Chapter 197: Chapter 186: Gathering of the Mighty

On the other side of the Chen Mansion, Tao Zhiquan, who was sitting in the courtyard smoking a pipe, slowly lifted his head when he heard the call, somewhat lost as he looked in the direction the voice came from.

A moment later, his granddaughter, Tao Fang, ran out excitedly asking, "Grandpa, has the mysterious tomb been opened?"

The legend of the Emperor of Eternal Life’s mysterious tomb has been spreading for thousands of years, holding great allure for everyone.

Tao Zhiquan shook his head, indicating he didn’t know.

Tao Fang asked again, "Grandpa, will that thief appear?"

"He definitely will."

This time, Tao Zhiquan’s tone was very certain.

...

"He’s here!"

In one of the luxurious gardens in the city, Jiang Shihua excitedly raised his head, looking towards the direction of the sound, "Sixth Great Uncle, this is—"

As he turned his head, he realized the one beside him, Sixth Great Uncle, was already gone.

"Where is he?"

Uncle Fu, standing by, replied, "He already rushed over."

"Alas!"

Jiang Shihua was somewhat frustrated; he initially wanted to ask Sixth Great Uncle to take him for some worldly experience. It was, after all, the mysterious tomb of the Emperor of Eternal Life, sure to be a gathering of the powerful.

Unfortunately, Sixth Great Uncle had no intention of bringing him along.

Uncle Fu reminded, "Young Master, it is not safe to linger here."

Jiang Shihua naturally knew how dangerous this place was. Without Sixth Great Uncle at his side, staying here wasn’t safe, so he stood up and said, "Let’s go."

...

The entire Qingfeng City was thrown into chaos with the repeated calls of "Chen Ming, come quickly".

Like Jiang Shihua, those with self-awareness packed their things and fled.

There were also a large group of martial artists, seeking fortune in danger, rushing towards the source of the sound.

The majority left are clueless citizens trying to find out what happened.

At this moment, outside the Prince Zhenhai’s Mansion, more than a hundred martial artists have gathered, all standing a zhang away from the wall, not daring to approach.

When Chen Ming arrived holding Yu Haitang, he finally understood why these people didn’t dare to step forward.

Upon getting closer, one could feel a terrifying pressure enveloping the Prince Zhenhai’s Mansion.

By the wall lay a dozen or so corpses, without any external wounds, lying in peaceful death.

These must be the ones who tried to force their way in and died, serving as an invisible warning.

As soon as Chen Ming appeared, he attracted a lot of attention, after all, he was holding a woman in broad daylight and in such a setting, it naturally drew looks.

He ignored these people and directly went to the entrance, loudly saying, "Elder Shang, I am here."

With a creak, the gate opened by itself.

At the same time, he felt the pressure lift, so he stepped inside.

Those outside, seeing this, also wanted to follow in, but in the end, only two managed to enter swiftly, while those a step slower died outside.

"Thank you, young brother."

One of the two who entered expressed his thanks to Chen Ming before passing him to further explore inside.

...

After entering the Prince Zhenhai’s Mansion, Chen Ming felt inexplicably heavy-hearted and suddenly looked down to Yu Haitang, saying, "In case anything happens to me, please take a little care of my family."

Yu Haitang replied, "Why do you assume that if you die, I will live?"

"I know you’re not an ordinary person, since you dared to come along, you must be confident."

"Even so, why should I take care of your family?"

"...I was presumptuous."

Chen Ming no longer mentioned the matter and headed towards where Elder Shang was.

Yu Haitang, seeing his demeanor, felt a bit of regret in her heart. She had intended to ask, "What am I to you?", but the words changed when they reached her lips.

As they got closer to the courtyard, she suddenly said, "You are not allowed to die."

Chen Ming said, "If I could choose, I certainly wouldn’t want to die."

After speaking, he stepped into the courtyard.

As expected, the courtyard was already filled with people.

Most eye-catching was a middle-aged man in a bright red robe, wearing a Six Gates official uniform, presumably the red robe of the Six Gates.

Beside him was a beautiful young woman dressed in palace attire, radiating innate nobility.

Nearby, there were three Third-Grade Admirals in golden outfits, among them was Zhao Shouchang.

What surprised Chen Ming the most was the Seventh-Grade Patrol Envoy in blue clothes standing by, it was actually Zhuang Xiaotian.

"Why is he here?"

...

In the second group of people, there were also familiar faces. It was Madam Yu, standing next to a man brimming with heroic spirit, who should be Ling Qiyang, the Sect Leader of the Cangyue Sect.

Aside from these two, there was also an elderly man with white hair.

When Madam Yu saw him and Yu Haitang, she was quite surprised, but her deep composure made her hold back from calling out to him.

The third group was a few men dressed in black, exuding an aura that made people feel uncomfortable.

The leader was tall with a pair of blood-red eyes, and being stared at by him made his heart race with fear.

The Blood Demon Sect!

He was very familiar with this aura, having seen part of the "Blood Demon Scripture" content. So, he immediately saw through the origins of these people.

"If it’s the Blood Demon Sect, could he also be here?"

Chen Ming immediately thought of Deng Ziyang, and with a glance, indeed found one person who resembled Deng Ziyang in stature.

However, that person’s gaze was very cold, making him unable to be certain.

...

Just as Chen Ming was examining the people present, they were also scrutinizing Chen Ming and the woman in his arms.

One elder, with hair and beard standing on end, said loudly, "Shang Jianfei, Yuan Zhixing, is this the little fellow you are waiting for? His cultivation might be low, but he acts quite like how I did in my younger years."

Another elderly woman, holding a dragon-headed cane, snorted coldly, "Reckless and immoral, ruining a woman’s purity, deserves death!"

Apparently, this old woman had some grudge with the elder.

It’s just not clear what these two people’s backgrounds were.

There were seven groups of people present, making one imagine the horrific great battle that would ensue.

How could he, a mere Fourth-Grade, survive in such a situation?

This was indeed a dilemma.

Finally, the voice of Shang Jianfei sounded, "Chen Ming, come over."

This voice came from inside the house.

Under the gaze of these seven groups of people, Chen Ming, holding Yu Haitang, walked step by step towards the door he had entered once before.

No one stopped him as he walked into the house.

In the deepest part of the room, Shang Jianfei and a middle-aged handsome man dressed in white sat facing each other, with blue and white streams of mana swirling around them.

Yes, it was indeed mana.

It was said that when a Martial Artist breaks through to the Divine Treasure Realm, all their Gang Yuan would transform into mana, granting them various incredible supernatural abilities.

The handsome old man in white should be Su Zhining’s master, whom the white-haired elder had just called Yuan Zhixing.

Chen Ming was a bit surprised, "Wasn’t he a First-Grade? When did he break through to the Divine Treasure Realm?"

He said, "Elder Shang, I am here to fulfill the promise I made to you at that time."

He almost said "years ago," but in reality, not even a year had passed since he made the agreement with Shang Jianfei.

Shang Jianfei opened his eyes, his gaze at Chen Ming was somewhat complex, "You really surprise me, advancing to Fourth-Grade so quickly."

Chen Ming had heard this too often to be moved, and said, "What does the elder want me to do?"

Shang Jianfei’s expression became solemn as he said, "Did you know that beneath Prince Zhenhai’s Mansion is a giant Fire Vein? Once this Fire Vein awakens, the underground lava will erupt and engulf the entire Qingfeng City.

"Originally, this Fire Vein was sealed with immense mana. Just that some accidents happened over the years, and the Seal began to loosen. This calamity was of my own making. That’s why I have remained here for these years, trying my best to delay the Fire Vein’s eruption to prevent wanton destruction."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ming couldn’t help but gasp. Truth be told, this was a bit beyond his expectations.

For the past decades, Shang Jianfei not only had a romantic heart but also a compassionate one, spending twenty-plus years alone suppressing the Fire Vein.

Then again, why on earth would someone build a city over a volcano?

Shang Jianfei continued, "However, this year, the Fire Vein has become increasingly active and hard to control. Even with Yuan here, we are somewhat helpless even with both our strengths combined."

Chen Ming asked somewhat puzzled, "If even with your strength, you feel helpless, what can a novice like me possibly do?"

Yuan Zhixing interjected, "Have you heard of the Longevity Mysterious Tomb?"

He nodded, "I’ve heard a bit."

Yuan Zhixing said, "Back then, it was the Emperor of Eternal Life who, using enormous mana, sealed the underground Fire Vein and commanded a family to guard it for generations. The people of this family practice the same ’Fiery Sun Divine Skill’ you are learning. Eventually, the family inevitably declined, and the secret got out, later falling into the hands of the Sea Suppression King.

"Effectively, the Emperor of Eternal Life used a cave mansion to seal the Fire Vein, continuously absorbing its power and transforming it into pure Fire Element Power. Over tens of thousands of years, it would completely dissolve the power of this Fire Vein.

"But there’s a crucial point. Every so often, someone must enter that cave mansion and extract the Fire Element Power from inside. However, since the last person who mastered the ’Fiery Sun Divine Skill’ passed away over twenty years ago, no one has been able to enter the cave mansion since."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ming finally understood, "So, the two elders want me to enter the cave mansion and extract the Fire Element Power from within?"

Shang Jianfei nodded, "Correct. As long as you retrieve the Fire Element Pearl condensed from the Fire Element Power, the cave mansion can continue to operate, absorbing the power of the Fire Vein. The crisis will naturally be resolved."

Chen Ming said, "It might not be that simple. Those people outside are here looking for the key to the Longevity Mysterious Tomb. If they can’t find it, how would they let it rest?"

Shang Jianfei said, "That key is inside the cave mansion. If they want it, let them go and get it."

Chen Ming curiously asked, "Why are you so sure the key is still in there? Even if the Sea Suppression King didn’t take it, wouldn’t the family from back then have moved the key?"

PS: This is making up for yesterday’s Chapter, asking for monthly votes.