191: Chapter 191 Do you understand the "Cultural Relics Protection Law"? Even ancient demons have to abide by the rules.

Gu Changan wore a heavy, specialized supernatural-insulation protective suit, walking step by step down the seventh-level tomb passage.

The cast-iron gate stood open, the temperature inside cold enough to freeze a person's marrow.

He did not hesitate, stepping directly into the small side chamber that was only six square meters in size.

The moment he crossed the threshold, an obscenely thick black mist surged toward him like a tsunami.

The dark golden radiance in Gu Changan's right eye flickered crazily.

Domain Solidification was fully activated.

An invisible power of rules unfurled within the side chamber, and the movements of that clawing, grasping Evil Qi became extremely sluggish.

It was as if they had been frozen in gel.

But they did not stop completely.

The level of this conscious entity was far more ancient than any System or cultivator he had dealt with before.

Even with the absolute suppression of his Domain, the black mist still stubbornly writhed toward him.

The large bronze tripod began to tremble violently.

A low-frequency resonance that could not be heard with human ears emanated from within the tripod.

This sound bypassed his physical eardrums and slammed fiercely into the depths of Gu Changan's brain.

It acted directly upon the most primal layer of human desire.

In an instant, countless incredibly realistic images exploded into Gu Changan's mind.

Supreme power over life and death.

Infinite lifespan, equal to the heavens and earth.

The magnificent scene of the entire Donghai City, or even all of humanity, kneeling at his feet in submission.

These images were extremely enticing, carrying an irresistible magic that attempted to strip away his sanity.

Gu Changan stood where he was, expressionless.

He took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed those images.

"Low-level illusions injected from the outside—these are not my own thoughts, so they don't count."

He said coldly to himself in his heart.

Deep in his mind, the System's notification sounded coldly.

"Passive skill 'Will Anchoring' triggered."

A powerful mental defense mechanism activated instantly, weakening this mental attack by ninety percent.

The remaining ten percent of the mental assault still felt like red-hot steel needles stabbing at his cranial nerves.

Gu Changan gritted his teeth, relying on the tough professional habits he had cultivated while struggling in the Bureau of Anomalies, and managed to endure it.

His eyes did not lose focus for even a second; he was terrifyingly clear-headed.

A few seconds later, the violent onslaught of greed seemed to sense its ineffectiveness and came to an abrupt halt.

The large bronze tripod also ceased its eerie rotation.

The side chamber fell into a deathly silence.

Gu Changan could clearly feel that the ancient conscious entity lurking within the tripod was scrutinizing him from the darkness.

Having likely been awake for thousands of years, this was the first time it had encountered a human who, after facing its greed attack head-on, not only did not go insane on the spot but whose mental barriers hadn't even collapsed.

It was plunged into extreme confusion.

Gu Changan ignored the roiling black mist around him.

He stepped forward and placed his gloved hand directly onto the ice-cold, biting bronze tripod.

"How many years have you been locked in here?"

Gu Changan spoke.

His tone was very flat, just like a routine interrogation of a suspect in an interrogation room.

The tripod body suddenly vibrated.

This vibration was, of course, not human language; it was merely an instinctive reaction to external stimuli.

But Gu Changan treated it directly as an answer.

"Over two thousand years. That is indeed a long time."

Gu Changan patted the side of the tripod.

"You were forcibly sealed in here by alchemists of the Qin Dynasty. You didn't volunteer for these days of living in darkness."

As soon as he finished speaking, the black mist in the side chamber suddenly turned violent.

The concentrated black mist gathered rapidly in mid-air, forming the colossal phantom of a Taotie.

It was a bloody maw that occupied half the room.

The phantom, carrying a ferocious Evil Qi that sought to devour everything, slammed down directly toward the top of Gu Changan's head.

This was its angry deterrent against the Mortal's provocation, and also another test.

Gu Changan did not even blink.

He sidestepped with extreme composure, letting that most violent surge of Evil Qi pass by.

"Don't be so hasty to act."

Gu Changan brushed the dust off his hands.

"I am not those Qin Dynasty alchemists who wanted to burn you with fire or douse you with water. I am not here today to destroy you."

He looked up at the hideous phantom hovering in mid-air.

"I am here to negotiate terms with you."

The massive Taotie phantom stopped dead in mid-air.

That bloody maw was less than half a meter from Gu Changan's head.

For an ancient monster that had survived for thousands of years by devouring and absorbing greed, this was an extremely strange situation.

In its long memory, humans were either driven insane by it to tear at each other, or, like those Qin Dynasty alchemists, used every means possible to try and destroy it.

Never had a living person dared to stand before it and say they wanted to negotiate terms.

Gu Changan didn't care at all whether it could understand modern human Mandarin.

He unhurriedly unzipped the inner side of his heavy protective suit.

He pulled out a neatly folded red-headed document from his pocket.

He unfolded the document, cleared his throat, and began to read aloud to the mass of black mist.

"Listen well."

"According to Article 2 of the 'Cultural Relics Protection Law' of China."

"This bronze tripod belongs to the first-class protected cultural relics of the state; no organization or individual may occupy, privately transfer, mortgage, or dispose of it without authorization."

"At the same time."

Gu Changan turned the page, his voice echoing in the narrow tomb chamber.

"Regarding the conscious existence attached to this cultural relic, in accordance with Article 14 of the 'Regulations on the Management of Anomalous Items'."

"Due to your irreplaceable historical and research value, you are under special state protection."

"However, you must strictly abide by the relevant management regulations of modern society and may not endanger public safety."

The air in the side chamber seemed to freeze at that moment.

The mass of black mist, which had been ferocious just moments ago, fell into an eerie silence.

Time passed, second by second.

Extremely slowly.

The massive Taotie phantom hovering above Gu Changan's head actually retreated.

Its volume also shrank a little.

It was not afraid, nor was it defeated.

It was more like it was listening carefully.

Seeing this, Gu Changan rolled the red-headed document in his hand into a paper tube.

He suppressed the chill surging in his heart, his expression remaining as calm as an ancient well.

"It seems you can understand."

Gu Changan stuffed the document back into his pocket.

"Good, then let us continue our negotiation."