The lithe form of Qin Qiao. *,★ Silent and unseen, he prowled the streets of the ruins within the Imperial Mausoleum, past the Stone Golem Puppets, and beneath the occasional Sky-Flying Thunder-Rays that screeched with a grating caw-caw sound overhead.

The Sacred Emperor's Mausoleum was a massive subterranean city in itself. It possessed numerous defensive installations, complete with streets and storied pavilions. Although no living cultivators currently resided here, it contained countless burial artifacts intended to accompany the late Nascent Soul stage cultivator who had styled himself the Sacred Emperor.

As for precisely why that Sacred Emperor commissioned such a vast tomb remained a mystery beyond the speculation of ordinary cultivators.

The Sacred Emperor Cultivation World was an exceptionally ancient one. Its cultivators specialized in artifact refinement, puppetry, and the art of the Nascent Soul. Naturally, the treasures buried within this Imperial Mausoleum included a vast array of items related to these disciplines. It was rumored that many secret artifact-refining techniques currently circulating in the Spirit Mist Cultivation World had actually originated from the Sacred Emperor domain.

Back in the day, during the great war between the four major cultivation realms—the Sacred Emperor, Spirit Mist, Sky Dome, and Ten Thousand Moon Lake—this Imperial Mausoleum had been breached by cultivators from the other three realms. More than half of the buried artifacts were plundered, leaving behind only a meager selection. Furthermore, because the ruins contained a secret passage, cultivators would enter every four to five years, ensuring that most remaining burial goods were thoroughly stripped bare. Finding a genuine Spiritual Treasure here was proving extremely difficult.

Ye Qin was currently sifting through a pavilion that had collapsed halfway, attempting to uncover some remnant artifact from the dust-choked ruins.

He harbored no grand illusions about discovering a supreme treasure here, but since he had made the trip, he couldn't return entirely empty-handed. He needed to find at least something useful for himself.

After struggling for nearly half a day, a flash of delight crossed his face as he unearthed a sealed, ancient box made of dark purple sandalwood from a corner of the wall. Brushing away the decayed soil, he pried it open with a crack. Inside rested three sheets of material that seemed neither quite metal nor quite paper.

"Huh? Are these secret scrolls from antiquity?"

Ye Qin paused. He had once seen a scroll of this peculiar texture in a market within the Chaos Domain. The owner claimed to have found it in the ruins and treated it like a priceless gem. He opened the scrolls to examine them.

《Complete Refining Diagram Scroll for the Heaven-Shaking Cannon》. 《Diagram Scroll for Refining Stone Golem Puppets》. 《Complete Manufacturing Diagram Scroll for Sky-Flying Thunder-Rays》.

Ye Qin recognized the script, yet the detailed processes described in the diagrams were incredibly complex. After scanning them once, his mind was a complete muddle. He muttered a few words, tucked the heavy scrolls into his storage bag, and reasoned that even if he couldn't use them now, keeping them couldn't hurt.

He continued to search the pavilion ruins for a little longer, but it seemed his luck had run out. Aside from the occasional skeletal remains left behind from some forgotten era, he found no further relics.

Having wasted half a day within this pavilion wreckage without significant gain, Ye Qin decided to head towards the central area of the Imperial Mausoleum City to rendezvous with the Sunset Sect Master, Shi Hanyang, and the other cultivators.

After all, his true purpose for being here was not hunting for Spiritual Treasures; it was Shi Hanyang.

Shi Hanyang, a peak ninth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator, whose power in the Chaos Domain was second only to the five great Golden Core Ancestors, would not risk his life in this desolate Mausoleum ruin just for one or two minor Spiritual Treasures. The only reason he was here was undoubtedly to break through the long-sought Golden Core bottleneck. Compared to achieving that breakthrough, everything else was secondary.

Although Shi Hanyang had never disclosed his objective to outsiders, nearly all the Foundation Establishment cultivators present were inwardly curious about what he intended to do here.

Ye Qin shared that curiosity. Just as he was about to leave,

Several faint grunts and angry shouts echoed from dozens of yards outside the pavilion. Then, silence descended. Hearing the noise, Ye Qin's body instantly stiffened, and he melted silently into the adjacent shadows, completely suppressing his aura.

Not long after, a middle-aged man dressed in brown robes staggered into view, clutching his chest where a sharp blade-type magic tool was embedded. He dragged a green-clothed woman with him and casually tossed her body into a corner of the pavilion.

"Damn woman, your strike was vicious enough, but alas, you were three points short of taking this old man's life. I knew long ago that before the grand path to the Golden Core, one’s human heart turns fickle. Trying to ambush me? Not so easy."

The brown-robed man gritted his teeth, ripped the barbed magic tool from his chest, quickly pressed several vital points on his body, used his magical power to staunch the spurting wound, and uttered a few cold, sinister words. He then bent down to search the woman’s corpse, retrieving several storage bags from her waist. After a quick scan with his Divine Sense, he saw mounds of precious raw materials inside and broke into a satisfied smile.

"I didn't expect you to prepare so much. The items I brought, plus the contents of these few bags of yours, should be enough for me to trade for a Golden Core Pellet. Once I succeed in forming my core, the primary credit for this success will be yours. Don't worry, I won't forget your kindness." The brown-robed man rested briefly, changed his clothes, scanned the surroundings with his Divine Sense one last time, and quickly vacated the ruined pavilion.

Ye Qin watched silently, his gaze cold, fixed on the lifeless body of the woman. He made no move to investigate.

He had a faint impression of the brown-robed man; it was Hui, the sect master of a minor faction in the Chaos Domain, a high-tier eighth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator. He had kept too low a profile, and Ye Qin had to rack his brain for a while before recalling his name.

The green-clothed woman seemed to have a close relationship with this man—perhaps his partner—and her own cultivation level wasn't low either.

But why they suddenly turned on each other at this moment, resulting in one dead and one wounded, remained unknown.

Ye Qin shook his head internally and retreated soundlessly out of the pavilion.

Come to think of it, the sect masters in the Chaos Domain weren't worth much. Any Foundation Establishment cultivator with a little strength could gather dozens of Qi Condensation cultivators and call themselves the '[Name] Sect.'

After spending half a day traversing the vast ruined districts of the Imperial Mausoleum, Ye Qin arrived near the palace walls at the very center of the complex. These walls stood five zhang high. Crossing them would grant entry into the Inner Palace.

Outside these walls, seven or eight high-level Foundation Establishment cultivators were seated cross-legged in small groups. They were in no hurry to enter the Inner Palace. The brown-robed man, Hui, was among them, his face cold, showing no sign of his earlier injury.

No Stone Golem Puppets or Sky-Flying Thunder-Rays approached this area. All the Thunder-Rays patrolled the skies over the outer district ruins, keeping a distance from this Inner Palace sector.

It seemed this Inner Palace concealed an unusually dangerous aura.

Ye Qin’s arrival was quite surprising to these high-level Foundation Establishment cultivators. Only those possessing extremely formidable strength dared to venture into the Inner Palace.

Shi Hanyang couldn't help but look at Ye Qin a few more times before speaking.

"Everyone who dares venture into the Sacred Mausoleum ruins hopes to achieve the greatest possible reward. In these district ruins, a careful search over three or four days will certainly yield a decent harvest. If one risks entering the Inner Palace, one can naturally gain more and better things. However, the Inner Palace is hundreds of times more perilous than the outer ruins. While Young Brother shows commendable courage, with your low-tier Foundation Establishment cultivation, you should be content searching the outer ruins. There is no need to enter the Inner Palace. If you follow us inside, I fear your fate will be grim. Losing your life for a mere hint of greed is hardly worth it."

"Brother Shi, since I have come, I naturally wish to look around the ruins. The puppets within the Inner Palace shouldn't be stronger than the Sky-Flying Thunder-Rays, right?" Ye Qin gazed at the silent Inner Palace and spoke calmly.

"What are the Sky-Flying Thunder-Rays? The attacks from these wooden birds are comparable only to a first-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator. We have limited time here; this Sect Master is simply too lazy to bother entangling with them. Compared to the puppets within the Inner Palace, they are barely an appetizer. This Mausoleum belongs to a Nascent Soul cultivator; how could it only be guarded by low-level puppets like the Sky-Flying Thunder-Rays?" Shi Hanyang laughed heartily.

"Brother Shi, don't frighten this brother. There are only a few Armored Guard Puppets inside the Inner Palace. Since this young brother wants to take a look inside, there's no harm," Ma Yan stated coldly, his arms crossed, leaning against the palace wall.

Silence fell over the group.

In the blink of an eye, they had waited at the palace gate for over a day, yet only about twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators had gradually appeared near the walls. The rest had not come. It seemed those intending to enter the Inner Palace had already arrived. Those unwilling to risk the Inner Palace were likely still searching the district ruins for Spiritual Treasures, considering finding a few valuable items a worthwhile trip, as not everyone was keen on marching into the Inner Palace to die.

Ye Qin, however, was pondering Ma Dongyan's mention of "a few Armored Guards in the Inner Palace." The mere presence of these few guards was enough to keep a group of high-level Foundation Establishment cultivators like them stalled outside for a day. He certainly didn't believe those few guards would be easy to deal with; their danger level must be several tiers higher than the Sky-Flying Thunder-Rays.

"We have enough people now to deal with those Armored Guards. Let's charge in," Shi Hanyang looked at the assembled group and suddenly stood up.

Eleven high-level Foundation Establishment cultivators, nine mid-level Foundation Establishment cultivators, and three initial-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. They leaped over the five-zhang-high palace wall and entered the Inner Palace. Clearly, this small contingent represented nearly the strongest cultivators present.

What appeared before Ye Qin was an incomparably vast palace structure.

And before the palace, stood a single, silent, Iron-Armored Guard.

Indeed, only one.

It was this single Iron-Armored Guard that had held their entire group of cultivators at bay for an entire day.

This Iron-Armored Guard, radiating a chilling aura, squatted motionlessly on the platform. It must have been sitting there for at least forty or fifty years, covered in a thick layer of dust, almost blending seamlessly with the platform itself, now fuzzy with moss.

When the twenty-plus cultivators scaled the palace wall and appeared before the central palace of the Imperial Mausoleum,

It slowly raised its head, a red light flickering from within its helmet.

With a crack, it slowly stood up, gripping a dull, black meteorite iron spear-shaped magic tool. It shook off a shower of dust, revealing a staggering height of ten zhang. It stood erect before the palace entrance, spear in hand. Its movements were rather slow and stiff, suggesting that passing it to enter the palace would be unavoidable.

"This is the Front Hall Iron-Armored Guard. This Sect Master fought it forty years ago. We teamed up with other cultivators and managed to destroy it once. I never expected it to restore itself. I just don't know if its strength has changed from forty or fifty years ago. Esteemed sirs, who among you is willing to test its strength first?" Shi Hanyang said gravely.