Chapter 167: Whether Human Or Ghost, Everyone Is Showing Off

Chapter 167: Ghosts and Men Alike Show Off

In a temporary squad, few would dare take the lead, for even without fear of a backstab, the risk of scouting ahead was the greatest.

Tang Wanzhuang’s rounded form vanished from Zhao Changhe’s sight as she crawled through the “dog hole.”

The next moment, fierce winds whipped from both sides as two swords thrust in from left and right.

Tang Wanzhuang tilted slightly, her hand brushing lightly, and the two blades grazed past the tip of her nose, clashing with a sharp *ding*.

Zhao Changhe scrambled out quickly. The Dragon Sparrow was too large to draw in time, so he kicked out to the right, only to hear a dull *thud* as if striking clay.

A terracotta figure?

Whether it was or not, Zhao Changhe felt his kick oddly feeble. The figure didn’t budge, but he stumbled, nearly losing his footing. A suffocating pressure bore down on him, crushing his breath, forcing all his strength into resisting it. A sharp, chilling sword intent prickled his skin, raising every hair on end.

A sword domain’s pressure?

He squinted, but all was pitch black, with only vague humanoid outlines visible.

The outer passage had been dark too, but with their cultivation, their night vision sufficed for clear sight and communication—earlier, they’d even seen the old man from the Lu family’s expression clearly, and Tang Wanzhuang’s full moon had swayed before him, distinct and rounded.

But beyond this threshold, they were suddenly trapped in some strange suppression, as if even night vision was hindered, leaving only faint, blurry silhouettes.

Breathing was fine, though—there was air here, though how it circulated was a mystery.

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Tang Wanzhuang had already drawn her sword. With two swift strokes, she severed the arms of the figures, and the clatter of clay and iron swords hitting the ground was unmistakable.

With their arms gone, the two terracotta figures stopped moving.

“Indeed, they’re terracotta warriors,” Tang Wanzhuang murmured. “A wisp of sword intent stored within, ready to fight on contact—they even know swordplay. The Sword Emperor’s cultivation in life was truly divine.”

Zhao Changhe frowned. The strength of the enemy was one thing, but his own power being stifled was far more frustrating. The darkness, the blindness—he couldn’t even assess the situation, and the endless black only bred a creeping dread.

“Do you have anything to light the way?”

Sisi had slipped in unnoticed and now spoke: “Don’t light anything. This isn’t ordinary tomb-raiding lore—whether you can ignite a flame or not, don’t. Avoid night pearls too. Once there’s light, strange things may happen.”

Zhao Changhe fell silent.

Tang Wanzhuang said softly, “This is a sword domain. It limits the senses and suppresses inner breath. It’s essentially a warning. You can’t see anything, so naturally, you dare not proceed.”

Zhao Changhe blinked. “You can’t see anything either?”

Tang Wanzhuang replied, “Can you? I can only make out your faintest outline.”

Zhao Changhe: “…”

This “back-eye” ability was absurd. He’d thought it only enhanced his senses, but it seemed to ignore such “domain” effects entirely. The third-ranked on the Earth List could see no better than he could.

Sisi, he guessed, could see even less.

Zhao Changhe reached back and grasped Sisi’s hand.

Feeling his “groping,” Sisi paused, then fell silent, not pulling away.

In truth, she had her own secret arts—she could see more clearly than most. But she understood the meaning behind Zhao Changhe’s grip, and her heart churned with complexity.

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

Tang Wanzhuang said, “We’re not here to loot the tomb or seek the Sword Emperor’s legacy. Our purpose is twofold: first, to investigate the strange tremors and prevent any mishap; second, to understand the tomb’s condition and attempt to reseal it underground. All actions must prioritize safety and avoid triggering changes in Gusu. So there’s no need to go deeper.”

Sisi asked, “But if you don’t go in, how will you find the source of the tremors?”

“Opening the body’s secret treasures differs from the Xuan Pass realm. The Xuan Pass only cultivates the body, remaining within human limits. Secret treasures, however, bridge heaven and earth, cultivating the connection between them. Spiritual intuition can largely replace the five senses, and I have already fully opened the three great secret treasures.”

Sisi opened her mouth, then closed it.

She kept forgetting—this woman could truly call herself “this sovereign,” not some petty sect leader or a frail, wind-blown invalid. Across the entire realm, whether in the Central Plains or among the foreign tribes, only twelve people could surpass her.

Tang Wanzhuang continued, “The tremors here are caused by a row of terracotta warriors jumping up and down in the distance ahead…”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

“I sense no killing intent. This isn’t a tomb mutation or the Sword Emperor’s awakening.” Tang Wanzhuang’s tone grew lighter. “The tomb’s baleful aura is even weaker than in the outer passage. The Sword Emperor’s slumber remains undisturbed. We shouldn’t intrude. Let’s leave.”

Zhao Changhe asked, “Shouldn’t we find a way to reseal this place?”

Tang Wanzhuang’s voice grew even more relaxed. “I sense the space here is still somewhat chaotic. Later, we’ll see if Weiyang and the others found anything at the surrounding nodes and try to exploit this chaos to hide the space again. If we can restore its original state, where no one can find it, the matter is settled.”

Sisi wondered, “Why are the terracotta warriors jumping? Shouldn’t we investigate? We haven’t even entered the main tomb; these guards are only secondary, not too strong.”

Tang Wanzhuang gave her a meaningful glance. “Indeed, not too strong. These two were around the seventh or eighth level of Xuan Pass, but that’s already beyond you. If that whole row of jumping warriors is at similar strength or higher, fighting them would cause chaos. Our power is suppressed by the sword domain. Why force it?”

Zhao Changhe felt it was odd to come in and then inexplicably retreat, but their mandate was indeed to investigate, ensure the tomb remained stable, and prioritize Gusu’s safety. Tang Wanzhuang, as the leader, adhered strictly to the plan—clear-headed and rational. He had no objection and prepared to crawl back through the dog hole.

But just then, the ground shook violently. *Thump, thump, thump*—the sound of footsteps approached. The row of terracotta warriors, who had been jumping in place, now charged toward them, as if annoyed at having their dance interrupted.

“Fall back!” Zhao Changhe signaled Sisi behind him. “You go first!”

Sisi was about to crawl back when she froze. “That old man… he’s blocking the hole! We can’t get out!”

Zhao Changhe frowned. The hole was narrow; if someone blocked it from outside, he’d struggle to fight, especially under the sword domain’s suppression. Only Tang Wanzhuang could break through quickly, but with this delay, the terracotta warriors were upon them!

What had been a calm atmosphere suddenly turned perilous!

*Clang!* The Spring Water Sword was drawn, sweeping the advancing warriors into its blade light. Tang Wanzhuang’s voice remained calm: “Why put on an act… When I entered, I sent a message to Wu Weiyang to move the corpse outside, fearing it might cause trouble. There’s no corpse out there now. Instead, you’re deliberately blocking the hole to keep us in…”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

Sisi suddenly flickered, bypassing the terracotta sword formation ahead, and dashed deeper inside.

Tang Wanzhuang sighed. Trapped by the terracotta sword array, she couldn’t stop Sisi for the moment.

Zhao Changhe’s expression turned grim. With his lightness skill, how could he catch Sisi!

These terracotta warriors were under Sisi’s command… Which meant even the earlier “tremors” that had lured them in—the jumping warriors—were Sisi’s doing!

Tang Wanzhuang said calmly, “Extremely clever Miaojiang gu sorcery… She sneaked in last night, used some ventilation shaft we didn’t notice, released gu into the warriors, and controlled them, waiting for this moment.”

In that instant, a rumbling sound of mechanisms opening came from deep ahead, followed by a thunderous voice from underground: “Who… dares to disturb His Majesty’s sword seal…”

This was the true Sword Emperor’s guard—a revived being with intelligence and speech, no mere sword intent or terracotta!

*Whoosh!* Sisi fled back for her life, a terrifying sword beam chasing her, arriving in the blink of an eye.

Midair, Sisi lightly tapped a terracotta warrior, twisting aside.

The sword beam paused before her, revealing an ancient, rugged figure. It stared fixedly at the Dragon Sparrow on Zhao Changhe’s back.

The Dragon Sparrow blazed with fierce battle intent.

*Whoosh!* The sword beam rose again, this time aimed at Zhao Changhe. The sword guard saw them all as one group, so it would kill that disgusting blade first.

Zhao Changhe: “Damn…”

But Sisi took the chance to turn back, darting toward the forbidden area where the sword guard had emerged.

The Dragon Sparrow’s reaction was part of her plan—to pit Zhao Changhe and Tang Wanzhuang against this sword guard while she seized the prize!

Zhao Changhe’s face darkened like the bottom of a pot.

Yet Tang Wanzhuang noticed something interesting…

When Sisi lured the sword guard over, the terracotta warriors that had been tangling with her stopped attacking. Instead, they all turned their blades to surround the sword guard.

Sisi had calculated everything, but she still feared the sword guard might truly harm Zhao Changhe.

Was it Zhao Changhe’s foolish loyalty and blind trust in the enchantress that was to blame, or could it be that his loyalty had actually proven useful?

"Clang!" The Spring Water Sword was drawn, thrusting at the Sword Guard's nape.

Tang Wanzhuang naturally had to rescue Zhao Changhe, with no time to mind the little enchantress.

And as for Zhao Changhe, now facing the sword-light attack head-on, the Longque assumed an extremely bizarre stance, utterly unlike his usual blade technique.

The Sword Guard's attack suddenly weakened, as if startled and uncertain: "His Majesty's... beginner sword art? Who are you?"

Tang Wanzhuang recalled what that stance was.

It was the simple sword move used by the sword shadow when Zhao Changhe had cleaved the baleful sword's shadow!

He had actually learned it!

"Ding!" Seizing the Sword Guard's moment of daze, Tang Wanzhuang's sword qi decisively struck the Sword Guard's nape, producing a crisp clang of metal.

Zhao Changhe's bluff could only last a moment; he couldn't make the Sword Guard acknowledge him as master with that. Seizing this daze to decisively subdue the foe was the correct course.

The sword struck the nape, seemingly ineffective, but the Sword Guard swayed slightly, as the Spring Water sword qi invaded its body, greatly reducing its strength.

Almost at the same time, Zhao Changhe's sword move suddenly reverted to a blade move, a mountain-shattering furious chop aimed straight at the Sword Guard's forehead.

Tang Wanzhuang was astonished to discover that Zhao Changhe, who should have had his strength suppressed by the sword domain, showed not the slightest sign of weakness; this chop was even more ferocious than when he had cleaved the baleful sword!

Did this mean that Zhao Changhe had been concealing his condition, also as a precaution against Sisi? Only he hadn't expected that Sisi, on the contrary, had no intention of harming him...

Yet even the experienced Tang Wanzhuang could not understand; her strength, far surpassing Zhao Changhe's, could not completely offset the suppression of the sword domain, and her own power was considerably affected. How was Zhao Changhe completely unaffected?