Chapter 1586: What I Overcome Is Wealth

Chapter 1586: What I Overcome Is Wealth

Before Wen Zhuangzhu was dismembered, an expression of shock still lingered on his face, as if he could not comprehend what had just happened.

Why did Pei Tanggong, who had clearly been strangled by him, leaving not a trace of aura behind, suddenly appear silently behind his back to deliver a fatal strike?

Was Pei Tanggong alive, or was he a puppet parasitized by Lü Chongshan's ghost?

Why?

How had he... suddenly died?

He had toiled bitterly his entire life to cultivate to the Late Golden Core Stage, yet before he even knew what Feathered Ascension was like, how could he...

Suddenly die...

A bitter smile filled with resentment and incomprehension surfaced on Wen Zhuangzhu's face before it turned completely pale, drained of all color.

That smile of despair froze on his face alongside death, after which he was hacked into pieces by Pei Tanggong's chaotic sword strikes.

Watching Wen Zhuangzhu's gruesome demise, Mo Hua silently sighed in his heart.

Although he had long discerned that Wen Zhuangzhu's forehead was clouded with darkness and that ill fortune likely awaited him, he had not expected him to die in this manner.

Then again, tomb raiding was just like this, fortune and disaster were unpredictable, and a single lapse in attention meant death.

For this reason, amateurs should never enter tombs lightly. Tombs were terrifying places, and what was frightening was not just the mechanisms, corpses, and ghosts, but also the people.

A high cultivation base did not mean one's life was tough enough.

Mo Hua took one final look at Wen Zhuangzhu, sighing softly in his heart:

A pity. Though this Wen Zhuangzhu was cunning, his flattery was rather pleasant to hear...

Mo Hua raised his gaze toward Pei Tanggong, who stood behind Wen Zhuangzhu. Blood smeared Pei Tanggong's face, and his limbs were still twisted like twisted dough twists. Mo Hua also found it peculiar.

In his perception earlier, Pei Tanggong had indeed died.

Even now, in his eyes, this Pei Tanggong was still a dead man; his limbs and torso still bore the marks of being strangled by Wen Zhuangzhu's Emerald Jade Python.

Yet not only was Pei Tanggong not dead, but he had also silently turned the tables to kill Wen Zhuangzhu.

As expected, no one who cultivates to the Late Golden Core Stage is an easy mark. They all possess bizarre tricks up their sleeves to some degree... Mo Hua thought to himself.

After cleaving Wen Zhuangzhu in two, Pei Tanggong raised his treasured sword again, hacking the mutilated corpse into four pieces. Still unsatiated, he sneered:

"This old man saved you, yet you repay kindness with malice, seeking to silence me. You deserve death!"

His throat had been crushed by the emerald python, making his voice hoarse, raspy, and full of malice.

After speaking, Pei Tanggong retrieved a pill medicine and swallowed it. The pill dissolved into Blood Qi, restoring his physical body.

However, his flesh seemed to be dead already; the Blood Qi from this pill could only preserve a faint sliver of vitality.

It was akin to forcibly prolonging the life of a corpse.

Having slain Wen Zhuangzhu, Pei Tanggong turned back toward Lü Chongshan with a bloody face, smiling faintly:

"Wen Zhuangzhu harbored wild ambitions and dared to defy the Merit Backlash to offend Dao Friend Lü. He had this death coming."

Lü Chongshan's pupils shrank slightly, and he sighed, "Tanggong... long time no see..."

Pei Tanggong also nodded with a sigh. "Indeed, over fifty years... When Dao Friend Lü suddenly passed away back then, it truly grieved this old man. For so many years, it weighed upon my heart, unforgettable. Now to see Dao Friend Lü again, despite the vicissitudes of life, is still a fortunate thing."

Lü Chongshan remained silent for a moment before asking, "Was all of this calculated by you, Tanggong?"

Pei Tanggong asked, "Dao Friend Lü, why say such a thing?"

Lü Chongshan said, "You must have been searching for my tomb for a long time, searching for fifty years without giving up. The appearance of this Esteemed Master Mo provided you with the opportunity.

"Before the Golden-Armored Mighty Warrior, you pretended to sacrifice yourself to save Wen Zhuangzhu, willingly allowing my Parasitic Ghost to enter your brain. In truth, that was all part of your calculations as well...

"Though my Parasitic Ghost entered your brain and took control of your Sea of Consciousness, cause and effect are mutually generating and opposing. In turn, that Parasitic Ghost was also leaking my information to you.

"As long as you could resolve the Parasitic Ghost in your mind, you could strike back to target me..."

Lü Chongshan shook his head and sighed. "Not seeing you for years, your Ghost Dao has actually reached such a profound level, Tanggong. Lü is impressed."

Pei Tanggong let out a raspy chuckle. "As expected of Dao Friend Lü... In this world, everything comes at a price. The Ghost Dao is no exception. This old man exerted painstaking effort to reach this step. However, as long as I can see Dao Friend Lü, any price is worth paying."

Lü Chongshan asked, "Does Tanggong also seek to plot against my family's estate?"

Pei Tanggong shook his head. "How could this old man share the same narrow perspective as Wen Zhuangzhu?

"Wen Zhuangzhu was greedy by nature, had not lived long enough, and lacked sufficient understanding. Thus, he did not know that in this world, more wealth is not necessarily better.

"'What I overcome is wealth; what overcomes me is disaster.' Not everyone understands these words of Lord Lü.

"A person of Wen Zhuangzhu's temperament is one who is overcome by wealth.

"If he didn't die in this tomb today, he would die somewhere else.

"Even if his wish came true and he seized the Lü family's industry, one day, his entire clan would inevitably be exterminated because of this 'ill-gotten wealth.'

"Money and wealth are cause and effect.

"Those golds, silvers, Spirit Treasures, spirit stones, and Spiritual Materials—each and every piece—are both coveted treasures and culprits that claim lives. The wealth of the world binds fortune and disaster into one; it is the tangible medium of intangible cause and effect.

"The common people are blinded by greed and cannot see through this. But we who have peered past the veneer of the world, how could we not understand?"

Pei Tanggong laughed at himself.

"Therefore," Lü Chongshan said, "Tanggong's purpose on this trip is..."

Pei Tanggong said, "This old man wishes to borrow Lord Lü's [Spirit-Cause Scripture] for a look."

The Spirit-Cause Scripture...

Mo Hua's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this.

Lü Chongshan, however, shook his head. "It is useless. Tanggong, you... will not understand it."

Pei Tanggong sneered, "Lord Lü keeps this scripture for himself and refuses to let this old man see it. How do you know I won't understand?"

Lü Chongshan fell silent.

A glint of desire and sharp light surfaced in Pei Tanggong's aged eyes as he spoke slowly:

"For so many years, this old man has grown accustomed to the rise and fall of wealth and poverty, the ups and downs. It is not as if I couldn't fathom the knack within...

"Spirit stones and possessions are cause and effect. Overcoming brings wealth; being overcome brings disaster.

"The key within all of this is Merit.

"If virtue matches one's position, one can overcome wealth and suppress cause and effect. Otherwise, cause and effect will reverse, turning wealth into disaster.

"Over all these years, this old man has seen far too many people become rich overnight, only to drop dead overnight;

"I have seen people who built their fortunes through diligence, only to gradually fall into decadence, ruining their lifelong family estates;

"I have seen wealthy households whose unworthy descendants neglected to cultivate virtue, causing their entire families to be exterminated...

"On the surface, these rises and falls have their own respective reasons. But the intangible cause and effect within is identical...

"This is Merit.

"Therefore, if one cannot cultivate virtue and cannot suppress cause and effect, even with vast wealth and jade filling the halls, one will ultimately fail to escape a fleeting pipe dream, or even a blade to the neck...

"That the Lü family has been able to remain the wealthiest in Qingchou for so many years, the most crucial reason is that Lord Lü, your Merit is too profound."

Pei Tanggong's gaze burned as he looked at Lü Chongshan. "And the reason your Merit is so profound, if this old man is not mistaken, is that you cultivated that volume of the Spirit-Cause Scripture...

"If this old man obtains this scripture and diligently cultivates Merit, in time, my Pei Clan will gather the wealth of the world and inevitably enjoy boundless glory.

"Even most of the world's ghosts and monsters—be they Wealth Ghosts or Evil Ghosts—this old man could suppress them with Merit, using the power of yin ghosts to uphold the righteous Dao..."

Lü Chongshan shook his head and sighed, "Tanggong, you take this matter too simply..."

Pei Tanggong said, "Nothing in this world is easy, let alone cultivating Merit. How can one know without trying?"

Lü Chongshan's face remained indifferent. "Tanggong, you... simply do not understand. If you had Merit, you would have it by now; if you have no Merit, even reading that volume of the [Spirit-Cause Scripture] will not help."

Pei Tanggong's expression turned cold. "After all this talk, Lord Lü is still stingy and refuses to show me the true scripture?"

Lü Chongshan said, "You cannot understand it. Giving it to you would only harm you."

These words stung Pei Tanggong, and he completely lost his patience.

After all that, it was merely an excuse. What nonsense about understanding or not understanding, what could possibly be incomprehensible about a volume of scripture?

Pei Tanggong's gaze swept over Great Philanthropist Lü, who wore grand robes of gold silk, his body half-gilded and half-rotted.

His gaze finally settled on a thumb ring Lü Chongshan wore.

The thumb ring was likewise forged of gold and jade. Worn on the gilded right hand, its color blended in, making it inconspicuous.

However, Pei Tanggong remembered that when their group had entered the tomb, this Great Philanthropist Lü had been reading a thin, ancient booklet with gold characters.

Afterward, with a flick of his sleeve, Lü Chongshan had put the booklet away, most likely storing it within that thumb ring.

A Storage Thumb Ring was no ordinary treasure; not just anyone was qualified to possess one.

The Spirit-Cause Scripture...

Killing intent gradually surfaced in Pei Tanggong's eyes. Truly, in this world, everything had to be fought for and seized through one's own ability.

Counting on others to give it to you—even just granting a glance—was practically a fool's dream.

However, Pei Tanggong knew in his heart that he and Lü Chongshan were not the only ones in this tomb chamber.

One of the others, Lü Jingxiu, was Great Philanthropist Lü's son, currently severely injured and unconscious.

The remaining person was that... unfathomable Venerable Great Master.

This master was not someone to be trifled with.

After a brief contemplation, Pei Tanggong turned his head toward Mo Hua and asked, "Would the Venerable Great Master be willing to stand by with folded hands?"

Mo Hua said indifferently, "Are you teaching me how to do things?"

Seeing Mo Hua's displeased tone, Pei Tanggong hurriedly cupped his hands, his demeanor becoming even more polite. "I dare not..."

On the surface, he had been parasitized by a ghost, but his Divine-Sense had remained conscious the entire time.

He also knew that just now, two Late Golden Core Stage cultivators plus Lü Jingxiu, a Golden Core middle stage cultivator, could not do anything to this Esteemed Master Mo.

This Esteemed Master Mo did not strike first.

Yet the moment he did strike, the battlefield would undergo a tremendous shift, producing unpredictable accidents.

This was an existence that could not be offended, yet could never be overlooked.

He appeared completely devoid of presence, yet one must never treat him as nonexistent.

Pei Tanggong continued, "This old man... has always admired the Venerable Great Master. For the matters to follow, as long as the Venerable Great Master does not intervene, once this old man persuades Dao Friend Lü and reaps the benefits, there will surely be a share for you, Venerable Great Master."

No need to fight, and there were benefits to take, there truly was no reason to refuse.

Mo Hua nodded, adding:

"I want to see the [Spirit-Cause Scripture] as well."

Pei Tanggong's expression froze slightly. This Esteemed Master was indeed a greedy one as well, but he still smiled faintly:

"This scripture contains the profundities of cause and effect. If this old man obtains it, I will certainly comprehend it together with the Venerable Great Master..."

Mo Hua nodded in satisfaction. "You two fight; I won't interfere."

Pei Tanggong asked cautiously, "Will the Venerable Great Master keep his word?"

"This Esteemed Master swears in the name of the Tongxian Cult Sect-Master that no matter what happens next, I will not strike first. If I break this, I shall suffer the Tongxian Cult Sect-Master's Edict Backlash..." Mo Hua swore solemnly.

Daring to swear in the name of the "Tongxian Cult Sect-Master"...

The weight of this oath was by no means light.

Pei Tanggong felt a chill in his heart, after which he nodded slightly. A sinister look flashed across his eyes before he turned to face Lü Chongshan.

Lü Chongshan knitted his brows tightly.

For fifty years, Pei Tanggong had been coveting his tomb, and he had clearly come prepared today.

Meanwhile, trapped within the tomb for all these years, his own Merit had daily depleted, and now even his Golden Body was beginning to rot...

Lü Chongshan's heart sank gradually.

Pei Tanggong slowly drew the Three Origins Spirit Treasure Sword. The blade radiated a Sword Light far fiercer than before.

Within that Sword Light, there was even an uncanny tint of cyan and red.

Its power was evidently far superior to before.

However, Pei Tanggong's first strike was not aimed at Lü Chongshan, but rather pierced into Lü Jingxiu, who lay on the ground.

Lü Jingxiu was already heavily injured; after taking this sword strike, he woke from the pain, only to black out completely once more.

Lü Chongshan's gaze turned frigid to the extreme. Golden light rippled around his body, harboring killing intent as he glared at Pei Tanggong.

Pei Tanggong said slowly, "Lord Lü, there is no need to be anxious. Jingxiu, this child, is someone this old man watched grow up, after all. How could I bear to take his life? I merely temporarily crippled his meridians so that he cannot move...

"After all, this is a game between our generation; it has nothing to do with a junior like him..."

Lü Chongshan sneered, "Then I truly must thank you."

Pei Tanggong said, "Lord Lü, pardon my offense."

Wen Zhuangzhu was dead, Lü Jingxiu was in a deep coma with no combat strength left, and Great Philanthropist Lü's Merit was damaged, his Golden Body rotting.

Esteemed Master Mo was also standing aside, having sworn in the name of the Tongxian Cult Sect Master not to interfere.

Under these circumstances, this was the finest opportunity.

As long as he killed Lü Chongshan, he could obtain the Spirit-Cause Scripture. As long as he comprehended the Spirit-Cause Scripture, he could cultivate great Merit.

With great Merit upon him, his "virtue would match his position," allowing him to suppress cause and effect, and everything belonging to the Lü family would ultimately be his.

At this thought, the old blood in Pei Tanggong surged, and without further hesitation, the Three Origins Spirit Treasure Sword transformed into a beam of radiant light, lunging straight toward Lü Chongshan with murderous intent.

Lü Chongshan's gaze was icy as he forcibly stimulated his Merit Golden Body, coating the rotting half of his physical flesh in a layer of gold as well.

The sharp Spirit Treasure Sword Light clashed head-on against the sturdy Merit Golden Body, kicking up brilliant light.

Pei Tanggong and Lü Chongshan, two top-tier Golden Core Cultivators from Qingchou with centuries of acquaintance between them, engaged in a life-and-death struggle within this gilded tomb chamber.

Violent ripples instantly permeated every corner of the tomb chamber.

Golden Core Power surged ferociously, whistling with immense force.

Mo Hua moved like a Ghostly Phantom, retreating dozens of yards until he reached the edge of the golden tomb chamber. With a casual flick of his finger, he conjured several defensive Formations to block in front of him. Only then did he feel at ease to watch the battle between Pei Tanggong and Lü Chongshan.

Fighting to the death was other people's business.

Who lived and who died was not really his concern.

The current situation was not worth him taking action. He only needed to watch the show from the sidelines and claim the final outcome.

(End of Chapter)