Chapter 871 - 306: Entering the Tomb (First Update)
In Sky City, the bustling crowd remained as lively as ever.
Yet, upon closer observation, one would find that recently, many people from other continents had appeared here, each exuding an undeniable aura of strength.
In a teahouse by the street, in a private room, sat four people.
These four, three men and one woman, subtly deferred all their actions to the woman.
They were none other than Mu Qingge, Ji Yaohua, Ying Ze, and Yao Xinghai, four of the top five on the Green Talent List.
Mu Qingge stood with her hands behind her back by the window, peering at the scene outside through a slit.
In the room, there was the sound of tea brewing.
Yao Xinghai picked up the teapot, pouring freshly brewed tea for each of them. As he poured, he said calmly, "With the Divine Tomb about to open, all the necessary people from the Five Continents have almost arrived."
"This time, not only newcomers are here but also many hidden old monsters from mountain and wilderness. From the news I gathered from the West Continent, the old monster of the Southern Dipper, the Three-legged Golden Crow, and old man Long Sheng are likely to appear."
Mu Qingge turned her gaze back, looking at Ying Ze.
Ji Yaohua exclaimed in surprise, "The Three-legged Golden Crow is still alive? Wasn’t it said a century ago that he was slain by a strong figure?"
"Clearly, that was fake." Ying Ze slowly shook his head.
"I also heard that the Heavenly Net Lord and Lin Xuanfeng will be coming. This Divine Tomb journey will probably be extremely lively," Ji Yaohua clicked her tongue.
The people they talked about were those infamous and reclusive individuals in the Middle Ancient Realm, mostly loose cultivators. Mu Qingge frowned slightly; she didn’t know much about these people.
At that moment, a specially trained hawk flew down from the sky, seemingly knowing where Mu Qingge was, heading straight for the crack in the window.
Mu Qingge saw the hawk, narrowed her eyes slightly but did not avoid it. Clearly, she knew that hawk.
"What is that!" Ji Yaohua saw the hawk and asked curiously.
At that moment, the hawk had already landed on Mu Qingge’s arm, affectionately pecking at her sleeve. Mu Qingge then took something from its leg.
After the item was removed, the hawk flapped its wings again, retracing its path back.
Ji Yaohua walked quickly over, asking, "Where did that hawk come from to deliver messages to you?"
Mu Qingge didn’t immediately answer, instead opening the information the hawk brought. It was sealed with a special seal that would incinerate if someone ignorant forcefully tried to break it.
Since the intelligence was sent to Mu Qingge, she naturally knew how to break the seal. Once the seal was undone, the paper appeared ordinary as she opened it, revealing densely written names and brief introductions of those individuals.
"Wow! Who managed to thoroughly investigate everyone going into the Divine Tomb this time!" Ji Yaohua, standing beside Mu Qingge, naturally also saw the content on the paper and couldn’t help but express surprise.
His words immediately drew the attention of Ying Ze and Yao Xinghai.
The two stood up, walked over to the window, and gathered around Mu Qingge, their eyes all on the paper in her hand.
It recorded those from the Five Continents who would enter the Divine Tomb to vie for the Divine Status. Of course, it wasn’t the complete list, just those worth noting.
The individuals Ying Ze and Ji Yaohua mentioned earlier were also listed.
Moreover, next to their names were descriptions of their appearance, cultivation level, ultimate techniques, and a brief overview of their character.
Like the Three-legged Golden Crow...
Previously, Mu Qingge thought it might be some spirit beast in transformation. But after reading the introduction, she realized the Three-legged Golden Crow was the moniker of an old monster famous three hundred years ago.
The reason he’s called the Three-legged Golden Crow is that he has a crippled leg and needs a crutch to walk. In his youth, he devoured a Golden Crow bird, inexplicably inheriting its Fire Spirit, which led to forming a Pseudo Fire Spirit Root, hence his cultivation rapidly advanced, quickly becoming a peerless master.
However, he has a violent temperament and is prone to killing. At the slightest displeasure, he would set everything and every creature he found distasteful ablaze, earning him an extremely poor reputation.
A hundred years ago, a high master attempted to rid people of a scourge; indeed, news of slaying the Three-legged Golden Crow was spread. However, no one expected it was a mere ruse, and he himself had already fled far. Nonetheless, he sustained severe injuries at the time, remaining in seclusion for a hundred years until recently reemerging.
"This mention here says, after the Three-legged Golden Crow’s emergence, the first thing he did was massacre the entire clan of his old enemies! When did this happen, and we didn’t catch any wind of it?" Ji Yaohua exclaimed in surprise.
Ying Ze said, "Compared to that, I’m more concerned about his current cultivation level. Back then, he was hunted down, forced to fake his death to escape. Now, able to annihilate an entire enemy clan shows his cultivation must have further advanced in these hundred years."
Yao Xinghai pointed at the words, saying, "It’s speculated here that the Three-legged Golden Crow has likely traversed one Heavenly Tribulation, entering a second."
The room fell into silence.
When masters from all quarters move, it’s inconceivable to feel no pressure.
The four remained silent, Mu Qingge folded the list and stored it in her space. She lifted her gaze to the others and said lightly, "We shouldn’t underestimate ourselves. At least among the newcomers, we have a great chance. Even when facing these old monsters, how will we know the outcome without a proper fight?"
Her words instilled courage in the three.
They all nodded silently after taking a deep breath.
"By the way, Qingge, you haven’t mentioned who gave you the information." Ji Yaohua was genuinely curious about this.
Mu Qingge smiled faintly and evasively replied, "An old friend."
With that, Ji Yaohua immediately showed discernment and did not pursue further.
Whatever Mu Qingge wishes to say, she will naturally say. And what she doesn’t want to say, asking won’t change anything. This is something that those who know her well are aware of.
Thus, among the three of them, even the gossip-loving Ji Yaohua wanted to ask about Mu Qingge and Si Mo but refrained due to the inappropriate timing.
The kite eagle that flew out from Mu Qingge took off towards another part of Sky City.
Eventually, it landed on the window sill of Wanxiang Building.
Wanxiang Building is widespread throughout the Middle Ancient Realm, but its size varies. It is the Han Family’s foundation and their lifeline.
Han Caicai stood in front of the window, raised his hand, and stroked the glossy feathers of the kite eagle, with his long, narrow eyes pondering something unknown.
Soon, someone approached from behind him, stood respectfully behind him, and said, "Young Master, the people from Northern Continent have all arrived." After speaking, he glanced at Han Caicai.
Han Caicai slightly nodded his forehead, a faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and murmured to himself, "Entering the Divine Tomb as continental groups. Originally, this West Continent’s new leader selection wouldn’t fall on me; it should have been the one from the Ji Family. Unexpectedly, that person voluntarily gave up, leaving it to me."
The person behind him immediately responded, "This is a good opportunity for the Young Master; through this Divine Tomb expedition, you can establish solid connections with the new talents of Northern Continent’s various families."
Han Caicai nodded almost imperceptibly. Suddenly, a cold gleam flashed in his long, narrow eyes as he asked, "Have you identified the leaders of the new talent teams from the other continents yet?"
The person responded, "Southern Continent is led by Yan Family’s Young Master, Yan Wuhen. Western Continent is led by Rong Family’s Young Master, Rong Yantian. Northern Continent is led by you, the Young Master. Eastern Continent is led by Yu Family’s Young Master, Yu Manlou. Central Continent is led by the Xi Family’s Xi Goddess, Xi Qianxue."
Han Caicai’s gaze flickered as he pondered deeply, then he suddenly smiled playfully. He thought to himself, ’It seems the eminent figures missing from the top five of the Green Talent List have now all gathered around you.’
He knew very well who this ’you’ referred to.
...
"The new talents will enter the Divine Tomb grouped by continent, fostering mutual trust and support. Meanwhile, those veteran figures mostly act alone. In summary, once we are inside, we’ll proceed as planned, first looking for Divine Status. If someone stirs up trouble, then we’ll handle it," Yao Xinghai proposed.
Mu Qingge nodded and said, "All plans before entering the Divine Tomb are just talk. Everything will be decided once we’re inside."
After finishing their conversation in the room, the four planned to leave.
Meanwhile, down in the hall, guests from the Five Continents were gathering. It’s uncertain how many were there because of the Divine Tomb.
At one table, a dispute seemed to be brewing.
An elderly man had a young girl by his side, who was indignantly talking to a middle-aged man, "What’s so special about you? Why can you enter the Divine Tomb, but my grandfather and I cannot?"
The middle-aged man mocked and sneered, "Your grandfather is already halfway into the grave; is he trying to enter the Divine Tomb to snatch a Divine Status, or is he hoping to find a Feng Shui treasure land for himself inside?"
His words provoked laughter from those around.
The elderly man remained calm, as if everything around him was unrelated.
But the girl, her cheeks flushed with anger and unable to rebut, could only fume, "You... you’re talking nonsense!"
"Nonsense? What nonsense? And little girl, how progressed is your cultivation? You dare to venture into the Divine Tomb? Do you think you’re one of the top in the Green Talent List, or perhaps you believe you’re the Mu City Lord? Be careful not to perish within, losing your vibrant life," the middle-aged man said disdainfully.
"What’s this Green Talent List, what’s this Mu City Lord! I don’t know them!" The girl retorted furiously.
Her words elicited both surprise and ridicule from the crowd. Some couldn’t help but laugh, "Where’s this country bumpkin from, being ignorant of the Green Talent List and even the Mu City Lord?"
"What’s this Mu City Lord, is she that remarkable?" The girl said defiantly.
Suddenly, she noticed that those mocking her became silent.
Confused, she looked towards her grandfather, only to find him looking at the staircase wide-eyed.
Curious, she also looked over and saw four people descending the stairs. Leading them was a beautiful woman in red she had never seen, and she was momentarily awestruck. The three men behind her were also extraordinarily handsome and exceptional in demeanor.
With their appearance, the bustling tea house became quiet.
Once they left the tea house, a voice of mockery reached the girl’s ears, "Did you see them? Those are the first, third, fourth, and fifth on the Green Talent List. And that unimpressive Mu City Lord you mentioned happens to be the leading lady. She is the top of the Green Talent List, the number one among the young generation in the Middle Ancient Realm!"
The girl’s bright eyes widened immediately.
Then, just as she failed to notice her grandfather’s changing gaze, a voice descended from the sky——
"The Divine Tomb has opened, those entering the tomb, hurry to the Divine Hall——!"