Yun Che remained before the tomb, which was partially hidden by the roots of the trees and the dense vegetation that had grown over the ancient stones.
The surface was covered in moss, but some inscriptions could still be distinguished beneath the layer of dirt.
Yun Che did not enter immediately. He remained still, observing every detail of the entrance as the cold wind passed through the valley, causing the dry leaves to slowly drag across the ground.
"A tomb that has survived for so many years can’t be completely unprotected."
Behind Yun Che stood the physical corpse spirit. The undead remained motionless, its body rigid and its eyes empty as it waited for an order.
Yun Che looked at it.
"You go first. After all, you’re already dead anyway."
The undead entered. For several seconds, nothing happened. Yun Che waited as his servant walked forward.
Then a spiritual blade suddenly emerged from the wall. The undead tried to retreat, but the blade pierced through its shoulder, opening a huge crack in its body.
Yun Che narrowed his eyes.
"Defensive formation, still functional."
The blade had emerged from a nearly invisible opening. There were three others around it.
"If I had entered without checking..."
Yun Che did not finish the sentence. The result would have been obvious.
He ordered the undead to advance again, this time through the opposite side of the corridor. Another blade emerged, followed by a third.
Each mechanism revealed part of the formation. Yun Che memorized the sequence.
"Left, right, center... then pause."
He took a deep breath.
"Now."
The first few meters were peaceful, and then he heard a small click. Yun Che stopped immediately.
A black needle pierced the space where his throat would have been if he had continued walking.
Cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
"Phew, that was close."
There was a stone that looked slightly different from the others. Yun Che picked up a small piece of wood and pressed it against the stone. Immediately afterward, dozens of needles shot from the walls.
The metallic sound echoed through the corridor as Yun Che retreated.
He began to understand that he could not rely on strength alone. Even with an undead at his disposal, every mistake could bring him closer to death.
He continued advancing slowly.
With every mechanism, he used the undead to test the path. When there was no other option, he threw stones, pieces of wood, or other objects to activate the traps before crossing.
Even so, he could not avoid everything.
In one of the corridors, the floor suddenly disappeared.
Yun Che fell, his body striking a lower platform as a violent pain spread through his back.
Before he could get up, several energy blades appeared around him, forcing him to roll to the side.
One of the blades cut through his clothes and opened a deep wound in his arm. Another passed across his shoulder. Yun Che gritted his teeth.
"Damn..."
Blood began flowing down his arm. He immediately pressed his hand against the wound.
[Physical condition analyzed.]
[Moderate injury.]
[Blood loss: increasing.]
Yun Che took one of the small recovery pills Mei Liang had given him and swallowed it.
The medicinal energy spread through his body, slowly reducing the bleeding. He closed his eyes for a few seconds.
"Mei Liang, you were right..."
He remembered her warning.
"Don’t try to defeat what you cannot defeat."
Yun Che opened his eyes.
He could not simply cross this tomb like a hero. He began studying the walls again.
This time, he noticed small differences between the stones. Some had a thin layer of dust, while others were completely clean.
"These are activated frequently."
He pointed at three of them.
"Then these must be the traps."
Using a piece of wood, he tested them one by one. Two remained inactive, but the third activated a formation.
Yun Che immediately retreated, and the entire wall began to glow as a wave of spiritual energy swept through the corridor.
The undead placed itself in front of him, protecting him. The explosion struck the physical corpse spirit and sent it crashing into the wall.
Yun Che was only partially hit, but he still felt a brutal force pass through his chest.
His body was thrown several meters, crashing against the ground. His vision became blurry for several seconds, and he could not breathe.
[Vitality: 17%.]
Yun Che tried to move. A sharp pain shot through his ribs.
"Damn, that hurts..."
He gritted his teeth.
"I can’t die here."
His hand searched for the bag. The pills were still there, but there were only a few left.
He could not waste them.
Yun Che breathed slowly and waited for the pain to subside.
Then he looked at the undead, whose body was partially destroyed but still capable of moving.
[Yin Storage Function available.]
"Storage?"
[Physical corpse spirits can be temporarily stored within the user’s body.]
[Stored state: inactive.]
[Summoning available upon command.]
"So I don’t have to keep it beside me all the time."
He concentrated his spiritual energy. The undead slowly transformed into a stream of dark energy that entered his body.
[Physical corpse spirit stored.]
Yun Che opened and closed his hand.
Now he could hide his undead and summon them only when necessary. There was no time to test anything else.
The corridors became increasingly narrow. The air was cold, carrying the ancient scent of damp stone and something else that was more difficult to identify.
Yun Che finally reached a stone door. At its center was a small inscription.
He wiped away the dust.
"Those who seek my legacy must understand that death is merely the final price."
Yun Che pushed the door, opening it slowly. On the other side was a huge chamber.
At the center stood a stone coffin. Several ancient boxes surrounded it, but most of them had been destroyed.
Yun Che approached carefully.
[Corpse identified.]
[Cultivation in life: Tempered Body, Tenth Level.]
Yun Che became serious.
The Tenth Level was the maximum limit of the first major realm. It was a perfectly suitable corpse for his Necromancy.
But before he acted, he noticed something about the coffin.
There was a small jade box between the corpse’s hands.
Yun Che approached and discovered that the box was intact.
"You kept this until you died."
He tried to remove it, but nothing happened. Then he noticed a small inscription.
It was some kind of seal.
Yun Che did not try to break it immediately. Instead, he observed it.
He analyzed its structure and, after several minutes, found a small opening on the side.
Using the tip of his sword, he carefully pressed the mechanism.
With a click, the box opened.
Inside was a small piece of jade and an extremely ancient sheet of paper, protected by a layer of spiritual energy.
Yun Che picked up the sheet.
[Ancient alchemy recipe identified.]
[Name: Heavenly Veil Pill.]
[Estimated value: high.]
Yun Che’s eyes widened.
"A high-level recipe... I’m really lucky. Mei Liang is going to freak out when she sees this."
He quickly realized the value of the object.
He did not necessarily need to produce the pill.
He could sell the recipe to a powerful alchemist and use the resources to buy what he needed.
And perhaps he could even obtain the Veil-Breaking Pill.
Yun Che carefully stored the recipe.
"This must have been the ancient cultivator’s greatest treasure. Well, I’ll make good use of it."
At that moment, the tomb began to tremble.
Yun Che raised his head.
Stones began falling from the ceiling.
A crack appeared in one of the walls.
"No."
Another explosion occurred in the corridor, and the ancient formations began collapsing one after another.
Yun Che ran toward the exit.
He could not get very far before a huge stone fell in front of him.
He dodged it, but another struck his leg.
Yun Che fell.
He tried to stand, but his leg did not respond properly.
He leaned on his sword and managed to stand.
The corridor behind him began collapsing.
Yun Che ran.
A stone fell onto his shoulder, nearly causing his body to collapse.
[Vitality: 8%.]
His vision began to darken.
He knew he was close to his limit, but he continued anyway.
Step by step.
Finally, he saw the light outside.
Yun Che threw himself forward.
He escaped the entrance at the exact moment a huge section of the tomb collapsed behind him.
The impact sent dust throughout the valley.
Yun Che fell to his knees.
For several seconds, he could not speak. He could only breathe.
He was still alive.
His trembling hand touched the bag.
The recipe was still there.
Yun Che let out a small, exhausted laugh.
"I almost died..."
He looked at the destroyed entrance.
"For a recipe? None of this was worth it."
Yun Che slowly raised his head.
"For an opportunity."
[Heavenly Veil Pill Recipe: obtained.]
[Veil-Breaking Pill: not obtained.]
[Current Cultivation: Tempered Body.]
[Time remaining: 5 days.]
Yun Che closed his eyes.
He still needed the pill. He needed to complete the System’s mission and reach the Elementary Profound Realm.
And he still needed to convince Su Lian that he was capable of keeping his promise so that she would open her legs for him.
Being a man wasn’t easy.
He took a deep breath and began walking back toward the sect.
Before leaving, however, one final message appeared.
[Physical corpse spirit stored.]
[State: inactive.]
Yun Che felt the cold presence of the undead within his body. A faint smile appeared on his face.
"When I need you, I’ll call you."
Then he began walking.
He was injured, exhausted, and still far from achieving his objective.
But now he carried something that could completely change his situation.