Chapter 169: The Mysterious Mausoleum of the First Emperor (Part 1)

Sucked straight into the depths of the imperial mausoleum, Wujue had no idea when he had regained consciousness.

As his senses returned, he felt as though his entire body had been plunged into a world of absolute darkness, accompanied by a thick, suffocating wave of dust rushing toward him.

This was the interior of the legendary First Emperor's Mausoleum. It was said that the main chamber housed tens of thousands of terracotta warriors, along with countless burial treasures of the First Emperor, making it utterly extraordinary.

Countless tomb raiders had tried to break in here over the generations; they either returned in utter defeat or were trapped here forever until their deaths.

Recalling what had just happened, Wujue knew he needed to first find his scattered companions, then defeat Rada—who was lurking somewhere unknown—and incidentally search for the treasures hidden here.

The secret treasures within the First Emperor's Mausoleum were simply too valuable to miss.

He immediately got to his feet and tried to survey his surroundings. Fortunately, he had long since trained his eyes to see in the dark, and he adapted to the dim conditions almost instantly.

Soon, Wujue discovered that he was standing inside a peculiar palace—seemingly the main hall of the First Emperor's Mausoleum. The empty plaza before him vaguely resembled the grand court where the First Emperor once held council.

Directly ahead lay a pitch-black expanse, dominated by what appeared to be a towering dais. Could that be the legendary imperial dragon throne?

Filled with a sense of reverence, Wujue was about to step forward when something suddenly darted past his foot, scuttling away like a giant cockroach.

Damn creature, thinking it could elude his eyes! Wujue quickly realized this was a venomous bug formed from the decomposition of Rada's armor, and without a moment's hesitation, he slammed his foot down upon it.

He felt the toxic insect struggle desperately beneath his sole, as if attempting to deliver a retaliatory bite, but it was instantly crushed into paste by Wujue's formidable internal energy.

Such a situation was highly unfavorable. Wujue knew he had to figure out a way to counter Rada's techniques.

He turned back and looked around, searching for a usable weapon. Soon, his gaze fell upon a row of dark figures standing guard on the sides—apparently the legendary terracotta warriors.

He stepped forward, felt around blindly, and snatched a long spear from the hands of one of the statues, gripping it tightly.

If he encountered a swarm of venomous bugs again, having something to ward them off was essential. Yet, holding this weapon gave him a rather strange sensation.

Wujue once again caught a whiff of that peculiar earthy stench, suddenly recalling the angels mentioning in their intelligence reports that the interior of the First Emperor's Mausoleum harbored a special strain of bacteria capable of preserving artifacts here for tens of thousands of years without decay.

If this rumor were true, he had to be extremely cautious about how to avoid contamination by this virus.

As he was deep in thought, he faintly heard unusual movements coming from outside the palace. Subconsciously, he hid to the side, waiting to see who was intruding.

A moment later, the grand palace doors were pushed open, and someone walked in holding a torch, coughing, "Ahem, this place is filthy, dust is everywhere. To be honest, I wouldn't have gotten mixed up in this if I'd known."

Recognizing the voice instantly as Xiao Han's, Wujue remained silent. A figure flashed past, holding a torch, and swiftly lit every single lamp within the grand hall.

It wasn't until Wujue emerged from the shadows that Red Rose, trailing behind Xiao Han, gasped in shock, "Oh my goodness, why were you hiding there? Wait, it's you! You scared the life out of me!"

Wujue smiled faintly, but turned to Xiao Han and asked, "Where are the others? Why is it just the two of you?"

Xiao Han replied, "Who knows? Everything was chaotic just now, and we were suddenly dumped right here. By the time we figured things out, we didn't know which way was up. Big monk, what do you think we should do next?"

"Naturally, uncover the secrets of the First Emperor's Mausoleum, unearth the treasures here, and drive out both the Tianzhu clan and Rada." Wujue's goal was crystal clear; he would never abandon his vengeance against the Tianzhu clan.

Xiao Han nodded, then turned back to look at the palace they were in. Red Rose sighed, "Putting that aside for a moment, I never expected this underground tomb to be so magnificent. Do you think the First Emperor wanted to build his underworld palace here?"

"That is merely the wishful thinking of mortals," Wujue said indifferently, walking deeper into the hall to inspect his surroundings.

The entire palace spanned several square kilometers. Being in the main hall, they could see quite a distance ahead, but Xiao Han claimed the walk to get here felt a full four or five hundred meters long.

Fortunately, both of them were as light as swallows; otherwise, it would have taken a considerable amount of time just to cross the distance.

In the main hall, two parallel rows of stone pillars stood flanked by terracotta warriors clutching long spears, exuding a stern, intimidating aura. Following the extension of the pillars, the far end terminated in a flight of stone steps leading upward.

At the very center sat a dragon throne, upon which someone appeared to be seated. Now illuminated by the lamplight, Wujue could see that the seated figure was a human-shaped statue wearing ancient imperial robes, quite distinct from the other terracotta guards.

Could this be a statue the First Emperor sculpted of himself? Wujue couldn't help but walk over quickly to inspect it. The statue was remarkably distinctive: with piercing hawk-like eyes, a broad frame, and an aura of supreme heroism. Was this truly sculpted in the likeness of the legendary First Emperor?

Wujue never expected to lay eyes upon the legendary First Emperor in person; he was genuinely astonished.

What a pity. Over the course of thousands of years, the legends of the First Emperor had faded into history, and his once-glorious era no longer existed. Now, his resting place was destined to be excavated and exposed to the modern world by posterity.

Wujue resolved in his heart that he would never let the Tianzhu clan ruin everything here.

While he was lost in thought, Xiao Han came over to ask, "Wujue, how is it? Did you find anything?"

Wujue shook his head. "Not clearly, but there must be something here that the Tianzhu clan fears; otherwise, they wouldn't be in such a desperate rush to control it. Moreover, I once met a guardian of the divine traces, who said this place is one of the treasures. Perhaps a true miracle really awaits us."

Suddenly, a faint disturbance came from the lower section of the hall. Red Rose walked over and said, "Don't you guys think these terracotta warriors are rather strange? It feels as though they're staring right at us."

Hearing this, Xiao Han dashed over, circled Red Rose twice, and said, "What, are you scared? I don't see anything unusual!"

With that, he walked around the nearest terracotta guard, locking eyes with it and looking it up and down. To his utter shock, the statue suddenly twitched, its eyes seemingly blinking. Xiao Han jumped in fright, nearly landing flat on his backside.

"No way, how did it just move? Is it... is it a living person?"

As Xiao Han cried out, the terracotta warrior genuinely moved. Slowly raising its arms as if stretching its limbs, it began to shake off the thick layer of pottery clay encasing its body, sending dust raining to the ground.

Not only that, but every single terracotta warrior throughout the entire palace began to stir. Wujue instantly sensed danger; his previous suspicion was confirmed—these statues were not ordinary burial goods.

They were likely living people!

Wujue sprinted forward, shouting, "Xiao Han, Red Rose, watch out! These terracotta soldiers might be dangerous."

Even as he spoke, the warrior facing Xiao Han drew its long spear and thrust it viciously toward him.

A flash of crimson light gleamed within the statue's eyes, terrifyingly sinister. Xiao Han was frozen for a second, but snapping back to reality, he bolted away with a swift dash.

Instantly, the mirror emblem on his chest flared brightly, enveloping his entire body in a powerful, radiant glow that blasted the approaching terracotta guard backward.

The warrior crashed hard against the heavy doors with a loud slam. Just then, something broke through from the outside. Looking up, Wujue saw a figure darting in like a flying shadow—it was Princess Anyi.

He never expected Anyi to show up at a moment like this. Sweeping his gaze behind her, Wujue saw several more terracotta warriors hot on her heels, brandishing their weapons as they attacked.

Without a word, Wujue raised his spear and pulled the trigger repeatedly. Several bullets struck the pursuing guards, halting their charge for a mere couple of beats before they lunged forward once more.

Meanwhile, the warriors inside the grand hall had all mobilized, forming a tactical battle array that completely surrounded Wujue and his companions.

With his profound experience, Wujue instantly recognized the military formation, knowing it would be exceptionally difficult to break through.

He shouted, "Everyone, back-to-back! Don't let them pick us off one by one."

Xiao Han and Red Rose immediately followed suit. Only Princess Anyi was stranded too far away to receive reinforcement, prompting her to yell, "Don't mind me, I'll fight my way out!"

Seeing this, Wujue prepared to summon the armor within his body, but his internal blood flow suddenly stalled without warning. A deep, gloomy voice echoed through the hall: "Ignorant fools, how dare you trespass into my bedchamber! Impudent wretches, slaughter them all!"

Following the command, the clay statue seated upon the dragon throne stood up under its own power, issuing orders with a majestic, peerless authority.

Countless terracotta warriors lunged forward in unison, brandishing their spears and closing in relentlessly upon Wujue and the others.