Chapter 19

Yue Fangxing and Linghuchong walked to the back of the mountain. Before long, they discovered a large stone ahead, on which there seemed to be faint traces of characters, like a poem. However, due to the long passage of time, the characters had eroded and were hard to read. Yue Fangxing said to Linghuchong, "Senior Brother, look, there seem to be characters here. According to the records, the area ahead is where the Quanzhen Sect's forbidden zone used to be."

Linghuchong stepped forward for a closer look and indeed found it to be true. He said joyfully, "Junior Brother, let's go further ahead."

The forest became increasingly dense as they moved forward, and the two had to cut through the undergrowth with great difficulty. Fortunately, they both carried precious swords, making the task less strenuous. In particular, Yue Fangxing's heavy sword was virtually indestructible.

This sword was proposed by Yue Fangxing to Yue Buqun, using the weapons from the cave within Huashan's Siguoyan as the main material. He invited a skilled blacksmith to forge it. The materials were all extracted from heavy weapons like iron rods and thunder shields, and then cast and hammered into a simple shape. Although the length was the same as the standard Huashan longsword, it was slightly wider and heavier, resembling the standard Songshan longsword. The sword weighed 42 catties, but it was not sharpened, so it was not very sharp. However, with the internal strength of a Mo Sect elder, it could be used to cut through anything. Yue Fangxing, limited by his age, only began using it three years ago and could only wield it freely after achieving mastery in the Mixed Yuan Power recently.

In addition, Yue Buqun melted and forged the two axes and other weapons into over ten standard Huashan longswords for the disciples to use. Although they were not as sharp as cutting through iron, they were extremely sharp, and the disciples loved them. Linghuchong now carried one of those swords. As for the leftover scraps, Yue Fangxing made them into short weapons like daggers to complement his heavy sword, using them for daily needs and close combat.

The two continued to push forward with great effort, but the forest became increasingly dense. They were starting to feel impatient when they suddenly saw a deep ravine ahead. Looking down, they saw a slope at least six to seven zhang high. They carefully bypassed it, but the path ahead became increasingly difficult, eventually blocking out the sunlight.

Yue Fangxing and Linghuchong rested for a moment when they suddenly saw a swarm of wild bees flying towards them. The bees came swiftly, and the two did not have time to dodge. They quickly brandished their swords to protect themselves. However, it was impossible to guard every part of their bodies, and the bees, though numerous, moved with some order. As a result, they were stung several times, causing intense pain. They could no longer think of anything else and fled back the way they came, only escaping the bees after leaving the forest.

Yue Fangxing and Linghuchong fell to the ground, looking at each other and laughing bitterly. The two, the 14th and 15th generation disciples of Huashan, had been chased away by a swarm of wild bees. If this were known, they would be laughed at. Linghuchong, sitting on the ground, pointed to the red swelling on Yue Fangxing's head from the bee stings and laughed, "Junior Brother, we've really lost face this time, being defeated by a swarm of wild bees!"

Yue Fangxing also laughed bitterly, but he thought it was his own fault for insisting on coming to the ancient tomb. However, these wild bees were not ordinary; some were even white, which was very rare. Thinking of this, a light bulb went off in Yue Fangxing's head: Could this be the Jade Peak of the ancient tomb? He exclaimed, "Senior Brother, we've found it, we've found it."

Linghuchong, puzzled, asked, "Junior Brother, what have you found?"

Yue Fangxing, excited, said, "Senior Brother, did you notice that the bees moved with some order? Otherwise, how could they have chased us for so long?"

Linghuchong, being very intelligent, replied, "Could it be that they were once tamed, but their owner is no longer around, so they have become wild bees?"

Yue Fangxing, excited, said, "Exactly, how could ordinary wild bees sting us? After all, we have internal strength." He then touched the still painful red swelling on his head.

Linghuchong said, "That's right. There might be relics of the Quanzhen Sect's predecessors ahead. We just need to follow the bees."

The two gathered their strength, endured the pain, and continued to drive away the bees as they moved forward. Soon, they saw a large beehive on a tree. Yue Fangxing said, "Senior Brother, I think drinking the honey will help relieve the pain. I'll go and get it."

Yue Fangxing used his lightness skill, protected his head and face, and picked the beehive. He used his strength to stun the bees inside, extracted the honey, and drank it with Linghuchong. The honey, which had been stored for many years, was incredibly sweet. Not only did it alleviate their pain, but it also restored some of their energy.

Yue Fangxing thought: This must be the famous Jade Bee Honey of the ancient tomb. However, these jade bees seem to be living with wild bees, suggesting that the tomb is likely unoccupied. Although the honey is not pure, it still has health benefits. In the future, I should select some pure jade bees to bring back to Huashan and tame them, adding another fine product to our sect.

Yue Fangxing and Linghuchong gathered their strength and continued to push forward through the dense forest. After advancing several dozen zhang, they finally emerged from the forest. Looking ahead, they saw a large tomb hidden in the distance, with the tomb door tightly closed and the surroundings desolate, clearly long abandoned.

Seeing this, Yue Fangxing became very excited and said to Linghuchong, "Senior Brother, this tomb must be the 'Living Dead Tomb.' According to legend, after Wang Chongyang's failure against the Jin, he once lived here in seclusion. Later, it was taken by others, and only then did Wang Chongyang found the Quanzhen Sect. If there are any relics, they should be here."

Linghuchong, surprised, asked, "Wang Chongyang actually lived in a tomb? And it was taken by others?"

Yue Fangxing, excited, told Linghuchong the story of Wang Chongyang and Lin Chaoying. Although he did not remember all the details of the story, he knew some classic plots. He also explained the connection between the Gumu Sect and the Quanzhen Sect, concluding, "The Heavenly Net Formation we practice is based on the same-named entry-level martial arts of that predecessor, but it is far from the original version."

Linghuchong was greatly shocked. He was already amazed by Yue Fangxing's talent, having created two martial arts at a young age, which, though not very powerful, were quite effective. The Twelve Muscle Changing Techniques were not even mentioned, as there were few martial arts in the world that could strengthen the muscles. His internal strength had improved by at least thirty percent due to this martial art, and his foundation was even more solid, with greater potential in the future. The Heavenly Net Formation combined movement and striking, and although it was not very effective in defeating enemies, it was more than enough to protect oneself, greatly compensating for his weaknesses in striking. He was amazed to learn that such a powerful martial art had existed hundreds of years ago and was even more powerful, and he said, "Such a great predecessor is truly admirable. I wonder if we can ever reach their level in our lifetimes!"

Yue Fangxing, hearing this, laughed and said, "We shouldn't underestimate ourselves. As long as we work hard, in a few decades, we won't be weaker than the predecessors. We may not be able to found a sect like these two, but creating one or two martial arts to pass down to future generations is quite possible."

Linghuchong, being a broad-minded person, was initially moved by the stories of the predecessors. Hearing Yue Fangxing's words, his fighting spirit was rekindled, and he resolved to create one or two sword techniques to pass down to the Huashan disciples. He knew his talent in other areas was inferior to Yue Fangxing's, but his sword skills were still commendable. Therefore, he decided to focus his main efforts on sword techniques, hoping to leave his name in Huashan's history.

As Linghuchong was lost in thought, he heard Yue Fangxing say, "Although the tomb door is closed, according to the records, there should be a hidden door. Otherwise, if outsiders blocked the tomb door, those inside would be trapped. We need to search carefully for the hidden door, but it won't be easy. Let's rest at the foot of the mountain first!"

Linghuchong looked at his own clothes and then at Yue Fangxing, who was in the same state, and they both burst into laughter, heading down the mountain.

Based on his vague memory of the "The Return of the Condor Heroes," Yue Fangxing knew that the hidden door of the ancient tomb was covered by a stream or a pond. Therefore, they specifically searched for streams and ponds in the area. However, there were many streams in this region, and Yue Fangxing and Linghuchong searched for over half a month, covering almost the entire forbidden zone of the Quanzhen Sect. They explored all the large and small streams and ponds, even the underground currents, but they could not find the entrance to the tomb.

Unable to give up, they even tried the Dragon-Breaking Stone in front of the tomb, but it was extremely heavy and difficult to open. If it were easy, Yang Guo would have opened it long ago. Although Yue Fangxing had a few methods to open the Dragon-Breaking Stone, such as using explosives or hiring stone-cutters from the foot of the mountain, these methods would create a lot of noise. Moreover, the tomb had many rooms and complex paths, and although the mechanisms set by Wang Chongyang might have failed over time, it was uncertain whether Yang Guo's descendants had reconfigured them. Given his current strength and the capabilities of the Huashan Sect, he did not have the confidence to deal with these challenges and was unwilling to take the risk.

As time passed, Yue Fangxing and Linghuchong became increasingly frustrated. One day, after searching for half a day, they sat down to rest. Yue Fangxing thought: Over a hundred years ago, in "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," a young woman emerged from the ancient tomb, but now the tomb is desolate. It seems that Yang Guo's lineage has been interrupted or moved, and the entrance has been sealed. However, the woman, with her martial arts, could live for at least fifty to sixty more years, so the tomb's desolation must have occurred in the past few decades. Moreover, she must have come out of the tomb at some point, leaving traces of her life in the Zhongnan Mountains. Women often love flowers, and the ancient tomb is known for beekeeping, so she must have lived in a place with many flowers and bees. The entrance I remember might be wrong or sealed by the descendants of the ancient tomb. We have been searching in the wrong place these past few days.

Thinking of this, Yue Fangxing explained his theory to Linghuchong, who became excited. He was already impatient with the random searches and was now hopeful. They decided to search the areas around the tomb, focusing on places with many bees. By evening, they had found three or four such places but discovered nothing.

This time, they followed the bees to a very secluded spot at the foot of the mountain but found nothing. Yue Fangxing couldn't help but ponder: Could I be wrong again?

At that moment, Linghuchong pointed to a pile of rocks on the mountain wall and shouted, "Junior Brother, come here, there seems to be a water sound!"

Yue Fangxing rushed over and listened carefully. Indeed, there was a faint sound of water coming from the pile of rocks. He was immediately invigorated and noticed that there was no visible water around, suggesting that it was inside. He and Linghuchong worked together to clear the rocks and found a cave. Inside the cave, they saw a stream.

Yue Fangxing was overjoyed, knowing that they had likely found the true entrance. He said, "Senior Brother, this is probably the entrance to the ancient tomb. Our efforts over the past half a month have not been in vain." He then burst into laughter.

Linghuchong was also extremely happy, having found the entrance after over half a month of hard work. He thought this must be where the hidden door of the ancient tomb was located.

With great excitement, they slightly cleared the entrance and followed the stream forward.

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