The starlight at the heart of the skydragon tomb faded away, eliciting sighs from many immortals. Disappointment surfaced on their faces at the return of normality. This was the concluding sign that the treasure had been claimed.
……
“Wait a second, there’s something else here!” Lu Yun and Qing Han both said at the same time, with Qing Han continuing, “The North Sea emperor and House Donglin didn’t block the way for the Cosmic Sea alone!”
Donglin Taihuang had been present in the room with the Cosmic Sea, but there hadn’t been a representative of the North Sea court there. The main forces of the two factions were away fighting for something else—their true target.
They’d set up checkpoints at the entrance to the heart of the tomb to prevent too many immortals from entering and causing unnecessary trouble. It was just a coincidence that the Cosmic Sea had emerged and cast silver starlight all over the area, misleading the immortals who’d entered later.
“That treasure is more valuable than the Cosmic Sea!” Lu Yun extended his fingers to allow a winged coin to rise into the air from his palm.
The Treasurefall Coin.
A rankless treasure that could be used to seek and steal treasures.
Swoosh!
It vanished in a streak of gold.
“The fabled Treasurefall Coin!” Situ Yun, dancing in his position of being carried by his master, shouted in excitement. “After it!”
Situ Zong kicked his disciple in the rear and hectored harshly, “After it? We’re at the heart of the tomb where dangers abound. A careless step may kill us, and you want to go after the coin?”
Situ Yun hunched in on himself and swallowed his next words.
“He’s right,” Lu Yun said. “We’re too close to the heart of the dragon nest. Most dragons that died back in the day have turned into immortal ghosts. We must be careful.”
He took out a handful of Principal Nineheavens Talismans and stuck seventeen to Qing Han before handing the rest to Situ Zong. Situ Zong hurriedly attached a few to himself and Situ Yun.
“Strange.” Situ Yun frowned and shook his left hand. “My hand feels a bit cool, and what’s that fragrance? It’s so strong.”
He shook his head slightly, his words making Lu Yun and Qing Han freeze.
“Water Ghost Grasp?!” Qing Han blurted out.
“It can’t be!” Lu Yun was shocked as well. He hurriedly activated the Spectral Eye and looked to Situ Yun’s left, hackles raising when he saw a chimera of a dragon head and human body standing on Situ Zong’s left, holding onto Situ Yun’s left hand.
It had two dragon heads! It was a two-headed zombie, the worst kind of zombie in the tomb!
However, the presence of a dragon head suggested that the monster was no immortal ghost, which feared hellfire and would never approach Situ Zong or Situ Yun, not with those talismans attached to them.
“Grudge corpses,” Lu Yun muttered.
Qing Han felt a tension spread through his scalp. He’d seen grudge corpses before. He and Lu Yun had almost died at the hand of a grudge corpse back in the Skandha Extinction Tomb. They were offshoots of zombies, somewhat of a mix of zombies and ghosts. They weren’t immortal ghosts, but something even more terrifying.
“What—what are you seeing, young lord?” Situ Zong quickly reacted by knocking his disciple out with a slap to the back of his head.
“Don’t worry, it’s not an immortal ghost. No immortal ghost would dare draw close to my Principal Nineheavens Talismans.” Lu Yun stared at the two-headed zombie with narrowed eyes, taking out a black donkey’s hoof.
It swiveled to Lu Yun with venom in its golden-red eyes, slowly loosening its grasp on Situ Yun’s hand and fading from Lu Yun’s sight.
All things in the world had their natural banes.
Hellfire could counter immortal ghosts, but not zombies, but black donkey’s hooves could repel the latter. The hoof couldn’t tangibly hurt the zombie, but it inspired an innate hatred and distaste. Moreover, grudge corpses were sentient.
……
“That was a terrible grudge corpse.” Lu Yun exhaled deeply once the grudge corpse left, but his pupils contracted violently when water seeped from Situ Yun’s hand. Another hand was slowly holding onto him.
“The grudge corpse shattered the talismans on Situ Yun. This is the real Water Ghost Grasp.” Lu Yun sucked in a breath and pointed lightly in the air, sending a hundred and eight Principal Nineheavens Talismans to Situ Yun.
“Don’t move!” Qing Han screamed. “There’s a dragon on your back!”
Swoosh!
Suddenly bathed in silver, the disguised girl manifested the Cosmic Skycarver. The shadows of the Fusang Purewood, Moon Osmanthus, and Embittered Bamboo emerged behind him.
“Don’t do anything reckless!” Lu Yun hurriedly stopped Qing Han from making a move and manifested Violetgrave.
“It’s not an immortal ghost,” Lu Yun whispered. “They don’t dare come near me.”
Tilting his head, he tilted his head to look over his shoulder. A shimmering, golden dragon lay on his back with its head resting on his shoulder.
When the two-headed zombie left and the Water Ghost Grasp had emerged, he’d relaxed before quickly tensing up—creating an opening when he wasn’t as focused on himself.
The dragon had seized that moment of distraction to occupy his back.
“The immortal ghosts were spirits that emerged to nurture this young dragon’s soul. It’s no regular dragon,” Lu Yun spoke softly so as to not alert the baby dragon.
“Then it....” Qing Han stared at the faintly golden dragon and didn’t allow himself to relax.
Situ Zong aimed the cannon he was carrying at the dragon as well, but then shifted it away since the dragon was on Lu Yun’s back.
“If you can all see it, that means it’s alive.” Lu Yun lightly stroked the sleepy dragon.
The Water Ghost Grasp had disappeared. Both the layout and the two-headed zombie had emerged to put the dragon on his back.
“Its soul and spirit remain, but they’re shattered. The monsters know that I’m the only person in the world who can save it. That’s why they went to such lengths to put it on my back.
“So… Qing Han,” he muttered. “Kill it.”