The Heavenly Tomb's manifestation site lay in the Desolate Bone Wastes, a region so spiritually barren that even weeds struggled to grow. Su Chen stood at the edge of the designated zone, his dual pupils analyzing the spatial distortions that heralded the Tomb's imminent appearance. The air itself seemed to fracture and reform, reality becoming unstable as the dimensional barrier between the Tomb's isolated space and the Lower Realm grew thin enough to permit passage.
Around him, his core team conducted final equipment checks with the systematic precision of professionals who understood that forgotten details killed more cultivators than overwhelming enemies. Each member wore artifacts that represented months of organizational revenue compressed into personal protection.
Saeko's blade had been reforged using materials from three different dimensions—Abyssal Steel from Soul Land providing the core, Uru metal fragments from a Marvel-adjacent reality Su Chen had briefly raided forming the edge, and formations inscribed using Perfect World techniques binding the whole together. The resulting weapon could cut through space itself while remaining unbreakable by anything short of Formation Arrangement Realm power.
Esdeath wore the Frost Crown of Eternal Moment, an artifact Su Chen had commissioned specifically for her. It amplified her time manipulation while protecting her from temporal backlash that could age her body centuries in seconds if her techniques failed. Additionally, it stored reserve temporal energy, allowing her to extend Mahapadma's duration in emergencies even after exhausting her personal reserves.
Bibi Dong's spider spirits had been equipped with Soul Armaments—physical manifestations of their essence that functioned as both weapons and defensive barriers. The Death Spider Emperor wielded scythes that could sever soul connections, while the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor commanded chains that bound spiritual energy itself. Combined with her hybrid form's natural abilities, she had become a walking fortress of offensive and defensive capability.
Xiao Yi Xian carried three jade bottles containing her most lethal concoctions, along with an artifact called the Poison God's Cauldron that could synthesize toxins in real-time using ambient materials. More importantly, she wore the Sovereign's Breath Talisman—an emergency protection that would automatically purify any poison that threatened her life, preventing her own abilities from accidentally killing her during distributed consciousness states.
Albedo's armor had been enhanced with layered formations that created nine separate defensive barriers, each one requiring Formation Arrangement Realm power to breach. Additionally, she carried Frostmourne's replica—a blade Su Chen had copied and enhanced, granting her access to death energy manipulation and soul-freezing capabilities. She looked like a mobile siege weapon, designed to absorb punishment indefinitely while grinding down enemies through attrition.
Lin Xiya's equipment focused entirely on perception enhancement and emergency escape. She wore the Crown of Infinite Eyes, an artifact that extended her psychic range to twenty kilometers while providing three-hundred-sixty-degree awareness. Her robes contained emergency teleportation formations keyed specifically to Su Chen's position—if she encountered threats beyond her capability to handle, she could instantly evacuate to his location for protection.
Su Chen himself had equipped conservatively, preferring versatility over specialization. The Origin Mirror remained his primary tool, but he had supplemented it with a dozen utility artifacts: spatial rings containing copied resources, emergency healing formations, communication talismans, and a single-use trump card he called the Dimensional Anchor—a formation that could temporarily stabilize collapsing space, preventing dimensional traps from separating the team.
"Status check," Su Chen commanded through their team communication network. "All members confirm readiness."
"Saeko, ready. Sword fully synchronized, spiritual energy at peak, mental state optimal."
"Esdeath, ready. Temporal reservoirs charged, defensive formations active, eager to begin."
"Bibi Dong, ready. Hybrid form stable, spirits at full manifestation capability, coordination protocols verified."
"Xiao Yi Xian, ready. Toxin synthesis functional, distributed consciousness protocols tested, emergency protections confirmed."
"Albedo, ready. All defensive layers verified, soul resistance confirmed, ready to serve as Lord Su Chen's shield."
"Lin Xiya, ready. Psychic network established, all team members connected, environmental scanning active."
Su Chen nodded satisfaction at the professional efficiency. His team had transformed from a collection of powerful individuals into a genuine tactical unit over the past nine days. They understood their roles, trusted each other's capabilities, and maintained appropriate caution about the dangers ahead.
Around them, other expeditions were assembling. Su Chen's enhanced perception identified the major groups:
**Eternal Profound Sect:** Patriarch Huo Tianyun led eleven Spirit Transformation elders, each one radiating the calm authority of someone who had survived centuries of cultivation. They wore simple robes that concealed sophisticated defensive formations, and each carried a single artifact of obvious divine grade. Their formation emphasized mutual support—individually formidable, collectively overwhelming.
**Fire Country Hidden Dragon Guard:** Fifty Formation Arrangement cultivators in matching crimson armor, organized into five-person strike teams. Their equipment was standardized—clearly mass-produced but high-quality, emphasizing coordination over individual superiority. General Yan Ming commanded them, a Formation Arrangement peak expert whose spiritual pressure suggested he might achieve Spirit Transformation within years.
**Crimson Sky Alliance Remnant:** Twenty-three survivors who hadn't been captured during Su Chen's previous harvest, led by a Spirit Transformation elder named Tian Ruo. They looked desperate—poorly equipped by comparison to other expeditions, clearly attempting to recover treasures that could fund ransoming their captured comrades. High risk-tolerance born of desperation made them potentially dangerous despite inferior power.
**Independent Cultivators:** Approximately forty rogue experts who lacked formal faction affiliation but possessed sufficient individual power to attempt the Tomb. They clustered in small groups of two to five, watching the major expeditions warily while calculating their own survival odds. Most would die, but a lucky few might claim treasures that the organized expeditions overlooked.
And then there were the three Upper Realm cultivators.
They stood apart from all other groups, radiating spiritual pressure so dense that space warped visibly around them. Su Chen's dual pupils analyzed them with intense focus:
**First cultivator:** Male, appearing middle-aged, wearing robes that seemed woven from starlight itself. His cultivation base radiated Formation Arrangement Realm, but the quality of his spiritual energy exceeded anything Lower Realm techniques could produce. He carried no visible weapons, suggesting either extreme confidence or possession of spatial storage methods beyond Su Chen's immediate perception. His eyes held the peculiar clarity of someone who had witnessed cosmic-scale phenomena.
**Second cultivator:** Female, appearing young but with ancient eyes that suggested millennia of experience. She wielded what appeared to be a simple staff, but Su Chen's analysis revealed it as condensed law principle given physical form—a treasure that could manipulate reality through conceptual authority rather than mere force. Her cultivation seemed to hover at the boundary between Formation Arrangement and Spirit Transformation, as though she existed in permanent transition between states.
**Third cultivator:** Gender ambiguous, form occasionally flickering as though not entirely stable in this dimension. This one was most dangerous—Su Chen's pupils struggled to fully analyze them, suggesting abilities that operated on principles he didn't yet comprehend. Their cultivation base appeared weakest of the three at Formation Arrangement early stage, but something about their presence suggested that assessment was dangerously misleading.
"Lin Xiya," Su Chen transmitted privately, "maintain continuous observation of the Upper Realm trio. I want to know everything—conversation topics, interaction patterns, emotional states, objective indicators. If they notice your scanning, withdraw immediately and inform me."
"Understood," Lin Xiya responded, her psychic presence subtly extending toward the Upper Realm cultivators while maintaining careful concealment.
The spatial distortions intensified, and suddenly the Heavenly Tomb simply... existed. Not appeared—existed, as though it had always been present but only now became perceptible to normal senses. A massive structure erupted from the barren ground, stone architecture that defied conventional geometry. Impossible angles that made the eyes hurt to track. Doorways that led both inward and outward simultaneously. Stairs ascending downward while descending upward.
The entrance—a massive archway carved with characters in languages that predated current civilization—radiated divine energy so concentrated that merely standing nearby caused spiritual foundations to resonate uncomfortably. Above the arch, words formed in every language simultaneously, their meaning burning directly into consciousness rather than requiring visual reading:
**"Seekers of Transcendence, Enter and Be Judged. The Dead Do Not Forgive Mediocrity."**
Patriarch Huo Tianyun stepped forward first, his authority as the region's premier cultivator granting him precedence by unspoken agreement. He paused at the threshold, performing a formal bow toward the Tomb's entrance—respect for the ancient powers whose remains lay within.
"Cultivators assembled here seek opportunity through proper trial," Huo Tianyun declared formally, his voice carrying to all present. "We acknowledge the Heavenly Tomb as sacred legacy of those who pursued transcendence. We vow to treat discoveries with appropriate reverence and to honor the dead who have provided these opportunities through their sacrifice. May the Tomb judge us worthy."
It was proper protocol, the kind of ceremonial declaration that ancient cultivators expected before disturbing their final resting places. Most present understood that violating such formalities risked triggering additional defenses or offending remnant wills that might otherwise remain neutral.
The Fire Country expedition followed, General Yan Ming leading his troops through the archway in disciplined formation. They disappeared into the Tomb's interior, swallowed by darkness that seemed to actively consume light rather than merely lacking it.
The Crimson Sky Alliance went next, their desperation evident in how quickly they entered without proper ceremony. Several Independent Cultivators rushed to follow them, clearly hoping that larger expeditions would trigger traps that they could then avoid by trailing behind.
The Upper Realm trio exchanged brief conversation—too quiet for normal hearing, but Lin Xiya transmitted their words directly into Su Chen's consciousness through psychic link:
"The Lower Realm cultivators maintain surprising decorum," the male observed, his tone carrying aristocratic detachment. "I expected barbaric tomb raiding, not formal protocols."
"They remember fragments of proper civilization," the female replied. "Degraded but not entirely lost. Still, they understand nothing of what truly lies within. This Tomb contains not merely techniques but conceptual frameworks that their limited understanding cannot process."
"Then we claim the true treasures while they squabble over scraps," the ambiguous third concluded. "The Celestial Court will be pleased if we secure the Primordial Legacy."
They entered without ceremony, clearly considering themselves beyond the need for protocol. Their arrogance was palpable, but Su Chen noted that arrogance backed by genuine power wasn't truly arrogance—it was accurate self-assessment.
"Our turn," Su Chen stated, leading his team toward the entrance. He performed a modified bow similar to Huo Tianyun's, acknowledging the Tomb's significance while not showing excessive deference. "We seek advancement through legitimate trial. We respect the legacy of those who came before. We will extract maximum benefit while honoring appropriate boundaries. May the Tomb provide the challenges we require."
He stepped through the archway, and reality inverted.
The transition wasn't mere spatial teleportation—it was dimensional phase-shifting, moving from normal space into a pocket dimension that operated on fundamentally different principles. Su Chen's stomach lurched as up became down, forward became backward, and sequential time developed occasional loops where effect preceded cause.
When stability returned, he found himself standing in a vast hall that should not exist. The ceiling stretched into infinity above, disappearing into darkness that his enhanced vision could not penetrate. The floor beneath his feet was polished bone—not metaphorically, but literally the compressed skeletal remains of millions of cultivators who had died attempting advancement over eons. The walls were carved with formation diagrams so complex that merely observing them caused spiritual energy to circulate involuntarily, forcing comprehension whether the viewer wanted it or not.
His team materialized around him moments later, each one recovering from the transition with varying degrees of disorientation. Saeko recovered fastest, her combat instincts immediately scanning for threats. Esdeath shook off the disorientation through sheer willpower. The others required several seconds to fully stabilize.
"Status check," Su Chen commanded.
"All members present and functional," Lin Xiya reported after quick assessment. "No injuries from transition. However, I'm detecting significant interference with psychic scanning—the Tomb's ambient energy disrupts perception techniques. My effective range is reduced from twenty kilometers to approximately five hundred meters."
"Expected limitation," Su Chen replied. "The Tomb's defenses naturally counter reconnaissance methods. We adapt tactics accordingly—closer formation, more cautious advancement, increased reliance on direct observation rather than scanning."
He activated his dual pupils fully, analyzing their surroundings with systematic precision. The hall extended in three directions from their arrival point—left passage sloped downward toward what his senses interpreted as concentrated death energy, center passage remained level but radiated chaotic spatial distortions, right passage ascended toward what felt like divine energy so pure it could burn spiritual foundations through proximity alone.
"Three paths, three different challenge types," Saeko observed, recognizing the classical trial structure. "We choose our difficulty and specialization focus."
"Or we split up to cover more ground," Esdeath suggested, though her tone indicated she didn't actually favor that approach.
"Absolutely not," Su Chen stated firmly. "Splitting up in unknown hostile environment is how expeditions suffer total casualties. We remain together and choose a single path based on strategic assessment. Lin Xiya, can you detect other expeditions' positions?"
The psychic cultivator concentrated, her awareness spreading as far as the Tomb's interference permitted. "I'm detecting multiple spiritual signatures scattered throughout the Tomb's upper layers. The Fire Country expedition appears to have taken the center path—I can sense their coordinated movement approximately two kilometers ahead. The Eternal Profound Sect took the right path—their spiritual pressure is ascending toward the divine energy concentration. The Crimson Sky Alliance... I can barely detect them, they've descended into the left path and are already beyond my scanning range."
"The Upper Realm trio?" Su Chen pressed.
"No detection," Lin Xiya admitted with obvious frustration. "Either they possess concealment methods that exceed my perception, or they've moved beyond my effective range already. Possibly both."
Su Chen processed the tactical situation. Each path offered different opportunities aligned with different cultivation focuses. Left path—death energy and necromantic techniques, suitable for someone with Lich Bloodline like himself. Center path—spatial manipulation and reality distortion, valuable for someone seeking to understand dimensional principles. Right path—divine energy and transcendent techniques, ideal for forcing breakthroughs to higher realms.
"We take the right path," Su Chen decided. "Our primary objective is forcing breakthroughs through exposure to divine energy and life-threatening pressure. The right path provides both. Additionally, following the Eternal Profound Sect allows us to observe how experienced Spirit Transformation cultivators handle Tomb challenges—we learn from their successes and failures."
"What if we encounter them and they view our presence as hostile competition for resources?" Bibi Dong asked pragmatically.
"Then we demonstrate that we're more valuable as allies than as enemies," Su Chen replied. "Huo Tianyun is intelligent enough to recognize that cooperation serves everyone's interests better than conflict. If he proves unreasonable, we possess overwhelming force to establish dominance. Either outcome is acceptable."
He began walking toward the right passage, his team falling into established formation—Albedo at point to absorb initial threats, Saeko and Esdeath on flanks for rapid response, Bibi Dong and Xiao Yi Xian in center for versatile support, Lin Xiya at rear for tactical awareness, and Su Chen mobile to respond wherever his capabilities proved most needed.
The passage ascended at an angle that defied conventional geometry—they walked uphill, yet somehow also descended deeper into the Tomb's structure simultaneously. The divine energy concentration increased with each step, pressing against their spiritual foundations like physical weight. Su Chen felt his cultivation responding automatically, circulating faster to resist the pressure, adapting to the hostile environment through forced refinement.
"This ambient energy alone is worth the expedition," Xiao Yi Xian observed, her voice carrying a note of awe. "I can feel my Poison Body being... purified. Not cleansed of toxicity, but rather refined to purer expression of the poison concept. It's painful, but the advancement is undeniable."
"The Tomb is called Heavenly for reason," Bibi Dong confirmed. "Every cultivator who died here was attempting breakthrough to transcendent realms. Their residual energies permeate the structure, creating environment that naturally forces advancement for those capable of withstanding the pressure."
They continued ascending for what felt like hours but might have been minutes—time flowed inconsistently within the Tomb, creating disorientation that would have devastated cultivators lacking strong mental foundations. Eventually, the passage opened into a chamber so vast that calling it a room seemed inadequate. It was more like an interior landscape, complete with its own sky—though the heavens above were not blue but rather kaleidoscopic patterns of divine energy that shifted through colors that shouldn't exist.
At the chamber's center stood a formation array of staggering complexity, and trapped within that array was the Eternal Profound Sect's expedition. They weren't imprisoned physically—no barriers contained them—but spiritual pressure so intense it was visible as distortion waves prevented them from moving more than a few meters in any direction. Patriarch Huo Tianyun stood at the formation's perceived center, his expression showing intense concentration as he attempted to comprehend the array's principles.
"Interesting," Su Chen murmured, his dual pupils analyzing the formation with rapid precision. "It's not a trap in the conventional sense. It's a trial—the formation won't release them until they demonstrate sufficient understanding of the law principles it embodies. Brute force won't work. Only comprehension grants passage."
"Should we assist them?" Saeko asked, her tactical mind already calculating potential approaches.
"Observe first," Su Chen decided. "Huo Tianyun is Spirit Transformation peak and has studied law principles for centuries. If he can't solve this within reasonable time, our assistance likely won't help. But watching his attempt will provide valuable intelligence about the formation's structure."
They settled into observation positions at the chamber's edge, safely outside the formation's influence. Su Chen activated recording formations to capture everything—he would analyze this trial exhaustively once they had time, extracting every insight the ancient formation masters had encoded into its structure.
Patriarch Huo Tianyun's comprehension attempt was fascinating to watch. He didn't move physically; instead, his spiritual energy circulated in increasingly complex patterns, attempting to mirror the formation's structure through sympathetic resonance. Each attempt brought him closer to understanding, but also triggered defensive responses from the formation that caused visible pain as divine energy corroded his spiritual foundation.
"He's approaching breakthrough," Bibi Dong observed with her politician's eye for reading subtle indicators. "The formation is specifically designed to force law comprehension through trial-by-fire methodology. He'll either break through to Formation Arrangement Realm by comprehending the array, or he'll exhaust his spiritual energy and be expelled from the Tomb as unworthy."
"Formation Arrangement from Spirit Transformation peak," Esdeath whistled softly. "That's not a minor advancement. That's a qualitative transformation that most cultivators fail to achieve across entire lifetimes. This single trial could elevate him to regional hegemon status if he succeeds."
Su Chen was about to comment when Lin Xiya's voice cut through with sudden urgency. "Contact from behind! Multiple spiritual signatures approaching rapidly—feels like the Fire Country expedition, but their formation is fragmented and they're moving with desperation rather than coordination. I think they're fleeing from something."
Su Chen's attention snapped toward the passage entrance. Moments later, the Fire Country cultivators burst into the chamber in complete disarray. Their formation had shattered—instead of organized strike teams, they moved as panicked individuals fleeing overwhelming threat. General Yan Ming brought up the rear, his armor shattered and his spiritual energy fluctuating wildly as he struggled to maintain rearguard action against whatever pursued them.
Then Su Chen saw what they fled from, and his expression became carefully neutral.
It was a guardian construct—but not a simple combat automaton. This was a Tomb Sovereign, one of the ancient defense mechanisms that protected the Heavenly Tomb's most valuable areas. It appeared as a humanoid figure composed entirely of compressed divine energy, its form constantly shifting between solid and incorporeal states. Its cultivation base radiated Formation Arrangement Realm power, but its energy was infinite—drawn directly from the Tomb's accumulated reserves rather than limited by personal capacity.
The Tomb Sovereign pursued the Fire Country cultivators with mechanical precision, each of its attacks killing or crippling one of the fleeing soldiers. It wasn't fighting—it was exterminating, systematically eliminating threats to the Tomb's sanctity with the efficiency of purpose-built weapon systems.
"Defensive formation!" Su Chen commanded immediately. His team responded instantly, Albedo moving to intercept while others prepared support techniques.
But the Tomb Sovereign had already calculated new threat priorities. Its eyeless gaze—if something without visible eyes could be said to gaze—fixed on Su Chen's position, and its attention locked onto him with the absolute focus of a targeting system recognizing its primary objective.
Then it spoke, voice resonating directly in consciousness rather than using sound: **"ANOMALY DETECTED. DIMENSIONAL GLITCH PRESENT. CONTAINMENT PROTOCOL INITIATING."**
Su Chen felt his blood run cold. The Tomb's defenses had identified him specifically. Not as a mere cultivator to be tested, but as an anomaly to be eliminated.
The Tomb Sovereign accelerated, closing the distance between them with speed that transcended normal movement. Su Chen had perhaps three seconds to respond before combat became unavoidable.
And in those three seconds, he realized that the Heavenly Tomb had just become significantly more dangerous than anyone had predicted.
The trial had begun—not the trial the Tomb's creators had intended for normal cultivators, but a special trial reserved for entities that should not exist.
Su Chen's smile was cold and sharp. If the Tomb wanted to test whether he deserved to exist, he would provide a demonstration that answered that question definitively.
"All units, combat formation!" Su Chen commanded. "Priority target—the Tomb Sovereign. Objective: survival and elimination. Rules of engagement: unrestricted. Show this ancient corpse guardian what the future looks like."
The battle was about to begin, and the Heavenly Tomb was about to learn that some anomalies couldn't be contained.