Chapter 2623: Ambush (No More Today)

The Beiming family had over a hundred thousand members back then. Surely many survived the calamity. Besides you, other family members must know about that secret realm, right? Could someone have gotten there first? Why are you so fixated on reaching the Integration stage? Why not take us there now? So many years have passed; the entrance should be less stable. The four of us working together should be able to open the secret realm's entrance.

The middle-aged man suggested, his tone sincere.

"You can rest assured about that. This secret realm is a confidential matter of our Beiming family; few know about it. Even if some family members know of its existence, it's very difficult to open without the secret key. Our Beiming family participated in annihilating the Void Heaven Clan and obtained a Spirit Gathering Divine Crystal. One Spirit Gathering Divine Crystal is equivalent to a thousand Spirit Gathering Stones. The entrance won't loosen, and I don't have the secret key either. I will take you there after I advance to the Integration stage.

"As a zombie, I have no use for the natural treasures inside, but the valuable treasures stored in the secret realm are greatly beneficial for my advancement. This is a win-win cooperation. If you betray me, our partnership ends immediately. Once I recover from my injuries, I can give you a Heavenly Water Immortal Apricot, which can accelerate your cultivation speed."

The golden-robed elder said slowly.

"Treasures beneficial for a corpse's advancement?" The middle-aged man was full of doubt. He recalled something and asked curiously, "I've been with you for so long, and you still haven't told me: why was the Beiming family exterminated?"

After all, the Beiming family had several Integration stage cultivators. Even if they had obtained some valuable treasure, they could have just handed it over. It shouldn't have led to their extermination! Integration stage cultivators are crucial forces in resisting foreign races.

"I heard our family sheltered an elder of the Void Heaven Clan, or it might have been related to the crafting of a profound heavenly treasure. I'm not clear on the specific reason myself. Only those from the Profound Azure Sect should know." The golden-robed elder said somewhat vaguely.

The middle-aged man was about to say more when the ground began to shake violently.

"Alright, the prey has arrived. Prepare to act. Once I advance to the Integration stage, I will take you there," the golden-robed elder instructed, then flew back into the golden coffin, and its lid closed.

The middle-aged man took out a light blue talisman, slapped it onto his body, and countless blue runes surged out, enveloping him entirely. With a flash of blue light, the middle-aged man vanished.

In a vast, sprawling valley, Wang Qingshan and five others stood. The ground was littered with a pile of rubble. They had traveled for five years, spending most of that time taking detours to ensure they weren't followed; otherwise, they would have arrived much sooner. Zhang Zihao and Liu Mi were still very cautious.

Not far away was a dark cave. Wang Qingshan's divine sense was fully extended, but he frowned. The area greatly restricted divine sense, and he found no abnormalities.

Zeng Yusen summoned a green-glowing magic mirror, casting a spell into it. The blue mirror emitted a hazy green radiance that covered the ground. The green radiance slowly swept across a hundred-mile radius, scanning every area, but found nothing unusual. The others used their own methods to investigate, but also found no abnormalities; not even the slightest fluctuation from a restriction was detected.

"If it were that easy to find, it wouldn't be our turn," Zhang Zihao said. After saying this, he strode in. Liu Mi stepped in behind him. Lei Yuting and the other three exchanged glances, nodded to each other, and followed.

The cave wound its way, extending deep underground. Wang Qingshan walked at the very back, his divine sense fully alert, not daring to relax in the slightest. He flicked his wrist, and a yellow light shot out from his spirit beast bracelet, disappearing into the ground.

After half an hour, they arrived at an underground cavern several acres in size. The rock walls were uneven but appeared otherwise normal. Lei Yuting casually unleashed dozens of silver lightning bolts, striking the rock wall. With a thunderous roar, the stone cavern shook slightly, the rock wall shattered, and some rubble tumbled down.

"Where is the entrance to the ancient cultivator's abode, Fellow Daoist Zhang?" Lei Yuting asked.

Zhang Zihao shook his sleeve, and a light yellow command flag flew out. He cast a spell into it, and the yellow flag immediately brightened significantly, transforming into a streak of yellow light that vanished into the rock wall. The rock wall shook slightly, then illuminated with a dazzling yellow light. A dense golden light barrier materialized, with seven silver glowing points on its surface.

"Is this the Seven Star Spirit Locking Array? This is a seventh-tier formation," Zeng Yusen exclaimed.

"Otherwise, why would we invite fellow Daoists to cooperate? Let's break the restriction!" Zhang Zihao said. After saying this, he performed a hand seal, and a hazy red giant phantom appeared above his head. His Dharma Idol was two-tenths condensed. Lei Yuting and the other four successively activated their Dharma Idols, attacking the golden light barrier. Most of their five Dharma Idols were one-tenth condensed, while Lei Yuting's was three-tenths condensed.

Wang Qingshan summoned the Azure Lotus Sword, performed a sword art, and the Azure Lotus Sword immediately burst with brilliant light, splitting into tens of thousands of hazy green sword beams that shot straight towards the golden light barrier.

Zhang Zihao frowned and said, "Fellow Daoist Wang, the restriction is very powerful. Please activate your Dharma Idol! Relying solely on a Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasure will make it difficult to break the formation!"

"If activating a treasure alone could break the formation, we would have broken the restriction long ago," Liu Mi said, displeasure on her face. Lei Yuting and the other three also spoke up, urging Wang Qingshan to activate his Dharma Idol.

Wang Qingshan nodded, performed a hand seal, and a streak of green light shot skyward, transforming into a hazy green sword phantom. His Dharma Idol was more than four-tenths condensed but less than five-tenths. This was already terrifying, considering Wang Qingshan was only in the early Void Refinement stage.

Zhang Zihao and the other five were stunned, their expressions varied: envy, apprehension, jealousy—the Wang family of Azure Lotus Island was indeed extraordinary.

Wang Qingshan performed a sword art, and the giant sword phantom's spiritual light surged, unleashing a hazy green heaven-piercing sword light that struck the golden light barrier. Zhang Zihao and the others all activated their Dharma Idols, attacking for over an hour before the formation finally broke. Activating a Dharma Idol required a large expenditure of magic power; the more abundant the magic power, the longer the Dharma Idol could be sustained.

Wang Qingshan's face was slightly pale. He took out a Golden Jade Reversion Pill and consumed it, and his complexion quickly returned to normal. Zhang Zihao and the other five either took pills or used talismans to restore their magic power.

As the golden light barrier dissipated, a spacious, dimly lit stone chamber appeared before them. In the center of the chamber lay a humanoid skeleton. To its left was a golden display shelf, on which more than a dozen glowing treasures were placed, all covered by another golden light barrier.

"Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasures!" Zhang Zihao and the others' gazes burned with fervor, but Wang Qingshan frowned.

"No good, it's an ambush!" Wang Qingshan suddenly roared, performed a sword art, and the Azure Lotus Sword transformed into a long green rainbow, striking the rock wall. With a thunderous roar, the rock wall shattered, and a large amount of rubble tumbled down. Apart from this, there was nothing else unusual.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, you are too suspicious," Lei Yuting said, frowning. His divine sense had already swept the area, finding no issues.

The humanoid skeleton came to life, standing up as two clumps of green flames erupted in its eye sockets. Wang Qingshan and the others' expressions changed, becoming tense. Liu Mi quietly moved behind Wang Qingshan, her eyes filled with cold light.