The Unremarkable Little Taoist Master - Chapter 161 - The Statue

1. However, the intense pain radiating from my tongue made me reluctant to experience that sensation again. The pain jolted my brain. Usually, just biting my tongue would be excruciating, let alone the fact that in the heat of the moment, I almost bit off half of it.

Stimulated by the pain, I picked up the long knife that had fallen beside me. I looked at the terracotta warrior general who was rolling in agony and plunged the long knife viciously into the body of the general of the Qin Army. Instantly, a golden light radiated from the blade. The terracotta warrior general’s face twitched violently a few times before it dissipated into a plume of black mist, vanishing within the tomb entrance.

After witnessing the terracotta warrior general transform into mist, I let out a sigh of relief; the strongest enemy was finally dead. The remaining small fry would be easy to deal with, and it seemed that this ordeal was coming to an end.

I watched as the old daoist priest and the others began clearing up the mess, slowly relaxing and lying on the ground, gasping for breath. A strange image suddenly appeared in my mind: it was a battlefield drenched in blood and scattered with corpses, the ground soaked in bright red blood.

The entire sky was tinged with crimson. A young general was laughing and chatting with a middle-aged man in the distance. The middle-aged man wore a satisfied smile as he observed the cessation of the fighting, while the young general’s face displayed excitement. The young general knelt down, and with his back to me, I couldn’t see his face clearly, but judging by his voice, he didn’t seem very old.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty. This time, our Qin dynasty has unified the Nine Provinces, pioneering a path for the world and ensuring a place in history, celebrated for thousands of years.”

The middle-aged man smiled, and the intensity of his smile grew. A gleam of wisdom sparkled in his eyes. I had spent my whole life striving for this dream, and today I finally achieved it. I was worthy of the world and even more so of my ancestors of the Qin dynasty.

It seemed that the young general sensed something amiss; he suddenly turned to glance at me, revealing a cruel smile. I was instantly jolted awake, back in reality, because that young general was indeed the very terracotta warrior general I had just slain.

As for the man referred to as “Your Majesty,” I suspected he was the master of this tomb, Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng. I hadn’t expected that this seemingly ordinary tomb exploration would involve so many twists and turns. I gazed down the dark passageway of the tomb, pondering what challenges we would face next. Would we encounter the most formidable man in history, Ying Zheng?

As the dust settled, a sigh echoed through the air.

The old professor struggled to keep his unsteady body upright and said to me, “I’ve spent my entire life in archaeology, but this is the first time I’ve experienced something so terrifying. Thankfully, you’re all here; otherwise, I fear I would have met my end in this place long ago.”

I smiled, still feeling a sense of respect for this elderly man who had dedicated his life to ancient artifacts. The old professor steadied himself and said with a hint of resolve, “Let’s keep moving forward. Don’t worry about me; Qin Shi Huang’s tomb, this has been my dream for my entire life.”

I noticed the determination etched on the old man’s face and decided to put aside my concerns for him. At that moment, he was not just a professor; he was simply an elderly man pursuing his dream. He lifted his timeworn face, his head full of white hair held high, and walked energetically toward the path ahead, with the rest of us trailing behind him.

The passage was utter darkness. We turned on our flashlights to illuminate the path ahead. As we walked through the tomb passage, we could sense a damp, decayed odor in the air. We pressed on until we reached a tomb, where two enormous, otherworldly beasts were positioned.

A massive gate appeared before us, adorned with bright red characters. Due to the writing from the Qin Dynasty, we couldn’t decipher it, but the old professor pressed himself excitedly against the gate, examining the inscriptions as if they were treasures of great value.

Time passed, though I couldn’t tell how long it had been, when the old professor joyfully called us over. I shook my head to clear the fog from my mind and joined Xiaolin and the others at the professor’s side. Seeing the exhilaration on the old professor’s face, I felt that this wooden door must hold significant value; otherwise, the seasoned archaeologist wouldn’t be so animated.

Sure enough, the old professor said, “This is the sleeping chamber of Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng, which is our destination this time. The inscriptions on this gate detail the life achievements of Qin Shi Huang. There’s no doubt about it; this is the palace of Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng.” As I watched the old professor reveal a childlike smile, I too was swept up in his joy, and a smile broke across my own face.

The old professor took a blasting device out of his backpack and looked reluctantly at the massive gate before us. However, for the tomb of Qin Shi Huang that lay beyond, these feelings were trivial. He handed the blasting device to me, instructing me to open the door to Qin Shi Huang’s tomb.

I too felt a sense of regret as I silently picked up the explosive and began to find the right spot. I gently tapped on the large door, and a deep echo resonated back. Sighing, I realized the door was made of solid wood. I placed two explosive charges together, hoping that the high-intensity explosives would blast open the door to Qin Shi Huang’s tomb.

I pressed the explosives tightly against the door and quickly retreated with the old professor and the others. After backing up a safe distance, I noticed the old professor’s hands trembling as he held the detonator. He glanced back at us, gritted his teeth, and forcefully pressed down on the detonator.

Boom! A tremendous noise erupted, accompanied by thick clouds of smoke surging toward us. The entire Qin Shi Huang’s tomb shook slightly, and all that remained to signify what had just happened were the scattered splinters of wood. We stared at the fist-sized hole that had appeared in the door, silently sighing at how sturdily this entrance had been constructed. It was no wonder they referred to him as The Greatest Emperor in History.

I lifted my flashlight and shone it into the interior of Qin Shi Huang’s tomb. It seemed that its construction was not as overwhelmingly magnificent as we had imagined; while it certainly was ornate, it did not possess the extraordinary grandeur we had expected.

The most striking feature in the hall was a giant golden dragon throne positioned prominently. The throne was intricately carved with a colossal dragon, lifelike and vivid. What surprised me most was that seated upon the throne was a statue carved from gold, resembling the middle-aged man I had seen in my earlier vision.

As I stared at the statue, my expression immediately darkened.

What caught my attention even more were the two additional statues flanking the middle-aged man. They radiated a strong aura of yin energy, sending a shiver down my spine.