Chapter 168 Opening of the Imperial Mausoleum

"Everyone, be careful. This scoundrel is adept at using poison. Do not get bitten by his venomous insects," Wujue warned while going all out to slaughter the toxic bugs released by the enemy.

Meanwhile, Princess Anyi and Meihua arrived successively, each displaying their unique martial arts skills to engage in a fierce battle against the zombies.

Seeing the number of adversaries growing, Rada suddenly provoked Wujue, "Wujue, you have no shame at all! To actually usurp Gumu's abilities—you and our kind are truly cut from the same cloth. How about it? Why not defect and join our Heavenly Punishment Clan?"

"Wishful thinking!" Unfazed by the provocation, Wujue calmly armed himself with his protective mecha. Transforming instantly into a giant over three meters tall, he let out a roar as countless genuine-qi-condensed cannonballs blasted from the artillery mounted on his body.

In an instant, explosions bloomed among the horde of zombies, immediately suppressing the enemy's offensive. General Rada proved completely powerless under Wujue's fierce assault, forced to briefly evade the sharp edge of the attack and resort to opportunistic ambushes.

Suddenly, the excavated entrance of the First Emperor's Mausoleum ahead trembled violently, as if something was about to collapse.

"The opportunity must not be lost. Enter the First Emperor's Mausoleum as soon as possible," Meihua shouted, seizing the chance. "You go in first, I'll cover the rear!"

At this cue, King Kong Man surged forward, his entire body coated in a golden sheen. In a flash, he plowed through countless zombies, forcibly carving out a path.

Taking the opening, Wujue followed closely, intending to storm directly into the entrance. How could General Rada allow him to have his way? Charging out from the zombie horde, Rada lunged right in front of Wujue, and the two locked in a fierce battle.

After exchanging a few blows, Wujue sensed something strange about the armor on his opponent's body, but soon realized it was formed entirely from clustered venomous insects. He couldn't help cursing, "You disgusting creature, actually using toxic bugs for armor. Aren't you ashamed of how vile this is?"

Rada sneered, "What's vile about this? Even this body of mine isn't my own; there's nothing to fear."

Wujue retaliated, "Then let me completely destroy your body so not even a place for you to inhabit remains."

With a deafening roar, two cannons erected from his shoulders fired ultra-powerful bursts of energy, condensing fierce gales in the air that blew Rada high into the sky, while his armor instantly transformed into countless flying bugs that filled the surrounding space.

Both combatants unleashed their ultimate techniques, their direct collisions triggering massive shockwaves all around.

Princess Anyi and Heroine Meihua joined the fray one after the other, unleashing their own supreme killing moves. Several attacks slammed into Rada simultaneously, causing an even more violent tremor.

Rumbling sounds echoed continuously thereafter. Everything in the surroundings seemed on the verge of collapse, followed by a violent shockwave erupting from the entrance of the First Emperor's Mausoleum.

"Oh no, something is happening inside the imperial mausoleum!" someone shouted in the chaos. Immediately following that, the excavated city gate of the entrance collapsed with a loud crash that could not be stopped, and something began to surge out from within.

The zombies present were pulled inside almost without resistance by the powerful suction force formed within the gateway.

Following that, a pitch-black tunnel appeared before everyone's eyes, resembling the most mysterious presence in a dark night sky, beginning to swallow everything in sight.

Never expecting the First Emperor's Mausoleum to possess such a terrifying aspect, General Rada couldn't help shouting, "Splendid! Today I finally get to witness the power of the First Emperor's Mausoleum. Whatever it takes, this trip cannot be wasted."

He took the initiative and charged directly toward the interior of the imperial mausoleum, wanting to rush in a step ahead of the others.

How could Wujue let him have his wish? With a casual sweep of his palm, a powerful wave of freezing cold instantly locked Rada's legs in ice, tripping him heavily onto the ground.

"It won't be that easy. How can you foreign tribesmen be allowed to arbitrarily plunder treasures belonging to our Huaxia nation?" Wujue pushed against the adverse winds, forcing his way toward the entrance of the black hole.

Unexpectedly, someone reached out and grabbed him—it was Anyi crying out, "No, Wujue! It's too dangerous inside. You'd better not take the risk."

At this point, how could he possibly listen to instructions to stay out? Before he could speak, Heroine Meihua suddenly called out, "Oh no! The mechanisms within the imperial mausoleum are devouring these zombies. Look, King Kong Man is acting strange."

Looking closely, King Kong Man, who had rushed to the front, was now resisting the black hole's suction with his physical body alone. His entire physique had changed color, turning a burnt black.

The moment he abruptly turned his head, even his pupils had transformed into a bloody red.

"I'll help him!" Xiaohan shouted. Employing exceptionally swift movement techniques, he arrived by King Kong Man's side in a flash, getting there ahead of others.

Before Xiaohan could even touch him, King Kong Man unleashed a deafening roar that blasted Xiaohan backward several steps.

Fortunately, Red Rose drifted up gracefully and caught him, saying, "Let's join forces."

The two masters of lightness skill immediately cooperated side-by-side, circling around King Kong Man several times. Xiaohan took a rope from Red Rose's hand, securely bound King Kong Man with it, and gave a fierce pull toward a distance.

Just as they attempted to pull him away, an inexplicable, immense force surged from beneath King Kong Man, instantly dragging both of them into the black hole.

Wujue arrived at the scene just in time, but with no other choice, his internal cold Qi erupted, instantly freezing the three figures suspended in mid-air. Yet this merely held firm for a brief moment before the ice in the air shattered with a resounding crash.

Accompanied by an even stronger suction force emanating from the First Emperor's Mausoleum, everyone present—including Wujue, Anyi, and Meihua—was enveloped by an inexplicable and peculiar black aura, losing consciousness in an instant.

Amidst the hazy blur, Wujue felt as though a beam of light was shining upon him. He woke up abruptly, dimly making out a figure.

It was the mysterious man guarding the miraculous treasure whom he had once encountered by chance, with that cute cat still resting lazily on his shoulder.

"What, have I arrived in heaven once again?" Wujue couldn't help letting out a dry laugh.

The guardian shook his head at him and said, "I never expected that in just over a dozen days, you would actually walk this far. The First Emperor's Mausoleum is still too early for you. Do you choose to give up?"

"Give up?" Wujue sneered inwardly. "Things have come to this; do you really think I would choose to give up?"

Even knowing full well that he would sooner or later descend into hell, Wujue would never abandon his choice—such was the path of his life now.

"Very well then, let me give you another hand and send you all into that mysterious First Emperor's Mausoleum." The mysterious man suddenly turned around, faced the frozen stillness of everything around him, and snapped his fingers sharply.

With a whoosh, the people and objects that had just appeared before Wujue vanished entirely, along with the terrifying black hole, sucked back into the First Emperor's Mausoleum.

***

Outside the desolate First Emperor's Mausoleum, emptiness returned once more, as if all the chaos had never occurred.

The zombies, Rada, Wujue, and his team had all disappeared, leaving only the slightly cluttered city gate standing outside.

An automobile drove up quietly, stopping outside the city gate, and several people hurried out from the vehicle.

"I never expected that following the trail all the way would lead to a final showdown so soon?" spoke a brisk voice, as the classic, manic laughter of Ghost Face echoed across the scene.

It turned out to be those arch-enemies once defeated by Wujue, returning for another assault.

Desai got out of the car in silence, surveyed the exterior of the First Emperor's Mausoleum, and said, "Very well, it seems it is time for us to make our move."

"What, do you have a way to get inside?" Rosi asked worriedly, having witnessed everything that transpired just moments before.

Desai glanced back behind him, displaying a device as he replied, "Perhaps we can enlist the help of Wujue's friends."

Displayed upon the screen were two faint signals. Unbeknownst to anyone, just a few dozen miles away, Huron and Ryan were currently struggling to bring reinforcements along.