Chapter 56
Screams filled the air, everyone was stunned by the scene unfolding in front of them.
Bright red blood sprayed out, staining the bodies of the mummies. It was as if these blood-stained corpses were given new life. Under the light of the flashlight, their deeply hollow eyes seemed to sparkle. Slowly, the dark purple lips parted.
He Zhen was the first to react. He immediately pulled out his peach wood sword and amulets, quickly sticking the amulets onto the bodies of these mummies. But as soon as the amulets touched the mummies, they ignited into flame, emitting thick black smoke.
Clearly, the amulets had no effect on the mummies.
Just as the remaining soldier mummies slowly stood, wielding weapons preparing to kill, Cheng Xuyuan kicked away the soldier mummy holding a knife. The flying mummy struck the other corpses, instantly causing chaos.
"What just happened?" Tang Yunxian backed away while questioning Zhao Xintong, "Why did that mummy suddenly attack our desert companion?!"
Zhao Xintong turned pale as she clung to Tang Yunxian's arm, her voice trembling, "It seems to be because that person touched the palace gate lock, triggering some sort of mechanism..."
In that moment, Tang Yunxian understood. These soldiers must have been the gatekeepers of the palace, maintaining order even in death.
At this very moment, the compass in his backpack began to tremble violently, as if responding to something.
Once the group had retreated some distance, Cheng Xuyuan, the one with the highest combat ability, positioned himself at the front, kicking back any mummies that tried to charge at them. After several rounds, the group recovered from their shock. Seeing his back, they felt an unprecedented sense of safety.
Finishing with a beautiful roundhouse kick, not a single hair on Cheng Xuyuan had been touched by any of the mummies. They had been kicked to near-disassembly, completely depleted of any fighting strength.
The group watched in awe at Cheng Xuyuan. They knew he was an excellent physical combatant, but they never imagined he was this good!
After dealing with all the soldier mummies, Cheng Xuyuan calmly walked towards the large gate. With a push of his hand, dust flew into the air as the door creaked open, revealing the intact and majestic palace.
The personnel accompanying them who had been stabbed in the chest by a mummy was already breathless. Tang Yunxian silently moved him aside and solemnly addressed the group, "Anyone who doesn't want to proceed can back out now."
Under normal circumstances, after seeing what they just did, nobody would dare to step inside the palace gates. However, Cheng Xuyuan's display was so impressive, it instilled the group with a strange confidence: "With that handsome guy here, what's there to fear?"
The young man slowly turned around in the flashlight's beam, whispering to the group, "This place, rampant with malevolent energy, can't be exposed to sunlight. We must leave before dawn; time is running out."
With that, Cheng Xuyuan stepped into the palace gate.
Everyone cautiously followed him inside. After the previous attack, everyone felt there must be traps all around.
To their surprise, the inside of the palace was eerily calm. Each brick of the old architecture appeared to be in good shape—the paths radiating in all directions led to various palaces, and the golden ancient Chinese characters on the plaque showed no signs of fading.
Apart from the pervasive yellow sand, this palace still looks unchanged from a thousand years ago.
Scattered around every corner of the palace lay corpses in various states of decay. Fortunately, these corpses didn't spring to life like the ones at the entrance. The group made their way gingerly along the stone path surrounded by an array of different plants that, now desiccated and appearing specimen-like, were unrecognizable.
The dim stone path led to the center of the entire palace, to the grand hall where the emperor held court each day.
The sound of everyone's footsteps seemed particularly resonant on the stone path, like a drumbeat against each person's heart, with every step fraught with tension.
The closer they got to the doors of the grand hall, the more difficult it became to breathe.
He Zhen was constantly observing the surroundings and failed to notice a protruding marble underfoot. He stumbled and fell to the ground, his flashlight flew out of his grasp, crashed, and broke. It couldn't be relit.
Getting up rather awkwardly, He Zhen raised his head only to freeze the next instant.
Standing before He Zhen was a tall young man dressed in white robes. His gold-trimmed white boots were spotlessly clean, devoid of any dust. Looking up, one could see the young man's snow-white robe on his slim body, framing a breathtakingly beautiful face.
The moment he saw that face, He Zhen was stunned. A flurry of chaotic memories began to churn in his mind.
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"Are you all right, General He?" The young man's voice came from above - aloof and indifferent. "Why are you so rushed today?"
He Zhen wanted to reply, but found that he couldn't say a word.
It was as if he was watching a VR movie, able to see everything in front of him, but unable to control his own body.
When General He rose from the ground, He Zhen realized that he was in a state of intangible spirit. Everyone around him couldn't see him - it was as if he had stepped into a television series.
He also rose, his form merging with that of General He.
General He said to the young man in white, "Prime Minister Zhong has always seen you as a thorn in his side. You're aware of this, aren't you?"
"I am." The young man in white's voice remained cold and detached. "What does it have to do with me? I have been the astrologer of Xing Country for over a decade, and I have always strived to make the right decisions for our people. No matter how much Prime Minister Zhong dislikes me, I will continue to oppose his new policy."
"But they are going to burn down the Zhaixing Tower!" General He's voice was filled with indignation. "The Zhaixing Tower is where you do astrological readings for the people. It was built for the welfare of all beings. If they burn the tower, they will target you next..."
Under the dim moonlight, the young man in white's icy stare emanated a clear indifference. "So what's your point?"
"Leave the palace. I've bribed the guards at the entrance; you can just walk out."
However, the young man in white responded ungratefully, "I don't need to leave the palace. While the Zhaixing Tower is not yet destroyed, I want to perform one last prayer for the people."
Not far away, countless torches were simultaneously raised and advanced towards the Zhaixing Tower at the edge of the palace.
"Li Yuan, you need to leave soon, or it will be too late! Nobody can protect you now and the insane mob only wants to kill you!"
He Zhen was also anguished. He wished to persuade the young man in front of him to flee quickly. There was no need to put himself in danger for the ignorance of these people.
Despite numerous disagreements, General He could not stop Li Yuan.
He Zhen's heart sank. As he watched the young man's determined departure, a sense of despair hung over his heart.
He couldn't understand his distress. Was it because the young man had a face like a little fairy, or because the current situation touched his heart?
Before leaving, Li Yuan suddenly stopped. He turned to General He and said, "He Zhen, I heard that the peach trees in your hometown have started to bear fruit. If I don't return, resign and go back home. Tell the emperor that it was my suggestion."
"Never to return, what are you talking about..." General He looked at him in disbelief.
Li Yuan gave a slight laugh and said with some mockery, "Your upright temperament does not suit survival in this murky court. It would be better to go out and lead troops into battle, but don't stay in the palace."
With that, he was about to leave.
He Zhen quickly called out to him, "What about you! Are you planning to abandon the whole Xing Country?!"
He asked this since He Zhen knew that the only people who could move Li Yuan were the citizens. He had always been selfless.
Li Yuan raised his arm high without looking back, giving a light wave.
He Zhen understood; it was his final goodbye.
"No astrologer throughout history has met a peaceful end," Li Yuan's voice grew fainter as he walked further away, but his certainty was audible. "General He, you need not worry about me. Life and death are not in my hands, but if fate allows, we will meet again."
Suddenly, before he could feel the grief, the stone road beneath him started to shake violently, knocking him to the ground again.
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Startled, He Zhen managed to rise, only to find the scene had changed back to the palace in the desert. The people around him were panicking because of the sudden earthquake.
"The, the sky..." Zhao Xintong touched her cheek in shock, "the sky is raining sand..."
As her words fell, the sand-rain gradually intensified. Countless tiny grains of sand fell on people's hair, shoulders, and clothes, layering a thin film of sand on the ground in no time.
Just ahead lay the royal palace. If they did not enter now, they might lose their chance forever. But the intense sandstorm could bury them at any moment...
Cheng Xuyuan turned to the others and yelled, "You all leave quickly! I'll take a quick look inside and come right out—"
"Have you gone mad?!" Tang Yunxian reached out to hold him back.
He Zhen watched Tai Sui in shock, only to see his determined figure heading towards the palace. The silhouette bore a striking resemblance to Li Yuan he had just seen—it was like looking at a mirror image.
Cheng Xuyuan rushed into the main palace, nervously shining his flashlight all around. The room was filled with a court of civil and military officials, mummified by the sandy wind, with sand filling their eyes, noses, and mouths.
Sweat glistened on Cheng Xuyuan's forehead. Although he had already seen this scene at the main entrance outside, the abrupt vision of a hundred mummies was horrifying.
He shone the beam of his flashlight towards the throne in the center of the palace.
The incredibly luxurious throne was adorned with various precious stones and jades. A man sat on it, his head down so that his expression was hidden. He wore a black, gold-embroidered dragon robe, and his dragon crown shimmered with radiant colors.
Cheng Xuyuan couldn't tell if this was a living person or another mummy.
The sandstorm grew fiercer.
Something compelled Cheng Xuyuan to walk towards the throne. With each step, his heart filled with an additional tinge of sadness.
"Yuan'er, is that you?"
Suddenly, a familiar male voice rang out — gentle and tender.
Cheng Xuyuan felt a twinge of pain in his heart.
"Yuan'er, come here. Sit and talk with me," the voice continued.
The voice carried an enchanting allure that was hard to resist.
The sandstorm intensified, instantly accumulating a layer of sand wherever it fell. The sand seemed to penetrate everything; even though Cheng Xuyuan was inside the palace, his hair was filled with sand and grit.
The sand had already swept over Tang Yunxian's lower legs.
Struggling to walk in the sandy soil, she yelled in the direction of the palace, "Cheng Xuyuan — you need to get out —"
Yet Cheng Xuyuan continued his slow approach towards the throne.
"Yuan'er, stay with me," the voice enticed.
During his trance, the sand had already piled up to his knees, making every step excruciatingly difficult.
"Just stay where you are. When the sand buries this place, we will be together forever."
The tender male voice kept echoing on.
Transfixed, Cheng Xuyuan frozen in place, his body seemingly beyond his control.
The sand quickly rose past his chest and was about to swallow his neck.
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