Chapter 171: A Night at the Imperial Mausoleum

A wave of intense despair washed over him. For the very first time, Wujue felt a boundless sense of terror.

This horrifying imperial mausoleum was clearly using living people as funerary sacrifices. Could it be that all these terracotta warriors were once powerful soldiers transformed into this state?

He could not help but look with fury at the First Emperor sitting high upon the dragon throne. A fierce rage surged up to his lips: "What right do you have to control the life and death of these soldiers?"

"Because he has given us hope!" replied the leading terracotta warrior, speaking in a silent voice on behalf of the First Emperor.

He then walked over personally and fitted Wujue with the black armor that had just been crafted.

Wujue’s gaze contracted sharply. He stubbornly raised his severed right arm, only to strike it weakly against empty air.

"Want to resist? To receive the First Emperor's favor is your great blessing." The terracotta warrior spoke to Wujue expressionlessly as he placed a helmet upon his head.

In an instant, his thoughts seemed to be sealed off. Wujue plunged into darkness, his inner heart growing incomparably peaceful, to the point that he abandoned all resistance.

He simply watched as the other equipped him thoroughly, and watched as Princess Anyi was likewise transformed into a similar terracotta warrior. The two of them stood side by side within the ranks of the soldiers, lined up and waiting for the First Emperor's review.

The First Emperor finally stood up with satisfaction and said, "Very well, my soldiers, we have slumbered long enough. Do you remember the promise made to you back then? Sooner or later, the warriors of the Wolf Clan shall reappear in this world and reign supreme over all creation. For the sake of your First Emperor, and for our grand ambition, you have waited long, everyone."

As it turned out, the First Emperor had merely been slumbering here for thousands of years, waiting only for the right opportunity to return to the mortal realm once more.

What an obsessive and unyielding obsession this was!

Standing among the soldiers, Wujue listened silently to the First Emperor's address, coming to understand the origins of these terracotta warriors.

More than two thousand years ago, the First Emperor's hegemony had reached its peak. He grew dissatisfied with merely holding the title of First Emperor and even began seeking the art of immortality.

Unfortunately, the efficacy of the elixirs was not as miraculous as legend claimed. Instead, it prompted Xu Fu and others to use it as an excuse to flee far away, leaving behind an eternal unsolved mystery.

It was not until later that the First Emperor's most trusted General Tianya—the very same soldier who had transformed Wujue and the others into terracotta warriors—obtained exotic magical poisons from his beloved and presented them to the First Emperor. This marked the beginning of the construction of this vast imperial mausoleum and the creation of the peerless, ancient armor-clad terracotta warriors.

Tens of thousands of the First Emperor's most capable Wolf Clan warriors were thus transformed into armor-clad terracotta figures, buried beneath the imperial mausoleum, waiting for a certain day a thousand years later to burst through the earth and be reborn.

To them, the First Emperor's ambition was their greatest goal; everything was for the sake of future eternal supremacy.

Amidst the throng of soldiers, Wujue felt no panic or helplessness, silently raising his hands in accordance with the soldiers' movements: "I am willing to dedicate everything to my Emperor."

"Very well, soldiers!" General Tianya stood before the assembly, giving orders on behalf of the First Emperor. "Now the outside world is in utter chaos, and it is time for us to step out and fight our way back to the peak. Those who have broken into the imperial mausoleum are all heading to their doom. Capture them and offer them to His Majesty as a congratulatory gift before leaving the palace."

"Yes!" the soldiers chorused, dispersing to carry out their respective tasks.

Wujue blended into the crowd, scattering along with the others to search for the surviving invincible hero, Meihua, and General Rada.

He believed that these people were also hiding somewhere within the imperial mausoleum, living like a year for every single day that passed.

Numbly, Wujue followed the soldiers in their search. Princess Anyi was right beside him, seemingly stripped of all emotion as well, her movements swift, precise, and devoid of feeling.

Both of them were now clad entirely in black, as if even their souls had been invaded by the darkness. A sense of desolation filled Wujue's heart; by any means necessary, he had to find a way to let Anyi and young Han leave this place.

Suddenly, loud clamors broke out among the soldiers ahead. It turned out they had run into Rada's subordinates, a group of surviving zombies.

These equally emotionless soldiers erupted into a melee. Wujue was also drawn into the fierce combat, fighting on without any sense of fatigue.

He had no idea how much time had passed, feeling only that the endless night was boundless. When it finally drew to a close, he heard General Tianya praising him right before his face: "Very well, you truly are an exceptional martial artist. Perhaps you can lead a squad next."

Listening to the praise, Wujue wore no expression, asking only with humble respect, "What must I do next?"

"Find your companions and bring them before me." General Tianya took Anyi away while leaving Wujue behind to continue searching for other targets.

Companions? That would mean Meihua and the invincible hero.

Wujue secretly hoped he would run into Rada instead.

And so, accompanied by a few terracotta warriors, he continued his search within the massive imperial mausoleum.

Just as he had anticipated, Rada's figure was soon spotted.

Rada was also nearly driven mad by the conditions within the underground imperial mausoleum. Suddenly seeing Wujue appear, he immediately lashed out in a fierce attack.

This time, however, Wujue was completely unaffected by his armor, while Rada's armor failed to display any power whatsoever within the underground imperial mausoleum.

Almost without needing to break through his defenses, Rada was surrounded by a group of terracotta warriors. Amidst a crossfire of weapons, he was utterly routed.

Seeing this, Rada tried desperately to escape, but Wujue strode forward in pursuit, brandishing the long spear in his hand and calling out, "Want to run? Taste what it's like to be crushed!"

With a crisp sound, a single thrust of the spear pierced straight through Rada's chest. Rada's flesh and blood disintegrated in an instant, nearly transforming into countless chunks of gore that exploded across the ground.

Immediately afterward, tiny venomous bugs within the remains began to scatter and flee in all directions, vainly attempting to evade Wujue's pursuit.

However, Wujue thrust his long spear fiercely into the ground. Instantly, a powerful surge of dark energy spread outward from the spear shaft, restraining all the venomous bugs scattering around and leaving them powerless to escape.

It seemed that this mysterious power of the terracotta warriors was not entirely useless after all.

Realizing that the peculiar substance within the imperial mausoleum could precisely counteract the Tianzhu tribe's virus, Wujue decided it was time to strike back.

Expressionless, he yanked the long spear out of the ground and swept it casually in front of him. All the venomous bugs on the ground were scooped up onto the spearhead, where they were irresistibly crushed and ultimately absorbed entirely into the spear shaft.

The armor that Rada had once been so proud of was now gone, having been quietly converted into power upon Wujue's own body.

Having defeated yet another target, Wujue turned around expressionlessly to report back to General Tianya. There were still more good shows waiting to be staged before the First Emperor.

At that very moment, a deafening crash echoed from the front gate of the mausoleum city wall as something abruptly smashed its way in.

Wujue sensed a familiar aura, yet could display no emotion whatsoever. Perhaps it was once again a former friend.

The battle would continue.

This time, what he saw were his former foes: Desai, along with Ghost Face and others whom Desai had gathered.

"Hehe, what kind of people are these? Painted up like opera actors." Ghost Face was the first to rush out, making a fuss. He soon spotted Wujue and grew astonished by Wujue's attire.

"Bother with all that, let's have a fight first!" Baker's familiar voice rang out right after. With a ferocious lunge, he leaped forward, landed squarely on a terracotta warrior, and crushed it into countless fragments on the spot.

Seeing this, Wujue swung his spear expressionlessly and said, "You are courting death!"

Following that, dozens of armor-clad terracotta warriors behind him charged forward, roaring as they swarmed the enemy. Unexpectedly, one of the intruders was pierced through by a flurry of weapons and dissolved into boundless toxic water that spread in all directions, brutally corroding the surrounding terracotta warriors.

It turned out to be the mutated Luosi.

It seemed Desai really had gathered quite a few formidable adversaries. Wujue felt as though he understood something, yet felt nothing at all as he hardened his scalp and pressed forward, thrusting his spear straight at Baker before him.

A single strike pierced straight through Baker's shoulder blade, hoisting him high into the air and neatly snapping the IV tube trailing behind Baker's back.

Yet Baker merely went limp, instantly losing all strength as he lay draped across the spear shaft and was flung fiercely away by Wujue.

Just as Ghost Face rushed forward, he was struck directly by Baker's massive flying body and sent hurtling backward.

Having disposed of two opponents in one fell swoop, Wujue demonstrated formidable strength, even after being transformed into a terracotta warrior.

Seeing Wujue approaching menacingly, Luosi immediately unleashed his venom, transforming it into countless tentacles that swept toward Wujue in a furious surge.

Wujue showed no courtesy either. With a flick of his long spear, the armor he had previously absorbed from Rada abruptly manifested from within his body, instantly transforming into a swarming mass of venomous bugs that surged tumultuously to meet the incoming tentacles.

For a time, the venomous bugs and tentacles fought endlessly. Within moments, they merged directly into Luosi's physical body, allowing Wujue to clearly perceive the opponent's weakness at that exact moment.

Strange—Rada's true ability had actually been the insight into human hearts, yet he had unfortunately fallen to the witchcraft and poisons of this First Emperor's mausoleum.

Having tangled with him long enough, Wujue suddenly reached out and recalled the scattered venomous bugs, instantly hauling Luosi's entire body high into the air before slamming him heavily to the ground with a screech, leaving him practically incapable of resistance.

With only Desai and the defeated general Gumu remaining, they stood face to face with Wujue.

Wujue stepped forward apathetically and said, "You cannot possibly win."

Desai, however, smiled and said, "Not necessarily. I still have a trump card I haven't played."

Immediately afterward, a white phantom flashed from behind Desai. Before Wujue could even see it clearly, it coiled around his front and instantly seized his physical body as its own.

At that moment, Wujue felt his consciousness completely rejected and obliterated.

*No! Tonight I still have too many things to do, too many people to save!*

Wujue roared furiously in the depths of his heart, yet could not hear his own voice.

Reflected within his pupils was already another face—the visage of the Grim Reaper.