Chapter 120: Blood Oath of Allegiance?

The masked man fell silent after hearing this, his mouth parting slightly: "You are even smarter than I imagined. Tell me, when did you start suspecting me? I have rarely had contact with you, and the only time was that night... did you start suspecting me back then?"

"Back then..." Sui Yi offered a wry smile, her eyes dimming slightly. Her voice was thin, like silk ready to tear.

"That was when I trusted you the most. Grandma once said that you were the person closest to the Ye family—not just by blood, but by bond. When I first came to the village, it was you who defied public opinion to help Grandma bring me into the family fold..."

Hearing this, the masked man’s breath hitched, followed by a cold sneer: "And yet, you still suspected me?"

His tone held a trace of reluctance, resentment, and an inexplicable indifference.

"I didn't suspect," Sui Yi’s tone gradually turned cold as well. "From the moment I considered your existence, I was already certain."

Not even a suspicion, but a direct certainty? There wasn't even a need for emotional struggle. This was Sui Yi—chillingly rational to an infuriating degree. It made Gong Jiu and the others realize that despite her outward trust, Sui Yi had never truly kept people like the Seventh Great-Uncle in her heart. The only person she valued was her grandmother. No one else.

But Gong Jiu and the others did not know what Sui Yi was thinking at that moment; it was precisely because of her grandmother that she felt such boundless killing intent toward this Seventh Great-Uncle.

Pausing, Sui Yi looked down at the silent masked man. Her expression hardened. Instead of placing her palm on the coffin lid, she slowly drew the Xieya dagger from her waist. "You say that the human heart is the most terrifying thing, yet you forget that it is also the most fickle. Perhaps you followed the ancestors of the Ye family to guard this ancient tomb, but as time passed, your heart may no longer be what it once was."

"Otherwise, your methods would not have become so venomous, using Gu poison to manipulate these people into such a state, and furthermore... daring to lay your hands on Grandma."

It was this remark from Sui Yi that finally caused the Seventh Great-Uncle’s breathing to become ragged. His eyes turned ferocious, hidden behind the mask. His breathing grew heavy, and his withered, skeletal hand gestured toward the platform, blowing a sharp, lingering whistle.

"Kill them! Leave no one alive!"

To Gong Jiu and the others, it seemed that the person suffering the most injuries—and the most severe ones—was not Feng Sha, nor themselves, but Sui Yi, who possessed the greatest skill. She had suffered countless fractures, and the blood flowed as if she were enduring a perpetual hemorrhage. Therefore, when the Seventh Great-Uncle gave the order, Gong Jiu’s first instinct was to protect her, even as the nine monsters charged at them like madmen.

The thinnest one was the fastest.

As Gong Jiu moved to shield her, Sui Yi’s eyes flashed. She hooked her arm around Gong Jiu’s waist, pivoted, and tossed her aside. Sliding across the floor, she moved like a bird in flight, the Xieya dagger flashing through the air.

*Swish!*

*Plop!* The thin monster fell to the ground, a deep gash carved into its right arm. Fluorescent green liquid oozed out, congealing stickily on the jade-like steps. "Their blood is toxic, don't touch it..." Gong Jiu warned. By the time she looked back at Sui Yi, she was already locked in combat with the creature, while the other eight... were beyond ferocious!

Below, Brother Ma and the others were being overwhelmed by those "people." Seeing they were no match and mindful of Gong Jiu’s group, they retreated rapidly toward the high platform.

The masked man watched the slaughter with cold eyes. After a while, he turned to look at Aguna and the others, who were standing quietly to the side. Aguna turned to look back at him. Aguna’s expression was wooden, while the masked man’s expression remained hidden behind his mask.

"Damn it, I’m certain this deadpan tribal guy is in league with that Seventh Great-Uncle!" Brother Ma cursed. Gong Jiu and Hua Yaofei also had a realization as they looked at Aguna, who was standing peacefully with the masked man.

"Blast it! And here I thought he was honest, reliable, and handsome!" Hua Yaofei gritted her teeth. She blocked a swipe from a monster’s claw, but—*Pfft!*—a mouthful of blood sprayed out.

As the blood splattered onto the ice coffin, it seemed to come alive, emitting a red glow. Everyone, including the monsters, froze in surprise. The masked man was also stunned.

Blood?

"Dammit! Does this coffin require a blood sacrifice to recognize its master?" Brother Ma’s eyes widened, using the terminology of a gamer.

Gong Jiu and the others’ eyes lit up. Hua Yaofei was even more smug: "Ha! My blood, my blood, my blood!"

Lin Feng and Leng She, unable to wait, squeezed blood from their own wounds and smeared it onto the ice coffin.

Brother Ma grew anxious. "Quick, quick, Miss Jiu, use your blood!"

"Damn it, I don't have any open wounds!"

"Use your 'period' blood then..." Brother Ma shouted with desperate wit!

"Get lost!" Gong Jiu rolled her eyes.

Seeing their behavior, Sui Yi felt a sense of dread. The truth was, what she feared most from the beginning was not the masked man or the soulless, undead creatures; it was this world, which felt like an ancient, primordial temple. How could she explain the bizarre magnetic field of this world? How could she explain a place that could never have been constructed by ancient human labor?

This world, this palace, this underground tomb—it must have a master. If this master lay here in eternal rest, then the one who built this place must have been extraordinarily capable. Would such a person allow intruders to claim this supreme ice coffin by simply dripping blood on it?

Before Sui Yi could voice her concerns or stop them, the anomaly began.

The air suddenly turned dense and suffocating. Everyone, including the masked man, felt the struggle to breathe. Their eardrums vibrated heavily as they heard a voice that belonged to none of them.

"Those who disturb her peace, die!"

The word "die" resonated across the universe, bursting with killing intent!

*Boom, boom, boom!*

The sound of a thousand horses galloping surged from behind them! Everyone looked at the stone wall behind them—the relief carving of a battlefield.

At that moment, countless phantoms, like an army of the underworld descending upon the earth, charged toward them. Chilling, majestic murderous energy detached itself from the stone wall and bore down upon them. Swords, spears, shadows, and the trampling of ten thousand horses—a grand, sweeping massacre!

The sight was more shocking than any 3D or 4D effect; it felt as if their very souls were being crushed under the weight of those iron hooves!

*Bam, bam, bam!*

Sui Yi saw some people being pierced by the ghostly soldiers. Blades passed through their chests without harm, but—

Ears and nostrils began to bleed from the shock, and one by one, they collapsed in fatigue. As for those "people," they were even more pathetic; like evil spirits encountering gods and demons, they wailed in terror and disintegrated into rotting gray sand.

Everything collapsed into such horror!

Below, Aguna stood firm, watching everyone on the ice coffin. His gaze swept over them and fell upon one person. He noticed something.

Those thousands of soldiers... not a single one passed through her. It was as if they were deliberately avoiding her.

***

Sui Yi stood there, staring blankly at the stone wall. She felt as though she had entered a bloody slaughterhouse. Millions of soldiers stood in neat rows; a heroic general stood before the formation, waving a blood-red banner in the air, shouting: "Those who trample our mountains and rivers, we shall destroy their empires! Those who kill our Emperor's people, we shall slaughter them for all eternity!"

"Kill!"

"Kill, kill, kill!"

A million soldiers drew their swords, spears, and blades, leaping up, charging, and beginning the slaughter!

Blood flowed like a river! That blood stained her eyes red.

*Pfft!*

As Sui Yi broke free from the terrifying illusion, she spat out a mouthful of blood, her heart shaken. Through her blurred vision, a single word drifted hazily into her mind.

"Emperor..."

Is this an Emperor's tomb?

Emperor...

Sui Yi saw that Gong Jiu and the others were on the verge of total physical and mental collapse. She turned around, not even bothering to look at the masked man or Brother Ma below. She focused solely on the ice coffin, placing both hands upon it.

"We came here and disturbed you, and for that, we are guilty. But I ask the Emperor to consider the hardships of the living and spare us from death... If not..."

She looked straight at the stone wall she had been leaning against before. It depicted the only person to whom the headless figures knelt in profound respect—the exceptionally handsome and noble Emperor. He carried a sword at his waist, descending the steps of the Imperial Path as if stepping down from a divine pedestal. But he didn't know who he was looking at.

His gaze was intense, verging on obsessive. As she met his eyes, it felt as if they were face-to-face. Sui Yi saw the former glory and nobility in those eyes, saw the power he wielded with a wave of his hand, and also saw the killing intent he held for them.

Refusing to back down?

Sui Yi pressed her lips together and pushed her palms against the edge of the coffin. Her palms did not touch the wood directly. Underneath her palms, she pressed a map. This map, made of an unknown material, acted as a barrier, preventing the biting cold from invading her body. As the map made contact with the icy jade of the coffin...

The cold hissed and dissipated, far more violently than before.

A frigid chill whistled, and snow began to fall...

Amidst the thousands of horses and the falling snow, only one person stood there, hands resting on the coffin lid.

Slowly, she applied force...

*Creeeeeak~~~~~*

The coffin lid slowly opened.

The masked man, now without his mask, revealed only an aged, frail face. He lay prone on the ground, his body fragile from the trampling of the phantom army, his brows furrowed with the weakness of old age. Yet, when he saw Sui Yi lifting the lid, he summoned the last of his energy and ferocity. He lunged from the ground, shrieking sharply: "The treasure is mine! The power of resurrection is mine!"

Power of resurrection?

Weak and spitting blood, Gong Jiu only saw Sui Yi standing before the ice coffin. In front of her, the lid was open.

What was inside the ice coffin?

"Resurrection..."

Gong Jiu murmured the word, her expression shifting rapidly. She struggled to stay awake. She had to have what was inside. She had to...