Chapter 481: Dragon (Thanks to the alliance leader 'Meat Bun' for the tip!)

Chapter 481: The Dragon (Thanks to the Meat Bun Alliance Leader for the reward!)

Behind the eunuch, the Emperor of Great Liang wore an air of smug satisfaction as he displayed himself proudly to Li Huo Wang. “Brother, weren’t you frightened? Didn’t expect I’d be the emperor, did you?”

“Your Majesty, I humbly bow,” Li Huo Wang replied with a respectful gesture. He had hoped to quietly return, but clearly this young emperor had no intention of letting him go so easily.

“Hey! Thanks for warning me last time. If it weren’t for you, that guy would’ve tricked me! You’re a good man, a kind soul. Why don’t you serve as an official by my side? You can ask for any position you want!”

“Nonsense! This is the speech of a foolish ruler!” The Grand Master’s words instantly changed the Emperor’s expression, making him dare not act too boldly.

Though he was the Emperor of Great Liang, there were still things he could not decide on his own.

“Your Majesty, have you forgotten what you are meant to do today?”

The Emperor stood obediently and answered respectfully, “The sacrificial offerings are complete. Today, I shall visit the Imperial Ancestral Temple to honor our departed emperors.”

“So be it.” The Grand Master’s heavy eyelids drooped, and he said no more.

Frightened by the Grand Master’s rebuke, the Emperor dared not delay in his duties, yet his delight at seeing Li Huo Wang was evident. “You follow behind me. Let’s walk together. Once we finish our business, we’ll talk properly!”

The Grand Master’s lips trembled slightly, but in the end, he did not scold him. However, he had already made up his mind to speak with the Empress Dowager upon returning.

Li Huo Wang had originally intended to refuse, but a group of old eunuchs surrounded him tightly, preventing him from leaving. Glancing at the Grand Master’s retreating figure, Li Huo Wang decided not to make any outrageous moves.

Although this went beyond his expectations, befriending an emperor wasn’t necessarily a bad thing—just perhaps not the right timing.

Following the grand procession of the Emperor of Great Liang, Li Huo Wang wandered through the imperial palace.

During the journey, the Emperor occasionally turned back, clearly curious about Li Huo Wang. Especially after the Shangsi Festival, when Li Huo Wang had helped him.

But Li Huo Wang didn’t think that way—he just wanted to get it over with quickly and avoid further complications. Miao Miao was waiting outside.

Li Huo Wang had thought going directly to the so-called Imperial Ancestral Temple would suffice, but unexpectedly, they returned the same way, entering through the previous round archway.

The so-called Chief Eunuch had already led a line of junior eunuchs to kneel in formation, greeting the arrival of the Emperor of Great Liang.

Before them, on an Eight Immortals table, seven jade trays, each the size of a face basin, were arranged in a row, filled with various items.

Among them were flower buds in full bloom, translucent and glistening, white eggs that looked soft and writhed constantly, and a piece of meat shaped like a wish.

Each dish held different items, but the final jade tray was different—it was empty, except for occasional wisps of black smoke drifting out.

Li Huo Wang immediately understood. That final jade tray was meant for the spirit demon he had captured. What he had gone through great lengths to catch was now being used as a sacrificial offering for a deceased emperor—a mere display.

For a moment, Li Huo Wang felt his earlier efforts were worthless.

No wonder he had been summoned the moment he offered the spirit demon—the Emperor had been waiting all along.

“Take them all,” one of the rows of eunuchs beside Li Huo Wang bowed and walked out, holding the jade trays with both hands, raised high above his head, following the Emperor toward the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

After another quarter hour, when Li Huo Wang caught the scent of sandalwood with his keen nose, he knew they had arrived at the temple.

Visually, the so-called Imperial Ancestral Temple was no different from ordinary temples—only larger and more solemn.

Upon arriving, the usually careless Emperor of Great Liang became much more composed. After respectfully bowing to the temple, he entered with eunuchs and palace ladies.

The ancestral temple was vast, with neatly arranged candles lining its walls, making the interior uncomfortably warm. Some elderly eunuchs, blind and deaf, knelt in the corners, continuously chanting Buddhist sutras with wooden fish day and night.

When the Emperor knelt on a mat before the rows of tablets inside the temple, he was suddenly pulled up by an old eunuch.

“Hm? What’s wrong? Isn’t this where we’re supposed to be today?” Li Huo Wang heard the Emperor’s surprise. Clearly, he was also taken aback.

After the old eunuch whispered something in his ear, the Emperor stood helplessly and led the group toward the back of the tablets.

A bright yellow silk curtain was drawn aside, revealing a solemn black stone door. Carved into the door were nine dragons with mouths open and claws raised, appearing lifelike.

As the eunuchs slowly opened the massive stone door, a chilling wind hit their necks.

The palace ladies stopped, only men stepped forward, even Zhi Bei tried to block them.

Seeing such customs, Li Huo Wang couldn’t help but wonder in his heart, “Is this the ancestral hall of the Great Liang royal family?”

In his doubt, they entered. Inside, it was vast and empty, so large that footsteps echoed.

The space was funnel-shaped, high around the edges and low in the center, decorated with royal opulence.

Everywhere gleamed gold, even the coffin at the lowest level, as large as a house, was made entirely of gold. Nine golden dragons, each with a unique form, were entwined with chains, pulling the golden coffin in all directions.

Upon entering, Li Huo Wang was immediately stunned by this strange scene.

“Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin?” Li Huo Wang studied it carefully but felt it wasn’t quite right. It wasn’t nine dragons pulling the coffin—it looked more like they were tearing it apart.

“Wow! This place is really huge!” The Emperor of Great Liang looked around curiously.

After a while, guided by an old eunuch, he placed the seven offerings on the ground and bowed three times before the coffin.

Li Huo Wang had thought he should also bow, but he noticed even the surrounding eunuchs hadn’t moved. It seemed they weren’t allowed to pay homage here.

“So the deceased Emperor of Great Liang is buried here? I thought he’d be buried in a mausoleum,” said the illusionist of the Forgetful Dao Sect beside him.

While Li Huo Wang closely examined the intricate patterns on the massive coffin, he suddenly noticed something odd.

As the Emperor continued to kneel, the giant golden coffin slowly opened.

“Father?” The Emperor hesitated, as the coffin was at the lowest level. From the outer ring, he saw what lay inside. “Father!!”

The Emperor rushed forward, but was firmly blocked by several old eunuchs. “What are you doing?! My father is moving! He’s alive! Why are you locking him up!”

“Your Majesty, this is the dragon vein! The very foundation of our Great Liang! We must not desecrate it!”

What the Emperor saw, Li Huo Wang also witnessed. The Emperor who had fought to the death with the Forgetful Dao was bound tightly by dragon-patterned chains.

Though he wore a wide imperial robe embroidered with dragons, it couldn’t hide the strange transformation on his body—the dark-golden dragon scales, the writhing dragon whiskers like tentacles.

Even more chilling was that he wasn’t alone. The Emperor of Great Liang stood atop another person, who stood atop another, layer upon layer, seemingly endless.

The interior of the coffin was deep and pitch-black. Generations of Emperors of Great Liang were chained in midair, stacked like a vertical column of corpses.

Li Huo Wang noticed that the column wasn’t motionless. With a sound from deep within the coffin, it began to twist, as if trying to break free from the chains. Their movements resembled a dragon bound by chains?

Thanks to the Meat Bun Alliance Leader for the reward in May! I owe many debts, but I will work hard to repay them all! Thank you to all my creditors for your support!

(End of Chapter)