As Chen Tian and Pang Yuan walked down the stairs, the sunlight from above vanished, plunging their surroundings into utter darkness. Chen Tian, possessing divine eyes, could see clearly, while Pang Yuan, a seasoned tomb raider, was well-prepared. He spread his hands, and a black flame ignited, instantly illuminating the area.
Chen Tian sensed a hint of danger from the black flame; its temperature was even more terrifying than his own divine fire. Seeing Chen Tian's surprise, Pang Yuan proudly explained, "This is the Black Ming Fire, a flame obtained from a previous tomb raid. I nearly perished trying to subdue it, but thankfully, I persevered."
Chen Tian remarked, "This flame is indeed more potent than mine."
"Chen Tian, you have a flame too?"
*Boom*
Chen Tian said nothing, and a blue flame appeared on his fingertip. Pang Yuan, though surprised, glanced at it and commented, "A Rank One Spiritual Fire. It's decent. The Black Ming Fire is a Rank Nine Spiritual Fire, so naturally, it's much stronger than a Rank One."
Chen Tian curiously asked, "How are divine fires classified?"
Pang Yuan replied indifferently, "Chen Tian, you don't know? Flames are divided into Spiritual Fires, Divine Fires, and Sacred Fires. Each category is further classified from Rank One to Rank Nine, with Rank Nine being the strongest and Rank One the weakest. The flame you hold should be a Rank One, but I haven't seen it in any fire catalog. According to records, all Rank One flames should be documented."
"Chen Tian, where did you get your flame?"
Logically, all Rank One flames should be listed in the illustrated guide, yet Pang Yuan had never encountered Chen Tian's spiritual fire.
Chen Tian retracted his flame, saying, "It was an accidental drop during a fortuitous encounter."
Chen Tian wasn't lying; the flame had been a drop from defeating a boss. Pang Yuan, understanding Chen Tian's reluctance to elaborate, didn't press further. After all, everyone had their secrets.
Chen Tian and Pang Yuan continued down the seemingly bottomless staircase. After an unknown number of steps, Pang Yuan looked down and said, "Chen Tian, stop."
"What's wrong?"
"Look here, this is a mark I made earlier. It means we've circled back to where we started. These stairs are quite peculiar. Good thing I left a mark."
"Now that it's confirmed, we can deal with whatever is causing trouble."
Pang Yuan's gaze shifted as if he had transformed. A yellow paper suddenly appeared in his hand, covered in intricate patterns. Chen Tian couldn't decipher them. Pang Yuan held the paper between his fingers and uttered black symbolic characters, which then entered the paper. Chen Tian mused, "Symbols?"
Chen Tian didn't understand such arts. He perceived the paper in Pang Yuan's hand as a talisman. Both in the cultivation world and the divine realm, there were talisman masters. Chen Tian himself was a renowned talisman master. As the black symbols merged into the paper, it began to glow, casting a yellow light that illuminated the entire staircase.
"Wuuuuu!"
"Aooo!"
Instantly, the staircase echoed with sounds. The yellow paper burned, and Pang Yuan gently blew on it, creating a gust of wind that formed a yellow, fiery tornado, sweeping down the stairs.
The surroundings instantly brightened, as if it were daytime. Pang Yuan moved behind Chen Tian and said, "Chen Tian, it's up to you from here. I have no combat ability."
"The mechanism is deactivated. They're coming."
Chen Tian was utterly speechless. What was this? A tomb raider who lacked combat skills? It seemed he could do nothing but raid tombs. And how had he succeeded in his past expeditions?
Chen Tian genuinely wondered how Pang Yuan had survived this long.
Gusts of chilling winds swept in. This was a burial ground, a place saturated with death energy and eerie winds. Wherever the wind touched, it was bone-chilling, capable of driving the weak-minded to madness.
Shadowy figures, black and ethereal, crawled out from the stairs, resembling phantoms. Pang Yuan exclaimed, "Chen Tian, these are resentful spirits. Once we defeat them, we can proceed."
Chen Tian gazed at the swarm of resentful spirits. He activated his divine eyes, and information flooded his mind. Chen Tian calmly stated, "Fight behind me."
He summoned his divine fire longsword. Resentful spirits were manifestations of accumulated grudges, possessing Yin attributes. Naturally, one should employ Yang-based attacks against Yin entities. Fire and lightning were inherently effective against such spectral beings.
Chen Tian's longsword slashed repeatedly, and divine fire erupted from the blade. Countless resentful spirits wailed as Chen Tian's onslaught gradually diminished their numbers.
Chen Tian cleared out the surrounding resentful spirits in less than a minute. Pang Yuan watched, utterly stunned. If it were up to him to deal with these spirits, it would take days of preparation and various countermeasures; otherwise, he wouldn't stand a chance. But Chen Tian? He resolved it in under a minute. This guy's strength was incredible.
At the same time, Pang Yuan's heart swelled with excitement. With Chen Tian around, he was sure to find better opportunities and treasures in this tomb. He couldn't miss this chance.
Chen Tian's divine fire longsword dissipated. Pang Yuan, with a look of adoration, said, "Chen Tian, you're amazing! With you here this time, I'm definitely going to make a fortune."
"Alright, let's go down. Are you sure these stairs are no longer as peculiar as before?"
"No, my banishing talisman took effect and drove out all the death energy and resentful spirits within the stairs. We can walk safely now."
Pang Yuan might not have strong combat skills, but he certainly understood matters related to tombs.
The two descended the stairs to the bottom, where a massive stone tablet stood. Inscribed on it were the words: The Tomb of Immortal Qing Yuan!
Pang Yuan's eyes widened in shock as he read it. "So, it's the tomb of Immortal Qing Yuan. No wonder the death energy and resentful spirits here are so formidable."
"You know Immortal Qing Yuan?"
"No way, Chen Tian, are you an alien? You don't recognize Immortal Qing Yuan?"
Facing Chen Tian's question, Pang Yuan jested. Chen Tian replied calmly, "Should I know him?"
Pang Yuan's mouth twitched. What kind of answer was that? He found himself unable to refute it.
"Immortal Qing Yuan was a top-tier existence in the world thousands of years ago. After entering the Divine Strike Secret Realm, he vanished without a trace. I never expected him to perish here."
"However, Immortal Qing Yuan's power wouldn't be extinguished in such a minor secret realm. Could it be that there's a great terror within this secret realm?"
Pang Yuan pondered. His thoughts seemed to align. Immortal Qing Yuan was a preeminent figure on this continent thousands of years ago. It was indeed strange for him to die here, especially in what was merely a small secret realm.
Chen Tian activated his spiritual senses, and a map appeared in his mind. Chen Tian frowned, as if sensing something.
"Pang Yuan, dare we go in and take a look? I've suddenly become interested."
A smile touched Chen Tian's lips. Pang Yuan, naturally fearless, nodded. "We've come this far, and anyone who enters a tomb must reach the end, or there's no way out."