Ying Zheng's fingertips swirled with the pure, weighty will of human imperial authority, like the heavenly pen that judged fate itself, slowly pressing toward the flickering gray Chaos light between Cheng Xi's brows that maintained a fragile balance! Before his finger even arrived, invisible shackles of will had already imprisoned the space. The gray Chaos light's fluctuations abruptly froze, and the delicate balance that had just formed was instantly covered in cracks!
The Dragon Source Water in the stone pool violently churned, its milky-white glow flickering unsteadily! Deep within the stone cavern, the pressure of the Ancestor Dragon True Spirit became even more restless and chaotic under the intervention of imperial authority, like an enraged dragon that had been disturbed!
The bowstring was about to snap! On the brink of life and death!
Just as that judging finger was about to touch his brow—
"Report—!!!"
A shriek warped by terror tore through the dead silence of the stone cavern! A Mausoleum Guard drenched in blood and clad in shattered armor stumbled and crawled into the cavern. It was Wang Wu, who had remained behind at the burial pit! His face was smeared with mud and Blood Filth, and nothing remained in his eyes but utter horror. He collapsed before Ying Zheng, his voice hoarse as a broken gong:
"Great King! General Meng! Something's wrong! The soldiers... the soldiers have come alive! The demonic roots... the demonic roots are eating the soldiers! And... and countless demonic tentacles came out! They're devouring the other soldiers... turning... turning them into monsters! They... they're coming out!"
Boom!
It was like thunder exploding within the stone cavern! Ying Zheng's finger, aimed at Cheng Xi's brow, abruptly stopped! His deep dragon eyes contracted as his icy gaze pierced Wang Wu like a blade. "What did you say?!"
Meng Tian looked as though he had been struck by lightning. Disbelieving frost flashed from his tiger-like eyes. "Demonic tentacles? Devouring the soldiers? Monsters?!"
Wang Wu babbled incoherently, gesturing wildly as tears entered his voice. "It's true! The pit... it's full of Dark Gold demonic tentacles! They drilled out of the soldiers' bodies! They swallow any soldier they see! After swallowing the clay and bronze... barbs and iron hooks grow from their bodies! And... even more terrifying... the intact soldiers touched by the tentacles... they... they're changing too!"
As if to confirm his words—
Rumble rumble rumble—!!!
From deep within the Imperial Mausoleum of Mount Li came a tremor even more violent and dense than before! It was as if countless troops were charging beneath the earth! Dull impacts, the cracking of clay, and the grinding of metal mixed with inhuman, low, frenzied howls. They pierced the heavy rock strata like death knells from hell, battering the hearts of everyone in the stone cavern!
"Roar—!!!"
An inhuman roar filled with savagery, chaos, and metallic grinding came through from the direction of the burial pit! Then came a second roar, a third... countless more! They merged into a demonic tidal wave of sound that made souls tremble!
Ying Zheng suddenly turned, his gaze seeming to pierce the stone walls as though he could see the hellish scene deep within the mausoleum! The finger resting against Cheng Xi's brow ultimately did not descend. Within those profound dragon eyes, icy Killing Intent and mountain-heavy Imperial Pressure intertwined and surged!
The internal threat was unresolved, while demons knocked at the door! This Imperial Mausoleum of Mount Li had become the eye of the storm!
The burial pit had become a demonic realm on earth!
At the bottom of the pit, dozens of demonic root tentacles covered in Dark Gold Cuticle, each as thick as a giant python, thrashed madly! They had devoured dozens of soldier figurines. Clay shards and broken bronze weapons were crushed and melted within their mouthparts! The Dark Gold Cuticle on the tentacles' surfaces had thickened like armor, while savage hooked barbs and sharp ridges, glinting with dim metallic cold light, formed along their edges! Their tips had even mutated into sharp protrusions resembling bronze ge-spears!
These demonic root tentacles had completely transformed into Dark Gold Demonic Markings killing machines!
More terrifying were the several thousand soldier figurines at the bottom of the pit that had originally only been trembling!
Any soldier figurine swept up by the demonic tentacles, or even merely splashed by the Dark Gold slime flowing across their surfaces, saw its grayish-brown clay body begin to wriggle like a living thing! Countless fine Dark Gold patterns frantically spread from the point of contact, instantly covering the figurine's entire body! Two blood-red demonic lights lit up deep inside its hollow eye sockets!
"Crack... crack crack..."
The piercing sounds of grinding joints rang out in rapid succession! One demonic-pattern-corrupted soldier figurine after another moved stiffly, yet with absolute determination... They were no longer dead objects, but had Turned into—demonized soldier figurines covered all over with Dark Gold Demonic Markings, their eyes glowing scarlet demonic light and bronze weapons clutched in hand!
At first, the movements of these Demonic Soldiers were somewhat sluggish. Yet within a few breaths, driven by the demonic markings within their bodies, they became swift and savage! They no longer held their solemn military formations. Instead, like ants dropped into boiling water, they descended into frenzied chaos! Some Demonic Soldiers swung bronze weapons and crazily hacked at the uncorrupted soldiers around them, tearing them apart and devouring them! Others, as if summoned by something unseen, followed the dancing Dark Gold demonic tentacles. With heavy, frenzied steps, they surged like a black tide toward the passageway at the edge of the burial pit... launching a charge!
Their target—the upper levels of the mausoleum! Their target—the flesh, blood, and living breath of humans!
"Stop them! We cannot let these monsters get out!" At the edge of the pit wall, the remaining Mausoleum Guards erupted with their last vestige of courage in desperation! Arrows rained down upon the charging Demonic Soldiers! Yet the clay bodies covered in demonic markings had become extraordinarily tough. Ordinary arrows merely threw off a few sparks when they struck! Bronze long ge struck them with the ring of metal against metal!
Braving the arrowstorm, the tide of Demonic Soldiers slammed into the hastily formed defensive line of Mausoleum Guards like moving fortresses!
Bang! Crack!
The sound of shattering bones and screams instantly rang out! How could flesh and blood withstand these demonized clay-and-metal puppets? The defensive line was torn apart in an instant like paper! Severed limbs, broken arms, and shattered weapons flew in all directions! Wang Wu watched helplessly as several comrades were split in half by the Demonic Soldiers' bronze swords and swept into the tooth-filled mouthparts by Dark Gold demonic tentacles!
"Retreat! Fall back into the upper passageways! Seal the doors with boulders!" Wang Wu roared hoarsely, his eyes nearly splitting apart. Leading the remaining soldiers, he fought as he retreated, leaving corpses strewn across the ground as they fled in disarray into the depths of the narrow passageway. Behind them came the heavy footsteps of Demonic Soldiers and the shrill air-tearing whistles of Dark Gold demonic tentacles, demonic death calls pressing closer with every step!
The dreadful news Wang Wu brought, along with the tidal wave of demonic sounds from underground, was like ice water poured over their heads, instantly freezing the air inside the stone cavern.
Ying Zheng's finger, aimed at Cheng Xi's brow, remained stiff in midair. Deep within his dragon eyes, icy Killing Intent and mountain-heavy Imperial Pressure violently churned. Deep in the mausoleum, the tiger-and-wolf army he had intended to bring into the underworld had become a demonic army that devoured its master! This was no longer merely a matter of Cheng Xi's life or death. It was a crisis that concerned the fate of Great Qin and the very foundation of his Ancestor Dragon inheritance!
Meng Tian's face went deathly pale, and the Hand holding the token violently trembled. The soldier figurines' demonic transformation, the demonic tentacles devouring soldiers... this was far more horrifying than evil spirits entering the palace! If these monsters escaped the mausoleum... Xianyang would be doomed!
Just as their minds reeled and the balance was about to completely collapse—
"Argh—!!!"
On the jade platform, the unconscious Cheng Xi suddenly arched his body and let out a miserable howl that was an inhuman sound! The gray Chaos light between his brows, doubly imprisoned by imperial will and Ancestor Dragon Pressure, was like a trapped beast driven into a desperate situation. Under the stimulus of death, it erupted with unprecedented ferocity and... uncertainty!
Hum—!!!
A composite-frequency shockwave, far more violent and chaotic than before, exploded from deep within Cheng Xi's dantian, which was on the verge of collapse! This was no longer precise frequency adjustment, but frantic self-destruction in a desperate situation and... an indiscriminate attack!
The shockwave ignored the residual pathways that had guided the dragon energy through his body. Like an uncontrollable flood, it rampaged through his scarred meridians! Wherever it went, the already fragile meridians ruptured inch by inch! The temporarily suppressed Turbid Fiendish Power burst its restraints like an ignited powder keg, mixing with the residual force of the newly born Chaos Earth Fiend and becoming even fouler, more savage Chaos Killing Intent Energy that ravaged everything madly!
Puff! Puff! Puff!
Countless bloody gashes instantly burst open across Cheng Xi's body surface! What sprayed out was no longer blood, but filthy blood mixed with viscous gray, gold, and black energy! The Turbid Fiendish Meridians beneath his skin, which had just begun to fade, instantly turned a glaring Dark Gold. Like red-hot irons, they pulsed wildly and spread! An icy, chaotic aura filled with the desire for destruction erupted from within him!
The balance completely collapsed! The backlash came like a landslide and tsunami!
"Not good! The evil power inside him has completely gone out of control!" Meng Tian was horrified beyond measure. The Ancestor Dragon Token in hand was violently knocked away by the erupting Chaos Killing Intent Energy, its glow dimming! The Dragon Source Water in the stone pool was struck as well, and the churning milky-white currents instantly fell into disorder!
Even more terrifyingly, this out-of-control Chaos Killing Intent Energy shockwave, containing the last frenzied will of the Chaos Origin Point, pierced through the stone walls of the cavern. Disregarding the barrier of space, it instantly formed some kind of bizarre resonance with the demonized soldier figurines charging within the depths of the mausoleum, and the dancing Dark Gold demonic tentacles...
Boom—!!!
The tremors throughout the Imperial Mausoleum of Mount Li abruptly intensified tenfold! It was like an Earth Dragon Turning Over!
"Roar—!!!"
The demonic roars from the direction of the burial pit instantly became shrill and frenzied! It was as though they had received a fatal stimulus and attraction! The scarlet demonic light in the Demonic Soldiers' eyes flared dramatically, and their charging speed surged! The dancing Dark Gold demonic tentacles seemed pumped full of blood, madly lashing the pit walls, tearing through rock, and launching an even more savage assault upon the upper passageways!
The Chaos Killing Intent Energy erupting from Cheng Xi's body was like a spark thrown into boiling oil, completely igniting every polluted and demonized existence deep within the mausoleum! It drove them into utter madness and bloodlust!
The bowstring finally snapped! Demons descended upon the mausoleum!
At the Northern Foothill Node of Mount Li, beneath a withered locust tree.
Flames blazed fiercely in Yan Lingji's orange-gold eyes as she pressed both hands firmly against the scorching ground. Deep underground, that Dark Gold core nearing shattering finally reached its limit beneath the lingering might of Pangu Will and the burning of the orange-jade fire threads!
Puff—!
A faint annihilating sound at the law level, audible only to Yan Lingji! The Dark Gold core completely shattered! It transformed into billions of Dark Gold fireflies burning with dim flames, piercing through the soil and fleeing madly in all directions!
"Burn!" How could Yan Lingji allow this last source of pollution to escape? The orange-red radiance of her Heart Lamp instantly surged to its peak! The orange-jade fire threads exploded outward, becoming a huge net of flames that covered the underground space! Bearing the purifying intent to burn away filth, the fire net crashed down upon the scattering Dark Gold fireflies!
Sizzle sizzle sizzle—!
The vast majority of the Dark Gold fireflies, like moths drawn to flame, instantly melted away and were purified beneath the orange-jade fire net! They became wisps of green smoke! Yet a small number of extremely faint, fastest-moving fireflies seemed to possess intelligence. They narrowly slipped through gaps in the fire net and vanished into deeper, darker reaches underground.
Yan Lingji lacked the strength to pursue them. Her spiritual power was nearly exhausted. Yet the core had been destroyed, and the vast majority of the pollution had been purified! She could clearly sense that the chaotic demonic intent of viscous malice within the earth-vein region beneath her feet, once occupied by demonic roots, was rapidly receding like the tide. Warm, heavy vitality belonging to the earth itself slowly flowed back from all directions.
Succeeded! The source of earth-vein pollution, the Northern Foothill Node of Mount Li... had been cleared!
She let out a long breath. The instant her taut mind relaxed, overwhelming exhaustion crashed over her like a tide. She slowly withdrew her hands from the ground. The orange-red flames of her Heart Lamp gradually drew inward, and the phantom of Zhurong behind her quietly dispersed as well.
However, Just as her mind relaxed—
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two escaping Dark Gold fireflies, as though alive, silently drilled out from a crack in the rocks not far from her side! Carrying their final resentment and venom, they shot like poisoned needles toward her exposed back, where her defenses had weakened from exhaustion!
Yan Lingji's hair stood on end! Orange-red flames instinctively rose to protect her body, but in her haste, there was no time!
At that critical moment—
Hum!
The Qingping Sword Sheath covered with cracks in her arms gave off another faint resonant hum! Cloud patterns flowed across the sheath's mouth, and a condensed Azure Sword Intent erupted in response, weak yet incomparably precise as it slashed toward the two Dark Gold fireflies!
Puff! Puff!
The sword intent destroyed the fireflies, but it also completely dissipated. Another crack seemed to appear on the sword sheath, and its light completely dimmed.
Yan Lingji was still shaken. When she turned around, she saw only the green smoke left by the annihilated fireflies. She gave the sword sheath in her arms a deep look and held it closer. A summons came from Pangu Hall, carrying praise and new guidance—deep beneath the main vein of Mount Li were other polluted nodes that still needed cleansing. But her strength was nearly exhausted, and she needed to recover first.
She cast one final glance at the withered Demonic Locust Tree, then dragged her exhausted body toward Mount Li's main peak. There were unpolluted Earth Vein Spirit Eyes there that could help her recover.
Inside the stone cavern, the dead silence was torn apart by demonic roars and tremors.
Cheng Xi lay collapsed on the jade platform, covered with Blood Filth, his breath so weak it was almost cut off. The outburst of uncontrollable Chaos Killing Intent Energy had exhausted his last shred of vitality. The Dark Gold Turbid Fiendish Meridians beneath his skin were rigid like dead snakes. The gray light between his brows had completely gone out, leaving only a deathly black stillness.
Meng Tian knelt on one knee, blood spilling from the corner of the mouth as the Ancestor Dragon Token's light dimmed. He stared at Cheng Xi, tears in his tiger-like eyes, yet they were also filled with anger and unwillingness. Lord Chang'an... had ultimately failed to endure?
Ying Zheng slowly withdrew the finger that had been frozen in midair. His dragon robe stirred without wind as an imperial Killing Intent cold to the extreme spread out, instantly suppressing the Ancestor Dragon Pressure deep in the stone cavern and the tidal wave of demonic roars underground! Without even looking at Cheng Xi, whose life had ended, his gaze pierced through the rock walls like ten-thousand-year ice and locked onto the direction from which the demonic sounds came deep within the mausoleum.
"Meng Tian!"
"This general is here!" Meng Tian endured the pain and straightened his back.
"Take my Tiger Tally!" Ying Zheng's voice was like the cold wind of the Nine Netherworlds, every word carrying Killing Intent that not even the waters of the Wei River could wash away. "Mobilize the Lantian elite! The Mount Li Guards! Seal every exit from Mount Li! Seal the mausoleum passageways layer by layer! Use refined iron! Use boulders! Use fire oil!"
"Whenever any demon shows itself..." Dark Gold light burned like flames in Ying Zheng's dragon eyes. He spoke each word slowly, like an imperial decree proclaiming the thunderous rage of an emperor:
"Show no mercy! Burn its body! Destroy its soul! I will turn Mount Li... into the cremation ground of those wretches! Let their wails... become the sacrificial rite for my coronation!"
"Yes!" Meng Tian accepted the glittering Tiger Tally. Sensing the vast Ancestor Dragon's Power and supreme will to slaughter within it, the blood in his chest boiled! He gave Cheng Xi's lifeless body on the jade platform one final look, and grief in his eyes transformed into resolute Killing Intent. Then he turned and rushed from the stone cavern like a fierce tiger!
Ying Zheng stood alone in the center of the stone cavern, his Mysterious Black Dragon Robe snapping amid the chaotic energy fluctuation. He slowly raised a hand and rested it upon the hilt of Tai'a Sword at his waist. Within the sheath, the sleeping power of the Ancestor Dragon True Spirit was completely stirred by the demonic energy deep in the mausoleum and the emperor's rage, releasing a low, majestic dragon roar.
His gaze swept across Cheng Xi's lifeless body, then turned toward the direction of the demonic roars deep within the mausoleum. Coldness and blazing heat intertwined in the depths of his dragon eyes. Internal and external calamities? No. In Ying Zheng's eyes, they were all... enemies to be cut down!
"Transmit my decree," Ying Zheng's voice rang through the stone cavern, pierced through the rock walls, and spread to the mausoleum guards and throughout Xianyang!
"Effective immediately, Mount Li is sealed! Xianyang... is under curfew!"
"Anyone who spreads rumors to deceive the people or causes trouble amid this chaos..."
"Exterminate—their—nine—clans!"
Imperial Rage was like a prison, and the dragon sealed Xianyang! The demonic calamity of Mount Li would finally begin its last climax in the most brutal bloodshed!
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