A spirit formation blocked the way, preventing Zong Shou’s spiritual sense from reaching far. However, he could vaguely hear the clash of weapons and the roar of spiritual arts coming from that direction.

This was Zong Shou’s greatest disadvantage. Even though he could leverage the Kingly Martial Arts to wield combat power comparable to a Saint, his divine sense was far inferior, often leading to limitations.

He wondered who had managed to enter the main tomb before him.

After a brief hesitation, Zong Shou directed the Azure Fire Black Tortoise to divert down another side passage.

The corridors within this tomb palace were extensive, and there was more than one path leading to the main burial chamber.

He was in no rush to meet these people, nor did he wish to clash with anyone before seeing the twelve bronze figures. In fact, the more people who reached the main tomb, the better; the more powerhouses there were, the greater the pressure on the tomb’s grand formation.

Despite possessing Chong Xuan’s spirit formation blueprints and partial diagrams of the Mohist school’s mechanisms, Zong Shou had grasped, at most, only one or two parts of the secrets within the Qin Emperor’s Tomb.

Yet, even this tenth or two was enough to inspire awe. Entering the main chamber too early would only be suicide. His current objective was a different location within the main tomb: a storeroom for funerary objects marked on Chong Xuan’s map.

However, after rushing forward for a short while longer, Zong Shou gravely ordered the Azure Fire Black Tortoise to halt once more.

He faintly heard waves of synchronized roars ahead in this passage. It sounded like tens of thousands of iron hooves trampling the earth, causing the ground beneath to tremble incessantly.

Just as Zong Shou hesitated about ordering the Azure Fire Black Tortoise to retreat the way they came and take another route, a fierce shout echoed from ahead.

“What manner of petty thief dares trespass upon the palace of My Emperor?”

The voice was powerful, making their eardrums ache. The sound of thunder suddenly accelerated. In just two breaths, a torrent of cavalry rushed toward them from the opposite direction.

Three hundred riders abreast filled the entire passage. From a distance, the rear seemed endless. All were clad in black armor, emanating a chilling aura, seemingly devoid of life. Their imposing presence was majestic, nearly surpassing all the Profound-tier Dao Soldiers Zong Shou had ever witnessed.

The figure at the very front rode a colossal beast, three zhang high, its hooves treading on blazing flames. His frame was massive, far exceeding that of an ordinary person, encased in solid, spiked iron armor. He held a great axe and carried a chain hammer at his waist. Icy eyes peered out from his helm, fixing a cold gaze upon them.

“Disturbing His Majesty’s peace is punishable by death! Die!”

Charging forward, he swung his axe down. The five figures on the Azure Fire Black Tortoise paled slightly. This black-armored knight’s individual strength was at most at the Divine level, but combined with the tens of thousands of cavalry behind him, the power of this single axe blow even surpassed the Saint realm!

“Brother Yuan, please assist me!”

Knowing the Azure Fire Black Tortoise beneath them could not possibly withstand this axe, Zong Shou didn't hesitate. The Spirit Refining Sword shot out from his sleeve, scattering millions of sword rays that bloomed like layered lotuses before him.

Yuan Yi Sword’s Yin!

Within ten zhang, this is my Unbreaking Sword Domain!

The ‘lotuses’ formed by the sword shadows shattered layer by layer, yet the great axe continued its unstoppable momentum. However, upon reaching the ten-zhang distance, it was finally halted. Countless sword shadows erupted, filling the space, ceaselessly resisting, constantly deflecting force, and continuously grinding down the attack.

A thin line of blood seeped from the corner of Zong Shou’s lips. Fortunately, the Jade Puppet had already drawn a small white jade bow and fired three consecutive arrows at the black-armored knight.

“Mohist Jade Puppet? Petty tricks?”

The knight snorted, slightly retracting his axe light. A tiny adjustment was enough to shatter all three small jade arrows, done with casual ease, as if effortlessly achieved.

Watching this, Zong Shou gasped in cold shock. Facing such an opponent, even the five of them combined might not prevail.

“Go!”

The Azure Fire Black Tortoise, without needing a command, decisively fled backward at full speed. In just one-three-hundredth of a breath, it had flown over ten thousand zhang, retreating out of that passage.

The black-armored knight muttered to himself, “I am already dead, yet how can you live? All of you, die!”

Behind him, the tens of thousands of cavalry resumed their synchronized charge. Strange spiritual light flickered from the left, right, front, and back. Their inherent speed was not fast, but under the boost and aid of the tomb’s spirit formations, they far outstripped the Azure Fire Tortoise.

At this moment, the sound of hooves could vaguely be heard echoing from the surrounding passages in all directions.

“Damn it! We can’t escape!” Yuan Wushang’s face was ashen. “This is the devil; the speed of these dead things is even faster than my full-power flight.”

Zong Shou also frowned. No matter how fast their escape speed was, it was useless now. The surrounding passages were all being blocked and intercepted by these black-armored riders. Did they have no choice but to fight here first?

Having just entered the Qin Emperor’s Tomb, they were already lightly injured. Given the current situation, he feared he would have to burn through his trump cards prematurely.

“That’s why, your servant might be able to help my beloved—” Su Xiaoxiao chuckled softly, glancing around with composure. “Can my beloved use illusionary arts first to conceal us?”

Zong Shou was stunned, wondering if illusions would be effective in this place. Those armored riders, steeped in Yin Sha energy and showing no trace of life force, could easily dispel any illusion if they so wished. Still, trying couldn't hurt; in the end, it would just lead to a battle.

He made the Azure Fire Black Tortoise ascend, clinging close to the ceiling stone wall. A blood-red gleam flashed in Zong Shou’s eyes as a cyan illusionary realm manifested behind his head. Instantly, he enveloped everyone with the illusion, while simultaneously using his World-Burning Blood Pupils to manipulate spatial power, forming layers of spacetime barriers to block out their aura.

“Truly worthy of the Nine-Tailed Mystic Fox bloodline; Shou-lang’s illusions are truly breathtaking. Why don’t you use them more often? It’s such a waste—” Su Xiaoxiao shielded her face with her fan, giggling charmingly. She made no visible movement, yet spiritual runes condensed and expanded outward around her entire being, like a halo appearing behind her.

Zong Shou had initially been filled with frustration, his mind taut as he watched the movements of the black-armored cavalry. But after Su Xiaoxiao cast her spell, his mood inexplicably calmed.

“This is the Primordial Demon Seven Passions Art? So domineering—” It could make an enemy lose all will to fight or harbor any hatred, and it could also drive someone into instant madness. What amazed him further was the scene before his eyes: the surging black cavalry no longer noticed the five of them and the Azure Fire Black Tortoise. Even the black-armored knight holding the great axe merely cast a puzzled glance in their direction before turning away, leading the torrent of tens of thousands of knights toward another passage.

Zong Shou was astonished. This knight must have already detected something unusual here. This was the Qin Emperor’s Tomb, and this powerful knight clearly had a deep connection to the grand formation within. Likely, with a single thought, he could discern their location. Yet, the current situation implied that everything that had happened before had not occurred.

Once the area returned to silence, and the sound of hooves in the surrounding passages gradually faded, Zong Shou dispelled the illusionary technique with a strange expression. The other three looked at Su Xiaoxiao with equally odd looks. Zong Shou and Yuan Wushang had guessed some of the truth, but Chu Xue still looked confused.

“Don’t underestimate my Primordial Demon Seven Passions Grand Law. Joy, Anger, Sorrow, Fear, Love, Hate, and Resentment are all within the Seven Passions,” Su Xiaoxiao stated calmly. “These people were buried alive with the Qin Emperor in their prime, so they hold resentment and hate the living! Since resentment remains, whether Saint or inanimate object, they fall under my control.”

Chu Xue disliked seeing Su Xiaoxiao so smug and pursed her lips, ignoring her. Shen Yuexuan then sighed softly, “Only now do I understand where the three hundred thousand Great Qin cavalry that once swept across the Cloud Realm went and why they vanished.”

The five present fell silent at this. They had already experienced the might of the Great Qin cavalry firsthand; they were truly first-rate Profound-tier Dao Soldiers of this world. It was a pity the Qin Emperor’s lifespan was too short. Otherwise, leveraging the power of the twelve bronze figures and the might of hundreds of thousands of cavalry Dao Soldiers, perhaps he would have swept across the myriad realms by now, becoming another Sky-Burning Immortal Court—

Yuan Wushang remarked with sarcasm, “Even in death, he was unwilling to leave his powerful army to future generations. This Qin Emperor, it seems, truly believed he would have a day of resurrection to sweep the Cloud Realm again! I heard the Great Qin Crown Prince was exceptionally wise and beloved by the military and the people, yet he was executed by a false decree after the Emperor’s death. But in my view, whether it was a false decree is debatable. The Qin Dynasty rose because of him, and it perished because of him.”

Zong Shou chuckled wryly, though he internally disagreed. He had to admit that Yuan Wushang’s words held some merit. The Qin Emperor’s Tomb continued construction for several years after the Emperor’s death, only halting when the heroes of the Cloud Realm rose up. If it had been Fusu in charge, he certainly would not have continued.

However, dwelling on such matters was pointless; his immediate concern was the present. “My Kingly Martial Arts can only access less than a tenth of their power within this tomb. Entering this palace is akin to walking into enemy territory?”

He felt immensely fortunate that, thanks to the Thousand-Eyed Red Eye Stone, he had reached the late Immortal Realm, not only completing his internal world but also condensing three wisps of Immortal Power. This provided him with an extra trump card for survival; otherwise, entering this tomb palace would have been a hundred times more perilous!

This object also carried a subtle, strange feeling that had persisted since entering the palace—a trace of malice wrapped around him, lingering persistently. The deeper he ventured, the more uneasy his spirit became.

“Am I being targeted?” Zong Shou frowned, subtly glancing at Su Xiaoxiao without detecting anything unusual. After a brief consideration, Zong Shou took out a black jade piece and crushed it fiercely. A cloud of black light spread out, enveloping everyone.

Su Xiaoxiao asked curiously, “What is this?”

“A Black Jade Talisman given to me by my father-in-law—” Zong Shou did not hide anything. “I was told that after being nourished with true words and consecrated for forty-nine days, the powder, once clinging to the body, can isolate most evil arts for three days.”

Su Xiaoxiao said ‘oh,’ knowing that Zong Shou’s father-in-law, Kong Rui, was one of the world’s foremost masters of calculation and artifice. She immediately ceased using her protective force and let the powder settle on her clothes.

Almost simultaneously, across a dozen passages, a figure frowned slightly. His spiritual sense connection had suddenly broken.