34: Chapter 34 The Imperial Seal Appears, Guarding the Soul General

They rested and recuperated for three full days.

The losses from the battle at the Ancient Tomb of the Yan King were greater than expected—Su Qingyue forcefully cast "Absolute Zero," causing damage to the Origin of her Vast Cold Spirit Body, which required quiet recuperation; Lin Ye’s Chaos Power was overdrawn, and his wheel sea secret realm had even developed fine cracks; Chen Hao, Zhang Meng, and the others were also all nursing injuries.

The most troublesome issue was the damage to their equipment: Zhang Meng’s heavy profound iron shield had been corroded by corpse poison, its durability dropping below one-third; Chen Hao’s Silver Scale Spear had developed cracks from hard clashes with the zombies; even Lin Ye’s myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo had become dull in luster due to over-activation and needed to be nurtured again.

Fortunately, the gains were also quite considerable.

The Materials dropped by the nine buried Corpse Guards were quite valuable: [Corpse King Fingernails] were excellent Materials for refining poisons and curse-type items, with each piece having a market price of at least fifty Spirit Stones; although the [Decaying Armor Fragments] had a plain name, the Yin Iron contained within could be extracted and used as auxiliary material for crafting dark-attribute equipment.

More importantly, the burial objects brought back from the main coffin—several jade pieces had lost all their Spiritual Qi, but their carving was exquisite, and selling them to collector NPCs could fetch quite a few Spirit Stones; and that [Yan King’s Sword], although severely corroded, should not be difficult to restore to its green-quality power if a high-level Artifact Refiner could be found to recast it.

On the morning of the fourth day, Lin Ye went to the Artifact Refiners Association alone.

Master Wang Hammer was busy in front of the forging furnace, his bare upper body showing knotted muscles, and sweat beads glistening in the reflection of the furnace fire.

Seeing Lin Ye enter, he merely lifted his eyelids: "Kid, here to fix things again? That Buddha lamp of yours cannot be improved for the time being; you need to at least find treasures like [Buddhist Power Of Will Crystals] or [High Monk Sarira] to proceed."

"It's not to fix the Buddha lamp this time." Lin Ye took out the Yan King’s Sword and placed it on the workbench, "Master, take a look at this sword."

Wang Hammer put down his hammer, picked up the sword with his thick fingers, and brought it close to his eyes to examine it carefully. His expression gradually shifted from casual to solemn, and then from solemn to surprised.

"This pattern... this casting technique..." he muttered to himself, "This is the work of an ancient Yan State palace sword-smith, at least three hundred years old. The sword body was forged using [Cold Mountain Copper] mixed with [stardust sand], and it should have originally been a high-quality item of blue quality or higher, but it's a pity it has been eroded by Yin Sha Qi for too long, and its spirituality has almost completely dissipated."

He looked up at Lin Ye: "Where did you get this?"

"Burial Dragon Valley, the Ancient Tomb of the Yan King." Lin Ye did not hide it, "It is the burial sword of Yan Martial King Ji Wushang."

Wang Hammer gasped: "You entered the Ancient Tomb of the Yan King? And came out alive?" He looked Lin Ye up and down, his eyes as if looking at a monster, "That place has been a Forbidden Ground for fifty years. The Yan State sent three expedition teams in, and even the weakest team had four Dao Palace Realm experts leading it, yet they were all wiped out. You bunch of Wheel Sea Realm brats..."

"Good luck, plus we were well prepared." Lin Ye briefly brushed it off, "Master, can this sword be recast?"

"It can be done, but the cost is not small." Wang Hammer pondered, "First, you need to use [Earth Core Flame] or [Sun True Fire] to burn away the rust and Yin Sha, which requires at least a Tier 5 flame; I only have a Tier 3 [Lava Fire] here, which is not enough. Secondly, you need supplementary Materials—at least ten catties of [Cold Mountain Copper], three taels of [stardust sand], and one portion of [Sharp Metal Essence]. Finally, you also need a [Sword Soul] or [Sword Intent] to awaken its spirituality; otherwise, it will just be an empty shell after being recast."

Every material he listed was of high value. Cold Mountain Copper was a rare mineral, and within the Yan State, only the northern Cold Mountain Range produced a small amount, which was controlled by several major powers; [stardust sand] was even more precious and could usually only be found in places where stars fell or certain Secret Realms; Sharp Metal Essence needed to be extracted from a hundred catties of refined iron, which was time-consuming and laborious; as for Sword Soul and Sword Intent, those were things that could be met but not sought.

Lin Ye frowned: "What if it's only repaired to the point of being usable?"

"That's simple." Wang Hammer pointed to the forging furnace, "Burn it with Lava Fire for three hours to remove the surface rust, then soak it in [Clear Spirit Liquid] for a day to wash away the Yin Sha. The sword processed this way can restore about seventy percent of its original power, but its durability will be very low, and it will completely shatter after at most eight or ten uses."

He paused and added: "Moreover, doing this will completely destroy its potential for being recast; even if you find high-level flames and Materials later, it won't be possible to improve it again."

Lin Ye fell into deep thought. According to his original plan, he wanted to recast this sword and give it to Chen Hao to use—Chen Hao’s God King Body was suitable for a fierce and powerful path, and a sword with a "Demon-Slaying" effect would be a great help to him. But if it could only be repaired to the point of temporary use, its value would be greatly discounted.

"Master, what if I can provide the flame?" Lin Ye suddenly asked.

"You?" Wang Hammer raised an eyebrow, "Kid, it's not that I look down on you, but a Tier 5 flame requires at least Four Extremities Realm cultivation to control, and it must be specialized in fire affinity. You, a Wheel Sea Realm..."

He didn't finish his sentence, because Lin Ye extended his right hand. With his palm facing up, a wisp of gray flame silently ignited.

The flame was very weak, only the size of a candle flame, and its color was chaotic and unclear, sometimes appearing dark red, sometimes turning pale blue, and in the deepest part, it was an indescribable gray. It burned quietly, without the scorching heat of ordinary flames, but instead emitted an ancient, primitive aura that seemed capable of devouring everything.

Wang Hammer’s eyes widened instantly.

"This... this is..." his voice trembled slightly, "Innate Fire? No, Innate Fire all has clear attributes, but this flame of yours... I have never seen it before!"

"Chaos Fire," Lin Ye said slowly, "My Physique is special; it is the life-bound flame born when my wheel sea secret realm was opened. I am not sure of its grade, but it should be no lower than Tier 5."

This was one of the abilities unlocked after the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body reached the Dao Palace Realm. Strictly speaking, the Chaos Fire was not fire, but a manifested form of Chaos Power; it could simulate the fire of any attribute and could also devour other flames to strengthen itself. Lin Ye hadn't used it much before because the consumption was too great—just this small wisp consumed 50 points of his Divine Power every second.

Wang Hammer stared fixedly at that wisp of flame, and after a long while, he sighed deeply: "The younger generation is to be feared... With this flame, the first hurdle for recasting is passed. But what about the Materials? Cold Mountain Copper, [stardust sand], Sharp Metal Essence—these cannot be solved just by having the flame."

"I will find a way for the Materials." Lin Ye put away the Chaos Fire, "Master, if I gather all the Materials, how long will you need to complete the recasting?"

"If the Materials are complete, seven days." Wang Hammer held up seven fingers, "This is the fastest speed; any faster will affect the quality."

"Good." Lin Ye nodded, "Seven days later, I will bring the Materials."

Leaving the Artifact Refiners Association, Lin Ye headed straight to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion.

Qin Ruoxue’s intelligence network had developed rapidly over the past half month, already covering the Capital City of Yan State and three surrounding towns. She herself had shown an amazing talent for business—not only was the intelligence trade booming, but she also started an intermediary business: helping players post quests, find teammates, and trade rare items, taking a commission from them. The Heavenly Secret Pavilion was now making money hand over fist and had become one of the most important sources of funds for the Heavenly Court.

In the private room on the second floor of the pavilion, Qin Ruoxue was organizing a stack of intelligence files. Seeing Lin Ye enter, she put down the pen in her hand and revealed her usual faint smile: "Night God, your arrival is an honor; do you have a new task, or are you here to check intelligence?"

"Two things." Lin Ye sat down opposite her, "First, check the recent production locations and holders of the three Materials: Cold Mountain Copper, [stardust sand], and Sharp Metal Essence. Second, I want all the information regarding Yan Martial King Ji Wushang, the more detailed, the better."

A flash of sharpness crossed Qin Ruoxue’s eyes: "Yan Martial King? Does it have to do with your trip to the Ancient Tomb?"

"It does." Lin Ye did not elaborate, "When can you give me the information?"

"The intelligence on Materials is ready." Qin Ruoxue took three slips of paper from the drawer, "For Cold Mountain Copper, there are currently only two stable production locations within the Yan State: one is the 'Cold Moon Mine' in the northern Cold Mountain Range, controlled by the 'Northern Alliance' guild; the second is the 'Official Mine' directly under the royal family, which is not sold to the public. As for sporadic trades, it has appeared on the black market twice in the last three days, each time no more than three catties, with a unit price of eighty Spirit Stones per catty."

She pointed to the second slip of paper: "[stardust sand] is even rarer. There are three known ways to obtain it: one is by exchanging Contribution Points at the Yaoguang Holy Land, where five hundred Contribution Points can be exchanged for one tael; second is exploring the 'Falling Star Lake' Secret Realm, but that Secret Realm only opens once every three months, and the last opening was two months ago; third is purchasing from players in the Eternal Star Domain, as their technological civilization is good at extracting [stardust sand], but the handling fee for cross-region trading is very high, and it requires special channels."

"As for the Sharp Metal Essence..." Qin Ruoxue picked up the third slip of paper, "This item is relatively easier to get. The Artifact Refiners Association sells it, but it is in limited supply, with only ten portions per month, each costing three thousand Spirit Stones. The black market price fluctuates greatly, recently between two thousand eight hundred and three thousand five hundred."

Lin Ye calculated silently. Ten catties of Cold Mountain Copper would cost eight hundred Spirit Stones at the black market price; three taels of [stardust sand] would require fifteen hundred Contribution Points if exchanged at the Yaoguang Holy Land, and he currently only had five hundred, which was far from enough; the Sharp Metal Essence was three thousand Spirit Stones. Plus the labor fee for recasting—at Master Wang Hammer’s level, it would be at least one thousand Spirit Stones to start.

Total: over four thousand eight hundred Spirit Stones, plus fifteen hundred Contribution Points.

This was an astronomical figure for an individual player, but for the current Heavenly Court, it was not unaffordable. The funds of the chamber of commerce managed by Qian Duoduo had already exceeded fifty thousand Spirit Stones, so withdrawing five thousand was not difficult. The difficulty was the Contribution Points—Contribution Points of the Yaoguang Holy Land could only be obtained by completing Holy Land tasks and could not be traded.

"Is there a way to quickly obtain Contribution Points?" Lin Ye asked.

"Yes." Qin Ruoxue was obviously prepared, "The Yaoguang Holy Land has recently released three high-contribution tasks: first is to suppress the Yao Beast riot in the 'Black Wind Mountain Range', which rewards eight hundred Contribution Points upon completion, but requires at least level thirty and a team of no less than ten people; second is to escort a batch of supplies to the 'Northern Great Wall', which rewards six hundred Contribution Points, but the journey is long and takes at least seven days; third is... to explore the 'Ancient Yan State Ruins' and find the lost royal treasures, the reward... depends on the value of the discovered items, with no upper limit."

She paused and added: "The third task is very special; it has no specific target item, only stating it as 'items related to the Ancient Yan State royal family that have historical value or special power'. Furthermore, this task is long-term and valid; more than a dozen teams have accepted it, but so far, only two teams have had any gains, obtaining two hundred and three hundred Contribution Points respectively."

Lin Ye’s heart stirred. Ancient Yan State ruins... royal treasures...

He took out the Yan King’s Sword and placed it on the table: "Do you think this is enough?"

Qin Ruoxue carefully examined the sword, and after a long while, she nodded slowly: "If this is truly Yan Martial King’s personal sword, then it is definitely enough. But I suggest you do not hand it over directly—the value of this sword is not limited to Contribution Points; it has practical value itself, and it may be linked to a greater secret."

She lowered her voice: "I have checked the information; Yan Martial King Ji Wushang was the eighth monarch of the Ancient Yan State, reigning for thirty-seven years. During his reign, the national power of the Yan State reached its peak, once suppressing the neighboring 'Zhao State' and 'Qi State'. But in the last year of his reign, he suddenly led an army deep into the Burial Dragon Valley, saying he wanted to pacify the 'Source of Yin Sha' in the valley, but the entire army was wiped out, and not even their bodies were found. Three months later, a coup occurred in the Yan State, and the ninth monarch ascended the throne, but the national power plummeted from then on, and it perished fifty years later."

"Official records say he died in battle, but some unofficial histories mention another version—" Qin Ruoxue’s voice was even lower, "It is said that Yan Martial King discovered some kind of 'Secret to Immortal Ascension' in the Burial Dragon Valley and wanted to keep it for himself, but ended up angering the 'existence' in the valley and died of a curse. His sword and the imperial seal were left in the valley; whoever can find them can obtain the blessing of the remaining national destiny of the Yan State."

Secret to Immortal Ascension? Blessing of national destiny?

Lin Ye fell into deep thought. If it were just rumors from unofficial history, it might just be fabrication. But combined with his experience in the Ancient Tomb—the abnormal strength of the Yan Martial King’s corpse-changed body, the disappearance of the imperial seal, and the strange action of Yan Martial King looking at the star map on the tomb ceiling at the last moment—all of this seemed to imply that the secret of the Burial Dragon Valley was far more complex than just an Ancient Tomb.

"I need more information about the 'Secret to Immortal Ascension' and 'Blessing of national destiny'." Lin Ye said, "Also, help me check if any other teams have been investigating Yan Martial King or the Burial Dragon Valley recently."

"I am already checking." Qin Ruoxue smiled, "Three days ago, at least five teams were inquiring about information on the Burial Dragon Valley through different channels; three of them were local guilds of the Yan State, one was from the Zhao State, and there was another one... with a very mysterious identity, using pseudonyms, but they were generous, buying all the information I had about the Ancient Yan State at once, spending one thousand Spirit Stones."

"Can you find out their true identities?"

"There is a clue." Qin Ruoxue took out a portrait from the bottom of the drawer, "The informant who sold the intelligence said that the leader of that mysterious team is a woman, wearing a mask, but her eyes are very special—her pupils are pale gold. She is followed by four guards, each with a faint scent of blood, so they should be people who kill frequently."

Pale gold pupils?

Lin Ye searched his memory. In his three years of previous life, he had seen many players and NPCs with special pupil techniques: the "Star Pupil" of the Yaoguang Holy Land, the "Void Pupil" of the Ji Family, the "God King Pupil" of the Jiang Family... but for pale gold pupils, there seemed to be only one possibility—

"Sun God Body?" he blurted out.

Qin Ruoxue’s eyes lit up: "You think so too? I have checked the classics, and pale gold pupils are indeed one of the characteristics of the Sun God Body. But this Physique is too rare; the entire Eastern Wasteland might not produce one in a hundred years. If it really is the Sun God Body, then her identity is not simple—she is either a secret successor of some Holy Land or a direct descendant of an ancient family."

The Sun God Body, one of the top Physiques alongside the Taiyin Spirit Body. Extremely Yang and extremely rigid, when cultivated to the extreme, one can transform into the sun, burning the sky and boiling the sea. In the mid-game of his previous life, a Sun God Body player did emerge, sweeping through the same generation with an invincible posture, eventually achieving the position of Quasi-Emperor. But that person was male, and he only appeared one year after the game launched.

The time doesn't match. Unless... is this Sun God Body an NPC? Or, a player who awakened early?

"Continue checking." Lin Ye stood up, "Also, leave the acquisition of Cold Mountain Copper and [stardust sand] to you; the price can be appropriately raised, but be sure to gather them within five days. I will buy the Sharp Metal Essence at the Artifact Refiners Association myself."

"Understood." Qin Ruoxue put away the portrait, "And the Contribution Points..."

"I will accept the third task." Lin Ye had already made a decision, "Explore the Ancient Yan State Ruins... that sword might lead us to the real 'royal treasures'."

Leaving the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, Lin Ye did not return to the Heavenly Court headquarters, but went to the Yaoguang Holy Land.

The Holy Land was located in the mountains west of the Capital City of Yan State, covering a vast area and surrounded by clouds and mist. Disciples were on duty at the mountain gate, and they only allowed entry after verifying identities. Lin Ye was now an Outer Sect Disciple and had the authority to freely enter most public areas.

He headed straight to the Task Hall.

The hall was bustling with people, mostly Disciples coming to accept or submit missions. In the center was a huge jade screen scrolling with various mission information. Lin Ye found the "Relic Exploration" category and sure enough, saw the third mission Qin Ruoxue had mentioned:

[Long-term Mission: Ancient Yan State Relic Exploration]

[Publisher: Scripture Pavilion of Yaoguang Holy Land]

[Mission Content: Search for royal treasures lost during the ancient Yan State period, including but not limited to classics, Magical Artifacts, tokens, and other items of historical value or special power.]

[Mission Reward: Depending on the value of the submitted item, minimum 100 Contribution Points, no upper limit.]

[Note: This mission can be accepted repeatedly; each person/team can submit at most three items per month.]

Lin Ye walked to the mission acceptance window and handed over his identity token: "Accepting the Ancient Yan State Relic Exploration mission."

The deacon Disciple behind the window glanced at him and recorded it routinely: "Name: Lin Ye, Outer Sect Disciple, accepting long-term exploration mission. A reminder: although this mission has generous rewards, many teams have explored for months without finding anything. You should be mentally prepared."

"Understood." Lin Ye nodded.

After taking back the mission token, he didn't leave immediately but asked: "Senior Brother, I would like to ask, if I found the personal sword of the Martial King of Yan, how many Contribution Points would it be worth?"

The deacon Disciple was stunned: "The Martial King of Yan's sword? You mean that 'Dragon Slayer' of Ji Wushang? That is a famous sword in history. If it is genuine and well-preserved, it is worth at least one thousand Contribution Points. But how could such a thing be lost outside? It should have been buried in..."

His words stopped abruptly because Lin Ye took out the rusty bronze sword from his storage ring.

Although the sword body was severely rusted, the shape of the hilt, the inlaid gemstones, and the faint dragon patterns visible at the crossguard all showed its extraordinary Origin. More importantly, when this sword appeared in the mission hall, several old Disciples who were checking classics turned their heads almost at the same time, shock appearing in their eyes.

"This... this is..." The deacon Disciple's voice trembled slightly, "Where did you get it?"

"Burial Dragon Valley," Lin Ye said calmly, "The Ancient Tomb of the King of Yan."

The hall went silent instantly.

Everyone's eyes were focused on this sword. Several old Disciples walked over quickly. One white-bearded elder reached out to touch the sword body but stopped halfway.

"Yin Sha Qi... such heavy Yin Sha!" The elder's face was solemn, "This sword has been buried in an extremely Yin place for at least fifty years, and its spirituality is almost gone. However, the material of the sword body is indeed Cold Mountain Copper mixed with stardust sand, and the forging technique is the 'Seven Star Forging Technique' unique to the ancient Yan State court... Kid, are you sure this was brought out from the Ancient Tomb of the King of Yan?"

"Positive." Lin Ye took the sword back, "Senior, if this sword is submitted, how many Contribution Points can it be exchanged for?"

The elder pondered for a moment: "If it is only as a historical relic, five hundred Contribution Points is the maximum. But if you can provide the specific location of the Ancient Tomb and the internal situation, the Holy Land can send specialists to verify it. If it is confirmed to be the real tomb of the Martial King of Yan, the value of that sword... can be doubled, one thousand Contribution Points. Plus, you personally can receive an additional 'Exploration Discovery' reward, at least another two hundred."

One thousand two hundred Contribution Points!

This was far beyond Lin Ye's expectations. But he didn't agree immediately; instead, he asked: "What if I don't want to submit the sword itself, but only provide intelligence?"

"That depends on the level of detail of the intelligence." The elder stroked his beard, "If it's just a general location, one hundred Contribution Points. If there is accurate entrance information, three hundred. If there is a complete tomb structure map, five hundred. If there are detailed records of mechanisms, guards, and funerary objects in the tomb... seven hundred to eight hundred."

He paused and added: "But I must remind you, if the Holy Land sends people to verify and finds that the information you provided is incorrect, or if you concealed key information, you will have double the Contribution Points deducted, and may even be punished."

"Understood." Lin Ye had a clear idea.

He didn't submit the mission immediately but left the mission hall with the sword. Although one thousand two hundred Contribution Points were tempting, the potential value of this sword might be higher—not to mention its practical value after recasting, just the "Yan State Secret History" mission line it might be associated with meant it couldn't be easily given up.

Returning to the Heavenly Court headquarters, Lin Ye gathered the core members.

Su Qingyue's face was still a bit pale, but her spirit had improved a lot. The injuries of Chen Hao, Zhang Meng, Li Qingshan, and Wang Iron Pillar had basically healed, and Bai Zhi was giving them a final check. Qian Duoduo also came, holding an account book, with a pained expression of "spending money again".

Lin Ye explained the current situation and plan.

"...So, we have two choices now." He summarized, "First, submit the sword, exchange it for 1,200 Contribution Points, plus the 500 we have on hand, which is enough to exchange for three taels of stardust sand, and then pool money to buy other Materials, and the recasting can proceed. Second, keep the sword and slowly save up Contribution Points, but this means recasting will be delayed by at least a month."

"I choose the second." Su Qingyue was the first to express her stance, "That sword might be related to the whereabouts of the imperial seal, it cannot be given away easily."

Chen Hao nodded: "I also think the imperial seal is more important. The mission has only completed the second stage; if we hand over the sword now, the follow-up mission might be cut off."

"But recasting is also very important." Zhang Meng scratched his head, "My shield is about to break, and Chen Hao's spear also has cracks. If we encounter battles of the same intensity as the Ancient Tomb again, our equipment won't be able to keep up and we will suffer."

Qian Duoduo flipped through the account book: "In terms of funds, the current liquid assets of the chamber of commerce are 53,000 Spirit Stones. After deducting daily operations and member salaries, we can use at most 30,000. Cold Mountain Copper costs 800 according to the black market price. If we exchange for stardust sand through the Holy Land, 1,500 Contribution Points is equivalent to 15,000 Spirit Stones (at a market exchange rate of 1 Contribution Point ≈ 10 Spirit Stones). Sharp Gold Essence is 3,000, recasting labor fee is 1,000, totaling 24,800. We can afford it, but the Contribution Points..."

He looked at Lin Ye: "Brother Ye, you just said that if we provide detailed intelligence, we can get up to 800 Contribution Points?"

"Yes." Lin Ye nodded, "But it requires a complete tomb structure map and detailed records of mechanisms and guards."

"That's easy to handle." Li Qingshan, who hadn't spoken, spoke up, "I have studied cartography. I remember the routes in the Ancient Tomb in my head. Give me one day, and I can draw a structure map with 90% accuracy. As for the mechanisms and guards... everyone, pool the details you remember, and we should be able to piece together most of it."

Wang Iron Pillar added: "I still remember the attack patterns and weaknesses of those zombies; I can write them in."

Bai Zhi raised her hand weakly: "I recorded the abnormal phenomena during the battle, such as the flow patterns of Yin Qi, the time interval of corpse poison onset..."

Everyone spoke up, and they really pieced together quite complete intelligence.

Lin Ye looked at this scene, feeling a slight warmth in his heart. This was the power of a team—no matter how strong one person is, they have limitations, but a group of people supplementing each other can achieve many seemingly impossible things.

"Okay, that's settled." He made a decision, "Qingshan is responsible for drawing the structure map, and others organize the battle records. Summarize them for me at this time tomorrow. I will go to submit the intelligence and exchange for Contribution Points. We will keep the sword and recast it after we have collected the Materials."

"What about the imperial seal mission?" Su Qingyue asked.

"After the intelligence is submitted, the Holy Land will definitely send people to verify the Ancient Tomb." Lin Ye's eyes flashed with thought, "At that time, we can apply to accompany them—after all, we are the discoverers and have this right. If we are lucky, maybe we can find clues about the imperial seal in the second exploration."

The plan was finalized, and everyone acted separately.

Lin Ye returned to his room, took out the Yan King's sword, and examined it carefully again.

The sword was three feet three inches long and two fingers wide. The sword body was slender, and even though it was severely rusted, the original beautiful curve could still be seen. The hilt was wrapped in some kind of black wood, inlaid with a blue gemstone the size of a pigeon egg. Inside the gemstone, there was a faint starlight circulating—that was the characteristic of stardust sand. The crossguard was carved with coiled dragon patterns, and the dragon's eyes should have been inlaid with something, but now only two empty holes remained.

He tried to inject Chaos Power into the sword.

The gray energy seeped in along the hilt, the sword body trembled slightly, and some rust on the surface fell off, revealing the dark cyan metal body underneath. But that was all. More Chaos Power was like a clay ox entering the sea, absorbed by something deep in the sword body, but it did not cause any reaction.

"The spirituality is sleeping too deeply..." Lin Ye muttered.

He increased the injection intensity. The Chaos bitter sea in the wheel sea secret realm churned, and more Chaos Power poured toward the sword. This time, the tremor of the sword body was more obvious, and the starlight in the blue gemstone also began to circulate faster.

Just when Lin Ye thought he was about to succeed in waking it up, an abnormality occurred—

Inside the sword body, a cold, violent, and resentful consciousness suddenly woke up!

That was not a sword spirit, but... some kind of remnant Soul!

"Those who... move the King's sword... die!"

The vague intention directly impacted Lin Ye's Divine Sense, carrying endless killing intent and madness. At the same time, the sword flew up automatically, the tip turned, and it actually stabbed towards Lin Ye's throat!

Lin Ye's pupils shrank, and his Chaos Domain instantly expanded. Within thirty meters, gray mist filled the air, the speed of the sword dropped sharply, but it still stabbed towards the target slowly and firmly.

"Suppress!"

The myriad mother qi cauldron flew out from the wheel sea, the cauldron body overturned, spitting out thick myriad mother qi, covering the sword. The mother qi was as heavy as a mountain, the sword was pressed to tremble violently, and the sword body made a groan of being unable to bear the load, but that cold consciousness was still resisting.

Lin Ye snorted coldly, his right index and middle fingers joined together, and Chaos Fire ignited at his fingertips.

He pointed into the void towards the sword.

"Chi—"

The Chaos Fire turned into a thin thread, penetrated the blockade of the myriad mother qi, and sank into the sword body. This time, a shrill scream came from inside the sword body—not a sound, but a howl that acted directly on the Soul!

"Ahhh—Sun... Sun fire?! No... what is this... what is this fire?!"

The remnant Soul dissolved rapidly under the burning of the Chaos Fire. Lin Ye could feel that the essence of the remnant Soul was a trace of extremely weak obsession, attached to the sword for at least fifty years, absorbing Yin Sha Qi to grow, and already had preliminary autonomous consciousness. But it was rootless and sourceless after all, and in front of the power of the Chaos Fire level, it had no power to resist.

Ten seconds later, the screaming stopped.

The sword fell to the ground with a "clatter", and the tremor of the sword body also calmed down. But Lin Ye keenly noticed that in the two holes at the crossguard, blood-colored light spots flashed and disappeared vaguely.

He picked up the sword and injected Chaos Power again.

This time it was unobstructed. The Chaos Power circulated in the sword body and finally gathered at the holes at the crossguard. Lin Ye could feel that the two holes were like two "nodes". Originally there should have been things filled in, but now they were empty, causing the energy flow of the sword body to be incomplete.

"Needs inlay..." He was thoughtful, "Dragon eyes... since it is a coiled dragon pattern, what should be inlaid is something like 'Dragon Eyes'. But dragons are legendary creatures, where would I get dragon eyes?"

He suddenly remembered a rumor from his previous life: The reason Burial Dragon Valley is called Burial Dragon Valley is not because there are real dragons buried there, but because there is a "Dragon Transformation Pool" deep in the valley, and a mineral called [Dragon Blood Stone] will be bred in the pool. Dragon Blood Stone contains a trace of real dragon blood, which can be used to refine pills, forge weapons, and can also... be inlaid on items that need Dragon Qi.

If the Martial King of Yan's sword needs dragon eyes to be repaired completely, then Dragon Blood Stone might be a substitute.

"It seems that I have to enter the Burial Dragon Valley again." Lin Ye put away the sword, "But this time, the target is not the Ancient Tomb, but the Dragon Transformation Pool."

Just then, the door was knocked.

"Brother Ye, are you there?" It was Chen Hao's voice.

Lin Ye opened the door. Chen Hao stood outside with a strange expression: "Brother Ye, urgent intelligence came from Qin Ruoxue—that team suspected to be the Sun God Body left the city half an hour ago, and the direction... is Burial Dragon Valley."

Lin Ye's eyes narrowed: "How many people do they have?"

"Five, just that woman and four guards mentioned before." Chen Hao lowered his voice, "But Qin Ruoxue's informant said that after they left the city, two more teams quietly followed. One team is from the 'Northern Alliance', and the other's identity is unknown, but they are very strong, with at least three in the Dao Palace Realm."

The Northern Alliance is the guild that controls the output of Cold Mountain Copper. What are they doing in the Burial Dragon Valley? Are they also aiming for the Dragon Transformation Pool?

"Notify everyone, prepare to set off." Lin Ye made a prompt decision, "We are going to Burial Dragon Valley too."

"Now? But the structure map hasn't been drawn yet, and the intelligence hasn't been organized..."

"We'll do it on the way." Lin Ye had already picked up his jacket, "I have a premonition that this trip to Burial Dragon Valley will not be peaceful. If we go late, we might not get anything."

Half an hour later, a seven-person team quietly left the Capital City of Yan State.

It was still the original configuration: Lin Ye, Su Qingyue, Chen Hao, Zhang Meng, Li Qingshan, Wang Iron Pillar, Bai Zhi. But this time, everyone's equipment had been carefully checked and supplemented, potions were fully stocked, and supplies were sufficient. Qian Duoduo even bled heavily, equipping everyone with a [wind-chasing colt]—this mount is 30% faster than a Gale Horse, but the rent is twice as expensive, 20 Spirit Stones per day.

Seven wind-chasing colts galloped on the official road, kicking up dust all over the sky.

Li Qingshan spread out the parchment on the horse's back and sketched quickly with a charcoal pen. His memory and spatial sense were indeed excellent. The structure of the Ancient Tomb was reproduced on paper bit by bit: the entrance passage, the burial pit, the main tomb chamber, the location of the bronze coffin... even including the vague content of those murals.

Su Qingyue was responsible for dictating the battle details: "The first wave of attacks by the Corpse Guards was a wedge Formation of three in front and six in the back. The front row's sharp claws had corpse poison, and the back row would trigger Corpse Transformation when their health hit 70%. After Corpse Transformation, the attack speed increased by 50%, but defense decreased by 20%..."

Wang Iron Pillar added: "It took about twelve breaths for the Martial King of Yan's Corpse Transformation body to sit up from the coffin until it stood up completely. During this process, it could not move, which was the best window for output. But pay attention to the blood flames in its eye sockets; that thing will shoot, with a range of about five meters, and the damage is very high..."

Everyone spoke up, and by the time they arrived at the outskirts of Burial Dragon Valley, intelligence with a detail level exceeding 80% had initially taken shape.

Lin Ye reined in his horse and looked at the valley ahead.

Compared with the last time he came, the Yin Qi in Burial Dragon Valley seemed to be heavier. The black fog at the valley entrance was as thick as substance, and even at noon, the sunlight could barely penetrate a thin layer. Deep in the valley, blood-colored halos vaguely rose into the sky, dyeing a piece of ominous dark red on the gray-black sky.

Even more strangely, on the ground at the valley entrance, there were some... fresh bloodstains scattered.

Lin Ye dismounted to check. The bloodstains were not completely dry yet, no more than an hour at most. There were messy footprints beside the bloodstains, belonging to at least three different groups of people—one group of footprints was light and agile, with regular step spacing, which should be a well-trained team; one group of footprints was heavy, with special nail marks on the soles of the boots, which looked like the characteristics of the Northern Alliance's standard equipment; the third group of footprints was the strangest, with varying depths, some footprints half an inch deep, while others were almost invisible, as if the weight of the person walking was changing at any time.

"They have already gone in." Lin Ye stood up, "And, they may have already fought."

He looked toward the depths of the valley. The source of the blood-colored halo seemed to be exactly in the direction of the Ancient Tomb.

"Are we going in?" Bai Zhi asked, somewhat nervously. "There might be more than just monsters inside; there could be other player teams..."

"We are going in," Lin Ye said without hesitation. "But this time, we aren't going through the main entrance."

He spread out the structural diagram drawn by Li Qingshan and pointed to a mark on the side of the Ancient Tomb. "Here. According to the murals restored by Qingshan, the Ancient Tomb should have a backup passage, a secret escape route left behind by the craftsmen who built the mausoleum back then. The entrance is under the 'Dragon-Severing Cliff' on the west side of Burial Dragon Valley; ordinary people wouldn't be able to find it."

"How do you know that?" Chen Hao asked, surprised.

"There is a scene on the mural depicting the craftsmen at work, and in the background, you can vaguely see the outline of a secret passage," Lin Ye explained. "Combining this with the terrain of Burial Dragon Valley, I suspect that the secret passage should be near Dragon-Severing Cliff."

This wasn't a guess; it was a memory from his past life. Lin Ye remembered very clearly that in the third month after the server opened, a lucky team of solo players had been seeking shelter from the rain under Dragon-Severing Cliff when they accidentally triggered a mechanism and discovered the secret passage. They entered the main burial chamber of the Ancient Tomb directly through the secret passage and stole several burial items, including the [dragon blood jade pendant], which later caused a sensation.

However, that team also angered the existence within the tomb because of this and was completely wiped out. After the news spread, teams went to explore it one after another, but the secret passage was quickly blocked by the corpse-mutated body of the Martial King of Yan State. It wasn't until the Middle Stage of the game that a Formation Master cracked the Seal of the secret passage and opened it again.

Right now, the secret passage should still be in an unactivated state.

The seven of them detoured to the west side of Burial Dragon Valley. The terrain here was treacherous, with steep cliffs standing everywhere, leaving almost no path to walk on. Fortunately, the wind-chasing colt was good at climbing, so they could barely make their way through the loose rocks.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the bottom of Dragon-Severing Cliff.

This was a sheer cliff a hundred zhang high; the cliff face was as steep as if cut by a knife, and the bottom was piled with rubble. The cliff wall was covered with dark purple vines, and between the vines, some traces of artificial excavation were vaguely visible—left behind from quarrying during the ancient Yan State period.

Lin Ye searched carefully at the bottom of the cliff. According to his memory, the trigger mechanism for the secret passage should be a stone slab carved with a Dragon pattern, which was covered by vines and moss and would be impossible to find without looking closely.

He searched for a full quarter of an hour before finally feeling a protruding stone behind a particularly dense cluster of vines.

Brushing away the moss on the surface, he saw that a simplified Dragon pattern was indeed carved on the stone. There were two indentations where the Dragon's eyes should be, which seemed to require something to be inserted.

Lin Ye thought for a moment, then took out the Martial King of Yan State's sword, aimed the tip at one of the indentations, and gently inserted it.

"Click."

The sound of a mechanism turning came from inside the cliff wall. Immediately after, the Dragon-patterned stone slab slowly recessed inward, revealing a pitch-black opening behind it. The opening was not large, only allowing one person to pass through while bent over, and there were steps extending downward inside.

"Found it." Lin Ye retracted his sword. "Zhang Meng, take the lead. I'll be second, Bai Zhi in the middle, and Qingyue will bring up the rear. Stay alert; there might be traps in the secret passage."

The seven of them entered the secret passage one after another.

The secret passage was very narrow, and the air was turbid, filled with a mixed smell of dust and mold. The steps were very steep and slippery, forcing everyone to hold onto the walls as they slowly descended.

After walking about two hundred steps, a stone chamber appeared ahead.

The stone chamber was not large, about ten zhang square, with a stone table in the center. Scattered on the table were some tools—rusted iron hammers, chisels, rulers, and a few oil lamps that had long since gone out. The walls were carved with some messy patterns and text, most of which were already blurred, but Lin Ye could barely make out a few of the characters:

"Craftsmen... escape... do not enter the main chamber..."

"Dragon eyes... Seal... do not touch..."

"The King is no longer King... imperial seal devours the master..."

The last line of text made Lin Ye's heart jump.

The imperial seal devours the master? What does that mean? Did the imperial seal backfire on the Martial King of Yan State?

He continued to check, but the text afterward was completely worn away; he could only see some scratch marks, as if the person who carved the text had been scratching the wall randomly in extreme fear.

"Someone died here." Su Qingyue pointed to the corner of the wall.

There was a skeleton there, its bones a greenish-black color, maintaining a curled-up posture. The skeleton was wearing coarse cloth clothes that had already rotted into fragments, and scattered around it were a few rusted copper coins—these were standard copper coins of the ancient Yan State, with the character "Yan" carved on the front and a pattern of the big dipper on the back.

"It should be one of the craftsmen from back then," Chen Hao analyzed. "He escaped here but died for some reason. Looking at the color of the bones, it might be poisoning, or... died from being eroded by Yin Qi."

Lin Ye crouched down and carefully examined the skeleton. He discovered that the skeleton's right hand was tightly clutching something.

He gently pried open the finger bones, and a dark red jade pendant fell out.

The jade pendant was circular, with a coiled Dragon carved on the front, and two blood-colored crystals the size of rice grains embedded in the Dragon's eyes. On the back of the jade pendant were two ancient Seal characters carved: "Wu" and "Shang".

[dragon blood jade pendant (Fine)]

Quality: Fine (Green)

Type: Accessory

Level Requirement: 25

Attributes: Qi and Blood Limit + 800, Mana Limit + 500

Special Effects: 1. [Dragon Blood Body Protection]: When attacked, there is a 10% chance to trigger a shield, absorbing 300 points of damage, lasting for 5 seconds. 2. [King's Qi]: Damage dealt to "Yan State" related units is increased by 10%. 3. [Sealed]: This jade pendant seems to be sealed by some force; after breaking the Seal, hidden effects can be unlocked.

Description: A token bestowed by the Martial King of Yan State, Ji Wushang, to his trusted craftsman, carved from [Dragon Blood Stone], containing a trace of true Dragon blood Qi. Fifty years ago, the craftsman wearing this jade pendant failed to escape from Burial Dragon Valley, and the jade pendant was lost along with him.

It really is the dragon blood jade pendant! Lin Ye was thrilled. This jade pendant not only had good attributes itself, but more importantly, it proved the existence of Dragon Blood Stone—the jade pendant was carved from Dragon Blood Stone. And Dragon Blood Stone was precisely one of the key Materials needed to repair the Martial King of Yan State's sword.

He put away the jade pendant and continued to search the stone chamber. But around the skeleton, apart from those few copper coins, there was nothing else of value.

"Let's move on." Lin Ye stood up. "The secret passage should lead to the vicinity of the main burial chamber."

The group passed through the stone chamber and entered another section of the passage. This section of the passage was narrower than before, and murals began to appear on the walls on both sides—not the murals depicting history in the main path of the Ancient Tomb, but more eerie content: twisted human figures, burning flames, a shattered imperial seal, and... a Dragon bound by chains.

The murals were painted with dark red pigment, and after fifty years, they were still as vivid as ever. Lin Ye knew that human blood had been mixed into that pigment.

"These paintings... are so evil." Bai Zhi's voice trembled. "I feel dizzy just looking at them."

"Don't stare at them for too long," Lin Ye warned. "These murals might have been imbued with mental interference; looking at them for too long will cause hallucinations."

He quickened his pace, leading the group to pass through this section of the passage quickly.

After walking for another quarter of an hour, light appeared ahead.

It was not natural light, but a kind of eerie green phosphorescence seeping out from the cracks of a stone door at the end of the passage. The stone door was covered in runes, and under the reflection of the phosphorescence, those runes seemed to come alive, slowly wriggling.

Lin Ye raised his hand to signal everyone to stop. He listened carefully. From behind the stone door, sounds were vaguely coming through—not the roar of monsters, nor the sounds of battle, but... human voices!

"...Must get there before the Northern Alliance... the imperial seal is ours..."

"...Sun God Fire can purify Yin Qi... but it takes time..."

"...Be careful... the Soul General is about to wake up..."

The voices were intermittent, but Lin Ye heard the key information: that Sun God Body team had already entered the main burial chamber! Moreover, they seemed to know the whereabouts of the imperial seal and even knew of the existence of the Soul General!

Soul General? A guardian Soul General?

Lin Ye recalled the content of the outline for Chapter 34: "The imperial seal is found inside the main coffin, but the guardian Soul General (Rank 35) awakens. The Soul General is immune to physical attacks, and Lin Ye fights it with Chaos Divine Power."

So the imperial seal really was in the main coffin! And guarding the imperial seal was a Rank 35 Soul General that was immune to physical attacks!

He signaled everyone to be quiet, then pressed himself against the stone door and peeked inside through the crack.

Behind the door was a huge space, which was the main burial chamber of the Ancient Tomb. But compared to the last time he came, the burial chamber had undergone earth-shaking changes—

All nine sacrificial stone coffins were opened, and the coffin lids were scattered on the ground. The skeletons of the nine sacrificial Corpse Guards had already turned to dust, leaving only some broken armor fragments. In the center of the burial chamber, the lid of the bronze coffin had been overturned to the side, and above the coffin, a fist-sized imperial seal was floating!

The imperial seal was entirely translucent white, carved from some unknown jade, with nine jade Dragons coiled on top, their heads facing in all directions. On the bottom of the imperial seal were eight ancient Seal characters carved: "Ordered by Heaven, may you live and prosper forever." At this moment, the imperial seal was emitting a soft white halo, and in the halo, the shadows of Dragons were vaguely swimming, holy and majestic.

But what was eerie was that under the imperial seal, inside the bronze coffin, the corpse-mutated body of the Martial King of Yan State... was gone!

Replacing it was a mass of black shadow as thick as ink. The black shadow continuously twisted and expanded, gradually condensing into a three-meter-tall humanoid outline. The outline had no facial features, only two pulsing blood-colored flames as eyes, and it held a long halberd made entirely of shadow in its hand.

[Great Yan Nation-Protecting Soul General (Boss)]

Rank: 35

Qi and Blood: ???/???

Attack: ???-???

Defense: ???

Characteristics: Spirit form, immune to 99% of physical attacks, extremely high resistance to Spells, fears Holy, Light, and Chaos attribute attacks.

Skills: ???, ???, ???, ???

Description: After the Martial King of Yan State, Ji Wushang, died, his obsession combined with the national destiny within the imperial seal, merging with the Yin Qi of Burial Dragon Valley to give birth to this guardian Soul General. The only meaning of its existence was to guard the imperial seal until the true "Lord of Heaven's Mandate" appeared.

A Rank 35 Boss, and everything is question marks, which means the strength of this Soul General far exceeds ordinary Rank 35 monsters!

Opposite the Soul General stood five people.

Leading them was a woman wearing golden battle armor, her face covered by a light veil, revealing only a pair of pale golden eyes. In her hand, she held a long sword burning with golden flames; those flames were extremely Yang and rigid—it was the Sun God Fire!

Behind her, four guards in black stood in a fan shape, each holding a different weapon: a saber, a spear, a bow, and a shield. The four of them had calm auras and sharp eyes, all were above Rank 30, and their positioning implied a Formation, clearly well-trained.

"The Sun God Body is indeed worthy of its reputation," the Soul General said in a hollow voice, which seemed to come from the depths of the nine netherworlds, carrying an echo. "But the imperial seal is tied to the national destiny of the Great Yan State; it cannot be obtained by anyone who is not the Lord of Heaven's Mandate. You Mortals dare to covet it?"

"Lord of Heaven's Mandate?" The Golden-Armored Woman sneered. "Ji Wushang has been dead for fifty years, and the Yan State has perished for forty years; where does this Heaven's Mandate come from? The imperial seal has no master, so naturally, it is obtained by those capable."

"Arrogant." The Soul General raised its shadow halberd. "Then let this General see how much weight you, with this Sun God Body, really have!"

Before the words fell, the Soul General moved. It didn't take a step but instead transformed directly into a black shadow, instantly crossing a distance of ten zhang, the halberd thrusting straight at the Golden-Armored Woman's face. This strike was as fast as lightning, and wherever the halberd tip passed, the air let out a sharp screech as if being torn apart.

The Golden-Armored Woman did not dodge or evade, and she slashed horizontally with the Sun God Sword in her hand.

"Clang—!" The loud sound of metal clashing echoed in the burial chamber. The Sun God Fire collided with the shadow halberd, erupting into blinding light and dense darkness. The two diametrically opposed energies annihilated each other, and the resulting shockwave cracked the ground into spiderweb-like fissures.

The Golden-Armored Woman retreated three steps, her hand holding the sword trembling slightly. The Soul General retreated gracefully, its shadow-constructed body fluctuating for a moment, but it quickly recovered.

In the first round, they were evenly matched.

"Form up!" the Golden-Armored Woman commanded in a low voice.

The four black-clad guards immediately changed positions; the saber, spear, bow, and shield occupied the East, South, West, and North positions respectively, surrounding the Soul General in the center. The four of them formed Seals simultaneously, and golden rays of light shot out from their hands, weaving into a complex Formation pattern in the air.

"Four Symbols Demon-Sealing Formation!" The Soul General's voice showed fluctuation for the first time. "You are... people from the Yaoguang Holy Land?!"

"Now that you know, it's too late." The Golden-Armored Woman pointed her long sword to the sky. "Sun True Fire, heed my command—Burn the Heavens!"

At the top of the burial chamber, a golden phantom of a sun appeared out of thin air. The phantom cast down endless light and heat, the temperature of the entire burial chamber rose sharply, and even the air began to distort. The pervasive Yin Qi, under the illumination of the Sun True Fire, melted rapidly like ice and snow.

The Soul General let out a painful roar. Its shadow-constructed body constantly evaporated under the sunlight, and its size shrank visibly to the naked eye.

But just as the Golden-Armored Woman thought victory was in her grasp, the Soul General made a move that exceeded everyone's expectations—it gave up resisting and instead turned to pounce on the floating imperial seal!

"Not good! It wants to burn both jade and stone together!" The Golden-Armored Woman's face changed drastically. "Stop it!"

The four guards attacked simultaneously; blade light, spear shadows, arrows, and shield strikes attacked the Soul General from four directions. But the Soul General did not dodge or evade, resisting all attacks head-on. Its shadow-constructed body was beaten to be riddled with holes, but it successfully touched the imperial seal.

"With my remnant Soul, I summon the Spirit of the Imperial Seal—" The Soul General's voice became solemn and sorrowful. "Ancestors of the Great Yan State above, unworthy descendant Ji Wushang, is willing to pay the price of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering to activate the final power of national destiny—suppress and kill the incoming enemy!"

The imperial seal suddenly erupted with blinding white light. In the white light, the nine jade Dragons seemed to come alive; they detached from the imperial seal, circled and danced in the air, emitting deafening Dragon roars. Immediately after, the nine Dragons opened their mouths simultaneously, spitting out nine milky-white beams of light.

Those beams of light looked soft, but contained within them was the destructive power that had condensed five hundred years of national destiny of the ancient Yan State!

The Golden-Armored Woman and the four guards' faces changed drastically. They could feel that the level of power in those light beams had already surpassed the limit they could contend with!

"Retreat!" The Golden-Armored Woman made a prompt decision, her Sun God Sword drawing a golden circle in front of her. "Sun Shield!"

The four guards also each used their own defensive means. But the nine light beams did not attack them; instead... they blasted toward the four corners of the burial chamber!

"Rumble—!" The entire burial chamber shook violently. Walls cracked, stones fell from the dome, and the ground collapsed. The nine light beams were like nine giant pillars holding up the sky, completely destroying the structure of the burial chamber!

"It wants to destroy the burial chamber and bury us all here!" a guard exclaimed.

The Golden-Armored Woman gritted her teeth: "Charge out!"

The five of them rushed toward the passage they came from. But the Soul General had long anticipated this; its tattered shadow body blocked the entrance of the passage, and the halberd swept across: "Want to leave? Too late!"

And just at this chaotic moment, Lin Ye made a decision. "Opportunity!" He shouted in a low voice, Chaos Divine Power erupted with full force, and he slapped the stone door with his palm.

"Bang!" The stone door shattered.

The seven of them rushed into the main burial chamber.

At this time, the burial chamber was already tottering, and rubble was falling like rain. The nine jade Dragons were still circling in the air, continuously spitting light beams to bombard the structure of the burial chamber. The Soul General was blocking the entrance of the passage, fighting fiercely with the Golden-Armored Woman and the four guards. And the imperial seal... was still floating above the bronze coffin, emitting an alluring light.

"Qingshan, Iron Pillar, Bai Zhi, go collect the Materials dropped by the Corpse Guards; take as much as you can!" Lin Ye ordered quickly. "Zhang Meng, Chen Hao, follow me! Qingyue, cover us!"

Everyone acted immediately.

[part:gemini-3.0-flash]

Li Qingshan's group of three rushed toward the burial stone coffins. Although the Corpse Guards had been turned to dust, Materials like armor fragments and fingernails were scattered all over the ground—it was all money!

Lin Ye, meanwhile, led Zhang Meng and Chen Hao straight for the imperial seal!

“Seeking death!” The Soul General sensed their intentions and split off a Shadow Clone to block the three of them.

Although that Clone only possessed thirty percent of the original's strength, it was still a Level 35 Boss-grade monster. With a swing of its shadow halberd, three black Qi blades whistled toward them.

“Leave it to me!” Zhang Meng raised his shield to meet them, the surface of his Profound Iron Heavy Shield glowing with an earthy yellow light.

“Clang! Clang! Clang!”

With three muffled thuds, Zhang Meng was shaken back five steps. Three deep dents appeared on the shield's surface, and its durability plummeted. However, he successfully blocked the strike!

“Good chance!” Chen Hao's long spear struck out like a Dragon, piercing straight toward the Clone's chest.

However, the spear tip passed through the shadow as if piercing air, dealing no damage at all. The Clone's trait of immunity to physical attacks was fully revealed at this moment.

“My turn.” Lin Ye stepped forward, Chaos Fire igniting in his palm.

This time, he didn't condense it into a thread but instead covered his right fist with Chaos Fire and punched toward the Clone.

The moment the gray flames touched the shadow, a wondrous reaction occurred—

As if meeting its natural nemesis, the shadow emitted a “sizzling” sound and rapidly dissolved! A large hole was punched through the Clone's chest, and the edges of the hole continued to burn and expand!

“Chaos Power... has a miraculous effect on spirit bodies!” Lin Ye's eyes lit up.

He increased the output of Chaos Power, and the gray flames spread across his entire body, making him look like a God of War made of fire. He swung his fist again, this time with the suppression effect of the Chaos Domain infused into the wind of his punch.

The Clone tried to dodge, but within the range of the Chaos Domain, its speed was significantly weakened. The gray fist slammed solidly into its head.

“Bang!”

The Clone's head exploded, and its entire shadow body collapsed, dissipating into a wisp of black smoke.

【System Notification: You have killed the Great Yan Guardian Soul General · Shadow Clone (Level 35)!】

【Obtained 8,000 Experience Points!】

【Special attack effect of Chaos Power against spirit bodies confirmed, damage coefficient +300%!】

Just as I thought!

Lin Ye felt invigorated. As the most primitive and original Law power, Chaos Power had a natural restraint over creatures like spirit bodies, which were composed of energy and obsession. This had only been a theory in his past life, but now it was verified.

Having dealt with the Clone, the three were only ten zhang away from the imperial seal.

But at that moment, another change occurred—

Inside the bronze coffin, the mass of shadow that originally belonged to the Martial King of Yan's Corpse Transformation suddenly fluctuated violently. Immediately after, a raspy, venomous voice drifted out from the depths of the shadow:

“The imperial seal... is mine... no one can take it away...”

The shadow began to condense and take shape, finally turning into a dried corpse wearing tattered royal robes—it was the Martial King of Yan's Corpse Transformation!

But unlike last time, within its eye sockets, besides the blood-colored flames, there was also a hint of... golden light. That light was very faint, but it indeed existed and faintly resonated with the white light emitted by the imperial seal.

“The Spirit of the Imperial Seal... is resisting?” Lin Ye understood instantly. “The remnant Soul of the Martial King of Yan wants to completely control the imperial seal, but the Seal has its own consciousness and is resisting! That's why the Soul General and the Corpse Transformation exist simultaneously—the Soul General is the guardian of the imperial seal, while the Corpse Transformation is the manifestation of the Martial King of Yan's obsession. They are inherently antagonistic!”

This discovery showed him an opportunity.

“Zhang Meng, Chen Hao, you two stall the Corpse Transformation. No need to fight it head-on, just keep it occupied!” Lin Ye spoke very quickly. “I'm going for the imperial seal!”

“Understood!”

Zhang Meng activated 【Iron Wall】, slamming his heavy shield hard against the Corpse Transformation's knees. Chen Hao unleashed 【God King Descent】, his long spear stabbing toward the creature's vital points like a torrential rain.

Although the Corpse Transformation was powerful, it had just reconstructed its body and its movements were still somewhat sluggish. Faced with the duo's fierce assault, it had to temporarily stop and retaliate with its sharp claws.

Meanwhile, Lin Ye had already rushed beneath the imperial seal.

He reached out to grab the imperial seal.

But just as his fingertips were about to touch it, the imperial seal suddenly erupted with an even more intense white light, and an invisible force repelled him.

【System Notification: The imperial seal refuses your touch!】

【Judgment Condition: Not of the Yan State Royal Bloodline, lacks Mandate of Heaven recognition, unable to hold the Seal!】

As expected, it won't work.

Lin Ye had anticipated this. He quickly changed his strategy—not grabbing, but... communicating.

He condensed Chaos Power into a thread and cautiously reached toward the imperial seal. This time, the Seal did not resist and allowed the Chaos Power to make contact.

Through the Chaos Power, Lin Ye “saw” the world inside the imperial seal—

It was a pure white space. In the center of the space floated a blurry figure. The figure wore dragon robes and an imperial crown, with a majestic countenance—it was exactly how the Martial King of Yan, Ji Wushang, looked in life.

However, this figure was transparent and constantly fluctuating, as if it might dissipate at any moment.

“Who are you?” the figure spoke. The voice was calm and upright, completely different from the venomous tone of the Corpse Transformation.

“Someone who has come to take the imperial seal,” Lin Ye responded with his intent.

“Take the imperial seal? On what grounds?” the figure asked. “Because you defeated the Soul General's Clone? Because of the Chaos Power you possess? No, it is not enough. The imperial seal is the condensation of the Great Yan State's destiny. Only one recognized by the Mandate of Heaven can wield it.”

“What is the Mandate of Heaven?” Lin Ye countered. “Does Ji Wushang count as the Mandate of Heaven? He held the imperial seal for thirty years, yet in the end, his country was destroyed, his family perished, and he himself turned into a monster that is neither human nor ghost. Is this the Mandate of Heaven you wish to continue following?”

The figure fell silent.

After a long while, it finally spoke slowly: “You are right. Ji Wushang... is not worthy of the Mandate of Heaven. But he is my master after all; my Soul is linked to his, and I cannot betray him.”

“What if I can sever that connection?” Lin Ye asked. “If I can grant you freedom, no longer bound by obsession, would you be willing to come with me?”

The figure fell silent again.

This time, the silence lasted even longer.

The battle outside the tomb chamber had reached a fever pitch. The Soul General's main body was locked in a fierce struggle with the five people including the Golden-Armored Woman. Sun God Fire and shadow power constantly collided, triggering violent explosions every time. The structure of the tomb chamber was becoming increasingly unstable, and the cracks in the dome had spread across the entire ceiling, threatening to collapse at any moment.

Zhang Meng and Chen Hao had also reached their limits. The Corpse Transformation's attacks were growing more frenzied. Both were injured, and Zhang Meng's shield showed signs of shattering.

Time was running out.

Finally, the figure spoke: “Can you really do it?”

“I can,” Lin Ye stated firmly. “Chaos Power can purify anything, including the obsessions of a Soul. But I need your cooperation—you must actively sever the connection with Ji Wushang's remnant Soul.”

“...Fine.” The figure made a decision. “But you must promise me one thing.”

“Speak.”

“The imperial seal will go with you, but the national destiny of Great Yan... please leave it to this land,” the figure's voice carried a plea. “The Yan State is gone, but the people living on this land remain. If the national destiny is completely dissipated, it will not be good for them. I hope you can inject the remaining destiny within the imperial seal into the Yan State's Dragon Vein, allowing it to continue nourishing this land for another hundred years.”

Lin Ye's heart stirred.

This was a hidden quest!

“I promise you,” he said solemnly.

“Then... let us begin.” The figure opened its arms. “I will release my defenses. Use your Chaos Power to sever my final connection with Ji Wushang.”

Lin Ye took a deep breath. The Chaos Bitter Sea within his wheel sea secret realm churned wildly. All his Chaos Power surged toward his right arm, finally converging at his fingertip.

He held his fingers together like a sword and made a phantom slash toward the imperial seal.

“Chaos · Soul Slash!”

There was no earth-shattering sound, nor any blinding light. Only a thin gray line shot from Lin Ye's fingertip and vanished into the imperial seal.

Inside the imperial seal, a crack appeared starting from the figure's brow. The crack spread rapidly, finally splitting the figure in two.

One half turned into specks of white light and merged into the imperial seal; the other half turned into black Qi and tried to flee, but it was quickly dissolved under the shroud of Chaos Power.

Simultaneously, outside, the Corpse Transformation that was locked in battle with Zhang Meng and Chen Hao suddenly let out a shrill, agonizing wail.

Its body began to disintegrate, starting from its feet, turning into ash inch by inch. The blood-colored flames in its eye sockets flickered frantically before finally going out with a “pfft.”

【System Notification: The Martial King of Yan Corpse Transformation (Level 35) has entered a disintegration state due to its original obsession being severed!】

【Remaining Disintegration Time: 10 seconds!】

“Success!” A look of joy flashed in Lin Ye's eyes.

He reached out and grabbed the imperial seal. This time, the Seal did not resist and fell obediently into his palm.

It felt warm and smooth to the touch, as if it possessed life. As the imperial seal entered his hand, a massive flow of information flooded into Lin Ye's mind—

It was the historical tapestry of the ancient Yan State's five hundred years, the governance insights of countless generations of monarchs, and the faith and Power Of Will of billions of commoners. The information flow was so vast that Lin Ye was momentarily dazed, freezing in place.

“Brother Ye!” Chen Hao's startled cry pulled him back to reality.

Lin Ye shook his head and stored the imperial seal into his storage ring. Now was not the time to digest this information.

He looked toward the battlefield. The Corpse Transformation had already disintegrated up to its waist and would completely vanish in five seconds at most. On the Soul General's side, the Golden-Armored Woman and her four companions had clearly noticed the change here, and their offensive became even more relentless.

“Withdraw!” Lin Ye made a split-second decision. “The imperial seal is in hand. Let's go!”

The group immediately converged. Li Qingshan's trio had already collected two full bags of Materials. Although they felt pained for the items they hadn't picked up yet, survival was the priority.

The seven of them rushed toward the secret passage entrance.

“You want to leave?!” The Soul General was furious. It abandoned the Golden-Armored Woman and turned to pounce on Lin Ye. “Leave the imperial seal!”

But the Golden-Armored Woman would not let this opportunity pass. Her Sun God Sword erupted with unprecedented light, slashing a sword across the Soul General's back.

“Screech—”

The shadow body was split open with a massive gash. The Soul General let out a pained roar, its movements faltering.

In that moment of hesitation, Lin Ye's group of seven had already rushed into the secret passage.

“Pursue!” The Soul General wanted to give chase, but the Golden-Armored Woman and her four companions entangled it once more.

“Your opponent is us.” A complex look flashed in the Golden-Armored Woman's pale gold eyes. She looked toward the secret passage where Lin Ye and the others had vanished and murmured: “Chaos Power... I didn't expect that besides me, there would be someone else with a Physique of this level...”

Inside the secret passage, the seven of them sprinted.

The roar of the tomb chamber's total collapse echoed from behind. The entire passage was vibrating violently, and rubble kept falling.

“Fast! Faster!” Lin Ye urged.

Everyone gave their all and finally burst out of the entrance beneath Dragon-Severing Cliff before the passage completely caved in.

“Rumble—!”

Behind them, the mountainside slid, and a full third of Dragon-Severing Cliff collapsed. The kicked-up dust soared into the sky, blotting out the sun.

The seven of them slumped onto the ground in the distance, panting heavily.

A narrow escape from death.

After a long while, Chen Hao finally spoke: “Brother Ye... the imperial seal, did we really get it?”

Lin Ye nodded and took out the imperial seal.

The lustrous white Seal emitted a soft glow in the sunlight. The nine jade dragons were lifelike, as if they might take flight at any moment.

【Great Yan Imperial Seal (Special)】

Type: Quest Item / Special Prop

Effects:

①【National Destiny Blessing】: Holder's all attributes +20%, Luck +5

②【Mandate of Heaven's Return】: Damage dealt to "Yan State" related units increased by 30%, damage received reduced by 20%

③【Dragon Qi Body Protection】: Automatically generates a shield that blocks one fatal attack (Cooldown: 24 hours)

④【National Treasure】: This item is a key prop for the "Secret History of Yan State" quest; turning it in yields massive rewards

⑤【Fusible】: This Seal can be fused into certain special equipment or buildings, granting them National Destiny traits

Description: The imperial seal passed down for five hundred years in the ancient Yan State, condensing the national destiny of Great Yan and the beliefs of successive monarchs. Purified by Chaos Power, its connection with Ji Wushang's remnant Soul has been severed, making it an ownerless object. The holder can choose to turn it in for the quest or use it for other purposes.

It really is a good item!

Just the 20% all-attribute boost and 5 points of Luck would be enough to drive countless players mad. Not to mention divine skills like “Mandate of Heaven's Return” and “Dragon Qi Body Protection.”

But Lin Ye did not make a decision immediately.

He thought of the request from the Spirit of the Imperial Seal: to inject the national destiny into the Yan State's Dragon Vein.

This was clearly a branching choice for a hidden quest: turn in the imperial seal for individual rewards, or fulfill the spirit's dying wish and return the national destiny to the earth?

He looked toward Burial Dragon Valley. There, the dust was gradually settling, revealing a massive pit—left behind after the Ancient Tomb's total collapse.

Deep within the pit, a white glow was faintly visible.

Is that... the entrance to the Dragon Vein?

Lin Ye had made his decision.

He put away the imperial seal and looked at the group: “Let's return to the city first. This harvest is too large; we need time to digest it. And...”

He paused and looked toward the Capital City of Yan State.

“The fact that the imperial seal is in our hands won't stay hidden for long. The Northern Alliance, the Sun God Body team, and the Yaoguang Holy Land... they will all come knocking soon. Before that happens, we must be prepared.”

The others nodded, their faces showing both exhaustion and excitement.

This trip to Burial Dragon Valley, though fraught with danger, had yielded massive gains: the imperial seal, the dragon blood jade pendant, a large amount of Materials, and most importantly—confirmation of the special attack effect of Chaos Power against spirit bodies.

This was of great significance for future explorations.

The seven of them mounted their horses and galloped toward the capital city.

Behind them, the dust of Burial Dragon Valley completely cleared. Amidst the ruins of the collapsed Ancient Tomb, a pillar of white light shot into the sky, reaching the clouds.

Within the light pillar, a dragon shadow could be seen faintly circling.

That was the Dragon Vein calling... calling for the return of the national destiny.

Further away, deep within the palace of the Capital City of Yan State, on an ancient altar, a bronze lamp that had been enshrined for forty years suddenly... ignited on its own.

The flame flickered, illuminating a line of ancient Seal script in the center of the altar:

“When the imperial seal returns, the Dragon Vein awakens; the national destiny continues, and the Mandate of Heaven appears...”