Chaotic World Book
Chapter 170 - 166 Sword Emperor’s Tomb

Chapter 170: Chapter 166 Sword Emperor’s Tomb

And so Sisi’s story again took half a day; by then, it was already dusk.

Everyone was so preoccupied; they skipped dinner and headed straight to the Sword Emperor’s tomb.

Because the two spaces had been connected, there was no need to enter from the Lu family’s side this time. The original location of Sword Pond had been pierced open with a huge opening by the Sword Shadow, allowing direct access downward.

Tang Buqi said, "There’s no hill at the back now," but that was an exaggeration. Huqiu was still there, albeit a bit messy. The area around Sword Pond had become a large pit, with trees toppled and rocks shattered everywhere. But actually, the place was still good, fitting the term "Forbidden Land" quite literally.

Several Tang family members cautiously guarded the edge of the pit. Occasional bursts of Sword Qi and dense Evil Qi still swirled inside, a clear indication of extreme danger. Even without Tang Wanzhuang’s strict orders, none of the Tang family’s timid souls dared to touch it.

Originally, Tang Wanzhuang planned to wait for a few days until the Sword Qi and Evil Qi dissipated, also allowing Zhao Changhe to recuperate from his injuries. Only then would they explore together. But inexplicably, a trembling sensation stirred below, making waiting no longer an option. They had to immediately figure out the reason.

Moreover, it wasn’t just Tang Wanzhuang who came; the entire elite of the Demon Suppression Department had assembled, including Wu Weiyang and hundreds of skilled and brave soldiers who had traveled from far, all meticulously beginning to probe every path within the tomb.

Their organization and professionalism seemed to suggest extreme experience in such explorations.

But Zhao Changhe trusted Sisi even more. After all, she was a remnant from the previous epoch, and no one knew better about the architectural style and prohibitions of that era than she did. Perhaps she even lived in places similar to these tombs.

Look at that time when they found their way; she navigated it as if returning home, swiftly identifying where less Sword Qi was found and where the main tomb was. Generations of the Lu family had labored on their explorations but couldn’t match her ease, an expertise even the Demon Suppression Department couldn’t rival.

This time was no different. While the Demon Suppression Department’s members conducted their surveys, Zhao Changhe and Sisi headed straight for the main tomb’s entrance, believing that if there were issues, they would mostly stem from the main tomb, not the peripheral corridors.

Tang Wanzhuang silently followed close behind the two.

Upon reaching the main tomb’s entrance, the body of an old Lu family member still lay on the ground, his face retaining the final vestiges of a joyous death. Engulfed by the dense Evil Qi around him, it paradoxically gave him a semblance of power, even stronger than his frail appearance at death, as if he might rise any moment to strike again.

Zhao Changhe said, "My first thought was that the Evil Qi prompted a Corpse Transformation, but it seems not."

Tang Wanzhuang nodded in agreement with Zhao’s conjecture. Given the thick, unresolved Evil Qi here, driven by such a strong destructive impulse, it wouldn’t be strange to see even unconscious Sword Qi lashing out, or this body rise and begin slashing wildly. That it hadn’t yet was still a possibility.

This further demonstrated the potential revival of the Sword Emperor.

Tang Wanzhuang examined the heavy stone door—beyond this lay the main tomb, which was not just a burial chamber, but possibly a massive complex with defenses far more formidable than the simple Sword Qi outside, hiding countless terrifying traps.

The aforementioned trembling sensation originated from inside.

If there had been no changes, Tang Wanzhuang felt their earlier suggestion of "permanently sealing this place" was best; there was no need to disturb an ancestor’s tomb, just considering it nonexistent. But since changes had occurred, a resolution was necessary, right?

But the door wouldn’t open; without knowing what had changed, how could they resolve it?

Zhao Changhe was asking Sisi, "Do you know how to open this door? Surely we can’t just slash at it like that old man, right?"

"Of course not; that would only re-anger the Imperial Mausoleum."

"Then how do we enter? Are there mechanisms scattered outside the passageways?"

Sisi seriously said, "People see a door, and they always want to open it, never considering that it’s a burial site. After you’re buried, would you want others to enter? Why would someone leave a mechanism accessible from outside?"

"Er, then why make it in the shape of a door?"

"Because the tomb was made before death, and the door was for him to enter at life’s end. Or in case he died outside, his relatives or apprentice could carry him in... The door is designed so that once it’s closed, it disengages the mechanisms and seals permanently. If it were you or I designing our own tombs, we would certainly not include any provision for outsiders to open it."

"Fair point... but how do the tomb raiders handle it?"

"Tomb chambers are just made of bricks and soil; you can dig into them. But nobody dares to recklessly dig or blast into the tombs of these powerful beings, as one wrong move could leave you dead without a complete corpse," Sisi sighed. "But in reality, it’s not that difficult. We use corrosive chemicals to quietly dissolve an opening in the thick stone door without making any noise, and this won’t trigger any protections."

Zhao Changhe’s eyes widened: "There’s stuff like that?"

Sisi glanced at Tang Wanzhuang, who had been listening quietly: "I don’t have it, but the Demon Suppression Department definitely has something similar. After so many years since the establishment of Great Xia, there must have been many explorations of such tombs."

Tang Wanzhuang finally spoke, "I have it, but there are also protections that trigger as soon as the door is damaged in any way. This method might not be reliable, so I was hoping you might have another idea."

"None," Sisi shook her head. "What I mean is this door doesn’t have those protections. Because this silent method that doesn’t trigger any alarms was developed by tomb raiders who died many times over, newer tomb chambers started incorporating countermeasures, but the Sword Emperor’s era predates those; they didn’t care about such things back then."

Zhao Changhe stood to one side with his hands tucked in, like a newbie attending a professor’s lecture.

Even Tang Wanzhuang’s eyes flashed with admiration—your knowledge about the previous epoch is ridiculous; you even know the year the Sword Emperor died?

Most people’s impression of the powerful beings from the last epoch was that they perished in the apocalypse that destroyed that epoch; few really pondered it, not knowing how many years the epoch spanned, having several historical periods. And even for those who did think about it, because it spanned an epoch, it was difficult to verify each legendary figure’s specific era.

Let alone the previous epoch, even in this one, there are plenty of historical details that can’t be verified... at least the Demon Suppression Department really doesn’t know the year the Sword Emperor died.

Tang Wanzhuang didn’t question Sisi’s conclusion and decisively took out a bottle, gently sprinkling some liquid that looked like clear water beside the door.

Soon, the tough, thick stone door visibly started to soften and become brittle; even Zhao Changhe could feel it. He tried using the Dragon Sparrow to lightly dig, and effortlessly made a hole.

Zhao Changhe was somewhat astonished: "There really is such water, huh? If someone drank this, it’d be scarier than any poison, right?"

How is this technology tree even arranged...

"It can’t be made tasteless; it’s hard to use as poison, but beware of it being splashed on you," Tang Wanzhuang said simply as she took the lead and squeezed through the small opening she had made.

Watching her bend over to crawl through the hole, Sisi smirked: "Didn’t notice before, but she’s got quite the butt."

Tang Wanzhuang: "..."

Zhao Changhe rubbed his forehead: "You really have the leisure for this, hurry up and crawl; I’ll cover the rear."

"You just want to watch my butt, right? You go first!" Sisi pretended to kick him, urging him to move ahead.

Zhao Changhe rolled his eyes, too lazy to bother with her, and crawled inside first.

He actually knew what Sisi was afraid of.

Just like Chichi back then... Chichi said, never show your back to anyone... especially in this cramped space, facing potential treasures ahead.

Tang Wanzhuang showed sincerity and, with her superiority in force not fearing any sneak attacks, led the way.

But Sisi was scared... deep down, she must know that even if something went wrong, it wouldn’t just start before they saw anything—it wasn’t how things were done... it was just instinct, subconsciously choosing to be last.

Though they joked around like friends, in her heart, she had never truly trusted anyone.

————

PS: No more tonight; need a break, my brain is stiff.