Chapter 1399: Ancient Secrets

Upon hearing his question, a nervous laugh echoed from within the ancient tomb. "Am I human or ghost? Hahaha, I'm not human while alive, nor a ghost after death. I've been neither human nor ghost for countless ages, and you ask if I'm human or ghost."

The Demon Emperor frowned. "I don't have time for riddles."

Wu Liang watched in admiration. If it were him, he would have been scared senseless by the voice from the ancient tomb. In all his years of tomb raiding, he had encountered some 'zongzi' (reanimated corpses), but never one that could speak. According to ancient clan legends, encountering something that could speak in an ancient tomb usually meant certain death. Such entities were either 'zongzi' powerful enough to develop sentience, or incredibly formidable beings that had lived for countless ages. In either case, it signified terrifying power. Yet, the Demon Emperor still had the leisure to converse with such an entity. This, Wu Liang thought, must be the confidence of a true powerhouse.

Seeming to sense his impatience, the voice chuckled. "I detect the aura of the Golden Crow on you. You must be of Golden Crow lineage."

The Demon Emperor and Golden Crow Prince exchanged glances. "What if we are?"

"Technically, I should be considered your ancestor, many generations removed," the voice said faintly.

Wu Liang's expression turned odd. The remark sounded almost like an insult.

The Golden Crow Prince was startled and quickly looked at his father.

The Demon Emperor, however, remained calm. "Heh, do you expect me to believe that?"

"Whether you believe it or not doesn't matter; after all, I'm not your direct ancestor," the voice paused, then suddenly added, "Young man, I sense a familiar aura about you. The Sun-Shooting Bow is with you, isn't it?"

The Golden Crow Prince flinched. "How do you know?"

Even the Demon Emperor couldn't help but frown.

The voice chuckled a few times, its tone particularly forlorn. "That bow was once a sacred artifact of my clan. How could I not know of it?"

"Nonsense! The Sun-Shooting Bow has been a divine artifact of the Golden Crow clan since ancient times. How could it belong to another clan? And don't try to spread your deceptive talk here; I don't sense any Golden Crow bloodline from you," the Demon Emperor said coldly. If the other party hadn't immediately identified them as Golden Crows and sensed the presence of the Sun-Shooting Bow, he wouldn't have bothered with further conversation.

Wu Liang, standing nearby, was startled. *No Golden Crow bloodline?* He had initially thought this 'Unknowable Land,' located within the Golden Crow Imperial Tomb, must be intricately linked to the Golden Crow clan. Hearing what this entity said earlier, he'd imagined it would be a heartwarming reunion story, a happy ending for all. But now it seemed things weren't as he'd expected, which could only mean danger.

At that moment, a strange laugh emanated from the ancient tomb. "Hahaha, who would have thought that with the passage of time, the Sun-Shooting Bow, which nearly annihilated the Golden Crow lineage, would now be regarded as a family heirloom by Golden Crow descendants."

The Demon Emperor and Golden Crow Prince's expressions instantly changed. "What nonsense are you spouting?"

The voice then continued, "Since you were able to reach this place, you must have passed through Feather Mountain earlier, correct? What did you feel there?"

The Golden Crow Prince's heart skipped a beat. He had felt profoundly uneasy there, an inexplicable sense of dread. Even his father, the Emperor, had felt the same. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so cautious, sending Zuan and the others ahead to scout, which ultimately allowed them to escape. Of course, as a prominent figure among the younger generation, he had gradually calmed down after the initial panic upon entering. He didn't let these emotions show on his face.

The Demon Emperor, who had been secretly observing him, nodded inwardly. *This boy is truly worthy of my careful upbringing over the years; he hasn't disappointed me.*

Seeing their lack of response, the voice didn't seem to mind and continued on its own. "Even if you say nothing, I can mostly guess. Feather Mountain is called Feather Mountain because it was formed from the blood-stained feathers of your Golden Crow ancestors, shot down by the Sun-Shooting Bow long ago."

Hearing this, even the Demon Emperor's expression changed. Combining it with the strange feeling he'd experienced at Feather Mountain, he had already half-believed it. "What exactly happened?"

"Heh, finally willing to listen to me?" the voice chuckled. "Too much time has passed; I've lost all concept of it. Perhaps it was thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years ago. The Heavenly Emperor back then was named Jun. He had many wives, and one of them was the Sun Goddess, Xihe. The two of them bore ten sons..." The voice paused there, then continued, "Those were the ten Golden Crows, the very first Golden Crows in existence."

The Demon Emperor and Golden Crow Prince both saw the shock in each other's eyes. The Demon Emperor quickly retorted, "Hmph, pure fabrication. Our clan records contain no such accounts."

"Too much time has passed, and many things have been lost to history; it's normal for you not to know," the voice continued. "Back then, the Golden Crows were very playful and often ventured out all at once. However, this brought suffering to the people below. To the common folk, it was as if ten suns hung in the sky, scorching the earth, making life unbearable."

"Later, a great hero emerged among humanity, known as Yi. He had previously received a red bow from the Heavenly Emperor. To save the people, he used this bow to shoot down nine of the Golden Crows. At that time, the scattered, blood-stained feathers of the Golden Crows fell, forming a large mountain, which later became Feather Mountain. The remaining Golden Crow was left behind, following the pattern of rising in the east and setting in the west, becoming the sun in the sky. Thus, that red bow was later called the Sun-Shooting Bow."

Listening to this account of past events, Wu Liang, standing by, was dumbfounded. The Golden Crow Imperial Family usually boasted so much, yet he never imagined they had such a tragic history. And the Sun-Shooting Bow, the divine artifact they prided themselves on, turned out to be the very culprit that slew their ancestors. While gloating, the smile on his face quickly froze. Now that he knew such a secret, would he be silenced afterwards?

The Demon Emperor's expression also changed several times. He snorted, "An interesting story, but unfortunately, I don't believe it."

The voice said mockingly, "Though you say you don't believe, you yourself know best whether you truly do."

The Demon Emperor frowned. "You summoned us here not just to tell me some nonsensical story, did you?"

"Do you know who I am?" the voice sighed.

"You've been playing mysterious for so long, who knows who you are?" The Demon Emperor's voice was cold. "My patience is limited." Given his cultivation and status, who would dare to be so cryptic with him normally?

"As I just said, the Heavenly Emperor had many wives. One wife bore the ancestors of your Golden Crow clan. Another wife bore my father. So, your Golden Crow clan's progenitor is my uncle. That's why I said I was your ancestor earlier."

The Demon Emperor: "..."

The Golden Crow Prince: "..."

Wu Liang's jaw also dropped. The individual in the ancient tomb had such an immense background?

The Demon Emperor took a deep breath. "If you are deliberately trying to get the better of me, I can only say you have succeeded in provoking my anger."

"My apologies, but being sealed here alone for so long, it's rare to have someone to talk to, so I tend to be a bit garrulous," the voice chuckled dryly. "Initially, my grandfather passed the imperial throne to my father. Many years later, when my father grew old, he, in turn, passed the throne to me. However, there was a cunning, ambitious individual who secretly cultivated too many loyal followers and eventually undermined my father. He then conspired with a host of treacherous officials and usurped my throne. Still unsatisfied, he falsely accused me of various shameful crimes like immorality and unworthiness, deceiving the world by claiming my father had abdicated to him for these reasons."

Wu Liang suddenly understood. No wonder this ancient tomb, despite being of imperial design, differed so greatly from normal imperial tombs in both scale and style. It turned out to belong to a deposed emperor.

The Demon Emperor sneered. "I thought you were someone significant, which is why I patiently listened to you for so long. It turns out you're just a useless wretch whose throne was usurped."

"From my observation, you don't have much lifespan left, do you?" the voice suddenly said coldly.

The Demon Emperor's expression changed. The voice then added, "Don't you want to know why I've been able to live for so long?"