Chapter 0261: Imperial Mausoleum Underground Palace

Chapter 0261: Imperial Mausoleum Underground Palace

Xiao Xuanqin walked to Qin Yun's side and saw the dense lines and numerous dots on the leather map, and couldn't help exclaiming, "Is this for real? What do these spiritual patterns represent?"

"I don't know yet, but it might be a hidden mechanism! The reason for this setup is likely to access the core of the mausoleum. In the core area, there should be the energy source that maintains the various grand arrays within the mausoleum. This would facilitate the maintenance of the core region."

This was just Qin Yun's conjecture, based on some books he had read before. Many large formations and barriers had such a core.

For example, in the Imperial City of the Tian Qin Empire, the core of the city's protective barrier was located deep underground within the palace.

Generally, to better connect the grand arrays with their core, certain patterns were followed.

Qin Yun had already discerned some clues from the arrangement of the stone chambers. Now, he needed to carefully analyze them to see if he could find the entrance to the core of the grand array.

After more than an hour of analysis, he finally found some clues and circled over ten dots on the leather map.

"Aunt Xiao, let's go check the several stone chambers at these positions." Qin Yun pointed to a few dots on the leather map and said, "There might be something hidden inside these chambers."

Xiao Xuanqin had come to the Tian Xiao Imperial Mausoleum to uncover its secrets. As she suspected, the mausoleum held many hidden mysteries. Without Qin Yun, she would have been at a dead end.

"Alright, let's go together!" Xiao Xuanqin said.

Qin Yun took the leather map and counted the dots, pointing in that direction, said, "The fifth stone chamber in this row."

They quickly walked over and entered the stone chamber, using luminous stones to illuminate the inside, and opened the coffin lid for a thorough inspection, but found nothing.

"Maybe it's under the jade coffin?" Xiao Xuanqin said.

Qin Yun immediately used his mental energy to move the heavy jade coffin aside and then tapped the floor slabs.

"We've thoroughly checked this stone chamber. Let's move on to the next one." Xiao Xuanqin said, "There are over a dozen targets marked on your leather map. If we patiently check them one by one, we're bound to find something."

Qin Yun nodded and they walked out of the stone chamber together, heading to the next target.

Over the next two to three hours, they meticulously inspected those twelve stone chambers but found nothing. Now, only three stone chambers remained.

When they checked the thirteenth stone chamber and moved the heavy jade coffin aside, they found that the floor slabs seemed different, especially when tapped with a stick. The sound was "thud thud thud," indicating that the area below was hollow.

"We've found something!" Qin Yun exclaimed in surprise, and then lifted all the stone slabs.

As he lifted the bricks, he saw a recess below, containing a golden key. Using his mental energy, he made the golden key float up.

This key looked similar to the one they used to enter, clearly designed to open a special door.

"What door does this key open?" Xiao Xuanqin asked.

Qin Yun shook his head, "I'm not sure which door it opens, but I guess it's the key to the mausoleum's core chamber."

"Is it one of the chambers marked on your leather map?" Xiao Xuanqin looked at the leather map in Qin Yun's hand and said.

"Perhaps. Let's give it a try." Qin Yun smiled, "We'll have to start from the beginning."

With the golden key in hand, Xiao Xuanqin felt hopeful. Even if they had to check every house, she wouldn’t mind.

They were both very patient, entering the stone chambers marked on the leather map, using the golden key to tap and touch, checking if they could open a door.

At the sixth stone chamber, when they used the key to touch the floor under the jade coffin, the floor suddenly sank!

"It worked! The floor started to sink!" Qin Yun exclaimed in surprise.

The stone slab beneath the jade coffin was about two meters wide and over three meters long. It was slowly descending, and it had already dropped more than ten meters without stopping.

"Are we supposed to stand on it and let it take us down?" Xiao Xuanqin said.

"Sounds like it. Let's see where it takes us!" Qin Yun looked at Xiao Xuanqin, waiting for her to agree.

"Okay!" Xiao Xuanqin grabbed Qin Yun’s hand, and they both jumped onto the slab as it continued to descend.

The slab descended at a slow pace, and there was no telling how far it would go.

Xiao Xuanqin stomped on the slab and remarked, "This thing is solid. We’ve checked it before, but never found anything beneath."

"What was the builder thinking? Why hide the golden key here? This place must have been sealed for ages," Qin Yun said.

Xiao Xuanqin looked at the glowing stone in her hand and crouched down. "Qin Yun, if I hadn't brought you along, I might have died outside! No wonder Yuelan insisted that we bring you no matter what. It's clear she knows you very well."

"Of course, if she didn't know my abilities, how could she have been so persistent with me?" Qin Yun grinned, clearly pleased with himself.

Xiao Xuanqin chuckled softly. "Yuelan is a great girl. Don’t tell her you think she’s too persistent, or she might get upset!"

"Aunt Xiao, please don't tell her. I was just joking. If you do, I’ll just say I’m your secret admirer." Qin Yun hurriedly said.

Xiao Xuanqin gave him a playful glare and huffed. "Let's drop it. We're not talking about these matters anymore!"

"Aunt Xiao, don't be mad. I was just kidding. Actually, Yuelan really understands me... For example, last time when I challenged Xiao Yanglong, no one supported me and everyone thought I couldn't win. But Yuelan was fully in my corner." Qin Yun smiled.

"You two are both reckless... And by the way, there's also Yue Mei, that girl." Xiao Xuanqin said helplessly. "I think the three of you could cause havoc in the heavens."

As Qin Yun and Xiao Xuanqin chatted, the slab gradually came to a stop.

"Finally, it's stopped. Look, there's a door here!" Xiao Xuanqin used the glowing stone in her hand to illuminate a stone wall.

The slab was primarily responsible for the elevation, transporting those with the golden key to the bottom of the square well.

Qin Yun took out the golden key and touched the door. He heard a "click click click" sound as the door slowly retracted into the walls.

After the stone door opened, there was a long corridor ahead, pitch black.

Qin Yun controlled the glowing stone, making it float ahead of them, and then he and Xiao Xuanqin walked in.

The corridor was bone-chillingly cold, and every now and then, a bitter draft swept through.

"It's quite cold. I wonder where this chill is coming from," Xiao Xuanqin shivered and had to use her inner energy to resist the cold.

Strangely, the further they walked, the colder it became.

Even someone as skilled as Xiao Xuanqin was struggling, her body shivering despite her efforts.

"Aunt Xiao, can you still handle the cold?" Qin Yun felt the jade-like hand holding his ten fingers gradually becoming colder.

Xiao Xuanqin nodded. "What about you? If you can't hold on, we'll go back!"

"I’m holding up fine. Here, take my left hand." Qin Yun switched hands and channeled the Diamond Inner Energy of his Thunderfire Golden Core through Xiao Xuanqin's palm into her body.

As the warm, powerful energy from Qin Yun’s Thunderfire Golden Core flowed through her, Xiao Xuanqin felt the chill melt away, replaced by a comforting warmth.

She couldn't help but sigh in admiration. "Your flame is really strong!"

Qin Yun grinned and asked, "Feeling better now?"

Xiao Xuanqin felt warm all over, a deep sense of comfort washing over her. But when she realized that this comfort was due to Qin Yun, a mix of conflicting emotions resurfaced in her mind.

"Much better, indeed!" Xiao Xuanqin sighed softly in her heart, snuffing out the flicker of emotion that had unexpectedly surfaced.

The two of them walked slowly, mainly for safety reasons, so it took them over an hour to traverse the long corridor and enter a circular stone chamber.

The chamber was more than ten meters wide, with no other exits. It was the end of the corridor. In the center stood a crystal pillar more than two meters thick.

The pillar emitted a white light, with white flames surging inside. Upon closer inspection, one could discern several subtle, intricate patterns on its surface.

"This pillar is the energy source of the grand formation!" Qin Yun said.

Xiao Xuanqin gazed into the crystal pillar and said with some disappointment, "Is this all that's hidden in the Tian Xiao Imperial Tomb?"

"This should be the most secret place in the Tian Xiao Imperial Tomb. As for where those corpses went, it will probably remain a mystery." Qin Yun sighed. "Aunt Xiao, should we destroy this Tian Xiao Imperial Tomb?"

Xiao Xuanqin frowned, lost in thought as she gazed at the crystal pillar.

After a moment of contemplation, she said, "Let’s leave it for now. We have the key, so we can always come back later."

"Alright!" Qin Yun agreed. He also thought the Tian Xiao Imperial Tomb could serve as a good shelter, provided they could get past the enormous wild boars outside.

As Qin Yun looked around, Xiao Xuanqin suddenly called out, "Qin Yun, come over here quickly! There seems to be something inside!"

Xiao Xuanqin had been watching the crystal pillar closely and attentively. Qin Yun had only taken a few glances before wandering around the chamber.

Hearing her shout, Qin Yun hurried over.

"What is it? I don’t see anything," Qin Yun said.

"Look... there's a white light cluster floating around inside the flames," Xiao Xuanqin said, pointing to a spot within the crystal pillar.

Qin Yun leaned closer and looked carefully. Soon, he saw a palm-sized orb of light floating up and down inside the crystal pillar. Within the orb, a white flame flickered, and a small, finger-like object floated alongside it. It was unclear what it was.

"That thing doesn’t seem to belong here. Can you figure out how to get it out?" Xiao Xuanqin asked. "It seems to be something extraordinary. The crystal pillar is full of energy. Whatever it is, after being nurtured by all that energy for so long, it’s bound to be valuable."