Chapter 130: The Dharma Is Never Separate from Form

“My God!”

Seeing three living men vanish into thin air in the blink of an eye, how could Ye Dong not be terrified?

“I want to go home! I don’t want to be He Wentian anymore!” Even Ye Dong was beginning to lose his footing in this desperate situation.

“Waaah! Waaah!”

Just as his attention wavered, faint sobbing came from the cage behind him. That single sound instantly brought Ye Dong back to his senses and pulled him away from the brink of death.

“Good grief! That was close!”

Ye Dong glanced back and saw a piece of shattered stone hurtling toward the back of his head. He dropped into a crouch, and the stone skimmed past his hair before smashing into another man, blasting a bloody hole through him.

“Is this what they mean by good deeds bringing good fortune?” A chill ran through Ye Dong. He looked apologetically at the corpse. “Brother, I’m sorry you had to suffer because of me!”

“Don’t let yourself get distracted!”

Lixing, covered in blood, shouted, “Dodge the boulders falling from above, but watch the rubble under your feet too. Don’t let it trip you!”

Suddenly, a chilling shriek rang out from high above.

“Whew!”

A cold shiver passed through Ye Dong. Having dealt with ghosts and monsters so many times, he was absolutely certain that the scream had come from a female ghost—and not merely an ordinary one, but a fierce ghost.

“Ahhh!”

The ghostly cry rang out again, even more terrifying this time. Its pitch gradually descended, transforming into an eerie, sinister cackle.

“Is the fierce ghost finally coming?” Lord Wei’s gaze sharpened. He smeared the blood from his index finger across his eyes and rapidly recited an incantation, instantly opening his Spiritual Sight.

“Where is it?! Why can’t I see it?!”

As he dodged the falling boulders, Lord Wei swept his Spiritual Sight across the pitch-black space overhead. To his astonishment, even his eyes—which had seen countless ghosts—could not detect the true form of the fierce ghost.

“That expression…”

Ye Dong stared at Lord Wei. Seeing his brows tightly furrowed, he knew that something extremely troubling had happened.

“Don’t panic!”

Yellow Impermanence’s warning came from beside Lord Wei’s ear. “This is the Tomb of Eternal Life. Naturally, the ghosts here are no ordinary spirits. They must be using some illusion technique, or borrowing the formation within this place to evade our eyes!”

Hearing Yellow Impermanence’s warning, Ye Dong felt even more stifled. He wanted to open his Spiritual Sight and take a look himself, but he could not. The moment he revealed his true abilities, even if the fierce ghost did not kill him, Yellow Impermanence would certainly settle the account with him.

“Forget what kind of fierce ghost it is. Staying alive is the most important thing!”

Ye Dong understood the situation perfectly. With Yellow Impermanence and Lord Wei present, he did not need to worry about the fierce ghost for the moment. The most urgent danger was the boulders overhead. Dead things had no sympathy; if they were going to fall, they would fall all the same.

“Is this never going to end?!”

Yellow Impermanence roared. Several spirit talismans shot from his hand and streaked toward the darkness above.

Whoosh—boom!

The talismans erupted into towering flames wildly disproportionate to their size. They burned a hundred times brighter than the beams of light rising from the ground, instantly illuminating the entire black cavern overhead.

“There! I see them! So this is the work of those creatures!”

Lord Wei gave a cold snort. In the light of Yellow Impermanence’s talismans, they could see more than a dozen fierce ghosts with disheveled hair atop the cavern, hauling boulders and hurling them down without pause.

“I knew there was no way those stones could be aiming at people by themselves! So it was these monsters!” Lecheng cursed furiously. “You wretched fiends! Are you looking to die?!”

“They’re monsters rather than ghosts?”

Ye Dong cast a sidelong glance at the leaping, shrieking creatures and saw that every one of them had a shadow.

“Could these monsters belong to the category of spirits?” Ye Dong wondered. “They possess intelligence, after all!”

“Hee-hee-hee! Intruders must die! Intruders must die!”

Hearing Lecheng’s abuse, the fierce ghosts did not grow angry. Instead, they laughed even more gleefully, never pausing in their bombardment of stones. In the blink of an eye, another member of the group was crushed to death.

“This is going too far! You filthy monsters won’t shed a tear until you see the coffin!”

Watching his helpers fall one after another, Yellow Impermanence flew into a rage. He stuffed a black talisman into his mouth, wiped two fingers across his lips, then opened his mouth. More than a dozen black flames shot forth, arrowing toward the fierce ghosts like bolts chasing the wind.

“Hee-hee-hee!”

The fierce ghosts showed not the slightest fear of the black flames. They darted and dodged, avoiding every one of them. This small victory only made them laugh more delightedly.

“Hmph! You have no idea how high the heavens are or how deep the earth is!”

Yellow Impermanence snorted coldly and waved his fingers back and forth. The flames that had nearly gone out suddenly surged, linking together in pairs until they formed a vast, impenetrable net of fire. Every one of the reckless spirits was trapped within it.

“By the decree of Heaven, under the light of the rising sun, I bestow this spirit talisman to sweep away all calamity. Let fire pour from the mountains of my mouth; let the talisman fly and seize the light of the gate. Let strange beings fill the heavens through the ages; let plague be broken and the years consume the Vajra. Subdue demons and evil spirits; let the dead be transformed into auspiciousness. Great Lord Lao, hasten as the law commands!”

With a thunderous shout from Yellow Impermanence, the fierce ghosts had not even had time to scream before the mass of black flames, like hellfire itself, burned them to nothing.

“The Maoshan Sect’s Evil-Dispelling Fiend-Exorcising Spell is actually that powerful in Yellow Impermanence’s hands! What a domineering technique!”

Ye Dong was both delighted and shocked. He was delighted that the fierce ghosts had been destroyed, meaning the falling boulders would finally stop. But he was shocked by the extent of Yellow Impermanence’s strength. Even Chen Yao would probably find him extremely difficult to deal with.

In little more than ten seconds, the entire scene had been turned upside down. Shattered stone and blood lay everywhere, leaving the area in ruins, while severed limbs and weapons were strewn across the ground.

“Take a head count.”

Yellow Impermanence shook his head lightly. Though he had slain the monsters, there was no denying that their own fighting strength had been severely weakened.

After counting for a moment, Lord Wei reported with a deeply furrowed brow, “Including the three who were reduced to ashes, we have lost eight people. With the two seriously wounded, that makes ten combatants lost in total.”

“We’ve lost ten people at the very beginning. That far exceeds our original plan.”

Yellow Impermanence lowered his voice. “If He Wentian hadn’t stepped in just now, we would already have lost an important piece of bait.”

His gaze swept toward Ye Dong as he thought to himself, “First he saved Lixing, and then he saved the bait. This boy really is something. It seems that this lunatic has fortune shining upon him. If he could become my disciple, it would truly be a wonderful thing.”

“Master, today I, He Wentian, have finally learned what real excitement is!”

Ye Dong shook his head and laughed. “No wonder Lord Wei said that coming down here was when we would truly see a whole new world. So that’s what he meant!”

Everyone was stunned by Ye Dong’s wild words. Chen Yong’s men, in particular, scrutinized him closely.

“What kind of person is he? He came to a place like this looking for excitement? Is he tired of living?”

“The world is truly vast. There are all kinds of people in it.”

“Sometimes I really don’t understand what goes through the minds of rich young masters. There are actually people who aren’t afraid of death.”

Chen Yong gave a light cough, interrupting his men’s discussion. “Just do what you’re supposed to do. We don’t need to interfere in anything else.”

He carefully inspected his daggers and firearms, then pricked up his ears, trying to hear the conversation between Lord Wei and the others. Whether for his own sake or that of his men, he needed to understand Yellow Impermanence’s intentions clearly. He could not afford to make a mistake.

Lord Wei sighed and gently patted Ye Dong on the shoulder. “Brother Tian, I’ve seen plenty of lunatics in this world, but I’ve never met anyone as bold as you.”

“I’m only a little braver than most. As for everything else, I still have to learn from all of you.”

Ye Dong gave a cold laugh and pointed toward the empty ground ahead. “That barrage of falling rocks was probably just an appetizer, right? The real main course hasn’t even been served yet!”

“Mmm. He’s right. The real trouble has only just begun.”

Yellow Impermanence naturally understood what Ye Dong was implying: how were they going to deal with the Void Realm? The boy was clearly waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

He smiled faintly and looked toward the Void Realm. “Do you really think there’s nothing inside?”

Ye Dong narrowed his eyes slightly and pretended to ask, “There’s something in there?”

He knew perfectly well that ordinary mortal eyes could not see anything. Even with his Spiritual Sight open, Lord Wei probably would not be able to glimpse the slightest secret. Judging from Ye Dong’s estimation, a formation of the Void Realm’s level was likely beyond the ability of everyone present to decipher except Yellow Impermanence.

“Without the Divine Eye, you cannot spy out its mysteries.”

Yellow Impermanence chuckled smugly. “And even possessing the Divine Eye is useless if you do not understand the principles behind it. Charging recklessly into the formation would be no different from seeking death.”

He sounded unbearably pleased with himself and arrogant, which irritated Ye Dong greatly.

“Why say all that?” Ye Dong thought. “Isn’t he just waiting for us to flatter him?”

Lord Wei nodded repeatedly. He cupped his hands respectfully and said, “Disciple humbly asks Master to enlighten us.”

Led by Chen Yong, the helpers also gathered around Yellow Impermanence to listen. After all, practical wisdom from a master of Yellow Impermanence’s caliber was something that money could not usually buy. Sometimes, a single reminder or piece of guidance from a senior could save an ignorant novice’s life.

“To enter the Void Realm, three elements are indispensable: wisdom, merit, and wealth.”

The corners of Yellow Impermanence’s mouth curved upward as he continued explaining. “According to the theory of the Five Elements, water represents wisdom, metal represents wealth, and wood represents merit. As long as these three elements are introduced into the formation, it can naturally be deciphered.”

“Although Chinese culture is vast and profound, with the exception of a few minority beliefs, most schools of Taoist and even Buddhist thought cannot escape the cycles of yin and yang, the Five Elements, and the changes brought about by the recurring patterns of heaven and earth, sun and moon. As the saying goes, all transformations remain rooted in the same source. Once you find the foundation of these formations, you will naturally find the means to break them.”

Listening to Yellow Impermanence’s explanation, Ye Dong suddenly understood.

“If this were an ordinary tomb raider, he probably wouldn’t even know what this stone ground represents. That old fox really is capable. Not only does he know that this is the Void Realm, he even knows how to break it!”

“Now, bring the bait over.”

Yellow Impermanence smiled faintly. “It’s time to make use of them.”

Ye Dong’s heart jolted.

“Are we going to use the bait now?”