At this moment, Wu Jianwu, who was following behind the captain and Xu Qing, shook his head as he walked. He did not know that someone who appreciated him and could understand the meaning of his poems had finally appeared in this world.
"Half of a lonely leaf is missing, how can a bird fly high without wings?"
Wu Jianwu sighed softly.
Ning Yan curled his lips and secretly thought that Wu Jianwu's brain must be different from ordinary people. If he could stand at the top of the world one day, he would definitely order to open Wu Jianwu's brain and see what kind of monster was causing trouble inside.
Vaguely sensing that Ning Yan's gaze was not right, Wu Jianwu turned his head and snorted coldly.
"Shameless brat, look carefully and see that it's dog sh * t!"
Ning Yan glared angrily and wanted to vent his anger, but when he thought of the messy Ferocious Beasts around Wu Jianwu, he held back.
At this moment, the captain's words came from the front.
"Both of you, calm down. It's almost dark. I'll take you to my house."
"I'll let you see what it means to be grand and rich. My tomb chamber was built with countless efforts and there's a shocking amount of wealth left behind!"
"Big Sword, I have five scrolls of the Ancient Emperor's Handscroll that you want!"
"Little Ningning, I have seven of the Bloodline Atavism Items that you want. You can choose at will."
"And Little Junior Brother, let me tell you, this is the foundation for us to do great things. It's also the source of the collapse of the Red Moon Temple in the future!"
"Remember to hold your chins later, or they'll fall off easily!"
The captain's eyes were filled with pride. He lifted his chin and sped forward.
Seeing the captain so confident and looking forward, Xu Qing was also curious. He had guessed about the captain's past life, but he did not have any clues.
However, judging from the captain's performance along the way, it was inevitable that he was extraordinary in his past life.
Therefore, his eyes were also filled with anticipation.
Even Wu Jianwu stopped reciting poems and quickened his pace. Ning Yan was also excited, and Ling 'er's eyes were also filled with curiosity.
Just like that, the five of them left Welcoming Bull City and entered Weiyang Mountain Range under the cover of night.
With the captain in front, even if he hadn't been here for a long time, this was still the place where he had lived in his previous life. Therefore, at first, he still needed to identify the surroundings, but soon, he became familiar with the place.
Four hours later, the five of them had already entered deep into the Weiyang Mountain Range, passing by one mountain after another. Everywhere they went, the captain would speak with reminiscence.
"This was once Fair Maiden Peak. All those years ago, a beautiful woman of mine was at the sect. Unfortunately, she's already become a skeleton now, and she's unable to pursue me."
"This used to be the Three Cauldron Sect. It was the hometown of a good friend of mine. I miss him so much. As a member of the Artifact Race, he was much stronger than Little Ningning. He could freely change weapons."
"With the passage of time, things remain the same but people have changed."
The captain sighed emotionally. Finally, when the sky was completely dark, he brought Xu Qing and the others to the foot of a bare mountain in the Endless Mountain Range.
Along the way, they stopped at seven places. Each time, the captain would form a hand seal, as if he was opening a seal.
"There are eight steps to opening the tomb of my previous life, and they must be completed within six hours with my mark. The order can't be wrong. If there's a problem with any of the steps, it can't be opened. Most importantly, there must be a period of time in between, no more, no less."
"This is the last place."
The captain looked at the bare mountain. Everything seemed normal, and there was nothing out of the ordinary about the surroundings.
He looked around and calculated the time. Then, he formed an incantation with his right hand and pushed forward.
The ground trembled slightly, and the mountain rocks seemed to be displaced.
After sensing it, a smile appeared on the captain's face. He slapped his chest and coughed up a large mouthful of blood. The blood quickly merged into the ground and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
However, the captain wasn't done yet. He flew around the short mountain, attacking himself as he ran. Ning Yan and Wu Jianwu watched in shock as the captain coughed up countless mouthfuls of blood.
The blood merged into the soil, leaving no trace behind. It seemed to have seeped deep into the ground.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the captain returned, panting. His face was pale and weak, but his expression was one of excitement.
He said proudly, "I know all the methods to open the graveyard, and I can't make a single mistake. No one but me can do it."
Xu Qing calculated the amount of blood the captain had coughed up. It seemed to be the blood of over two hundred people. A strange expression appeared on his face. Indeed, no one but the captain could do it.
"Now, open your eyes wide!"
The captain laughed heartily and stamped his foot on the ground. The ground beneath his feet caved in, forming a vortex that swallowed him up.
Xu Qing didn't hesitate. He took Ling 'er and stepped forward. Ning Yan and Wu Jianwu followed closely behind, and the five of them entered the vortex.
In the next moment, the vortex disappeared, and everything returned to normal.
When the restrictive spells were set up, they had considered fluctuations and concealment. Therefore, from the beginning to the end, they hadn't caused much of a disturbance. Everything had happened silently.
As for where the vortex led, Xu Qing couldn't sense it. As his vision cleared, he saw that the five of them were in a cave.
The cave wasn't small. It was oval-shaped and several thousand feet tall. There were twelve giant statues erected around it.
Some held weapons, others glared angrily. All of them emanated an ancient aura. Compared to them, Xu Qing and the others felt like they were in a kingdom of giants.
In front of him, there was a huge throne. It was empty, and there was only a stone crown on it. There was nothing else.
Although it was simple, there was something domineering and crude about it that filled the cave.
Ning Yan looked around, and when he saw the layout of the cave, he gasped.
"The twelve Imperial Lords are ninety-nine meters tall, and the throne they worship is three hundred meters tall. This is the style of a Grand Emperor!"
Wu Jianwu didn't understand such things, but even he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. He looked at the captain with deep suspicion.
Xu Qing's heart was also pounding. Based on the layout of this cave, the captain's past life seemed extraordinary. As for Ling 'er, her eyes were wide with disbelief.
Sensing the gazes of the others, the captain sighed.
His voice was filled with reminiscence and age as it echoed in the stone cave. As his voice lingered in the air, he lifted his foot and slowly walked forward.
Under the watchful eyes of the others, the captain walked forward. His body grew larger until he was three hundred meters tall. Then, he sat down on the throne and looked down at the lands below.
His height, his gaze, and his energy made him seem like a Grand Emperor who could devour mountains and rivers.
Wu Jianwu trembled instinctively, then lowered his head to kowtow. As for Ning Yan, his legs went weak.
Only Xu Qing was able to suppress the waves of shock in his heart. Eyes shining with suspicion, he looked around at the enormous figure of the captain.
Suddenly, he said, "Eldest Brother, this place is fake, right?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ning Yan and Wu Jianwu's eyes went wide. As for the captain, his expression was as dignified as ever as he looked at Xu Qing.
Xu Qing turned his head and looked at the void to his right as he spoke expressionlessly.
"Eldest Brother, stop messing around."
Laughter could be heard coming from where Xu Qing was looking, and the captain's figure appeared.
Ning Yan and Wu Jianwu looked over at the enormous figure on the throne, and realized that the figure on the throne was just an illusion. The real captain had hidden himself after arriving here.
The captain ignored Ning Yan and Wu Jianwu. Instead, he smiled at Xu Qing.
"Hahaha, little Junior Brother, you really do understand me. You're right. This place was set up to prevent tomb raiders. Although the method to open it up is complicated, and only I know how to do it, in order to prevent accidents, I built this place.
"If any tomb raiders come here, they'll definitely be fooled by this place, and end up dead."
The captain was very pleased with himself.
"I've been doing things related to tomb raiding my entire life," he said. "I understand them all too well."
Xu Qing nodded. This was in line with the captain's style.
"Let's go. I'll take you on. There are eight more places like this, all of which I prepared to prevent tomb raiders."
With a crafty expression, the captain led Xu Qing and the others to the figure on the throne. He spat out a mouthful of blood, then created a vortex and jumped in.
They continued onward, passing by six of the places mentioned by the captain. Each one was incomparably real, and each one was larger than the last. This was especially true of the sixth one, which seemed to be surrounded by swirling clouds. Ning Yan could vaguely see the scenery inside, and even though he knew it was fake, he was still shocked.
It was clearly the Ancient Emperor's Seat.
The captain didn't continue. In the sixth fake place, he plucked a strand of cloud, then spat out a mouthful of blood and fused it with the cloud. Finally, it transformed into a huge door made of fog.
"Generally speaking, people who enter this place will instinctively think that there are more after breaking through the fake. So, I did the opposite, and hid the real one here.
"Open this door, and you'll see the first level of my previous life's residence."
The captain stood in front of the door, looking like a proud peacock.
Wu Jianwu was thoroughly shaken. If the captain had spent so much effort to set up so many fake tombs to prevent tomb raiders, then the real one must be even more exaggerated.
But that wasn't the main point of Ning Yan's thoughts.
He couldn't help but ask, "There are two more fake tombs. What kind of layout is that?"
The captain smiled and waved his right hand. The sun of the Lonesun Clan appeared in front of him, then began to shine brightly toward the door.
It flashed a total of nine times.
After the ninth time, the door rumbled and slowly opened, opening up to Xu Qing and the others.
"We're home. Ai, it's been a long time since I've been back. I miss you."
The captain could already imagine how shocked Xu Qing and the others would be when they saw his collection. Therefore, he pretended to be nonchalant and extended his hand in invitation.
Xu Qing was indeed looking forward to it. He stepped forward, followed by Ning Yan and Wu Jianwu. After they entered, the captain smiled proudly and entered as well.
When they appeared, a huge Immortal's cave appeared in front of them.
"This is … huh?"
The captain paused, looked around, and gaped.
The Immortal's cave was completely empty.
There weren't even any chairs. It was extremely clean, as if someone had cleaned it from the inside out. Even the corners weren't spared.
Xu Qing had a strange expression. Ning Yan blinked. Wu Jianwu raised his eyebrows.
Ling 'er, who was beside Xu Qing, whispered.
"This place is so clean."
The captain quickly looked around. The more he looked, the more panicked he became. He felt that something was wrong, but he still pretended to be calm on the surface.
"The first floor was nothing to begin with. After so long, it's normal for it to be weathered.
"My good stuff is all on the second floor. I specially decorated it back then."
With that, the captain took a few steps forward and came to the wall in front of the Immortal's cave. He waved his sleeve, and the wall rumbled and transformed into a stone door.
Seeing that the stone door was intact, the captain heaved a sigh of relief. He raised his hand and licked it, covering it with his saliva. He didn't forget to introduce it to Xu Qing.
"To open this door, you need my saliva and my palm. Without this, no one can open it."
With that, the captain pressed his hand on the door.
"Open!"
The door rumbled and shook a few times. Then, it stopped moving.
Xu Qing blinked and looked at the captain with Ling 'er.
Wu Jianwu and Ning Yan also looked over.
The captain was surprised. After retracting his hand, he used his left hand to lick more thoroughly and pressed it again.
The stone door shook even more violently, but it still didn't open.
The captain's forehead was sweating a little. Sensing that everyone was looking at him, he coughed.
"It's been too long. There's probably a small problem. Don't worry, I have a backup plan."
With that, he raised both hands and pressed with all his might. The door shook even more violently than before, but it still showed no signs of opening. The captain's eyes widened, and he bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood.
His blood caused the door to shake violently, but it still didn't open.
Xu Qing's eyes flashed. He stepped forward, raised his right hand, and punched the door. The door shook even more violently.
The captain took a deep breath. He was completely anxious.
"What are you guys waiting for? Come and help me. Something's not right. Someone changed the way my door is being opened!!"
Wu Jianwu muttered in his heart, but still chose to summon his son.
Soon, a giant bear appeared, followed by a parrot. One beast after another appeared, all of which attacked the door.
Ning Yan had a bad premonition, and was about to retreat when the captain reached out and grabbed him. The vines on his stomach flew out, and he was flung away. Ning Yan howled in pain as his body slammed into the door.
A boom rang out.
Ning Yan's skin was thick, and he was fine. Thanks to their combined efforts, the door finally opened a crack.
The captain was anxious. After the crack appeared, he spat out mouthful after mouthful of blood into the crack. In his previous life, his blood was omnipotent …
Therefore, as his blood flowed into the door, the crack grew larger and larger. Finally, a majestic boom rang out, and the stone door opened completely. A huge cave appeared in front of Xu Qing and the others.
The place … was a complete mess.
It was obvious that a burglar had broken in. Everything had been rummaged through, and everything was a mess. Countless pill bottles were shattered, and shelves were toppled. The smell of decay filled the air.
The captain was flabbergasted.
Xu Qing's eyes shone brightly as he walked through the cave, observing the chaos.
Traces of destruction could be seen.
Off to the side, Wu Jianwu sighed. He couldn't help but recite a poem.
"The bull is happy to return home, but the house is so desolate …."
"What Greatsword means is, Senior Brother Er Niu, your house has been burgled," Ning Yan whispered.
The captain turned to look at the two of them. His eyes looked as if he wanted to eat them alive, and they immediately shut up.
However, the captain wasn't in the mood to pay attention to these two idiots. He looked at the mess, and his heart burned with anger. His mind raced as he tried to recall if he had placed anything valuable here in his previous life.
After a while, the captain let out a sigh of relief. He pretended to be relaxed and raised his head.
"I expected this. After all, it's been so many years, and it's normal for accidents to happen. That's why I placed all the good things next to the coffin on the last level.
"If the second level is lost, then so be it. However, my coffin is on the third level, and there's no problem. No one in this world can open it except me, not even a god!"
The captain proudly walked to the center of the cave and formed a seal. The ground of the cave rumbled, and a circular Earth Door appeared in the middle.
Xu Qing believed the first part of the captain's words, but he didn't believe that even a god couldn't open it.
However, he didn't say anything. He glanced at the ground, then looked up at the Earth Door in the center. He was about to speak.
However, the captain had already opened the door. A rumbling sound echoed, and the captain coughed up blood. His body tumbled backward, and his eyes were ferocious.
"Interesting. You even changed this restriction for me!"
Xu Qing was about to step forward when the captain waved his hand in midair.
"I don't believe I won't use you this time!"
Thinking about what he had said along the way, and now that he had been slapped in the face, the captain's self-esteem exploded. His eyes were red, and a strange face appeared in his pupils. The face opened its eyes, and there was a face in its eyes.
The layers seemed endless, and blue light rose from his body. The coldness around him exploded. He instantly approached the Earth Door, raised his right hand, and slammed it down.
His chest was torn open, and a blue arm covered in bone spikes stretched out.
It wasn't just one arm; seven or eight arms stretched out, and terrifying ripples spread out from inside of him.
All of Wu Jianwu's beasts began to tremble, and Ning Yan was shocked. Next, the seven or eight ferocious blue arms slammed down toward the Earth Door.
The ground rumbled. The restrictive spells had been set up by the captain, and although they had been changed, the way he attacked was different from others.
Therefore, in the blink of an eye, the Earth Door trembled, and cracks spread out across its surface, forming a magical symbol.
The magical symbol flickered a few times, and then a cracking sound could be heard as it pierced downward. The Earth Door collapsed into pieces, revealing a thirty-meter-wide hole.
Without any hesitation, the captain shot toward the hole. Soon, a howl of anguish could be heard coming from below.
The sound was bitter, and Xu Qing's expression flickered. He rushed into the hole and stepped onto the third level.
Everything here made him suck in a deep breath.
The level of chaos exceeded that of the second level.
If the second level could be likened to a burglar, then the third level could be likened to a group of burglars.
The surroundings were in a mess, and there were even some dried feces. The foul atmosphere was shocking.
Especially the coffin that should have been placed on the central platform, but it was no longer there. It was in pieces, and a small part of it was still lying in a corner.
It was empty inside.
There were no corpses.
As for the captain, he was sitting on a piece of the coffin, looking around with a blank expression.
Seeing this, Xu Qing sighed and walked to the captain's side, patting him on the shoulder.
"Little Junior Brother, my previous incarnation … was stolen." The captain looked up at Xu Qing with grief and indignation.
Wu Jianwu and Ning Yan also came down at this moment, looking around in shock.
"Eldest Senior Brother, calm down. Are you sure that your previous incarnation is really dead?" Xu Qing asked softly.
He didn't know what it felt like to have one's previous incarnation stolen. After all, not everyone could have such an experience, but he could understand the captain's feelings.
Hearing this, the captain's eyes narrowed. He was originally an extremely shrewd person. Previously, the shock of losing his previous incarnation was too great, so he was at a loss. Even if Xu Qing didn't remind him, he would soon notice the clues, so his expression turned cold.
"You mean, this was done after my previous incarnation woke up?"
"But I didn't die in my previous incarnation, so I can't have a next incarnation. So this possibility doesn't exist, unless …"
"Something unclean took over your previous incarnation," Xu Qing said calmly.
"That's right. In the past, I was the one who tricked others. This is the first time in my life that someone tricked me!" The captain stood up, his body emitting a terrifying wave of energy.
"The chaos on the second level came from one direction, so there's a high probability that it was done by one person."
"And the third level …" Xu Qing looked at the captain.
The captain's eyes were filled with madness as he slowly spoke.
"The third level started from the center. From the signs of some broken items, it was the coffin that exploded on its own, causing a shock wave, and then it searched and looted."
"And this unclean thing was able to open the Earth Gate and modify it. It even changed the gate on the second level. This means that it knows me very well …"
"In this way, the range can be reduced by a lot, and the possibility of outsiders entering is very small. Instead, it's more likely that an unclean spirit was born here."
"Back then, I had a lot of burial items. After so many years, perhaps one of them coincidentally gave birth to an artifact spirit!"
The captain slowly spoke. The more he spoke, the clearer his thoughts became. In the end, a cold light flashed in his eyes.
"However, this unclean thing shouldn't have taken over my previous incarnation. My previous incarnation was refined by me from the moment it was born, and it was also connected to this place. If I didn't remove it, once it left the range of the Endless Mountain Range, it would have turned to dust."
"So, as long as it's still alive, it must not be far from here!"
The captain's voice was cold and filled with killing intent.
Xu Qing nodded and looked at the surrounding walls. There was no need for him to speak. The captain already understood.
"We have to confirm whether or not the other party noticed our arrival this time."
The captain performed a double-handed incantation gesture. Light flashed around the tomb, and the restrictive spells here responded. After a long moment, the captain coldly snorted.
"There are no signs of fluctuations being transmitted outside. This unclean thing might have set up some traps here, but in the end, this is still my tomb!"
With that, the captain coughed up a mouthful of blood. He raised his right hand and squeezed it. The blood turned into a compass on his finger, and the needle began to spin.
"As long as it has even the slightest bit to do with my bloodline, my Bloodline Guide can find it!"
In the next instant, the needle locked onto a direction. It was Ning Yan.
Ning Yan's expression changed.