Chapter 1334: Wen Dou

"The Imperial Mausoleum?" Zu An and his companions were dumbfounded, having not expected the map to point to this location.

At that moment, soldiers surrounded them. The leader waved his hand, signaling to apprehend them, and soon various figures emerged from the forest, closing in.

Zu An and the others found themselves in a difficult position. While they certainly weren't afraid of these soldiers, being in the Demon Imperial Court and clashing with guards at the Imperial Mausoleum would be hard to resolve.

At this point, Yu Yanluo stepped forward with a slight smile. "I apologize," she said. "We are from the Serpent Clan, invited by the Demon Emperor to attend the assembly. We've just arrived in the Imperial Court and are unfamiliar with the roads. We were drawn by the bustling activity here and inadvertently found ourselves in this area."

The general was momentarily stunned by her smile. Though veiled, her exquisite features were still faintly discernible. He stood dumbfounded and asked, "Are you Queen Medusa?"

"That's right. I hope, General, you can be lenient with us." Yu Yanluo's smile was as refreshing as a spring breeze, and her gentle, sweet voice made the general's bones turn to jelly.

"So it is Queen Medusa. No harm done then, as you weren't aware. Please, retreat quickly, or it will be troublesome if you alert the masters inside," the general advised.

"Thank you, General!" Yu Yanluo thanked him, subtly winked at the others, and then turned to leave.

Watching the general, who stood like a stone statue in the distance, craning his neck and occasionally waving, Yun Jianyue remarked with emotion, "Sister Yu, your charm is truly immense. In just a few words, this young man was utterly smitten by you."

Yu Yanluo smiled faintly. "Sister Yun, if you weren't wearing a mask, that general would surely have been enchanted by you too."

Yun Jianyue snorted. "I know myself well. I'm fierce all day long, so I'm not as good as you in this regard."

If she were to employ her charm techniques, she could naturally captivate the general with ease. However, she wondered what right or virtue he possessed to warrant such an effort from her.

Zu An cleared his throat. "You two don't need to keep flattering each other here. What I'm curious about is why the Unknowable Land points to the Demon Imperial Mausoleum."

At his words, the three women fell silent, unable to fathom why this was the case.

"Do you think this Unknowable Land has already been explored by the Demon Imperial Family?" Yu Yanluo asked with some concern, fearing that any fortunes within would have already been claimed.

Yan Xuehen shook her head. "Unlikely. The Unknowable Land is far beyond an ordinary secret realm. If it were truly explored, it couldn't be kept secret. Just like when the Human Emperor Zhao Hao sent people to the Unknowable Land to search for the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture' back then, no matter how much secrecy was maintained, word still eventually got out."

"As for the demons, there has never been any news about the Unknowable Land. If my guess is correct, even the Demon Emperor himself doesn't know there's an Unknowable Land hidden within their Imperial Mausoleum."

Yun Jianyue nodded. "The Ice Maiden's analysis makes sense. The Unknowable Land is extremely mysterious. Legend has it that its activation requires the right time, place, and people—various stringent conditions, none of which can be missing. It's not something that can be easily claimed by others."

Yu Yanluo said, "Then let's find an opportunity to quietly slip into the mountains and investigate."

The others shook their heads. Yan Xuehen stated, "I'm afraid that won't work. I subtly sensed a moment ago that the Imperial Mausoleum is extremely heavily guarded. Moreover, the forests and structures along the way have various hidden killing formations. A moment's carelessness would lead to being trapped and killed inside."

Zu An also added, "Just now, I observed the shape and layout of these mountains. There's a subtle, impending sense of deadly intent. Once activated, even a Grandmaster would likely find it difficult to protect themselves."

Having studied "Di Tian Shui Chan Wei" during this period, he had gained some insight and could now discern the features of mountains and rivers.

"So dangerous?" Yun Jianyue frowned upon hearing this. "Why would an Imperial Mausoleum be so heavily defended? Could it be that the Demon Emperor already knows there's an Unknowable Land here?"

If that were the case, wouldn't their trip be in vain?

Yu Yanluo's eyes suddenly lit up. "I remember now! The Demon Emperor's succession ceremony is held in the Grand Ancestral Temple within the Imperial Mausoleum. That's why they would have set up defenses here in advance."

"So that's it." The others breathed a sigh of relief that the Unknowable Land hadn't been exposed. However, they soon grew worried. If the succession ceremony was to be held there, they wouldn't be able to investigate for a long time, and they clearly couldn't stay in the Imperial Court for too long.

Unfortunately, they couldn't think of a solution at the moment and decided to return first.

On the way, Zu An asked, "Weren't the demons driven to the bitter cold lands of the north many years ago after losing the great war against humans? Why would their Imperial Mausoleum be here?"

"I know about this," Yun Jianyue explained. "Because many, many years ago, this was a prosperous land for the demons. They later moved south to occupy vast areas rich in spiritual energy, and only then were they defeated by humans."

"No wonder there's an inexplicable sense of ancientness here," Zu An said, looking back at the mountain forest. He felt it vaguely resembled something, but he couldn't quite recall what it was at the moment.

Thus, the group returned to the bustling market. As they discussed their recent discovery, a harsh voice suddenly rang out, "Well, well, isn't this Queen Medusa of the Serpent Clan? What a small world; we meet again so soon."

A troop of knights riding lions had surrounded them not far away. Leading them were three princes of the Lion Clan, all with golden full beards: Shi Min, Shi Gong, and Shi Rong, whom they had encountered outside the city gates earlier. The one speaking was the most arrogant, Shi Rong.

Yu Yanluo and the others subtly frowned, thinking how unlucky it was to run into these troublesome individuals again.

At this moment, Shi Gong critically scrutinized Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue. He couldn't help but snort, "That last fleeting glance, I thought they were peerless beauties. Who knew they'd turn out to be two ugly hags? What a waste of good figures."

Yan Xuehen was speechless.

Yun Jianyue was speechless.

Given their status, they had never been spoken to like this. Yun Jianyue was so enraged she was about to charge forward. Zu An, worried she might expose her identity, quickly stopped her, suppressing a smile as he said, "Sister, didn't you say you don't mind appearances?"

Yun Jianyue retorted, "This guy's tone is just too annoying. I won't feel right until I beat him up."

Seeing her impulsive reaction, Shi Gong burst into laughter. "What, want to fight? Normally, engaging with such ugly women would be beneath me. But last time you were lucky to encounter the Little Demon Empress, which allowed you to escape. This time, I don't mind teaching you a good lesson."

Yun Jianyue was speechless.

The look in her eyes as she gazed at him was as if she were looking at a dead man.

Just as tensions were about to erupt, a squad of Golden Crow Guards passed by not far away, looking at them vigilantly.

Shi Min quickly stopped Shi Gong and whispered, "The Demon Emperor has issued a prohibition against private duels during this period. The Crown Prince was assassinated yesterday, so patrols are even stricter. I hear many people from various clans have been arrested for private fighting. Don't court disaster."

Shi Gong then huffed unhappily, "I don't know what kind of luck you have, always running into influential people."

Zu An shook his head and sighed, "Actually, it's your good luck. Otherwise, you wouldn't even know how you died."

Rage points from Shi Min +222222222…

Rage points from Shi Gong +222222222…

Rage points from Shi Rong +222222222…

The Lion Clan princes glared at him angrily.

"I see you're not from the Serpent Clan, but perhaps the Duck Clan, given how stubborn your mouths are?" Shi Min's expression also darkened. "Since you're so defiant, let's have a contest. The Demon Emperor's ban is in effect, so we can't fight physically. Let's have a battle of wits. Do you dare?"

"A battle of wits?" Zu An couldn't help but want to laugh, seeing the several full-bearded Lion Clan men. Their suggestion was as absurd as Zhang Fei proposing an embroidery contest.

"No problem. How do you plan to have this battle of wits?"

On their side, they had two Grandmasters of profound scholarship, a well-traveled number one beauty, and himself, a dashing and extraordinary individual. How could they possibly lose to a few brutes?

"Coincidentally, we've been invited to a stone-gambling event at the Jadeite Garden just ahead. Let's make that our contest. Do you dare to join?" Shi Min said proudly.

"Stone gambling?" The others exchanged glances, their expressions somewhat peculiar. After all, Yu Yanluo was once the patriarch of the human race's foremost jade family.