”

On the other side, the three members of the Qi clan had already brought all the Imperial Guards into their portable cave dwellings. Qi Yun turned back and shouted. Su Hanxing and Chi Qiu understood instantly, and the five of them simultaneously leaped from the warship, racing directly toward the colossal stone gate.