In the imperial tomb's passage, Chu Wu, accompanied by several trusted subordinates, advanced rapidly.
Possessing high skill and daring, they were unconcerned by the triggered mechanisms and traps, their pace significantly faster than Yan Shouyi and his group.
A subordinate asked, "Boss, are we just abandoning those Ghost Kings outside? They're quite powerful, and their presence in the tomb might be helpful to us."
Chu Wu glared at the subordinate and replied coldly, "Do you believe our partnership with Shi Jing and the others is very stable?"
This was clearly a rhetorical question, the answer obvious.
The subordinate shook his head, left speechless.
"We're all big bad wolves, no need to play coy. We're using each other, and once the benefits end, it's time to make a move."
"Don't be fooled by their cooperation against Li Zhongxi outside. Once we enter the tomb and kill Yan Shouyi, Shi Jing will undoubtedly be interested in the imperial tomb. At that point, our two groups will inevitably clash."
"Instead of relying on Shi Jing and his power, it's better to leave them outside to delay Li Zhongxi's pursuit. We can enter the imperial tomb early, obtain what we want, and eliminate future trouble."
The subordinate nodded in agreement, adding a flattering remark, "Only you, boss, are so meticulous."
"Less chatter, focus on the journey," Chu Wu said sternly. "We've already lost the Yangling Tiger Tally. We cannot let Yan Shouyi get his hands on anything within this imperial tomb."
Unbeknownst to Chu Wu, the Yangling Tiger Tally was actually in Yan Shouyi's possession.
It was fortunate he didn't know, or his state of mind would surely be even more anxious.
Far behind Chu Wu and his group, Shi Jing and Yu Jinhong maintained a safe distance, stealthily tracking Chu Wu's party.
Ghost Kings had their own capabilities, and both Shi Jing and Yu Jinhong clearly heard Chu Wu's words.
Yu Jinhong was impulsive, to put it mildly, a bit dense.
He fumed, "This Chu Wu is so cunning! He breaks his promises of cooperation so readily, using us to tie down Li Zhongxi while he slips in to find treasures!"
Shi Jing snorted disdainfully, looking down on Yu Jinhong.
Not only did Yu Jinhong owe his position as a Ghost King entirely to his older brother, Yu Jinbo, but he was now in such a sorry state that he could barely be considered a Ghost King. Even just Yu Jinhong's mind gave Shi Jing a headache.
Chu Wu and his group were using him, but wasn't he doing the same?
If Shi Jing had the opportunity, he would abandon Chu Wu and his group without hesitation and seek treasures in the tomb himself.
Shi Jing's heart was even more ruthless; he would even abandon Yu Jinhong.
However, it wasn't time for such measures yet. Yu Jinhong still held some value to Shi Jing.
Poor Yu Jinhong, oblivious to the dangers of the world and the venom of ghost hearts, was still happily following Shi Jing, acting as a naive fool to complain about Chu Wu and his group.
Yu Jinhong asked, "Should we take advantage of their lack of vigilance and ambush them, killing them all?"
"Why would we do that?" Shi Jing retorted.
"Then no one will compete with us for the tomb's treasures!"
"And who will brave the dangers ahead? You?"
"This..."
Yu Jinhong couldn't answer, and at the same time, he understood that Shi Jing intended to use Chu Wu and his group as guinea pigs to scout ahead.
This was, after all, the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. Even for these two ghosts who had died hundreds of years ago, it was a distant entity.
No one would believe there were no dangers within the imperial tomb. Moreover, Shi Jing suspected that the dangers within the tomb could even threaten him, a powerful Ghost King.
Looking at Chu Wu's group, their objectives clear, it seemed they had thoroughly investigated the imperial tomb, perhaps even having scouted it beforehand.
Therefore, following Chu Wu's group would undoubtedly save them a lot of trouble.
Thus, Shi Jing, with his clueless teammate Yu Jinhong, silently followed Chu Wu's party, heading deeper into the imperial tomb.
...
The imperial tomb, inner city.
Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong stood before the corpse of the last follower of the folk sect, letting out a simultaneous sigh of relief.
The two of them had joined forces, first dealing with the Corpse Puppeteer in the north of the city, and then the Paper Figurines in the west.
Both were formidable opponents. One could command the entire city's zombies to assist, creating a battlefield-like scene, while the other summoned a vast swarm of paper figures, a truly terrifying sight.
Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong had exerted their full capabilities, daring not to hold back.
Zhu Shanzao and Heichuan Lu had joined the fray, and T Xue and San Yuan were also actively engaged.
Fortunately, after several rounds of intense combat, the Corpse Puppeteer and the Paper Figurines had been dispatched one after another, while Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong did not sustain any severe injuries.
Yan Shouyi's condition was slightly better, his wounds healing quickly. Lin Zitong, lacking this ability, could only apply Old Jin's uniquely formulated hemostatic medicine to her wounds to accelerate healing.
Yan Shouyi climbed into the bronze bell and retrieved the last fragment of the key. Grinning, he said,
"This is the final key fragment. There are no more threats in the inner city. We are finally about to enter the main hall."
According to Ma Jinxuan, the imperial city within the imperial tomb was a vast expanse of palace complexes. However, many of these palaces contained only treasures like gold and silver, literary scrolls, paintings, ancient artifacts, and vases, with nothing else particularly noteworthy.
Of course, these artifacts were already priceless treasures to people like Liang Yinqiu.
However, Yan Shouyi and his group were seeking something on a higher level. Such treasures as gold and silver were mere mortal possessions, and they were not interested.
Items like the Ancestral Dragon Sword were what Yan Shouyi and his group were interested in.
After a brief rest, the two rode T Xue back.
T Xue, carrying its two masters once more, displayed a look of happiness on its long equine face, even letting out a cheerful neigh.
It wasn't just Yan Shouyi; even Lin Zitong, who used to ride horses frequently at the stables, had never seen a horse laugh before.
The tense atmosphere eased slightly, and the two exchanged glances, both smiling.
In a small courtyard house within the inner city, the professors, gradually accepting their reality, had regained their calm and begun their research.
Some professors peered cautiously out of the windows. Previously, they could observe zombies and malevolent spirits and discuss their energy sources, but now that the zombies and malevolent spirits were gone, they had little to research.
Another group of professors put on white gloves and began examining the jars and bottles within the house.
It had to be said that even the "trash" that the First Emperor casually left in the inner city houses were supreme treasures to people of the present era. Regardless of their high research value, simply selling them on the black market could fetch hundreds of thousands.
Indeed, even an ancient chamber pot would be worth such a price.
Only Xia Qi showed little interest in these treasures. She stayed by the door, gazing at the entrance of the courtyard, desperately hoping for Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong to return safely.