Chapter 207

Chapter 207: Tomb Opening, Rage, and the Zheng Family’s Destruction

. “A Xiantian Realm expert is truly not so easy to defeat.”

A mile from where he had beheaded the Zheng family’s old woman, Lu Qing sat cross-legged on a large tree in the woods, regulating his breathing.

His previous encounter with the elegant old man hadn’t been as relaxed as he had appeared.

His internal organs had indeed suffered some shock, but his powerful control of his mind and spirit had completely suppressed the damage.

After all, the elegant old man was different from the Zheng family’s old woman.

The Zheng family’s old woman had already suffered a severe injury, leaving her lifespan limited. Her energy and spirit were no longer at their peak, and he had previously severed an arm, leaving her at less than half her full potential.

It was no surprise that he had easily defeated her.

But the elegant old man was different.

Though equally old, he had mastered the art of cultivating his Qi, his energy and spirit showing no sign of decline, and his strength remained at its peak.

Defeating such a powerful Xiantian peak realm expert would be no easy task for Lu Qing.

In other words, he used his words to pressure the opponent into taking his blow head-on.

Otherwise, if a fight truly broke out, even if he could defeat the opponent, he would certainly have paid a price.

Only if he threw all his cards at once could he truly achieve a fatal blow.

After a short period of recuperation, Lu Qing had fully recovered.

His injuries were much less severe than those of the elegant old man.

The Vajra Power Talisman not only greatly increased his strength, but also doubled his defense.

It was in no way inferior to the protective Qi of a Xiantian Realm warrior.

Coupled with his youth and strong physique, his Qi and blood were abundant, so his recovery was naturally fast. He didn’t even need to take healing medicine, relying solely on his own Qi and blood circulation to quickly recover.

“Huh? Those people have left?”

Just after healed his wounds, Lu Qing sensed several Xiantian Realm experts not far away, performing acrobatics and heading towards the provincial capital.

This was the formidable power of Lu Qing’s soul after refining the soul talisman.

Empowered by the Soul Talisman, his soul-sensing abilities far surpassed those of ordinary Xiantian beginners.

Furthermore, he could perfectly conceal his own aura fluctuations.

This allowed him to sense the movements of the elegant old man and his companions, while they remained completely unaware of his whereabouts.

Sensing their departure, Lu Qing immediately set out.

Arriving at the previous location, he discovered the body of the Zheng family’s elderly woman had been taken away. Only bloodstains remained on the ground, evidence of a brutal battle.

Seeing the direction the elegant old man and his companions had taken, Lu Qing immediately followed.

He had one thing he hadn’t yet completed; how could he leave so easily?

Carrying the Zheng family’s body, the elegant old man and his companions returned to the provincial capital, where they prepared it before arriving at the Zheng residence.

Meanwhile, the Zheng family awaited their arrival anxiously.

Their ancestor, who had gone in pursuit of the villain who had destroyed the second young master’s coffin and body, had yet to return, leaving them worried.

When the elegant old men arrived, but his mother was nowhere to be seen, the head of the Zheng family immediately had a bad feeling.

“Uncle Lin, Lord City Lord, why are you here? You’re here to visit my mother, but she went out a while ago and hasn’t returned yet.”

Seeing several Xiantian Realm experts coming together, the head of the Zheng family felt a tremor in his heart. He didn’t dare to neglect them and hurried to greet them. He

even mentioned his mother’s name to give himself courage.

However, what made the head of the Zheng family feel bad was that as he finished speaking, he saw several Xiantian Realm experts looking at him with strange eyes.

The Lord City Lord, Uncle Bao and the other two had pity in their eyes.

And the head of the Cheng family, who had always been at odds with their Zheng family, had a look of gloating.

“Lin, Uncle Lin, is it my mother? Is there something wrong?”

The head of the Zheng family asked with a stammer, his bad premonition growing stronger.

The elegant old man sighed, “Nephew, your mother has passed away.”

“How is that possible…” The Zheng family head was struck by lightning, unable to believe it. “My mother is a powerful Xiantian realm cultivator, with profound cultivation. How could anyone possibly kill her?”

The people from the Zheng residence nearby were equally shocked.

“Hmph, Xiantian realm cultivators can’t be killed? Your mother looked so half dead, it’s no wonder she was murdered!”

The middle-aged man with a face as white as jade snorted coldly, mocking him.

The Zheng family head was furious at this insult to his biological mother and was about to shout, but the elegant old man stopped him.

“Nephew, your mother is indeed deceased. I’ve brought her body back and am leaving it outside. You’ll see it later.”

The elegant old man didn’t want the Zheng family head to confront the jade-faced man at this moment.

The Zheng and Cheng families had always been at odds, and it was only because of the Zheng family’s old woman’s life that the two families had been able to live in peace for a while.

Now that the old lady of the Zheng family has died, the Zheng family has lost a pillar, and the power of the two families has shifted.

If the head of the Zheng family angers the white-jade-faced man at this time, the consequences will be disastrous.

Upon hearing this, the head of the Zheng family immediately rushed out, and the other members of the Zheng family followed him out.

Then they saw that the old ancestor, with his limbs and head chopped off, was lying on a stretcher. He had been dead for an unknown period of time.

“Mother!”

The head of the Zheng family was heartbroken when he saw his mother’s miserable state, and he was extremely sad.

The other members of the Zheng family were even more terrified, as if the sky was about to fall.

“Uncle Lin, who is so vicious that he humiliated and tortured my mother into this state?”

The head of the Zheng family suddenly looked up, his eyes red, and his face full of grief and indignation.

“Don’t ask about this matter. The one who killed your mother was incredibly powerful, not someone your Zheng family can afford to provoke,”

the elegant old man said solemnly.

He recalled the might of Lu Qing’s previous strike, and his fingers trembled slightly.

The Zheng family head froze, but before he could continue, the jade-faced man sneered again.

“Forget revenge! Pray that your Zheng family can survive this calamity!”

The Zheng family head shuddered, looking warily at the jade-faced man. “Patriarch Cheng, what do you mean by that?”

“I do mean, have you ever practiced such a vicious ritual as human sacrifice?”

“Absolutely not!” The Zheng family head’s heart skipped a beat, but he shook his head without hesitation. “These are just rumors fabricated by outsiders. Our Zheng family has absolutely never done anything so disgraceful!”

The Zheng family head remained calm about this.

He knew his mother had harbored such thoughts, but she hadn’t yet realized them, preoccupied with Yu’er’s funeral. Now, the wives, children, and relatives of the guards were still alive and well in the dungeon, unharmed.

“No? That’s perfect! We’re going to open the tomb and examine it. Bring your men with you!” the jade-like man said.

“Open the tomb?”

Patriarch Zheng was bewildered.

Yu’er hadn’t even been buried yet, and even her body had been destroyed by the wicked. Where would the tomb be?

However, the next words from the jade-faced man made his expression change drastically.

“Yes, we’re going to open Zheng Shihao’s tomb.”

“What? You’re going to open my brother’s tomb?”

“Someone told us that your Zheng family performed human sacrifices when Zheng Shihao was buried. Naturally, we must investigate.”

“Absurd! My brother has been dead for over twenty years. How can we verify something that happened over twenty years ago? Patriarch Cheng, this must be malicious slander. How could our upright Zheng family do such an outrageous thing?”

The head of the Zheng family trembled inwardly, but his face remained indignant, and he remained confident.

“Whether it’s slander or not, we will know. Once Zheng Shihao’s tomb is opened, we will know. The ritual of human sacrifice must contain a clay figurine of the person being tortured. Once the tomb is opened, everything will be revealed.

Or is it that your Zheng family is harboring suspicions and dares not allow us to open the tomb for investigation?”

the jade-faced man said coldly.

“Of course not, but…”

The Zheng family head wanted to argue, but by then, the jade-faced man’s patience had worn thin.

His aura suddenly surged, and he stared at the Zheng family head. “Zheng Shijie, don’t be so shameless! Do you think your Zheng family still has the right to refuse?”

The powerful aura of the Xiantian Realm oppressed the Zheng family head’s heart, making it difficult for him to breathe.

He was filled with grief and indignation. If his mother were still alive, she would never allow such a treacherous act.

While he knew the situation was stronger than him, he also knew that if his brother’s tomb was really opened, the consequences would be even more disastrous.

The Zheng family head looked around and saw that the city lord and the old man with white hair and a youthful face both had indifferent expressions.

He knew that they also supported the tomb opening.

As a last resort, he cast a pleading glance at the elegant old man beside him: “Uncle Lin…”

However, his violent reaction had already aroused the suspicion of the other Xiantian Realm masters.

Even the elegant old man couldn’t offer a helping hand at this point, and could only sigh, “Let’s open the tomb.”

Seeing that even the elegant old man, a friend of his, wouldn’t speak up for him, the Zheng family head knew the situation was hopeless. He dropped his hands, as if bereaved.

Seeing him like this, several innate realm masters confirmed their suspicions.

Half an hour later, the elegant old man and his companions stood before Zheng Shihao’s grave at the Zheng family cemetery.

Behind them were numerous powerful warriors.

The city lord, in the interests of fairness, had directly invited the leaders of other clans and factions within the provincial capital.

These leaders, already somewhat bewildered by their arrival, were

further shocked to learn that the Zheng family’s innate ancestor had passed away.

Now, hearing that Zheng Shihao’s tomb was to be opened, they were even more bewildered, unsure of what was going on.

Facing the solemn expressions of the city lord and the elegant old man, no one dared to ask.

These individuals usually lived in seclusion within the city, rarely appearing in public.

Some heads of smaller families had only heard of them, never even seen them in person.

Now that they were gathered together, their cause must be of great importance, so they dared not ask.

“Open the tomb!”

With the City Lord’s command, servants from the City Lord’s Mansion immediately stepped forward, wielding pickaxes and shovels, and began digging.

Soon, the tomb’s entrance was uncovered.

Once the door was opened, someone immediately entered to investigate.

These individuals were special personnel recruited by the City Lord’s Mansion, experts in exploring and searching various tombs.

The Zheng family was a prominent family, and Zheng Shihao had once been incredibly favored by the old lady. Naturally, his tomb was exceptional.

Not only was the space beneath vast, with numerous chambers, but it was also equipped with numerous traps to prevent tomb robbery.

However, these traps proved useless against the City Lord’s Mansion’s special tomb-hunters.

Soon, several dispatched personnel emerged from the tomb, carrying a clay figurine.

“Lord City Lord, beneath this tomb are numerous and magnificent chambers. In the main chamber, there’s a magnificent coffin, flanked by clay figurines kneeling in worship. This figurine is in the center.”

Everyone’s eyes fell on the figurine.

The kneeling figurine resembled a young girl, with a faint hint of her beautiful figure.

But its face was filled with pain and resentment. This interweaving of beauty and resentment gave the figurine a deeply eerie quality.

Upon first sight of the figurine, the faces of the City Lord and his companions darkened.

Even those behind them, those with more experience who recognized the figurine’s origins, paled.

The refined elder muttered, “How could she have become so vicious? How could she…”

The City Lord’s hand gently brushed over the figurine.

The clay figurine shattered, a wisp of black air emanating, revealing the withered bones within.

“A living sacrifice, the victim is sealed underground, their spirit trapped within the clay figurine for eternity, never to be reborn. How dare this old woman, you Zheng family, how dare you!”

The city lord’s face was ashen, his tone filled with chilling coldness, a terrifying aura emanating from him, as if ready to explode at any moment.

“What, a living sacrifice?!”

At this moment, the others who had not previously recognized the clay figurine’s origins could not help but exclaim in surprise.

They all recalled the rumors circulating in the city in recent days.

They had assumed someone was deliberately targeting the Zheng family, but they hadn’t expected that the Zheng family had actually held such a vicious sacrifice over twenty years ago.

“Lord City Lord, I know nothing about this matter. My mother single-handedly oversaw the construction of my brother’s tomb. I had no idea she secretly performed the ritual of human sacrifice. If I knew, I would have stopped her. Please understand!”

The Zheng family patriarch fell to his knees, crying in panic.

But his cries failed to move the City Lord in the slightest.

“You claim you knew nothing, but why did you repeatedly stop the tomb from being opened? Lord Zheng, do you really think I’m a fool?”

Hearing the City Lord’s cold words, the Zheng family patriarch collapsed to the ground.

He knew that their Zheng family was finished.

Seeing him like this, everyone knew that the Zheng family patriarch’s previous words were just pleas for mercy.

Who would have thought that the once awe-inspiring and arrogant Zheng family patriarch would resort to begging for mercy after losing his support?

Boom! Boom boom boom…

Just as everyone was feeling contempt, a sudden, loud noise was heard.

Several incredibly powerful energies, coming from nowhere, struck Zheng Shihao’s tomb.

Not only did they shatter the tombstone, but they also pierced the underground chamber, creating several large holes.

One of the energies even went straight for the Zheng family patriarch, piercing his chest.

(End of Chapter)