Urban Martial Saint

Being able to see in the darkness is an extremely beneficial skill for Ye Qing right now. After all, this cave is filled with darkness, and it’s uncertain how long those flashlights outside will last. Ye Qing’s ability to see in the dark ensures that he can still navigate the cave even after the flashlights run out of power.

After circling the cave twice without discovering anything, Ye Qing decided not to linger any longer. His attention shifted to the other two doors, one being the Gate of Life and the other the Death Gate.

Ye Qing entered through the Open Door but didn’t find the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master there. He explored the other five doors and still couldn’t locate the tomb, leaving only the Gate of Life and the Death Gate where it might be hidden. The question of which door holds the tomb demands further investigation.

The Death Gate in the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Formation is filled with peril. Ye Qing’s research on the formation has made him aware that the Death Gate is the most trap-laden part of the Nine Palaces. Once someone enters the Death Gate, they can’t predict what kind of mechanisms they’ll encounter. Furthermore, considering this is the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master, the traps are beyond imagination. Even if the tomb lies hidden within the Death Gate, who would dare venture inside?

Thus, Ye Qing focused his attention entirely on the Gate of Life. Logically, the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master shouldn’t be left in the Death Gate. After all, Master Guiguzi left significant secrets about the Heaven, Earth, and Man Three Gates in his tomb, intending them to be discovered by future generations. If kept within the Death Gate, who could possibly retrieve them? This contradicts Guiguzi’s original intent for leaving these secrets behind!

With this thought, Ye Qing led Old Chen out of the cave. Leading him was more about how Old Chen followed closely, clutching Ye Qing’s arm tightly, which made Ye Qing frown. Considering Old Chen is also a grave robber, why was he so timid?

Ye Qing harbored some doubts about Old Chen’s background, especially since they were dealing with the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master. For thousands of years, it required gathering the Gold Silk Armor and one hundred and eight Famed Instruments and understanding their use, crucially waiting for the Era of the Turmoil of the Three Stars of Sirius to access the tomb. Such a tomb has remained undiscovered for millennia, and even with luck, Old Chen couldn’t have simply stumbled upon the tomb.

Nonetheless, Old Chen was slippery, and Ye Qing didn’t have the time to press him for the truth right then, leaving that interrogation for another time. Plus, Fu Qingping and Wen’er were outside, and Ye Qing was worried about them. Ye Qing had been in the cave for a long time, and neither Church nor Japanese ninjas had followed, causing Ye Qing additional concerns.

Exiting the cave, the outside remained pitch black. Fortunately, Ye Qing’s eyes could now fully see everything within the cave. Upon exiting, he immediately turned his gaze toward the Gate of Life, noticing that Fu Qingping and Wen’er stood unscathed at the entrance, which eased his mind, prompting him to let out a breath of relief.

When Ye Qing spotted Fu Qingping and Wen’er, they surprisingly saw Ye Qing too. Wen’er was the first to exclaim, ”Ye, what’s on your forehead? Why... why is it emitting golden light?”

Ye Qing was focused on Fu Qingping and Wen’er earlier without noticing anything unusual. Upon Wen’er’s mention, he realized something amiss. He touched his forehead and felt nothing, but Old Chen stared at Ye Qing in shock, saying, ”Young man, what’s that horn on your head?”

”What horn?” Ye Qing hadn’t yet grasped the situation.

”It’s like a big lump, still glowing golden light. What is it?” Old Chen reached to touch, but Ye Qing blocked him.

Upon hearing Old Chen’s words, Ye Qing understood what was happening. The glowing lump wasn’t a Buddha’s Relic?

In the cave, Ye Qing acquired four Buddha’s Relics. Two were at his ankles, yet the other two’s locations remained unknown. Old Chen’s remark helped Ye Qing find one, which appeared on his forehead. When the power of the relics releases, it emits golden light and becomes visible—that’s what Old Chen mistook for a horn!

”Kid, having a horn on your head isn’t good!” Old Chen grumbled, seeing Ye Qing blocked his touch, muttering, ”You’re not like those werewolves, are you? I’ve never seen horned heads before. Amazing, it even shines! Could there be a gem inside?”

Old Chen’s grumbling was ignored by Ye Qing, though it sparked a thought. Could Ye Qing’s newfound ability to see in the darkness be linked to the Buddha’s Relic on his forehead?

Ye Qing couldn’t comprehend the reason, especially puzzled as to why these relics enter his body upon contact. People have fought desperately for these relics, and now Ye Qing possesses six within. Yet, he doesn’t feel any delight—only a deepening gloom, unable to fathom why this happened. Why wouldn’t the relics enter anyone else’s body but his?

”Ye, are you…are you okay?” Wen’er asked as Ye Qing remained silent.

”I’m fine,” Ye Qing hastily replied, then looked at the cave full of giants and said softly, ”What about the Japanese ninjas and those Church people? Haven’t they emerged?”

Ye Qing had been inside the cave too long to know outside events, assuming the Japanese ninjas and Church members remained battling within.

”No, they came out and entered the other cave!” Wen’er pointed toward the Death Gate, though the darkness prevented her from seeing clearly. However, as the Japanese ninjas and Church members carried flashlights, Wen’er glimpsed their entry into a cave.

”That cave!” Ye Qing gasped, saying, ”That place is the Death Gate!”

”Death Gate? What’s the Death Gate?” Old Chen asked curiously.

Ye Qing didn’t have time to explain, focusing on the Death Gate, furrowing his brow tightly. If all Church members and Japanese ninjas entered the Death Gate, it meant the Great Elder did too.

Ye Qing remained indifferent to others’ fates, even wishing they’d fight themselves into defeat, easing their escape from the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master. But he cared about the Great Elder due to Huangfu Ziyu’s fate. Ye Qing, using them to gradually diminish their strength, hadn’t planned to kill the Great Elder, needing to capture him alive for rescuing Huangfu Ziyu. If the Great Elder died within the cave, as he’d warned Ye Qing earlier, saving Huangfu Ziyu might be impossible.

Thus, learning they’d all entered the Death Gate didn’t bring Ye Qing any joy, instead, intensifying his tension. If the Great Elder died inside, wouldn’t Huangfu Ziyu’s fate be sealed?

”They seemed to face danger inside; I heard screams when they entered,” Wen’er loudly told.

”Screams!” Ye Qing frowned, pausing before taking a deep breath and striding toward the Death Gate.

”Ye, what are you doing?” Wen’er called out anxiously, ”That cave likely holds danger. Upon entry, the Church members and Japanese ninjas stirred screams—something dangerous must be inside. You directly entering is highly perilous, Ye, you…”

Wen’er hadn’t finished when Ye Qing already entered the Death Gate’s entrance. Understanding the Death Gate’s dangers more than her, Ye Qing had no choice but to find the Great Elder, crucial for Huangfu Ziyu’s survival. Ye Qing maintained a bit of hope, thinking his body’s Buddhist and Taoist Magic power might overcome ordinary traps. Rescuing the Great Elder could mean saving Huangfu Ziyu.

Driven by saving Huangfu Ziyu, Ye Qing ignored all else, risking entering the Death Gate.

Old Chen stood behind, watching Ye Qing enter the Death Gate, eyes narrowing slightly. Nobody noticed the surprised and delighted glimmer in his eyes, his true thoughts unknown. His intentions were as enigmatic as his origins.

The stone corridor of the Death Gate wasn’t long. Ye Qing entered it, seeing a black shadow lying on the ground—a dressed Japanese ninja.