Chapter 468: This Old Servant Ate It (2/2)

“Although the Exalted Celestial Emperor isn’t particularly skilled, the Sacred Origin Runes he etched are something else. While that Formation of Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Demons of mine can be incorporated into the body and help cultivators and immortals draw out the power of the world, it's flawed and may sometimes fail to take shape.

“If I can integrate these runes into the formation, it will become much greater and reach the heights of true perfection.” Lu Yun’s eyes shone with glee. He walked up to the hanging coffin and lightly knocked on its lid. “This junior has removed the runes, senior. Please feel free to come out.”

Whoever it was had died, but to both tomb raiders and tomb owners, a tomb was a world that belonged to the dead, which effectively made the tomb owner alive on their premises.

Qi Hai stared fixedly at the hanging coffin. He, too, wanted to know who would dare set up their own tomb at the center of the resting place for the human emperor.

“You must not open the coffin,” boomed a low voice out of thin air. A pair of enormous eyes manifested in the air and looked down coldly on Lu Yun and Qi Hai.

“Human Demon.” Qi Hai lifted his head to meet the eyes.

This was the real human demon.

As a heavyweight from the age of human dao, it was no surprise that he knew what the human demon was—the guardian of the resting place of the human emperor.

This had become a sacred land of some sorts for humans due to the blood of the human emperor shed here, and the human demon was its guardian. Qi Hai hadn’t recalled this memory until now, due to all the various recollections he’d accumulated when his soul reincarnated.

The resting place had been compromised and the human demon slain, transforming into a zombie residing in the tomb to protect the site in another way. The blood of the human emperor had made the resting place the foundation of the human race and the hope for humans to rise again.

The human demon shifted his gaze to Qi Hai.

“Leave now,” he suddenly said. “Or you will be trapped here forever.”

Qi Hai started.

“The extinction layout has been activated,” Lu Yun spoke up before Qi Hai could. “In no time at all, the ancient tomb will fall apart and the power against cultivators in the dark will spread through Dusk Province!”

“The extinction layout exists to destroy that thing,” the human demon responded remotely. It was obvious that he knew feng shui and understood the purpose of the extinction layout. “Go now. Leave the coffin. Else, everything Chen Xiao and Qing Buyi set up will all be for nothing.”

Once the coffin was opened and the tomb owner emerged, the extinction layout would be destroyed. However, Chen Xiao and Qing Buyi had set up the layout here to destroy the true form of the power that could kill cultivators.

That thing couldn’t be destroyed, to Qi Hai’s knowledge, but Chen Xiao and Qing Buyi had somehow merged it with the ancient tomb. They’d also sent the Exalted Celestial Emperor here to etch the Sacred Origin Runes to entrap the tomb’s owner.

Although Lu Yun had removed the runes on the surface, there existed another layer of runes within the coffin that kept the tomb owner under control.

“You’ll die, too,” said Lu Yun.

“I died a long time ago.” The human demon’s eyes flickered in and out of existence. Something was constraining him, preventing him from manifesting for long. “Take Mo Yi and leave.” The eyes disappeared.

“I will stay here,” Qi Hai declared solemnly. “The extinction layout will end up killing the human demon as well. This place needs a new guardian!”

What had been guarding the land wasn’t the human demon or the ancient tomb, but the restriction against immortals. Even after the tomb and the human demon were destroyed, the restriction and its power against golden immortals and above would remain. The human demon was merely the power’s carrier.

Once activated, the restriction exerted its power through the human demon. After his destruction, it would need another carrier.

Qi Hai had reincarnated thousands of times. Heaven had failed to destroy him, and the earth had failed to keep him buried. A mere extinction layout wouldn’t be enough to destroy him, either. Moreover, the human demon had just warned that Qi Hai would be trapped here forever, rather than be killed by the extinction layout.

“Milord... Hic! This old servant is back, milord!” Ge Long’s voice rang from the deepest darkness. It sounded like he’d stuffed himself full. “That big trouble… hic! is now in my stomach! This old servant… is going to sleep.”