Chapter 1370: Old Friends Reunited

After entering the imperial tomb, Zuan reverted to his original appearance. There was no longer any point in pretending to be the Demon Emperor, and his true look had been unsettling the three women anyway.

The three women's expressions all changed simultaneously. "Could it be a monstrous creature like a Deathworm?"

Apparently, the scaled Deathworms they encountered previously in the Yu family's mine had left a deep psychological scar.

Zuan shook his head, admitting he didn't know either. They all focused their attention, staying on high alert and staring intently at the shifting wall, ready to attack whatever emerged.

The earth and stone of the wall undulated for a moment, then a large hole broke open, and something crawled out.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh, this old man nearly suffocated to death..." a rotund figure grumbled.

Zuan and the others instinctively made a move, but then heard a somewhat familiar voice. They looked closely and exclaimed in surprise, "Is that you?"

It was none other than Wu Liang, the chubby Taoist priest who had told their fortunes in Qingqiu Country and traveled with them to the Marquis Sui's tomb.

"Huh? It's you all?" Wu Liang was startled when he saw people there, but he visibly relaxed when he recognized them as "old acquaintances."

"What are you doing here?" Zuan asked, puzzled. This man had too many mysterious aspects about him for Zuan not to be suspicious.

"I should be asking you that! How did so many of you get into the imperial tomb? If I recall correctly, you have a grudge against the Golden Crow Crown Prince, right? Huh, don't tell me..." Wu Liang's mouth formed an O-shape, looking utterly shocked.

"Enough chatter. We're asking the questions now, not the other way around," Yun Jianyue snapped impatiently.

Perhaps sensing the killing intent in Yun Jianyue's eyes, Wu Liang stopped his blabbering and chuckled awkwardly. "I'm just a bit short on cash lately, so I came here to see if there were any treasures."

"You're grave robbing in the imperial tomb?" Yu Yanluo's expression turned strange. "You really have no fear of death, do you?"

Wu Liang rubbed his hands together, smiling sheepishly. "There's no other way. The imperial tomb has high risks, but also high rewards."

Yan Xuehen questioned, "This imperial tomb is heavily guarded, filled with various deadly formations. The internal walls aren't ordinary either; I just noticed they've been reinforced with runes and have all sorts of preventative measures. How did you dig a tunnel in so easily?"

It was precisely because she understood runes and formations that she felt his words weren't entirely truthful.

The others also looked at Wu Liang upon hearing this, their gazes turning dangerous.

Sensing the genuine killing intent, Wu Liang quickly picked up something in his hand. "I got in using this."

They looked closer and saw a dark, somewhat golden glowing claw in his hand.

"Is that the one you got from the Marquis Sui's tomb last time?" Zuan had some recollection.

"Marquis Sui's tomb? So that's what that tomb was called last time," Wu Liang paused, then explained, "That's right. This is the weapon of the old master of the Pangolin tribe, a sacred artifact of our clan. It allows us to travel freely through the earth and even break through some defensive formations."

The others recalled the legends of the Pangolin tribe. This tribe was skilled in grave robbing, which was why they incurred the wrath of many and were nearly annihilated by the combined forces of various clans back then.

They never expected that Wu Liang, a descendant, would surpass his ancestors to such an extent, even daring to rob the tombs of successive Demon Emperors.

Yun Jianyue secretly transmitted her voice to the others using qi: "We can't let what we're doing here be revealed. Should we kill him?"

Yan Xuehen frowned but remained silent. While she didn't approve of wantonly killing innocents, they could simply leave. However, Yu Yanluo couldn't, and if anything were to happen to the Serpent race because of this, they would deeply regret it.

Wu Liang, being astute, immediately noticed the change in their expressions and quickly said, "Don't mess around! Even though I can't beat all of you by myself, I'm not to be trifled with either. Before I die, I can still alert the guards outside, and then we'll all go down together."

Zuan and the others: "..."

This fellow was quite blunt; he laid his cards on the table directly.

However, they were also unsure, as this guy was too mysterious. Who knew what life-saving skills he possessed? If they truly fought to the death, he might genuinely be able to alert the people outside, which would be bad for everyone.

So he said with a smile, "Taoist priest, you worry too much. How could we be such cruel and murderous people? It's just that entering the imperial tomb is a matter of great importance, which is why we were a bit concerned."

Wu Liang immediately replied, "You can rest assured about that. I can swear an oath that I will never reveal having seen you after this. And if you're still uneasy, I can follow you for the rest of the way, so everything I do will be under your supervision."

The group exchanged glances, all a little surprised. They hadn't fully believed he was there merely to rob the tomb; if he were allied with the Crown Prince or sent by the Demon Emperor, letting him go would be problematic. Yet, he had unexpectedly offered such a "considerate" suggestion.

This turn of events made it difficult for them to object.

"Then let's go together," Zuan said in a low voice. For now, this was the only option. They would observe him along the way to see what his true purpose was in the imperial tomb.

"Alright!" Upon realizing his life was spared, Wu Liang's eyes crinkled into slits as he smiled.

The group continued deeper, discreetly communicating among themselves and carefully guarding against any sudden attacks from Wu Liang, while also surveying their surroundings.

The passageway here was extremely wide, not gloomy and cramped like ordinary tombs. Every few meters along the walls were small, Golden Crow-shaped lamps, illuminating the path like sacred flames.

Wu Liang exclaimed, "It truly lives up to being an imperial tomb! These lamps are fueled by deep-sea fish oil, which burns smokelessly. Legend has it they can sustain a flame for a thousand years."

"Mermaid oil?" Zuan had also heard similar legends and his expression changed, knowing that Shang Liuyu was from the Mermaid tribe.

"How could it be? The Mermaid tribe holds a very high status among the Sea Race," Wu Liang explained. "This is oil from a giant whale in the deep sea, extremely precious even among the Sea Race. Most likely, it was a special tribute from the Sea Race to the Demon Emperor."

"You certainly know a lot," Zuan said, casting a surprised glance at him.

"Heh heh, it's how I make my living," Wu Liang said, a hint of pride on his face.

They walked further, and then noticed various murals on the surrounding walls. Calling them murals wasn't quite right; they seemed to be carved onto the surface using a special technique.

The content within was vast, seemingly depicting a war or perhaps battles against terrifying beasts.

Wu Liang explained, "These depict the proudest accomplishments of successive Demon Emperors, meant to inspire future generations to revere their great achievements."

Yun Jianyue cast a sidelong glance at him. "You're so familiar with this place. I doubt this is your first time here, is it?"

"No, no, I just did a lot of research beforehand. After all, coming to the imperial tomb is extremely dangerous, so it's best to investigate everything thoroughly," Wu Liang explained with an earnest expression.

The group felt suspicious. It would be difficult to research the conditions inside the imperial tomb beforehand, no matter how much preparation one did.

However, given the level of security here, it also wasn't realistic for him to have come in repeatedly.

It had to be said that the Pangolin tribe was indeed skilled in grave robbing. With Wu Liang present, he preemptively helped them avoid many dangerous traps along the way.

The token the Little Demon Empress gave them was only effective against the killing formations outside the imperial tomb, not the ones inside.

Along the way, Wu Liang, in his familiar manner, also tried to ascertain their purpose for being there. Unfortunately, Zuan and the others were all shrewd individuals; none of them let slip even a hint.

In this manner, the group continued to delve deeper. Upon reaching a fork in the path, Wu Liang pointed straight ahead and said, "The Golden Crow Crown Prince should be undergoing the trials of the successive Demon Emperors in there."

"Then we'll go this way," Zuan said, directly choosing the other path.

Wu Liang was clearly surprised. "So you're not here for him? Are you here for the imperial tomb's treasures, just like me?"

"What treasures?" The group suddenly stared at him.