161: Taizu comes out of the coffin

Chapter 160: Emperor Taizu Emerges from Coffin

After the better part of a day, a team of Imperial Guards escorted a prison cart to the Tianshou Mountain Imperial Palace and brought it before Zheng Yi.

"Not bad, not bad. If not for today's events, I would have almost forgotten about you."

"Chen Xiao, take this person to Emperor Taizus Mausoleum and hand him over to Chen Liancang for disposal."

"Understood!"

Watching the departing crowd, Zheng Yi waved his hand once more, and a streak of blood-red light shot forth, landing on the person's collar.

At the same time, his lips moved slightly, issuing some commands to this Blood Moon Gu.

More than half a day had passed, and Chen Xiao had yet to return.

Chen Liancang could only retreat beneath the Golden Luan Hall, pacing back and forth while occasionally casting his gaze into the distance.

"Father-in-law?"

Chen Jianping stepped closer and said, "Father-in-law Chen Xiao has been gone for so long without returning. Did something unexpected happen?"

"That won't happen."

Chen Liancang shook his head and said, "This place is Emperor Taizus Mausoleum. For outsiders, it is fraught with danger, but for people like us who hold official positions in the imperial court, there are no major crises."

"As long as we enter according to the guidance from when Taizu's mausoleum was built, there won't be any major problems."

"However, what this old servant is worried about right now is this Golden Luan Hall!"

Chen Liancang looked back and said, "It requires Your Majesty's vital blood to open, but Your Majesty is tied to the court and the world of Great Yu. He must never come here casually. In case..."

Right at this moment, someone shouted, "They're back!"

"Father-in-law Chen Xiao is back!"

"And other people..."

Everyone turned back and abruptly discovered that a group of people had indeed broken into the underground capital, numbering at least twenty-odd people.

Led by Chen Xiao, the team quickly charged straight toward the underground imperial palace.

Before long, they had passed through the underground capital and stepped onto the white marble steps.

"Foster father! This son has not failed his mission; I have brought... the Pseudo Prince Yan!"

"The Pseudo Prince Yan?"

Chen Liancang looked strangely at Zheng Yuantao, the Pseudo Prince Yan, who was protected behind the crowd, hog-tied all over, and disheveled.

At this moment, his eyes were full of malice, and a rag was stuffed in his mouth. Seeing Chen Liancang, he began to struggle frantically.

Ever since he was captured, the Pseudo Prince Yan had been detained in the capital.

As a royal descendant, he would not be casually executed; at most, it would be exile, imprisonment, and so on.

Of course, some royal Family members who died accidentally were not within this scope.

Because the entire world had been in rebellion over the past two years, Zheng Yi hadn't had time to deal with this Pseudo Prince Yan, Zheng Yuantao.

Thanks to the reminder from Emperor Taizus Mausoleum this time, otherwise Zheng Yi would have almost forgotten him.

"Did Your Majesty tell you to bring him here?"

"Yes, Your Majesty bears the safety of the imperial court and cannot conveniently come here."

Chen Liancang nodded, looked at Zheng Yuantao, the Pseudo Prince Yan who was still struggling endlessly, and said, "Untie his mouth."

As soon as the rag was untied, Zheng Yuantao cursed loudly, "You slaves, how dare you excavate Emperor Taizus Mausoleum! Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning!"

"Zheng Yuanluo! As a descendant of the Zheng Family, how dare you disregard the ancestors' laws and excavate Emperor Taizus Mausoleum? You deserve to die a thousand times, you deserve to die a thousand times!"

"You are the biggest rebel of Great Yu...!"

Chen Liancang frowned and said, "Your Highness the Heir of Prince Yan, winners and losers are judged by history. Besides, although this place is Emperor Taizus Mausoleum, we didn't excavate it by theft!"

"Because Emperor Taizu had long known about this matter and left us a guiding path, leading us to this place."

"How is that possible!"

Zheng Yuantao struggled and cursed angrily, "You eunuch, how dare you deceive this prince! This prince will kill you..."

Chen Liancang shook his head and turned to walk toward the Golden Luan Hall.

Chen Xiao grabbed Chen Xiao and closely followed behind.

Along the way, Zheng Yuantao was still struggling, but how could he possibly be Chen Xiao's match? He was easily hoisted and brought before the Golden Luan Hall.

When Zheng Yuantao saw the handwriting left on the bluestone slab at the entrance of the Golden Luan Hall, he said in shock, "H-How is this possible!"

"Our Zheng imperial Family actually has a Daoist heritage...? How come this prince has never known about it?"

"Hmph...!"

Chen Liancang sneered and said, "The Daoist heritage is something only Your Majesty knows about. You vassal kings dare to disregard the court and launch a rebellion; you are the rebellious subjects!"

"Today, Your Majesty opening the gates of the mausoleum with your vital blood is also your good fortune!"

Chen Liancang grabbed Zheng Yuantao's right hand, and with a casual swipe of his left hand, slashed open his wrist.

Crimson blood dripped from the air, flowing entirely onto the handwriting on the ground.

The three of them widened their eyes, staring foolishly at the blood on the ground.

Even Zheng Yuantao stopped struggling wildly and stared fixedly at the ground.

Amidst the shocked gazes of the three, they saw these bloodstains actually begin to gradually spread along the line of text, quickly soaking the entire line of writing.

"Click..."

Suddenly, a crisp sound of collision came, and the three of them raised their heads in unison.

The gates of the Golden Luan Hall actually split open a crack.

"Screeech..."

The doors slowly opened, and the three quickly retreated.

The Jinyi Guards behind them also wanted to chase up and check, but this triggered the movement of the surrounding terracotta warriors, causing them to hastily stop.

"Everyone... stay where you are!"

Chen Liancang gave an order, immediately grabbed Zheng Yuantao with one hand, and walked into the Golden Luan Hall, with Chen Xiao closely following behind.

"Hiss..."

Upon stepping into the Golden Luan Hall, all three of them gasped.

They saw... the solemn and majestic scene of a grand court with rows of respectfully standing figures!

Terracotta figures of Great Yu officials, generals, imperial relatives, and so on, wearing Qilin, crane, fierce tiger, lion, and python robes, stood solemnly and bowed slightly forward in salute!

These terracotta figures were lined up on both sides according to their different civil and military official positions and ranks, leaving a wide passageway in the middle.

At this moment, the three of them did not even dare to breathe heavily. Even Chen Liancang, who was in the Innate Realm, felt somewhat odd in his heart right now.

As soon as he entered the door, he vaguely felt as if a gaze remained fixed on him, intermittent and halting, making him somewhat doubt his own perception.

"Let's go!"

Chen Liancang let out a low cry and continued carrying Zheng Yuantao as he walked further inside.

Sure enough, standing atop the Golden Luan Hall was actually... a coffin crafted from pure gold!

That coffin was situated upon the golden dragon chair, surrounded by densely carved and painted five-clawed golden dragons, with carved dragons and phoenixes, showcasing extreme luxury.

On both sides of the dragon chair, several palace maids and eunuchs stood as if listening to Your Majesty's commands.

This was Emperor Taizu's means.

Not only did he build an imperial capital and palace beneath Tianshou Mountain, but he even crafted the Golden Luan Hall, the grand court, and statues of all civil and military officials.

He wanted to be emperor not only in the mortal world.

Even when reaching the underworld, he still wanted to be emperor!

Gazing at the huge Golden Luan Hall, the terracotta figures of civil and military officials, and the golden coffin on the dragon chair, Chen Liancang subconsciously loosened his hands and carefully looked around.

Chen Xiao asked in a low voice, "F-Foster father, what do we do next?"

"Continue forward..."

Chen Liancang said in a low voice, "The imperial Family's Legacy should be inside that coffin. Who knows what trials are waiting for us."

The three continued forward. When they walked to the very front of the civil and military officials and were about to approach the dragon chair, a mechanical sound suddenly came over.

"Click..."

"Click, click, click..."

That was... a eunuch terracotta figure!

A eunuch terracotta figure slowly moved out from the darkness, its voice hoarse as it said, "Descendant of the Zheng imperial Family... step forward."

"Everyone else... wait in place."

What?

Chen Liancang's expression changed slightly. It actually allowed the Zheng imperial Family member to step forward.

Wouldn't that mean...

Suddenly, Zheng Yuantao in front of him made a fierce charge, rushing toward the direction of the dragon chair.

"Grandpa Taizu, save me! These people are rebels..."

"Damn it!"

Chen Liancang's expression changed drastically, and just as he wanted to make a move, he immediately felt an oppressive force emanate from the entire grand hall.

It was as if at this moment, countless cold gazes in the darkness had noticed him.

Even with his strength as an Innate Realm Martial Artist, he felt a sense of trepidation at this moment.

"There's no time to care about that. For Your Majesty, I can only kill the Pseudo Prince Yan first!"

He let out a low cry in his heart, and his figure immediately turned into a phantom, shooting toward Zheng Yuantao.

"Ah...!"

"Grandpa Taizu, save me...!"

Zheng Yuantao exclaimed in alarm, slamming headfirst into the coffin on the dragon chair.

"Bang!"

In an instant, the coffin on the dragon chair suddenly emitted a grinding sound and slowly opened.

However, two black figures shot out from behind the dragon chair, blocking Chen Liancang in mid-air.

"Crash!"

The three exchanged blows in mid-air for several rounds, making Chen Liancang's expression even uglier.

Viewed through his line of sight, these two figures were also hair-covered zombie eunuchs.

But unlike the fur-covered zombies in the underground capital, these two zombie eunuchs were bronze-colored all over, impervious to swords and spears, and possessed Innate Divine Power!

Something quickly flashed through his mind—these two eunuchs were the first-generation Shadow Guard leaders of the Zheng Family of the Great Yu Imperial Dynasty.

Two Innate experts!

After death, they were refined into zombies here, and at this moment they were still fighting to protect the imperial Family.

But fortunately they had turned into zombies; their speed and True Qi circulation speed were greatly reduced, which allowed Chen Liancang to contend against these two Innate Realm zombie eunuchs.

"Chen Xiao, kill him!"

"Yes, foster father!"

Chen Xiao acknowledged the order, his figure also turning into a phantom as he rushed toward Zheng Yuantao on the dragon chair.

"Grandpa Taizu!"

"Bang!"

This time, a violent roaring sound came from the coffin on the dragon chair once again.

The huge and heavy coffin lid immediately flew out, fiercely smashing toward the incoming Chen Xiao.

"Damn it!"

Chen Xiao cursed inwardly, but it was already too late to dodge. He could only gather all his True Qi and ruthlessly slam his palms against the incoming coffin lid.

"Bang!"

The coffin lid immediately flew backward several meters, smashing heavily onto the steps.

At this moment, within the golden coffin, dense black mist suddenly surged, transforming into several black dragons completely formed from mist, fiercely charging toward Chen Xiao.

Chen Xiao's figure was like a phantom, trying his best to dodge these black mists, but he was suddenly caught up by one of the black mist evil dragons, which bit down on his left arm in one bite.

"Ah...!"

He let out a miserable scream, only to see his left arm corroding at a speed visible to the naked eye, deep to the bone.

Chen Xiao was certainly a loyal death-sworn retainer. Enduring the excruciating pain in his left arm, his right hand formed a blade and fiercely chopped down onto his left arm, severing the entire left arm at the wrist.

At this moment, those black mists that had originally rushed out strangely disappeared right then and there.

"Corpse poison?"

Chen Xiao's expression was extremely ugly, and he also turned pale.

"Click, click, click..."

Right at this moment, a 'figure' slowly sat up inside the golden coffin.

Wearing a pearl crown and dressed in golden ceremonial robes.

But what was odd was that beneath the golden dragon robe and pearl crown was a dark-skinned dried corpse!!!

"Grandpa Taizu!!!"

Zheng Yuantao on the side said pleasantly, "I-I am your descendant and offspring. Qu-Quickly give the immortal Legacy to me!"

"Ri-Right, Grandpa Taizu, these two eunuchs are both rebellious people. Quickly kill them!"

"There are more outside the hall!"

"There are so many people... Quickly kill them!"

"Damn it...!"

Chen Liancang, who was still entangled with the two Innate Realm zombie eunuchs in the distance, turned extremely ugly. He secretly touched his waist, his eyes staring fixedly at the distant Taizu dried corpse and Zheng Yuantao.

No matter what, he had to complete Your Majesty's commission and bring the Daoist Legacy out.

And this Pseudo Prince Yan had to die!

"Heh..."

Just as he was about to move, he saw the dried corpse that had sat up from the coffin grab Zheng Yuantao beside it, open its big mouth, and bite directly onto his neck.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

"Gr-Grandpa Taizu...!"