Chapter 1350 - Old Things in the Sarcophagi
Chapter 1350: Old Things in the Sarcophagi
Ying Gou struggled to retreat, but fear seemed to cause his strength to seep away. His body was half-curled up in a fetal position, and his fangs had long been retracted. The chains clanked and smashed against the wall of the abyss, causing sparks to fly.
Ying Gou was one of the ten zombie kings. His body was immortal. Even Qin Renyue, a Venerable Master, did not dare to appear in his range movements like Lu Zhou was doing.
At this time, Qin Renyue demonstrated his extraordinary mental state as a Venerable Master. He raised his index finger to his lips and signaled everyone to be quiet. Noise and sudden movements could easily break a person’s psychological defense and cause them to lose control. Silence was the best environment to organize one’s thoughts.
“We’ve obtained the White Tiger Dragon Jade, Brother Lu,” Qin Renyue said. He was subtly trying to persuade Lu Zhou to leave.
However, Qin Renyue did not expect Lu Zhou to not only stay in the range of Ying Gou’s movements, but Lu Zhou made an even more daring move.
Lu Zhou moved closer to Ying Gou before he came to a stop about 3 meters away.
Ying Gou began pulling at the chains again, causing them to ring with an ear-piercing noise. He trembled violently, growing more and more frightened.
Lu Zhou withdrew some of his divine power, causing the light on his body to dim slightly.
As expected, Ying Gou gradually calmed down, and half of his fear seemed to have dissipated.
‘So it’s the divine power?’
The divine power came from the Heavenly Writing, and the Heavenly Writing came from the system. Hence, it should be a foreign power. However, even if it was a foreign power, it should not have caused Ying Guo to be so frightened. Moreover, Tuoba Sicheng, Tian Wu, and Lord Zhennan should have keener senses than Ying Gou so why did they not sense anything.
“Do you know me?” Lu Zhou suddenly asked.
Ying Gou did not dare to speak nor did he dare to look at Lu Zhou. He shrank back even more.
“Who tied you here?” Lu Zhou asked again.
Ying Gou opened and closed his mouth, but no words came out for a long time. Finally, he said two words, “S-supreme… being…”
With Lu Zhou and Qin Renyue’s current cultivation base, let alone a supreme being, they did not even have a way to measure how strong Saints were.
“It’s actually a supreme being?” Qin Renyue said solemnly.
The rumor outside had always been that the late Emperor Emeritus trapped Ying Gou here to guard his tomb. However, it was clearly not the case.
Lu Zhou looked at Ying Gou and asked, “Do you want to be free?”
When they heard this question, the four elders of Mount Li shook their heads vehemently while Qin Renyue and the 49 swordsmen were shocked.
When Qin Renyue regained his senses, he hastily said, “Brother Lu, you mustn’t do that! If you free him, I’m afraid he’ll bring disaster to the world.”
Before Lu Zhou could reply, Ying Gou shook his head repeatedly, confusing everyone.
Following that, Lu Zhou flew back up to the wooden bridge to everyone’s relief.
The four chains stopped clanking as well. The sense of relief that came from the abyss was almost palpable.
Finally, everyone shifted their eyes to the stone door on the other side of the wooden bridge. It was time to see what was behind the door.
Qin Renyue looked at the White Tiger Coiling Dragon Jade in his hand and said, “This jade is comparable to a sacred relic. It’s extraordinary.”
“There’s a special formation etched on the stone door. Ever since the late Emperor Emeritus was entombed, no one has ever entered the tomb. All the guardians like Jian Zhen can only wander outside the tomb,” Ji Shi said.
Qin Renyue flew over to the stone door, followed by the 49 swordsmen and the people of the Evil Sky Pavilion.
At this time, the sound of clanking chains rang in the air again.
When they looked down the abyss, they saw Ying Gou closed his eyes, and his hands were placed on his body, looking as though he was in a deep sleep.
“Let’s stop looking. It’s too scary,” Little Yuan’er said.
Ji Shi glanced at Ying Gou before looking at Lu Zhou who was standing nearby. When he recalled Lu Zhou’s fight with Meng Mingshi, he suddenly felt Ying Gou was not that frightening anymore. What was frightening was the person standing next to them wearing human skin.
Lu Zhou looked at the stone door and said, “Open the stone door.”
“Alright.” Qin Renyue casually tossed the White Tiger Dragon Jade out.
Thump!
It turned into a streak of light and struck the stone door.
On the stone door, the white tiger carving on the left lit up as the coiling dragon carving on the right lit up. Then, the stone door parted, sliding to both sides.
Creak!
The opened door revealed an eerie scene. The stone room was dark and spacious. With the illumination from the energy seals, they could not see an end to the room at all.
Lu Zhou flicked his fingers, sending out an orb of light that illuminated the room.
The dark stone room was filled with all kinds of human figurines.
“Sacrificial warriors…”
The four elders of Mount Li’s expressions were solemn.
“Sacrificial warriors?”
“In fact, even at the moment of the late Emperor Emeritus’ death, he was unwilling to give up his throne and wanted to continue conquering the world. In order to appease him and honor his final wish, the royal family selected over ten thousand living people to be made into terracotta warriors so that in death they would continue to follow the late Emperor Emeritus.”
“…”
It was difficult for them to understand this kind of sick mentality. However, it was not surprising to them. After all, when cultivators reached a certain realm, they would do everything they could to achieve immortality. It was not surprising that living people were buried to accompany emperors.
“He was dying at that time, and yet, he was still so stubborn,” Yan Zhenluo said with a sigh.
The four elders of Mount Li remained silent.
Lu Li turned to look at the four elders of Mount Li and asked, “Why are you so loyal to him?”
“The late Emperor Emeritus did us a favor,” Cui Mingguang replied.
Upon hearing this, they thought it was no wonder the four elders of Mount Li were deceived by Meng Mingshi.
They looked into the tomb again.
“Will these sacrificial warriors come to life?” Little Yuan’er asked, shrinking back.
“Who knows? It’s not surprising if there are monsters in here so It wouldn’t surprise me if they come to live. It’s better to be careful,” Qin Renyue said.
Lu Zhou flew forward and cast the power of sight, power of hearing, and power of smell to survey the area. Then, he brought the Golden Taixu Mirror out and imbued it with the divine power before he shone it into the tomb. It revealed all the formations and traps easily.
“Let’s go,” Lu Zhou said as he held the Golden Taixu Mirror and flew forward.
Upon seeing this, everyone followed closely behind.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
They flew above the heads of tens and thousands of sacrificial warriors.
Soon after, they arrived in the center of the tomb. There was a square platform with two black sarcophagi on it. A ray of light fell on the platform like a spotlight on a stage.
After everyone descended, Qin Renyue said, “Brother Lu’s treasure is really amazing. If it weren’t for the mirror, I’m afraid we would’ve triggered the traps.”
Lu Zou did not pay attention to Qin Renyue’s flattery. Instead, he pointed to the top and said, “The tomb is located underground, but look at the ray of light. It means the inside of Mount Li is hollow.”
“That’s right. The royal family really spent a lot on the mausoleum.”
Lu Zhou said, “There should be a trap up there. It’s probably difficult to exit once you go in.”
Everyone nodded.
Yu Zhenghai walked to the two sarcophagi. He looked to the left and right as he asked, “Why are there two sarcophagi?”
Ji Shi shook his head. “We know nothing about this. After all, we didn’t come in at that time. Those who came in weren’t allowed to leave.”
Zhao Yu said, “No matter how many there are, one of them definitely belongs to the late Emperor Emeritus. The other one likely belongs to His Majesty’s favorite concubine or something like that.”
“That’s impossible.” Ji Shi shook his head. “This isn’t in accordance with etiquette and tradition. Concubines don’t have the right to be buried next to emperors. Only the Empress has the right. After the concubines die, they’ll be buried together in the outer chamber.”
“Who cares? We’ll know once we open it,” Mingshi Yin said.
Everyone nodded. This was the purpose of their visit, after all.
Lu Zhou pointed at the sarcophagus on the left and said, “Open it.”
Yu Zhenghai pushed the lid open with one hand. It moved more easily than expected.
Everyone looked over.
Yan Zhenluo ignited a talisman again and lit up the surroundings.
After taking a glance, Yu Zhenghai exclaimed, “It’s empty?!”
No one expected this.
The four elders of Mount Li did not believe this and rushed over to have a look. Indeed, it was empty inside. There were only some funerary items, jewelry, personal belongings, and clothes.
“Impossible!”
The four elders of Mount Li were still in disbelief.
“I saw the late Emperor Emeritus being brought into the tomb with my own eyes… T-this…” Tang Zibing said, confused.
According to etiquette, an emperor’s sarcophagus was always placed on the left. Hence, the sarcophagus on the right could not have belonged to the late Emperor Emeritus.
In any case, since the left side was empty, they had to take a look at the right side.
Ji Shi was still unwilling to believe this. He went to the right sarcophagus and decisively pushed the lid off with one hand
Everyone looked over.
As expected, it was also empty.
“…”
Everyone was baffled; they looked at each other in confusion.
“Empty?”
After spending so much effort, the tomb was empty. Was this not a waste of time?
At this moment, Yan Zhenluo speculated out loud, “Is it possible that the late Emperor Emeritus didn’t die?”
The four elders of Mount Li’s eyes widened slightly.
Qin emperor didn’t die?”Yan Zhenluo deduced.
Ji Shi said, “Back then, before the late Emperor Emeritus died, the four of us were by his side. When he died, there were many people present. His death couldn’t be faked. Moreover, when he was alive, he searched everywhere for ways to live forever. He even found Ying Gou! If he were alive, why didn’t he show himself?”
Although the later Emperor Emeritus did not imprison Ying Gou here, it was a fact that he had searched for and found Ying Gou.
Everyone was puzzled. Indeed, even if the late Emperor Emeritus managed to find a way to live forever after being entombed, with his personality, he would have returned to Great Qin to take the throne.
Lu Zhou did not care about this matter so he did not dwell on it. Instead, he walked over and studied the old things in the sarcophagi. With a wave of his hand, a pile of funerary objects was uncovered.
Cultivators were not too interested in worldly possessions.
No one knew what Lu Zhou was looking for so they only silently watched.
After a moment, Mingshi Yin could not help but say, “Master, we don’t lack these things.”
The items of the dead were somewhat unlucky. Besides, they were not grave robbers.
Zhao Yu’s expression was a little unnatural upon hearing these words.
Lu Zhou continued to look through the things.
Swoosh!
“Ding! Completed the mission, Secret of the Golden Tokens. Reward: 10,000 merit points.”
“Ding! Found the Heavenly Mark Brocade Box.”
‘The Heavenly Mark Brocade Box?’
Lu Zhou saw a brown brocade box, but there did not seem to be anything special about it.
Perhaps, it was because there was no corpse in the sarcophagus, there was not even a speck of dust on the brocade box.
Lu Zhou waved his hand, and the brocade box flew into his hand.
“Ding! The Heavenly Mark Brocade Box is an artifact. It can only be opened after reaching a certain realm.”
“???”
Upon seeing the brocade box, Ji Shi exclaimed, “I remember now! This is something His Majesty obtained at the Pillar of Destruction!”
“He couldn’t open the brocade box?” Lu Zhou asked.
Ji Shi shook his head and said, “This thing is very strange. It’s impossible to open with external force. The late Emperor Emeritus tried various ways but couldn’t open it. In the end, he forgot about it.”
“The things found at the Pillars of Destruction are all treasures. I’m sure the box is no exception,” Tan Zibing said.
Bang!
Lu Zhou waved his hands.
A barrage of energy seals fell on the brocade box, but there was not even one scratch on it.
Qin Renyue stepped forward and took a closer look. When he saw the fine and exquisite patterns carved on the box, he said, “It’s an extremely powerful sealing technique.”
“A sealing technique?”
“I’ve been to the Pillar of Destruction in Heaven Enlightenment in Ping Dan. I’ve seen similar patterns there,” Qin Renyue said.
Lu Zhou recalled the interior of the Pillar of Destruction in Yu Zhong. Indeed, there seemed to be similar patterns on the wall there. Although the patterns on the brocade box were not exactly the same as the ones in the Pillar of Destruction, the style was the same.
Lu Zhou no longer tried to open it with force. He did not think there was a point. After all, the system had already notified him that it would open once he reached a certain realm. All he needed to do was focus on cultivating and raising his cultivation base, and it would open sooner or later.
“Master,” Yu Shangrong called out at this moment as he pointed to the sarcophagus on the right.
Everyone looked over.
Yu Shangrong had called out to his master because he had seen something familiar. It was none other than the Scroll of the Heavenly Writing.
Lu Zhou furrowed his brows. “My thing is here?”
Lu Zhou waved his hand, bringing the Scroll of the Heavenly Writing over.
The others were baffled.
‘How can it be your thing?’
Qin Renyue was filled with the urge to say something but hesitated. In the end, after thinking about it, he forcefully swallowed the words hanging at the tip of his tongue. He came here today not to obtain any benefits. His goal was to forge a closer relationship with the Evil Sky Pavilion. At the same time, he wanted to satisfy his curiosity and broaden his horizons.
“Ding! Obtained the complete Open Heavenly Writing Scroll. Note: It’s not recommended to use the scroll with your current cultivation base.”
At the same time, Lu Zhou saw a new tab appear on the system panel: Main Mission.
Following that, he received a notification about the mission.
“Ding! Main mission: find the Great Void. Note: it’s recommended to increase your strength as soon as possible.”
Lu Zhou looked at the interface for the Heavenly Writing on the system. A new column had appeared, but it was dark and could not be viewed. Then, he put the scroll away with very smooth and natural movements.
“This thing…”
“You want it?” Lu Zhou asked.
“No, no, no…” Qin Renyue said with a smile, “This thing contains a special power. It’s extraordinary.”
The Empress Dowager of Great Yan had once put one of the scrolls under her pillow and had benefited from it.
Although Lu Zhou did not know why the Heavenly Writing Scrolls were scattered everywhere, he was sure that the power contained in just one of them was enough to kill for.
‘Can my things be ordinary? Of course, not.’
“Master, there’s nothing else here apart from what we’ve seen,” Yu Zhenghai said helplessly. Originally, he thought they would be able to find many treasures here and could split them among themselves. Now, it seemed like he thought too much.
“Congratulations, Brother Lu.” Qin Renyue was a smart man. He naturally knew Lu Zhou was the biggest beneficiary of this trip to the mausoleum.
Zhao Yu looked at the two sarcophagi and shook his head helplessly. Then, he said, “Although there’s no one, it is still the tomb of the late Emperor Emeritus. Old Sir, can you please put the lid on.”
Lu Zhou waved his hand.
Yu Zhenghai and Yu Shangrong waved their hands at the same time, closing the sarcophagi on the right and left respectively.
Zhao Yu bowed and said, “Thank you.”
The four elders of Mount Li sighed.
Just as they were about to leave, a cold wind blew down from above.
Cultivators were not afraid of the cold, but this gust of cold wind was extremely strange. It was as if it had penetrated their protective barrier, causing them to shiver. It was as if they were being chased away.
Lu Zhou did not want to stay here any longer either so he said, “Let’s go.”
At this moment…
Thud!
The four elders of Mount Li fell to their knees at the same time..