White-Robed Chief

A quarter of an hour later, an elder in scarlet walked out from the main hall towards all of them. He raised his voice. “The same rules. Those on duty in the inner mausoleum, please stand on the east side while those on duty in the exterior, please stand on the west side.”

He was tall and sturdy, like an iron tower in the midst of the crowd. His clear voice echoed throughout the entire martial arts field.

The people quietened down and swiftly split into two rows.

Chu Li conscientiously stood to the east. Together with him were another three.

He glanced at the trio without saying a word. Judging by their looks, they were not interested in a conversation with him.

The elder in scarlet darted a fleeting glance at the crowd. His gaze was so electrifying, all of them kept quiet out of fear.

Although Chu Li’s Omniscient Mirror was ineffective on the outside, he could still estimate the elder’s cultivation level to be around two hundred years through his gaze and spirit.

Of course, the energy of such a master was different and suppressive over the crowd.

“Those of the outer mausoleum, you know what to do. The rest on duty in the inner mausoleum, follow me!” The elder in scarlet waved his arm and marched towards the direction of the main hall.

Chu Li and the other three followed close behind. Soon, they arrived before rockery.

This rockery was rustic and simple, a sheer sight of creativity.

The elder in scarlet pressed on the rockery. A deep and serene cave appeared below in a rumble, with chilling winds howling through.

He led the group down without hesitation, idly climbing a hundred over steps until they set foot on a broad pathway.

This pathway was wide and spotless, without a speck of dust. Of course, there would not be any dust present deep underground.

It was made out of polished bricks and could accommodate five horse carriages driven side to side. It was so quiet, even their footsteps could not be heard.

The moment Chu Li took a step on the brick surface, an invisible pressure hit him in the face. His head went numb as his internal alarm bells rung as if warning him to escape from the dangers lurking around.

Suppressing the urge to flee, he followed the elder in scarlet onward. He kept his eyes looking straight ahead but took measures of the surroundings out of the corner of his eye. There were carvings of Spirit Beast portraits on both sides of the walls as well as the ceiling.

Chu Li looked up to a portrait of a Spirit Crane and Spirit Tiger. It was by no means easy to carve this 60 to 70% similarity rate.

These Spirit Beast portraits alone were rare-to-find treasures out there.

The secret manuals of the Ji Dynasty’s first-rate martial arts factions were developed out of Spirit Beasts, yet no Spirit Beast encyclopedia remained in existence. After a thousand years, these Spirit Beasts became nothing but a legend. As no one ever saw them with their very own eyes, what the encyclopedia depicted was far from the truth, regarding wild beasts as Spirit Beasts. People thought that these Spirit Beasts should take similar forms to wild beasts but little did they know Spirit Beasts and wild beasts were not of the same category.

The current Spirit Beast encyclopedia was way off in depicting the appearance of Spirit Beasts.

His Omniscient Mirror may not be used exteriorly, but his mind remained active, imprinting images in his mind at every glance while looking for traces of the surrounding formation at the same time. The formation here was rather brilliant as Chu Li still could not locate where it was, let alone its weak point.

However, he knew this was not the work of a single formation but an overlay of formations that gave out such an effect.

The compelling pressure came from the Enlightened Master’s golden body. It indeed lived up to its name. He seemed to have underestimated the strength of an Enlightened Master.

Chu Li tailed the elder for around 540 yards before arriving in front of a set of palace gates.

Auspicious intent was brewing out of these bronze gates. These pair of bronze gates of extraordinary past, if his guess was right, were similar to war flags on the battlefield, capable of restricting the inner energy of masters.

His inner energy could not be contained before these bronze gates.

Chu Li smiled bitterly within. No matter how great a master was, they would become a wimp upon entry after experiencing such oppression. Since their skills were limited, it was no wonder no one ever succeeded in invading the Imperial Mausoleum for over a thousand years.

Past the bronze gates was a wide plaza, it required a horse ride to move from east to west. It was a similar size to the Imperial House in Ji Dynasty’s Fairy’s Capital, perhaps even bigger.

The elder in scarlet, along with the four of them, walked another two hundred steps until they reached the base of the stairs to a basilica.

At the top of the stairs to the basilica stood an elder in black holding a horsetail whisk. He was short, fair, and plump. With an amiable look on his face, he was no different from an Imperial House’s Scribe in Fairy’s Capital.

The elder in black gently flicked his horsetail whisk before listlessly staring at Chu Li’s group.

“Elder Zhao, it’s their turn to be on duty today.” The elder in scarlet motioned a fist salute.

Chu Li was not able to ascertain the strength of this elder in black without the Omniscient Mirror but he could tell from his aura that he was a great master that far surpassed the elder in scarlet.

A smile broadened on the elder in black’s plump cheeks. “Good, very good. You four, follow me!”

“I’ll leave it to Elder Zhao then. I’ll excuse myself.” The elder in scarlet smiled.

The elder in black waved his arm. “Go then, Young Yang.”

The elder in scarlet gestured a fist salute with respect before retreating down the stairs. He then turned to leave and soon, he disappeared out of the bronze gates.

The elder in black swept a glance at the group before extending his fleshy arm. “Pass your waist tags over.”

Chu Li took out his waist tag, handing it over together with the other three.

The elder in black scanned the waist tags as well as them from head to toe before putting a finger over their wrist to inspect their cultivation level.

Chu Li let out a sigh of relief within. Fortunately for him, he made ample preparation. He did not just alter his looks and obtain Lu Xuzhou’s waist tag, he also circulated his heart technique so he should be out of the woods.

The elder in black sized Chu Li up and down, which made Chu Li tense up. However, he remained unfazed on the surface. He motioned a fist salute. “Elder Zhao, what’s the matter?”

It was not Lu Xuzhou’s first time to be on duty inside the mausoleum. As a veteran, he must be familiar with this elder in black. Hence, he spoke up.

He could not penetrate the elder in black’s thoughts without the Omniscient Mirror so he relied on the elder’s expression to make a deduction. Gauging it should not be an issue, he posed the question with confidence.

Chu Li would usually pay attention to people’s expressions while looking into their inner thoughts when using the Omniscient Mirror in checking one against the other. He was able to then gradually read expressions. Paired with his great memory, he could grasp people’s thoughts just by the subtle changes of expression.

Even without the Omniscient Mirror prying into minds, he could grasp an indication from the other party’s face.

The elder in black flashed a smile. “Young Lu, you’re a little different today.”

Chu Li smiled. “It could be because I didn’t drink last night. I’m swearing off alcohol!”

“Oh? It’s rare that you’re not drinking.” The elder in black came to realization and nodded. “It’s no wonder you’re in great spirits. Good, good!”

Chu Li was certain that he put up a flawless performance. No one could imagine it was possible to be able to become one with Lu Xuzhou both internally and externally.

The elder in black loosened his grip and flicked his horsetail whisk. He grinned. “Great, since you’re in great spirits, you’ll guard Chong Wen Hall today.”

Chu Li’s face went blank. “Elder Zhao…”

He knew from Lu Xuzhou that Chong Wen Hall drew the most attention. It was where the golden body of the last generation’s Emperor remained. The presence of the golden body evoked memories of the former emperor which granted an audience in Chong Wen Hall.

The closer the generation gap, the heavier the influence from the golden body. The force coming from the golden body in Chong Wen Hall was the strongest, which made standing outside the hall torturous.

“Alright, it’s decided then!” The elder in black smiled. “It’s your turn this time and it’ll be changed the next time!”

Chu Li helplessly sighed.

With the tightest defense focused in Chong Wen Hall, he would achieve nothing being there. There was no chance of him spotting a weak point in formation or defense, much less encountering the Enlightened Master’s energy.