Chapter 1394: Ancient Secrets

Hearing his question, a high-pitched, almost hysterical laugh came from inside the ancient tomb: "Am I human or ghost? Ha ha ha. I've been neither truly alive nor truly dead for countless ages. And you ask if I'm human or ghost."

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

Wu Liang watched, greatly impressed. If it had been him, he would have been scared witless by the voice from the ancient tomb. After all, in his many years of tomb raiding, though he had encountered some animated corpses, he had never come across one that could speak.

According to ancient clan legends, encountering something that can speak in an ancient tomb almost always means certain death. It implies either a zombie so powerful it has gained sentience, or an incredibly formidable entity that has lived for countless ages. In either case, it signifies terrifying power.

The Demon Emperor actually had the composure to chat with such a being. This truly was the confidence of a powerhouse.

Seemingly sensing his impatience, the voice chuckled: "I sense the aura of the Golden Crow on you. You are of the Golden Crow bloodline, aren't you?"

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

"In a way, I suppose I could be considered your ancestor from countless generations past," the voice said lightly.

Wu Liang's expression turned peculiar; the remark sounded strangely like an insult.

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

The Demon Emperor, however, remained calm: "Heh, do you think I'd 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, "That young man, I sense a familiar aura on you. The Sun-Slaying Bow is with you, isn't it?"

The Golden Crow Prince was startled: "How did you know?"

Even the Demon Emperor couldn't help but frown.

The voice chuckled a few times, sounding particularly forlorn: "This bow was once a sacred relic of my clan; how could I not know?"

"Nonsense! The Sun-Slaying Bow has been a divine artifact of the Golden Crow clan since ancient times. How could it belong to another clan? And don't spread such deceptive words here; I don't sense a single trace of Golden Crow blood in 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-Slaying Bow, he wouldn't have bothered wasting his breath.

Wu Liang, standing nearby, was startled. No Golden Crow bloodline?

He had originally thought that this Unknowable Land, being within the Golden Crow Imperial Tomb, must have an intricate connection to the Golden Crow clan. Based on what this being had said earlier, he had even imagined a heartwarming reunion scenario, where everyone would be happy.

But now it seemed not to be the case, which would imply danger.

At this moment, the voice from the ancient tomb let out a strange laugh: "Ha ha ha, who would have thought that with the passage of time, the Sun-Slaying Bow, which once almost wiped out the Golden Crow lineage, is now regarded as a family heirloom by their descendants."

The Demon Emperor and the Golden Crow Prince's expressions changed drastically: "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Then the voice said: "Since you were able to come here, you must have passed through Feather Mountain earlier, right? What did you feel then?"

The Golden Crow Prince's heart skipped a beat. He had felt completely uncomfortable there, with an inexplicable sense of trepidation.

Even his father, the Emperor, had felt the same. Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to be so cautious, sending Zu An and the others to scout ahead, which ironically had allowed them to escape.

Of course, he was, after all, a leading figure among the younger generation. After the initial panic upon entering this place, he had gradually calmed down and did not show his emotions on his face.

The Demon Emperor, who had been secretly observing him, nodded inwardly. This boy had truly lived up to his years of careful cultivation; he had not disappointed him.

Seeing that they did not reply, the voice didn't mind and continued on its own: "Even if you say nothing, I can largely figure it out. Feather Mountain is called Feather Mountain because it was formed from the blood-stained feathers of your Golden Crow ancestors, who were shot down by the Sun-Slaying Bow back then."

Hearing his words, even the Demon Emperor's expression changed. Combined with the strange feeling he had just experienced at Feather Mountain, he actually believed most of it: "What exactly happened?"

"Heh, so you're 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 of years ago, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years ago. Back then, the Heavenly Emperor was named Jun, and he had many wives. One of them was the Sun Goddess, Xihe. The two of them had ten sons..."

The voice paused here, then continued: "These were the ten Golden Crows, the earliest Golden Crows in the world."

The Demon Emperor and the Golden Crow Prince both saw the shock in each other's eyes. The Demon Emperor quickly said: "Hmph, utter nonsense! Our clan records contain no such accounts."

"Too much time has passed, and many things have been lost to history; it's normal that you wouldn't know," the voice continued. "Back then, the Golden Crows were very playful and often appeared all at once. However, this brought immense suffering to the people below. In their eyes, it was like ten suns in the sky, causing the land to dry up and making life unbearable."

"Later, a great hero appeared among the human race, known as Yi. He had previously received the Vermilion Bow from the Heavenly Emperor. To save the common people, he used this bow to shoot down nine Golden Crows. The scattered, blood-stained feathers then fell, forming a great mountain, which later became Feather Mountain. The remaining Golden Crow was left behind to rise in the east and set in the west according to the natural order, becoming the sun in the sky."

"Thus, that Vermilion Bow was later named the Sun-Slaying Bow."

Listening to him recount this past event, Wu Liang, standing by, was utterly dumbfounded. The Golden Crow Imperial Family was usually so arrogant and boastful, yet he never imagined they had such a tragic past. What's more, the Sun-Slaying Bow, the divine artifact their clan was so proud of, was actually the very weapon that had slain their ancestors.

While feeling a hint of schadenfreude, the smile on his face quickly froze. Now that he knew such a secret, would he be silenced afterward?

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 it, you yourself know best whether you truly do."

The Demon Emperor frowned: "You summoned us here; it wasn't just to tell me some incoherent story, was it?"

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

"After playing mysterious for so long, who knows who you are?" The Demon Emperor's voice was somewhat cold. "My patience is limited."

Given his cultivation and status, who would dare to be so enigmatic with him normally?

"As I just said, the Heavenly Emperor had many wives back then. One of them gave birth to the ancestors of your Golden Crow clan, and another wife gave birth to my father. So, the progenitor of your Golden Crow clan is my uncle, which is why I just said I am your ancestor."

The Demon Emperor: "..."

The Golden Crow Prince: "..."

Wu Liang's mouth also hung wide open. Could the being in this ancient tomb actually have such a significant background?

The Demon Emperor took a deep breath: "If you are deliberately trying to take advantage of me, then I can only say you have successfully angered me."

"My apologies, being sealed here alone for so long, and finally having someone to talk to, I inevitably become a bit long-winded," the voice let out a dry chuckle. "Initially, my grandfather passed the imperial throne to my father. Many years later, when my father grew old, he passed the throne to me. But who knew there was an ambitious scoundrel who secretly cultivated too many loyal followers and eventually undermined my father's authority. Then, with a group of rebellious officials and traitors, he usurped my imperial throne. Not content with that, he even fabricated various disgraceful charges against me—accusing me of immorality and unworthiness—deceiving the world by claiming that this was why my father had abdicated the throne to him."

Wu Liang suddenly realized. No wonder this ancient tomb, though imperial in nature, differed so vastly from a normal imperial tomb in both scale and design. It turned out to be for a deposed emperor.

The Demon Emperor sneered: "I thought you were someone important, which is why I patiently listened to so much of your talk. Turns out you're just a useless person whose throne was usurped."

"From what I've observed, you don't have much lifespan left, do you?" At this moment, the voice suddenly said coldly.

The Demon Emperor's expression changed. Then the voice added: "Don't you want to know why I've been able to live this long?"