As they neared the city walls, a torrent of tens of thousands of crossbow bolts rained down upon them. It was an infinite needle-storm, descending en masse.

Though lacking the sheer power of Shen Yuexuan’s Five Elements Feather Needles, they were hardly inferior. Yuan Wushang was the first to act, ready to unleash his Spirit Burst technique to shatter the barrage, but then Shen Yuexuan’s cold shout cut through the air: “These are my Mohist puppets; we cannot meet them head-on.

Please let me handle this—” Yuan Wushang froze mid-action. Shen Yuexuan, meanwhile, continuously conjured and flung several orbs of light and shadow from his hands.

These expanded in the air, morphing into enormous, rapidly spinning golden nets that spiraled forward, obscuring almost all available space. Every single incoming bolt and needle was caught within the mesh, tumbling sideways as the momentum carried them away.

In but an instant, those dark needles and arrows all detonated. Inside them were tricks of every sort: some contained venom, others annihilated the void, some accelerated or abruptly changed direction, and a few held latent second-stage energies, relocking onto targets with bizarre and mystical spiritual techniques.

Cold sweat beaded on Yuan Wushang’s forehead. Just seeing the result made him realize that taking the full force head-on would have stripped him raw, even if it hadn't killed him.

“You Mohists are truly insidious. How could you even conceive of such things—” Shen Yuexuan tugged at the corners of his mouth, a faint smile playing across his lips, displaying a look of amused acceptance.

The more troublesome these wooden puppets proved to be, the more it attested to the sheer might of the Mohist School millennia ago! Zong Shou, however, watched with a hardened gaze.

This had to be the army of three hundred thousand wooden puppets that Emperor Qin commissioned the Mohists to build for him. He had assumed that no matter how strong they were, they would only be on par with those Heavenly Dipper Sword Soldiers at best.

Yet, looking at the walls now, each and every wooden puppet possessed the strength of at least a Seventh Rank master! Coupled with the specialized mechanisms and weaponry crafted by the Mohists, they were certainly no less formidable than the three hundred thousand Iron Cavalry of the Great Qin.

It was not without reason that Emperor Qin chose these wooden puppets, rather than the Corpse Army, to guard his palace. Shen Yuexuan launched layer after layer of spiraling great nets.

Though not true Immortal Treasures, they allowed the six of them to approach within a hundred zhang of the palace walls, almost entirely unscathed beneath the storm of arrows. At that moment, Zong Shou sensed the presence of no less than eight Corpse Generals gathered at this location.

Furthermore, the Great Qin Iron Cavalry stationed within the walls were rapidly mobilizing inside. Such a deployment—they were certainly taking him seriously— Zong Shou shook his head dismissively and suddenly accelerated.

And at that precise instant, several vicious, sharp auras violently closed in. “Insolent!

How dare you, cur!” “Get back where you belong, old man!” “Those who trespass into Epang Palace shall be executed without mercy!” A combined effort of eight Saint-Rank masters locked down nearly all avenues of advance. Even Lin Xuanxuan, a Half-step Zenith Realm expert, frowned slightly.

Four of them were true Saint-Rank Corpse Generals! Backed by the might of their massive armies, their battle prowess was such that even she, in her prime, would find them troublesome even without being constrained by the Two Elements Dragon Gathering Formation.

A thought of evading the initial onslaught crossed her mind, but then she saw Zong Shou accelerate once more. “Advance without retreat, full assault!” Unsheathing no sword, the Silver Fire Holy Ants spontaneously arrayed themselves behind Zong Shou.

The moment the Saint Silver Demon Slaying Formation took shape, a pair of silver, illusory wings seemed to flutter behind Zong Shou. Then, more wings manifested—the Thousand Splendor Thunder Wings, the Wings of Life and Death, and the Black and White Wings.

All unfurled over nine thousand zhang, while the Juntian Flame Armor Zong Shou wore on his fists ignited with crimson-white flames. He met the crushing blade energies head-on, causing the very space to tremble.

Zong Shou’s body was pushed back; in this initial collision, he was clearly at a disadvantage. But in the next instant, Zong Shou’s soul body detached itself from his tossed physical form.

Yuan One, Spirit Refining—two swords swept out, one left and one right, instantly kicking up a storm of blades that continued to churn forward. His fists were encased in black and white respectively, and a sliver of silver blade light flashed away into the distance.

Falling Leaf Mother-Son, Six Spirits Slaying Immortals! The Buddhist Limitless Beginning and End Dharma Body exerted its optimal power when driven by the soul body!

Chu Xue instantly flashed forward, protecting Zong Shou’s physical body. Lin Xuanxuan let out a soft laugh, almost forgetting that her martial nephew was far from ordinary in his might.

Without hesitation, Lin Xuanxuan also sent a sword thrust forward, the blade transforming into chaos, leaving absolutely no room for retreat! This wave of aggression was advance only!

If they could not advance, they would die! Boom!

Sword qi twisted and vibrated. Under the surging impact of the ten million-strong tidal wave of swords, the power that had been as solid as a rampart wall was shattered layer by layer!

Zong Shou’s fists were even more overbearing. Under their bombardment, the black and white voids pulled and pushed!

The opposing surge of energy, nearly ten times their own, was pulverized and utterly destroyed! And one of the eight Corpse Generals in the distance clutched his throat, his eyes wide with indescribable terror as he retreated wildly.

A silver blade had pierced his throat at some unknown moment, and the Immortal Slaying Blade Array within was severing all the vital energy, all the corpse qi, inside him. The nearly flawless defense mounted by the opposition finally revealed a crack with this general’s withdrawal.

Lin Xuanxuan let out a light laugh, accelerating her movement, overtaking Zong Shou, and bringing her sword down forcefully upon the thick palace wall. Under this single strike, everything turned to chaos!

The wall, seventy zhang thick and inlaid with dozens of defensive restriction arrays, fractured entirely with just that one sword strike, Immediately opening a clear line of sight before the six of them. As the dust settled, they could vaguely see tens of thousands of Heavenly Dipper Sword Soldiers assembling within.

Tens of thousands of Iron Cavalry were also taking position rapidly. Zong Shou, however, had no intention of continuing to tangle with these Corpse Armies and Corpse Generals.

Breaking through the city wall before the main armies could fully gather, leaving no obstruction ahead, was his objective accomplished. “Quick, leave!” Zong Shou retracted his Dharma Aspect and returned to his own body.

Then, the several hundred Instantaneous Space Stars, combined with the Cosmos Fate World Scroll, accelerated time almost tenfold! With a flap of his wings, the escape light carrying the six of them vanished from the spot in an instant, leaving no trace.

The few Corpse Generals stationed there to intercept could only roar in helpless fury. And barely ten breaths later, Zong Shou’s figure halted within an unmanned side hall.

Epang Palace was vast, stretching a hundred li from east to west and north to south. Despite having several hundred thousand elite Corpse Soldiers and three hundred thousand Mohist wooden puppets guarding it, such a massive area inevitably had places that escaped close attention.

The only thing requiring extreme caution was the mechanical restrictions and arrays, and Shen Yuexuan was an expert in those fields. Especially after the activation of the second array core, Shen Yuexuan seemed to have gained further insight into this Two Elements Dragon Gathering Formation.

This allowed them to move through Epang Palace without triggering a single restrictive rune. Zong Shou’s skin was now faintly slick with sweat.

Using the Star Dao Seed in conjunction with the Cosmos Scroll, and forcing the six of them into rapid escape light, had almost entirely drained him. Even so, he could not afford to be careless; he protected the others using the Illusory Heart Mirror and the Profound Fox Divine Ability.

Su Xiaoxiao, requiring no instruction, used the Primordial Demon Seven Emotions Art to conceal their presence in this location. However, her divine ability was only effective against living beings, even capable of influencing artifact spirits.

The Mohist wooden puppets, lacking true consciousness, were beyond Su Xiaoxiao’s influence. Fortunately, most of the Mohist puppets were stationed on the walls, and few were deployed nearby.

“Our vital energy is being suppressed again; this time it must be the Twelve Bronze Men!” Lin Xuanxuan rubbed her temples with a pained expression, clearly irritated. At this moment, her strength was less than one-tenth of its peak.

The combined effect of the Two Elements Dragon Gathering Formation and the Twelve Nation-Guarding Bronze Men not only distorted the laws but also caused vital blood circulation to stagnate, unable to cycle normally. Some inexplicable power was interfering with the body’s vital energy flow.

Zong Shou also frowned; even his Limitless Beginning and End Divine Ability was useless this time. He tried clenching his fist, then a look of helplessness crossed his face.

He retained only about fifty percent of his full strength. “Now I finally understand why the Zenith Realm Sages of antiquity never moved to stop this First Emperor Qin.

Why they always treated him with such profound silence—” Yuan Wushang also offered a wry smile. “Even a Zenith Realm expert, arriving here, would likely face the possibility of demise.” “After Mozi vanished without a trace, no Zenith Realm master ever emerged from our Mohist School.

Among the Hundred Schools of Thought, we were gradually suppressed and fell behind. Thus, several Grand Master Artisans in the sect spent years researching methods to counter the Zenith Realm.

Initially, their hope was placed on the Jade Puppets. However, halfway through, the Mohist School’s resources proved insufficient, and we began cooperating with the First Qin.

These Twelve Nation-Guarding Bronze Men are the pinnacle achievement of my Mohist School; they are no trivial matter!” Shen Yuexuan explained coolly, while continuously casting several talismans that shot out in all directions into the air. They detonated simultaneously, causing waves of spiritual patterns to spread throughout the entirety of Epang Palace.

Except for the structures fortified by array blessings, virtually no corner was missed. Shen Yuexuan concentrated, sensing for a moment before hesitantly speaking: “At least seven groups have entered Epang Palace, though they haven't made any moves.” The defenses within Epang Palace were incredibly dense.

Though dozens of Saints were present, few managed to penetrate this far in so quickly. After all, not everyone possessed the combination Zong Shou did: three kinds of Twelve-Tier World-Ending Divine Abilities, possession of the Cosmos Scroll, and astonishing escape techniques.

Many cultivators from smaller sects couldn't even gain entry to this true tomb. “I sensed Xu Fu just now!” Lin Xuanxuan gazed toward the main hall.

“This man has truly stepped into the Zenith Realm! His power is certainly not below Yuan Jing’s.

With the Heart Restriction still active, if he succeeds in his goal, he will surely surpass your master, Long Ying. However, that area seems to have just undergone a massive battle—it’s a wreck—” Zong Shou immediately understood that Ming Ri Xuan must have already made a move earlier.

He wondered if that person had succeeded, and whether he had escaped intact. Zong Shou could also sense Xu Fu; this man was almost completely unaffected within Emperor Qin's tomb.

It was terrifying to consider this person when their own strength had been so significantly suppressed. “While Xu Fu is indeed formidable, in order to oversee the resurrection of Emperor Qin, he likely cannot afford to be distracted now.

Otherwise, everyone here wouldn’t need to scheme for Emperor Qin’s lost treasures; they would simply retreat.” Starlight flickered in Lin Xuanxuan’s eyes as she looked at Zong Shou. “What do you plan to do now?”