The Invisibility Talismans Third Senior Sister brought out were exceptionally high grade, carrying no cultivation restrictions for the user. Lu Yang burned a talisman, his body turning invisible, and strolled right through the branch tribe of the Qiongqi Clan as if no one were around.
Though it was called a branch tribe, that was only relative to the main Qiongqi Clan. Out in the wider world, even these branch tribes were revered by the demon race. Just in the short distance he had walked, Lu Yang encountered a patrol squad.
The patrol leader was astonishingly a Foundation Establishment master, while the team members were all formidable beings at the eighth or ninth level of Qi Refinement.
And that was just a squad leader; a company commander was likely a Golden Core ancestor, or at least a half-step Golden Core ancestor.
"The patriarch of this tribe is at early Body Integration. That level of cultivation would earn him a seat even on the Qiongqi Clan's council of elders, but he was injured years ago and cannot easily take action," Third Senior Sister warned. This tribe possessed the strength of a first-rank sect, albeit the weakest variety, but they still could not let their guard down.
Both nodded in unison, assuring Third Senior Sister not to worry; if the two brothers had few other virtues, being cautious and careful was definitely one of them.
Lu Yang also saw a young mixed-blood Qiongqi huffing and puffing through his training. He bounded around a small courtyard, his fur drenched in sweat, yet he showed no sign of stopping.
"I must evolve my bloodline into a pureblood Qiongqi and bring honor to my family!"
The young mixed-blood Qiongqi's eyes shone brightly, brimming with hope.
The demon race possessed unique cultivation methods capable of purifying bloodlines and offering a chance for the carp to leap through the dragon gate. However, very few ever succeeded.
"So methods of bloodline evolution have been passed down all the way to the present day," the Immortal Fairy remarked. Having dealt with demon beasts for an eternity, she recognized the origin of the young mixed-blood Qiongqi's movements at a glance—it was a bloodline evolution technique compiled by Immortal Kirin.
Before Immortal Kirin, bloodline evolution techniques had existed, but their efficiency was far too low.
"Fairy, can he evolve into a pureblood Qiongqi?"
"This little tiger's bloodline is quite mixed; his ancestors include six or seven different types of demon beasts. In a branch tribe, his talent makes him a genius. If he keeps training like this, he really can elevate his bloodline to pureblood, but that's as far as it goes. Once he becomes a pureblood and enters the Qiongqi Clan, he'll discover that geniuses like him are a dime a dozen. He won't be able to stand out in the Qiongqi Clan."
"That rough?"
"It's not rough, it's reality. The gap in innate talent is right there. If you placed this little tiger in Great Xia, he wouldn't even qualify for the grand finals; he couldn't fight his way in.
"The Qiongqi Clan has plenty of geniuses just as gifted and just as hardworking as he is, and those geniuses enjoyed better resources than he did. How could he possibly stand out?
"To become the strongest, neither talent nor resources can be lacking. Take your talent—it's formidable enough, isn't it? Never mind putting you in a second- or third-rank sect; even if you were placed in a first-rank sect, could they fully bring out your potential? Not a chance."
Lu Yang nodded. Without bragging, his talent definitely couldn't be fully realized in a first-rank sect; even placing him in the Five Elements Sect might not fully bring it out.
"So you see, hard work does lead to success, but no matter how hard you work, you can't beat someone who works just as hard and is more talented than you."
"Fairy, did you tell me all this to encourage me to cultivate diligently?"
"No, I mean Girl Yun has great talent, endures hardship willingly, and has cultivated for several centuries longer than you. You probably won't catch up to her. When our Immortal Lineage fights her, I'll take the lead, and you can back me up."
Lu Yang: "..."
Without any alarms or mishaps, the trio traversed the branch tribe and reached the Qiongqi Clan. The Qiongqi patrolled in squads of five across the sky and ground, with a fresh squad arriving every ten minutes.
"Strange. Why is the Qiongqi Clan so heavily guarded? Are they about to go to war with the Howling Moon Heavenly Wolf Clan?" Third Senior Sister murmured.
"Should we go somewhere else?"
"No need. It's not aimed at us anyway."
"How does Senior Sister know?" Meng Jingzhou asked curiously.
"If it were aimed at us, the Qiongqi Clan elders would be out on patrol. What good would these small fries do? Being guarded this heavily is probably just to put on a show."
"...Makes sense."
"Every day at noon, the clan-protecting grand formation has a gap of three breaths. We need to seize that chance to slip inside." Third Senior Sister knew the ropes, possessing an intimate understanding of the Qiongqi Clan's formations; there was no telling how many times she had been here.
A quarter of an hour later, Third Senior Sister shot them a look. Timing it precisely, the three successfully entered the Qiongqi Clan territory.
Qiongqi were accustomed to living in jungles and caves, so hollowed-out tree trunks and hollowed-out mountains could be seen everywhere throughout the clan's settlement.
As they moved through the settlement, they occasionally came across a few Qiongqi gathered in conversation. Lu Yang faintly caught phrases like "envoys visiting," which naturally sparked his curiosity.
Was this the reason the Qiongqi Clan was on high alert?
Envoys were visiting?
What caliber of envoys could warrant such a massive display from the Qiongqi Clan?
Lu Yang quietly asked Third Senior Sister.
"Envoys? A visit from an equal wouldn't warrant such a fuss. It's likely a race even more powerful than the Qiongqi Clan—something on the level of dragons or phoenixes."
"Third Senior Sister, where are we heading?"
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou followed behind Third Senior Sister, venturing further and further into secluded areas. For quite some time, they didn't spot a single Qiongqi, and the surroundings felt increasingly eerie.
"The Qiongqi Clan's tombs. If you want to do archaeology and unearth the secrets hidden in history, you have to go to places like this. Whether it's the murals or the funerary objects, they're all cultural relics worth studying.
"Didn't I ask Eldest Senior Sister to send someone knowledgeable about ancient history? It was right here in the Qiongqi Clan's tombs that I discovered something strange."
"Something strange?"
"It's hard to explain in a few words. You'll understand once you see it."
The Qiongqi Clan took their ancestral graves quite seriously, assigning a Body Integration stage Qiongqi as the tomb guardian. Unfortunately, against Third Senior Sister, the guardian might as well have been nonexistent, and she even had enough leeway to bring two juniors inside.
Upon seeing the Qiongqi Clan's tomb, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were thoroughly shocked.
Before them stood a colossal Qiongqi statue, massive enough to fill their entire field of view, carved from three mountain peaks and joined together with immense magical power.
The Qiongqi statue was lifelike: a ferocious tiger bearing a pair of wings, its tiger eyes majestic, poised as if ready to take flight at any moment.
Just looking at the statue exerted an overwhelming sense of intimidation.
The Qiongqi Clan's tombs lay directly beneath this colossal statue.
"It's said to be a tomb built in ancient times. This style was quite popular for demon race tombs back then," Third Senior Sister explained, gesturing for them not to make a fuss.
Suddenly, Meng Jingzhou froze in his tracks. He pointed up toward the Qiongqi statue overhead, not daring to lift his head.
"Why do I feel like this statue is alive and has been watching us the whole time? Is it an illusion?"
Lu Yang started, a chill running down his spine. In fact, he had felt the exact same way. If two people shared the feeling, it was no illusion.
Third Senior Sister sent them a voice transmission, sharing an esoteric secret: "I also feel like I'm being watched.
"There has always been a legend within the Qiongqi Clan saying that what's above us isn't a statue at all, but an ancient Qiongqi that petrified itself and has slept to this day, gathering strength and ready to awaken at any moment!"
The two grew even more nervous, swallowing hard, their hearts thumping wildly as if the ancient Qiongqi above had already awakened, gaping its bloody maw wide over the three intruders, saliva dripping down...
The Immortal Fairy, well-versed and knowledgeable, offered an explanation: "You feel like someone is watching you? That's a formation designed by Immortal Ying Tian. He advocated that everyone lay down this formation when building their own tombs because it scares people and makes for a great legend."
Chapter 576