TRYMBPIETM 135: When I went in the Past (17)

Chi Qingzhou adjusted his somewhat messy cuffs, and the shadow draped over his shoulder let out a light, cheerful laugh from its throat.

Xing Shuangzhan tilted the umbrella a little more towards him, blocking the pouring rain.

But his clothes had already been soaked in the rain, with water droplets rolling down his pant legs and the hem of his clothes, splashing into the numerous puddles on the ground, creating faint ripples and shattering his reflection.

He lowered his head for a moment, also smiling.

Today, he wore a simple white shirt, paired with a very common pair of dark jeans, and jogging shoes suitable for movement.

If it weren’t for the fact that he was currently walking under the stone gate, this youthful outfit could easily pass as him pretending to be a college student.

“This outfit feels a little strange,” he tilted his head, blinking at Xing Shuangzhan. “I didn’t think much about it before, but now that I look at it… I just casually threw this on this morning, it doesn’t feel like I’m giving enough attention to what’s going on.”

Xing Shuangzhan didn’t change his expression: “Is that so? You’re already working with the shadow, isn’t that enough attention?”

Chi Qingzhou put on an innocent expression: “That’s just the impression it gives, it’s not like I really don’t care.”

As he spoke, he raised his hand and, along with the shadow, pushed on the stone gate in front of them.

The massive stone gate, about 16 or 17 meters high, let out a muffled roar, trembling momentarily as the complete door made of stone melted like butter exposed to high heat, forming a two-meter-high hole.

Chi Qingzhou turned back again, looking at Xing Shuangzhan.

Xing Shuangzhan closed the umbrella in his hand, raised the corners of his lips into a gentle smile, and his gaze was full of indulgence.

Chi Qingzhou couldn’t hold back and smiled, his eyes curving with cheer.

Without hesitation, he took the lead, stepping boldly into the stone gate.

The moment he crossed the threshold, the hole in the gate quickly shrank.

Xing Shuangzhan, following behind him, raised his eyes, and a surge of ghostly energy rushed up, holding the shrinking gate steady as he stepped slowly into the passage of the moving tomb.

The ghostly energy gradually receded.

The next second, with a loud boom, the hole in the stone gate completely closed, blocking all natural light, leaving only the faint flickering of firelight in the passage.

Xing Shuangzhan glanced back at the stone gate, raising an eyebrow with a playful expression.

“Interesting. This gate is probably difficult to open from the inside. For such a normal tomb, this door is even sturdier than the one in my royal tomb. It’s quite rare.”

Chi Qingzhou’s gaze fell on the murals on both sides of the tomb path, his words carrying a smile: “It’s different. The royal tomb you guard is meant to keep outsiders from breaking in, not to prevent you from coming out.”

He stepped forward, walking leisurely into the depths of the tomb.

“But as for this place… it’s still unclear what exactly it’s meant to suppress.”

Xing Shuangzhan’s gaze swept over the dense constellation formation on the ceiling of the tomb path, slowly nodding.

This tomb indeed differed greatly from a normal one.

From the moment they entered, almost every corner of the tomb had arrays set up to suppress evil.

Under the constellation formation, the walls visible in the vicinity were painted with vivid murals, seemingly eager to tell the story of the tomb owner’s great and glorious life.

The dim eternal lamps had not gone out for a long time, and if one listened closely, faint wind sounds could be heard from afar.

However, under these circumstances, the murals in this tomb had not oxidized or faded, clearly indicating that this tomb was not normal.

Chi Qingzhou extended his hand, grabbing a wisp of yin energy drifting in the air.

He sighed softly: “Looking at the tomb path, it seems that before they sealed the Absolute Yin Land into here, the concentration of yin energy in this place had already exceeded the limit.”

So, the real purpose of that shaman who trekked to Linxi Village back then is difficult to determine now—whether it was to suppress the Absolute Yin Land, or to use it to nurture something.

Chi Qingzhou let go of his hand and continued to examine the murals on both sides: “At least for now, something is definitely going to be nurtured in this tomb.”

If that thing isn’t the tomb owner, then it must be him.

“Although, in terms of bloodline, she might be my elder, and I should respect her. But I think it’s better if I take on this power myself.”

Xing Shuangzhan reached out and pressed his hand on Chi Qingzhou’s head, his voice low with a smile: “Since there is respect for the elders, there should naturally be love for the young. You’re still young, and she should take care of you.”

Chi Qingzhou rubbed his head against his palm, remaining silent for a while.

Xing Shuangzhan asked: “What are you thinking?”

Chi Qingzhou hummed in response: “Nothing much, I just remembered that ghost deity seems to really like building yin temples near dragon veins.”

He probably started the experiments early, wanting to understand just how weak the dragon veins had to be to forcibly merge with them.

“The dragon vein in Linxi Village has almost completely vanished. That experiment of his should be considered a failure. I wonder how many times he’s failed in total? How long has he been conducting this experiment?”

Xing Shuangzhan asked: “What do you mean?”

Chi Qingzhou stopped and looked at the mural in front of him.

In the image, a magnificently dressed figure stood on an altar, surrounded by small figures kneeling in worship.

Flames burned beneath their feet, and the figures in the corner raised their hands, seemingly praying loudly.

He smiled slightly.

“Su-ge, do you remember Qu Feng? Could that have been one of his test subjects?”

“And forty-five years ago, when the Xuanxu Sect suddenly tried to extract your power to create a powerful ghost they could control, was that originally the Xuanxu Sect’s idea, or was it influenced by him?”

“He needs the dragon vein to weaken to a certain degree and also requires a power that can suppress the dragon vein while being connected to it. Is it possible that the Xuanxu Sect stealing your power in the past was actually because he wanted to use it?”

Back then, he might have thought that all he needed was a suitable force to act as a catalyst to merge with the dragon vein. He didn’t expect that Xing Shuangzhan’s power had to be combined with the grand tomb formation to achieve his goal.

But Xing Shuangzhan’s strength was unquestionable.

Not to mention this ghost deity, even at his peak, not even a true deity would dare face Xing Shuangzhan head-on.

He could only think of ways to keep dispersing Xing Shuangzhan’s power until it reached a controllable level.

He probably didn’t anticipate that, in subsequent plans, Xing Shuangzhan would cooperate so well.

Chi Qingzhou turned his head, his expression curious.

“Su-ge, do you believe in fate?”

Xing Shuangzhan rubbed the back of Chi Qingzhou’s neck gently, replying softly: “Not really.”

Chi Qingzhou smiled and said: “He probably really is good at divination.”

Those who pry into fate are ultimately played by it. I wonder if this god who carved a path for himself still remembers this simple truth?

“I’m really curious, though, why he chose this path. He doesn’t seem to care much for power or incense offerings.”

…

The tremor spread from the tomb gate deep into the interior.

Within the massive talisman formation, a handsome young man opened his eyes.

His pupils were pitch black, nearly filling his eye sockets, and his sharply defined face faintly radiated an eerie aura.

He tilted his head, glancing in the direction of the vibrations, his lips curling into a smile, and a sense of wickedness surged forward.

But in the next second, almost as if the words “not a good person” were etched across his face, his eyes suddenly reddened, and tears rolled down his cheeks in glistening streams.

“This energy is so familiar. Boo hoo, is Zhou Zhou here to find me?”