The stone walls around were covered in murals, which gradually unfolded as Chen Fan observed, depicting scenes that were likely carved by the workers who built this ancient tomb.
On the murals, a flying figure was shown enslaving its servants to build its tomb. However, in every mural, this airborne master had its outer garment painted by the artist using blood from their fingertips.
"Could this be a legendary divine artifact?" Chen Fan muttered.
As the story in the murals continued, Chen Fan gradually walked further inside.
But the story abruptly ended with the master slaughtering its servants...
"This story is truly fascinating..." Chen Fan sighed after finishing his observation.
At that moment, a familiar voice echoed from a cave entrance.
"My ancestor's esteemed disciple, why do you repeatedly injure me?"
"I implore you, Senior, to spare Zhan Nian. Once released, Zhan Nian will find someone to rescue you!"
Chen Fan followed the sound.
"It's Zhan Nian, Zhan Nian is still alive!" Chen Fan felt a surge of excitement, but he also realized that Zhan Nian was likely in great trouble.
The exit was just ahead. A tomb passage emerged, and Chen Fan quickened his pace. A bottomless cliff appeared, and Chen Fan reached the exit. There, Bai Zhan Nian, holding his life-bound long sword, was furiously attacking a gaunt old man. However, no matter how Bai Zhan Nian struck, the gaunt old man managed to dodge immediately.
"This is illogical..." Chen Fan, witnessing this scene, was somewhat surprised. Bai Zhan Nian moved as if blind, constantly vigilant of his surroundings, his body covered in blood, his clothes tattered.
"Zhan Nian, behind you!" Chen Fan, standing on the high platform exit, saw the gaunt old man heading behind Bai Zhan Nian. With a shout filled with true qi that resonated through the sky.
"Chen Fan Big Brother, is that you?" Bai Zhan Nian responded verbally while thrusting his long sword powerfully behind him.
"Ah... Damn it, another brat." The gaunt old man was immediately struck by Bai Zhan Nian.
Chen Fan also leaped down, quickly charging towards the gaunt old man.
"To bully my friend Chen Fan like this, and you still wish to live? I fear you're dreaming." Chen Fan's movements were agile, and within moments, he appeared in front of the gaunt old man.
"Sky Corpse Claw!" The gaunt old man, seeing Chen Fan, raised his right hand and attacked.
Chen Fan, gripping the Cloud Gathering Sword, evaded the old man's sharp claws with a swift dodge, then lunged forward. The Cloud Gathering Sword left a gash on the old man's waist. Blood flowed from the gaunt old man, but it was not red; instead, it was a foul-smelling green liquid.
"Buzz..." The Cloud Gathering Sword seemed to sense it, emitting a foul gas, feeling as if it had been contaminated...
"I... feel so disgusted." Chen Fan, seeing this, felt as if he had dirtied his sword and hands.
As the gaunt old man was wounded, Bai Zhan Nian noticed the mist around them slowly dissipating.
Chen Fan saw that Bai Zhan Nian's eyes seemed to be covered by a layer of white film, but it gradually began to regain its original luster.
"Zhan Nian!" Chen Fan called out.
Zhan Nian's eyes instantly returned to normal. The high platform was no longer shrouded in mist; only a gaunt old man clutching his wound and his good brother Chen Fan remained.
Seeing Chen Fan, Bai Zhan Nian's tensed nerves gradually relaxed...
"It's so good that Chen Fan Big Brother is alive... I was afraid I wouldn't be able to avenge you..." Bai Zhan Nian finished speaking and then collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
"This is your doing, isn't it." Seeing Bai Zhan Nian fall, Chen Fan's demeanor instantly became stern.
The Cloud Gathering Sword in his hand rang out with a crisp hum, seeming to be exceptionally excited for the upcoming battle.
"You will die along with your friend."
Before Chen Fan could react, the gaunt old man suddenly blurred and appeared before Chen Fan.
"I'll give your mother a kick..." Noticing the gaunt old man's move, Chen Fan raised his foot and delivered a powerful kick towards him.
"Ah!!"
"Bang..."
A scream, accompanied by a sonic boom, erupted.
The gaunt old man was sent flying far away by Chen Fan's kick and lay on the ground motionless.
"Sub-divine realm... So young, and yet Sub-divine realm... I was careless..." The gaunt old man, also in the Sub-divine realm, had his cultivation drop to the peak of Nascent Soul after breaking his core due to being sealed in the ancient tomb for too long. However, his techniques were still of the Sub-divine realm, otherwise, he wouldn't have been so cautious against Bai Zhan Nian. But the gap between realms is as vast as heaven and earth. Chen Fan's angry kick had indeed injured the gaunt old man severely.
"Cough... cough..." The gaunt old man lay on the ground, green blood seeping from his lips.
"Be good, you almost killed my friend..." Chen Fan raised his sword and heavily plunged it into the old man's chest. The surrounding air generated a sonic boom, indicating the terrifying destructive power of Chen Fan's strike.
However, Chen Fan's sword missed, piercing straight into the ground.
The gaunt old man had dodged preemptively.
"Little brat, I am your great-great-grandfather's generation. How can I be killed by you so easily? Your combat experience is no match for this old man. I, for one, have risked my life countless times to achieve the Sub-divine realm."
The old man's voice echoed from the air, followed by the sound of him teleporting.
Chen Fan raised his sword to block. The Cloud Gathering Sword rose into the air, intercepting the old man who had appeared mid-air.
"Cloud Gathering Sword???" The gaunt old man only now noticed the long sword in Chen Fan's hand.
As the gaunt old man cried out in surprise, Chen Fan, seeing him locked in a stalemate with the Cloud Gathering Sword, condensed true qi in mid-air and delivered another kick. The gaunt old man was once again kicked flying.
"Cough, cough, cough. A mere junior possesses such strength? Am I truly getting old?" The gaunt old man was astonished to find that Chen Fan's kick, infused with true qi, could shatter his already gathered defensive true qi, and the speed was impossible to dodge. Is this the martial way of the new generation?