Looking at the neat rows of ghostly clay soldiers before him, Lu Ming couldn't help but swallow hard.
A bizarre thought even crossed his mind.
Could the First Emperor have crossed over to this world back then, and left behind these ghostly clay soldiers?
After all, the only big shot he knew of who had a penchant for clay soldiers was that legendary figure...
Ordinary people didn't have such a hobby.
Big Yellow tucked its tail and huddled closer to Lu Ming.
“Boss, are you sure we haven't actually arrived at the Yama Hall?”
“It's so gloomy, so terrifying, so dog-scaring...”
“Is some ox-headed and horse-faced spirit going to show up soon to reap a dog's soul?”
Lu Ming looked down at Big Yellow by his leg and was utterly speechless.
“Dongfang Big Yellow, can you show some spine? Look at your pathetic dog courage. Stop scaring yourself. You're going to end up scaring me too.”
Big Yellow twisted its face as it looked at Lu Ming. “Boss, are you sure those are words a human should say?”
“I mean, if you're going to comfort a dog, can you be a bit more sincere? A bit more responsible?”
“Old Third, are you there?”
Lu Ming didn't care if he had actually comforted Big Yellow; as far as he was concerned, the job was done.
He instinctively called out in a low voice.
He was worried that if he spoke too loudly, he might wake up these clay soldiers.
However, there was no sound whatsoever in the entire hall.
Only Lu Ming's voice echoed back.
With no other choice, Lu Ming could only lead Big Yellow, carefully bypassing these eerie, yin-infused clay soldiers as they made their way deeper into the hall.
“Snoooore... huff...”
“Hmm?”
Just as they reached the inner part of the hall, Lu Ming suddenly heard the sound of snoring.
Looking up toward the interior, he froze.
At the far end of the hall, on an elevated platform, stood a pitch-black throne.
The throne was carved with a hideous ghost face, and its armrests were two coiled black dragons, exuding an aura of absolute dominance over the world.
And right now, Huang Tianbao was lying on the massive throne, drooling as he slept soundly.
Seeing this, Lu Ming had half a mind to give him a thorough beating.
Here he was, searching for him in a state of constant anxiety.
Yet this guy was having the time of his life, sleeping like a baby!
“Wake up... Wake up...”
“Woof! Woof!!”
Lu Ming took a few steps forward, reaching Huang Tianbao and slapping him awake.
Big Yellow also wore an expression of utter exasperation.
This kid really had a massive heart. He could actually fall asleep in a place like this.
“Huh? Why are we up so early? The sun isn't even up yet...”
Huang Tianbao mumbled groggily.
Then, he rolled over to go back to sleep, but suddenly, his eyes snapped wide open.
He quickly scanned his surroundings.
His expression shifted dramatically, and he grabbed Lu Ming's sleeve, wailing,
“Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, I'm so scared! I was terrified to death! I thought I'd never see you guys again!”
Lu Ming looked utterly speechless.
“You're scared? You looked like you were sleeping quite peacefully just now! Also, if you can't squeeze out any tears, don't force it...”
Big Yellow also extended a paw and pointed at Huang Tianbao.
“Look at you. You fell down just from peering into a black hole. I'm truly impressed...”
Huang Tianbao looked at Lu Ming and Big Yellow with a deeply aggrieved face.
“Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, I didn't fall down on my own at all. I was sucked down here... sob...”
“Hmm? You were sucked down?”
Lu Ming snapped his head up to look at Huang Tianbao.
Huang Tianbao nodded with absolute certainty.
“Yes. After I was sucked down, I lost consciousness, and the next thing I knew, you guys were waking me up.”
Lu Ming nodded. Could there be some hidden secret behind this?
Immediately after, his gaze fell upon the throne beneath Huang Tianbao.
“Are you sure this isn't some inheritance left behind by your ancestors?”
Huang Tianbao looked around in confusion. Seeing those ghostly clay soldiers, he couldn't help but shiver.
“No, it's not.”
Lu Ming nodded. “Since it's not, let's look around.”
After all, they had come all this way and gotten quite a scare, yet they hadn't obtained any benefits.
This was clearly inconsistent with the logic of a protagonist...
“Wait...”
Just as Lu Ming was about to leave, Huang Tianbao suddenly spoke up.
Lu Ming looked at him in confusion.
Then, he watched as Huang Tianbao produced a fist-sized black seal that emitted a faint ghostly glow.
He held it up to an empty slot on the dragon head of the throne to compare the fit.
Judging by its appearance, size, and aura, it was obviously a perfect match!
“Old Third, and you still claim this isn't your family's? Come on... tell your senior brother, what is this?”
Lu Ming asked, staring at the black seal in Huang Tianbao's hand.
“Woof! Woof!!”
Big Yellow also nodded repeatedly beside him.
“This... this is my family's imperial seal. I heard from my grandfather that our ancestor happened to pick it up when he founded the country.”
“Back then, our ancestor thought that since they were destined to meet, he might as well use it as the imperial seal!”
Huang Tianbao looked at the black seal in his hand, then at Lu Ming and Big Yellow as he explained.
“Then try pressing it in...”
As he spoke, Lu Ming prepared his defenses.
Huang Tianbao nodded. Taking a deep breath, he pressed the black seal into the empty slot.
Boom...
The moment the black seal was pressed in, a blinding black light suddenly erupted from it, blanketing the entire hall.
Boom... Boom...
As the black light swept over the area, a green, eerie light suddenly flared up within the hollow eye sockets of the clay soldiers.
At the same time, an icy, bone-chilling aura emanated from their bodies.
The once-lifeless clay soldiers actually began to move in unison, their stiff joints making creaking noises.
“Oh my goodness... they're actually alive?”
“Woof! Woof!!”
Lu Ming and Big Yellow stared warily at the clay soldiers.
Had they caused trouble again?
Huang Tianbao also watched the scene in a daze.
Whoosh...
Right at that moment, the black seal suddenly flew back up into midair.
Thud, thud...
Suddenly, the clay soldiers looked up at the black seal in the air and took a heavy step forward.
Lu Ming instantly summoned his Weapon Vault to prepare for a fight.
Whoosh, whoosh...
The clay soldiers did not attack Lu Ming and the others.
Instead, they charged straight into the light radiating from the black seal, ultimately vanishing within it.
Once the clay soldiers had disappeared, the black seal's light faded, and it floated back down to hover in front of Huang Tianbao.
Lu Ming looked at the now-empty hall, then at the black seal in front of Huang Tianbao.
He couldn't help but swallow hard.
“Old Third, hurry up and put it away!”
Only then did the stunned Huang Tianbao snap out of it. He opened his mouth and said,
“I... I don't have spiritual roots, so I can't cultivate! Eldest Senior Brother, why don't you take it instead...”
“Just keep it. This black seal belonged to your family to begin with, and besides, it has already chosen you...”
“But...”
“No buts. Put it away quickly, and let's go look around some more.”
Lu Ming patted Huang Tianbao's shoulder as he spoke.
“Woof! Woof!!”
Hurry up, Big Yellow wagged its tail, signaling him.
Huang Tianbao completed the gesture, preparing to collect the black seal.
Whoosh...
With a flash of light, the black seal transformed into a streak of light and shot directly into Huang Tianbao's dantian.
Lu Ming's eyes lit up. “I have a feeling that your cultivation is only a matter of time.”
“Really?”
Huang Tianbao's eyes sparkled as he asked.
Lu Ming nodded with certainty.
Afterward, Lu Ming and the others left the hall.
Before long, they discovered a courtyard shimmering with a ghostly light right behind the hall.
Looking at the array formation outside the courtyard, Lu Ming felt a headache coming on. With a formation blocking them, they couldn't enter...
It seemed he would have to find some time to learn about formations. Otherwise, being blocked by a formation every single time was just too inconvenient.
Just wait, the person who's going to help me break this formation should be arriving soon...
There's no way a fortuitous encounter would be placed right here and not let a protagonist like me take it!
Rate on N.U.
