TRYMBPIETM 65: Mirror, Night, Snow Peak (28)

Chi Qingzhou’s gaze met the deep red eyes of the Zhulong, and out of curiosity, he reached out to gently touch them.

“Hmm… the eyes are carved from red jade, was it specifically chosen to match Xing Shuangzhan’s eye color?”

The deep red pupils of the candle dragon stared at him, but it did not answer.

A deep, hoarse voice came from behind him: “You are Chi Qingzhou?”

Chi Qingzhou froze for a moment, then slowly turned around.

A middle-aged man, about 1.9 meters tall, clad in a set of bright armor, strode toward him, tightly gripping a spear made of fine iron.

This spear was likely his burial item. In his lifetime, it had bathed in fresh blood and, after his death, had been corroded by ghostly energy, turning it into a ghost weapon.

Sensing the pervasive yin energy in the tomb and the overwhelming ghostly aura of Chi Qingzhou, the spear emitted a low humming sound, striving to block the pressure emanating from Chi Qingzhou’s presence.

Chi Qingzhou’s gaze circled over the middle-aged man’s face, noticing the fine sweat beads on his forehead, clearly feeling the pressure.

However, the man didn’t seem bothered by it. He fixed his gaze firmly on Chi Qingzhou, unwilling to miss even the slightest shift in his expression.

“So you’re His Highness contractor.”

The middle-aged man cracked a smile, trying to appear friendly, but due to his demeanor and appearance, it only radiated a menacing aura.

“You’ve come here to take His Highness away?”

Chi Qingzhou nodded naturally, repeating words he had no memory of saying.

“Brother Su didn’t choose to fall into slumber by himself. If he continues to sleep, the formation outside the tomb will start drawing on his power.”

The middle-aged man fell silent for a long time before grinding his teeth and asking, “Are you sure? His Highness went through a lightning tribulation before, his wounds haven’t healed. Isn’t he just recovering?”

Chi Qingzhou responded, “If Brother Su had come back just to recover, he wouldn’t have kept it a secret from me and you, General Pei, I noticed that the day he disappeared was my eighteenth birthday. Nowadays, eighteen is considered the day one becomes an adult.”

The middle-aged man muttered, “Coming-of-age? His Highness values you so much, unless something went wrong, how could he have missed your coming-of-age ceremony?”

His face suddenly darkened, his teeth grinding in anger. “Who is scheming against His Highness?! Could it be those five traitors?”

Chi Qingzhou replied, “It’s still not confirmed. But the formation outside the tomb can’t be broken by a cultivator. I must first take Brother Su away.”

The middle-aged man no longer obstructed him, instead saying, “Understood. You just focus on taking His Highness. Leave the rest to me, Pei Huan.”

Chi Qingzhou gave him a Taoist salute, turned, and prepared to open the coffin.

Pei Huan scratched his head, hesitated for a moment, and then called out to Chi Qingzhou.

“Young Master Chi, how do you plan to deal with the formation outside the tomb? Just so you know, I’m not questioning your decision, but as long as this formation remains intact, it will continue to pose a threat to His Highness’s safety.”

Chi Qingzhou chuckled, seemingly already prepared: “A mystic intervening would only make things worse, but there’s no problem if a regular person takes action.”

“Actually, I’d like to ask General Pei, do you plan to keep the graves and burial items of those five traitors? If not, I can ask the school’s archaeological team to help with the task.”

“Of course, asking for help requires compensation. If you’re willing to let them excavate those graves, it’ll be an easy task.”

Pei Huan’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, and without hesitation, he said, “Why keep the graves of those traitors? They deserve to have their graves desecrated! I can make the call, those five small graves can be dealt with by Young Master Chi!”

He didn’t think for a second that Chi Qingzhou’s suggestion was offensive. In fact, he thought it was the best solution!

Those traitors deserved no peace, not even in death!

Chi Qingzhou smiled, “That’s great. I’ll contact the Paranormal Control Bureau later and ask them to make the arrangements.

Chi Qingzhou turned his attention back to Zhulong carving on Xing Shuangzhan’s coffin and smiled, his expression slowly fading.

“Master Su, I will take you out.”

“Those people are so greedy. It wasn’t enough that you offered yourself as a sacrifice for the dragon vein^[1] while alive, they now want to use your bones to suppress the chaos after death.”

“Over a thousand years have passed, and the chaos has long been gone, yet none of their descendants have remembered you are still here.”

“Sorry, but I can only take your soul this time.”

“However, I’ve made a plan. Three years, just three years, and I’ll take your body along with you.”

Chi Qingzhou placed his cheek against the candle dragon carving and slowly closed his eyes.

Suddenly, the perspective flipped. He detached from his body from three years ago and, at the final moment of leaving this illusion, he saw the stone ceiling of Xing Shuangzhan’s tomb.

It was carved with a complex and detailed star chart, with fist-sized night pearls replacing the stars, embedded in every star position, forming a stunning tomb-guarding formation.

The overwhelming magical power sealed this dark world, unchanged for thousands of years.

…

Chi Qingzhou awoke from the receding illusion, his eyes meeting Bei Shen, who was kneeling by the formation, muttering incantations under his breath.

His expression was frenzied to the extreme, with his heterochromic pupils glowing red as if he had suffered a tremendous shock, yet he was still determined to activate the formation.

Chi Qingzhou raised an eyebrow in surprise and quietly asked Xing Shuangzhan, “Brother Su, what did you say to him?”

Why does he look like his worldview has shattered?

Xing Shuangzhan patted Chi Qingzhou’s back lightly and said indifferently, “I didn’t say much, just told him that this formation can only be activated by you.”

Chi Qingzhou hummed in understanding, glancing at Bei Shen with a hint of sympathy.

Although his memories from three years ago hadn’t fully returned, based on the recent recall, he had mostly figured out what he had been planning back then.

At ten years old, he met Xing Shuangzhan, who saved him and stayed by his side ever since.

At fifteen, he lost control for the second time, his shadow undergoing an abnormal change, and Xing Shuangzhan took refuge in his shadow, residing there ever since.

If nothing had gone wrong, Xing Shuangzhan would have continued living in his shadow, staying with him until his death.

However, on his eighteenth birthday, something changed with Xing Shuangzhan.

For some unknown reason, Xing Shuangzhan suddenly disappeared from his shadow, returning to the tomb and falling into a deep sleep.

Chi Qingzhou should have been to the Jingming Mountain at the age of eighteen, only to discover that a vicious formation had been set up around the tomb.

Chi Qingzhou still couldn’t recall the exact appearance of the formation, but he guessed it must have been extremely complex, and the formation’s core was likely related to Xing Shuangzhan’s altar.

The purpose of this formation seemed to be drawing on Xing Shuangzhan’s ghostly aura or other powers, somewhat similar to the incident created by the Xuanxu Sect.

However, the person who set the formation was highly skilled, using methods unknown to most cultivators, which meant that attempting to break it would only have a counterproductive effect.

So, on his eighteenth birthday, he had no choice but to leave temporarily, making various arrangements. It wasn’t until his nineteenth birthday that he ventured into the Jingming Mounatin’s Grand tomb, attempting to take Xing Shuangzhan’s soul away first.

In the illusion just now, Chi Qingzhou clearly felt the pressure exerted by the tomb-guarding formation.

This pressure wasn’t simply preventing him; it was desperately repelling him with all its might.

He speculated that after he took Xing Shuangzhan away from the main tomb, the formation would no longer accept him.

Even if he had the ability to reach the main tomb, he would still be unable to enter.

But he had only taken Xing Shuangzhan’s soul. His body remained in the coffin, unable to be moved.

He had to come up with a way to counter the repulsion caused by the tomb-guarding formation.

Thus, the suppression formation in the surrounding smaller tombs was created.

This formation was likely set up when he was in his second year of university, working with the archaeological team.

From the conversation with Pei Huan in the illusion, he inferred that he wanted to ask the archaeological team to help with the five small graves, indicating that a sufficient number of ordinary people were needed to have an impact on the formation.

The situation around Jingming Mountain’s Grand tomb was special.

Firstly, it was an undeveloped area, with dense, deep forests teeming with a rich variety of species.

This also meant danger.

All primitive forests are a paradise for animals, but a forbidden zone for humans.

Secondly, due to the geographical location, the primitive forests of mountain were rife with poisonous insects, and their toxicity was terrifying.

From the base to the middle of the mountain, a thick mist of pestilence and poisonous fog covered the area year-round, posing a great threat to humans.

The peak of Jingming Mountain stood nearly 5,000 meters high, and the entire mountain was divided into several different natural zones with steep terrain, making it unsuitable for human activity.

Overall, it was not a mountain suitable for human climbing.

Thus, this mountain, which should have been a favorite challenge for mountaineers, was almost completely neglected.

Even if survival experts challenge it, most of them would turn back halfway up the mountain.

Of course, there have been people who attempted to force their way through, such as those from the Xuanxu Sect.

They were indeed able to pass the halfway point and reach the area near the Great Tomb of Jingming Mountain, but what they would face next wasn’t the harsh natural environment; it was the various unpreventable supernatural techniques surrounding the Great Tomb of Jingming Mountain.

For various reasons, even if someone discovered an ancient tomb here and needed to conduct protective excavations, the archaeological team might not be able to reach the site.

The reason he must act with the archaeological team might be for the formation inside the small tomb.

The archaeological team is certainly more professional than ordinary people. Perhaps they can help break the evil formations surrounding the site, assist him in infiltrating the Great Tomb of Jingming Mountain, which is highly resistant to him, and possibly even help him complete part of the formation layout—killing two birds with one stone.

However, the Great Tomb of Jingming Mountain is fraught with danger. He could be expelled at any moment and cannot guarantee the safety of the teacher and classmates at all times.

Chi Qingzhou suspected that his request for the Paranormal Control Bureau to lead the operation was likely to protect the members of the archaeological team.

His strength is great, but he’s just one person.

With enemies in the dark and himself in the light, he must be extra cautious.

However, Chi Qingzhou was somewhat surprised to realize that he had previously interacted with members of the Paranormal Control Bureau.

It seems that memory has been blurred.

Chi Qingzhou had long noticed that, aside from himself and Xing Shuangzhan, many people connected to him couldn’t recall the details of those three years at all.

Such large-scale memory blurring is uncommon.

Is it the result of techniques?

Or… could it be related to the system No.66594?

If Shen Wenxu had also forgotten the memories from that time, would he still be keeping an eye on Bei Shen’s movements for him?

Chi Qingzhou’s gaze fell on Bei Shen, and a few scenes flashed through his mind as he vaguely recalled some unclear things.

The altar on the summit of Jingming Mountain had not been used for over a thousand years.

The Xuanxu Sect set up an altar to worship Xing Shuangzhan on the mountain slope, but it was later destroyed by Xing Shuangzhan.

He couldn’t help but smile, grasping Xing Shuangzhan’s hand and winking at him. “Su-ge, you’re so bad.”

Xing Shuangzhan thought he was talking about Bei Shen, snorted dismissively.

“People should learn to accept reality.”

Bei Shen paused, turned around, and his eyes were filled with hatred. The look in his eyes seemed as if he wanted to skin and dismember Chi Qingzhou.

Chi Qingzhou didn’t take Bei Shen’s gaze seriously.

He flipped his hand and took out the guidance talismans that Shen Wenxu had written, slowly infusing his spiritual energy into them. He whispered, “I’m actually quite curious.”

Xing Shuangzhan played along and asked, “Curious about what?”

Chi Qingzhou activated two guidance talismans, a smile in his eyes. “In these three years, have Shen Wenxu and I been friends?”

Xing Shuangzhan paused. “I can’t remember.”

He looked down at the person in his arms and gently pinched the back of his neck, calmly asking, “He’s not that special, yet you keep thinking about him.”

Chi Qingzhou innocently blinked his left eye at him.

Xing Shuangzhan was both amused and exasperated. His finger brushed across Chi Qingzhou’s lips as he murmured, “I’ve taken note of that.”

Chi Qingzhou quickly turned his head and focused on activating the formation.

The formation, which had remained silent despite Bei Shen’s incantations, suddenly glowed faintly. Inside the Great Tomb, countless ghostly energies were dispersed by the pure emotions rushing in.

The next second, two delicate silver chains on Chi Qingzhou’s wrists and ankles glowed with a soft light.

The curses left behind in the shattered No.66594’s shell shooks simultaneously.

Those emotions, those curses, suddenly started to trace their origins at this moment.

Everything seemed to follow a certain cause and effect, slowly retracing its steps to the beginning.

Except for the curse hidden in the shadow, the other curses flowed along countless pure emotions, across the snowy mountaintop, through the dense banyan trees, under the starry sky and white clouds, from Yuntian Province, following the passage left by 66594, flowing into two places in Hexing City.

At the same time, Chi Xiaoyuan, who was looking at reports, and Fan Tao, who was lying in bed with a facial mask, both shuddered. An immense coldness crawled up their spines, like tiny steel needles, piercing them with dense phantom pains.

Both felt an indescribable sense of terror, jumping up in fright and looking around, yet saw nothing.

Different furniture cast similar shadows under the lights in different rooms.

They both stared at the massive shadow, seemingly seeing mildew growing on the wall, forming blurry patterns resembling eyes.

Both of them shuddered at the same time, their faces turning as white as paper.

…

At the same time, in the tomb chamber.

Bei Shen appeared to have seen something, struck as if by lightning.

He stood there, frozen for a while, before snapping out of it. His face turned a deep purple, his eyes filled with resentment as he glared at Chi Qingzhou.

“Chi Qingzhou, you! You actually used me as the key to enter the Great Tomb of Jingming Mountain!!”

He was furious to the extreme, unable to stop himself from laughing harshly, his breathing heavy with endless hatred.

“You’re really something, you really are! You were rejected by the tomb, and after setting up this formation, you can’t even get through the perimeter, so you decided to use me and my similar aura to cover your tracks?”

“The funny thing is, I actually fell for it.”

“It turns out that even when I discovered this empty tomb chamber and thought it was a good hiding place, it was all guided by Shen Wenxu. Well, well, you two are really something!”

“One with malicious intent, and the other a complete traitor. You two are in cahoots, ruining all my years of planning!”

“I won’t forgive you! I’ll fight you to the end!!”