Chapter 27: Magma

“You want to take these secret manuals?” Zuo Qingcang asked seriously.

“Of course.” The Old Man said excitedly. “Do you know what so many South Saint Sect secret manuals really represent? They are martial arts and Dao Arts left over from the Age of Gods and Demons! They are the wisdom of ancient humans! They are technology that crosses eras!

The secrets of the lifespan and power of ancient Taoist Priests! We might uncover them all inside!”

“Calm down first.” Zuo Qingcang frowned and said. “Can you be sure these manuals are real? And who knows what traps are inside. Even if you get the manuals, you need to stay alive to learn them.”

“This risk is worth taking!” The Old Man said. “We might never encounter such an opportunity again in our lives. Do you know the legend? During the Western Wei period, Shen Zong’s master, the previous sect leader of South Saint Sect, Grandmaster Taixuan, lived for over a thousand years.”

“Just rumors.” Zuo Qingcang said lightly.

“It’s fine if you don’t believe it, but don’t you want to practice Dao Arts?” The Old Man stared fixedly at Zuo Qingcang and said. “Do you know, your Life Grove, Night Sea, in this world today, probably only here can we find its training method.”

“What do you mean?” Zuo Qingcang frowned. “Are you hiding something from me?”

“Your Life Grove ‘Night Sea’ is a long-lost Life Grove. I didn’t tell you earlier because I was afraid you would worry too much and it would affect your Martial Arts training.” The Old Man said. “So if you want to practice Dao Arts, now the South Saint Sect’s secret manuals are your only chance!”

Seeing Zuo Qingcang still not relenting, the Old Man gritted his teeth and said. “Why are you still hesitating? Do you just want to live an ordinary life? Don’t you want a long lifespan? Don’t you want invincible power? In this era, Dao Arts and Martial Arts are declining. Once we learn the South Saint Sect’s Martial Arts, we can surely dominate the world!”

“Dominate the world, move unchallenged, change the world single-handedly, become a power that rivals nations…” Zuo Qingcang snorted coldly. “Of course I want that. I’ve wanted it since my last life. I just never had the chance before.”

Zuo Qingcang’s mention of ‘last life’ was taken by the Old Man as an exaggeration. Sensing Zuo Qingcang’s interest, he urged more strongly. “Then let’s do it! We’ll check the whole room together, make sure all the traps are safe before we act. After the earthquake, many of the Ancient Tomb’s Dao Arts arrays have failed…”

Before the Old Man could finish his enthusiastic speech, Zuo Qingcang stopped him and said coldly. “If you want the manuals, fine. But we must wait until we explore the entire Ancient Tomb and secure an escape route first.”

“But…”

“No buts.” Zuo Qingcang stared coldly at the Old Man. “If you disagree, I’ll knock you out right here and go on alone.” Zuo Qingcang was so resolute because his mind remained calm in this situation, and he felt the successive temptations before him were most likely a trap.

“Sigh.” Under Zuo Qingcang’s intense gaze, the Old Man helplessly sighed. “Alright, but remember, before we leave, we must come back here and take all these secret manuals we can carry!”

Next, the two rested for a full day and night. They waited until the air in the second stone hall had circulated completely before opening the large door and walking in.

Although the Old Man was still reluctant to leave the secret manuals in the Stone Chamber behind, under Zuo Qingcang’s watchful eye, he did not do anything foolish.

Opening the passage from the Stone Chamber, the two proceeded onward. Glancing back at the rows of bookshelves and the secret manuals upon them, Zuo Qingcang thought: “If the previous traps were really meant to allow others to come back to the Ancient Tomb to retrieve things, then are these secret manuals and treasures what they intended to retrieve?

And what about that group of tomb raiders? Was this their target too?”

As Zuo Qingcang was thinking this in the passage, he suddenly asked. “By the way, won’t those secret manuals be damaged? They are at least two thousand years old, right?”

“You mentioning that reminds me. The ones made of leather and metal might be fine, but for the paper ones, whoever stored them probably used special preservation methods. Still, to be safe, we should be very careful when we collect them.”

As they walked, the Old Man talked endlessly about historical rumors, the ancient era, and particularly the various legends of the South Saint Sect. He seemed to deeply yearn for the incredible Dao Arts from the legends.

Zuo Qingcang just listened without commenting. His eyes held no fanaticism or anticipation, only their usual iciness, as if the person who desired power earlier was just an illusion.

As they went deeper, the moisture in the air increased. Everything felt damp. Zuo Qingcang felt as if he were soaking in water.

This part of the path also seemed particularly long. They walked for a full hour before a huge cave opening appeared ahead.

Wiping sweat from his forehead, Zuo Qingcang asked. “Do you feel it’s getting hotter?”

“It is getting hotter.” The Old Man wiped sweat from his own brow. “Are we walking into a volcano?”

“An undersea volcano?” Just as Zuo Qingcang thought this, they turned past the cave opening. After walking a few more meters, a bright light filled their vision, and a wave of intense heat washed over them.

“Really an undersea volcano? But the volcano should be under the Ancient Tomb. How can it appear directly here?” The Old Man stared dumbly at the massive canyon spanning hundreds of meters before them. Far below the canyon, kilometers away, crimson lights danced and leaped.

“It’s a magma tributary within the rock vein. Outside the rock wall is probably the sea.” Zuo Qingcang frowned, his eyes scanning the canyon.

“Could it be because of the earthquake? Will the rest of the Ancient Tomb fall into this chasm and be swallowed by magma? What do we do then?” The Old Man suddenly shook his head. “No, if that were the case, the grand array should have already failed.”

“Stop thinking.” Zuo Qingcang squinted and pointed in a direction within the canyon. “Over there.”

The Old Man looked where Zuo Qingcang pointed. Amidst the crimson glow, within the canyon, a huge iron chest was suspended in mid-air, its four corners bound by four chains.

Seeing this scene, the Old Man immediately remembered the final mural in the Sacrificial Chamber, the one showing Shen Zong’s coffin being lowered into an endless abyss.

He blurted out in a startled voice. “The coffin! That’s Shen Zong’s coffin!”

Little did he know, at that very moment, a Dagger pressed against the back of his neck, directly resting on his throat.