https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-540-The-Mysterious-Heavenly-Tomb-a-Place-of-Deathly-Silence-and-Despair/12957598/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-542-The-Shape-of-the-Soul-Sword-Forging-/12957614/
Chapter 541: The Appearing Members! Adapting to the Sound?
Chapter 541: The Appearing Members! Adapting to the Sound?
Su Ping sat before the small stone tablet, examining the object in front of him.
He had been doing this for over an hour now, and from the current situation, it seemed highly unlikely that they could escape the Ash Fog.
Even though Qian Yi seemed capable of consuming the ash fog, he needed time to digest it after each attempt.
The duration of this process was unknown, but for now, Qian Yi showed no interest or appetite for the ash fog.
However, Su Ping noticed that the ash fog replenished itself rapidly after Qian Yi consumed it.
If they relied solely on eating their way out, Su Ping estimated that he would never escape this Ash Fog world in his lifetime.
Therefore, the small stone tablet before him was clearly the only key.
But what did it mean?
The pervasive necrotic energy surrounding them continued to erode their bodies, and even Su Ping couldn't resist it entirely.
Needless to say, the others were even more affected.
However, whether it was energy or attacks, the tablet would crumble like a Lego toy upon contact.
This was the experience Su Ping had just gained.
When mental energy made the slightest contact, it felt like his soul was being frozen through his spiritual power, and the sensation of dark consumption made Su Ping's body shudder with indescribable terror.
So, the situation remained at a stalemate.
Su Ping sighed, never expecting that the Tomb of Heaven would present such an eerie situation.
If some high-level undead appeared, he would at least have some hope, even if they were top-tier or even Saint-level, they would be visible opponents.
But what was going on now?
"Damn it! Don't they know I hate puzzles the most in RPG games?" Su Ping complained.
As soon as he finished, that familiar sound echoed once more.
'Clang!'
'Clang!'
'Clang!'
Su Ping winced, still feeling extremely uncomfortable despite having heard the sound four times already.
Fortunately, the Tomb of Heaven mark activated again, and the painful sound gradually faded after a few repetitions.
Su Ping turned to look, and Qian Yi remained unaffected by the noise.
As for Xiao Qing, Su Ping had already sent her to the Beastmaster's space.
There was no other choice; Xiao Qing was in extreme pain when exposed to this phenomenon.
The incoming undead beasts were not the issue; it was the unbearable, piercing sound that occurred at regular intervals that she couldn't bear.
Keeping her outside wouldn't help much.
Fortunately, even with the increasing number of undead beasts appearing each time, Qian Yi's absolute power could handle them.
However, if this trend continued,
Mentally, there was the incessant, peculiar sound,
Physically, the death energy continued to seep into their bodies.
In combat, the undead, though not numerous, kept increasing in number.
If they stayed here any longer, death was the only outcome Su Ping could foresee.
Was there no other option but to use his final move?
After all, the Tomb of Heaven was just a hidden realm,
A small, alternate space.
In such a space, if an energy that exceeded its limits were to appear, even if the space didn't collapse, it was hard to imagine what would happen.
Not to mention the possibility of re-entering or fully uncovering the secrets of the Tomb of Heaven, what about the other members of the Tomb Sky Legion who had already entered?
Su Ping's brows furrowed as he stared at the small stone tablet, deep in thought.
Then, like the most precise program, three minutes after the sound rang out,
Figures emerged from the endless ash fog once more.
Over a hundred necrotic beings appeared again, but this time, there were more than twenty Monarch-rank creatures among them.
This was a significant improvement from when they first arrived.
The gradual, silent changes made it clear to Su Ping that continuing to wait was futile.
Swish!
Three swords.
The additional Monarch-rank undead beasts did not change the situation; they merely gave Qian Yi a few more targets.
But Su Ping's mind began to race.
These sounds were undoubtedly strange sword cries.
If so, were these sword cries coming from the mysterious entity within the Tomb of Heaven?
The Tomb of Heaven in the Dragon Nation, marked by the Sword Seal, made this a reasonable assumption.
Su Ping's deduction led him to believe that finding and destroying the source of these sounds might be the solution.
Su Ping rested his chin on his hand, deep in contemplation.
If the undead appeared whenever these sword cries sounded, there must be a connection between the two.
Su Ping's spirits lifted at this realization; he wasn't afraid of any crisis.
Nor was he afraid of high-level opponents.
With the special talent of the Dragon Codex activated, 'Undying Dragon Soul,' he had nothing to fear.
Su Ping adjusted the configuration of the Tomb of Heaven's mark to adapt to the sound.
This innate talent was Su Ping's true trump card.
He truly feared being stuck here, in a desperate situation with no clues, the most hopeless of all.
Speaking of which...
Su Ping abruptly stood up, walked straight to the stone tablet, and extended his hand.
He had nothing to fear; he had already tried physical contact earlier without any issues.
Then, amidst Qian Yi's bewildered gaze, Su Ping directly touched the stone tablet.
He continued to extend his mental power into the ground beneath the stone tablet, but after finding nothing, he lifted the tablet and led Qian Yi towards the ash fog.
And then...
As soon as Su Ping entered, before he could fully resist the omnipresent death energy's invasion, he felt the weight on his shoulder suddenly lighten.
He turned to look at the black stone tablet he was carrying on his shoulder.
In that instant, it was as if he had been subjected to the erosion of time.
The black stone tablet on his shoulder seemed to have been devoured by the ash fog, disappearing without a trace.
Su Ping quickly escaped from the ash fog.
In just that instant, his left hand felt foreign, almost as if it didn't belong to him.
The skin on his entire left hand had turned a grayish-black.
The death energy within the ash fog was so pure it was like death itself.
How could a human body withstand such deathly corrosion?
Su Ping sighed.
Returning to the starting point, Su Ping was completely stumped.
He collapsed on the ground, going over everything in his mind, but still couldn't find any clues.
This situation persisted for another two hours.
During these two hours, Su Ping did nothing. Qian Yi, on the other hand, took another breath from the ash fog, but only slightly increased, obviously unable to break the limit again.
Except for a slight increase in the number of undead that kept appearing, and the special fluctuations that had just appeared, nothing else changed.
However, even if there were more undead, as long as their level remained at the Sovereign rank or even the Imperial rank, they wouldn't pose a threat to Qian Yi.
They would be instantly killed, and the Heavenly Cycle Quintessence Body wouldn't even need to be pushed to its limit, remaining at the second or third transformation stage.
Just as Su Ping thought this situation would persist, a special fluctuation suddenly appeared.
This fluctuation didn't come from any other source.
It came from something in his arms.
Su Ping looked down at his arms` with renewed interest.
It was the origami person.
The origami person used for navigation.
Su Ping abruptly stood up from the ground, looking at the origami person.
The origami person's arm pointed in a direction, and after Su Ping placed it on the ground, it marched straight ahead.
Could there be a Tomb Sky Legion member nearby?
Su Ping jumped up, his previously lifeless heart suddenly filled with hope.
Following the origami person's direction, he walked forward.
Soon, he witnessed a scene he hadn't expected.
Amidst the swirling ash fog, a passage suddenly appeared.
The ash fog that could devour all living beings had spontaneously formed a path? No, it wasn't spontaneous.
Soon, Su Ping saw a figure emerge from the swirling ash fog, walking through the path.
It was a man named Zhu Linxin, a legion soldier.
After spending over half a month together, Su Ping could recognize anyone.
Zhu Linxin's face appeared somewhat numb and stiff, but the firmness and steadiness in his eyes were familiar.
He was a genius Beast Tamer at the age of twenty-nine, a rare talent in the Dragon Nation.
"Zhu Linxin?"
As soon as Su Ping spotted Zhu Linxin, the latter also noticed him, and his numb eyes lit up. His cautious movements quickened.
"Master Su, I finally found you!"
Zhu Linxin hurried towards Su Ping, and as he approached, the ash fog continued to swirl, creating a new path through his footsteps.
Su Ping's heart filled with caution, and he quickly spoke up, "Wait! What's going on with you? How did you pass through this ash fog? Don't you know what this fog is?"
Zhu Linxin stopped, his face showing signs of numbness and confusion, but he soon regained his composure.
"Master Su, I assure you, I'm still me!"
Su Ping didn't feel reassured at all; instead, he took a step back, his expression filled with doubt.
"How can I be sure?"
The existence within the Tomb of Heaven was the most terrifying necromancy entity. Even if it hadn't fully recovered or returned to its original position, the remnants of its death were beyond anyone's comprehension.
Necromancy experts were known for their ghostly tricks.
Zhu Linxin scratched his head, pondering how to prove his identity. It was indeed a challenging task.
He, too, seemed confused and shared what he knew: "Well, you are Master Su's son, and we're here to protect you during this Heavenly Tomb expedition. As for me, I'm Zhu Linxin, a member of the Tomb's Special Beast Tamer Corps, with the number 046. And..."
As he spoke, several figures beside Zhu Linxin stepped forward.
"This is the Quintessence Paper Spirit, which you and Master Yin helped cultivate. This is the Night Raven Puppet, cultivated by Cultivator Jian. And this is the Annihilating Eye, which you bred recently..."
Su Ping nodded. "In that case, let them demonstrate a skill, especially the Quintessence Paper Spirit's Heavenly Cycle Quintessence Body."
Zhu Linxin scratched his head again, "Well, the other two Companion Beasts are fine, but the Quintessence Paper Spirit is a bit tricky. You might have to wait a bit..."
Su Ping maintained his indifferent expression, "It's fine. I've been waiting here for four hours already."
Zhu Linxin nodded, and surprisingly, they both waited.
After a full twenty minutes, the Quintessence Paper Spirit finally stirred, emitting the familiar Quintessence Light. It was indeed the Heavenly Cycle Quintessence Body.
Only then did Su Ping truly relax.
While he couldn't speak for others, he trusted this unique high-level skill that he was most familiar with.
Relieved, Su Ping's tone softened, "Alright, tell me how you managed to ignore the death energy's assault and how you ended up here. What happened after you entered the Tomb of Heaven?"
Zhu Linxin also breathed a sigh of relief, his voice tense, "It's like this. After entering the Tomb, I found myself in a place surrounded by gray mist with a small stone tablet in the center. Then, one by one, Necrotic Beasts started appearing..."
Su Ping nodded; his experience mirrored Zhu Linxin's.
"I kept killing those Necrotic Beasts, but their numbers were overwhelming. My Heavenly Cycle Quintessence Body entered a cooldown period. Fortunately, the Annihilating Eye, the Night Raven Puppet, and my own Companion Beast could help me defend myself. I realized that the Necrotic Beasts weren't targeting just me!"
Su Ping was taken aback. What did that mean?
Unaware of Su Ping's surprise, Zhu Linxin continued, "Their target was the black stone tablet in the center. Every so often, a voice would echo, and I noticed that after each sound, the Necrotic Beasts would change.
When the voice resounded, the Necrotic Beasts' bodies began to crumble, transforming into a peculiar energy that converged on the tablet.
That's how the tablet became this..."
Zhu Linxin produced a small, palm-sized black sword.
Despite its size, the sword emanated a strangely familiar vibration.
"After obtaining this sword, I found that the gray mist no longer affected me. I chose a direction at random and ended up here, never expecting such good luck to encounter you directly."
Su Ping grew more perplexed. Could it be that he and Qian Yi were too strong? Were those sword sounds not targeting him but the Necrotic Beasts he thought were besieging him?
What did this strange secret realm of the Tomb of Heaven mean? After all this time, was this the answer?
Indeed, in role-playing games, he hated puzzles the most!
However, before he could speak, the world suddenly began to tremble again.
That familiar sound echoed once more:
'Clang!'
'Clang!'
'Clang!'
Su Ping, accustomed to the sensation, felt as if nails were being driven into his skull—a pain beyond words.
He covered his ears, waiting for the Tomb of Heaven's mark to activate, while also glancing at Zhu Linxin.
But after a glance, the deafening pain in his mind seemed insignificant.
He looked at Zhu Linxin, who was also covering his ears and head in pain, and asked, "Brother Zhu, didn't you hear that?"
Zhu Linxin nodded, "Of course I did. At first, the sound was loud and piercing, like someone hammering my head with a mallet.
But after listening for so long, it's getting quieter, and the piercing sensation and head-pounding pain are gone.
Is Master Su still adjusting to the sound?"
Su Ping silently observed Zhu Linxin's relaxed expression.
Yet, the sound resonating from deep within his soul remained deafening, as if it would split his head open:
'Clang!'
How did Zhu Linxin adapt to this?
(End of Chapter)
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