The cemetery, veiled in a haze of corpse breath and gloomy mist all day, suddenly saw a nameless fire rise today. It moved from south to north, from east to west, with a momentum that seemed to burn everything, sweeping across the sky and earth.
Until it enveloped nearly a hundred miles around, turning the entire cemetery into a charred black field, did it finally calm and dissipate.
At the very center of the fire site, Xu Qing, who was selflessly emitting light and heat, finally retracted his divine techniques.
Looking at the scorched mountain where all evil miasma had been thoroughly cleansed, Xu Qing felt greatly relieved.
This way, inside and outside the Jin Sect, above and below the Ancient Yin River Dao, he had one less competitor.
"This divine fire technique is indeed suitable for destroying evidence."
Xu Qing scanned the cemetery, detecting not a trace of his own aura, nor any sign that a living or dead being had ever been present.
Having done all this, Xu Qing proceeded down the cemetery, then turned back to glance at the burial site of the female zombie.
He cupped his hands, smiling carefreely.
After turning his head, Xu Qing changed out of the conspicuous immortal garment, donning the Thousand Gold Fur Coat made of two ounces of yellow paper, then took out the Five-Colored Steed, speeding towards the direction of Hu Yang Mausoleum.
On the desolate and barren Ancient Yin River Dao, one man and one horse pulled a line of dust and ash, riding swiftly.
Arriving before Hu Yang Mausoleum, Xu Qing dismounted.
Gazing at the mausoleum before him, the young man in a cloak stood speechless for a long time.
It had been nearly twenty years since Xu Qing first arrived at Underground Street and met the old man at the coffin store along the street.
Holding a stick of incense, Xu Qing paid his respects to Hu Baosong, saying, "Old Hu, rest assured, I will watch over Senior Sister Yizhen for you. As long as she remains in the Jin Sect, the bloodline of the Hu Yang clan will not cease."
Nowadays, calling the Jin Sect as owned by the Xu family would not be an exaggeration, and even the Ancient Yin River Dao within its scope was gradually falling under Xu Qing's control.
After paying respects to Hu Baosong, seeing no one around, Xu Qing stealthily whispered:
"Old Hu, these are times of great calamity, the heritage of the Hu Yang clan must not be severed. You wouldn't want your daughter to be delayed on her path due to incomplete inheritance, right?"
Xu Qing said earnestly, "For special matters, we should make exceptions. For the sake of our girl, I am willing to bear all the pressure to bring back Hu Yang clan's legacy and pass it to Senior Sister Yizhen."
"I think even when you were alive, Old Hu, you would have agreed."
"You're not saying anything, which means that if your spirit exists in the heavens, you consent by default. Now, may I enter?"
In Xu Qing's heart, rather than letting treasures remain buried deep under the earth, unseen for long, it would be better to bring them out for the use of future generations.
While Master Yizhen is in the Jin Sect, he may provide some care on behalf of Hu Baosong. Yet, should she ever leave, he would be unable to spare the time.
In that case, it's better to let Master Yizhen take all of Hu Yang clan's heritage for her self-preservation.
Xu Qing had no covetous desires for Hu Yang clan's legacy. At this moment, he was righteously dignified. Even though he was conducting the act of digging graves and disturbing the resting places of the Hu family ancestors, he felt no psychological burden.
Within the Hu Yang Mausoleum, there were protective arrays left by the Earth Mound faction, and the Fox Race was naturally adept in the art of illusion arrays. For ordinary people, entering the mausoleum, let alone even finding it, was no easy feat.
Xu Qing had made a Heaven and Earth Red Character Post agreement with Hu Baosong, swearing by the candlelight, thus gaining the method to enter the mausoleum.
Now, on his second visit, Xu Qing was familiar with the route, and soon, following a specific path, he circumvented the labyrinthine subterranean passageways, reaching the depths of the Hu Yang Mausoleum.
Further in was where Xu Qing had previously halted, the main tomb's location.
The path leading to the main tomb was filled with various illusion techniques and arrays; Xu Qing sent in a palm-sized paper crane to explore, only to lose contact as before.
Those illusions and arrays not only confused the mind but also obscured spiritual perception.
Xu Qing regarded the deep, seemingly devouring corridor, with a calm smile.
Once upon a time, he might not have withstood the allure of illusions, nor been able to see through those arrays powered by the Power of Earth Veins.
But now...
Xu Qing was no longer that fledgling young zombie!
When Xu Qing unleashed the Yin Kingdom domain, connecting the Pillar Bridge and Earth Veins, all arrays before him appeared as if naked, instantly revealing their eyes to him.
Within the domain of Yin Country, Xu Qing not only commanded supreme authority within fifty miles but could also manipulate the earth veins' movement, freely traversing all illusions without losing his way.
Moreover, Xu Qing deployed the Non-Motion Method, simultaneously uniting his spirit and bone form, contemplating the spectacle of bone and radiance. Illusions intending to ensnare him, such as those conjured by Sai Yuxian, shattered like bubbles in an instant.
Xu Qing strolled leisurely as if at ease in uninhabited lands.
Along the way, encountering coffins, he opened them; encountering corpses, he provided full funerary rites. After seeing to the bodies, Xu Qing didn't forget to offer a stick of incense to the ancestors of the Hu Yang clan, engaging in some heartfelt conversations.
"Though not relatives, we are more than family. As one family, there are no need for separate households. I merely wish to gaze upon the glory of each predecessor's life; indeed, every one of you was magnificently elegant, resembling banished immortals..."
Xu Qing chattered on incessantly by himself, all the while keeping his hands busy.
The bodies of the Hu Yang clan's ancestors have been impeccably preserved, almost lifelike, and after Xu Qing finished his rites, he placed them back to their respective spots.
The heritage held in Hu Baosong's hands has passed through the ages over a millennium, changing hands countless times, and was no longer complete.
Xu Qing's journey this time was merely to consolidate a complete Hu Yang clan legacy, restoring the past glory of the Earth Mound faction.