Chapter 1791: Tomb Within a Tomb

Qiu Honglei and Jing Teng instinctively positioned themselves beside Zu An, warily guarding against a sudden move from Zhao Hao.

Zhao Hao's eyes narrowed slightly. After observing Zu An for a moment, he smiled, "Why would I covet something from a junior, especially when we are allies?"

Although the Soul-Burning Fire Crystal was incredibly precious, it wasn't a necessity right now. For Zhao Hao, divine fortune took precedence over everything else.

Zu An also chuckled, "Your Majesty is truly magnanimous..."

After receiving a barrage of flattery, Zhao Hao's expression visibly softened. He looked at Jing Teng and asked, "Miss Jing, how far are we from the place you mentioned?"

"Not far," Jing Teng replied, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, seemingly lost in thought.

"Then let's hurry," Zhao Hao said, looking ahead. "It would be troublesome if the Ghost King got there before us." The previously boiling, scorching magma had now largely solidified into dark, black rocks. Though many still emitted smoke, traversing them posed no difficulty for those present, given their cultivation levels.

Only Jing Teng faced a challenge; with her strength not yet recovered, she couldn't fly.

Zu An offered, "I'll help you across."

Jing Teng's face flushed slightly, but she nodded. "Yes, thank you for your trouble."

Qiu Honglei raised an eyebrow and squeezed between them. "I'll do it; it'll be more convenient."

Zu An shook his head, not yielding. "It would be difficult for you to carry someone. You should conserve your strength as much as possible. I'll do it."

Without waiting for her reaction, he immediately put one arm around Jing Teng's waist and held her hand with the other, flying towards the other side.

Qiu Honglei: "???"

Why did it feel like a betrayal right in front of her eyes?

She instinctively wanted to be angry, but quickly calmed down. Although Zu An was a womanizer, he would never act so rashly. He must have had a reason for doing this.

Yet, even though she had some idea, seeing Jing Teng intimately nestled in her lover's arms still ignited a surge of resentment within her.

Did that woman have no backbone?!

Rage points from Qiu Honglei +288 +288 +288...

Seeing Qiu Honglei on the verge of exploding with anger, Zhao Hao suddenly felt a surge of secret satisfaction. Young people were young people; everyone wanted to have multiple partners, but it was never that easy.

Even when he was emperor, the palace was rife with fierce competition for favor. Those women, though seemingly delicate on the surface, were in fact more ruthless and venomous than the last. This young man had a lot of suffering ahead of him.

To Qiu Honglei's relief, after they had flown over the magma, the two naturally let go of each other.

The path ahead seemed exceptionally complex, with countless forks, like a maze.

However, Jing Teng seemed to know the way, walking slowly ahead without a hint of hesitation at any of the junctions.

Qiu Honglei wondered if Jing Teng had recovered her memories.

But knowing that asking would yield no answers, she simply swallowed her doubts.

She walked to Zu An's side. Though still a little angry with him, there were more important matters at hand. She secretly transmitted a message: "Zu, how are we going to deal with the Emperor later?"

While they spoke of cooperation, everyone knew that once the Ghost King was dealt with, it would be time for them to turn on each other.

At that point, Zhao Hao would have the absolute advantage, and they would be powerless to resist.

Furthermore, Zhao Hao might betray them even while fighting the Ghost King. After all, he had just sacrificed Xuan Bajing and Li Changsheng to the Ghost King to save himself. They certainly didn't want to suffer the same fate.

Zu An lightly patted her hand. "Don't worry, I have a plan."

Qiu Honglei was puzzled by what plan he could possibly have and how he could be so calm, but with Zhao Hao nearby, she couldn't press him for details.

Zhao Hao smiled, and though it was unclear if he had overheard their telepathic conversation, he didn't expose them. Instead, he asked, "Miss Jing, how many more monsters like the Earth Flame Demon are there in this tomb?"

"I'm not sure of the exact number, but I know there are many monsters in this grand tomb," Jing Teng paused before continuing, "Neither the Earth Flame Demon nor the Death Reapers we just encountered are among the strongest here. Many terrifying entities are sealed deep within the tomb, and even the Immortal Lord was wary of them back then."

Zhao Hao was taken aback. He hadn't expected an entity like the Earth Flame Demon to be considered weak within the tomb, especially since it had posed a certain threat to him. Did this mean that the monsters deep within the tomb might even be stronger than him?

How could that be!

Zu An asked doubtfully, "Does this grand tomb have many layers?"

Jing Teng nodded. "Yes. While this grand tomb appears vast and magnificent from the outside, its internal space is far larger than it seems, perhaps even connected to special dimensions. Back then, the Immortal Lord only explored the topmost few layers. He deemed the deeper levels too dangerous, and later, due to certain events, he no longer had time to continue his exploration."

Everyone was astonished. The Baopuzi Immortal Lord was widely recognized as an immortal in this world. For such a revered immortal to be wary of what lay deep within this tomb — what exactly was this grand tomb?

Zhao Hao secretly congratulated himself; allying with them this time was truly the right decision. Otherwise, blindly stumbling into this unknown place could have led to heavy losses.

At the same time, he grew increasingly excited. This tomb was so mysterious and powerful; it seemed the divine fortune was indeed real.

Next, Jing Teng led them to a spiral staircase that descended downwards. They clearly felt as though they had traveled a considerable distance. Recalling her earlier mention of the tomb having many layers, they wondered which level they were on now.

Along this path, whether due to good luck or Jing Teng's guidance, they didn't encounter any more monsters.

Initially, Jing Teng would answer their questions, but as they proceeded, she seemed to become preoccupied, ignoring their inquiries as if she hadn't heard them.

Zu An couldn't help but tug her hand. "What's wrong? You seem a bit off."

"Nothing," Jing Teng replied, her face somewhat pale, forcing a smile. "We're almost there."

Just then, they noticed a downward-sloping passage directly ahead. Zhao Hao's heart stirred. "A tomb passage!"

As an emperor nearing the end of his life, he would naturally have regulations for constructing his own imperial mausoleum, making him highly sensitive to such burial sites.

He hadn't expected this grand tomb to contain another tomb within it.

"The Immortal Lord's remains are inside," Jing Teng said, pointing downwards. The others could faintly discern a bronze door there.

Zhao Hao was overjoyed and was about to rush forward, but ultimately he stopped himself.

Since the other party was an Immortal, it was impossible for them not to have left behind some contingencies. It would be safer to stay close to Jing Teng.

He wondered what her relationship with the Immortal Lord was, as she seemed to know far too much.

Jing Teng didn't need any urging; she walked directly into the depths of the tomb passage.

Zu An asked with some concern, "Aren't you here in the grand tomb to find your true form? Should we go find it first? Where is it?"

Jing Teng shook her head. "It's fine. Let's first find the restrictions that can restrain the Ghost King."

Zu An temporarily suppressed his doubts and cautiously guarded his surroundings.

By common sense, tomb passages often concealed deadly traps, especially an immortal's tomb.

However, surprisingly, there were no traps along the way, and they soon arrived before the bronze door.

Zhao Hao carefully examined the bronze door, intending to deduce information from its design and patterns. Yet, the door was remarkably plain, with no engravings or patterns, looking just like an ordinary copper door.

Jing Teng stood before the door, raised her hand to push it, but stopped midway, her expression appearing complex.

Qiu Honglei warned, "Be careful, there might be a restriction on this door." Despite her lingering resentment towards Jing Teng for seducing Zu An, she knew that their current mission was paramount. Jing Teng's safety was critical to everyone's well-being, and they couldn't afford any mishaps.

Jing Teng shook her head slightly and reached out to push.

With a slow, grinding *creak*, the heavy bronze door gradually opened.

Zu An and the others were perplexed. Why would the Baopuzi Immortal Lord leave his tomb door open?

Zhao Hao also heightened his vigilance, believing that something unusual indicated trouble.

Jing Teng, however, walked straight in, seemingly oblivious to any danger.

The others, tensing their bodies, followed her inside.

Inside was an empty space. While the grand tomb had been dark, here, soft starlight filtered down from above.

"Zu, look!" Qiu Honglei, being most sensitive to light, pointed upwards.

Zu An looked up and was momentarily stunned.

Above them wasn't a dark ceiling or murals, but a sky full of stars. They could vaguely make out special constellations, seemingly led by the Four Great Celestial Beasts — Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise — with other stars arrayed around them in homage.

The Four Great Celestial Beasts constellations collectively encircled the central position, where the brightest star shone.

Directly below this brightest star, a massive bronze sarcophagus stood.