NOVEL NEXT Chapter 182: The Mark
Chapter 182: The Mark
“Who are you, fellow Daoist?”
Even the old clan leader of the Thirteen Clans, who had been hiding in the void without revealing himself, couldn’t hold back any longer. He stepped out of the void and stared at the faint, indistinct figure, asking the question.
The faint, graceful figure did not answer and simply disappeared.
This left the old clan leader of the Thirteen Clans and the Huo Clan cultivator feeling helpless. They could only look at Xu Lian.
Xu Lian shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he didn’t know either.
The old clan leader of the Thirteen Clans and the Huo Clan Cultivator didn’t push any further.
Suddenly, Xu Lian received a message:
[Recording in progress…]
[Recording completed.]
[Name: Xu Lian]
[Rank: Grandmaster, 9th Stage]
[Skills: Great Desolate Dragon Grasping Technique, Sacred Spirit Record (Immortal Technique Supplement), Breaking Wind Sword Technique (Volumes 1-3), Seven Styles of the Primordial Gang (Complete Edition), Short Strike – Shadow Chase…]
[Items: Sword of Destruction (Not Equipped)]
[Note: You have 4 unused progression points].
A profound and mysterious fighting technique appeared in Xu Lian’s mind.
What is it?
He was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized that this must be the result of the black light from earlier!
The black light wasn’t a treasure but a form of inheritance mark.
“Disguising an inheritance mark as a Yin-Yang Bronze Disk, no wonder those powerful cultivators mistook it for a treasure,” Xu Lian thought to himself.
Why did the inheritance mark choose him?
Wasn’t every cultivator here stronger and more suitable than him?
Was it simply because he didn’t try to seize it?
But the Huo Clan cultivator also didn’t try to seize it, so that reasoning didn’t hold water.
Or was it just luck?
Xu Lian didn’t believe in relying on luck. There must have been some reason he wasn’t aware of – perhaps it was because he was younger than those cultivators and had greater potential? That was a possibility.
Then, he remembered something else. “Strange. According to the story told by Qin Liu, the human and demon couple had a falling out for some unknown reason, leading to their mutual demise. Their remains were collected by refugees and buried together.
But there’s only one human skeleton in this stone tomb. Where is the other one?”
He walked through the broken door of the tomb and began to investigate.
All he found were the claw marks left by the eight-armed black ape. There was nothing else.
Earlier, the Eight-Armed Black Ape had manifested a massive black claw, violently thrusting it into the tomb and pulling the coffin out. Only the coffin was retrieved, nothing else.
“It seems that Qin Liu’s story wasn’t entirely true. There must be more to it. The human and demon couple weren’t buried together,” Xu Lian thought silently.
The Huo Clan cultivator and the old clan leader of the Thirteen Clans were also interested in the tomb and came to inspect it.
Unfortunately, like Xu Lian, they did not find anything.
“The coffin and the stone tomb, you can choose one,” the old clan chief of the Thirteen Clans said as he looked at the Huo Clan Cultivator.
The Huo Clan Cultivator was momentarily stunned, but he quickly understood his meaning. He shook his head. “I don’t want them. If you want them, take them…”
The old clan leader of the Thirteen Clans didn’t hesitate. He collected the coffin, the lid that had been thrown away, and the shattered pieces of the tomb door, and placed them all back into the stone tomb.
Then he manifested a massive avatar, lifted the entire stone tomb onto his shoulder, and flew off into the distance, disappearing beyond the horizon.
All that remained at the original location of the tomb was a large pit…
The Huo Clan cultivator was speechless. He then disappeared into the void.
Xu Lian was also stunned. Perhaps the old clan leader of the Thirteen Clans thought that the engravings on the stone tomb were worth studying.
The Huo Clan, backed by a top-tier power like the Sword Pavilion, had no shortage of such things. However, the Thirteen Clans had declined somewhat, so it made sense for them to be more “thrifty”.
Returning to Pingyang County, Xu Lian found the streets eerily quiet, with almost no one in sight.
Clearly, the emergency evacuation notice he had the county magistrate issue had worked. People had left the city to seek shelter.
“It turned out to be a false alarm…”
But he believed that it was better to be safe than sorry.
Over half a year ago, the spirit tree had produced spirit fruit, causing chaos in Pingyang County and resulting in the death of over 30% of the population. The people were terrified. They were far too vulnerable in the face of such disasters.
If the powerful cultivators fighting over the contents of the tomb had brought their battle to Pingyang County, the entire county could have been flattened. Although the notice hadn’t been necessary, Xu Lian felt that he had done his part.
Xu Lian found the county magistrate and issued a proclamation declaring that the danger had passed.
The magistrate obeyed without question and did exactly as Xu Lian had instructed.
A few days later, people began to return, and the quiet Pingyang County regained its liveliness.
Qin Liu and Chen Lu returned as well. They were frustrated to find that they hadn’t gained anything after all their efforts.
Xu Lian briefly explained what had happened. “The commotion from breaking open the tomb door was too loud. It attracted many cultivators, and later, some terrifying ancient figures arrived. The tomb only contained a skeleton and a treasure, which they took.”
Of course, he didn’t mention the inheritance mark he had obtained.
Qin Liu was puzzled. “Only one skeleton? But according to the story told by the old man in the village, it should have been the human and demon couple buried together. How could there be only one?”
Xu Lian took out the tattered animal skin scroll. “There was indeed only one. Perhaps because part of the content on this scroll is missing, the old man filled in the gaps with his own additions.”
Qin Liu was speechless. “He made up such an outrageous story. There was only one skeleton, yet he claimed that it was the couple buried together.”
Xu Lian thought for a moment. “Although the content on the animal skin is incomplete, overall, it should have been the couple buried together. The old man wasn’t making things up, but there are still some hidden details that we don’t know about.”
Chen Lu asked, “Are you suggesting that we look for where the other skeleton is buried?”
“You should carefully investigate the areas around Pingyang County with good feng shui. See if you can find something.”
Xu Lian nodded. He was beginning to take Qin Liu and Chen Lu’s “grave raiding business” more seriously. These two were quite “professional”. Who knew when they would dig up something big again?
Qin Liu gritted his teeth. “After this lesson, we’ll be more careful when opening tombs in the future. We’ll avoid making too much noise and attracting other cultivators.”
Xu Lian smiled. “You learn from your mistakes. It’s good to be careful.”
He thought for a moment, then took out two hundred Spirit Stones and divided them between the two of them.
“Consider this an investment in your grave-hunting efforts.”
The two of them had only recently started learning martial arts at the martial arts school and hadn’t even reached the level of true martial artists. Two hundred Spirit Stones was a significant amount for them. Xu Lian didn’t want to give them too much, as it could attract unwanted trouble.
Qin Liu and Chen Lu initially refused, but when Xu Lian insisted, they gratefully accepted and left in high spirits.
Xu Lian headed to the dock, preparing to return to Green Bamboo Town to bring back Pei Zhaoxi and the others.