Chapter 171: Tuan Tuan's Background

Rumbling!

This was already the seventeenth forceful assault.

Stone and earth continuously fell from the passage ceiling, but the massive stone door remained completely unmoved.

"Don't waste your effort. This world-separating stone was crafted from extraterrestrial meteoritic material hundreds of thousands of years ago. It's immune to all spiritual power impacts, so even the most powerful methods are useless for a forceful assault."

Bai Lianxue sighed helplessly. She glanced at the useless Golden Light Clay Bodhisattva in her palm, and everyone present was truly baffled.

"How about... I, I try?"

Just then, Little Tuantuan poked out her head, her large, bright eyes darting around at everyone, catching Xu Yang's attention.

"Little one, what mischievous idea has your clever mind come up with now? You're not planning to draw a key to open the door, are you?"

Long Kun teased Little Tuantuan, who rolled her eyes at him before squeezing her way to the front of the enormous world-separating stone door.

The tiny child and the massive stone formed a stark contrast.

At least before this moment, no one believed she could truly create another miracle.

The stone door, which blocked spiritual power, couldn't be opened by the 'Brush Forms Soldiers' technique to create a miracle. What could this girl possibly use to open it?

At that very moment, Xu Yang clearly saw Little Tuantuan bite her index finger, then lightly trace a faint mark on the surface of the world-separating stone.

"Oh my heavens! Look, this..."

Long Kun's worldview nearly collapsed. He gaped, covering his mouth, while everyone around him, including Xu Yang, stared at the scene before them with incredulous expressions.

The bloodstain left by the little girl was spreading rapidly, visible to the naked eye. What were clearly just a few drops quickly expanded into an unceasing pool, eventually covering the entire world-separating stone wall!

"There's a pattern!"

The bloodstain swiftly moved along a specific path until it reached the center of the stone surface, where it outlined the exceptionally clear totem of the Ancient Desolation Dynasty. Xu Yang finally understood the little child's identity.

"You... you're actually of the Ancient Desolation Dynasty's royal bloodline! Little one, you're extraordinary!"

Tuantuan's big eyes fluttered as she looked at Xu Yang, then she giggled and wrapped her finger.

Creak!

A terrifying rumbling sound gradually emerged at that moment. The fissure in the center of the massive world-separating stone emitted a dark golden light, then slowly began to open to both sides.

A dense, malevolent Yin energy surged out from the center of the fissure.

"Long Kun, hold your ground!"

As Xu Yang spoke, he pointed a finger to his brow, conjuring a barrier with his powerful Tai Chi totem to withstand the terrifying Yin energy.

Imperial tombs typically harbor dense Yin energy, which can harm cultivators' life force. After all, such places are almost devoid of spiritual energy, and being sealed underground for extended periods, or even in a near-vacuum environment, the primary concern is the invasion of Yin energy into the body's meridians.

At the same time, Ling Qingshu's Mysterious Moon Flowing Light protection was forcefully amplified once more, providing a double layer of defense that barely allowed the group to withstand the impact.

When the stone door fully opened, the sight before them completely stunned Xu Yang's team. The layout of the imperial tomb's inner space, including its vastness that could only be described as immense, left Xu Yang and his companions in awe.

"It's hard to imagine—did they build an underground kingdom? The craftsmanship of the Ancient Desolation Dynasty is truly astonishing!"

Even the well-traveled Xu Yang was a little shaken. As they took their first step, they realized the stone platform connecting to the vast inner space was nearing its end.

Before them floated an endless, countless array of chariot and horse effigies, virtually a high-fidelity replica of a real-world army!

In the central eastern area stood an incredibly exquisite and vast floating palace, reached by nearly a thousand steps. That ultimate hall was also the only place in the entire imperial tomb that emitted spiritual energy fluctuations.

"Let's go inside and see!"

Xu Yang spoke softly, pulling the team members back from their state of utter shock.

"Hiss! I can feel it—the purest dragon aura is hidden at the end of that palace!"

The little dragon python was beside itself with excitement. It immediately leaped off Xu Yang, revealing its true form without a word, and charged towards the vicinity of the palace.

"Careful, come back quickly!"

Xu Yang had no time to stop it. The creature's true form was over five meters tall, but its large movements inadvertently disturbed a long-sealed ancient forbidden array. Suddenly, a dark blue array-light totem radiated from above, and its powerful restrictive force almost instantly reverted the creature to its original state.

"Senior Xu Yang, save me!"

The little snake turned into a big snake, then turned back into a little snake, its grandstanding lasting less than three seconds...

The terrifying array power fluctuations genuinely startled Long Kun and the others on the stone platform. This power could absolutely suppress anyone below the Peak Nascent Soul Realm!

Without time to complain, Xu Yang rushed forward without hesitation. With one hand, he formed a Yin-Yang diagram, and protected by incredibly powerful Daoist energy, he charged into the array-light area, forcibly pulling the little dragon python out.

The little creature dared not act rashly again, having truly experienced the danger of this place. However, they did not know that once the imperial tomb's restrictions reawakened, endless misfortune would await them!

Boom!

The colossal world-separating stone closed once more. The dark blue array-pattern totem above their heads emitted extremely unusual silver-white light particles, pressing down towards the locations where Xu Yang and the others had aura fluctuations.

"Oh no, it's Bone-Devouring Silver! A special liquid specifically guarding the imperial tomb. Even a single drop, upon contact with flesh, can dissolve a living body into a pile of bones!"

Although Xu Yang wasn't an expert in tombs, he did have some knowledge of this special substance, and he hadn't expected to encounter it here.

"Oh no, oh no, it's all my fault! I've caused trouble for everyone!"

"This isn't the time for that. We are a team, and we won't easily abandon anyone. The priority is to figure out how to escape this predicament and appease this ancient array!"

As the totem's light continued to intensify, more and more Bone-Devouring Silver merged into the space.

"This thing probably tracks aura movements. Let's block our auras first!"

With a wave of his hand, Xu Yang produced an ancient treasure from his palm that could mask auras, which he had obtained during his travels across the continent. It emitted a dark golden light, enveloping the area within a few meters.

Indeed, once the Bone-Devouring Silver lost its lock on their auras, it began to scatter wildly, surging towards the surrounding effigies.

Sizzling...

Countless streams of Bone-Devouring Silver adhered to the surfaces of the effigies, truly emitting intense corrosive sounds that sent shivers down Long Kun and the others' spines.

"My heavens, this stuff is terrifying, isn't it? If it can melt effigies, let alone human flesh!"