Urban Martial Saint

Chapter 1680 - 1680: The Bamboo Slip Left Behind by An Shiping

"Uncle Shen, although the Corpse Ghost Dragon is very powerful, the trap we set is absolutely foolproof!" Ye Qing said, "You don't need to worry too much. The power of the incendiary bomb is enough to burn anyone caught in it to ashes. Even if the Corpse Ghost Dragon is strong, it will be enough to send him to his grave in the sea of fire. Moreover, there is also the power of the explosion. If the Corpse Ghost Dragon really comes, there's absolutely no way he'll walk out alive this time!""That's hard to say." Shen Tianjun shook his head and said solemnly, "In Southeast Asian Sorcery, there is a move called the Fire Spell, where the sorcerer tempers their body within a sea of fire. The Corpse Ghost Dragon is the most powerful sorcerer in Southeast Asia and is knowledgeable in all sorcery techniques, including the Fire Spell. Even if you set fire to him, you may not be able to burn him to death!"

"Is there such sorcery?" Ye Qing widened his eyes; he had never heard of such a thing before.

"Southeast Asian Sorcery is diverse and intricate, and many things are beyond your imagination. It's practically known as an evil technique." Shen Tianjun said, "The Corpse Ghost Dragon himself is extremely sinister, having learned many unheard-of evil techniques. Therefore, I reckon tomorrow's battle will not be that easy. Ye Qing, you have not completely become a Peak Master, and you shouldn't stay here because you have no ability to defend yourself in front of him!"

"Uncle Shen, I know the gap between me and the Corpse Ghost Dragon. But you are all my elders and my most important people. Even if my strength is far less than yours, I won't leave you here to fight the Corpse Ghost Dragon alone!" Ye Qing said bluntly, "Uncle Shen, you know my character. Since I decided to stay, I certainly won't leave. Even if it means dying, I want to die fighting here!"

Shen Tianjun looked at Ye Qing, sighed in frustration, and said quietly, "Ye Qing, can't you change your character a bit?"

"If Uncle Shen wants me to change, I can try to change." Ye Qing paused and said, "But I definitely won't change this time."

"Alright!" Shen Tianjun nodded slowly, looked deeply at Ye Qing for a while, and suddenly handed a bamboo slip to Ye Qing: "You should memorize this thing."

"What is this?" Ye Qing took the bamboo slip and asked in surprise. The bamboo slip looked very ancient, seemingly kept for many years, completely an antique. However, it was relatively well-preserved, and the golden threads on it, although blackened, were still intact.

Ye Qing opened the bamboo slip and found it was a diagram. These diagrams are mainly composed of lines and dots connected together, looking very strange, with no discernible pattern.

"This item was left by the Divine Doctor An Shiping in the Shen Family in his early years. He said that the bamboo slip contains a huge secret related to the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master, Guiguzi." Shen Tianjun sighed and said, "The bamboo slip has been in the Shen Family for decades, and I've looked at it numerous times, but have never been able to make sense of the secret within. Now, I pass it to you. If there's an opportunity, maybe you can use it to open Guiguzi's tomb!"

"Again with Guiguzi's tomb?" Ye Qing was astonished; he didn't expect there to be so many clues regarding Guiguzi's tomb. First was the Gold Silk Armor, then the Famed Instrument the South Ridge Sect had been collecting, and now this bamboo slip. Yet after so many items appeared, the whereabouts of Guiguzi's tomb remain undiscovered. Are these things real or fake?

"The Gold Silk Armor you previously acquired should be the map to locate Guiguzi's tomb." Shen Tianjun pointed to the bamboo slip and said, "And this bamboo slip should be the method to unlock Guiguzi's tomb. However, I can't comprehend what sort of method this is. These lines and dots have no perceived pattern. I think the use of these lines and dots might only be clear upon seeing Guiguzi's tomb. Ye Qing, memorize the content of this bamboo slip first. Once you've memorized it, I'll destroy this slip. It can never be allowed to fall into the hands of the Corpse Ghost Dragon!"

Ye Qing finally understood what Shen Tianjun was worried about. If the bamboo slip were taken by the Corpse Ghost Dragon, allowing this old monster access to Guiguzi's tomb, things would become even more troublesome. The Corpse Ghost Dragon is already Invincible Under the Heavens; if he finds out any secrets from Guiguzi's tomb, it will only enhance his power further—something Shen Tianjun is not willing to see. Therefore, Shen Tianjun would rather destroy the slip than let the Corpse Ghost Dragon have it.

Of course, before Shen Tianjun destroyed the bamboo slip, he reached out to Ye Qing, who he deeply trusted and believed to be a person of great fortune. So he asked Ye Qing to memorize the content of the slip, hoping one day Ye Qing could use it to enter Guiguzi's tomb.

Without hesitation, Ye Qing immediately spread out the bamboo slip and began to carefully study and memorize every detail on it.

After reviewing the slip twice, Ye Qing suddenly recalled something. Previously, at the South Ridge Sect, he obtained important information from the sect leaders: they were collecting Famed Instruments to unlock Guiguzi's tomb. The use of these Famed Instruments was the key to the tomb. Could there be a connection between these two matters?

Thinking along these lines, Ye Qing deliberately compared the two matters and was startled to find that the number of dots depicted on the bamboo slip was exactly the same as the number of Famed Instruments mentioned by the South Ridge Sect. The sect needed one hundred and eight Famed Instruments to unlock the tomb, and the bamboo slip also happened to display one hundred and eight dots. Could there really be a connection between these two matters?

Ye Qing stared at the bamboo slip for a while, and a bold idea suddenly emerged in his mind. One hundred and eight Famed Instruments, one hundred and eight dots—could it be that each dot corresponds to a Famed Instrument? But what about these lines, then?

Despite thinking it through, Ye Qing couldn't understand the reasoning behind it. It seemed true as Shen Tianjun mentioned, only by reaching the tomb of Guiguzi could the real significance of these things be understood.

Although the content of the bamboo slip was complex, Ye Qing managed to memorize all of it thoroughly. For safety, he even drew the diagrams twice more. The drawings matched the contents of the bamboo slip precisely without any deviation, and only then did Ye Qing hand it back to Shen Tianjun with peace of mind.

"Now that you've memorized the contents, there's no need to keep the bamboo slip." Shen Tianjun threw the slip into a nearby fire pit and said solemnly, "In these chaotic times, keeping such things is always a potential danger. Judging by things, it is best not to open Guiguzi's tomb. Otherwise, the world would once more face a storm of turmoil and bloodshed. Many hidden masters have been awaiting for the opportunity for extending life, cultivating, and restoring vitality, just for the opening of the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates. If news of Guiguzi's tomb were to spread, it could compel these masters to emerge ahead of schedule, leading to even greater chaos in the world!"

Ye Qing sighed, for he was aware of these matters too. People like Luan Ping are adept masters who come out of hiding for the chance to extend life. However, they ended up serving as the Corpse Ghost Dragon's henchmen, causing much calamity. Fortunately, not many have emerged; otherwise, the Corpse Ghost Dragon's power would have fully recovered long ago, making it truly impossible to counter him. Additionally, those who choose to hide and await are mostly Peak Masters; the more of these individuals who emerge, the harder it will be to control the situation in the world!

Shen Tianjun watched as the bamboo slip burned to ash in the fire pit, stood up, and said, "Since you insist on staying, be careful in all things tomorrow. Your abilities are still lacking; under no circumstance should you confront the Corpse Ghost Dragon directly."

"Don't worry, Uncle Shen. I will definitely take care of myself!" Ye Qing nodded.

"Hmm!" Shen Tianjun nodded again and, without lingering any further, pushed open the door and left.

As Shen Tianjun rounded the corner, an elderly masked man stepped forward from the shadows. It was like Shen Tianjun knew he was waiting there, showing no surprise as he merely shook his head at the elderly man.

The expression of the masked elder slightly changed, and after a long pause, he sighed gently, still without speaking.

"I've said it before; he certainly won't leave." Shen Tianjun waved his hand, saying, "But you don't need to worry too much. Although the Corpse Ghost Dragon has transcended fate, with no one able to control him, what of it? Throughout history, many extraordinary talents like him have appeared, and the final outcome is inevitably the same. Besides, Shijia is not idle, and surely there are ways to kill the Corpse Ghost Dragon!"

The masked elder nodded, but his eyes remained fixated on Ye Qing's room, evidently more concerned about him.

Shen Tianjun sighed deeply and refrained from saying more. Although he could speak to comfort the masked elder, in truth, he himself had little confidence. The absolute power of the Corpse Ghost Dragon left everyone feeling unprecedentedly powerless!

Through the night, almost everyone in the manor remained sleepless. The Corpse Ghost Dragon was about to enter Shenchuan City, leaving everyone unable to sleep peacefully.

The following day, everyone gathered together, anxiously awaiting news from outside. Strangely enough, by noon, they still hadn't received any information. The Corpse Ghost Dragon hadn't approached Shenchuan City, greatly surprising everyone.

Judging by the time, the Corpse Ghost Dragon and his group should have reached Shenchuan City by now. Why was there still no movement? Could it be that the Corpse Ghost Dragon had entered Shenchuan City already, and the Seven Steering Committees of the Hong Alliance were unaware?

To address the matter, Helian Tiehua dispatched several teams to search and patrol everywhere. Eventually, an absurd news came through: the Corpse Ghost Dragon's convoy overshot the highway!