Demonic Cultivator: Immune To Common Side Effects - Chapter 63

Chapter 63: The Beacon Fire Talisman—Various Factions Covet the God’s Tomb

When Li Yan asked if anyone in the village was willing to guide him to the God’s Tomb, everyone fell silent. The women hurriedly gathered their children and retreated into their homes. The men of the village wore grave expressions, none daring to step forward.

Seeing their abject fear at the mere mention of the God’s Tomb, Li Yan could sense the depth of their terror.

Just as everyone lowered their heads in silence, Yao Chen, the young servant boy, unexpectedly spoke up.

“Senior Brother, I’ll do it!”

“I can take you there, but I have one condition.”

A faint smile played on Li Yan’s lips. This kid has the audacity to make demands after I just killed the Village Chief?

Still, he was curious about what this boy from the Underground Cave wanted.

“Speak. I make no promises.”

Undeterred by Li Yan’s cold demeanor, Yao Chen made a simple request.

“I’ll guide you to the God’s Tomb, Senior Brother, but after we succeed, would you take me and my little sister out of this Underground Cave?”

“I want to see the outside world!”

The boy clenched his fists, his face pleading. Born and raised in Gu Cave, he desperately longed to see what the world beyond the cave was truly like.

Faced with such a humble request, Li Yan didn’t hesitate.

“Very well, but are you aware of how perilous the world above the Underground Cave is?”

The youth bit his lip nervously. “Even if it’s dangerous, it’s still better than spending my entire life trapped in this subterranean tomb!”

“This Underground Cave is like a natural graveyard. Everyone in Gu Cave Village, from birth to death, lives and dies within these walls.”

“Then what’s the point of living at all?” Li Yan asked calmly after hearing the youth’s words.

“Lead the way. After I return from the God’s Tomb, I’ll take you out of this Underground Cave.”

Yao Chen’s face lit up with joy at Li Yan’s promise. He had always dreamed of seeing the outside world, of fulfilling the dreams his parents never could.

“Please follow me. The path to the God’s Tomb is a treacherous labyrinth. I can only guide you to the entrance.”

“That’s enough.”

Li Yan waved his hand, signaling Yao Chen to lead the way.

Just as they were about to set off, a young girl in coarse cloth clothing came running towards them.

“Brother! The God’s Tomb is too dangerous!”

“Eight out of ten uncles and elders who went there never returned. Those who did come back went mad and died within days.”

Tears welled in her eyes as she pleaded, “Brother, please don’t go!”

Yao Chen waved her off dismissively. “It’s alright. Senior Brother Mingyan is with me. Besides, I’m only escorting him to the entrance before turning back.”

“Senior Brother promised to take my sister and me out of this accursed Underground Cave, away from this damned place,” Yao Chen said, wiping tears from his little sister’s cheeks with a gentle smile. “I can’t miss this opportunity. We can’t spend our whole lives trapped here.”

After comforting her, Yao Chen picked up the lantern filled with crystal stones and walked to the village entrance.

“Senior Brother, this way.”

Li Yan followed silently, letting Yao Chen lead the way.

The two figures gradually disappeared into the man-made tunnels of the Underground Cave, swallowed by the darkness and vanishing from the villagers’ sight.

Yao Chen took a deep breath, clenched his fist, and muttered, “Little Sister, when I get back, we’ll definitely escape this cursed place.”

Li Yan glanced at the young man and casually tossed him a talisman. “Take this for self-defense.”

Yao Chen caught the talisman, his eyes widening in astonishment. “This… this is too precious, Senior Brother!”

Li Yan’s voice was flat, almost commanding. “It doesn’t matter. If you die, I’ll have to find my own way.”

“Oh… right.” Yao Chen gripped the talisman tightly, realizing Li Yan’s logic. With this talisman, he could at least fend off any Insect Gu they encountered.

As they ventured deeper into the vast Underground Cave, they couldn’t shake the feeling that countless eyes were watching them from the impenetrable darkness.

This was no illusion.

The perspective shifted to the Red Leaf Forest below.

Daoist Tranquil Void’s head had regenerated its flesh, his face now a horrifying, fire-scarred visage. With his eyes closed, he sensed the situation beneath the ground through his Insect Gu.

“That Li Yan… he killed the Gu Cave Village Chief I planted.”

“Is that Demonic Eye hanging from his waist the one unearthed from God’s Tomb?”

“Knowing how perilous God’s Tomb is, why is he still heading that way? Could he have discovered a way inside?”

A wave of unease washed over him.

Daoist Tranquil Void paced restlessly outside the Cave Mansion’s protective barrier. “This won’t do. If that brat enters God’s Tomb first and steals all the treasures, he’ll use its Magic Artifacts to hunt me down!”

The more he pondered, the greater his fear grew.

“If I can’t have it, he won’t get it all to himself!”

After a long hesitation, Daoist Tranquil Void reluctantly retrieved a Talisman.

“Might as well go all in. I’ll use this Beacon Fire Talisman to draw all the Cultivators in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains here.”

“Let them fight over God’s Tomb in a bloody frenzy—a gluttonous feast for my Insect Gu!”

Driven by the spiteful thought that if he couldn’t have it, neither could Li Yan, Daoist Tranquil Void immediately launched a Beacon Fire Talisman into the sky and swiftly fled the area.

The talisman soared into the heavens, emitting a dazzling light that pulsed rhythmically. Visible shockwaves rippled outward from the vibrating talisman, shaking the air.

Within the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the Beacon Fire Talisman had drawn forces from all directions: the Su Clan, the major factions of Mishan City, and countless loose cultivators.

The ancient cultivators who had been drawn to the spectacle revealed predatory glints in their eyes as they observed the pulsating talisman’s radiant display.

Deep within the treacherous Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, the law of the dark jungle reigned supreme: a discovered Cave Mansion became prey to endless looting.

The cultivators’ gazes turned greedily toward the Mountain Guardian Formation enveloping the Red Leaf Forest.

“Whose Cave Mansion is this?”

“With such a formidable Mountain Guardian Formation, there must be rare treasures hidden here!”

“Which Fellow Daoist launched this Beacon Fire Talisman, summoning us all here?”

The Patriarch of the Su Clan, the leaders of the four major factions of Mishan City, and countless old ghosts among the loose cultivators all eyed the Cave Mansion below with predatory hunger.

Meanwhile, the Su Clan Patriarch strode through the eight trigram formations, surveying the terrain with practiced steps.

Suddenly, the compass in the Su Clan Patriarch’s palm trembled violently, its Mystic Iron needle spinning counterclockwise as chains of Yin Essence Qi coalesced, binding the Heavenly Pool’s location. The surrounding mountains’ spiritual energy began to drain inexplicably into the earth.

Staring at the churning Yin-Fiend Qi where the Dragon Veins converged, a cold laugh escaped his throat. “No wonder… This place appears to harbor a dragon, but it’s actually a fiend-sealing formation. There’s a God’s Tomb buried beneath!”

The mere mention of a God’s Tomb sent shockwaves through the crowd.

“A God’s Tomb underground? How deep?”

The Su Clan Patriarch pinched his fingers in calculation. “I’d estimate a thousand zhang deep, concealed far beneath the surface.”

The cultivators gasped collectively. A thousand zhang? The value of such a God’s Tomb would make anyone’s eyes burn with envy.

The Su Clan Patriarch stowed his compass, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Fellow Daoists, since it’s a God’s Tomb, finders keepers! Let’s combine our efforts to breach Daoist Tranquil Void’s Mountain Guardian Formation and descend together to claim our treasures!”

Instantly, the cultivators unleashed their full power, bombarding the Mountain Guardian Formation erected by Daoist Tranquil Void.

Deep underground, Li Yan’s ears twitched slightly, catching muffled tremors.

As the shockwaves reached the depths, fragments of rock began to fall from the ceiling.

Li Yan frowned, realizing what was happening. “They’re attacking the Mountain Guardian Formation!”

“Yao Chen, we need to move now!”