"A fierce burial?!" Chu Feng was greatly alarmed. Having already learned the grade of the tomb, he didn't know exactly what a fierce burial entailed, but he understood it was a place of extreme danger.
"That's right. The runes carved on this rock wall are Demon Subjugation Runes — they're used to bind evil spirits," Egg Egg explained.
"Evil spirits? What are those?" Chu Feng asked.
"Evil spirits are essentially Spirit World beings. But when a Spirit World being breaks free from its Spirit World Master's binding and survives in the living world in its true form, it's called an evil spirit."
"Evil spirits are the embodiment of wickedness. To seek power, they slaughter living beings en masse and devour their life essence, which is exactly why they're called evil spirits."
"More importantly, Spirit World beings can only enter a Spirit World Master's mental world and channel their power through the Master's body after forming a contract. In short, Spirit World beings are always bound by their Master."
"However, once a Spirit World being grows strong enough, it can shatter the contract and break free from the Spirit World Master's control, stepping into the living world under its own will. To break such a contract requires at minimum a Heaven Martial Realm cultivator's cultivation. Anything less simply won't do."
"Heaven Martial Realm?" Chu Feng was shocked once more. That was the absolute pinnacle of cultivation on the Nine Provinces Continent — a realm only the most elite powerhouses could reach.
"Which means every evil spirit here is tremendously powerful, possessing at least Heaven Martial Realm cultivation. The fact that this exit is covered with Demon Subjugation Runes tells us an evil spirit must be imprisoned here."
"Think about it — would the place holding an evil spirit be some ordinary ancient tomb? Would the person capable of imprisoning an evil spirit be some ordinary individual?"
"I have to admit, I underestimated this Nine Provinces Continent. At least within the borders of Qingzhou, someone extraordinary must have appeared at some point. Capturing evil spirits to guard one's own tomb — that alone speaks to the ability of this tomb's master," Egg Egg marveled.
"If it's that dangerous, should we keep going deeper?" Hearing Egg Egg paint such a terrifying picture, Chu Feng's confidence wavered.
The Heaven Martial Realm was a legendary realm for him — utterly beyond his reach. If there was really a Heaven Martial Realm evil spirit here, a single breath from it could blow him to pieces. If he encountered it, he'd most likely lose his life.
"Don't be afraid. The Demon Subjugation Runes can restrain evil spirits, so as long as you're within their coverage, you're safe. At the very least, the evil spirit can't hurt you."
"A fierce burial holds infinite treasure. You can keep exploring — even if you only obtain a tiny fraction, it would catapult your cultivation forward and grant you enormous benefits. You might even find enough cultivation resources to enter the Xuan Wu Realm," Egg Egg said.
With Egg Egg's words lighting a fire under him, Chu Feng regained his motivation and pressed forward. The cavern world grew wider and more expansive with every step, and the so-called Demon Subjugation Runes grew increasingly dense. The rock walls on either side were no longer visible, but the runes beneath his feet only multiplied.
According to Egg Egg, the evil spirit imprisoned here must be extraordinarily fierce — otherwise there would be no need for such powerful Demon Subjugation Runes. Runes of this caliber were far beyond what an ordinary Spirit World Master could create.
The deeper Chu Feng ventured, the more unsettled he became. This place was impossibly vast — an entire underground world with no discernible boundary. He had lost all track of time and distance, but from somewhere ahead came the roaring sound of rushing water.
"What a beautiful lake!"
Continuing forward, a magnificent lake materialized before Chu Feng's eyes. The water surged and crashed against the shore with a deafening rumble. Countless motes of light floated above the lake's surface, emitting an eerie green glow. It was their light that first allowed Chu Feng to recognize the enormous body of water.
But upon closer inspection, he realized those couldn't be fireflies — they were far too large. He couldn't tell exactly what they were, but they definitely emitted a strange green luminescence that sent chills down his spine.
The distance was still too great for his Mental Power to reach, so he couldn't determine what they were or whether they posed a danger.
He continued onward, and his view finally opened up. Along the shore lay countless white bones, packed so densely they carpeted the bank and extended into the water itself.
It was horrifying. He couldn't begin to count how many people had died here — tens of thousands at minimum. And these bones were different from ordinary ones. Most were shattered, crushed by some overwhelming force. What he was seeing now was only the bones along the shore — who knew how many more lay submerged in the lake.
"What happened here? How did so many people die?" Chu Feng marveled in shock. Moving cautiously closer, he discovered that beneath the bones, various faint glows flickered.
"Spirit Pearls — not just Spirit Pearls, but Yuan Pearls too! My god, this place really does hold infinite treasure."
At this distance, his Mental Power finally proved useful. He could sense that buried within that sea of bones were countless Spirit Pearls and Yuan Pearls — an incalculable number, truly beyond counting.
"Don't go in there." Just as Chu Feng was about to step forward, Egg Egg's voice stopped him.
"What's wrong?" Chu Feng asked, confused.
"The ground ahead is covered by bones, so I can't tell whether there are Demon Subjugation Runes beneath them. But one thing is certain — every one of those bones has already been drained of its life essence. Completely drained."
"That area falls within the evil spirit's attack range. Anyone who enters will die. It's a trap — designed to lure people in," Egg Egg warned gravely.
"So an evil spirit really is guarding this place? Is there any way to bypass its detection and let me in? Those bones contain not just Spirit Pearls, but Yuan Pearls as well — a massive amount. If I could get my hands on them, my cultivation would soar."
For Chu Feng, who was desperately short on cultivation resources, the treasure within that bone field was far too tempting. Forget about taking everything — even a fraction would dramatically boost his cultivation, enough to break through to the Yuan Wu Realm and perhaps even reach the Xuan Wu Realm.
"Go ahead and walk in there if you want to die. Don't let greed cloud your judgment. Every single one of those tens of thousands of people had a cultivation level far above yours, and look where it got them."
"This fierce burial can only be explored this far. As long as no Heaven Martial Realm Spirit World Master discovers this place, the treasure here will eventually be yours. Come back when your cultivation is strong enough to handle it, but under no circumstances should you charge in without the means to protect yourself."
Chu Feng was no fool. He knew Egg Egg was right. After a reluctant, lingering look at the treasure, he wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, turned, and retreated.
"ROOAAARRRRR~~~"
But at that very moment, a piercing roar erupted from within the lake. The sound was so terrifying it seemed to rise from a demon of the ninth level of hell itself, rending the soul.
At the same time, the previously calm water began churning with massive waves, and the eerie green motes of light on the lake's surface emitted shrill, unnatural shrieks as they streaked toward Chu Feng at lightning speed.