Chapter 37 Heavenly Emperor Heavy Sword_1

Drip! Drip!

An eerie, cold wind blew. In the darkness, Ling Chen could only hear the sound of dripping water.

The Cave World within this mountain cave was vast. As Ling Chen walked, he felt the path broadening. With each step, his astonishment grew, and he wondered where he was. Who could have undertaken such a colossal project? Could it be the burial tomb of an Emperor?

With this shocking thought in mind, Ling Chen continued to tread forward.

Approximately the time it took to brew a cup of tea later, Ling Chen seemed to have reached the end of the passage.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Suddenly, a flame ignited on the rock wall beside Ling Chen. Startled, he watched as a chain reaction ignited flames one after another. Soon, the entire space was illuminated, as bright as day.

"This…"

Ling Chen's expression changed. In his line of sight, countless dark figures emerged, revealing themselves to be an army of terracotta soldiers. Numbering in the thousands, they were arranged in an imposing battle formation, exuding an intense aura of solemnity and death.

It seems the owner of this place must have been a general.

A look of puzzlement crossed Ling Chen's face. The magnificence of this tomb seemed to surpass that of any royal tomb in the Five Kingdoms. What general could have constructed such a grand mausoleum?

"Huh? There's a mural over there."

As his gaze swept over the terracotta soldiers, Ling Chen's attention landed on a grand mural on the opposing wall.

Moving closer, Ling Chen was immediately captivated by its content. Inscriptions accompanied it, providing insight into the depicted story.

"So the figure in the mural is the renowned Heavenly Mansion General. This place is his tomb."

From the mural, Ling Chen finally understood that this was indeed a general's mausoleum—but not that of an ordinary general.

The Heavenly Mansion General was a legendary figure. He was not a native of the land that would eventually become the Five Kingdoms. In his era, before the Five Kingdoms were established, this land was known as the Cloud Outland.

According to the current geographical knowledge of the Five Kingdoms, the Cloud Outland was merely a small part of the Mixed Yuan Continent. It was surrounded by endless mountains, with the Qing Mountain Plank Road as the sole connection to the outside world.

The Heavenly Mansion General was an outsider. When he first appeared, he arrived with a ten-thousand-strong army. With this force, he swept across the Cloud Outland. He reigned supreme through a bloody campaign, annihilating cities and kingdoms, and became a formidable conqueror.

However, after subjugating the Cloud Outland, he and his grand army failed to return to their homeland. A relentless, three-month rainstorm destroyed the plank road. Coupled with constant rebellions, the Heavenly Mansion General ultimately remained trapped in the land he had conquered, eventually dying there.

Stories about the Heavenly Mansion General's homeland have since faded into legend. Nevertheless, the conquest of this land by outsiders was an undeniable, recurring event in history.

Long before the Heavenly Mansion General, a powerful figure known as the Human Emperor had unified the Cloud Outland. This Human Emperor, acclaimed as the Lord of the Eight Desolate Worlds, had once dominated the entire Mixed Yuan Continent.

He was the first outsider to enter the territory now known as the Five Kingdoms.

The Heavenly Mansion General had been a peak master of the Sky Apex Realm. A tomb belonging to such a figure would surely hold far more treasures than any ordinary royal tomb.

Understanding the tomb's origin, Ling Chen felt a surge of elation.

Ling Chen began a thorough search. Despite its vastness, the tomb was starkly empty aside from the terracotta soldiers. Thus, the search proceeded quickly.

However, after half an hour, Ling Chen remained empty-handed. There were no signs of hidden Treasure in this place.

Could it be that the Heavenly Mansion General has another tomb somewhere else?

Ling Chen felt frustrated. He had found such a large tomb and initially considered himself lucky, anticipating a great haul. Yet, he had come up empty-handed, without a single useful item.

Even so, Ling Chen refused to give up. He was determined to search every inch, vowing not to leave empty-handed.

Averting his gaze from the terracotta soldiers, Ling Chen approached the center of the mausoleum—the only area he hadn't thoroughly explored.

Just then, Ling Chen's gaze suddenly fixed upon the center of the mausoleum. There stood a stone table with a scorched mark on it. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an unremarkable ring amidst the pale ashes.

It appeared the ring was all that remained after a body's cremation. This meant that not even cremation flames could destroy this ring!

With this thought, Ling Chen's eyes lit up. This ring was definitely a Treasure!

He picked it up and rubbed it with his sleeve, revealing two ancient characters engraved on its back: "Heavenly Mansion."

Ling Chen fiddled with the ash-grey ring but found nothing unusual about it.

Try infusing it with True Qi.

He channeled a strand of True Qi from his fingertip into the ring. The next moment, the ring trembled faintly. A subtle, almost imperceptible ripple of energy spread out, which Ling Chen's Spiritual Power detected.

Instantly, Ling Chen perceived a perfect cube, roughly twenty feet on each side. It glowed with a faint, translucent light, as if carved directly from the Void.

So, it's a rare item with its own storage space!

Ling Chen couldn't help but feel amazed. Though the world teemed with countless wonders, this was his first encounter with such a rare artifact possessing its own independent storage space.

Inside this room-like space, everything was laid out clearly. The most eye-catching contents were piles of gold and silver jewels resembling small hills. Ling Chen estimated these were the funerary items of the Heavenly Mansion General. He estimated their total value at several million taels of gold.

Millions of taels of gold—enough wealth to rival a nation. With this fortune, he could likely raise a large army in short order, conquer new territories, and establish his own kingdom. However, he was not interested in these matters.

Besides the piles of gold and treasure, Ling Chen also saw some weapons and Armor. They were obviously high-quality items. However, as he reached for them, these seemingly high-quality weapons and Armor turned to dust in an instant.

Ultimately, these items could not withstand the erosion of time and had decayed beyond recognition.

Yet, amidst the decay, one item remained intact: a seemingly unremarkable Black Heavy Sword that hadn't scattered to the winds.

This Heavy Sword is still usable.

A look of joy crossed his face. A sword that had withstood a thousand years without decay was undoubtedly a transcendent sword.

The words "Heavenly Mansion" were boldly inscribed on the sword scabbard of this Heavy Sword.

Heavenly Emperor Heavy Sword.

So heavy!

Unsheathing the Heavy Sword, Ling Chen furrowed his eyebrows. This sword must weigh a good one to two hundred pounds!

Moreover, the Heavenly Emperor Heavy Sword appeared extremely dull, not even comparable to an ordinary Sharp Sword in keenness.

Using his True Qi, Ling Chen wielded the Heavenly Emperor Heavy Sword. After only twenty to thirty breaths of wielding it, his wrist began to ache.

While a hundred-pound sword wasn't extraordinarily heavy, brandishing this particular one placed immense strain on his wrist. Ling Chen typically favored lighter, faster swords. This Heavenly Emperor Heavy Sword, however, was the complete antithesis.

The ancients said, 'Heavy swords have no edge; great skill appears effortless.' Maybe once I get familiar with this sword, I can unlock its real power.

Ling Chen put the Heavenly Emperor Heavy Sword back into its sword scabbard. For now, apart from its immense weight, the sword didn't seem to possess any other special qualities.

Shifting his attention from the Heavenly Emperor Heavy Sword, Ling Chen focused on the last item in this unique space.

It was an ancient secret manual.

Ling Chen carefully lifted it out. The ancient manual exuded a peculiar scent, suggesting it had been treated with some special concoction to preserve it through the ages.

Opening the first page, Ling Chen was greeted by several large, striking characters: "Ancient Saint King Battle Technique!"

A heavy, dignified aura rushed towards him.