Star Odyssey - Chapter 3638: Preserved

Chapter 3638: Preserved

Xu Shu looked in the Arcanum Domain’s direction with respect in his eyes. “We are not qualified to bear the surname of Zhan. Having the Xu surname is already an honor, as it allows us to guard the Garden of Passing.”

Grandpa Fa sighed in admiration. “Within the seven major powers, possessing a unique surname is something that countless people can only dream of. ‘Xu’ is clearly tied to the Garden of Passing, which means that it represents the Gate of Laws. Not just anyone is qualified to bear such a name.”

Xu Shu gave a small smile. Such words were pleasant to hear.

He soon led Grandpa Fa and the others into the Arcanum Domain.

Just as Old Tao had predicted, the security measures for the Garden of Passing were not very strict. If they had been going anywhere near where the sequence bases were constructed, even if Lu Yin’s disguise might fool even Dukkhans, it would not hold up. That place was even able to detect a Seraph’s disguise.

Other than various ancient powerhouses who were awaiting death, the Garden of Passing contained little else. It only made sense that heavy defenses were unnecessary.

One could even say that these ancient powershouses formed a part of the Gate of Laws’ defenses.

The Garden of Passing was an eerie and somber place. There was no sunlight, and the only sources of illumination were small wisps of blue flames that gave off just enough light to allow for a bit of vision.

Endless tombs could be seen in every direction. There were a few that had cultivators standing beside them, as unmoving as statues. All of those individuals carried the Xu surname.

Xu Shu silently led the group onwards. No one was allowed to fly or tear through space in the Garden of Passing. To show respect for the old cultivators present, only walking was allowed.

Grandpa Fa only stared straight ahead. He was aware that some of the tombs were empty, while others housed those who were still living. Who could say which were which?

Lu Yin had seen the memories of Yi Shang’s enslaved conscient. Ancestor Lin’s tomb was just a bit further ahead, just a bit more.

Even if the number of tombs seemed endless. Each was quite large and took up a significant amount of space. Many were also empty, which only made it appear as if there were more tombs. They had accumulated over countless years.

In a few more years, the Garden of Passing would likely see another expansion. The place had always been growing.

“Aaah-!” Ah Nine suddenly let out a sharp scream. A withered hand had grabbed her ankle, and creepy laughter echoed out from underground.

Grandpa Fa was startled, and he instinctively kicked the hand while Ah Five immediately swung his blade down in a fierce strike.

Both attacks were completely ineffective. The withered hand was shockingly tough.

Xu Shu gave a low shout. “Don’t move!”

Ah Nine’s face was pale, and she trembled with fear as she stared at the ground in terror.

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. He could make out a massive, luxurious palace that sprawled out underground. The interior of each tomb was different; some were simple, while others resembled caves or even lakes. Everything was arranged in accordance with the desires of the cultivator resting in the grave. This particular old man was clearly someone who enjoyed a life of indulgence.

Annoying.

“Senior, these people are here to pay their respects. Please release them,” Xu Shu said in a respectful tone while bowing to the grave.

Laughter continued to ring out from the grave, and the hand maintained a firm grip on Ah Nine’s ankle.

Grandpa Fa and the others flushed red with fury as they glared at the ground.

Xu Shu gritted his teeth. “If you continue with this, Senior, I will be forced to report the matter to Lord Zhan Qianguhou.”

The hand still did not let Ah Nine go, and the disturbing laughter gained an even more unsettling note.

At that moment, someone rushed over, running quickly. They delivered a powerful kick to the hand, but even that was not enough to make the old monster let go.

“You old bastard! You still owe me, and yet you still dare to cause trouble? Watch and see if I don’t throw you as far out of the Garden of Passing as I can and let everyone know that you’ve left! We’ll see how many people come after you then!”

Zhan Qianguhou had arrived, and he was absolutely furious as he threatened the unseen powerhouse.

The hand finally disappeared. “Boring…”

Ah Nine fled the place, badly shaken.

Grandpa Fa and the others continued to glare fiercely at the underground grave, wondering which old scoundrel had scared Ah Nine so badly.

Zhan Qianguhou gave one last glare at the ground. “Watch yourself.”

He then turned and showed Ah Nine a reassuring smile. “Little girl, were you scared? Don’t worry, that was just an old coot teasing you.”

Xu Shu stepped forward and bowed. “My lord, this…”

Zhan Qianguhou waved the man off. “That was none of your concern. You can go now.”

Xu Shu nodded. “Understood.”

With that, he led the rest of his group away.

Zhan Qianguhou was extremely enthusiastic, while also somewhat impatient. “Come. I’ll take you to pay your respects to that old bastard, Ancestor Lin. He’s just pretending to be dead—I can promise you that he’s still alive. Given all my years here in the Garden of Passing, I can assure you that the old guy is just trying to avoid paying his debts, but there’s no chance of that happening! Hmph!”

He continued to mutter to himself as he led the way.

Everyone quickly understood the situation.

Ancestor Lin had agreed to share his inherited technique with Zhan Qianguhou in exchange for help in finding his descendants. As soon as the old man’s descendants were found, his inheritance would be given to Zhan Qianguhou. However, Ancestor Lin had recently gone silent, and no matter how much Zhan Qianguhou shouted at the old man, he refused to respond. That had happened at the exact same time when the team sent to find his descendants had found a few clues. This is unacceptable! How dare that old man try to back out now? I have to drag him out.

Ah Nine hesitantly asked, “Is my ancestor supposed to give you his inherited technique?”

Zhan Qianguhou turned around with a grin. “Relax, little girl. He’ll give it to both of us. We can both receive it. It’s just a cultivation technique, not some priceless treasure.”

“Oh…”

Grandpa Fa and the others exchanged glances. Suddenly, things made sense. If not for this, why would the Gate of Laws have gone through so much trouble just to find Ah Nine? No one would bother without receiving some sort of benefit.

A sequence powerhouse’s inheritance might not be worth much to a group as massive and powerful as the Gate of Laws, but Zhan Qianguhou was just a gravekeeper. He most likely had an insignificant status within the Gate of Laws. Being able to receive a sequence powerhouse’s inheritance was quite impressive, but it also seemed that the man had struck similar deals with other dying experts. As time passed, he had probably acquired multiple inheritances.

Within the Gate of Laws, Zhan Qianguhou might be a nobody, but to independent cultivators, he was completely untouchable.

“If Ancestor Lin truly is dead, you won’t pass his debt on to Ah Nine, will you?” Grandpa Fa asked in concern.

Zhan Qianguhou rolled his eyes. “Of course not. What could a little girl like her possibly offer me? A deal is a deal. I’m a man of principles.”

Grandpa Fa let out a breath of relief.

“But…” Zhan Qianguhou suddenly stopped moving, seemingly to be considering his next words.

Grandpa Fa and the others tensed up, growing nervous, and Ah Nine pursed her lips tightly.

They were no longer in control of their own lives. This was precisely why Ah Nine had not wanted to visit the Garden of Passing. They were nothing more than lambs to be slaughtered in this place.

Zhan Qianguhou turned around and gave the group a serious look. “How should your compensation be calculated?”

Grandpa Fa and the others were stunned, staring at him in confusion.

Zhan Qianguhou let out a sigh of frustration. “Xu Shu told me that you didn’t want to come and that he forced you. Because of that, I should compensate you. This entire time, I’ve been thinking about what I should offer you. Actually, better yet, why don’t you just tell me what you need? Save me the trouble of overthinking. I’m getting a headache from all of this.”

Grandpa Fa instinctively glanced at Ah Nine, who shook her head. “Nothing, that’s not necessary.”

“That won’t do. You were told that you’d be compensated, so you will. What’s this? Are you embarrassed?” Zhan Qianguhou smirked in a knowing manner. “Fine, I’ll decide then. Oh, right, Ancestor Lin’s tomb is just up ahead.”

He rushed forward. “Old man, I’ve brought your descendant here! Open your eyes and take a look. Don’t even think about abandoning your debt!”

Within the grave, Yi Shang’s eyes opened, and he let out a sigh of frustration. Why did they have to come here? He had wanted to switch tombs long ago. The gravekeeper was much too noisy, but for some reason, Zhan Ming had ordered Yi Shang to remain in this particular grave, which forced him to endure endless chatter, which was a constant annoyance.

He glanced down at his cosmic ring. If it comes down to it, I’ll just toss him something to send him away.

Grandpa Fa and the others stopped in front of the grave, and Ah Nine stepped forward on her own, staring at the grave. There was no inscription of any sort on the tombstone.

In fact, none of the tombstones in the Garden of Passing bore any inscriptions.

Zhan Qianguhou was still shouting, and he even slapped the tombstone. “Old man, your descendant is here! Take a look. Come on, just one look! Stop pretending!”

Ah Nine stood frozen in front of the tombstone. Is my ancestor really inside? Is he still alive? Why was I left alone to roam the universes? Why didn’t my ancestor look for me before he was close to death?

Complicated emotions raged within her.

There was a soft plop as a jade slip was dropped in front of the grave.

Ah Nine blinked in surprise, and Zhan Qianguhou snatched it up and burst into laughter. “I knew that you weren’t dead, old man! You want to keep pretending? Let’s see how long you can maintain this act! Hahaha!”

As he examined the jade slip, Zhan Qianguhou nodded in satisfaction. “So this is your inherited technique? Not bad at all! Definitely worth all the effort I put into finding your descendant. Wait a second… what about her? Are you not giving her anything?”

Inside the grave, Yi Shang was growing increasingly annoyed, and he threw out another jade slip.

Zhan Qianguhou snatched that one as well, and he quickly examined it. He then glared at the grave. “Old man, are you trying to play tricks with me? These two techniques are completely different!”

Within the grave, Yi Shang’s face twitched, and he threw out another jade slip.

It held the same technique as the second one that he had given.

Zhan Qianguhou examined the third slip of jade and then leaned closer to the grave. “Old man, this is fake, isn’t it? You’re trying to trick me! You haven’t given me the real inheritance, have you? Why else would you refuse to personally meet your descendant?

“The Garden of Passing has no rules preventing you from stepping out and speaking with them!”

Yi Shang was furious, and he wanted to slap Zhan Qianguhou dead. Still, after considering the situation, the old man chose to remain cautious. He took a deep breath and then threw out two more jade slips while saying, “My time is running out. There’s no need for such a meeting. My descendant will need to take care of herself.”

When Ah Nine heard the aged voice, her expression grew conflicted. “Ancestor, is that really you?”

Yi Shang did not respond.

Zhan Qianguhou picked up the two jade slips and inspected them both. “Such powerful techniques! Old man, you really hid some treasures.”

Yi Shang had suffered a loss this time. Each jade slip that he threw out had contained an increasingly powerful technique, and the last one was a technique that even he had personally paid a great price to obtain. He had intended to leave that for the direct line of his Yi family, but he had been forced to give it away just to get rid of Zhan Qianguhou.

It was readily evident that the technique was powerful, and it was impressive for a mere sequence powerhouse to be able to share such a thing. Zhan Qianguhou would never suspect him of hiding an even greater technique. If that were possible, Ancestor Lin would not have been just a sequence powerhouse, but rather an Ortuser or a Dukkhan.

Zhan Qianguhou tossed one of the slips of jade over to Ah Nine and then walked away, completely satisfied. He had made out well from this deal.

Ah Nine remained standing in front of the grave, dazed, and her eyes flushing red. “Ancestor, what is our family’s surname?”

Yi Shang was left speechless. Will this never end? All he really wanted was for everyone to leave, but he could not chase them away. He instead chose to ignore them, simply closed his eyes, and resumed cultivating.

Grandpa Fa and the others exchanged glances, and then stepped forward to comfort Ah Nine. “Ancestor Lin’s time is near. He doesn’t want to speak anymore. Let it go, child.”

“Let’s pay our respects,” Ah Three said.

Grandpa Fa was speechless. “Ancestor Lin isn’t even dead yet.”

“All the better to pay them early and save it for later,” Ah Five replied, his voice as calm as ever.

Everyone instinctively glanced at him. This guy… really had a way with words. Could you even save up something like that?