Shang Zhongtian whispered, “I walked stealthily in the dark and dry tunnel, with fist-sized night pearls on both sides that had been shining for many years. The faint blue light could only illuminate my figure, and even my facial features were not clear. I always felt like someone was watching me, making my hair stand on end, but when I turned around, I found nothing. I thought it was just my imagination.”

“I walked along the bright light and came to the core of the main tomb.”

“The scale of the main tomb was astonishing, and for a moment, I forgot that it was a dark and terrifying tomb.”

Shang Zhongtian closed his eyes and paused, as if recalling every detail of the scene he saw. After the memory, he slowly spoke, “I have never seen such a large tomb. The height of the cave roof was like the sky, and under the sky, loyal guardians holding sharp copper spears protected their master. The dazzling burial objects were arranged in a Bagua formation, conforming to the order of the natural laws.”

“The ancient corpses had been dead for hundreds of years, but the terrifying fluctuations emanating from the coffins still made me shudder. It was as if the old monster in the Yuan Ying stage had not died, but was just sleeping and could wake up at any moment.”

“I am not a hesitant person, so I decisively took away half of the burial objects. Just as I was about to leave, footsteps came from not far away. The sound echoed in the empty tomb, making people shiver with fear.”

“Then I encountered a terrifying situation that I had never encountered in my many years of work.”

At this point, Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye leaned forward unconsciously, wanting to hear the rest of the story.

Shang Zhongtian showed an extremely painful expression, and his voice trembled, “I encountered the descendant of the Yuan Ying stage who came to worship the ancestor!”

“What?” Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye heard it clearly but didn’t react.

“Those people brought offerings and magic weapons to worship the ancestor, praying for the survival of the family, the emergence of talented individuals, and success in the imperial examinations. On their way to worship, they noticed me stealing in the tomb, so they rushed over and captured me. It was too terrifying at that time, and even now, I still break out in a cold sweat when I think about it.”

“…I think their reaction was pretty normal,” Lu Yang said truthfully. Not being killed on the spot by the family members was a sign of good manners.

“Is this what you call a great terror?” Tao Yaoye asked.

Shang Zhongtian scratched his head, not understanding their reaction, “Yes, encountering the descendant of the tomb owner while digging up the grave. Is there anything more terrifying than this?”

“And then what happened?””Then I was beaten up, and my cultivation level dropped from the peak of Qi Refining to the middle stage. I was sent to prison, and the officials made me compensate for everything I had stolen before. After ten years, I was released from prison and decided to turn over a new leaf and not get involved in any more trouble.”

“To be honest…”

“I can’t face my fellow disciples.”

“…”

Shang Zhongtian earnestly tried to find something to say to break the awkward silence between them.

After burying Zhang Guanjia’s skinless body himself, Shang Zhongtian invited Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye to stay for the night before leaving, but Tao Yaoye refused.

If it weren’t for the purpose of luring the Skin-Peel Ghost out, Tao Yaoye wouldn’t have chosen to stay overnight. Traveling at night was not difficult for two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Before leaving, Lu Yang found Shang Yuan and patted the parrot’s head.

If Tai Ping Village hadn’t mistaken the parrot for a demon beast, they wouldn’t have had the opportunity to solve the Skin-Peel Ghost at Shang’s house.

“This parrot is not bad. It might really be a demon beast. Train it well.”

Shang Yuan was surprised and asked for the reason.

“The strength of a demon beast in the early stage is very vague and not easy to distinguish from a wild beast. I can’t tell the difference either.”

“But when Xiaolv left your house, it didn’t fly far away but kept flying over Tai Ping Village. It knew that your house was in danger and didn’t approach it. Maybe it was a coincidence, or maybe it was a sign of awakening intelligence. It’s hard to say.”

Lu Yang smiled and didn’t say anything more.

Shang Zhongtian felt that he had not been a good host. The two had saved the lives of twelve people in his family, but all he could offer was his own retirement story.

“This is my experience in tomb-robbing. If you don’t mind, you can take it. Maybe you’ll need it someday.” Shang Zhongtian took out a blue, thread-like book from his pocket and gave it to them.

Lu Yang politely accepted it, and then the two waved goodbye.

On the way back, Lu Yang asked, “Do you want this book on tomb-robbing?”

Tao Yaoye shook her head. She didn’t rob tombs, so what use was it to her?

Lu Yang also felt that it was useless, but he still took it.

“Why didn’t you tell me in advance when you poisoned my room?” Tao Yaoye was still upset about it.

Fortunately, as a Feather Transformation Immortal Body, she had a high resistance to all poisons. Otherwise, wouldn’t she have gotten athlete’s foot like Zhang Guanjia?

Can a beautiful girl have athlete’s foot?

Lu Yang shrugged. He naturally only poisoned her when he knew that it wouldn’t harm her. “I told you already.”

“When?”

“When we were eating, I used my eyes to signal you.”

“So you weren’t just asking me to pass you the dish because you couldn’t reach it?”

“I’m not that shallow.”The two successfully returned to Seek Tao Sect. Coincidentally, Meng Jingzhou had just finished his mission and was complaining to the senior brother who issued the mission.

“Meng Jingzhou, your mission was quite simple. How did you make the fox demon complain about your attitude and unwillingness to cooperate?” The senior brother was puzzled. He only provided a dual cultivation technique. What attitude problem could there be?

“Senior brother, you should investigate that fox demon. There must be a problem. I only provided the dual cultivation technique, but she still demanded to inspect it and practice it with me to verify its authenticity.”

Meng Jingzhou said angrily, “If I hadn’t been unable to break through the Pure Yang body, I would have practiced with her!”

It was unclear whether he was angry at himself for being a Pure Yang body or angry that the fox demon underestimated his pursuit of the Tao.

Lu Yang saw the senior brother who issued the mission was also helpless, so he stepped forward to resolve the situation. “Senior brother, the two of us have completed the task of dealing with the monster.”

Lu Yang explained in detail how the people of Taiping Village mistook a parrot for a speaking monster, how he and Tao Yaoye exposed their flaws, lured out the Painted Skin Ghost, and then solved it.

Finally, Lu Yang handed the ashes of the Painted Skin Ghost to the senior brother.

“You did an excellent job completing your first mission. You are very good,” the senior brother looked at Lu Yang in a new light. When he issued the mission, he thought it was simple, but he didn’t expect there to be hidden circumstances.

When he heard that Lu Yang poisoned the Painted Skin Ghost and quickly resolved the battle, he was even more impressed. Without the poison, it would have taken a lot of effort to subdue the Painted Skin Ghost, and it might have even escaped.

Most importantly, this little junior brother carried a contagious foot odor poison with him. The senior brother thought of this and quietly moved further away.

“You two have completed the mission with extra points. Your original contribution points have been quadrupled, and you have earned 120 contribution points, Lu Yang. Tao Yaoye, you played a supporting role in this mission and earned 90 contribution points.”

Tao Yaoye had no objections. Lu Yang played a crucial role in this mission, and she was just a bait.