Chapter 657: Two Stone Tablets

The deeper they went, the more chilling it felt, sending a shiver down one's spine, as if entering a graveyard filled with restless spirits.

Fortunately, the surroundings were just ordinary walls of a tomb, with no traps or formations, which put them somewhat at ease.

After descending several hundred meters, the ground suddenly gave way, and they found themselves in a vast underground palace.

Xing Yuan took out the night pearl again and gently flicked it.

Whir!

The pearl rolled around, casting a faint, dim light throughout the room.

The light was not strong, but everyone present was formidable enough to see the scene clearly.

Not far from the stone steps was a small bridge, with a babbling brook beneath, the moisture of the water filling the air. The tomb, sealed for who knows how many years, did not feel stuffy at all; instead, the air was as fresh as outside.

Even with thorough preparations, no one had anticipated such a scene.

Before descending, everyone had assumed this was a long-sealed tomb, filled with foul odors and stagnant miasma. Who would have thought that deep underground, it would be no different from the surface?

"Everyone be careful. This tomb was likely built for many people to live in, otherwise the ventilation wouldn't be this good!" said Wu Zhen.

"Live in?"

The others frowned.

"Exactly. If it were for a few people, there would be no need to go through the trouble of diverting a river or making the cave so comfortable. It must have been for many people, and without good ventilation, they couldn't have sustained their breathing!" Wu Zhen explained.

He was skilled in mechanisms and knew the difficulty of diverting a river underground, as well as the great cost of such excellent ventilation.

If it were just a temporary dwelling for a few, such a spacious place would already be free of stuffiness, and there would be no need for extra effort. Only when many people lived there would poor ventilation lead to suffocation.

Hearing his explanation, Zhang Xuan nodded.

The Witch Soul Tomb he had visited last time was noticeably stuffy, far inferior in air circulation.

"Could it be that the person who kidnapped Grandmaster Wu Yangzi wasn't one, but many?"

Luo Qiqi blinked.

According to her investigation, this tomb was related to Wu Yangzi, and it was highly possible that this grandmaster had been brought here... An environment for many people, not just one or two...

Could it be that this grandmaster wasn't kidnapped by a single person, but by a group?

"That's hard to say..."

Wu Zhen shook his head. "There's a stone tablet over there. Let's go take a look."

In front of the bridge stood a small stone tablet, on which something was faintly visible in the dim light.

As they approached, three large characters came into view.

"Wangxiang Ju?" (Homeward Gaze Residence)

Luo Qiqi frowned.

A tomb, usually either a burial chamber or a secret base for a faction or a hermit's dwelling—what did these three words mean?

"These characters are somewhat unusual!"

Ye Qian frowned.

"Oh?" Hearing him interject, everyone looked over.

Although this crown prince was only a half-step Five-Star Master Teacher, he had reached the Five-Star level in calligraphy and painting, giving him a natural sensitivity to such things.

"Characters can often reflect a person's mental state and thoughts. These three characters have reached the third realm, 'Yicun' (Intent Preserved), and one can clearly feel the psychological state of the writer! There's a sense of being out of place here, a desire to escape the hustle and bustle!"

Ye Qian said.

Zhang Xuan nodded; he had sensed the same.

Wangxiang Ju—the three characters not only conveyed a meaning of leaving one's homeland and wanting to return, but the artistic conception of the characters also expressed it.

He had considerable knowledge of calligraphy and painting, and even without using the Library of Heaven's Path, he could discern it with his naked eye.

"Longing for home? It seems... this is indeed the tomb where Grandmaster Wu Yangzi lived!"

Luo Qiqi's eyes lit up. "It should be that after being kidnapped, he missed the Hongyuan Empire and left these characters, but in the end, he never returned!"

"That does seem plausible!" Xing Yuan and the others nodded.

A tomb called Wangxiang Ju was strange in itself, but if someone was kidnapped and brought here, it would make sense.

It was very likely that these characters were left by Wu Yangzi to express his longing for home.

"I don't think so. These characters not only convey homesickness but also contain a murderous aura, giving a sense of iron horses and golden spears..." Ye Qian frowned. "Grandmaster Wu was known for his kindness; he shouldn't have such a狂暴 (violent) killing intent!"

Wu Yangzi, a grandmaster of artifact forging, spent his life with weapons. Although he forged blades of killing, he himself had no murderous aura.

But these three characters exuded a killing intent that made one suspicious.

"Heh, I think the killing intent is precisely why he left them!"

Xing Yuan smiled. "A Six-Star Artifact Forger, a great grandmaster, kidnapped and locked in a place without sunlight—if he didn't have murder in his heart, that would be strange!"

"That's true..."

Ye Qian was startled.

Indeed, a person of such status and identity, captured and thrown into darkness, unable to leave—who wouldn't be resentful? It was only natural to develop killing intent.

"Senior Wu Yangzi was a peak Six-Star Artifact Forger, already at the Saint realm. For such a person to be unwilling yet unable to leave... Everyone be careful; I fear this place is not simple!"

Luo Qiqi's expression turned grave.

"Mm!"

Everyone nodded simultaneously, their nerves on edge.

How could it be simple to imprison a Saint in a tomb from which he couldn't escape? Even after three thousand years, the means left by such a person might not be something a group of little fellows at the Qiao Tian and He Ling realms could withstand.

"Let's go!"

After examining the stone tablet and finding nothing else useful, they moved forward.

Following behind the others, Zhang Xuan glanced back at the characters on the tablet, frowned, then lightly traced his finger over them. Seeming to sense something, his brows furrowed.

Passing the tablet, they reached the bridge.

The bridge was short, but the water beneath flowed swiftly, its splashing sound refreshing the spirit.

Wu Zhen used his Qianji Umbrella to probe the path ahead, nodded to the others, and crossed first, with everyone following closely.

Behind the bridge was a spacious hall, where another large stone tablet stood.

Xing Yuan held the night pearl as they approached. In the pale yellow light, they saw three characters inscribed on it—"Wangyou Ju" (Carefree Residence).

"This..."

Seeing the characters, everyone blinked.

Whether it was a tomb or something else, a place couldn't have two names!

Just now it was Wangxiang Ju, now Wangyou Ju—which one was the actual name of this place?

"These three characters are calm and neutral, giving a sense of ease. Wangyou, joy without worry, suggests that there was something here that he desired, bringing him peace..."

Ye Qian stepped forward to examine them and gave his analysis. "If I'm not mistaken, this should have been left by those who imprisoned Grandmaster Wu Yangzi!"

"You're right. They imprisoned Grandmaster Wu to have him forge treasures for them, so naturally they would want him to be joyful and forget his worries..."

Xing Yuan nodded.

Luo Qiqi and Princess Yuer hesitated, then nodded as well.

That would explain it.

But they still didn't understand why one side of the bridge had one name and the other side another.

Passing the tablet, they entered the hall, which was several hundred square meters in size, completely empty.

"Let me take a look."

Wu Zhen tapped along the walls, made a full circle, then shook his head. "There are no mechanisms here."

"Could it be another hidden formation?"

Princess Fei'er, holding a formation disk, also slowly walked around, her expression sour.

"I've checked; there are no formations either."

"Could this tomb be just this big?"

Everyone frowned again.

They had set up such a powerful hidden formation outside, built a staircase descending hundreds of meters, and ensured the palace had good ventilation—all for just an empty hall of a few hundred square meters?

If so, it was too much of a letdown!

But if not, with nothing but walls and no mechanisms or formations, what was going on?

"If it's just an empty hall, we can't determine if this is where Wu Yangzi once was, which means the mission is incomplete..."

Luo Qiqi frowned.

She had great faith in Wu Zhen's and Princess Fei'er's eyesight.

Since they said there was nothing here, there probably wasn't.

But... with nothing at all, they couldn't confirm whether Wu Yangzi had been here. How would they report back?

What was even stranger was that if it was so empty, how had weapons been circulating outside for three thousand years, forged with Wu Yangzi's unique techniques?

"Indeed, we've come all this way, expecting to find something, only to find an empty hall!"

Xing Yuan also shook his head.

He had thought that entering the tomb would at least yield some traces, but aside from two stone tablets and a small bridge, there was nothing. Was this trip going to be in vain?

"Teacher, have you... noticed something?"

Just as everyone was feeling frustrated, Luo Qiqi's voice rang out. They all looked over and saw Zhang Xuan standing by the second stone tablet, reaching out to touch it.

This tablet bore the inscription Wangyou Ju, supposedly left by those who imprisoned Wu Yangzi.

"Oh, if I'm not mistaken, these two stone tablets are somewhat unusual!"

Zhang Xuan turned around.

"Unusual?"

Everyone gathered around.

"Mm. One says Wangyou Ju, the other Wangxiang Ju... I suspect they represent two paths, and the inscriptions on the tablets are meant for later visitors to make a choice!"

Zhang Xuan shared his deduction.

"That could be possible!"

Everyone was startled.

The most conspicuous features of the entire tomb were these two stone tablets; perhaps they concealed some mechanism beneath them.

"Let me take a look."

Hearing this explanation, Wu Zhen hesitated, then approached.

He also took out a night pearl, carefully examined the tablet from all sides, and suddenly his eyes lit up.

"It seems... there is indeed a mechanism here!"

"A mechanism?"

"If there's a mechanism, there must be a passage. It seems this isn't the real tomb; the real one hasn't appeared yet!"

Everyone's spirits lifted, and they gathered around.