If he had been unwilling, even several families joining forces to squeeze him wouldn't have mattered; it was simply that Zong Shou did not wish to contend. This outcome was precisely what he had hoped for.

With a few flickers courtesy of the Instant Space Dragon Pellet, Zong Shou bypassed the restrictions of the Corpse Army Forbidden Arts, materializing with Su Xiaoxiao and Chuxue two hundred li beneath the surface.

As he surveyed his surroundings, he saw that the underground palace passageways here connected in every direction.

The location of that Resurrection Array Device was roughly twenty li to the north.

Zong Shou cautiously spread his spiritual sense, exploring the passages one by one.

In just a moment, he discovered a rather spacious hall.

"This must be the place—"

Zong Shou grew increasingly cautious, his spiritual sense making contact. After a brief moment, he withdrew his sense like a tide, falling into contemplation with a peculiar expression.

Su Xiaoxiao was curious and asked, "Are there many Saint-rank experts there? Shou Lang should have contended with them back then. The Confucian and Daoist factions have countless powerhouses, yet they are only responsible for a single Rebirth Array Device. To be so picky, fearing danger and hardship—it’s truly laughable! Is this what they call a Great Cloud Realm Sect? Back then, if your Shou Lang had turned hostile, what could they have done? If the Qin Emperor is revived, the Cloud Realm will be the first to face the consequences, not Great Qian."

The more she spoke, the more indignant she became on Zong Shou’s behalf.

Zong Shou chuckled, explaining, "This spot is the closest to the Hall of Mountains and Rivers! Furthermore, it is influenced by the Celestial Altar, making the terrestrial energies clash most violently here."

This single reason was enough for Zong Shou to take the risk. If he intended to seize the Twelve Bronze Figures Guarding the Nation, traveling from this location would undoubtedly be the quickest and most convenient route.

With the Two Energies Dragon Gathering Array disabled, his Instant Space Teleportation Divine Ability could operate without constraint.

Another reason involved Shen Yuexuan. The Qin Emperor’s Palace was overseen by master artisans of the Mohist School, and this underground palace beneath it was also constructed entirely by the Mohists.

The meticulous preparation Shen Yuexuan undertook over the past two months, gathering the legacies of the various Mohist houses, yielded more than just partial blueprints of the Qin Emperor's tomb mechanisms.

He also mastered a secret known only to disciples of the Mohist School—that beneath this underground palace, there seemed to be another profound mystery.

After overseeing the construction of this underground palace in those bygone years, the presiding Mohist artisan was executed.

All the laborers were also put to death at the same time.

However, that artisan had long prepared for disaster. Before the incident occurred, he had entrusted his entire legacy of craft writings, and even the complete detailed diagrams of all the mechanisms and structures within the underground palace, to a close friend for safekeeping.

This was why Zong Shou had not protested and had agreed immediately. He too wished to see what was hidden beneath this palace.

Was it a treasury similar to the Central Vaults? Or something else? It piqued his considerable curiosity.

Yet, what surprised Zong Shou the most at this moment was the situation within the underground hall ahead.

"But it is truly strange! There are only two Corpse Generals guarding the inheritance array device over there, and not a single Qi Refiner."

Zong Shou looked puzzled. "When did my luck become this good?"

Hearing this, Su Xiaoxiao was also dumbfounded. Truly only two Corpse Generals?

Given this location was the closest to the Hall of Mountains and Rivers, she had assumed Xu Fu would have heavily garrisoned it.

How could merely two Corpse Generals obstruct Zong Shou, who possessed the Boundless Beginning and End Dharma Body?

But then she seemed to grasp something—no, wait! Precisely because it was so close, the number of Corpse Generals would be smaller—

Chuxue had frowned since entering the underground palace, gazing all around. At this moment, she also spoke with a puzzled tone, "Young Master, it started a while ago! I keep feeling as if someone is watching us nearby. It feels very dangerous—"

Zong Shou startled, his expression turning cold. Chuxue possessed the War-Martial Body, making her senses extremely acute. If she said this, it certainly meant she had truly sensed something.

In other words, someone was definitely lurking nearby, observing him!

And their methods were so sophisticated that he had felt nothing at all.

What was their intention?

After pondering in silence for a moment, Zong Shou suddenly gathered Su Xiaoxiao and Chuxue again and, with a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, darted straight towards the underground hall.

The void flickered, precisely hitting a blind spot among the palace’s mechanisms.

After traveling for over twenty li, when they were less than a breath’s distance from the underground hall, Zong Shou stopped again, glancing suspiciously behind him.

Moving at such high speed, if the observer did not want to be left behind, they would have had to keep up.

Without understanding the structural mechanics of this underground palace, it would be impossible to move as freely as he did; surely, some flaw would have been revealed.

However, the best-case scenario proved somewhat unexpected: the person secretly observing him still left no trace.

Had Chuxue’s perception been mistaken? Or had the other party anticipated that he would inevitably make a move for the Rebirth Artifact inside, and thus remained patient?

Zong Shou let out a cold laugh, yet without hesitation, he violently plunged into the underground hall.

Inside was a vast open space of about a thousand zhang across, containing nothing else besides a high platform resembling a ritual altar.

Dozens of night-luminescent stones, the size of dragon eyes, were embedded in the ceiling, illuminating the space as if it were broad daylight.

Two Corpse Generals clad in black battle armor stood upon the high platform, their expressions cold and wooden.

Beneath the platform were a full three thousand Heavenly Dipper Crimson Crossbowmen and an equal number of Heavenly Dipper Swordsmen. There were also twenty elaborate crossbow carts and about two thousand wooden puppets.

Seeing this, Su Xiaoxiao’s expression instantly became one of shock. "But the time clearly hasn't arrived yet!"

The originally agreed time was half an hour later, when the operation would commence simultaneously in nine directions.

At this moment, Zong Shou rushed directly towards the high platform.

The Boundless Darkness hung three zhang above his head, swallowing everything.

The arrows that rained down instantly, along with the needle darts and venom sprayed from the four walls, were completely ignored and absorbed.

Zong Shou let out a light chuckle, and with another flicker, he appeared atop the high platform.

"I never said I had to act in concert with them—"

To pass up such a golden opportunity just by waiting would be utterly foolish.

Su Xiaoxiao, instinctively, activated the Primordial Demon Seven Emotions Art, causing all six thousand Heavenly Dipper Corpse Soldiers to halt their movements.

Naturally, the location of this Rebirth Array Device was guarded by far more than just these Heavenly Dipper Swordsmen and Crimson Crossbowmen.

There were a full twenty figures above the Divine Realm! Yet, due to the resonance of the Seven Emotions affecting their minds, they all paused their actions momentarily.

Su Xiaoxiao exclaimed with exasperation, "Don't forget about Xu Fu!"

She refused to believe Zong Shou hadn't realized that the defenses here were weak precisely because Xu Fu was confident he could manage this place while distracted.

The time for the Qin Emperor's rebirth had not arrived, meaning the main body of this person should still possess sufficient power to attend to other matters.

If this person—even just a fragmented soul incarnation—were to appear here, the situation would likely turn grim for Zong Shou.

Zong Shou paid no heed. He appeared at the very center of the altar and reached directly for an object suspended above him.

The two Corpse Generals reacted with lightning speed. With a tiger's roar, blade lights flashed, one striking from the left and one from the right.

Zong Shou remained utterly unconcerned. The Primordial Unity Soul Sword instantly wove countless sword shadows to guard his left flank.

Meanwhile, his right hand, wielding the Primordial Unity Sword, sliced sharply to the right.

"Boundless Light!"

Brilliance erupted, dazzling to the extreme, unleashing the accumulated power of the black hole in an instant.

With a heavy clang, Zong Shou stood firm, unmoved. The Corpse General on the right was thrown backward uncontrollably, his body nearly embedding itself in the stone wall behind him.

From the left, a halberd light aggressively struck, shattering the layers of sword shadows.

But just as the Primordial Unity Soul Sword was about to dissipate, Chuxue's Blood Moon Blade swept in.

And Chuxue's innate intuition caused this strike to align almost perfectly with the way of assassination. Utilizing the Hidden Character Divine Art, the blade light flashed silently. Even though the Corpse General on the left tried desperately to dodge, Chuxue's Blood Moon Blade still carved a deep gash across his face, slicing into his abdomen.

Fortunately, the material of the black armor was exceptional; even when struck by a divine weapon, it managed to hold.

At this moment, Zong Shou had grasped the artifact suspended in the center of the altar.

Zong Shou had no time to properly examine it then; he took only a cursory glance.

Tucking it into his sleeve, he confirmed there were no other items nearby that could serve as a resurrection device.

He then activated the Instant Space Dragon Pellet, causing the three of them to vanish abruptly from the hall.

After several flickers, they repositioned several li away, stopping in a corridor.

Zong Shou’s brow arched slightly. The mysterious observer was still showing no trace of their presence.

What was both within his expectations and slightly surprising was that Xu Fu never appeared throughout the entire process.

It seemed as if he was deliberately allowing Zong Shou to steal the object.

Although his snatching was swift, it absolutely could not have been faster than this peak Saint Venerable.

"He truly did not appear—was this to balance something, or was he deliberately luring me here? Or perhaps, at this juncture, I, Zong Shou, still have some use, and I must not die yet?"

Zong Shou’s eyes flashed, and he fell into deep thought again. After a moment, he diverted his attention to examine the Rebirth Artifact he had forcefully seized.

It was a jade-green 'Seal Ring,' which could typically be worn like a ring, but used like a seal in special circumstances.

On the front of the 'Seal Ring' were four engraved characters—Tian Yuan Wu Ji (Heavenly Origin Limitless).

"Is this the Tian Yuan Limitless Ring?"

Su Xiaoxiao exclaimed in wonder. "It is said to be the supreme treasure of the Tianji Sect from ten thousand years ago! The token of the Sect Master, but its whereabouts were lost later—"

This was all she knew; she was clueless as to the object's function or divine abilities, only sensing an extremely rich vital life energy within the ring-seal.

"It is said that wearing this object habitually can extend one's lifespan by three thousand years. Moreover, it is a top-tier Immortal Treasure containing three layers of Heavenly Extreme True Qi Prohibitions—"

Zong Shou’s voice was calm as he tucked the ring-seal into his sleeve.

His own name was recorded on the Profound Fate Golden Ledger, rendering this object unnecessary for him. However, his wives were not disciples of the Azure Life Path.

Su Xiaoxiao gasped in shock, but recalling that this was one of the Qin Emperor's Rebirth Array Devices, she found some consolation.