Chapter 26: Treasure or Trap

The long passage had waves of chilly, damp air rushing at them from all directions. The moisture in the air felt like dewdrops, constantly clinging to the Old Man and Zuo Qingcang’s bodies.

“It’s so cold here,” the Old Man shivered and said, “Could this passage lead under the sea?”

“Just think about the abyss depicted in the murals. If the artisans weren’t exaggerating, it means Shen Zong’s coffin was buried very deep. Even if it went beneath the ocean floor, it wouldn’t be surprising. But it probably isn’t too deep either, because if it was truly abandoned at the bottom of the sea, this tomb itself wouldn’t make much sense.”

As the two continued forward, the winding passage descended deeper. The air grew more saturated with moisture and cold. The Old Man was now trembling as he walked, while Zuo Qingcang, having mastered the Innate Primordial Breath through his torso and limbs, underwent muscular changes. His body constantly radiated waves of heat, keeping his body temperature stable.

After over ten minutes, they emerged from the passage and encountered a massive stone gate blocking their path.

Zuo Qingcang asked, “Is there any reaction from Spiritual Power?”

The Old Man carefully observed and replied, “No, apart from the continuous Spiritual Power radiating from your body, I don’t notice anything else.” He was referring to the heat waves emitted by Zuo Qingcang’s muscles and organs.

Next, the two cautiously inspected the gate: listening, knocking, and patting it. Finally, Zuo Qingcang shook his head and said, “It seems there are no traps?”

“Then try pushing it?” the Old Man suggested.

“Mm. Step back a bit.” Zuo Qingcang approached the gate, pressed both palms against the stone, and exerted a little force, but the gate didn’t budge. The next moment, Zuo Qingcang let out a cold snort, and the Innate Primordial Breath throughout his body surged violently.

The explosive power from his muscles caused the entire gate to shudder with a muffled sound, then began to inch slowly open.

The stone gate weighed several tons at least, but thanks to his training in true Martial Arts, Zuo Qingcang’s endurance and explosive power had greatly increased, allowing him to push it open bit by bit. Neither Liu Zhicheng nor the past Zuo Qingcang could ever have accomplished this.

With a loud rumble as the gate was fully pushed open, a stone hall appeared before them. The hall was roughly over three hundred square meters, with two pillars adorned with dragon reliefs standing at each end.

Once the gate opened, rows of fireballs lit up along the walls, illuminating the entire hall as bright as day. Under the firelight, the objects on the hall’s floor came into their view.

There were piles of gold and silver artifacts, beautiful jades, pearls, and gems stacked like small hills. They shimmered brilliantly, dazzling to the eyes. It was a treasure hoard massive enough to overthrow a kingdom; anyone who saw it would likely gasp in disbelief.

But Zuo Qingcang’s expression didn’t change at all. Instead, the moment the flames ignited, he immediately pulled the Old Man back.

He said, “This tomb chamber seems to be sealed.”

The Old Man finally tore his gaze away from the wealth, sighed, and said, “Hmm, probably the earthquake didn’t affect this chamber, and tomb raiders from the past couldn’t break through here, so it remains sealed.”

He then looked at the blazing torches in the chamber and said, “It’s likely some self-igniting Dao Arts material. When we opened the chamber and air flowed in, it caught fire.”

Zuo Qingcang thought the same; he knew many substances, like white phosphorus, could self-ignite when oxygen flooded into a long-sealed space. Such a method here clearly served both as lighting and to deter tomb raiders unfamiliar with these tricks.

The Old Man continued, “This sealed chamber has been closed for too long. Let’s wait outside before entering.”

Both understood the principle: in a long-sealed stone chamber, toxic chemical gases from lack of oxygen and prolonged confinement made it unsafe to enter immediately. They needed to wait until the air inside cleared.

So they retreated over two hundred meters back into the passage and waited.

During the wait, Zuo Qingcang glanced at the Old Man and said, “Are you still thinking about that treasure?”

“Hehe, can’t help it. Honestly, it’s the first time I’ve seen so many valuable things. If we could take them out, we’d never have to worry about finances again.”

Seeing Zuo Qingcang frown, the Old Man waved his hand and said, “Don’t worry, I’m not that foolish. These treasures aren’t placed in the Sacrificial Chamber but here instead—it’s clearly suspicious. How could I touch them?

Besides, just the two of us couldn’t carry out so much treasure anyway.”

Zuo Qingcang nodded and said coldly, “Good that you know. Treasures in such tombs might be connected to traps or coated with toxins. It’s best if we don’t touch them.”

They ended up waiting in the passage for a full day and night. Zuo Qingcang also ate a piece of a Dwarf Spirit’s corpse to replenish his energy before standing up and heading into the hall.

The sight of gold and silver artifacts covering the floor was still dazzling, but this time, neither of them paid any attention. They walked directly to another passage in the hall and continued on.

Half an hour later, another stone gate blocked their way.

Similar to the previous one, after Zuo Qingcang pushed open the gate, blazing flames and a large stone hall appeared. The difference was that this time, instead of vast treasures, rows of bookshelves filled the floor.

“Northern Peng Hanging Heaven Style!”

“Universe Roaming Chapter!”

“Southern Heaven Three Jian!”

“Seven Deities of Mysterious Abyss Record!”

“Life Grove Illustrations!”

The Old Man’s eyes widened as he read the names on the bookshelves, his expression filled with fervor and disbelief. Only after Zuo Qingcang pulled him back into the passage and retreated dozens of meters did he gradually calm down.

He exclaimed ecstatically, “Those bookshelves, all of them—they’re filled with the South Saint Sect’s Martial Arts and Dao Arts. They say Shen Zong was the sect leader of the South Saint Sect back then, but I never imagined they’d store all the sect’s classics here! They must record every stage of cultivating Martial Arts and Dao Arts, and maybe even the cultivation methods of all the Life Groves!”

Unlike the Old Man’s euphoria, Zuo Qingcang furrowed his brows, thinking to himself, “First wealth, then knowledge and power. What comes next?”

Meanwhile, the Old Man, though repeatedly warning himself that there must be tricks and traps, trembled uncontrollably at the thought of the knowledge in those books. He could hardly restrain the urge to rush over and start reading.