Chapter 61. Commanding the Netherworld's Army, the Primordial Dragon's Resting Place (1)

When Lu Yuan emerged from the passage seemingly made of white light, the scenery around him peeled before he finally found himself on a vast, empty plaza emanating an ancient, desolate aura.

Bronze lamps stood everywhere, and they looked ancient, as if they'd been burning for hundreds of years. The ground beneath Lu Yuan's feet was flat, and it seemed to stretch endlessly.

Lu Yuan looked up at the dome above and saw fist-sized luminous pearls scattered across the dome like stars in the starry sky. The larger pearls on both sides clearly represented the sun and moon.

The dome soared high, towering at least ten thousand meters.

If this weren't an independent space, there was no way such a tall edifice could exist inside a mountain. The Mausoleum at Mount Li was indeed a world in itself!

In the far distance, Lu Yuan saw flowing rivers, but instead of water, they carried mercury.

"

The Records of the Grand Historian

states that mercury was used to represent the rivers, the lakes, and the seas; mechanical devices were then used to make all of them flow. The constellations were above, and the geographical features of the world were down below.

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"The so-called 'mermaid' fat was used as candles, and it can apparently burn for a very long time. The records were correct, but it's even grander than I had imagined. This is truly worthy of the Primordial Dragon's handiwork."

Lu Yuan smiled, recalling the historical records concerning the Mausoleum at Mount Li.

More importantly, numerous spiritual fruits and exotic herbs emanating a hazy glow were all over the plaza. Even a child would know that consuming them could bolster anyone's evolution.

Despite that, Lu Yuan remained completely still. After a while, he said, "This place is extremely dangerous. You people should retreat."

When his voice fell, dozens of Awakened jumped out from behind him.

"Don't misunderstand, we just followed you in," the Awakened at the helm of the group hurriedly explained, "Moreover, we're only going to take some; we won't take too many things with us."

"If I were you, I wouldn't even think of doing that," Lu Yuan warned, shaking his head. He wanted them to abandon the idea of plundering these spiritual fruits and exotic herbs.

There was only one reason he warned them. If one wanted to reach the final destination and obtain the greatest fortune within, one couldn't touch anything inside, especially the spiritual fruits and exotic herbs all over the plaza.

This hidden rule embodied the popular saying, "to give is to gain."

Lu Yuan had been here before. With his experience, he knew how to make the correct choices.

"What are you talking about? Are you saying that you want them all for yourself?" an Awakened remarked, sounding indignant upon coming to the conclusion that Lu Yuan wanted all the spiritual fruits and exotic herbs for himself.

However, he dared not act rashly. After all, Lu Yuan had single-handedly wiped out the terracotta soldiers outside the Mausoleum.

"Actually, you would have been safe had you not followed me in. Unfortunately, you walked in here with me," Lu Yuan said. Then, he looked at everyone and asked, "There were so many bronze doors outside. Why did you choose to follow me?"

He needed to reach the final destination and obtain that unparalleled breathing technique. He couldn't allow any mistakes; he would do whatever was necessary, even if it meant sacrificing a few lives.

"What...? A-Are you going to kill us?"

"We haven't done anything to offend you. We're just here to seek an opportunity for us to grow."

"You're too much! We ought to share all these spiritual fruits and exotic herbs!

Everyone was alarmed by Lu Yuan's words; they believed he would slaughter them.

"I'm not the one who'll be taking action," Lu Yuan said, chuckling softly. Indeed, he had never moved a step since he arrived in the plaza.

Rumble!

Just then, tremors ran across the plaza. The mercury rivers in the distance surged with waves, churning violently. Moments later, dark figures emerged from the mercury rivers.

These dark figures were mounted warriors, archers, and spearmen forming an army of thousands. They appeared similar to the terracotta soldiers outside, but unlike those terracotta soldiers, they weren't made of clay.

The dark figures reminiscent of withered skeletons were clad in armor, and wisps of green mist swirled at their feet. They were like those yin soldiers spoken of in myths.

As soon as they appeared, they lined up across the plaza and gazed at everyone present. The troops radiated a terrifying might. Each troop was devoid of the distinct aura of the living and was surrounded by a heavy mist of yin energy.

Arguably, they were no weaker than the Awakened on the path of evolution.

"Why do they look like soldiers in the netherworld? Are they like those yin soldiers in books? How come they're in the Mausoleum?"

"Legend says the Primordial Dragon ruled the world in life and sought to unify the netherworld in death. Could it be true?"

"No way... there are thousands of them, and they're not weaker than us. We're going to die here!"

The Awakened panicked upon seeing the netherworld's army. The terracotta soldiers outside the Mausoleum meant nothing to them, as they were made of clay.

However, the army before them was starkly different.

They were staring at an army composed of yin soldiers, after all.

Meanwhile, conflicts broke out in each of the independent spaces behind the other ninety-eight bronze doors. The Awakened fought over the spiritual fruits and exotic herbs so fiercely that a crimson hue stained the ground.

Certainly, none of them would yield now. After all, they had come here seeking fortune, and the so-called "fortune" had appeared before them. Naturally, they wouldn't hesitate or hold back.

The Winged Celestial God, the Northern Emperor, the Ice Fairy, the Southern Sovereign, and the Asura were powerful. Their strikes were sharp and decisive; moreover, they were backed by their respective forces.

They claimed whatever was around them, and none of the Awakened around them dared to compete against them. They could only watch helplessly as the Five Supremes plucked the spiritual fruits and put away the exotic herbs.

The Five Supremes would use them to evolve and expand their influence even further.

Just then, everyone cried out in alarm. Yin soldiers appeared before them, staring at the outsiders who dared to trespass on the Mausoleum. Without any hesitation, they charged forward with weapons in hand.

In mere moments, the battle changed from Awakened versus Awakened to Awakened versus yin soldiers.

The yin soldiers were more powerful and fiercer than the terracotta soldiers outside. In the blink of an eye, the blood of the Awakened stained the earth.

Even the Winged Celestial God and the other Supremes could only defend themselves against the relentless attacks of the yin soldiers. To make matters worse, there seemed to be an endless number of them as they rushed out of the mercury rivers like a deluge.

A cacophony of roars and screams pervaded the air; the battle sounded more tragic in the Mausoleum than outside.

Everyone fought desperately for both their lives and the fortune they sought.

This was the second trial of the Mausoleum at Mount Li—the Netherworld's Army.

If the terracotta soldiers outside were the Primordial Dragon's troops in the world of the living, then these yin soldiers were his elite forces in the netherworld. Even the powerful Awakened found them extremely difficult to handle.

Sooner or later, they would become utterly exhausted and be killed.

Even someone like Asura began receiving injuries under the yin soldiers' concentrated attacks.

Meanwhile, the thousands of yin soldiers before Lu Yuan charged forward. They attacked the Awakened, sparing them not even a quarter.

Soon, they discovered a terrifying fact. The yin soldiers headed straight for them, ignoring Lu Yuan, even though he stood closer to the yin soldiers. The yin soldiers rushed past Lu Yuan as the latter stood in place.

It was like the yin soldiers had deliberately ignored him.

"Wait, what's going on here? How come these yin soldiers aren't attacking him?"

Everyone present was puzzled.

Unfortunately, they would never get the answer to their question. Under the combined attacks of thousands of yin soldiers, the Awakened who followed Lu Yuan were killed; not even one was spared.

Once the Awakened were dead, the yin soldiers stopped, and then they turned to look at Lu Yuan. They stood still, standing quietly in place as if petrified.

"I knew it." Lu Yuan smiled, taking a deep breath as he retrieved something from the Meridian Heavenmend Furnace. It was the Ghost Seal he had purchased at the Treasure Pavilion.

The Ghost Seal hadn't shown any changes after the Awakening, but it hadn't become useless.

When Lu Yuan took out the Ghost Seal, a mysterious aura emanated from it, enveloping him. Immediately afterward, dull

thuds

echoed as the yin soldiers, including those behind the other bronze doors, knelt down simultaneously.

They lowered their heads, all facing one direction—where Lu Yuan stood.

Those behind the other doors were confused; they had no idea what was going on, but they saw the yin soldiers kneeling in one direction.

The Winged Celestial God, Zhou Yunqiong, Ice Fairy, Dean Zheng, and the others were all stunned and dumbfounded. How come the yin soldiers emanating such thick killing intent had suddenly decided to kneel?

Indeed, this was the reason Lu Yuan purchased the Ghost Seal. He only paid fifty million for it, but today, it allowed him to command the netherworld's army within the Mausoleum at Mount Li.

"Arise," Lu Yuan said.

The yin soldiers promptly stood up. The mysterious aura from the Ghost Seal washed over them. At this moment, Lu Yuan was like the emperor commanding the world's armies.