Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang.
Ground level.
RUMBLE—
Unlike the deathly silence underground, the ground was wracked by lightning and torrential rain.
Thunderclaps followed one after another, the sound rushing into their ears, even drowning out the roar of the downpour.
The storm lashed the earth, and hailstones of rain struck faces with stinging force.
At a breach in the imperial mausoleum, mud flowed along the water channels, mixed with bright red blood.
Many bodies lay scattered on the ground. Among them were disciples from Chang'an's folk sects who had heeded Li Chongxi's call to guard the imperial mausoleum, and the Twenty-Eight Mansions, led by Jiao Mu Jiao Chu Wu.
Chu Wu sought entry into the mausoleum, while Li Chongxi resolved to defend it to the death.
The two sides clashed with swords, resulting in heavy casualties.
As a cordon had been set up outside, and the ordinary people inside had all fallen unconscious, the bloody battle between the two factions went unnoticed by the outside world.
At this very moment, the manpower for both sides had been reduced to a minimum.
Li Chongxi's expression was grim. Because Chu Wu and his group held the numerical advantage and had the Ghost King's assistance, his men suffered more severe casualties.
However, Chu Wu's expression was even more displeased. Despite holding all the advantages, he had still been held off by Li Chongxi and his followers for over half an hour.
For them, time was now of the utmost preciousness.
What if Yan Shouyi obtained that item from within the imperial mausoleum…
Chu Wu's heart turned cold. If his operation failed, Li Genmiao would likely kick him out of the team without hesitation.
After all, Li Genmiao had many capable subordinates. Besides the Twenty-Eight Mansions, there were also the Twelve Earthly Branches and the Four Divisions and Five Ghosts.
His presence or absence made little difference.
"How much longer can we hold on?"
Wang Jiwang, covered in blood and panting, his voice rough like an old ox, asked.
He looked back at He Xiping. He Xiping had just fought a赊刀人 (赊刀人 -赊刀 man, a term for certain historical figures or those associated with a specific practice). Although he had killed the赊刀人, his chest had been gashed open, and he was now being attended to by Zhao Yiyao as he retreated into a tent.
Others had also sustained minor injuries, with the exception of Long Feicheng, the weakest among them. Due to his constant position at the rear, firing cold arrows and employing underhanded tactics, he remained unscathed.
However, the enemy had long harbored intense hatred for the conniving Long Feicheng, and if an opportunity arose later, they would undoubtedly tear him limb from limb.
"We can't hold on much longer."
Agong's brow was tightly furrowed, his voice weak. "My paper figures are almost depleted, Luo Ning's zombies are all dead, and…"
He tallied their remaining strength and found that everyone was at the end of their rope and could not last much longer.
"Brother Yan!"
Long Feicheng anxiously ran to the breach of the imperial mausoleum and shouted inside, "Hurry and come out, we really can't hold on any longer!"
In the dark passage of the imperial mausoleum, only Long Feicheng's echo lingered, with no response from Yan Shouyi.
Shi Jing let out a cold snort and turned to Chu Wu, saying, "You've lost quite a few men too."
"They are not important," Chu Wu replied indifferently. "The priority is to enter the imperial mausoleum."
"What is it within the imperial mausoleum that attracts you?" Yu Jinhong inquired with interest.
He was now purely a stray dog, but even a stray dog harbored aspirations of a comeback.
Seeing Chu Wu's covetous gaze upon the treasures of the imperial mausoleum, Yu Jinhong also hatched a devious plan. If the treasures within were powerful enough, he, Yu Jinhong, could have a chance to steal them and then make a comeback!
Having grown accustomed to a life of luxury and indulgence, Yu Jinhong could absolutely not tolerate the current hardship of living under someone else's roof.
Chu Wu became more guarded and directly ignored Yu Jinhong's question, speaking to Shi Jing instead:
"I will cast a spell shortly to trap Li Chongxi and his men. We will each leave some men to delay them, and the rest will enter the imperial mausoleum! Once inside, we will each pursue our own objectives!"
Chu Wu's goal was to find something, while Shi Jing's objective was to kill Yan Shouyi. Their cooperation was merely temporary.
Shi Jing nodded, agreeing to Chu Wu's plan.
Yet, a hint of ruthlessness flashed unnoticed in his eyes.
For Shi Jing, simply killing Yan Shouyi was far from enough.
Only children make choices; adults choose all!
Moreover, Shi Jing was an ancient Ghost King of several hundred years. How could he not be interested in Chu Wu's objective?
In Shi Jing's plan, Yan Shouyi was to be killed, Chu Wu was to die, and even Yu Jinhong was on the death list. More importantly, he intended to obtain everything within the imperial mausoleum!
This was the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, after all!
The greatest emperor in the land!
How could Shi Jing remain indifferent?
With their alliance formed, Chu Wu immediately took action.
He clasped his hands together, not in a gesture of prayer like a monk. When his palms separated, a string of small paper figures appeared in his hands!
These paper figures were no larger than a palm, with simple facial features drawn on them. They held hands, forming a chain.
Chu Wu flicked the paper figures away. They seemed to have been folded countless times, one connected to another, forming a long dragon that stretched for over a hundred meters, directly encircling Li Chongxi and his men!
"This…!?"
Agong and Li Chongxi's expressions changed simultaneously, their pupils shrinking to the size of pinpricks, their eyes filled with dread!
"This is the ultimate skill of paper figurine crafting, the Ten Thousand Ghosts Burial!" Agong said with a grave expression. "Each paper figure in his hands seals the soul of a living person. These souls hold hands, their spirits connected, unleashing immense power! Though I know this technique, I have never considered using it because it requires killing too many innocent souls. This fellow actually…"
The techniques of folk sects were diverse and inexhaustible. Even a seasoned veteran like Li Chongxi might not recognize all of them.
However, there was a method to gauge the effectiveness of an opponent's move: inferring it from the number of lives sacrificed when employing the ultimate skill!
The more lives taken, the more powerful the ultimate skill!
Even Wang Jiwang and the others, who were unaware of the "Ten Thousand Ghosts Burial" technique, understood its perilous nature upon hearing Agong explain that it required the sacrifice of so many lives!
Li Chongxi's expression was also exceptionally serious:
"You few, escape quickly if you can."
Hearing Li Chongxi say this, the hearts of the others grew colder.
Had even Senior Li resigned himself to fate?
Was there truly no way to break this?
Then, they heard Li Chongxi's next words: "I will hold them off. As many of you as can escape, do so. This battle is not truly over, the imperial mausoleum is your final battlefield!"
Long Feicheng's eyes widened: "You're agreeing to let us enter the imperial mausoleum?!"
"At this point, why bother with so many rules!" Li Chongxi shouted.
The group instantly came to their senses, realizing that Li Chongxi intended to sacrifice himself for righteousness, leading the disciples of Chang'an's folk sects alone to delay Chu Wu and his men.
Their mission, however, was to enter the imperial mausoleum to support Yan Shouyi!