Ink Painting falls into the tomb pit.

As if falling into a piece of dark and suffocating ocean, all around his body is even deeper darkness and the cold stench of corpses.

He didn’t know how long he had fallen, but his feet finally touched the ground.

A flash of water light beneath his feet, borrowing the momentum of the passing water to reduce the force of the fall, Ink Painting then slowly stood up.

People jumped down one after another, and after a while, everyone had gathered.

Gray Second Master and several black-robed demon cultivators gathered together again, led by that black-robed old man, and continued to walk forward.

All around was pitch black, so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. The visibility was even worse than above ground.

Ink Painting could only circulate his spiritual power, covering his eyes, and activating “Night Vision Technique”.

This is a basic cultivation magic, which most cultivators know. It is used to see things at night.

However, because activating spiritual power produces fluctuations and attracts the attention of other people or demonic beasts, experienced cultivators, in dangerous situations, as long as they have a little night vision, will not activate Night Vision Technique.

The problem is, inside this tomb pit, there is truly no visibility at all.

In this kind of place, even divine sense perception cannot be fully trusted.

Therefore, not only Ink Painting, but everyone activated night vision.

A faint layer of spiritual power covered their eye sockets, allowing them to discern the surrounding scenes. The crowd then followed the path, walking forward little by little.

But the further he walked, the stranger Ink Painting felt.

The surrounding scene was even more desolate and quiet than the tomb ground above.

Moreover, underfoot were all broken stones, the mountain walls were damp and rugged, and there wasn’t even a tunnel. It was more like a desolate mountain pit, not a well-constructed tomb ground.

After walking for a while, the black-robed old man suddenly said:

“Be careful.”

Ink Painting sensed something and also stopped, secretly moving closer to the crowd.

In the dimness, there were wet and sloppy footsteps.

These footsteps were not on the ground, but above.

As if something was approaching them.

The crowd each took out their spiritual tools and magic treasures, circulating spiritual power and blood energy, and guarded themselves in the dark.

However, moments later, a foul wind suddenly rose in the darkness, lighting up a path of cold light.

This path of cold light came down from above. Before it could even tear or bite anyone’s body, it was grasped by one hand of the bear-like wild demon cultivator, whose hands and feet were twisted and broken. After tearing apart the rotten body, he threw it on the ground.

Blood of unknown color slowly flowed out, soaking into the ground.

Ink Painting then focused his eyes and saw that the one who had ambushed the crowd was not a corpse evil, but only a demonic beast.

This demonic beast had scales all over its body, sharp teeth and claws. It looked like a Mountain Piercing Demon, but on its sharp, pointed head, its five senses actually resembled a human face, which looked somewhat creepy.

“What is this thing…”

“A demon body with a human face? What did it eat to grow like this?”

The crowd all frowned.

However, it was fortunate that although this Mountain Piercing Demon was strange, it was only at the initial stage of the third grade.

A third-grade initial stage tomb demonic beast would definitely be a big trouble for Ink Painting and extremely tricky for Gray Second Master and the other two.

But for the Golden Core late stage demon sect leader, the bear-like wild demon cultivator, and the black-robed old man in the crowd, the threat was not significant.

Ink Painting secretly rejoiced.

The Lonely Mountain tomb burial was full of crises. If not for these several great demon cultivators, he really wouldn’t have been able to get here.

“Let’s continue walking.”

The black-robed old man said in a deep voice, then stepped forward and walked.

Gray Second Master still had doubts in his heart. After walking for a while, he frowned and said in a low voice: “Looking up from inside here, it fundamentally doesn’t look like a tomb…”

Gray Second Master furrowed his brows, having a kind of unclear feeling.

So they walked for a while longer, and suddenly the front opened up, revealing an extremely huge, a huge to the extent of not being able to see the edges, mine pit.

The crowd’s hearts sank slightly as they slowly walked to the edge of the mine pit and gazed down.

In the pitch-black night, in the middle of the wide mine pit, some vague scenes gradually became clear through the night vision technique.

Gray Second Master was instantly shocked and lost color. Even the black-robed old man and several demon cultivators all slightly narrowed their pupils and couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

This mine pit in front of them was abandoned, it had collapsed.

Not only could they not see the edges when looking far, but when looking down, it was so deep they couldn’t see the bottom. It was completely full of corpses!

It was as if corpses were piled up into a vast sea.

Some of these corpses were rotten, some were wind-dried, some were buried in the mine stones, and some seemed to have been gnawed by demonic beasts at the bottom of the mountain, broken and tattered, piled together like garbage.

There were still people who seemed to maintain the appearance of struggling before they died.

These people, with ragged clothing, were almost without exception, all mine cultivators. Looking at them, they didn’t know how many there were.

They were calling for help, in anger, in despair.

As tomb robbers, their hands were definitely stained with blood.

As demon cultivators, they had killed countless people.

But even so, seeing this scene in front of them, seeing so many corpses piled together, even the several demon cultivators who killed people like mowing grass were somewhat dazed and lost.

This kind of death was simple yet cruel.

“This is… a mine disaster?” Gray Second Master’s voice was hoarse and trembling.

“This must be, how big of a mine disaster…” Shi Tou also found it hard to believe.

Ink Painting’s pupils slightly trembled, his face as still as water.

The Shen family classics, including the Dao Court Division documents, had no records of this huge mine disaster.

Not a single bit.

Even in the Shen family’s internal jade slip that Shen Xiu Yan secretly gave him, there was not the slightest trace.

A mine disaster of this severity, the Shen family absolutely could not be completely unaware.

They deliberately concealed it.

Ink Painting also finally understood at this time why Lonely Mountain City suddenly had so many orphans several hundred years ago.

Because their dads and moms, their ancestors, all died inside this mine pit.

The children they left behind had no one to raise them, so they naturally became orphans.

And orphans struggled to make a living, had nowhere to cultivate, and even after growing up, they easily died in the cruel cultivation world, their next generation of children thus becoming orphans again…

Generation after generation, Lonely Mountain City truly became “Lonely” Mountain City.

But this matter is probably not so simple…

Ink Painting silently turned his head and looked at Shen Qing Sheng to the side.

Shen Qing Sheng had been knocked unconscious by the bear-like wild demon cultivator and carried all the way by Shi Tou. At this time, stimulated by the yin energy, he also saw the countless corpses in front of him, his pupils widened, and his face was pale.

Young Master Xuan also looked at him and said with praise:

“Is this your Shen family’s handiwork? Such a huge pit of ten thousand people, I’m afraid no less than ten thousand people died…”

Shen Qing Sheng immediately panicked and said: “How is that possible? How is this possible for my Shen family to do?”

Young Master Xuan smiled grimly, “But this is your Shen family’s mine, isn’t it?”

“No…”

“This isn’t your Shen family’s mine?”

“It is…”

Shen Qing Sheng was momentarily panicked and didn’t know what to say, “No! It must be someone framing and harming us, creating this kind of killing karma under my Shen family’s mine! It must be!”

“My Shen family is upright and frank, a fifth-grade family in Qian Xue State, a hereditary subject of Qian Dao Sect, acting right and sitting straight…”

“This… this is a mine disaster, a natural disaster, unrelated to my Shen family!”

Shen Qing Sheng bit his teeth and said.

Young Master Xuan let out a cold laugh, “Whether it’s your Shen family’s doing or not, once this matter is exposed, saying that your Shen family’s mine buried a pit of ten thousand people, and the Dao Court investigates again, you’re afraid you won’t be able to escape unscathed.”

Shen Qing Sheng’s face was instantly devoid of blood color, “No, these lowly commoners, they just died, what does it have to do with my Shen family…”

Ink Painting’s gaze slightly chilled.

Young Master Xuan shook his head, he didn’t actually care what Shen Qing Sheng said.

The black-robed old man and the others were similar.

They still had more important things to do.

“The thing is, it’s in this pit of ten thousand people…” The black-robed old man seemed to have determined something, turned around, looked at Ink Painting, “Little brother, would you be able to lead the way?”

Ink Painting was startled and asked: “What thing?”

“The true tomb.” The black-robed old man said.

Ink Painting thought for a moment, shook his head, “Old senior, in this pit of ten thousand people, there are corpses everywhere, and very few array traces. I probably won’t be able to find the way out…”

He was telling the truth.

Moreover, tomb burial arrays were also his weakness.

He also fundamentally didn’t know what kind of tomb these several demon cultivators were looking for.

Not to mention, in this pit of ten thousand people, where corpses were like grass, extending far beyond sight and deep beyond reach, there was fundamentally no direction to find.

The black-robed old man looked at Gray Second Master again.

Gray Second Master’s face showed difficulty, and he similarly shook his head:

“This pit of ten thousand people is at most a ‘mass grave’, not a formal tomb burial. There are no rules to follow, and I have no method either.”

The black-robed old man looked deeply at Gray Second Master, determined he was not lying, frowned slightly, then turned his head and said to the demon sect leader:

“Can you sense it?”

Sense?

Ink Painting’s heart stirred, and he also secretly looked at the fierce and majestic demon cultivator leader.

The demon sect leader took out a knife, cut his wrist, and held the blood in his palm.

The deep red blood seemed to tremble in his palm, as if being pulled by some mysterious existence.

“Walk.”

The demon sect leader said in a low, deep, and majestic voice.

Then his burly body was the first to leap directly into the pit of ten thousand people.

The others hesitated for a moment, and then all followed behind him.

Leaping into the pit of ten thousand people, looking around, all were the imminent despair and dead corpses of mine cultivators. There was a bone-chilling gloomy feeling.

Fortunately, this pit of ten thousand people itself was also formed by the collapse of a huge mine pit, so there were still some mountain paths left between the corpses.

The crowd followed the mountain paths, walking towards the distance, as if walking in a dense sea of corpses.

Ink Painting was always worried that these dead corpses would suddenly riot and swallow them.

But fortunately, these corpses were not like the corpse evils outside; they would not move, and they were truly just one by one corpses.

But Ink Painting looked and looked, yet his heart felt some strangeness.

According to reason, so many cultivators died tragically, there should be towering dead energy and resentment energy.

Once these dead energy and resentment energy intertwined, over time, it would be impossible for these corpses not to undergo “corpse change”.

But now these corpses were truly just piled together like this, fundamentally without any trace of “abnormal change”…

Ink Painting frowned, looked again carefully, and suddenly his heart stirred.

“These corpses… seem to have all been drained empty?”

“What thing is drawing away the dead energy and resentment energy from these corpses?”

Ink Painting’s gaze slightly trembled as he silently withdrew his gaze and continued to follow the crowd forward.

After walking for a while, Ink Painting suddenly raised his head, his pupils slightly contracted.

In his divine sense view, the sky in front was somewhat different. The air was filled with countless, fragmented… evil spirits?

No…

These evil spirits presented a fragmented “human shape”, more like some wandering ghosts.

These ghosts were blocking the path the crowd had to pass through.

Just at this time, the black-robed old man also raised his palm and said: “Stop.”

After the crowd stopped, the black-robed old man’s eyebrows were tightly furrowed, then he looked at Gray Second Master, “Gray Second Master, the yin energy in front is somewhat heavy.”

Gray Second Master also dared not neglect, took out a jade pendant, bit his finger, wiped the blood on the jade pendant, and then saw the jade pendant flash with a gloomy green light.

Gray Second Master’s expression was solemn, and he said in a low voice:

“Something unclean.”

Ink Painting’s heart suddenly understood.

“So that’s it…”

These people, the proficient Mao Mountain techniques of Gray Second Master, including this experienced demon sect second elder, were not like him, who could personally “see” these ghosts.

They could only vaguely feel the yin energy, and then use some tools to predict.

Ink Painting was not actually afraid of these ghosts.

But he was somewhat curious about what methods Gray Second Master and the others had to solve these ghosts in front of them…

“This old man doesn’t cultivate the ‘ghost’ path…”

The black-robed old man pondered for a moment, looked at Gray Second Master, “Among the Mao Mountain Dao techniques, there should be methods to dispel yin ghosts, right?”

Gray Second Master frowned: “Ghosts and zombies are different, they are formless things, involving divine thought and Dao laws. Even within the Mao Mountain lineage, if not for disciples with strong innate divine sense and talent in this path, there is no way to study it.”

“This junior is dull and cannot learn this kind of inheritance, but…” Gray Second Master sighed and said, “I steal tombs every day, and instead learned some simple avoidance methods for entering tombs, but whether they are effective is hard to say.”

“No harm,” the black-robed old man said, “Gray Second Master, just give it a try.”

Gray Second Master then said: “This method is called ‘Pointing the Human Lamp’.”

“Human Lamp?”

Gray Second Master nodded, “Generally when we enter tombs, if we feel that the tomb is strange and yin ghosts are breeding, we will catch one or two living people as standby, use their divine sense to light a lamp, and have them probe the way for us.”

The black-robed old man looked at Ink Painting, then looked at Shen Qing Sheng, and asked: “What kind of living people are good?”

Gray Second Master said: “Not too old, clean blood energy, pure thoughts, clever talent, abundant sea of consciousness, and it’s best if they also know some arrays…”

“Ghosts like this kind of person’s divine sense the most.”

Ink Painting was stunned and somewhat speechless.

He thought to himself, you could just point at me directly, why describe so much…

He realized that they had been preparing to use him to “point the Human Lamp” from the beginning when they caught him.

The black-robed old man did indeed look at Ink Painting, nodded slightly, then reached out and grabbed Shen Qing Sheng from the side:

“Use him to light the lamp.”

Gray Second Master was not surprised and simply said: “Good.”

Shen Qing Sheng’s face was panicked.

No… you were describing him, not me…

Gray Second Master took out a lamp-like golden hoop.

Shen Qing Sheng screamed: “Stop! Do you know who my dad and mom are? You can’t do this to me! You…”

Gray Second Master had already choked his throat and said in a low voice: “Dare to yell again, and I’ll kill you.”

Shen Qing Sheng’s face showed annoyance, but he eventually deflated and dared not resist.

Gray Second Master placed the golden hoop on Shen Qing Sheng’s forehead.

The golden hoop closed, tightly clasping onto Shen Qing Sheng’s Bai Hui, and several other acupoints that connected to the sea of consciousness.

Above the golden hoop, there was still a lamp holder.

Gray Second Master took out a white candle, inserted it into the lamp holder, and then used a dim white fire light.

As the fire light brightened, a hazy lamp light illuminated the path ahead.

Shen Qing Sheng’s face was blank. He didn’t feel pain or discomfort.

Ink Painting, however, could see that his divine sense was being guided out by this golden hoop, burning together with the candle, and then scattering in all directions like incense smoke.

Gray Second Master commanded Shen Qing Sheng: “You, walk in front.”

Shen Qing Sheng cursed secretly, but he dared not disobey the command. He could only walk at the very front, with the golden hoop lamp holder on his head, acting as the “Human Lamp”.

The surrounding ghosts did indeed gather, absorbing the fire supplied by Shen Qing Sheng’s sea of consciousness, borrowing the divine sense smoke burned out by the Human Lamp.

After the ghosts absorbed the smoke, they also became abnormally quiet. They would not riot, nor would they attack other cultivators.

The crowd followed behind Shen Qing Sheng, walking through the mountain paths full of ghosts, without any evil staining their bodies, abnormally safe.

Ink Painting secretly found it strange. He didn’t think there were such strange methods in the world.

As for Shen Qing Sheng walking in front, it was fine at first. His divine sense was abundant, and using his head to point the Human Lamp didn’t cause pain.

But as he continued to point, he had a feeling of being “absorbed” in his head.

His divine sense was little by little being burned dry.

That burning pain also gradually intensified.

Shen Qing Sheng only felt pain and fear at this time, “What the hell is this…”

He reached out to take down the lamp holder, but his arm was grasped by Gray Second Master.

“Brat, be honest, or I’ll kill you.” Gray Second Master said coldly.

He showed no politeness towards Shen Qing Sheng.

In his heart, Shen Qing Sheng hated Gray Second Master and wished to kill his ancestors for eighteen generations, but at this time, under control, he had no power to resist and could only let his head continue to be used as a “Human Lamp” to be pointed.

The crowd continued to walk forward.

Shen Qing Sheng’s face became paler and paler, his divine sense drier and drier, and his sea of consciousness more and more painful.

He was clearly not an array master, but he also experienced the pain of his brain being exhausted and his divine thoughts drying up.

Fortunately, after walking for a while longer, the crowd finally walked out of the “Ghost Path”.

The yin energy faded, and Ink Painting could also see that the ghosts had all scattered.

Gray Second Master then took down Shen Qing Sheng’s lamp holder.

He also didn’t really want to kill this Shen Qing Sheng.

Next, they didn’t know what they would encounter, so they needed to keep a living person as a standby, even if they needed to continue using him to light the lamp.

If Shen Qing Sheng died, then they would just have to use Ink Painting to light the lamp.

To use Ink Painting to light the lamp, to tell the truth, he was truly somewhat reluctant.

Having crossed the Ghost Path, deep inside the pit of ten thousand people, the blood in the demon sect leader’s palm trembled more and more violently.

It seemed that something related to his bloodline was already resonating with something else.

For the first time, Ink Painting felt a clear emotion on the body of this ferocious and majestic demon sect leader.

The demon sect leader, with his huge body, continued to walk forward.

After walking for a while longer, the crowd arrived at an empty and spacious mountain ground.

From the surface, this mountain ground looked ordinary, but it was strange that although they were clearly in the middle of the pit of ten thousand people, there was not a single corpse around this mountain ground.

As if this place was a piece of pure land.

Or, it was a “sacred ground” that no one was allowed to invade.

The blood in the demon sect leader’s palm was restlessly agitated. He said in a low, deep, and hoarse voice, suppressing a hint of excitement:

“Just here…”

Ink Painting’s heart also involuntarily tightened.

He could feel that he was already very, very close to some things…

These things had a huge karma with him.

They even made him feel a hint of inexplicable excitement from the bottom of his heart.

But what exactly it was, Ink Painting couldn’t say for a while…

The demon sect leader, relying on the bloodline sense in his palm, walked around nearby, then stopped in front of a blank mountain wall.

The mountain wall was wide and empty.

The dragon pattern brightened, evil force attached to his body, and with a dragon roar, the demon sect leader simply used one fist to completely smash the mountain wall.

Stone fragments scattered, and smoke and dust filled the air.

After the smoke and dust dispersed, a huge and grand gate was revealed behind the mountain wall.

This gate was also cast from bright yellow copper ore on the outside, inlaid with various jade stones, and carved with exquisite reliefs, noble and luxurious.

Behind the gate, there were flying pavilions and overhanging eaves, flowing light and overflowing colors. It was a golden and dazzling palace, dazzling to the extreme.

This was a shrine.

In the gloomy pit of ten thousand people, seeing such a rich and magnificent, golden and dazzling shrine, the crowd was all somewhat shocked and strange for a while.

Ink Painting, however, slightly furrowed his brows.

He always felt that this shrine everywhere revealed a sense of familiarity.

“Familiar…”

Ink Painting looked around the periphery of this shrine, then involuntarily let his gaze fall on the luxurious gate inlaid with gems.

Above the gate, there were carvings of reliefs.

The reliefs depicted what seemed to be a golden and dazzling deity.

This deity held a mountain halberd, wore a set of golden chain armor, had a long and narrow face, a majestic gaze, and in the cold and stern expression, revealed a sense of overlooking all living beings.

Ink Painting stared at Him for a long time, then slowly opened his mouth wide.

This face…

This is… Yellow Mountain Lord?!

Deep in Lonely Mountain, at the bottom of the corpse image coffin, in the middle of the pit of ten thousand people, this rich golden imperial palace is actually… Yellow Mountain Lord’s shrine?!!