Chapter 384 - 373: Qianming Armory

Chapter 384: Chapter 373: Qianming Armory

The distance from the cliff to Hidden Dragon Waterfall was only about twenty to thirty meters.

But the location was treacherous, and the churning clouds and mist between them made the gap seem impossibly wide and unfathomably deep.

Given the strength of Fu Juemin’s True Gang—a fusion of three separate Perfection Realm arts—he could cross the chasm through the air with ease.

Even Hong Huan, at the Heart Sensing Realm, could have easily done the same after activating his Yin Crow blood and flesh.

In the span of about ten breaths, Fu Juemin landed lightly and precisely on a rock ledge halfway down the opposing waterfall.

The blanketing mist assaulted him like a torrential downpour, but it was all repelled by his protective True Gang.

Fu Juemin took two steps forward, clearing a landing spot for Hong Huan who was right behind him. He then raised a hand and gently parted the curtain of water before him.

Behind the water curtain was a stone crevice, its sides covered in green moss, just wide enough for a single person to squeeze through sideways.

Fu Juemin activated Yao Ling. He could "see" everything behind the crevice clearly and couldn’t help but sigh softly. "Hidden Dragon, Hidden Dragon... Emperor Qianming certainly found a good hiding place..."

After passing through the crevice, the path quickly widened, and the roaring thunder of the waterfall seemed to be completely shut out.

Fu Juemin led Hong Huan several dozen paces forward before they encountered a bluestone wall, smooth as a mirror, blocking their path.

Hong Huan stepped forward, placing his hands on the wall. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. Just as he was about to exert his strength, he heard a KACHA—this seemingly solid, heavy wall was as brittle as an eggshell. Before Hong Huan could even apply real force, the entire bluestone wall crumbled with a RUMBLE!

A thick, musty odor, the smell of a place long sealed, billowed out from behind the shattered wall.

Fu Juemin waved his hand like a fan, gently clearing the swirling dust before him, and casually walked inside.

As his foot landed, it was as if some invisible barrier of time had been silently broken.

The soft glow of Luminous Pearls washed over Fu Juemin. He stood amidst the rubble, gazing at the brilliant splendor that filled the room. His eyes glinted as he murmured, "The Qianming... Armory."

...

The setting sun cast a crimson glow over Five Elders Mountain Peak.

At the foot of Lu Mountain, a large procession slowly approached.

The group was a motley crew: men in Western suits walked alongside those in traditional jackets, and men in Western hats mingled with those still wearing queues.

"Young Master Wei, why the rush?"

The Xunyang County Magistrate couldn’t help but ask, dabbing the sweat from his forehead and cheeks with a handkerchief. "It wouldn’t have been too late to enjoy a few more days in the county before coming."

Wei Jie, mounted on his horse, remained silent, his expression cold.

Just then, a commotion arose in the distance. The excited shouts of "Immortals," "cliff," and "Horse Bandits" could be faintly heard.

Wei Jie’s expression shifted slightly. He gave a look to his men, and one of them quickly ran off to investigate.

Before long, the scout returned and reported, "Someone in the mountains ran into Horse Bandits and was saved by two people with unfathomable skills... It should be the two sent by the Profound Banner."

After listening, Wei Jie turned to the Xunyang County Magistrate, his face impassive. "Did you hear that, County Magistrate Wang?" he asked coolly.

"It’s not that I’m in a hurry. It’s that someone else is.

Which means I can’t afford not to be."

With that, Wei Jie’s expression hardened. He dug his heels into his horse’s sides. "Let’s go!"

The group quickly cleared the area at the foot of Lu Mountain. But instead of ascending, they followed Wei Jie to a secluded, deserted valley below the main peak.

"Forget all this!"

Watching his attendants busily setting up various sacrificial altars, Wei Jie grew irritated. With a wave of his hand, he impatiently dispensed with the elaborate rituals preceding the Qiling ceremony.

The men he’d brought were the younger generation of the Nine Banners. Each one was eager to get into the legendary Mausoleum of Emperor Wu and claim its countless buried treasures. Naturally, they had no objections and could only cheer his decision.

The actual Qiling ceremony was simple enough. Following the instructions of the Wangqi Elders, Wei Jie located a hidden entrance in the valley and opened it with the Twelve Jade Talismans he carried.

By the time the first group of scouts emerged from the mausoleum passage, the sun had not yet fully set.

"Move out!"

Led by a group of attendant Martial Tributors, headed by Elder Deer Horn of the Purple Banner, Wei Jie and a contingent of the Nine Banner Youth decisively marched into the mausoleum passage.

The rest remained outside, responsible for providing support and handling the subsequent removal of items.

Twilight descended, and the sky began to darken.

Bonfires were lit in the valley, illuminating the surroundings as bright as day.

"These pigtails... so indulgent no matter where they go..."

The Xunyang County Magistrate watched the Nine Banner Youth laughing, drinking, and making merry around a bonfire not far away. He took a vicious bite of the glistening, golden roasted pig trotter in his hand, while his other hand roamed freely over the pale, plump thigh of the woman seated beside him.

"You’re right, County Magistrate Wang."

A burly, thick-browed man with the air of a bandit raised his cup and laughed. "That’s why the old dynasty fell and the world became someone else’s. And now these worthless descendants have to come back and dig up their own ancestors’ graves."

The Xunyang County Magistrate downed his wine, the pig trotter crunching loudly in his mouth. "Are the men ready?" he asked, his words muffled.

The man nodded. "Five hundred rifles, thirty heavy machine guns, plus four cannons. Even if Emperor Qianming himself crawled out of that tomb, we’d turn him into a sieve on the spot.

Everyone’s waiting. As soon as they bring the goods out and get back to the county, we make our move!"

"We’ll need explosives, too. Knockout drugs, poison, sleeping powders... have everything prepared,"

The Xunyang County Magistrate instructed, counting on his fingers. "The experts under these Manchus are no pushovers. Their martial arts are practically demonic. You heard what those porters down the mountain said earlier.

Killing ten men with a single finger, flying over cliffs and walking on walls... they even say they can commune with demons and ghosts.

If we don’t go all out with our preparations, I won’t be able to rest easy."

"Ignorant peasants always exaggerate,"

the man laughed. "They’re just Martial Arts masters. I’ve hired several myself, each one capable of tearing a tiger apart with his bare hands!"

"I hope you’re right..."

The two men continued to chat while eating and drinking. The CRACKLING of the bonfire, the laughter of women, and the clamor of the Nine Banner Youth mingled, rising and falling through the valley.

Suddenly—

"BZZZZZZ—"

A bee-like buzzing sound came from overhead.

At first, it was faint.

Barely perceptible, like an insect beating its wings in the distance.

But gradually, the sound grew louder and more intense, as if millions of bees were beating their wings at once, making one’s eardrums throb.

The Xunyang County Magistrate and the burly man put down their chopsticks and stood up, squinting at the sky in the firelight.

A faint red light appeared in the night sky.

The red light was erratic, darting back and forth at incredible speed, leaving faint, phantom trails in the twilight.

"What is that?"

The Xunyang County Magistrate squinted for a long time but couldn’t make out what it was.

The man beside him couldn’t see it clearly either. "I think it’s... a bird?" he said hesitantly.

The words had barely left his mouth—

"WHOOSH—!"

The erratic red light suddenly accelerated, plummeting from the sky and streaking through the crowd.

The red light passed through the bonfire, through the people, leaving a crimson trail in the valley that lingered in the air like a wound slashed by an invisible giant blade.

The valley fell abruptly silent.

The Xunyang County Magistrate, one hand still around a beautiful woman, stared blankly down at the long, thin line of blood that was slowly soaking through his white shirt.

His mouth opened and he muttered, "So it was... a little circle."

As he spoke, he, the burly man, the women beside them, and the Nine Banner Youth by the distant bonfire—everyone in the path of that crimson trajectory—slowly separated into upper and lower halves, neatly severed at the chest.

Dozens of bodies, split in two, slid to the ground with a wet SLAP.

Only when the smell of blood filled the air did the screams begin.

But the life-reaping buzz sounded again. As the red gleam spun through the night, agile figures leaped out from all sides of the valley.

Ten minutes later, all movement in the valley ceased.

"WHIRRR—"

The crimson, wheel-sized ring blade spun to a halt, landing steadily in a rough, strong palm.

In the flickering light of the bonfires and torches, Xie Mingzhi slowly emerged from the shadows.

He stepped over the mangled corpses, calmly walking to the entrance where Wei Jie and his men had entered, and peered inside.

「A moment later.」

Xie Mingzhi withdrew his gaze and spoke calmly, "Since the Dragon Tail is here, the Dragon Gate must be at Celestial Waterfall Peak.

Blast this entrance. Seal it shut.

Then, follow me to Celestial Waterfall Peak and wait."

"Yes, sir."

The subordinates of the Fire Cloud Army responded in unison.

At that moment, the bloody aura of slaughter that filled the valley seemed to be drawn by an unseen force, converging and flowing into Xie Mingzhi’s body.

At the same time, a low roar, not quite a tiger’s and not quite a lion’s, echoed from deep within the forest, as if answering Xie Mingzhi from afar...