After Lu Yuan walked out of the passage.
In the next instant,
rays of white light surged into view.
The surrounding scenery shifted constantly, then finally settled into a vast, empty plaza filled with an ancient, weathered atmosphere.
Bronze Lamps stood all around, already lit. They were incredibly old, as though they had burned for a thousand years. The ground beneath his feet was perfectly flat and seemed to stretch on without end.
When he raised his head and looked toward the dome,
he saw one Night Pearl after another, each the size of a fist, shining above like stars in the night sky.
The Night Pearls on either side were especially large, nearly as big as millstones, representing the sun and moon.
The dome was incredibly high,
at least ten thousand meters.
Such a thing would have been impossible if this place weren't a space of its own.
It truly was a world hidden within a world.
Farther away, rivers flowed endlessly.
But what ran through them wasn't ordinary water.
It was Mercury.
"The Records of the Grand Historian state that Mercury was used to create the rivers and seas, with mechanisms to circulate it. The heavens were depicted above, and the geography below. Mermaid Fat was used for candles, which were said to burn for a long time without going out. So it really is true. Still, the grandeur is beyond anything I imagined. It's worthy of the Ancestral Dragon's handiwork."
Lu Yuan recalled the descriptions of the Mount Li Imperial Tomb and smiled.
The key point was that
many Spiritual Fruits and Exotic Grasses grew across the plaza, radiating a hazy glow.
Anyone could tell that eating them might help spur their evolution.
But Lu Yuan made no move. He simply stood where he was, then spoke softly.
"This place is dangerous. You'd better leave at once."
As his voice faded,
dozens of Awakened suddenly leaped out from behind Lu Yuan.
"Don't misunderstand. We only came in after you."
The man at their head hurriedly spoke, then continued, "Besides, we'll only pick a little. We won't take much."
"If I were you, I wouldn't be thinking about that." Lu Yuan shook his head, warning them not to try.
The reason was simple.
If they wanted to reach the final destination and obtain the greatest fortune,
they couldn't touch anything inside, especially Spiritual Fruits and Exotic Grasses.
You had to give something up to gain something.
Lu Yuan had been here once before. He had experience and knew what to choose.
"What do you mean? Are you planning to take all the Spiritual Fruits and Exotic Grasses for yourself?" One Awakened thought that Lu Yuan wanted everything for himself and immediately grew indignant.
But he didn't dare act rashly. After all, at the Mount Li Imperial Tomb, Lu Yuan alone had swept aside the Terracotta Warriors.
"Actually, if you hadn't followed me in, you might have been safe. Unfortunately, you came in."
Lu Yuan looked at them and continued, "There are so many Bronze Doors outside the imperial tomb. Why did you have to choose the same one as me?"
He was going to the final destination to obtain that powerful Breathing Method. In these circumstances, he wouldn't allow any mistakes, even if it meant that some people had to pay with their lives.
"What do you mean? Are you going to kill us?"
"We haven't wronged you. We only came for the fortune."
"You're too overbearing. If you see Spiritual Fruits and Exotic Grasses, you're entitled to a share."
At his words, everyone grew alarmed, thinking Lu Yuan was about to kill them.
"I'm not the one who'll do it."
Lu Yuan chuckled softly, standing where he was.
Rumble, rumble, rumble—
At that very moment, the plaza began to shake.
Waves surged through the distant Mercury River, churning violently. The sight was eerie.
More importantly, dark figures began to emerge slowly from the river.
There were many of them: some rode horses, some drew bows, and some wielded halberds. They formed an army of a thousand, much like the Terracotta Warriors outside, but unlike them, these soldiers weren't made of clay.
Their bodies were shriveled, like skeletons. They wore armor, and green mist curled around their feet.
Like the Underworld Army from legends, they appeared before everyone.
They formed a line across the plaza, facing them all.
The army's aura was terrifying.
Not one of them had the breath of the living. A heavy, sinister aura swirled around them, and they were no weaker than Awakened who had embarked on the path of evolution.
"The Underworld Army? Are they Underworld Soldiers? Why are there Underworld Soldiers in the imperial tomb?"
"Legend has it that the Ancestral Dragon ruled the world while alive and intended to unite the underworld after his death. Could it really be true?"
"How can this be? An army of thousands of Underworld Soldiers—and each one is as strong as we are. We're going to die!"
Everyone panicked when they saw the Underworld Army.
After all,
the Terracotta Warriors outside the imperial tomb had seemed like nothing to them. They were just made of clay.
But these were different. They looked every bit like an army of dead men.
At the same time,
in the spaces behind the other ninety-eight Bronze Doors, everyone began fighting over the Spiritual Fruits and Exotic Grasses. Battles broke out, blood flowed, and no one was about to show mercy.
They had come for the fortune in the first place. Now that they'd found it, of course they wouldn't hesitate.
Winged Sky God, Northern Emperor, Ice Fairy, Southern Emperor, Asura, and the others—
these people were powerful.
They struck with ruthless precision, and they had forces backing them.
They were now seizing the Spiritual Fruits and Exotic Grasses, taking the chance to evolve and expand their forces.
Wherever they went, they claimed almost everything. No one dared fight them for it, and could only watch helplessly.
But soon, everyone began to cry out in alarm. Underworld Soldiers had appeared here as well. They stared at the intruders in the imperial tomb and attacked without hesitation.
In an instant,
the battle between Awakened turned into a battle between the Underworld Soldiers and the Awakened.
These Underworld Soldiers were powerful, fiercer than the Terracotta Warriors outside.
Before long, blood soaked the ground.
Winged Sky God and the others were no exception. They fought back, but the Underworld Soldiers seemed endless, constantly emerging from the Mercury River. There were far too many of them. Battle cries and roars rose and fell, and the fighting was even more brutal than the battle outside the imperial tomb.
Everyone began to fight for their lives.
This was the second trial of the Mount Li Imperial Tomb: the Underworld Soldier Formation.
If the Terracotta Warriors outside
were the Ancestral Dragon's army in the world of the living,
then these Underworld Soldiers were his elite troops in the underworld.
Even powerful Awakened struggled to deal with them. Sooner or later, they would run out of strength.
Even someone like Asura had begun to suffer injuries, swarmed by the Underworld Soldiers.
At that moment,
in the area where Lu Yuan stood,
the thousands of Underworld Soldiers began to attack as well. They showed no mercy to the invading Awakened.
"Why? Why are these Underworld Soldiers only attacking us and not him?"
But soon, they noticed something terrifying.
After the Underworld Soldiers appeared,
they headed straight for them.
Yet Lu Yuan, who stood even closer, remained where he was and wasn't attacked at all.
The Underworld Soldiers seemed to deliberately go around him.
No one could understand why.
But they would never get the answer.
Under the relentless attacks, the dozens of Awakened who had followed him in were quickly killed to the last man.
Once it was over, the Underworld Soldiers stopped moving. Then they all turned and looked at Lu Yuan.
But they still didn't attack. They stood perfectly still, as though turned to stone.
"Just as I expected."
Lu Yuan smiled, took a deep breath, and pulled something out of the Zi Wu Bu Tian Lu.
It was the Ghost Seal he had previously bought at the Treasure Pavilion.
After the changes in the world,
the Ghost Seal hadn't changed at all.
But that didn't mean it was useless.
Thud, thud, thud!
As soon as Lu Yuan took out the Ghost Seal,
an inexplicable aura spread from it and enveloped him.
Every Underworld Soldier—including those behind the other ninety-nine doors—dropped to their knees at almost the same time.
They bowed their heads, all facing in the same direction: the place where Lu Yuan stood.
The people in the other areas didn't know what was happening.
They only saw the Underworld Soldiers kneeling.
Winged Sky God, Zhou Yunqiong, Ice Fairy, Dean Zheng, and the others were all stunned.
They had no idea what was going on.
The Underworld Soldiers had been brimming with killing intent moments ago. Why had they all knelt?
That was right.
This was the Ghost Seal's true purpose.
He had bought it for only fifty million.
Now that he had taken it out, he could command the Underworld Army inside the Mount Li Imperial Tomb.
"Rise."
On the other side, Lu Yuan spoke softly.
Whoosh—
At once, every Underworld Soldier stood up.
The inexplicable aura from the Ghost Seal also slowly faded.
At that moment, he looked like an emperor commanding all the armies under heaven.
"I need to enter the Ancestral Dragon Hall."
Holding the Ghost Seal, Lu Yuan spoke and issued another command.
Immediately,
the Underworld Soldiers in front of him moved without hesitation. They walked toward the center of the plaza, their mouths uttering strange syllables.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The next moment, in the area where Lu Yuan stood,
the ground began to shake, then sank layer by layer.
At the same time, a magnificent hall slowly rose from beneath the earth.
The hall was ancient, dozens of meters tall, and built from an unknown material.
Its style resembled the Qin Dynasty, with black as its dominant color. Black steps rose before its imposing entrance. Three Qin-era characters were inscribed on the plaque above the doors: Ancestral Dragon Hall.
It was awe-inspiring, with rivers below and the sun, moon, and stars above.
Standing there, it seemed capable of bringing the Nine Provinces under its rule.
And this
was the final destination of the imperial tomb!
It had appeared right before Lu Yuan.
"So it's finally here?"
Seeing this, Lu Yuan smiled again, realizing that the first key had worked.
Without another word, he walked toward the Ancestral Dragon Hall, one step at a time.
But just as he was about to climb the steps,
he suddenly stopped.
Lu Yuan looked at the Underworld General leading the troops and said, "Someone broke into the Mount Li Imperial Tomb. They still deserve their punishment. Don't stop."
After speaking, he smiled slightly and continued up the steps.
The Underworld General said nothing.
He only nodded.
Then,
in the next instant, inside the other ninety-eight separate spaces,
the Underworld Soldiers that had stopped attacking sprang into action again, as if they had received an order.
"Ahhh, didn't it just stop?"
"Why's it starting again? I can't take it!"
"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?"
The Awakened who had broken in were all aghast. They had thought they were safe.
But they hadn't expected the Underworld Soldiers, who had quieted down, to attack again—and this time, even more fiercely than before.
Winged Sky God and the others looked grim as they began to fight back. There were simply too many enemies, and each one was comparable to an Awakened. Even if they were only at the first or second tier of the Initial Realm, there were just too many of them.
At this rate, forget picking the Spiritual Fruits and Exotic Grasses—just staying alive would be a struggle.
Zhou Yunqiong's face had gone pale, too. She hadn't expected things to turn out this way.
The battle began once more.
Everyone cried out in despair.
But no one knew that this was all because of Lu Yuan's command.
Unlike those people trapped in danger,
he climbed the steps one by one, utterly at ease, heading toward Ancestral Dragon Hall. Below him, the vast army of Underworld Soldiers bowed their heads slightly.
"The secrets of the imperial tomb are far more complicated than I imagined."
At that moment,
Lu Yuan continued forward.
As he watched Ancestral Dragon Hall draw closer, a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.
Had this been the old era, even excavating the original Mount Li Imperial Tomb wouldn't have brought anyone here.
Because that was a decoy tomb, not the real one.
As for why things had turned out this way,
Lu Yuan didn't know. There was no record of it in the historical sources, either.
But it was said that there had been Qi Refiners in the pre-Qin era. Qi Refiners could be understood as people who cultivated immortality; by today's standards, they were equivalent to Awakened.
That alone suggested that perhaps the world during the Qin Dynasty had been different from the world now.
After all, many myths in China had continued uninterrupted ever since.
Perhaps they weren't legends at all, but the truth.
This world held many secrets.
Even though he had lived a second life, there was still plenty he didn't know. He could only explore them step by step, just as he was doing with the true resting place of the Ancestral Dragon.
Who could have imagined that it was hidden inside a folded space? Who would have dared to imagine it?
Of course,
this was Lu Yuan's second time here.
He wasn't going to be as shocked as the others.
He simply felt that China held many secrets.
With that thought in mind, he soon reached the top of the steps and stood before the great hall.
As its name suggested, Ancestral Dragon Hall was carved all around with Black Dragons. The Qin Dynasty revered water, and in the Five Phases, water was represented by the color black.
But the hall doors were tightly shut.
He gave them a slight touch.
The material was unusual. It wasn't metal, yet it was incredibly heavy.
Even with his current strength, he couldn't force them open.
Of course,
Lu Yuan had come prepared.
He sat down cross-legged.
Once more, he took something from Zi Wu Bu Tian Lu.
It was the small green bronze tripod passed down through Chen Song's family. It had three legs and two handles, and it truly looked extraordinary.
Especially after the world changed, it had begun to emit a faint green glow from time to time, which curled around its body.
"The time has come to put you to use."
Lu Yuan murmured to himself.
He had spent a full three months preparing.
How could he enter the imperial tomb and face all kinds of setbacks and hardships like everyone else? Wouldn't that make all his preparations pointless?
This little tripod, worth five hundred thousand, was also the most important key.
He said no more.
Lu Yuan took a deep breath and brought out the Great Luo Sword Embryo.
After absorbing the special substance inside the Terracotta Warriors,
the Sword Embryo gleamed with streaks of light. It had grown sharper, and its Sword Qi had become more condensed.
Its patterns were also much clearer than before. In fact, they were still changing as time passed.
Clearly, its transformation was not yet complete.
But he had to use it now.
At once,
Lu Yuan's thoughts stirred, and the Sword Embryo shrank to the size of a dagger. He used it to cut his palm.
There was no other way. His body was impervious to blades and spears; even bullets couldn't pierce it.
Without the Sword Embryo, he simply couldn't make himself bleed.
Once he had done that,
Lu Yuan clenched his fist and poured all the blood into the Green Cauldron.
The cauldron wasn't large, but at that moment it seemed to have no bottom. No matter how much blood flowed in, it showed no sign of overflowing.
And as more and more blood poured in, the green glow around the cauldron grew brighter and brighter.
A cauldron was a ritual vessel, as well as an instrument of sacrifice.
In ancient times, whenever something important was to be done,
a cauldron was essential.
Legend had it that one could use it to communicate with the heavens, letting the gods understand one's wishes.
Lu Yuan didn't know whether that was true, but opening the doors to Ancestral Dragon Hall required one.
Hummm—
Soon,
the entire cauldron was filled with green light.
The light flowed out like water and drifted toward the hall doors.
Thud, thud, thud—
The doors of Ancestral Dragon Hall shook, making a deep, resonant sound, but still showed no sign of opening.
Seeing this,
Lu Yuan spoke.
"I, Lu Yuan, descendant of the bloodline of China, have come bearing the Ghost Seal. I offer this cauldron in sacrifice, seeking an audience with the Ancestral Dragon of China. I ask that the Ancestral Dragon grant me an audience."
His voice was not loud, but through the Green Cauldron used for the sacrifice, it seemed to carry some mysterious power, piercing through the great hall.
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
As if answering his call,
the hall shook, its rumbling like thunder.
The light from the small green bronze tripod spread across the entire doorway.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—
At last,
the doors of Ancestral Dragon Hall opened.
They opened quickly, and before long, they were wide open.
Then,
Lu Yuan put away the small tripod and bowed slightly, following the example of the ancients.
To him, no one in the present age was worthy of such a gesture. But the Ancestral Dragon was different. He was an ancestor, a great man, and deserved the respect due to him.
Once he had done this, he stepped directly into the hall.
The great hall was spacious,
like the place where officials had once attended court.
Twelve pillars, each so thick that more than ten people would be needed to encircle one, stood inside. Various patterns were carved into them.
An aura of antiquity, desolation, and majesty swept over him.
It was hard to imagine
that this had been built more than two thousand years ago.
But if Awakened like those of the present age had existed in that era, then it was a different matter.
Lu Yuan paid none of this much attention. He raised his head and walked forward.
At the far end of the great hall,
a flight of steps rose toward a platform.
And on that platform sat a black throne.
In a daze,
he seemed to see the Ancestral Dragon from more than two thousand years ago, who had swallowed the world with his ambition, seated high upon it and looking down over his mountains and rivers.
"What I need is on that throne." Lu Yuan murmured. The goal of his journey was finally right before him. He only had to walk up and he could take it!
Two chapters, ten thousand words.
Nearly a hundred thousand words in ten days.
Brothers, don't say I'm slow. I've spent the whole day writing, and my back and waist are killing me. That's really not a small amount!
Please show some support!
P.S. Guess what the protagonist will get?
Before you continue