Chapter 157: The Lost Era

Having successfully rushed into the ancient tomb, He Dongsheng finally let out a sigh of relief.

Over the past few days, he had followed his master, Mu Chunqiu, through many burial sites and witnessed countless legendary histories. But none of them had ever matched the level of danger they faced today.

In fact, the moment he saw those ancient battlefield souls, He Dongsheng had already begun to regret his decision.

But in the end, he couldn’t abandon his master and flee alone. Gritting his teeth, he could only follow along and charge into the tomb.

After a short rest, the group continued their way deeper into the tomb along the path ahead.

A robotic dog led the way, probing for traps, while specialized instruments constantly monitored the surrounding air. Even if falling rocks blocked their path, a single well-placed explosive could clear the way effortlessly.

To everyone’s surprise, the exploration went far more smoothly than expected. Just as the gods and spirits had said, the interior of the tomb seemed to contain no real threats—no ghosts, no spirits, no deadly traps.

Eventually, after pressing on for some time, they reached the core of the Beimang Great Tomb, and the surrounding environment began to change.

Inside the tomb, a winding staircase forged from bronze climbed upward. Twisted beast faces were carved along its sides, each open maw spewing a constant stream of eternal ghostly flames.

The flickering fire cast shadows of ancient reliefs across the stone walls. Countless figures twisted and danced in the firelight, as if reenacting long-forgotten sacrificial rituals.

The logistics team swiftly began testing the ghostfire from the beast mouths and analyzing the bronze steps, while also adjusting cameras to transmit footage of the tomb back to the outside camp. A large number of experts and scholars immediately began dissecting the tomb’s architectural style.

Moments later, the analysis reports were consolidated and sent to the representatives of all major factions.

“It doesn’t belong to any known dynasty?”

The revelation shocked everyone. A faction representative couldn’t help but ask:

“Is there a possibility it’s been fabricated?”

The experts denied it without hesitation:

“Absolutely impossible! Though the architecture, murals, and carvings don’t match any known dynasties, we can clearly see that the style has its own consistent system.

“Such a system would take hundreds of years to form. Unless someone somehow invented an entire historical art style by themselves, it’s impossible to fake something like this.”

The findings strongly suggested that this tomb was tied to a lost era, possibly representing a powerful civilization built around spiritual energy.

This was of unparalleled value for researching the resurgence of spiritual energy.

【Version Mutation Progress: 81%】

At that moment, within the Beimang Great Tomb, Mu Chunqiu gently traced a nearby mural with his hand, his brows furrowing tightly.

He Dongsheng quickly noticed and asked,
“Master, is something wrong?”

Mu Chunqiu shook his head slowly and said quietly:

“The mural’s style doesn’t match any era I know. Even the material isn’t something I recognize. Some kind of cold, corrosive aura has infiltrated the rock, making it impossible to date based on erosion or wear.

“All my archaeological techniques are useless here. This is the first time I’ve ever encountered such a thing… and it makes me uneasy.”

He Dongsheng’s heart clenched at those words.

Soon after, the logistics team began planting explosives according to the tomb’s layout, while the rest continued exploring deeper within.

Eventually, after passing several chambers, they reached their destination.

They stood at the edge of a vast chasm with a single long bridge stretching across, connecting to the heart of the tomb.

Inside the main burial chamber, twelve towering stone pillars upheld the massive ceiling. Twisting around each pillar were carvings of mysterious beasts, their gemstone eyes shining eerily even in the total darkness, silently watching any intruder who dared enter.

A strange pressure filled the air, even making the seasoned exploration team feel tense. But the main chamber was undoubtedly the mission’s most critical location, and everyone immediately began preparing to cross.

To prevent the bridge from collapsing, they secured safety ropes along the way, ensuring that even if it broke, they’d have a chance to survive.

But just then, the elite squad captain gave an order:

“All archaeological personnel are to remain here. Your job is to monitor the ropes and scan the surrounding structures.”

That single command sparked discontent among the archaeologists.

They had come all this way to reach the main tomb—yet they weren’t even allowed to enter. Once this was over, it would surely affect how their contributions were recognized.

But there was no room for argument. Since standard archaeological techniques had all proven ineffective inside the tomb, their usefulness had dropped to zero, and so had their eligibility to enter.

Reluctantly, the archaeologists began scanning the architecture. Mu Chunqiu and He Dongsheng were no exception.

As Mu Chunqiu’s gaze fell upon a mural near the main tomb, a flicker of disbelief crossed his face.

Curious, He Dongsheng leaned in and asked:

“Master, did you find—”

Before he could finish, Mu Chunqiu raised a hand to stop him.

He slowly traced his fingers over the mural’s ridges and grooves. Then, in a low voice, he said:

“There’s writing on this mural.”

His hand slid up to the top. As he felt the textured script beneath his fingers, he instinctively read the title aloud:

“Everlasting Spring Technique.”

【Version Mutation Progress: 85%】

Meanwhile, the elite squad had crossed the bridge and entered the main tomb chamber.

There, a massive bronze coffin hovered midair, suspended by unknown forces.

Above it spun a ghostly blue vortex, casting strange light throughout the chamber.

A voice came through their earpieces from mission command:

“Finish scanning the murals. Then immediately plant the explosives and evacuate!”

The team didn’t dare slack off and quickly began scanning the murals.

But just then, a furious roar erupted from the forbidden zone outside.

“Blood God! You forced this upon me!”

The ground shook. The massive bronze coffin in the main chamber rumbled violently, as if some terrible existence inside was struggling to emerge.

“Evacuate! Everyone out now!”

The elite team barely had time to shout the warning.

In the next second, the bronze coffin shattered with a deafening blast, and fragments of the metal pierced every explorer in the chamber.

Amid the screams and chaos, a giant clad in black armor etched with golden runes stepped forth from the remains of the coffin.

His gaze was filled with fury. He extended one hand, and all the injured and dying spirits in the chamber were sucked into his palm, their agonized cries cut off as he swallowed them whole.

The cameras on the ground captured everything.

In the next instant, the giant took a single step forward. His originally three-meter form began to grow rapidly under the camera’s gaze, quickly breaking through the tomb’s ceiling.

Within moments, a hundred-meter-tall colossus emerged in the forbidden zone of Mount Beimang.

Even from the distant city of Luocheng, people could see the towering giant.

At that moment, the Blood God finally revealed himself in the forbidden zone. His face was twisted with madness as he laughed:

“Your physical body has emerged prematurely. The path of return is already sealed. Let’s see how you escape this time!”

As he spoke, eight hundred spirits surged into him, and his demonic, youthful form also transformed into a hundred-meter ghost god.

Two colossal spirits stood opposed.

Far away in Luocheng, multiple cameras captured the terrifying scene in full and broadcast it across the internet.

The entire network exploded.

【Version Mutation Progress: 93%】

(End of Chapter)