Chapter 166: A Giant Hand

“The sky cannot dwarf it, and the earth cannot bury it!” Wu Tulong looked at the inheritance tower, eyes gleaming brightly. “One fine Sword Pagoda indeed!”

He wasn’t referring to the tower itself, but rather the sharpness exuding from it, the edge that belonged to the matchless treasure sealed inside the tomb: the Sugato Sword!

“Lu Yun’s already gone down to lay hands on it.” Mo Qitian shook his head gently. “If we don’t want to be left in the dust….”

“We need to obtain that treasure, or at least prevent Lu Yun from doing so!” Dongfang Hao took in a deep breath. “He’s a madman who grasped my sword intent after fighting me for only three days. If he gets his hands on the treasure and comprehends the sharpness of the tower, we won't stand a chance against him.”

His own interests also lay with the unyielding sharpness that enveloped the tower.

“Let’s go!” The four youths looked at each other and, disregarding the four protectors behind them, dashed toward the tomb’s entrance.

……

After the Sugato Sword’s intent had pierced the ancient tomb, a dense tomb aura leaked out and permeated the air. Quite a few immortals in Lu Yun’s vicinity jumped into the hole shortly after him, but—

Boom.

An enormous explosion erupted from the cavity as a hand close to three hundred meters wide reached out and shooed everyone away. A thick arm probed out shortly afterwards, as if a giant was about to crawl out from underground. The land shook, enormous fissures snaking in every direction. Even Dusk City, fifteen kilometers away, was impacted, its walls quaking and swaying.

“What on earth is that?!” Likewise repelled by the big hand, Lu Yun crashed to a heap on the ground and stared, aghast. The giant arm was a rotten affair of gory flesh and mishmash skin. He could smell the putrid stench wafting from it, even from this far away.

“A zombie!” Solemnity crossed his face as he came to his senses. The ancient lord’s tomb couldn’t contain the Sugato Sword; it could only seal it in the tomb’s outer regions. As long as he could enter the tomb, it would be easy enough to locate the treasure and lay claim to it. Alas, he hadn’t expected such a strange zombie to appear and swat him away like a fly.

……

“What an enormous zombie!” The other immortals who’d been sent flying were also flabbergasted.

“Sure enough, the tomb of every ancient lord is protected by this level of foul creature. It seems there’s little hope for us this time as well.” Many immortals contemplated beating a hasty retreat when they saw that the zombie was about to break out of the ground.

Just like other tombs that housed ancient lords across the world of immortals, it would be very difficult to explore this one without losing numerous dao immortals in the process. And in a special place like Dusk Province, not even dao immortals in the flesh could call upon the full extent of their powers. Therefore, this tomb was basically impossible to explore.

“It looks like the supreme treasure is unattainable. Not only that, I think we can even forget about the legacy, no matter how close at hand it seems. The zombie will certainly destroy Dusk City with its emergence, and it’ll drag the tower back inside the tomb, too!”

Many noticed the giant hand struggling in the direction of the inheritance tower, as if to yank it back underground. Its efforts might be futile, for now, but the monster would certainly succeed once it crawled out of the hole in the ground. Dusk City would just be collateral damage.

“What a pity, what a great pity! We went through enormous pains to finally see the ancient legacy, only to run into an invincible monster!”

“Dusk Province truly is a forsaken place. Even the treasures in plain sight are out of reach!”

More than a thousand immortals had rushed into the cavity, but they’d all been swatted right back out. If not for the zombie being hobbled by limited space and unable to fully unleash its strength, they would all be dead by now, Lu Yun included.

“I can’t let it emerge, otherwise Dusk City is completely done for.” An unsettled Lu Yun watched the giant arm continue to stretch out. That simple arm was already close to three hundred meters in diameter. How much bigger must the body be? Once it came aboveground, the earth around it would sink, destroying at least half of the city in the process.

The governor took a deep breath and once again rose in the air.

“What’s he doing now?!” Whether they’d stayed behind to watch on the sidelines or were about to leave, the immortals couldn’t help but gawk at the governor’s soaring figure.

“Is he going to face this gruesome monster all by himself?”

“He’s gone mad, he’s absolutely gone mad!”

“Maybe he thinks that since he’s already faced a dao immortal, a zombie won’t be an issue either.”

“Then that’s not madness, but sheer stupidity!”

“In Dusk Province, dao immortals have no choice but to seal their strength and cultivation to the august immortal realm! At most, that makes them august immortals with a dao immortal’s knowledge. The power they wield here is a far cry from the true power of a dao immortal. In comparison, a zombie like this isn’t affected by the province’s restriction. It can fully use its strength as it pleases!”

“Save Lu Yun! We must save him no matter the cost!” A peerless immortal of the Lu Clan declared resolutely as he gazed at the governor’s figure in midair. “He’s the one hope of reviving our clan. He must survive, even if we must sacrifice our lives!”

“B-but….” A few immortals around him hesitated.

“Relationships can be mended. Nothing is impossible, as long as we’re willing to acknowledge our mistakes and apologize. Our clan was almost exterminated a hundred years ago. Out of the one hundred and eight subsidiary houses from our most glorious era, only thirty-something are left. And even they are beleaguered on all sides.

“Compared to revitalizing the clan, what does losing some face matter? Not to mention, Lu Qishan, Lu Qingxun, and their clique acted on their own with that puppet idea. Other branches like ours protested most vehemently against their actions!”

Hummm.

In the midst of their discussion, a jade-colored gate appeared in the air: The Skybearer Gates!

It could restrain all things evil. Even Diexi the zombie king had once been firmly constrained. The moment the gates appeared, a jade brilliance pressed down with the potent force of a towering mountain and locked the giant hand in place.

Roar!

A hoarse scream emitted from beneath the ground, followed by a series of deafening beats, like something was banging on a large drum. The ground’s shaking increased in intensity as the giant zombie struggled desperately.

“Oh, feck.” Lu Yun’s expression faltered. He’d forgotten an important issue. Skybearer could indeed quell all things evil, but only the zombie’s arm had ventured outside the tomb and the rest of it was still inside. As a result, the gates could only hold back the arm. It couldn’t penetrate the tomb to restrain the zombie itself!

The land itself buckled under the monster’s relentless struggles. Quake upon quake rocked the terrain, shaking all of Dusk City fifteen kilometers away and cracking its walls from the stress.

Hummm.

At this moment, an overwhelming power materialized between heaven and earth, stabilizing this corner of the world and pulsing a burst of rich energy that shielded a Dusk City on the verge of collapse.

“Hm?” With a start, Lu Yun subconsciously looked behind him and saw eighteen immortals arranged in a grand formation that sealed off the area in its entirety. An imposing-looking young man with an unusual presence appeared at the governor’s side. Formidable immortal force emanated from his figure, alleviating the pressure on Lu Yun.

“Lu Qingyi of the Lu Clan greets the Governor of Dusk.” The young man raised his hands in a cupped fist salute.

“Lu Clan? Lu Qingyi?” Lu Yun’s eyes shone. “Come, take control of Skybearer while I deal with this zombie.” He immediately relinquished control of the gates.