I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 864 The First Law of Cause and Effect
Zhang Chen felt he had indeed struck gold, because the upgrade of this skill had given him a profound and inexplicable shock. He never imagined that his Soul-Stealing Skill would become so monstrous after the upgrade, and that it had even transformed into a law of cause and effect after its breakthrough:

[Skill: Soul Stealing]

[State: Causality]

[Note 1: As long as the target is in a spirit form, you can mark and target them regardless of whether their physical lifespan has ended.]

[Note 2: As long as a soul is marked by your skill, regardless of its cultivation level or spatial distance, you can hook its soul over.]

The notes afterward are largely the same, except that the time limit for hooking has been removed. There is no longer a requirement to use it once every three days or once every few days. As long as Zhang Chen marks the other party, he can hook their soul.

Most importantly, as long as the opponent is in a state of losing their physical body, no matter how strong their cultivation is, he can mark them. This is his greatest confidence in dealing with the Queen Mother of the West.

Why? Logically speaking, the Queen Mother of the West, with her profound cultivation, shouldn't have lost her physical body. But Zhang Chen reversed the Queen Mother of the West's feng shui formation, turning her physical body into a zombie. If the Queen Mother of the West's physical body becomes a zombie, her true spirit and physical body must have already clashed. Unless the Queen Mother of the West actively merges her true spirit into her physical body, she can only live in the state of a zombie. Otherwise, she can only abandon her physical body and let her true spirit escape from her body to avoid being affected by her physical body.

But once the Queen Mother of the West's true spirit escapes her body, wouldn't she be under my control? As long as I mark the other party's soul, wouldn't it be easy to control them then?
Once you've marked the opponent, you're already in an invincible position!

Zhang Chen carefully examined his own soul-stealing skill:
[Skill: Soul Stealing]

[State: Causality]

[Note 1: As long as the target is in a spirit form, you can mark and target them regardless of whether their physical lifespan has ended.]

[Note 2: ...]

[Note 3: This skill has been converted into causality and cannot be upgraded further.]

"It can no longer be upgraded; this skill has reached its peak." Zhang Chen glanced at the notes after the skill, a strange look appearing in his eyes. Then, a slight smile appeared on his lips as he looked towards the direction of the tomb: "It should be dug! This tomb should be dug!"

Now that the Queen Mother of the West's physical body and true spirit are in conflict, isn't this the perfect opportunity for me to take advantage of the situation?
Zhang Chen's eyes swept across the distance. Although he had spent hundreds or thousands of years in the spiritual world, reality was but a fleeting moment. At this moment, Zhou Chuan, the number one martial artist, was examining the stone wall in front of him, looking for its flaws, while Chen Xu was constantly feeling around in front of the gate, searching for the mechanism to open it.

"Strange, I claim to be an expert in all the feng shui formations in the world, but this feng shui formation is strange. I have never seen it before, and I can only vaguely make out some of its secrets." Chen Xu paced back and forth in front of the tomb, occasionally touching the nails on the door and pressing on the door again and again.

Chen Xu's Feng Shui techniques have been passed down from ancient times to the present day. Over the years, they have undergone various changes, resulting in loss, incompleteness, or additions and deletions by later generations of masters, making them unrecognizable. In the past, China's mere five thousand years of history and civilization had already lost countless skills, let alone those passed down from the mysterious ancient times. It is normal for them to have suffered some losses over countless years.

"The reason you can't find the mechanism to open the gate of this underground palace is because the mechanism of this gate is different from ordinary mechanisms. This mechanism uses an ancient method, which is different from the methods of today. Moreover, the person who built this great tomb in the past was also extremely powerful, beyond the imagination of people today, so it is normal that you can't open it," Zhang Chen said from the side.

"You even know about ancient tombs?" Chen Xu turned around with a surprised expression and glanced at Zhang Chen: "Since you can understand it, quickly tell me about the mystery of this gate's mechanism."

"This gate doesn't use the conventional method of opening ancient tombs. Behind it is a secret artifact called the 'Dark Cloud Vine.' This Dark Cloud Vine is an ancient wonder forged using the souls of primordial beings, the flesh and blood of primordial gods, and the aid of the Primordial Bronze. This object possesses some intelligence and controls the gate's mechanism from behind. To break through this gate, you can't find the mechanism from the outside; you must communicate with the Dark Cloud Vine inside." Zhang Chen didn't hide anything. There was nothing to hide; he wasn't a feng shui practitioner, so he didn't keep anything from Chen Xu.

“This vine is a mixture of bronze from the creation of the world, the flesh and blood of gods and demons, and the souls of innate beings. It exists between the living and the dead, feeding on the flesh and souls of all living beings. Once it encounters the flesh and blood of a living being, it will hunt and kill it.” Zhang Chen’s voice was full of caution: “Even beings above the twelfth rank will face certain death if they enter its territory.”

Upon hearing Zhang Chen's words, Chen Xu exclaimed in shock, "There really is such a dangerous tomb in the world? How could that bastard be so vicious as to set up such a trap? If we can't get in, that's one thing, but once we do, I'm afraid we'll all die."

Upon hearing Chen Xu's scolding, Zhang Chen's face darkened, and a dangerous glint appeared in his eyes. He had personally built this great tomb, so wasn't Chen Xu cursing him now?
Zhou Chuan walked over, a hint of curiosity in his voice: "Such a dangerous tomb, guarded by beings above the twelfth rank, I wonder what kind of incredible figure is buried inside." Zhou Chuan wasn't amazed by the power of the mechanisms, but rather by the kind of person buried in this tomb, that such a powerful being would guard the entrance to just one large tomb.

In fact, for beings from the primordial era, the Black Cloud Vine was merely a peculiar creation, not a powerful one.

First, there were countless experts in the ancient era, so a mere twelfth-tier cultivator is nothing to boast about. Second, this underground palace is built within the Kunlun Mountain dragon vein, where the dragon vein's energy suppresses life, making it difficult for ordinary creatures to survive. On the contrary, the Black Cloud Vine, existing between life and semi-life, can continue to survive.

Secondly, within the dragon vein, all experts who descend upon this place will be suppressed by the dragon vein. The higher the cultivation level, the stronger the suppression. On the contrary, the dark cloud vine can display its divine power. Without special secret techniques to suppress it, even great experts will be humiliated.

In this era where the upper limit is twelfth rank, the Black Cloud Vine can at least be considered a stumbling block.

"Brother Chen Xu, you are a master of feng shui. Is it possible for you to communicate with the Black Cloud Vine behind the door?" Zhou Chuan asked Chen Xu, since among the three known individuals, Chen Xu was the most proficient in feng shui.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xu smiled wryly: "This is a feng shui formation from the ancient times. Although I know a little about it, I only have a superficial understanding."

"If we want to open the gate, we need to communicate with the Black Cloud Vine, but none of us are experts who can communicate with the Black Cloud Vine!" Zhou Chuan's face showed disappointment upon hearing this, and a hint of unwillingness appeared in his eyes.

At this moment, Zhang Chen laughed upon hearing this: "Who said no one can communicate with the Black Cloud Vine? It just so happens that I can."

"You? You actually understand ancient feng shui?" Chen Xu's eyes lit up, his gaze filled with fervor.

"I know a little bit! Although I don't know much, it's just enough to handle this large tomb," Zhang Chen said with a smile.

"Brother Zhang, could you teach me? I'd like to become your student." Chen Xu looked at Zhang Chen, his eyes sparkling.

Upon hearing Chen Xu's words, Zhang Chen nodded: "After we leave this large tomb, it won't hurt to teach you."

"Brother Zhang, we'll have to see what you've got to do." Chen Xu's voice was full of fervor.

Zhang Chen smiled upon hearing this, and slowly walked to the front of the gate. Looking at the familiar white jade gate, a hint of reminiscence appeared in his eyes.

After a long while, Zhang Chen sighed softly: "After the door is opened, no matter what happens, you must stand quietly behind me and do not make any moves. Even if you encounter something terrifying, you must not take action."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chuan and Chen Xu both nodded in unison, their eyes showing a serious expression. They stood behind Zhang Chen, waiting for him to make his move.

Seeing this, Zhang Chen stepped forward and arrived at the tomb. He slowly placed his palm on the door and began to knock according to some mysterious pattern. As he knocked, Zhang Chen explained to Chen Xu: "The way to awaken this Black Cloud Vine is to first knock nine times shallowly and once deeply, then three times shallowly and once deeply, and then quickly knock. This is supplemented by a method of regulating qi, which is three inhalations and two exhalations, nine inhalations and one exhalation, repeated in a cycle, emptying the mind."

As Zhang Chen finished speaking, the white jade gate suddenly flashed with colorful light, and countless mechanism buttons on it flickered and changed at the same time. Countless door nails slid according to a certain pattern. Then, the next moment, the entire gate suddenly shook violently, and then, to the astonishment of Zhou Chuan and Chen Xu, the gate that had been sealed for millions of years slowly opened.

As the door opened, a blinding light flashed out, followed by a whooshing sound. Zhang Chen hurriedly shouted, "Do not make any sudden movements! This is the Black Cloud Vine. If you attack it, the three of us will surely die. Stand still and do not move. I will communicate with the Black Cloud Vine. It will not harm you."

(End of this chapter)