The Tomb Opens
"Yu Yang Big Brother… what are you doing?" Zhang Lin's voice trembled, panic and grievance written all over her face.
"Get lost, you filthy woman!" Zhang Yuyang snapped coldly. "Do you really think I'd stay with you just because you drugged me and crawled into my bed? Keep dreaming."
He brushed his sleeve as if flicking away dust that didn't exist, his eyes filled with unconcealed disgust.
Zhang Lin opened her mouth, wanting to explain herself, but the icy glare Zhang Yuyang shot her forced the words back down her throat.
At that moment, everything became clear.
This Zhang Lin had schemed shamelessly, relying on an aphrodisiac to climb into Yu Yang Big Brother's bed, all in hopes of clinging to a powerful backer. It was nothing short of laughable.
Zhang Lingxiao rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Why did this plot feel so familiar?
It was disturbingly similar to what had once happened between him and Su Qing.
Ignoring the Zhang Family disciples who greeted him, Zhang Yuyang brushed past Zhang Lin and walked straight toward Zhang Lingxiao.
"Zhang Lingxiao, congratulations," Zhang Yuyang said with a smile.
"Yu Yang Big Brother, same to you," Zhang Lingxiao replied politely.
"I heard you've already broken through to the Lingwu Realm, First Heaven," Zhang Lingxiao continued. "What brings you back this time?"
Zhang Yuyang laughed heartily. "Naturally, it's for Ancient Tomb Space."
Zhang Lingxiao looked surprised. "But Yu Yang Big Brother, the Ancient Tomb has Realm restrictions. Only martial artists below the Lingwu Realm are allowed to enter. This—"
Zhang Yuyang smiled confidently. "I possess a secret technique that can temporarily suppress my cultivation to the Qi Wu Realm."
"So that's how it is."
Zhang Yuyang then added, "Brother Zhang Lingxiao, my strength surpasses yours. It would be safer if I led the group into the Ancient Tomb this time. You don't have any objections, do you?"
Zhang Lingxiao raised an eyebrow, then smiled faintly. "None at all."
"Good!" Zhang Yuyang laughed loudly, clapping his hands in satisfaction.
The surrounding Zhang Family disciples immediately assumed Zhang Lingxiao had backed down out of fear.
Zhang Lingxiao didn't care in the slightest.
Who led the group made no real difference to him. In fact, being the leader only made one a bigger target. With the Ma and Li Families watching closely, the leader would inevitably draw the most attention. Letting Zhang Yuyang take that role suited him just fine.
A tall tree always caught the wind.
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A week later, the three great families of Qingyun Town gathered at the agreed location. It was time to open the Ancient Tomb.
The entrance lay near the Yao Beast Forest, on the outskirts of Qingyun Town.
At first glance, it was nothing more than a small, unremarkable dirt mound. No one unfamiliar with the truth would ever suspect it concealed the resting place of a peerless expert.
There was no visible entrance.
The three families stood evenly spaced around the mound. Each group consisted of the Family Head, several elders, and forty to fifty younger disciples chosen to enter the tomb.
The number of participants depended entirely on the family's overall strength.
Due to the internal turmoil half a month earlier, the Zhang Family had suffered losses and now fielded the smallest group. Including Zhang Lingxiao and Zhang Yuyang, they numbered only thirty-five—Zhang Lin included.
The atmosphere was tense and silent. No one spoke.
Everyone understood that words were meaningless now. Once inside the Ancient Tomb, strength alone would decide everything.
Standing among the Zhang Family disciples, Zhang Lingxiao licked his lips.
So many people. The quality may be lacking, but the quantity is impressive. If some of them meet an unfortunate end inside the tomb… I'll gladly take care of the remains.
He chuckled inwardly.
His gaze shifted toward the Ma Family's lineup, and his eyes narrowed slightly in surprise.
Ma Yinger.
The Ma Family's Young Miss stood among the participants.
Wasn't she already at the Lingwu Realm?
"She's like me," Zhang Yuyang said quietly beside him. "She must have a magical treasure that can temporarily suppress her cultivation."
Zhang Lingxiao nodded. He met Ma Yinger's gaze from afar and offered a polite smile.
Instead of returning it, Ma Yinger rolled her eyes at him and stuck out her tongue, looking unexpectedly playful.
Despite their engagement and marriage contract, they had never truly interacted before. Calling them strangers wouldn't have been an exaggeration.
Still, from first impressions alone, Ma Yinger seemed easy to get along with.
On the Li Family's side, the leader was also a martial artist at Qi Wu Realm Perfection.
Whether his cultivation was genuine or artificially suppressed like Zhang Yuyang's and Ma Yinger's remained unclear.
"Cough, cough. Is everyone present?"
A deep, authoritative voice rang out.
Dragon Qingyun, the City Lord of Qingyun Town, strode forward and stopped before the three groups.
"All present," Zhang Yunfeng, Lord Ma, and Lord Li replied in unison.
"Good," Dragon Qingyun said solemnly. "Then let us open the Ancient Tomb."
Behind him stood members of the City Lord's Mansion. His intentions were obvious—he, too, planned to claim a share of the treasures within.
Ordinarily, this would have had nothing to do with him, but his strength was so overwhelming that none of the three family heads dared voice any objections.
Zhang Yunfeng, Lord Ma, and Lord Li each took out an Ancient Tomb Key from their storage pouches and walked toward the mound.
"Begin," Lord Ma said.
As the three keys were brought together, a powerful spatial force surged outward.
The space above the dirt mound twisted violently, and a void passageway—tall enough for two people to walk side by side—slowly appeared.
"Zhang Yuyang, lead them in," Zhang Yunfeng instructed.
The other two family heads issued similar orders.
According to tradition, the moment one entered the void passage, they would be transported into a mysterious screening space.
This space existed solely to test age and cultivation.
Those who failed to meet the requirements would be eliminated on the spot.
Only those who passed could truly enter the Ancient Tomb.
Zhang Yuyang swallowed nervously.
Even he wasn't certain whether suppressing his cultivation with a secret technique would be enough to fool the screening.
Just as he hesitated, a figure clad in yellow stepped forward and entered the void passage without pause.
Zhang Lingxiao's eyes flickered in surprise.
That slender back belonged to none other than Ma Yinger.
"If you're scared, Zhang Yuyang, don't block the way," a mocking voice rang out. "You're not even as decisive as a woman."
The speaker was Li Zhan, the Li Family's leader.
In his eyes, the only true rivals on this expedition were Zhang Yuyang and Ma Yinger.
As for Zhang Lingxiao—who had only recently begun cultivating—he didn't even consider him worth noting.
"Hmph! Afraid? Of what?"
Provoked, Zhang Yuyang snorted coldly and strode into the void passage.
Zhang Lingxiao followed without hesitation, leading the Zhang Family disciples right behind him, deliberately giving Li Zhan any chance to cut ahead.
One by one, the figures vanished into the distorted space.
The Ancient Tomb had finally opened.
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