Rise to God with Life Skill Professions-Chapter 372 - 361: Tomb Entrance, Breaking the Formation

Chapter 372: Chapter 361: Tomb Entrance, Breaking the Formation

A hunched figure gradually emerged from the thick mist, the night as dark as ink, the fog surging.

As the figure approached Qin An, his eyes narrowed slightly, coldly scrutinizing the newcomer.

"Are you the Patriarch Qian?"

The man appeared to be in his sixties, dressed in luxurious clothes, his face deathly pale.

Though he exuded an imposing aura when emerging from the shadows, he suddenly crumbled the moment Qin An spoke, his knees hitting the ground heavily, his posture extremely humble.

"I am the patriarch of the Qian family, paying respects to your excellencies! The previous concealment was out of necessity, I beseech your pardons!"

Madam Qian, seeing her husband kneeling, hurriedly stepped forward, lifting her skirt and kneeling alongside him, kowtowing three loud times to Qin An: "If punishment is due, please place it upon us both, the Qian family is truly innocent!"

Liu Yi sneered casually, "What a fine act of self-pity! Stand up—all of you. If the tomb’s secrets prove true, you will be spared; but if there’s half a word of falsehood, breaking your knees won’t save your heads!"

The murderous intent around Liu Yi boiled like fire, her overwhelming Inner God Realm cultivation enclosing the Patriarch Qian and Madam Qian as if a mountain.

Their faces turned even paler.

The Patriarch Qian trembled as he looked at Qin An, pleading, "My lord, grant me insight! I am willing to offer the tomb’s secret, just for the safety of the Qian family... Please restrain your pressure, we can hardly bear it with our Outer Elixir Realm cultivation!"

Qin An placed a hand on Liu Yi’s shoulder, his tone indifferent, "Let him finish speaking. If there’s deceit, it’s not too late to execute."

Liu Yi nodded slightly, the murderous aura instantly dissipating.

Only then did the Patriarch Qian and Madam Qian breathe a sigh of relief.

They sat on the ground like mud.

But before they could catch their breath, Qin An’s voice, calm as still water, reached their ears.

"Now, immediately tell us the tomb’s location."

The world is indeed a jungle where the strong prey on the weak; Qin An had realized this when the Pig Demon sought him out in Ding County.

If they hadn’t come today, the Qian family would have been a river of blood, seemingly keeping the tomb’s secret yet likely at risk of its leakage.

Their arrival not only saved the Qian family from bloody disaster but also helped them preserve their foundation and heritage.

This tomb secret was a hot potato for the Qian family, better handed over to them.

The Patriarch Qian came to his senses, trembling, not daring to stand.

Qin An waved his sleeve, "Stand up and speak. We aren’t tigers who eat people; there’s no need to fear so much."

The Patriarch Qian forced a wry smile, "Your excellencies have an aura stronger than tigers...No, no, I misspoke! My lords are as dignified as dragons and phoenixes, awe-inspiring like mountains, making me look up in reverence..."

"Flatter me once more, and don’t blame me for turning hostile!" Liu Yi sharply interrupted, "Don’t think that because Qin An pleaded for you, I won’t touch you!"

The Qian family patriarch was terrified, daring not to say another word of nonsense. He then pulled out a yellowed parchment from his bosom, presenting it respectfully to Qin An: "Your excellencies, the tomb’s location is all on this map!"

He had seen through it too, that these two possessed terrifying strength, the woman’s murderous aura almost tangible, her hands indubitably stained with countless blood.

Yet such a woman, akin to a god of death, was utterly obedient to this man’s words, proving he had even more terrifying strength and background.

Thus handing the map to this man was an indirect form of flattery.

Qin An took it, weighing it slightly, and unfolded the parchment in front of Liu Yi.

The parchment depicted a complex terrain, with rugged mountain paths marked, in addition to detailed routes all delineated with lines of different colors.

The route started from Tianshan State, crossing mountains and valleys, reaching an extremely treacherous mountainous region.

At the end of the red route, a cross-shaped mark had been drawn in red ink.

With just a little effort, one could discern the final destination.

Liu Yi walked to Qin An’s side, examining it with him, her brow furrowing deeper and deeper as she looked.

"This far away?"

The tomb was a considerable distance from Tianshan State, more than two hundred li of road, mostly mountainous terrain. Even the fastest horses of the Evil Extermination Bureau couldn’t reach it, necessitating travel on foot.

The Patriarch Qian quickly replied, "Majesty, in this world, both cultivators and ordinary people hold the word ’death’ in great reverence. Our ancestor nearly broke through the Inner God Realm back then and was a top-tier expert in Tianshan State, so he worried about the tomb being plundered by others, which is quite normal."

Qin An put away the sheepskin map, looking at Patriarch Qian with interest.

After being swept by Qin An’s gaze, the Patriarch Qian couldn’t help shivering, "Why are you looking at me like this, my lord?"

Qin An said softly, "Do you know what treasures are hidden in that tomb?"

The Patriarch Qian shuddered, lowering his head in silence.

Suddenly, Qin An stepped forward, his voice like an ice blade: "Once this secret is leaked, the Qian family will face total ruin, possessing it is their crime. Even if the tomb is empty, coveters will not spare a single Qian!"

Patriarch Qian raised his head, eyes filled with further bitterness: "I’m well aware—what’s inside the tomb, only I know. Even my wife only knows there’s something valuable inside but not what it is."

"The two of you coming to the Qian family to take the tomb’s artifact is actually a blessing for us, so I wouldn’t hesitate."

The opportunity of Heavenly Extreme Truth is immense, beyond what the Qian family could ever handle.

This world has many fools, but also many wise people.

The Patriarch Qian was among the wise.

Only by giving away the Heavenly Extreme Truth could the Qian family ensure peace.

As for why not give it to that man in black robes, it’s because the patriarch knew his background was unclear and dared not offer it carelessly.

If he truly handed it to the man in black, and the man then turned on them, killing off witnesses, the Qian family would not survive.

Therefore, the patriarch could only fake death to try to escape the predicament.

Qin An nodded, "You truly are a wise man. Now that the crisis facing the Qian family is resolved, I shall not linger here long, but before that, I must ask again about the specific details inside the tomb, such as mechanisms or hidden passages, any lurking perils. I think you must know something."

Just as Patriarch Qian said, cultivators place more importance on their tombs after death than the houses they lived in while alive; the interiors are bound to be fraught with dangers.

Therefore, asking around now, regardless of how much information we can gather, will at least allow us to avoid some risks.

Patriarch Qian smiled bitterly, "For you to ask this, my lord, truly puts me in a difficult position. If I knew the traps within the tomb, I would have tried to eliminate this crisis, as it poses a threat of extermination to the Qian family. I couldn’t possibly withhold such information from you."

Qin An pondered for a moment, then nodded, "In that case, I won’t ask further."

He understood that Patriarch Qian’s reasoning was indeed reasonable, as solving this trouble was currently the most pressing matter for the Qian family.

To resolve this threat quickly, Qin An and Liu Yi were the key, and Patriarch Qian certainly hoped the two of them would acquire the true intent of Tianji and would even assist them.

The absence of information proved that Patriarch Qian truly did not know.

Liu Yi glanced back, her bright eyes fixed on Qin An: "It’s time to set out."

Since everything was settled, there was no need to linger any longer.

Staying here was merely a waste of time; it was better to head for the tomb early and obtain the true intent of Tianji.

Qin An caressed the scabbard of his sword and said flatly, "Depart."

The two did not hesitate, not even saying another word to Patriarch Qian, turning to walk out of the Qian family’s main gate through the courtyard.

Patriarch Qian watched their figures gradually disappear into the dense night, unable to stifle a sigh of relief, "The Qian family may finally have a chance to lift this crisis."

In the dark night, the sound of Patriarch Qian’s self-muttering carried a sense of relief.

...

As the night grew deeper, under the silence of all creatures, the mountain path became steeper.

At this moment, Qin An and Liu Yi were rushing along the rugged mountain trail with all their might.

According to the directions on the map, the destination was known as the Four Seasons Mountain.

The so-called Four Seasons Mountain was named so because it was warm like spring all year round, a distinctive mountain range of Tian Nan Prefecture.

However, due to its remote location, even with its unique characteristics, few people came here to enjoy sightseeing.

The two chatted occasionally while advancing, and nothing major occurred along the way.

After all, they were Mountain Patrol Silver Generals, and their Inner God Realm abilities were powerful enough to sweep through all of Tian Nan Prefecture, leaving no monster or pseudo-god daring to provoke them.

As dawn approached and a white cloud appeared on the horizon, Qin An and Liu Yi finally slowed their pace, stopping at the foot of a towering mountain.

"This is the Four Seasons Mountain."

Qin An looked up, his eyes slightly squinting, "The scenery is indeed nice, worthy of being known for its year-round spring-like warmth."

Liu Yi’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as she contemplated, "This mountain is enormous; searching is quite difficult, and it might take a lot of time."

Though they were masters of the Inner God Realm, there were only two of them, and the Four Seasons Mountain was vast. Searching for the tomb would undoubtedly take a lot of time.

"Since we’re here, there’s no need to worry about time." Qin An stood with his hands behind his back, speaking calmly, "Besides, have you forgotten what I do?"

Liu Yi was momentarily puzzled before realizing, with an expression of sudden enlightenment, "I almost forgot you have array formation cultivation; this will save us a lot of time in searching."

In a previous mission, Qin An’s array formation cultivation greatly impressed Liu Yi, even the most elite of Xunyang Prefecture’s Profound Celestial Array Gate was like a child encountering an adult in front of Qin An.

All tombs are guarded by arrays and mechanisms; having someone who understands arrays by your side makes searching much simpler.

Liu Yi felt fortunate to have found such an excellent helper, not only highly powerful but also well-versed in array techniques, able to solve so many problems.

Qin An, hands resting on the scabbard, headed toward the Four Seasons Mountain: "Let’s go, take a look."

The two spoke no more, and once they entered the Four Seasons Mountain, they began following the rugged mountain path upward.

Along the way, they encountered birds and beasts, but upon sensing the killing aura from Qin An and Liu Yi, the creatures fled in panic.

As they climbed higher, Qin An could sense something unusual within.

"The entire mountain bears traces of an array, and it was set up artificially, with a highly sophisticated method, unlike the techniques of the Profound Celestial Array Gate." Qin An spoke slowly while walking on the grass.

Liu Yi mused, "According to this Qian family ancestor’s background, he should have been someone from outside Xunyang Prefecture who settled here, perhaps the array came from outside Xunyang Prefecture."

Qin An nodded slightly, "That’s true, but the array doesn’t exceed the capabilities of the Profound Celestial Array Gate, so breaking it shouldn’t be difficult."

As his words fell, Qin An suddenly stopped walking.

At this moment, they were standing before a dangerous cliff.

In front lay a nearly vertical cliff, smooth and with few places to stand.

At the top of the cliff, many birds were nesting.

Liu Yi raised her head to observe the cliff, frowning, "Could it be that the entrance to the tomb is here?"

Though she had studied arrays for a time, her grandmother didn’t allow her to delve deeply, so she couldn’t discern any clues.

Qin An nodded slightly, "The cliff stands here like a needle, matching the Feng Shui gate of a tomb."

For every tomb, the owner wanted to appear grand as in life, thus using the Feng Shui gate as the entrance.

The larger the Feng Shui gate, the more grandiose the entrance.

Therefore, Qin An determined that this was indeed the entrance to the tomb.

"How do we get in?" Liu Yi asked.

Qin An raised his hand with a wave, and the Seven-Colored True Essence surged out like ocean waves.

"Naturally, by breaking the array."

As he spoke, the seven-colored radiance soared into the sky, piercing the clouds.