Qiu Yi and others entered, gazing at the view of the imperial mausoleum reflected in the bronze mirror, their eyes flickering with strange lights.
“Wow… the Great Ancestor of the Zhou Dynasty back then truly had grand ambitions! He actually moved the tombs of over a dozen Shang emperors here, drawing upon the dragon’s malevolent energy, transforming it over hundreds of years, and finally extracting it using secret techniques.”
“And those dragon creatures kept outside are essentially guards…”
Even a dozen martial saints working together would make a terrestrial immortal wary.
“To forcefully enter and subdue all the dragon creatures, I’m afraid only those with great divine powers could accomplish it… Although they might look down upon such matters, they wouldn’t want to make enemies with an entire dynasty… Even if they are not afraid, it would still be troublesome!”
Thinking thus, he slightly lowered his head, a hint of joy flickering across his face: “Our Four Symbols Sect feels the same way, although the Sect Leader and others aren’t interested. This dragon fortune, if obtained by our junior disciples, would be enough to rival a hundred years of arduous cultivation! Taking this opportunity to send us out here is also to seek some chance encounters…”
“These imperial dragon creatures carry thick fortune, comparable to a rebellious dragon in times of chaos. Although the extraction technique cannot completely remove the malevolent energy, which will surely bring calamities in the future, compared to arduous cultivation without breakthroughs and having to risk reincarnation after death, or pursuing the path of ghost immortals or deities, it is still far superior!”
“According to secret teachings from my sect, there is even a dragon king transformed from the Great Ancestor of the Shang Dynasty buried deep within this place! If one could obtain its royal aura, even the Sect Leader and the Elder Patriarch might be stirred from their tranquility… After all, assisting a true dragon could greatly enhance the foundation of our blessed land… Perhaps even enable a breakthrough to a heavenly cavern…”
These thoughts flashed through his mind, yet his face still bore an expression of reverence: “Senior? What should we do now?”
“Hmph!”
Yan Sheng coldly snorted, being one of those who knew about the court’s concession of interests this time, and could not easily vent his anger.
In fact, there was a faint sense of sorrow in his heart.
The dynasty was declining, its majesty no longer present. It had to use its remaining resources to appease the great families, major sects, and powerful lineages… prolonging its existence in a humiliating manner, which deeply shamed him.
“This time… even the School of Law may not be on my side!”
Yan Sheng glanced at the Prince Yong beside him and the inscrutable Cui Jue, and his heart filled with further concerns.
Boom!
Boom!
At this moment, a violent tremor came, shaking the mountains and earth, causing many chunks of ash stone to fall from the top of the cave.
“What’s going on?”
Yan Sheng was greatly alarmed, suddenly shouting.
“T-the earth dragon is moving!”
Qiu Yi and several other Taoist disciples who had originally wanted to seize an opportunity were immediately panic-stricken: “Judging from this situation, there must be some anomaly deep within the imperial mausoleum!”
“Thief!”
Yan Sheng clenched his fist tightly: “He finally succeeded!”
The disturbance in the imperial mausoleum could only mean trouble at the place where the ancestral dragon was imprisoned.
“There’s no time to lose; we must immediately investigate the underground cave!” Cui Jue lightly stroked his beard, his face also showing a shade of gloom.
To implement the doctrines of Legalism, one must engage in worldly affairs! Therefore, schools like Legalism and Confucianism had the closest relations with the court, whether in this dynasty or the previous one.
His own ancestor had served dozens of emperors of the Great Zhou.
Now, seeing those emperors, once revered as divine, disturbed in their mausoleums, their corpses whipped, their tombs looted, even their remains disrespected and moved here, claiming to feel no emotions would be lying!
“Alright then! We have no choice!”
Yan Sheng gritted his teeth hard.
Although he knew this decision would cost them dearly, they had no alternative!
…
“Hmm? It seems those from the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs have also entered…”
Wu Ming remained unmoved, sensing the tremors coming from the ground.
Within the imperial mausoleum, the malevolent energy alone would be enough to trouble any cultivator below the Grandmaster level, not to mention the terrifying dragon creatures guarding it.
As a fifth-level terrestrial immortal with countless techniques at his disposal, and with the Shang Dynasty’s Imperial Seal and heavenly mandate by his side, he dared to explore the place alone. How could those from the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs compare?
“If the person I sensed doesn’t intervene, they probably won’t even find the location of the ancestral dragon’s lair… Even if they try their best, it won’t be easy for them to disrupt my arrangements…”
Wu Ming coldly smiled: “By then, that ancestral dragon will surely give them a big surprise!”
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
At this moment, he transformed into a green shadow, darting like lightning directly to the top of a mountain, overlooking the entire city of Shengjing.
“I must stand on the highest peak and overlook all the lesser mountains…”
Wu Ming stood silently for a while, then chuckled at himself: “Now that I’ve reached this point, why should I still be anxious about gains and losses?”
With a wave of his hand, a column of light shot into the sky.
This place had once been illuminated by the Main Temple, and even after three hundred years, as the Controller of the Main Temple, he could clearly sense it.
In fact, using this connection, the image of the Main Temple within his consciousness became increasingly vivid and lifelike.
“Go with the flow… it’s nothing more than that!”
Wu Ming smiled lightly, and immediately a screen of light appeared before him:
[Ding! Numbered Reincarnator Gengshen 69, Esteemed Controller of the Main Temple! You have chosen to issue a mission!]
[Mission content: …]
[Authority confirmation in progress! This mission will be sent to all qualified Reincarnators!]
“Hahaha…”
Seeing this, Wu Ming immediately burst into laughter: “Go with the flow! What is the grand trend? Within the Main Temple, allowing all Reincarnators and Authority Holders to fight to the death and determine the ultimate ruler, that is the grand trend! Since I am following this grand trend, what could possibly be beyond my control?”
…
[Ding! Main Temple Mission issued!]
The next moment, across the entire Zhou world, in the nineteen provinces, a clear and mechanical voice rang in the ears of many Reincarnators:
[Target: All Authority Holders! This mission is a Real Battle Mission! Please prepare yourself!]
“What the…!”
In a teahouse in the secondary capital, a man who was drinking heartily with a group of friends suddenly dropped his cup to the ground, shattering it into eight pieces. The wine, clear as amber and fragrant in color, splashed everywhere, leaving the faces of those around him in shock.
“What’s wrong, Big Brother!”
His companions quickly asked.
“Nothing, nothing… I suddenly remembered something. I’ll excuse myself first!”
The man immediately bowed all around and hurriedly rose to leave.
“Big Brother, with your chivalrous heart, if there’s anything we brothers can help with, just say the word!” Everyone present, being bold and heroic, immediately patted their chests in assurance.
“Of course! Of course!”
The elder brother walked out of the teahouse and into a nearby alley, his face immediately collapsing, his expression instantly darkening: “It’s actually a Real Battle Mission?!”
…
Within a certain paradise-like cave heaven, flowers bloomed in abundance, and green grass flourished.
In a secluded valley, a thatched cottage opened, and a woman as beautiful as a celestial fairy stepped out, holding a flower in her jade-like hand, a thoughtful smile on her face: “Battle?”
Her smile was captivating, with an indescribable charm.
Several carp in the nearby pond vied to kiss her beautiful reflection, while the surrounding flowers shamefully closed their petals.
Carp vying for her reflection, flowers blushing and closing in shame!
This legendary beauty, described as capable of toppling nations and cities, was not a myth but reality!
“What a pity… If only I had a few more months, I could have completed both volumes of ‘Celestial Chain Soul Cultivation,’ feeling the closeness of heaven and earth, sensing the sun and moon…”
The beauty sighed, causing hearts to break.
…
In a desolate mountain range, pitch-black demonic energy suddenly surged into the sky!
“Bad! The Heaven-Stepping Demon King has moved!”
In a ruined Taoist temple within a nearby mountain range, an old Daoist priest suddenly stood up, staring at the black pillar, his face filled with terror: “What has happened to alarm this great demon? This fiend has astonishing powers; once he enters the world, the world will face endless troubles!”
Although the Great Zhou was primarily a human world, there were still other beings, collectively known as “yao” (demons or monsters)!
The Main Temple’s selection wasn’t necessarily limited to humans.
…
[Ding! Main Temple Mission issued!]
[Target: All Authority Holders! This mission is a Real Battle Mission! Please prepare yourself!]
[Main Mission: Battle!]
[Mission Description: Arrive at Shengjing, Shangzhou within three days for an Authority Holder battle! The time limit for this mission is one month. Anyone leaving the Shengjing area during this period will be eliminated! Specific rules are as follows: There are no factions in this mission. Each Authority Holder earns one point for each opponent killed! At the end of the time limit, the one with the highest score wins, and all others will be eliminated!]
[Mission Reward: The winner will obtain all the authorities of the eliminated opponents!]
In a desolate wilderness, the Heart-Eating Child, possessed by the Main Temple’s will, looked at this mission, his eyes suddenly darkening: “Damn it!!!”
With just one glance, he knew that this mission was man-made, and except for Wu Ming, no one else had such authority! It even forced him to act!
This was the cunning aspect of Wu Ming’s plan.
If he directly issued a deadly mission, it would first fail the Main Temple’s approval, and even with elimination penalties, there was still a possibility of resisting them using authority.
However, this mission was different.
Even if the Main Temple’s will stayed away, the various Authority Holders still had to participate!
It was like when raising poisonous insects, when the battle became most intense, if the Main Temple’s will remained neutral, it could only watch helplessly as a certain Reincarnator gathered most of the authorities, thereby pushing it into a desperate situation.
Therefore, even if it could escape elimination by the Main Temple, it still had no choice but to participate. This was an open and clever strategy!
“Hehe… You scheme against me, but someone else schemes against you too… This old man won’t be lonely on his journey…”
Before the Main Temple, there lay an old man with a long beard, his white robe stained with blood, lying on the ground.
“One-Character Immortal, aren’t you the one who claims that a single word from you is worth a thousand pieces of gold? Then why don’t you predict my fortune this time?”
The Main Temple frowned, looking down on the old man.
“Cough… cough… When the Blood-Oath Lord came to me before, I felt that he was deeply unfathomable. I never imagined he was hiding you… this evil creature!”
“I had long foreseen that one day you would come to seize my authority. Alas, one cannot divine one’s own fate—I can predict others’ destinies but not my own great calamity, hahaha… How absurd! How absurd!”
The One-Character Immortal laughed three times and then breathed his last.
With his finger dipped in blood, he left one final stroke, clearly depicting—Xiong (凶)!
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