Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 167: Gu Art

In a temporary team, there was generally no one who would dare to be at the forefront. Even if there was no need to guard against being backstabbed, the risk of opening up the path was still considerable.

Tang Wanzhuang’s rounded part disappeared from Zhao Changhe’s sight as she made it to the other side.

In the next moment, a strong wind suddenly blew, and two sharp swords came from the left and right.

Tang Wanzhuang slightly leaned backward, reaching out lightly, and the two swords passed by the tip of her nose and struck each other, making a crisp sound as they collided.

Zhao Changhe quickly crawled through, but Dragon Bird was too large to be pulled through in time. As soon as he made it through, he kicked out with his right foot. A thud echoed, and it felt like he had pushed his foot into some sort of clay.

Clay? Is it a terracotta warrior?

Regardless of whether it was a terracotta warrior or not, Zhao Changhe was not able to push himself away as strongly as he had intended. The terracotta warrior did not react to being kicked, but Zhao Changhe stumbled and almost lost his balance. It felt like there was a strong pressure bearing down on him, making it difficult for him to even breathe. All his strength was subconsciously being used to resist the pressure, and the sharp sword intent that brushed across his skin caused his hair to stand on end.

Sword domain pressure?

When he looked around, he could barely see anything in the dark. The most he could make out were the vague outlines of human figures.

Although the previous parts of the tomb had also been quite dark, their ability to see in the dark could still somewhat manage, and the darkness did not significantly hinder their visual communication. He could still clearly see the expression of the old man from the Lu Clan earlier, as well as Tang Wanzhuang’s butt that had been shaking at the front.

However, after passing through the gate, it was as if he had been placed under some strange suppression, one that even affected his abnormal ability to see in the dark. Even he was only able to see vague outlines.

But at least his breathing was unobstructed. There was still air here somehow. He wondered how the ventilation here worked.

Meanwhile, Tang Wanzhuang drew her sword, and with a swift motion, she severed the arms of the opponents on both sides. The sound of the two pieces of terracotta with swords falling to the ground was quite distinct.

When their arms were severed, the two terracotta warriors ceased their movements.

“Indeed, they are terracotta warriors,” Tang Wanzhuang muttered softly. “They have a strand of sword intent stored within them. When they encounter an enemy, they engage them in combat with their sword art... It appears that the cultivation of the Sword Emperor really reached the realm of the gods and demons during his lifetime.”

Zhao Changhe frowned. In fact, while the strength of the opponents was one matter, what truly made him uncomfortable was that he could not fully utilize his own strength here, especially in this darkness where he could barely see anything. Unable to analyze or assess the situation, the boundless darkness brought endless unease.

“Do we have any light?”

Sisi had already gotten through at this point, and she spoke up, “Don’t use any light. This is unconventional tomb-robbing knowledge. But whether or not you can ignite a flame, you must not. You shouldn’t even use a night pearl or anything of the sort. Once there’s light, there may be unexpected changes.”

Zhao Changhe shut his mouth.

Tang Wanzhuang whispered, “This is a sword domain. It restricts the five senses and suppresses internal energy. It is essentially a warning. You can’t see anything, so you naturally would not want to continue forward.”

Zhao Changhe was stunned. “You can’t see anything?”

Tang Wanzhuang said, “Why? Can you see anything? I can only see your vague silhouette.”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

It seemed that the Back Eye truly was beyond ordinary. He originally thought that it merely amplified his five senses, but if his perception under these circumstances was similar to someone on the Ranking of Earth, it seemed that it could also ignore the effects of such domains.

In this case, Sisi probably could not see anything.

Zhao Changhe reached back and grabbed hold of Sisi’s hand.

Sisi felt his hand and was momentarily stunned, but she remained silent and did not pull her hand away.

In reality, she had a secret art that was useful in such situations. Not only could she see, but she could probably even see much clearer than them. However, she understood the meaning behind Zhao Changhe’s actions, and her feelings became complex.

She asked deliberately, “Since we can’t see anything, how do we proceed?”

Tang Wanzhuang said, “We’re not here to rob the tomb or seek the inheritance of the Sword Emperor. Our main reason for coming here is to investigate the strange tremors and prevent any mishaps. Besides that, we’re also here to understand the situation of this tomb and attempt to seal it underground again. We must avoid triggering any mishaps, or we could endanger the entire Gusu. Once we’re done with what we came here for, there’s no need to venture further.”

Sisi asked, “But if we don’t proceed, how are we going to investigate the source of the tremors?”

“By making use of the Profound Mysteries. The biggest difference between the Profound Mysteries and the Profound Gate is that the Profound Gate only cultivates the human body, but it remains within the realm of what is human. However, the Profound Mysteries involves bridging the gap between heaven and earth, and once one reaches this realm, one begins to cultivate aspects related to heaven and earth. Once in this realm, one’s spiritual perception can replace the five senses to a large extent, and I’ve already unlocked three of the Profound Mysteries.”

Sisi opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but then closed it again.

How could she forget? This person was not just some nobody. She was not from some minor force, nor was she a delicate flower who withered at the slightest breeze. Throughout the world, even with all the races of the world combined, there were only twelve that surpassed her!

Tang Wanzhuang said, “The tremors are simply caused by a row of terracotta warriors jumping around in the distance...”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

“I sense no imminent danger. There aren’t any sudden changes in the tomb, nor is the Sword Emperor reviving,” Tang Wanzhuang’s tone relaxed. “The vicious qi inside the main tomb isn’t even as strong as outside it. The Sword Emperor’s slumber remains undisturbed. We should not disturb it. Let’s just leave.”

Zhao Changhe asked, “Don’t we still need to investigate how to seal this place back up?”

Tang Wanzhuang’s tone became even more relaxed. “I sense that there’s still some disturbance in the space here. Let’s go and see if Weiyang and the others have found anything outside first, and then we can try to make use of this disturbance to conceal this space again. If we can, it would be best to restore it to the state where basically nobody could find it.”

Sisi said curiously, “Why are the terracotta warriors jumping around? Shouldn’t we investigate that? In fact, we haven’t even entered the actual main tomb yet. The guards here aren’t even that strong yet.”

Tang Wanzhuang glanced at her thoughtfully. “Indeed, they’re not very strong. Those two warriors we encountered just now were only at around the seventh or eighth layer of the Profound Gate Realm, but they’re still stronger than both of you. If the ones jumping around ahead are of similar or even higher strength, it will be chaotic if we engage them. Furthermore, our abilities are suppressed by the sword domain, so why force a confrontation?”

Zhao Changhe also felt that it was unpleasant to come in and then leave right away inexplicably... However, they were here to investigate the situation, ensure that no mishaps had happened in the tomb, and ensure the safety of Gusu. Tang Wanzhuang, as the leader of their little team, strictly adhered to these directives and would never act recklessly. He had nothing more to say and prepared to go back through the hole in the gate.

But just then, the ground shook violently, and the sound of loud thuds came closer and closer. It was actually the group of sword-wielding terracotta warriors that had been jumping around ahead. They were now jumping toward them as if their dance party had been interrupted.

“Quick, retreat!” Zhao Changhe motioned to Sisi behind him. “You go first!”

Sisi was about to crawl back through, but she suddenly froze, “Th-that old man is blocking the entrance! We can’t get out!”

Zhao Changhe frowned. The entrance was narrow, and with someone blocking it from outside, it would be difficult for him to maneuver, especially under the suppression of the sword domain. Only Tang Wanzhuang could quickly break through, but the terracotta warriors were already upon them!

What had originally been a calm atmosphere suddenly became extremely perilous!

Whoosh!

The Spring Water Sword emerged and enveloped the approaching warriors in its light. Tang Wanzhuang’s voice remained calm. “Why put on a show... When we got to the tomb, I had already sent a message to Wu Weiyang to move the corpse outside to prevent any disturbances. There shouldn’t be a corpse outside right now. You deliberately blocked the entrance to prevent us from leaving...”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

Suddenly, Sisi’s figure flickered, bypassing the array of terracotta warriors and heading straight inside.

Tang Wanzhuang sighed. She was tangled up with these terracotta warriors, so she was unable to stop Sisi.

Zhao Changhe’s expression turned grim. With his movement art much worse than hers, he had no shot at blocking her either!

These terracotta warriors were actually listening to Sisi’s command... In other words, even the tremors that lured them in here were orchestrated by her!

Tang Wanzhuang said calmly, “An exceptionally clever Miaojiang gu art... She sneaked in last night and used some ventilation ducts that we did not notice to release the gu to control the terracotta warriors. She was just waiting for this moment.”

In the blink of an eye, the sound of mechanisms unlocking from afar came, and a thunderous rumble came from the ground. “Who... dares meddle with His Majesty’s sword seal...”

These were the true guards of the Sword Emperor! They were revived individuals with intelligence and capable of speech. They were no longer just mere sword qi or terracotta warriors!

Swoosh!

Sisi flew back desperately. A terrifying glowing sword chased after her, nearly reaching her in the blink of an eye.

In mid-air, she deftly landed on one of the terracotta warriors, then swiftly got out of the way.

The sword rose again, but the sword guardian paused slightly upon reaching Zhao Changhe as it seemingly glanced fixedly at Dragon Bird.

Dragon Bird emanated strong fighting intent.

Swoosh!

The sword rose again, but this time, it was aimed at Zhao Changhe. In the eyes of the sword guardian, they were all in the same group, so it would naturally target this annoying saber first.

Zhao Changhe: “Fuck...”

Sisi took advantage of this situation and swiftly turned back. She headed toward the direction where the sword guardian came from.

Dragon Bird’s reaction was also part of her plan. She intended to use this opportunity to have Zhao Changhe and Tang Wanzhuang engage the sword guardian, while she went to retrieve something!

Zhao Changhe’s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.

But Tang Wanzhuang noticed something interesting...

After Sisi led the sword guardian over, the terracotta warriors stopped attacking her. Instead, they collectively turned their swords at the sword guardian and began besieging it.

Despite Sisi having clearly planned everything, it seemed that she was actually worried that the sword guardian might really harm Zhao Changhe.

Tang Wanzhuang did not know if she should blame Zhao Changhe for blindly trusting a witch, or if she should acknowledge Zhao Changhe’s loyalty and camaraderie for actually being useful.

Whoosh!

The Spring Water Sword thrust toward the back of the sword guardian.

Of course, Tang Wanzhuang had to rescue Zhao Changhe and had no time to deal with the little witch.

Meanwhile, Zhao Changhe, who was facing the sword attack at this time, adopted an extremely bizarre posture with Dragon Bird. It was completely inconsistent with his usual saber art.

The sword guardian’s attack suddenly weakened, as if it became uncertain. “His Majesty’s... beginner sword art? Who are you?”

Tang Wanzhuang remembered what this move was.

It was the simple sword move used by the ancient sword when Zhao Changhe slashed at it with his saber!

He had actually learned it!

Clang!

While the sword guardian was in a daze, Tang Wanzhuang’s sword qi decisively stabbed the back of the sword guardian’s neck, emitting a crisp clang of metal striking metal. Zhao Changhe’s deception could only work temporarily. It was impossible to rely on a single move to make the sword guardian recognize him as its master. Seizing the opportunity while it was distracted was the correct solution.

Although stabbing at the back of its neck did not seem to be that effective, the sword guardian staggered slightly, weakened by the Spring Water Sword’s sword qi that infiltrated its body.

Almost simultaneously, Zhao Changhe’s sword move suddenly changed back to a saber move, and he slashed violently with his saber, directly striking the sword guardian’s head.

Tang Wanzhuang was shocked to find that Zhao Changhe, whose strength was supposed to be suppressed by the sword domain, showed no signs of weakness whatsoever. The ferocity of this strike even surpassed the time he had scattered the sword qi that made up the ancient sword!

Does this mean that Zhao Changhe was actually concealing his state to guard against Sisi? It’s just that he did not expect Sisi to actually not intend to harm him?

However, even with Tang Wanzhuang’s vast knowledge and superior strength compared to Zhao Changhe, she could not completely counteract the suppression of the sword domain. Her abilities were significantly affected, so how did Zhao Change not seem to be affected at all?