Repugnant Gateway

Chapter 32

Before An Zhe had entered, he had always thought that the Illusory Realm was the only place where humans resided.

If it weren’t for the fact that a group of desperate people would either avoid disaster or seek refuge, who would dare to come to such a destitute place?

The people of the sixteen kingdoms were hunted down and hunted down to avoid the chaos of civilians. These two types of people had the same thoughts when they entered the mountain. They would die anyways, so it was better for them to enter the mountain and fight, and perhaps they could live on.

This place was so dangerous and fatigued, how could anyone dig a way out?

Furthermore, the cliff was so smooth that it even had a mural.

There weren’t many reasons for the appearance of the murals.

At the orthodox location of the Zen Faction in the Southern Wilderness or the Western Regions, the wind from the murals flourished.

However, it was very rare in the chaotic northern border.

The content of the murals were either depictions of the sect, records of local customs, or important events that had been left behind in the form of murals.

What An Zhe saw at this moment was like a war.

Several murals depicted scenes of fighting and killing, and each one was very bloody.

Most of the people who appeared in the mural looked like laborers, as if they were digging for something.

Then, a group of dark creatures rushed out from the mountains, killing all the laborers.

The murals behind seemed to depict an army moving into the mountains, as well as cultivators who could fly on swords.

But from the looks of the scene, the army and the cultivators seemed to win in the end. Those dark things were captured or killed.

However, because the later murals were too old, they had already been peeled off, so nothing could be seen.

However, the Unicorn Winged Hawks had yet to give up and continued to crash into the mountain. Therefore, they didn’t dare to stay behind.

He continued along the path, climbing over any broken parts of the stone wall.

After about a dozen miles, the atmosphere suddenly became more cheerful.

Behind the mountain, there was a huge crack, forming a canyon.

The entrances to both sides of the valley were very small. An Zaihai came in from the south. Looking to the north, he could vaguely see the canyon mouth on the north side suddenly shrink. There was also a winding crack on the mountain.

After entering the canyon, the cat got out of An Zeng’s arms. The stars in its eyes started to move much faster.

It shouted a few times towards the canyon, seemingly excited.

The struggle followed the broken steps down the cliff face, and when they reached the canyon, they found that the vegetation was very different from the vegetation outside.

He was pleasantly surprised to discover that every plant here was a medicinal herb, and there was no lack of white and red rank medicinal herbs.

No wonder there was a Unicorn Eagle outside. There was actually a medicinal field inside the mountain.

Judging by the size of the medicinal field, it should have been planted by humans. However, it had been too long since someone had taken care of it. Thus, the growth of the medicinal plants were very messy.

From among the lush herbs Anjou could see the ridges of small stones, but most of them were covered.

The more he looked, the more shocked he became as he walked along the barely passable path.

Because the medicinal fields had not been damaged for too long, the way they grew was almost barbaric.

There were at least a few acres of wild ginseng of fourth-grade and higher that were rarely seen on the market.

This is a mountain ginseng, that is a big piece of Jade Ganoderma, that is Snake Bone Grass … This is a huge treasure.

If they were discovered, the medicinal field here was enough to start a war.

The armies of the sixteen countries of You Yan would fight for the medicinal plants here.

If the people of the martial world found out, this place would become a grave for cultivators.

Some ordinary medicinal plants, because they obtained a perfect environment for growth in this place, actually evolved into emerald or even white rank medicinal plants.

Thus, An Zhe began to suspect that the soil here must be extremely rare as well.

After walking for about three miles, An Zhe saw a thatched cottage that stood in the middle of the medicinal field.

“Anyone there?”

An Zeng tentatively asked, but no one replied.

He carefully walked forward and saw that the window of the hut was open. He could vaguely see a person sitting there.

An Xuan hurriedly halted his steps and clasped his hands together. “Junior mistakenly entered this place. I have no intention of disturbing senior’s cultivation. I hope that senior will forgive me.”

This wasn’t an ownerless place, so he decided that if he could get some herbs, he would ask for them. If the owner wasn’t willing to give him some, then he would ask him where he should go from here.

However, that person did not reply after he said a few words. An Zhan said that he was offended and then continued to walk forward.

When he got close to the window, he realized that the man had already become a mummy. He didn’t know how long he had been dead for.

Because of the abundance of medicinal herbs and the rich medicinal aura, this person’s corpse did not rot even after he died.

It was an old man, probably a male. He was sitting by the window and looking outside. Even his eyeballs weren’t broken, so one could see the infinite loneliness in his expression.

Although he was old and withered, one could still barely tell that this person’s appearance was definitely extraordinary when he was alive. Faintly, there was a domineering air to him.

“It should be the seclusion of a senior with great virtue.”

An Zhan solemnly bowed and kowtowed to the corpse, saying, “Junior wishes to ask for some herbs to take away, I won’t destroy this medicinal field.”

“Senior, this junior doesn’t dare to destroy all the hard work you’ve put in for so many years.”

After kowtowing, he looked around, “Although I don’t know who senior is, if someone else comes in, they might be disrespectful to your corpse.”

So, I want to bury your corpse and build a grave for you.

He walked into the room and took a look around. The cottage was in ruins and could collapse at any moment.

Walking to the back of the house, he saw that person looking out at him. An Zhe even felt the boundless loneliness that this senior felt before he died.

He walked over to the corpse and discovered that there were words on the table. It was likely that the old man had used his finger to carve these words on the table before he died.

Five hundred years of guarding the tomb,

In the end, he didn’t see any Immortals.

Looking back at the mortal world,

Who had the opportunity?

What did this mean? An Zong had no way to know.

Literally speaking, this senior had actually lived for five hundred years, or even longer.

He had always been here alone, guarding an ancient tomb?

But why did he say that he did not meet the immortal in the end, and why did he ask who had the opportunity?

If he didn’t know this senior’s state of mind at that time, he might never understand the deeper meaning behind those four sentences.

An Zeng knelt down on one knee, cupped his fist and bowed, “I have no intention of offending you. Please rest in peace, Senior.”

After saying that, he stood up and picked up the mummified corpse with both hands before walking out.

As soon as he stepped out of the door, the cottage collapsed with a loud bang and turned into ashes in the blink of an eye, turning into a pile of ashes.

An Zhe was astonished. He thought to himself that after his master had left the cottage, it had turned into ashes, and he was now loyal to the master.

There was a high slope not far from the hut, and on it was a solitary old pine.

An Zeng carried the mummified corpse over and gently placed it down, then he used his hands to dig a deep hole beside Gu Song.

When he turned around again, his expression changed drastically, and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

The desiccated corpse was sitting there cross-legged, looking as good as new.

An Zhe was so scared that his face turned pale. He stood there, not knowing what to do.

The mummified corpse was still leaning against the window. When he had carried the mummified corpse over earlier, he had felt that the corpse was as stiff as a rock.

What had happened during the time they were digging the pit?

Although An Zaiyue was experienced and knowledgeable in hundreds of battles, he had never seen a corpse that had been dead for hundreds of years suddenly sit properly. It was such a terrifying sight to behold.

Although the mummified corpse was still in good condition, it was still without any moisture, so its appearance was extremely terrifying.

At this moment, he was sitting cross-legged with a straight posture, and his hands were clasped together. It was as if he was looking at An Zhe and smiling.

Even his facial expression had changed. No matter how brave An Zaiyue was, he could not handle this kind of thing.

He felt as if his heart was about to leap out of his throat. His ears, wrists, and pulses were drumming.

“Senior … Senior, what are you trying to do?”

An Zeng asked in a hoarse voice, but inwardly, he prayed that you would not answer me.

Fortunately, the mummified corpse did not speak, or Anjou thought he would be able to fly.

But even though he didn’t say anything, the corpse’s form changed once again.

He clasped his hands together and then nodded slightly, as if in acknowledgment of an argument.

An Zeng suddenly reacted to the situation and joined his hands together in return. “Senior, you don’t have to thank me. This is only a matter for a junior from the martial arts world.”

“If Senior still has something that hasn’t happened, I won’t decline if I can help.”

An Zaiyue was actually scared out of his wits, so he regretted his words after saying them.

What if this mummified corpse juniors said that he would kill anyone who dared to do so? What would happen if they chose to fight?

This man had been dead for so long, his enemy must have died a long time ago.

The mummified corpse slowly raised its head and then made a gesture of one finger pointing to the sky and one to the earth.

An Zhan was stunned. He asked, “Senior, are you saying that you were the most respected person in the world?”

The desiccated corpse maintained this posture for a very long time before An Zaiyue finally came to his senses. He pointed at the sky, implying that his soul was about to return to the Heavenly Kingdom.

And the reason for this was because they were currently on a high slope.

He pointed to the ground, actually referring to the medicinal field.

“Senior, rest assured, I will not tell anyone about this place. I will not let Senior’s efforts be spoiled.”

An Zhan cupped his fist again and saluted, and then he discovered that something was still wrong with the dried corpse’s finger.

He followed the direction of the finger of the heavens and looked behind him. He discovered that the mountain peak at the side of the valley was tall and sharp, akin to a peerless divine sword that was inserted upside down.

Anjou thought of the words “five hundred years in the tomb,” and thought to himself, “Is there an ancient tomb there?”

An Zhan pondered for a moment before asking, “Senior, you mean, you want me to bury you in that mountain?”

The mummified corpse’s hand suddenly drooped down, and its head fell down with a cracking sound. It didn’t lift up its head again.

He looked back at the mountain. It was even more steep than the cliff he had climbed when he came in.

However, since they had already agreed to it, there was no way they would go back on their promise.

He went over and said he was sorry, then tied the mummified corpse to his back with the rope he’d brought.

Carrying the mummified corpse on his back, he began to walk in the direction of the mountain.

As he walked forward, he felt a chill run down his spine.

At first, An Zhe thought he was scared. After all, carrying a strange mummy wasn’t a normal thing.

However, the closer he got to the peak, the more bone-chilling the cold became.

At this temperature, the drop of water turned into ice.

However, there was no change in the surrounding plants. They were still as green as ever.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, An Zhe discovered that there was a door behind the thick weeds.

The door was made of wood and had been cracked open.

An Zeng tentatively opened the door, and the smell of dried dust came from inside.

An Zeng carefully walked a few steps forward and realized that apart from being very dark and cold, there was no other danger here.

Then, he saw even more mummified corpses …

An Zan counted and discovered that there were seven mummified corpses sitting cross-legged in the cave.

The reason why the corpse of this senior in the medicinal field did not rot was because of the rich medicinal aura.

The dead bodies in this cave were not rotten because it was too cold, and the temperature was much lower than outside.

Therefore, the faces of these seven people did not even change. Rather than saying they were dead, it was more like they were frozen here.

An Zhan cupped his fists and said ‘sorry’ to the mummies. When he stood up, he found that the stone platform in the middle of the circle of seven people was a bit strange.

These seven people sat around the stone platform, each of them carrying a cold and sharp longsword on their backs.

From their clothes, An Zhe was unable to tell where these people came from.

He had never seen the styles of those clothes before.

At this moment, a sudden gust of wind came from an unknown place, blowing away the dust on the stone platform.

As the dust settled, the stone platform turned out to be a crystal coffin.

An Zaixin said that senior had prepared a coffin for him, you don’t like the hole I dug for you.

However, he didn’t dare say it out loud. He was afraid that the mummified corpse behind him would suddenly give him a big shave.

He untied the mummified corpse and gently placed it inside the crystal coffin.

At that moment, something fell from the mummified corpse with a clatter and landed at An Zeng’s feet.