Volume Two, Chapter Seventy-Three: Invasion of the Holy King?

“That won’t happen,” the ghost servant replied. “Three days from now, the Tomb of the Sacred King will automatically expel all surviving creatures from its confines.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Mu was delighted—at least Old Qu would be able to leave safely. Yet, another concern weighed on his heart. “Ghost Elder, I have a friend who wishes to cultivate here. Would you make an exception and let him stay?”

The ghost elder laughed heartily. “You’re talking about that blue-tailed fish, aren’t you? Rest assured, anyone who willingly chooses to remain and become a part of the Sacred King’s Tomb is welcomed here. So you needn’t worry; he won’t be forced out.”

“Excellent, excellent!” Yu Mu marveled at the tomb’s remarkable ability to distinguish its guests—it was becoming ever more mystical.

The ghost servant smiled. “I find that blue fish possesses great spirit and talent. He’s a promising candidate to succeed the fire lizard. I’ll pay special attention to him.”

“To succeed the fire lizard?” Yu Mu was astonished.

Why would a powerful sacred guardian need to be replaced?

The ghost servant seemed to anticipate Yu Mu’s question. “The fire lizard is, after all, a beast—hard to control. The master brought it here because of its potential, but the creature’s rapid cultivation, aided by the tomb’s abundant spiritual energy, soon elevated it to the sacred realm. Once it reached that level, I could no longer effectively restrain it. I’ve long sought a suitable helper to replace it.”

“Oh, I see!”

“The mishap this time was entirely due to the fire lizard. Its greed for sleep dulled its vigilance, leading to the loss of three of the tomb’s most precious items—a crime that cannot be forgiven! I must find its replacement quickly.”

“So that’s how it is!” Yu Mu suddenly asked, “Ghost Elder, why did the Sacred King’s Tomb emerge this time? Did you plan to leave?”

The ghost servant’s eyes flashed with a sharp light as he replied solemnly, “This emergence of the tomb was not by my design. Recently, the Sacred King’s Tomb sensed something of the same origin and was irresistibly drawn to it, causing the tomb to lose control and break through the earth.”

Yu Mu was shocked. “Something of the same origin? Do you mean there’s another tomb like this in the world?”

The ghost servant shook his head. “Not quite. Perhaps some spiritual item within the tomb resonated with its source, sparking this reaction.”

Yu Mu wondered aloud, “Could there be something in this grand tomb that even you don’t know about?”

The ghost servant smiled slightly. “I only oversee the upper four layers. As for what lies beneath, I know nothing.”

“Ah!” Yu Mu was astounded, realizing that the most critical part of the Sacred King’s Tomb was a place even the ghost servant had never entered.

He thought to himself, ‘Fortunately, my uncle and his companions didn’t venture to the fifth layer—otherwise, disaster might have been inevitable.’

Unable to resist, Yu Mu asked, “So has anyone ever entered the lower layer?”

The ghost elder’s gaze sharpened, and after a long pause, he answered in a deep voice, “Only one.”

---

“Who was it?”

The ghost elder shook his head helplessly. “I don’t know. I never saw his face.”

“Ah!” Yu Mu was even more shocked.

Someone who could slip into the fifth layer so easily, and elude even the ghost servant—could he be a Sacred King as well?

“How did you know someone entered the lower layer?”

The ghost servant pointed. “Look over there.”

Following his gesture, Yu Mu saw a gourd vine growing, with a single gourd hanging from it.

He had noticed the gourd before, for it flickered amid the vines, and Yu Mu had assumed it was a spirit vine.

But now, with the ghost servant’s indication, Yu Mu saw clearly that a verse was inscribed upon the gourd: “Spring returns, wind and clouds arise; the later one has arrived.”

Yu Mu was puzzled. “Ghost Elder, you deduced someone entered the fifth layer from these two lines?”

The ghost servant nodded. “Indeed. ‘Spring Returns Sacred King’ is the master’s name. If one has not entered the main tomb, how could he know it is my master’s resting place? Moreover, I believe this person must know the master.”

Yu Mu asked, “Why?”

“Look at the couplet. ‘Spring Returns’ is not only the master’s name, but also the Daoist method he practiced. If this person didn’t know the master, how could he leave behind such words?”

Yu Mu pondered for a moment, then asked, “When did this person come?”

“Just now.”

“What! Just now?”

“Yes, before you entered, the gourd bore no such inscription. These words must have been written during the days we four were fighting.”

To slip past four sacred-level experts undetected only reinforced the belief that this person was indeed a Sacred King. Yet Sacred Kings were said not to walk the world lightly.

What treasures could have drawn him here? If someone really entered the fifth layer, the treasures within might already be gone. Why, then, did he not take the tomb itself?

Clearly, the ghost servant was equally baffled.

---

Yu Mu suddenly recalled something and exclaimed, “Ghost Elder, could he be the culprit who triggered the tomb’s emergence?”

The ghost servant shook his head confidently. “No, if it were him, he wouldn’t have gone to such trouble. With his abilities, he could easily command the tomb—there’d be no need to force its emergence.”

“That’s true.” Yu Mu nodded.

Unable to unravel the stranger’s identity or motives, nor knowing if the main tomb had suffered damage, the ghost servant grew anxious. He sighed, his expression gloomy. “Let’s leave it here for today. I must replenish the spiritual energy I expended in the recent battle.”

Yu Mu hurriedly asked, “Ghost Elder, where do you usually hide? Why didn’t I notice you when I entered?”

The ghost servant pointed to a large tree. “I usually reside within it, using its properties to absorb the tomb’s ghostly energy for cultivation. That’s why you didn’t see me. If you need me, just join the energy circulation system, and you’ll be able to contact me.”

With that, the ghost servant vanished without a trace.

Yu Mu immediately immersed himself in the Sacred King’s Tomb’s circulation system and clearly sensed the ghost servant within the giant tree.

At that moment, he was nourishing himself with the tomb’s gathered deathly aura, infusing it into Daoist script and merging it into the tomb’s energy cycle.

Yu Mu, too, sank into the cultivation of Daoist script, which was his main reliance in the wager with the ghost servant.

From the first moment he comprehended this script, he felt it was perfectly suited to his cultivation. He sensed that mastering this method would surely set him free from his shackles. This was why he dared to gamble with the ghost servant.

There was neither sun nor moon in the tomb. After about a day, Yu Mu began to call out to the ghost elder.

“Ghost Elder~”

“What is it?”

Strangely, as soon as Yu Mu’s consciousness reached out, he received an immediate response. The ghost servant’s voice was as clear and real as if it were right beside him.

This transmission of spiritual sense was not unusual; every cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage naturally mastered this skill. Yet Yu Mu was only at the Condensation stage and experienced the same effect.

This circulation system not only conveyed energy but also consciousness, wondrous as a network.

“Ghost Elder, there’s something I cannot decide. I wish to seek your guidance.”