The Ancestral Dragon Breathing Technique, One Hundred Thousand Eight Thousand Caves, and the End

The Terracotta Warriors resurrected before the Imperial Tomb were the first checkpoint.

There were no tricks to get around it; one had to fight through.

The Underworld Soldier Formation.

That was the second checkpoint, and almost everyone who trespassed stopped there—or met their end. Without a key, no one could pass.

However, along the way, there were also some Spiritual Fruits and Exotic Grasses as rewards, a way of telling visitors to know when to stop.

The gate to Ancestral Dragon Hall was the third checkpoint, and the final test.

Even with the means to do so, no one could force their way in.

So.

To reach the final destination, neither strength nor the key could be lacking.

But Lu Yuan had both, and had cleared every trial.

Now he had entered the great hall.

He had made it through all the layers of defenses.

He stood in the hall, his expression calm, then walked toward the throne.

This was the only chance, and the last one. Once Lu Yuan stepped inside and claimed the fortune, even if someone came later with the key and met every condition, Ancestral Dragon Hall would never appear again.

That was why he had been so cautious ever since entering the Mount Li Imperial Tomb.

There was no other way. He had to obtain what was inside; it was immensely important.

Soon.

Lu Yuan had climbed every step and stood before the throne.

There was no one there, just as the Imperial Tomb had stood silently for more than two thousand years.

Yet on the throne lay a jade slip, no longer than a finger.

It looked entirely ordinary. It gave off not the slightest glimmer. If it had been left outside, most people would never have noticed it. Its only apparent value was that it was made entirely of jade, and that was all.

But when Lu Yuan saw it, a glint finally appeared in his eyes.

"I've prepared for so long, all for you."

He murmured to himself, then stepped forward.

But he did not pick it up at once. Instead, he bowed slightly to the throne again, showing respect to the master of the Imperial Tomb.

After all, he was taking something from inside. He could not afford to be hasty, and he had to mind his manners in every respect.

Even though he knew that skipping the gesture would make no difference.

Once he had finished,

Lu Yuan took a deep breath and picked up the jade slip.

It felt cool in his hand, but not unpleasant in the slightest.

There were no words engraved on it.

Seeing this,

he did not hesitate and clenched his fist.

Crack, crack—

The next instant, the jade slip was crushed to powder.

At the very moment it shattered,

the entire Mount Li Imperial Tomb seemed to tremble faintly. The dragon-shaped essence flowing over the mountain grew thinner, and its power no longer felt as oppressive as before. But the change was slight, and no one noticed.

Below the great hall,

Lu Yuan gazed at the crushed jade slip, his eyes burning.

But the powder did not fall. Instead, it glowed with a hazy radiance, drifting through the air.

At last, its light grew brighter and brighter, until it formed one ancient script character after another from the pre-Qin era!

Most people could not have recognized all those characters, Lu Yuan included.

Of course, he did not actually need to recognize them.

As time passed,

the characters settled into place. There were over a hundred of them—not many.

After floating in midair for a moment, they all surged into Lu Yuan's brow.

In his mind, the golden little figure representing the Innate Spirit and God of Wisdom sat beneath the Bodhi tree and began to comprehend the characters.

His billionfold talent activated, and in almost an instant, he grasped their entire meaning.

Lu Yuan now knew what the jade slip had recorded.

The Ancestral Dragon Breathing Technique!

Once cultivated, it used the practitioner's body as its foundation to swallow the dragon veins of heaven and earth, transforming every cell in the body into a true dragon and opening up One Hundred Thousand Eight Thousand Caves. Each cave contained a true god. With every manifested true god, one's combat strength doubled.

One Hundred Thousand Eight Thousand Caves meant One Hundred Thousand Eight Thousand true selves, and a hundred and eight thousand times the combat strength!

That was right. This was the Breathing Method he had been searching for all along.

Certainly,

there were many Breathing Methods in this world.

Some ancient Lineages, and even places like Longhu Mountain and Zhendan Academy, possessed Breathing Methods, and they were all quite good.

But Lu Yuan had never cared about them. The one he had now was among the most peerless, surpassing them all by far.

If he had to make a comparison, it was like a complete version of the Classic of the Way and its Virtue, while the various visualization methods

were all the finest, most perfect kind.

After living another life,

the things he planned were naturally never simple.

"One hundred and eight thousand times the combat strength. If that were added to my own, just how terrifying would I be?" Lu Yuan's eyes shone. He had known the slip contained a peerless Breathing Method, but he had never expected it to be so powerful.

What did a hundred and eight thousand times the combat strength even mean?

It was simply impossible to imagine.

With his billionfold talent, he could almost certainly comprehend the Ancestral Dragon Breathing Technique in a short time.

Most other people would still be figuring out how to cultivate it, let alone comprehend it.

So Lu Yuan's next step

was to find a way to open the Caves described by the Breathing Method.

But that required an immense amount of energy. Cultivation alone would not be enough.

One cave, one god. How difficult would it be to manifest one?

But Lu Yuan had made preparations long ago.

With a slight turn of his hand,

the Nine-leaf Golden Rhyme he had obtained earlier in Qingyang City appeared.

It was an Exotic Grass, a natural treasure.

If an ordinary person swallowed it, they could immediately become Awakened, because it contained an enormous amount of energy.

Now, though,

it would become nourishment for Lu Yuan to open his Caves.

Without hesitation,

he sat cross-legged before the throne.

Since he had obtained the Breathing Method, he would naturally begin cultivating right away. He was also hoping to use this chance to break another Gene Shackles, evolve further, and increase his strength.

At once, Lu Yuan put the Nine-leaf Golden Rhyme into his mouth. The next moment, a surge of pure energy welled up inside him.

Radiance began to spill from his body, just like during his last, most perfect transformation,

as every inch of his skin shimmered with flowing light.

Feeling the power, Lu Yuan closed his eyes and began to cultivate according to the Ancestral Dragon Breathing Technique.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

His chest began to rise and fall, and streams of white breath escaped his mouth and nose.

At the same time, as he inhaled, the energy around him transformed into tiny dragons and was drawn into him.

Buzz!

In an instant, Lu Yuan felt the pores all over his body open.

His internal organs began to tremble, and his blood surged like boiling magma.

The sensation was extraordinary, intensely pleasurable, as if his body were ascending. His genes were beginning to transform.

An ancient text recorded: "Those who eat meat are brave and fierce; those who eat grain are wise and clever; those who feed on qi are divine and long-lived; those who eat nothing neither die nor age, and become divine."

At that moment, Lu Yuan was turning the Heaven-Earth Essence into food and drawing it into his body.

It could bring unexpected benefits to every inch of his cells.

However, cultivating the Breathing Method also required a visualization method.

So Lu Yuan began to cultivate both at once.

Thud, thud, thud—

His heart pounded with tremendous force, like a war drum echoing through the great hall.

His presence grew heavier and heavier, and his aura more terrifying by the moment.

"The Nine-leaf Golden Rhyme contains an enormous amount of energy. It'll take two or three days to absorb it all. I don't know if it'll help me open my first Cave, but there's no doubt it can help me break several Gene Shackles in succession."

As Lu Yuan cultivated, he felt the changes in his body and found that every part of him was benefiting.

Moreover, his fifth Gene Shackles had loosened completely, showing signs that it was about to break.

After this,

his strength would soar once again.

But as he had expected, it would take some time.

Of course,

Lu Yuan was in no hurry. No one would disturb him here, and he could cultivate in complete peace.

While he silently cultivated, evolving further and increasing his strength,

things were very different in the other areas.

Though many people had picked some Spiritual Fruits and Exotic Grasses, they still had to face the Underworld Soldiers' unending attacks. Some had barely gotten their hands on anything before they died on the spot. The longer they stayed, the more people died.

More than ten thousand Awakened had entered, yet in less than an hour, over a thousand had already perished.

At last, some could not bear it any longer. After claiming a few rewards, they chose to leave.

They knew that if they stayed any longer, they would lose their lives, never mind gaining a fortune.

Once the first person left,

others quickly followed, fleeing the Mount Li Imperial Tomb one after another.

But unlike when they had entered, they came out through the enormous gate.

The small bronze door behind them no longer appeared. It was clear that, for now, there was no way back in.

As soon as people saw someone emerge from the Imperial Tomb, they surrounded them, and those who had not gone in began asking what it was like inside.

When they heard about the Underworld Soldiers, and how the army could not be killed no matter how hard they tried, many shuddered at the thought of the dangers within. But when they asked whether anyone had gained anything, those who had gone inside fell silent.

That silence stirred greed in certain people, who secretly chose to make their move.

The Mount Li Imperial Tomb held a great fortune; that was practically common knowledge.

No one could have escaped alive

without obtaining at least some reward.

As the saying went, people died for wealth just as birds died for food. The people outside began ambushing those who had escaped, throwing the situation into chaos once more.

Soon, a day passed. More people came out, including Awakened of the fifth and sixth tiers. Even they could not hold out. After getting some Spiritual Fruits and Exotic Grasses, they decided to stop, find somewhere to heal their wounds, and use the items they had risked their lives to obtain to evolve and grow stronger.

There was no denying that the opening of the Mount Li Imperial Tomb had caused chaos, but it had also helped many Awakened evolve further.

By the second day, people from Zhendan Academy and the other groups came out too.

Dean Zheng looked grim.

The gains they had made inside the Imperial Tomb were nowhere near as great as they had imagined, and some of their teachers had been badly injured.

When he asked the others, he heard much the same. He could not help but wonder:

Was the Imperial Tomb really hiding a great fortune, as they had imagined?

There were only some Spiritual Fruits and Exotic Grasses.

They were not even especially rare. With a little luck, one could find them in certain famous mountains and rivers.

By this time, everyone had also noticed that the enormous gate was moving, slowly closing. By their calculations, it would be shut in three days.

So some factions deduced that the Imperial Tomb would remain open for only five days. No one knew whether it would open again, or when.

Even so, some people still waited outside.

Winged Sky God and the other Five Great Supremes had not come out yet.

Perhaps they had gained an immense fortune inside the Imperial Tomb.

Of course, they were merely curious. They would never dare try to seize anything; the difference in strength spoke for itself.

Before long, the third day passed. Winged Sky God and the others finally could not hold out any longer and chose to leave the Mount Li Imperial Tomb.

They, too, had only obtained some Spiritual Fruits and Exotic Grasses, but there had been a great many of them. They had picked nearly everything in the area they had explored.

No one dared act rashly in the face of their overwhelming strength.

Wuzhou Group, Tianshen Technology, and the others also concluded that the Mount Li Imperial Tomb did contain a fortune, but it was nowhere near as great as they had imagined—not enough to compare with certain famous mountains and rivers.

According to the information they had gathered, nearly every area behind the gates was filled with Spiritual Fruits and Exotic Grasses.

There were no special divine treasures.

And they had paid a heavy price for it.

Of course, some people believed that perhaps the Imperial Tomb had not fully opened.

After all, no one had ever seen the place where the Ancestral Dragon slept.

Unfortunately, once they came out, they could not get back in—for now.

The ultimate secret was difficult to uncover.

Some of the major forces chose to withdraw, leaving the area for Chang'an City to recuperate and prepare their next plans.

The world's transformation was still underway, and major events were happening in many places. Perhaps some wondrous treasures had come into being.

Of course, they wouldn't let such opportunities pass them by. They wanted to expand their forces as quickly as possible.

The earlier it was, the more opportunities there were.

"Let's go."

Zhou Yunqiong glanced at the imperial tomb and chose to leave as well.

"That Lu Yuan still hasn't come out." Winged Sky God remained where he was.

He'd been suppressed twice, and the first time he'd suffered a serious loss. He wanted to reclaim his dignity.

"Even if he comes out, can you beat him with that sword around?" Zhou Yunqiong remained calm and continued, "We gained a lot in the imperial tomb. Father also sent word that we've made gains elsewhere. With all that, you can reach the Awakening Realm, or even go further."

"True strength isn't about winning a momentary victory. It's about seeing who can make it to the end. Your bloodline is exceptional, and your potential is great."

"Besides, perhaps before long, your people from the Ancestral Star will arrive. That will be when you rise to prominence."

"I-I understand."

Winged Sky God agreed with Zhou Yunqiong and nodded at once.

That was right. Wasn't Lu Yuan's strength due to external tools?

But external tools were only external tools. His own clan's bloodline was legendary throughout the stars. There was no need to rush.

So, in the end, he chose to leave.

Zhou Yunqiong turned back once more.

Lu Yuan.

This man was far stronger than she'd imagined. But soon, her own bloodline would be fully awakened. Bloodlines were the greatest source of support in this new era!

With the Wuzhou Group's departure, the other forces left as well, believing that the trip to Mount Li Imperial Tomb had come to an end.

As for those who hadn't come out, they were either dead or still holding on.

But at most, they'd find some Spiritual Fruits and Exotic Grass.

"Second Young Master."

Elsewhere, the Long-robed Elder from Chang Sheng Gene spoke. "The First Young Master has left. We should withdraw."

Wang Tao simply shook his head. "If you want to go, go. I'm staying."

As he spoke, he looked toward the imperial tomb, his eyes filled with a cruel, cutting sharpness.

"I understand what you're thinking, but..."

The elder hesitated as he spoke. He knew Wang Tao had his eye on that sword and wanted to wait for Lu Yuan to come out, then ambush him. But with that sword, the gap between them was simply too great.

"So what?"

Wang Tao sneered. "Over the past few days, I've mobilized plenty of resources through Mother. We have enough firepower. No matter how strong he is, can he withstand modern weapons?"

He also believed that Lu Yuan's strength lay in that sword, not in himself.

As long as they caught him completely off guard—

With powerful modern weapons on their side, there'd be no shortage of opportunities.

One had to remember: with his mother's authority backing him,

he was bringing in heavy weapons. Their firepower was enough to flatten a small hill.

Wang Tao believed that under those circumstances, Lu Yuan couldn't possibly escape. No matter how strong he was, he was still made of mortal flesh and blood!