Chapter 76: Plot, why so many plots?
A few dozen people entered the tomb, and each of the four major families in the southern region was allocated only five or six slots.
Two or three elders from each family would bring along two of the family’s core members and a younger person they valued, giving them an opportunity to broaden their horizons.
The few lower-ranking exorcists who came to gain experience stayed together quietly, knowing they just needed to avoid being a burden.
Feng Zaixing also came this time, but he was hardly noticeable in the crowd.
Ahead of them, several mid and high-ranking exorcists were responsible for looking after the younger members, including his cousin, Feng Zaiyin.
His cousin was famously talented and accomplished among the younger generation, one of the standouts. While Feng Zaixing could only hide within the group, Feng Zaiyin was able to be one of the protectors.
At home, their grandfather valued his cousin, and here, Feng Zaiyin was still the most outstanding.
Seeing how the other young members of the four major families admired and respected his cousin, Feng Zaixing was filled with jealousy.
Especially since Feng Zaixing knew the real reason he was allowed to come along this time. It wasn’t because his grandfather valued him or wanted him to gain experience—he was just a backup blood bag.
His grandfather feared that something unexpected might happen in the tomb and that the awakened Ninth Uncle would break free of control. So, just in case, they needed to use a blood curse for forced control.
This curse required a large amount of fresh blood, and the closer the blood relation, the better. Naturally, his grandfather was unwilling to sacrifice his chosen heir, Feng Zaiyin.
When they had forcibly awakened Ninth Uncle at the lake house, Feng Zaixing had been chosen to assist. At the time, he felt valued, but that experience had terrified him.
The feeling of losing so much blood was unbearable, and the wound—he, a young master of the Feng family, had never suffered such pain.
Feng Zaixing’s resentment deepened. This time, he was being taken into the dangerous Chi Heng Tomb again, and deep down, he didn’t want to go, but he didn’t dare defy his grandfather.
If only his cousin accidentally died in this dangerous tomb.
A malicious thought welled up in Feng Zaixing’s heart.
At the front, the top exorcists were working on opening the third level of the tomb. This had nothing to do with the younger members at the back, who were all whispering to each other.
“That one at the front is Feng Zaiyin from this generation of the Feng family, right? He’s so handsome; I just love this kind of dashing man.”
“He’s not just handsome; he’s also incredibly capable. I’ve heard the Feng family is planning to pass everything on to him in the future.”
“I’d rather look at that Ninth Uncle Feng up ahead; he looks like an immortal.”
“Are you out of your mind? That’s a spirit demon! If you have even a slightly disrespectful thought and it’s detected, you’re as good as dead!”
Hearing these whispers, Feng Zaixing glanced toward his Ninth Uncle at the front.
He could still harbor jealousy toward his cousin Feng Zaiyin, but when it came to his Ninth Uncle Feng Xuexiang, it was pure terror.
Suddenly, Ninth Uncle’s gaze shifted in their direction, and Feng Zaixing immediately lowered his head, shrinking like a quail.
In lowering his head, Feng Zaixing was the first to notice that the green bricks beneath their feet were shifting. With a couple of sharp clicks, they began to fall.
Feng Zaixing screamed in terror.
The shifting bricks below trapped and separated them into smaller groups.
He heard his cousin Feng Zaiyin shouting, “Don’t panic! Move toward the center!”
But the center bricks collapsed as well, causing several people to fall into different holes. Feng Zaixing, unlucky as ever, fell into one of the suddenly appearing pits and lost all sense of where he was. He could no longer hear Feng Zaiyin’s voice.
Cursing his cousin inwardly, Feng Zaixing fumed, thinking how so many people praised Feng Zaiyin, yet he was useless. When his cousin was in danger, he didn’t even come to save him first!
This time, he was going to die here!
Feng Zaixing tumbled helplessly through the pit, losing all sense of direction. He finally landed in a relatively spacious area, completely alone.
After lying there dazed for a while, he finally got up and looked around. The surrounding green brick walls were decorated with murals, revealing a tomb passageway even more intricate than the one they had just left.
Lamps were unexpectedly lit on both sides of the tomb passage. This indicated that the area wasn’t completely sealed; there must have been some airflow.
Feng Zaixing hesitantly walked forward, fearing he might encounter some danger, but the path remained eerily calm.
He felt as though he had been walking for a long time when he finally entered a larger burial chamber.
The walls of this chamber were adorned with gold and silver, and sixteen everlasting lamps were arranged in a lotus pattern at the center, bathing the room in a regal light.
Feng Zaixing was captivated by the intricate tomb murals carved from white jade.
The long, raised mural depicted the tomb’s owner being surrounded and honored by followers. Further up, the mural showed the scene of the tomb owner’s death, with thousands kneeling in reverence and countless demons and spirits carrying his soul to the heavens.
Higher up, the carving showed celestial beings delivering an elixir to the tomb owner, who, after consuming it, ascended to the celestial realm.
This type of mural had been popular a thousand years ago, reflecting the tomb owner’s hope for immortality after death.
However, the mural before him was not only larger and more exquisite but also featured something extraordinary—the celestial being holding the elixir was actually holding a jade box that could be taken down.
Feng Zaixing carefully removed the jade box from the celestial being’s hands and opened it. Inside was a thumb-sized pill with a pearlescent glow, emanating a faint, alluring fragrance.
Feng Zaixing’s eyes glazed over as he stared at it, and he began to hear voices in his head—some seemed to be his own, others seemed foreign.
“This is a pill imbued with the legacy of a powerful exorcist. Consuming it will make you unimaginably strong.”
“If I eat it, my cousin won’t be able to compete with me anymore, and Grandfather will see me differently… No, I’ll become stronger than Grandfather, and the Feng family will be mine!”
“This is my chance, my destiny. Eat it, eat it!”
With bloodshot eyes, Feng Zaixing grabbed the pill and shoved it into his mouth, swallowing it in one gulp.
Moments later, he collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest as his skin turned a deep red.
Before long, Feng Zaixing sat up from the floor. He looked at his hands, then reached up to touch his face.
“This clothing looks a bit odd, and the hair is so short?”
Muttering to himself, he closed his eyes to feel his new body for a moment and expressed dissatisfaction, “This body’s innate abilities are too mediocre.”
“After all, it’s not my original body, and the cultivation is so inadequate. I don’t know how long it will be useful.”
In the original timeline, this “immortal pill” was given to Jiang Mang by Feng Zaiyin.
The pill was intended to seize her soul, but upon detecting the vitality growing within her, it instead took residence in her womb, seamlessly obtaining a new, compatible body.
However, this time, he could only return to the mortal realm using another less suitable new body.
…
An unexpected incident occurred in the tomb passage. When two groups became separated, Xue Ruoyao and two Xue family exorcists, along with two Ming family exorcists, had to turn back to search for them and rescue them. However, the Feng family patriarch refused.
Since the third level door had already opened, the spacious tomb chamber was glowing with a brilliant light.
The Feng family patriarch insisted on proceeding first, and the people from the Crisis Bureau followed him in. Naturally, the rest, fearing being left behind, scrambled to follow.
Feng Xuexiang lagged behind, and upon seeing Xue Ruoyao and the others leaving, he said to the remaining two Ming family exorcists, “You should go as well.”
“Yes, Ninth Uncle.” The two, seeing that the family head was already gone, did not dare defy him and went after Xue Ruoyao.
Rumors had it that Chi Heng’s Tomb contained countless treasures and magical artifacts, including methods for immortality and techniques for controlling demons—these were the most coveted items.
Currently, the four major families relied on spirit demons to protect their homes. Where did these spirit demons come from? These entities were a fusion of spirit and demon, originally refined into magical artifacts. When parasitized within humans, they could grant immense power.
According to legend, Chi Heng could command demons, and all demons obeyed his orders. With such magical techniques, what were one or two spirit demons worth?
Among them, the Feng family head was the most excited. His blood curse technique was derived from a mysterious silk book, which was only a fragment left by Chi Heng.
Caught up in a frenzy of excitement, the Feng family head ignored many things around him.
Feng Xuexiang silently followed behind him.
If Yu Shi was here, he would notice the pollution value above his head skyrocketing to a terrifying level, while his clarity value simultaneously increased.
Once inside the tomb, Feng Xuexiang found that this tomb was very strange and could make him clear-headed.
He had never felt so lucid before, and even remembered some things he had forgotten.
If he wasn’t mistaken, this place should be a nurturing tomb, designed to sustain some non-human entities. While ordinary tombs were filled with deathly energy, this one was brimming with vitality.
As he watched them search around, he entered yet another even more magnificent and spacious chamber.
Someone screamed, “Don’t touch those jade bottles! There are demons inside!”
Everyone used their abilities to deal with the awakened demons in the tomb.
The Feng family head was no exception; he was even more impatient, walking ahead and opening the central coffin.
To his surprise, the coffin contained no body, only a box containing a jade book.
He paid no attention to anything else and eagerly picked up the jade book to examine it. To his dismay, he couldn’t understand the text.
At this moment, one of those dealing with the demons shouted, “The Feng family head has been possessed!”
Hearing this, Feng Houzhan finally regained some clarity. Holding the precious jade book, he glared coldly at the others.
He was, of course, not possessed, but their accusation made him suspect they might be trying to frame him to seize the treasure.
Feng Houzhan had always interpreted others’ actions with the darkest and most despicable thoughts. Faced with the unusual stares from everyone, his first reaction was to conceal the jade book and force a smile as he said:
“Are we really going to tear our faces apart here? I’ve only temporarily put away the item; once we leave, I will naturally share it with everyone.”
No one reacted; they continued to watch him with suspicion, and some even drew their weapons, shouting, “Subdue him first!”
Of course, the Feng family head had not been possessed. However, at that moment, to the others, it appeared as though he had been ensnared and corrupted by the ghostly entities in the coffin, becoming a demonic presence.
Given the size of the tomb and the nature of the coffin, it seemed plausible that it contained demons powerful enough to overwhelm even the Feng family head.
When Feng Houzhan spoke, to the others, he appeared as a blackened, corrupted figure with cracks on his body opening and closing. No one could understand what he was saying.
Surrounded by the crowd, the Feng family head was furious, thinking to himself that these were a bunch of hypocritical people, blatantly trying to kill and seize the treasure. If it came to that, he could only blame himself!
He was enraged by the greed and anticipation in the eyes of those in the front and attacked them in a fit of rage.
To the others, the once hesitant ones now no longer hesitated, and they all attacked him.
The Feng family head shouted, “Little Ninth, why aren’t you helping me!”
Feng Xuexiang looked at him with an unchanged smile, stepping back a step, then two, leaning against a jade bottle and appearing detached from the situation.
Feng Houzhan’s face darkened. “You dare? Do you want to taste the blood curse again?”
Glancing around and seeing that Feng Zaiyin and Feng Zaixing were not present, he had no choice but to cut his own arm.
Feng Xuexiang watched Feng Houzhan’s actions without any sign of disturbance, allowing him to activate the curse.
Feng Houzhan’s face turned ashen. “The curse clearly hasn’t been broken, you…”
Why wasn’t there any reaction?
The blood curse indeed hadn’t been broken, but who said it could completely control him?
“Is Father surprised? Well, last time you specifically tested and confirmed that I was still under your control,” Feng Xuexiang said nonchalantly, “But who says I can’t pretend? Last time, I was just cooperating with you to set your mind at ease.”
All along, he had remained weak just enough to be useful without being so powerful that it aroused suspicion.
Feng Houzhan didn’t believe it. As he tried to activate the curse again, those attacking him had already closed in.
They showed no reaction to his and Feng Xuexiang’s words, focusing intently on him. It was only then that Feng Houzhan realized something was amiss:
“Did your illusion confuse them?!”
Caught off guard by the shock, Feng Houzhan was slashed across the chest.
“How did you draw so many people into your illusion?”
Feng Xuexiang didn’t answer.
Who said the illusion had only affected them today?
With the Ming family out of the way, everything went smoothly.
He had to thank Mei Yeyao for providing the plum blossom branches that revealed their inner greed. Without that, they wouldn’t have been so easily manipulated by his illusion.
Feng Houzhan was soon overwhelmed by the attack from all sides, in a desperate and pitiful state.
“Little Ninth, why must you do this? What good does my death do you? I am your biological father!”
No matter what he said, Feng Xuexiang merely stood aside with a smiling expression, saying nothing.
His illusion couldn’t affect Feng Houzhan, but it could certainly affect everyone else.
He was bound by the blood curse and could not harm Feng Houzhan, but others could.
Despite Feng Houzhan’s arrogance, his energy waned under the relentless attack.
“It’s impossible! I can’t fail like this! I have reached the realm of breaking the void, I am the strongest, and I will be—”
His head was severed.
“—immortal.”
Feng Houzhan was indeed formidable; the attackers were all injured and bearing heavy wounds.
Feng Xuexiang finally moved. He withdrew his hand from the jade bottle and said, “The Feng family head has been tainted by the tomb’s demonic creatures. If he turns into a vengeful spirit or demon, it will be even harder to deal with. To be safe, we should destroy his remains.”
Without his remains, the ghost would lose its anchor and dissipate.
To the others, who were still under the illusion, Feng Xuexiang’s words seemed to be coming from another exorcist. They saw the illusion of Feng Xuexiang, who had retreated to the back after being injured while controlling the demonized Feng Houzhan.
“Find the jade book first,” someone said.
The jade book was retrieved, and Feng Houzhan’s body was ignored, left to be crushed and discarded.
Feng Xuexiang retreated to the back, a trace of blood appearing at the corner of his mouth, which he casually wiped away.
His illusion began to dissipate, like ripples on the water, subtle and unnoticed.
Outside the tomb, Feng Zaiyin hid in the shadows, suppressing disbelief and hatred in his eyes.
He clutched a ring in his hand, an artifact he had found in a tomb room while separated from the others, capable of seeing through illusions.
So he had seen that his grandfather had not been possessed, yet these people claimed he had and killed him.
His Ninth Uncle, from beginning to end, had been smiling calmly from the side.
