"Clang clang!"
Suddenly, countless sounds of weapons clashed under Mt. Li, and a skyward momentum surged from the ground, startling the numerous ferocious beasts that lurked in the area into a panicked flight.
There were also some ferocious beasts that refused to believe in curses, among them a fierce tiger baring two huge tusks, frenziedly launching attacks smashing into the ground.
It cracked open a fissure in the ground and then charged in.
"Roar——"
The fearless tiger soon let out a fearful wail, as if it had seen something terrifying, scaring the already frightened group of beasts even more, causing a mad scramble away from Mt. Li.
And hundreds of miles away from Mt. Li, the city of Ancheng felt the strange tremors from afar, almost like an illusion.
They heard the sound of swords and spears clashing.
But it was only for a moment; the tremors and the sounds of combat disappeared without a trace, leading everyone to wonder if they had imagined it.
A redhead elder appeared on the city walls of Ancheng, with a robust and muscular build, radiating an aura of scorching iron-bloodedness.
The City Lord of Ancheng, a Pinnacle First-Rank Warrior, Zhu Tianyan.
"That direction, is it Mt. Li?"
Zhu Tianyan furrowed his brow and ordered the soldier beside him, "Quickly send a message to Director Luo, state that there's an anomaly at the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor and request instructions."
"Yes!"
The soldier turned and hurried to make the report.
Zhu Tianyan's eyes revealed a hint of astonishment: "Since the resurgence of Spiritual Energy, there's never been any disturbance at the First Qin Emperor's Mausoleum. What's happening this time?"
He was filled with doubts, unable to figure it out.
Because he had to defend Ancheng, he could not go to investigate immediately.
...
In a villa far away within Sichuan Martial Arts University.
Luo Tiance and Luo Yu, the grandfather and grandson, stared in astonishment at the Tiger Talisman, which, after merging, emanated an aura of noble purple and floated in mid-air, exuding a majestic presence.
Luo Yu clutched the Tiger Talisman, but no information came from within; aside from glowing and having a special aura, it seemed to lack any other function.
He looked up in puzzlement and said, "Grandpa, there doesn't seem to be any reaction, does there?"
Luo Tiance hesitated, "That shouldn't be the case. If it's a treasure that Cao Xiaoxiong regretfully failed to fully obtain, how could it not have any special effects?"
"Try infusing it with Spiritual Power," he suggested.
Luo Yu shook his head, "I've tried, it's no use."
"This..." Luo Tiance fell into thought, "This object is extraordinary; it cannot be useless. We must not have found the true purpose of this thing."
"Mhm." Luo Yu nodded and studied it carefully, even extending his Divine Sense to examine it, but found nothing amiss.
Just then, someone knocked on the door from Luo Tiance's room, with urgent news to report.
"No need to come in, just speak," said Luo Tiance, since Luo Yu was still in disguise, he didn't want too many people to see him.
"Director Luo, the City Lord of Ancheng, Zhu Tianyan, reports that a minute ago, there were tremors at Mt. Li and sounds of combat, but the cause is unknown."
"Should an investigation be conducted? Awaiting your orders."
After hearing the report from the secretary outside the door, Luo Tiance's eyes lit up, but his voice did not waver as he answered, "Understood."
"Tell Zhu Tianyan to focus on defending the city and prioritize the lives of the citizens. As for Mt. Li, there's no need to send people to investigate."
"I'll dispatch someone to handle it."
"Yes."
Footsteps quickly receded from outside the door.
Luo Tiance turned to look at Luo Yu, who had been silent, and projected, "Xiao Yu, did you hear that?"
Luo Yu nodded.
As soon as he heard the secretary mention the earthquake at Mt. Li, he felt a stirring inside him; after all, Mt. Li was the location of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, and the Tiger Talisman in his hand was an artifact left by the emperor.
Furthermore, the reported timing of the disturbance was precisely when he had just finished merging the two halves of the Tiger Talisman.
When all the coincidences were pieced together, that became the truth.
Luo Tiance seemed to perceive what was on Luo Yu's mind and said:
"You need not doubt it; it's definitely because you merged the Tiger Talisman."
"The First Emperor's Mausoleum had never experienced any special anomalies in the records, yet as soon as the Tiger Talisman was connected on your end, there was a disturbance on the other, which is enough to prove the issue."
Luo Yu pondered, "Should I rush to the First Emperor's Mausoleum to investigate right now?"
Luo Tiance shook his head.
"Don't rush."
"With Mt. Li shaking at this moment, I fear that the major forces, including the infiltrators from foreign forces, have all received the news."
"Keep a close watch on the area around Mt. Li."
"If you go now, it'll be like being placed under a spotlight; you'll be in the light while others lurk in the shadows, too passive."
"Besides, the Tiger Talisman is in your hand, and it's of no use to anyone else who goes there. Better to remain still and control the situation by waiting."
Luo Yu gave a wry smile, "Looks like I haven't thought this through."
Luo Tiance shook his head, comforting him, "Not at all, Grandfather knows that the prophecy of sixty-five days later has disturbed you, making you eager to find new means to deal with it."
"The more critical the situation is, the more we need to remain calm and collected."
"Understood."
Soon, Luo Tiance hung up the call, the projection disappeared, and Luo Yu was left alone in the room, lost in thought.
After learning of the prophecy that Great Xia would be destroyed and his grandfather's death, indeed his mind was in turmoil, and his indomitable mindset was affected.
But after the phone call, he managed to see through a lot of it.
He held the Tiger Talisman in his hand, its glow now subdued, its divine charm hidden within.
"The sounds of armaments below ground."
At once, Luo Yu thought of the undying soldier statues he had encountered in the Han Dynasty's Great Tomb. The First Emperor's Mausoleum was likely to be replete with these.
"Could this Tiger Talisman be..."
His eyes brightened instantly, as he thought of the most likely use for the Tiger Talisman, and Luo Tiance, having all the information, probably had a similar guess in mind.
If the First Emperor's Mausoleum contained thousands of terracotta soldiers, they presumably needn't fear even if all sides ganged up on them.
Luo Yu's eyes shone brighter, and then he put away the Tiger Talisman, opening the door to head downstairs.
"Have you noticed, the boss's gaze is quite terrifying."
"This is the first time I've seen the boss with such a grave expression."
"I didn't notice, but they say dogs can see things normal people can't."
"Who are you cursing with your yin-yang talk, Li Zhenyue!"
Cheng Jinjin and the others were sitting on the sofa, idly chatting, while the Qin Family's seven, led by the bald man in a suit, stood rigidly, well-trained.
However, the bald man kept looking towards the top of the stairs, clearly not at peace.
After all, the fate of their Young Master in the hands of another was unknown, and not seeing it with his own eyes naturally made him anxious.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting."
As Luo Yu's voice appeared at the turn of the staircase, Cheng Jinjin and the others stood up, and the bald man in the black suit took a deep breath.
The ancestor had finally come out. If he had to wait much longer, he would have lost his composure.
"You're from the Qin Family, right?"
"Yes." The bald man said with a forced smile, "My name is Chen Mingliang, you can just call me Xiao Chen."
"Good attitude."
Luo Yu nodded, "I won't make it difficult for you, let's do as previously agreed, exchange the treasure for your Young Master."
"Of course, naturally."
Despite his placating smile, the bald man felt aggrieved inside. The Qin Family had always been the ones to bully others, never before had they been so rendered spineless.
And by such a young man, no less.
However, he was acutely aware of the horrifying strength the other party had shown in defeating their Young Master, so he dared not let his dissatisfaction show.
"Sixth, bring the thing up for Luo Gongzi to see!"
"Yes!"
The man in black holding the box quickly stepped forward, placed the box on the coffee table, and opened the lid to reveal what was inside.
It was a gray cloak embroidered with gold threads…