Chapter 1777: Gathering

Zu'an and the others were startled. "Is your true form inside that great tomb?"

Jing Teng nodded. Everyone thought, no wonder she was so cautious; if this news got out, it would undoubtedly cause immense bloodshed and turmoil.

"So this great tomb was built by Immortal Baopu for you," Zu'an thought, noting that Immortal Baopu must truly care for her in a special way.

Jing Teng shook her head. "I don't have such good fortune. This great tomb has existed for a very, very long time. The Immortal Monarch discovered it and spent many years exploring it without completing the exploration. He merely placed my true form inside while he was there."

Zu'an was stunned. He had been surprised enough thinking Immortal Baopu had built the great tomb, but he never imagined that Baopu was merely its discoverer.

At that moment, a distant clamor reached them from the direction of the great tomb. The surrounding crowds could vaguely be seen stirring, with wave after wave of people rushing in as if in a frenzy.

Wei Su immediately grew anxious. "Miss Jing, they're all rushing into the great tomb! If they get there first and accidentally destroy your true form, it'll be over!"

Jing Teng smiled slightly. "Don't worry, this great tomb isn't that easy to enter."

Meanwhile, Zhao Hao, accompanied by Li Changsheng and Xuan Bajing, also arrived before the Zhichuan Great Tomb.

Li Changsheng and Xuan Bajing's injuries had mostly healed during the journey, but they felt incredibly aggrieved inside.

Among Grandmasters, they were considered top-tier, the most esteemed figures in their respective sects, and commanded great influence in the martial arts world. On ordinary days, they were surrounded by countless people serving them, all careful not to displease them.

Yet throughout this journey, they had to bow and scrape, serving others, and even feared they weren't serving well enough.

The crucial point was that their master was the powerful Zhao Hao, and though disgruntled, they dared not show it.

Seeing the vast crowds around them, most of whom clearly had lower cultivation levels than themselves, their minds finally eased considerably.

They pondered whether to find an opportunity to get some attendants, otherwise, this kind of arduous service was simply too difficult to manage.

At this moment, Zhao Hao's gaze fell on the great tomb nearby. Feeling its mysterious and ancient aura, he was overjoyed. Could there truly be an opportunity for immortality?

"Go ask these people why they are hesitating," Zhao Hao casually instructed.

"Yes!" Li and Xuan immediately rushed into the nearby crowd to inquire.

Not long after, they ran back. "Reporting to Your Majesty, it seems there's some restriction on this great tomb; they can't get in."

Zhao Hao sneered, "They're just people of meager abilities, yet they wish to dabble in immortal fortune?"

So, ignoring the crowd, he walked straight towards the tomb's entrance.

Li Changsheng and Xuan Bajing exchanged glances and quickly followed.

Clinging to this powerful figure, perhaps they too could gain some immortal fortune.

"Who is that person?"

The various factions quickly noticed them.

"Never seen him before. None of the well-known experts in the world match his description."

"Look at the way he struts, as if he owns everything, with his nose in the air. He couldn't be some bumpkin from a remote mountain village, could he?"

"Not necessarily. The world is vast, and experts are as numerous as fish in a river; not all of them are renowned. Perhaps he's a reclusive master from somewhere."

Among the crowd, several others' expressions changed drastically. They quickly pulled down their straw hats and shrank back into the crowd.

"How could it be him!"

"And why are Li Changsheng and Xuan Bajing his lackeys?"

At this moment, Zhao Hao had already reached the tomb's entrance. He threw a direct punch, shouting, "Open!"

A colossal golden fist formed and blasted directly towards the tomb's entrance.

The surrounding people felt an aura of destruction and were greatly alarmed. "How could this person be so strong?"

A casual punch possessed such immense power!

Some powerful figures among the various factions, who had initially viewed the trio walking over like clowns, now had their eyes wide open, their gazes filled with solemn dread.

With a deafening boom, the tomb's entrance remained unharmed.

Zhao Hao was speechless.

Li Changsheng and Xuan Bajing's eyes were filled with horror. They naturally knew how terrifying Zhao Hao's punch was; it could shatter a mountain, let alone a mere tomb entrance. Yet, this tomb entrance didn't even lose a speck of dust?

Laughter erupted from around them, with comments like "overestimating himself" and "why doesn't he take a good look in a mirror?"

Zhao Hao's face turned ashen. He never imagined losing so much face.

Suddenly, a colossal golden phantom ascended from his body, its appearance was almost identical to his, only magnified by an unknown number of times.

The golden giant directly arrived before the tomb entrance, stretching out its massive hands to pry it open, causing the entire great tomb to shake violently.

"Is this the legendary Yang God?" The onlookers were all greatly alarmed. All who could come here were masters; the weaker ones had been cleared out from the periphery, so they naturally recognized this person's extraordinary nature.

Looking at the world, only a handful of individuals could reach this level of power: the Ghost King of the Yin-Yang Realm, Sun En, the former leader of the Divine Firmament Sect, and the legendary Elder Enforcer of the Adventurers' Guild. So where did this person come from?

If it were just an ordinary top expert living in seclusion, that would be one thing, but how could such a supreme existence remain hidden?

While everyone was in shock, Zhao Hao's expression was also solemn. What was going on with this great tomb? He had already used his full power, yet the tomb's entrance still wouldn't open.

Just then, ancient, desolate characters suddenly illuminated all around the great tomb. The entire great tomb seemed to come alive, like an ancient dragon awakening from its slumber.

Even Zhao Hao felt a sense of danger.

Just then, people from the leading factions surrounding the tomb shouted, "Let go quickly! If you activate the great tomb's defensive array, no one here will survive!"

Zhao Hao's expression darkened. If it were merely about killing the people around him, he would continue without hesitation.

But he felt that these strange characters seemed to threaten his life, and he instantly hesitated.

However, he was quite unwilling to retreat now.

At this moment, someone shouted, "The seal on this great tomb will automatically open soon. Why should Your Excellency be in such a hurry?"

Clearly, someone had guessed his thoughts and quickly offered him a way out, to prevent him from causing mutual destruction.

Hearing this, Zhao Hao withdrew his hands. "Specific time?"

"About half an hour left!" someone quickly replied. "This is a prophecy left many years ago; it shouldn't be wrong."

They had deliberately kept those with weaker cultivation out of the periphery, precisely to prevent others from sharing in the spoils.

But such a powerful newcomer was certainly qualified to participate, and the major factions didn't want to make things too difficult.

"Very well, what's the harm in waiting another half an hour!" Zhao Hao's figure flickered, retreating dozens of feet, and the golden phantom naturally returned to his body.

Feeling Li Changsheng and Xuan Bajing's gazes—wanting to look yet not daring to—his face felt a little hot. He had swaggered out earlier only to lose so much face. Fortunately, not many people in this world recognized him.

He grew increasingly interested in this great tomb. A restriction that even his full power couldn't break; he figured that whatever was stored inside must certainly qualify as an immortal fortune.

At this moment, various factions came over to greet him. "May I ask for your esteemed name, fellow Daoist? We haven't seen you before."

Zhao Hao's cheek twitched. *I, the Emperor, am already feeling disgraced and wish no one to know, yet you still come closer.*

Meanwhile, dozens of miles north of the great tomb, Chu Chuyan was walking along the road, attracting the gaze of everyone around her.

Her beauty was too exquisite; a faint halo seemed to shimmer around her, and her clear, cool eyes made people dare not look directly at her, only stealing a few glances.

Chu Chuyan didn't mind. She had encountered such things countless times since childhood and had accumulated too much experience.

To avoid trouble, she secretly channeled her Snowflake Divine Sword around her. As expected, after sensing her powerful strength, no one dared to easily provoke her.

However, there are always exceptions in this world. Just then, a group of riders galloped past. Their attire wasn't standard armor; instead, their clothing styles were haphazard, clearly not cavalry from any nation, but more like a band of mountain bandits.

"Huh?" This group had originally ridden past Chu Chuyan, but they all reined in their horses and stopped, each turning back to look at Chu Chuyan, their faces filled with astonishment.

"Boss, this woman is so beautiful!"

"Indeed, I've never seen such a beautiful woman."

"If we could capture her to be our bandit chieftain's wife, it would be worth dying tomorrow!"

Chu Chuyan's expression darkened. These guys' vulgar words were truly disgusting. However, these were definitely not ordinary mountain bandits; the cultivation fluctuations revealed by some of them were no less than her own.

"Worth it my foot!" The leader among them slapped his nearby companion on the head. "In our line of work, life is the most important. 'Worth dying tomorrow,' indeed."

"Boss is right," the man grinned sheepishly and apologized.

"But this girl is indeed beautiful," another person said with a wicked smile. "Why don't we capture her first and let everyone have some fun?"

The leader gazed deeply at Chu Chuyan, then reluctantly shook his head. "Forget it, this woman is not easy to provoke. If we try to take her down, we'll definitely suffer casualties. Right now, completing our mission is paramount. That person coming to our territory is a gift from heaven. Since we've now tracked his whereabouts, let's not cause any complications, lest others beat us to it."

Seeing that his companions were still somewhat reluctant, he laughed, "Once we kill that target and collect the bounty, it'll be enough for us to have a different courtesan to entertain us every day."

The morale of the others immediately lifted. They whistled excitedly, "Boss is right!"

After speaking, the group blew a kiss towards Chu Chuyan and rode away quickly, laughing loudly and kicking up clouds of dust.

Chu Chuyan frowned. Although she was angered, she was not a reckless woman. In this chaotic secret realm, there was no need to fight to the death with a group of strong individuals over minor issues. The most important thing was to find her companions and figure out a way to return to her own world.

At this moment, her gaze suddenly sharpened. She picked up a wanted poster that the group had accidentally dropped nearby. Seeing the familiar face on it, her heart instantly tightened.