Chapter 1465: Ancestor?

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Chapter 1463: Ancestor?

“Earth Qi transforms into gold, attracting wealth and treasures.”

Looking at the pale yellow Wealth Qi drifting within the tomb passage before them, Pangolin couldn’t help but click his tongue in admiration: “What a blessed land.”

“What blessed land… it was bought with human lives. Just a sin, that’s all,” Skinny Cicada said.

“There must be some blessed lands that weren’t bought with human lives,” Pangolin couldn’t help but say. “I wonder if I could be buried in such a place after I die.”

Before he finished speaking, Iron Mountain Tiger slapped him on the back of the head. “Don’t talk nonsense!”

Pangolin was slightly angry at first, but then immediately realized that before “Entering the Earth,” one shouldn’t say the word “die.”

Words could invite disaster; otherwise, he might really end up buried inside.

Pangolin’s face turned pale. “I… how could I be so foolish?”

Iron Mountain Tiger and the others narrowed their eyes. They also felt that no matter how careless Pangolin was, he wouldn’t say such things at a time like this.

The atmosphere suddenly grew tense, a chill rising in their hearts.

Just then, Mo Hua glanced at everyone and said calmly: “It’s fine, let’s go in.”

As soon as Mo Hua spoke, for some reason, the chill vanished abruptly, and everyone inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

Iron Mountain Tiger nodded, saying, “I’ll take the lead,” and walked at the very front.

The others followed behind him, passing through the gap one by one and stepping into the tomb passage.

Inside the tomb passage, things appeared somewhat shabby. The corridor was narrow, the materials used were ordinary, and it seemed to have been built in haste. Moreover, it was a sinister Feng Shui Arrangement, so it wasn’t suitable for large-scale construction.

As they walked along the tomb passage, they encountered no shortage of mechanisms and traps.

In front of Iron Mountain Tiger and these seasoned veterans, these mechanisms and traps weren’t much of a challenge.

When dealing with Late Golden Core Stage experts from the Earth Sect Shadow Division, Iron Mountain Tiger and the others might be at their mercy.

But in ordinary Golden Core tomb-raiding groups, these few were actually quite formidable “experts.”

However, since they were in the tomb-raiding business, they couldn’t operate openly and weren’t well-regarded.

In Houtu City, these few could only keep a low profile and barely scrape by.

With these experts around, Mo Hua had it easier, letting Iron Mountain Tiger and the others clear the way for him.

He only needed to provide support from the side, keeping an eye out for any sudden situations and invisible Yin Evil.

Because it was built hastily, the entire tomb wasn’t large, and the tomb passage wasn’t long either.

After walking for a while, breaking through several mechanisms and taking a few forks, they arrived before the final burial chamber.

On the tomb door, golden and fiery lights flowed faintly, clearly indicating defensive Formations carved inside.

Additionally, around the tomb door were carved special “patterns,” likely a medium for the Feng Shui Layout Arrangement, used to channel the wealth fortune of the “Five Granaries Treasure Gathering Setup” into the main burial chamber, thereby accumulating blessings for the tomb’s occupant and their descendants.

At the sight of this tomb door, Zhou Jin, who had been silent throughout the journey, suddenly became agitated.

His expression was complex, filled with excitement at having achieved his goal, anger, pain, and a trace of confusion.

Iron Mountain Tiger asked him, “Is this the place?”

Zhou Jin murmured, “Yes, it should be… I can feel it.”

He slowly walked forward, reaching out to touch the tomb door, but suddenly, golden light and flames erupted from the door, repelling Zhou Jin over a dozen steps and giving his hands a burning sensation.

“This is… a formation… Third Grade Mid Tier?!”

Zhou Jin was first enraged, then terrified, muttering to himself: “No, no… Old Rich Zhou, he was just a village landlord after all. How could he possibly afford to set up such a tomb formation?”

Zhou Jin’s face turned pale.

Iron Mountain Tiger released his Divine-Sense, sensing the formation on the tomb door. It was indeed a Third-Grade Formation, and its aura was quite strong.

But he didn’t understand formations, so he couldn’t gauge the exact level of this formation. He turned to Mo Hua and asked: “Big Brother, can you break this formation?”

Mo Hua replied, “I’ll give it a try.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jin’s eyes instantly locked onto Mo Hua.

Mo Hua walked to the tomb door, took out his brush and ink, and began drawing various intricate Third-Grade Formation Patterns on it.

After finishing, Mo Hua pointed to a spot seven inches to the right on the tomb door and said to Iron Mountain Tiger, “Channel your strength and strike here.”

Iron Mountain Tiger nodded, following the instruction. His entire body’s strength solidified like iron as he threw a punch.

A thick surge of force penetrated the door.

Golden-red light on the tomb door began to flicker chaotically, like sparks scattering wildly.

Then, with a sizzling sound, the formation’s structure shattered, and a gap was blasted open in the tomb door.

Iron Mountain Tiger was stunned. “It really opened?”

He turned to Mo Hua and praised, “As expected of Big Brother!”

Mo Hua nodded. “Let’s go in.”

“Yes,” Iron Mountain Tiger said, then channeled his Golden Core Strength to blast open the remaining parts of the tomb door before stepping inside first.

As a Body Cultivator, it was natural for him to shield his big brother.

Mo Hua followed behind Iron Mountain Tiger.

Skinny Cicada and Pangolin brought up the rear, guarding Mo Hua.

In contrast, Zhou Jin stood frozen in place. Just moments ago, he had felt despair, but now his heart was filled with astonishment:

“This… is not a formation that someone at the Early Golden Core Stage could break!”

Why could this Ghost Mask young master break such a formation so effortlessly, as easily as eating or drinking?

Did Iron Mountain Tiger and the others have no idea at all?

Zhou Jin’s shock was indescribable.

At that moment, Mo Hua turned to look at him and said, “Coming?”

Zhou Jin’s expression shifted uncertainly. After a moment of silence, he sighed and resigned himself to his fate, following Mo Hua into the main burial chamber.

The main burial chamber was not large but exquisitely decorated, filled with gold, silver, jewels, and various Spirit Stones and spiritual materials crafted into fine artifacts.

Even the coffin in the center of the chamber was “gilded.”

Seeing this, Iron Mountain Tiger couldn’t help but curse again, “That old dog really lived in luxury.”

He had caused the death of the entire village, hoarded all the Wealth Qi for himself, and even in death, he was surrounded by opulence.

Zhou Jin, however, paid no attention to the room full of treasures. His bloodshot eyes were fixed solely on the coffin in the center of the chamber.

At this moment, all his obsession was focused on that coffin.

Without waiting for anyone to speak, he moved toward the coffin, intending to open it, whip the corpse, and avenge his parents and loved ones.

“Wait,” Mo Hua said.

Zhou Jin froze, his bloodshot eyes turning to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua said, “Corpse Transformation has occurred.”

The expressions of Iron Mountain Tiger and the others changed, and they frowned, saying, “But… there’s no Corpse Qi.”

Mo Hua nodded. “The situation is unusual, different from ordinary ‘Corpse Transformation.’ Be careful and stay alert. Strike first when ready.”

Iron Mountain Tiger and the other two trusted Mo Hua completely and nodded in agreement.

Zhou Jin also clenched his fists, his face pale.

Mo Hua said, “I’ll open the coffin.”

After speaking, he walked into Old Rich Zhou’s coffin, his finger tapping in the darkness to unravel the Coffin-Sealing Formation with a Formation Pattern.

As soon as the Coffin-Sealing Formation was undone, the surrounding aura suddenly shifted. A chilling, sinister cold seeped out from the gilded coffin.

Mo Hua pushed open the coffin lid, just cracking it a sliver.

With a thunderous crash, the entire coffin lid was flung aside.

From within the coffin, a figure that was half-golden and half-corpse-like leaped out, baring its fangs as it lunged to bite Mo Hua.

But before it could reach him, Iron Mountain Tiger, who had long been awaiting Mo Hua’s command and standing guard nearby, immediately summoned a large-ringed broadsword and swung it at the Jiangshi, striking it squarely in the waist.

Iron Mountain Tiger’s strike carried immense force, sending the Jiangshi flying three or four zhang away.

Skinny Cicada and Pangolin each activated their Magical Treasures, launching attacks from both flanks.

Zhou Jin, however, drew an exceptionally rare, unsharpened bronze sword and likewise charged toward the corpse-like figure.

The battlefield descended into chaos for a moment.

Mo Hua, however, quietly withdrew from the fray, standing at the edge of the tomb chamber as he examined the corpse.

This should be Old Rich Zhou’s body.

But the “Old Rich Zhou” before him no longer resembled a person, or rather, no longer resembled the corpse of a “person.”

Half of his corpse appeared as if coated in a layer of gold, as though a Golden Body had been molded onto the remains.

The other half of his corpse, however, had completely rotted away, bearing traces of gnawing by rats.

At the same time, Old Rich Zhou’s face had lost all human semblance, replaced instead by a half-rotted “rat face”—pointed snout, beady eyes, and rat whiskers.

Mo Hua’s gaze darkened.

Even he found it difficult to determine exactly what Old Rich Zhou had become at this moment.

Or perhaps…

Mo Hua’s pupils contracted slightly. “A failed evolution… of a Low Rank Deity?”

As Mo Hua observed this grotesque “Rat Corpse” before him, an inexplicable sense of disgust welled up within him.

He couldn’t discern where this feeling of disgust originated.

Was it because his Divine Nature rejected this abomination that polluted the Divine Dao?

Or was it his human nature that abhorred this deformed human corpse?

Or perhaps it was simply… because of rats?

For some reason, Mo Hua felt a subconscious hostility toward the “rat-like” Old Rich Zhou before him.

This hostility had begun to sprout in his heart when he first opened a Rat Coffin, and by now, it had grown increasingly intense, even transforming into outright animosity.

Strangely, this animosity was intertwined with a sense of “familiarity.”

It was as though the cause and effect of this rat before him were not unfamiliar to him—and, moreover, it had “harmed” him in the past.

“A rat… harmed me?”

(TN: Perhaps ‘Chapter 1278: Gold-Coin Mice,’ I can’t remember any other Rat incident.)

When did that happen?

Mo Hua frowned, unable to recall clearly.

His Sea of Consciousness, cluttered with dangerous elements, often faced high pressure and the brink of collapse, and having been tainted by the Endless Abyss Marsh, parts of his memory had grown somewhat hazy.

He could only remember this emotional “disgust” toward rats, but the source of this feeling remained elusive.

Or perhaps the “rat” in his memory was not the same as the “rat” before him now?

Mo Hua sank into contemplation.

And as he pondered, the battle before him continued.

In life, Old Rich Zhou had merely been an early-stage Golden Core old landlord, a significant figure around Little Zhou Village, but nothing noteworthy in the broader context of Houtu City.

Not to mention, his opponents were now four mid-Golden Core cultivators.

If Old Rich Zhou were still alive, besieged by four Golden Core cultivators like Iron Mountain Tiger, he would likely be killed within ten rounds.

But the problem was, Old Rich Zhou had died first.

Moreover, the cause and appearance of his death were somewhat bizarre.

He resembled both a human and a rat, embodying both Corpse Transformation and some changes in Divine Sense Thought.

These “mutations” had caused Old Rich Zhou’s strength to undergo a certain transformation.

Thus, Old Rich Zhou was still able to fight Iron Mountain Tiger, Zhōu jǐn, and the others to this point.

But even so, his own cultivation realm was still far inferior, so shortly after being surrounded, he fell into a disadvantage.

His gilded Golden Body was cracked by the large-ringed blade.

His decaying corpse was also pierced and mottled by Zhōu jǐn’s bronze sword.

And Zhōu jǐn’s bronze sword seemed to contain a certain righteous energy.

Each time it struck Old Rich Zhou’s corpse, it felt like administering a “whipping punishment,” causing Old Rich Zhou excruciating pain and making him roar in agony.

Skinny Cicada switched his poison needles for “Lightning-Struck Wood Needles.” These wooden needles, made from lightning-struck wood, naturally possessed Evil-Suppressing Power, which did little harm to ordinary cultivators but had a strong suppressing effect on evil entities.

Pangolin, meanwhile, coated his Remnant Green Claws with Fire Powder, a powder that ignited upon contact with corpses and could burn Corpse Qi.

These tomb raiders had come prepared. Although they knew nothing of the Divine Dao, having often walked by the river, they had seen much, and they had to know a thing or two about these evil-suppressing and corpse-restraining methods.

Of course, these could not be considered “methods”; they merely relied on external objects to suppress evil, but that was enough.

If they were truly to learn Divine Dao Methods, first, they lacked the heritage, and second, they would not be able to master them.

As time passed, the “Old Rich Zhou,” now like a Rat Corpse, accumulated more and more injuries, his body becoming increasingly riddled with holes.

“Old Rich Zhou” flew into a rage, his corpse shriek piercingly sharp as a bewildering Divine Sense Thought Power instantly spread out.

On his rat-like face, those dark, sinister eyes glanced swiftly, locking onto Pangolin.

Pangolin was stunned, instinctively meeting “Old Rich Zhou’s” gaze. Seeing something terrifying, his eyes involuntarily glazed over.

Seeing this, Zhōu jǐn immediately changed expression and said: “Not good! It wants to change hosts!”

Old Rich Zhou had taken a liking to Pangolin’s physical body.

Meanwhile, Iron Mountain Tiger and Skinny Cicada seemed simultaneously affected by some Divine Sense Thought Power, their reactions slowing considerably.

Once it changed hosts, it would be troublesome.

Gritting his teeth, Zhōu jǐn could only bite his finger, smear the blood on his bronze sword. The bronze sword actually flashed with red light, and a Curse-Incantation Script flickered briefly.

By now, Old Rich Zhou had already pounced in front of Pangolin.

The situation was critical. Zhōu jǐn chanted a Curse-Incantation Art, then flashed forward, closing in on Old Rich Zhou. The bronze longsword stained with his blood thrust toward the back of Old Rich Zhou’s head.

Just as the longsword was about to pierce through the back of Old Rich Zhou’s head, at that very moment, Old Rich Zhou’s head twisted a full circle, his face turning to the back.

His narrow, pointed mouth suddenly opened wide, sharp teeth clamping onto Zhōu jǐn’s bronze sword.

And his eyes, filled with cruel brutality and a bloody illusion, stared directly into Zhōu jǐn’s eyes.

Zhōu jǐn’s heart turned cold, but it was too late. His mind grew dizzy, his vision blurred as the world around him transformed.

He saw only an old man with a rat-like face and a human body, eyes glowing red, wearing a sinister smile as he leaned on a cane, step by step approaching his Sea of Consciousness, closer and closer, on the verge of entering it.

Zhōu jǐn wanted to recite an incantation, to activate some technique, but his cultivation was insufficient, and he had acted too late.

In confrontations with Evil Spirits, a single moment could lead to eternal ruin.

Zhōu jǐn’s voice grew hoarse, blood trickling from the corners of his eyes.

Just as his heart had given up hope, a fireball suddenly flew past, exploding with a thunderous boom that sent Zhōu jǐn flying several yards away.

After landing, Zhōu jǐn spat out a mouthful of blood, his head throbbing with excruciating pain.

On the other side, just as his scheme was about to succeed, Old Rich Zhou was furious at being interrupted and was on the verge of raging when he saw a young master standing before him, though he had no idea when he had arrived.

This young master wore a Ghost Mask, obscuring his face, but his eyes were profound, and a trace of pure golden light flashed within them.

Old Rich Zhou’s rat-like eyes instantly widened, nearly bulging from their sockets.

The anger on his face was completely replaced by terror: “You…”

But Mo Hua had already extended a finger, pointing at Old Rich Zhou’s forehead, his voice cold: “Die.”

His gaze was like a divine sword, his words sealing life and death.

Old Rich Zhou’s two rat-like eyes instantly streamed with blood, the light within them completely fading as his body slowly knelt to the ground.

After calming the pain in his Divine-Sense, Zhōu jǐn turned back to look and saw the “Black-Faced Fiend” point lightly with a finger, causing Old Rich Zhou to kneel on the ground as if his soul had been ripped away. Zhōu jǐn’s pupils contracted violently, his face filled with shock and disbelief.

He had never witnessed such an unimaginable scene.

With his knowledge and cultivation, he had never imagined that a cultivator in this world could possess such an indescribable Power of the Divine Dao.

One Finger Slays Ghosts and Gods.

Could this be… a technique only a master of the Ancestor Patriarch level could wield?