Running A Cemetery in North America-Chapter 448 - 319: The Mysterious Figure in the Tomb

Chapter 448: Chapter 319: The Mysterious Figure in the Tomb

"Ugh!"

A chilling wind blew, and as Sun Yan struck with his palm, the strange creature shattered instantly.

But it wasn’t over yet; the object Sun Yan crushed reassembled in the blink of an eye.

It transformed into something that was neither human nor non-human.

Surrounded by a dark mist, with crimson eyes, it realized it wasn’t a match for Sun Yan and immediately fled toward the passage.

In the blink of an eye, it vanished into the depths of the corridor.

"What was that thing?" Sun Yan muttered, frowning.

Since inheriting the graveyard, he had encountered countless Evil Ghosts and Evil Spirits, even Evil Gods and Unholy Guardian Spirits from outer realms countless times.

But he had never seen anything like this. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Neither human nor ghost, neither spirit nor shade.

"That’s a Nian."

The voice of the True Monarch of Pure Origin and Mysterious Dao echoed in Sun Yan’s ear.

As an avatar of the True Monarch, he knew far more than Sun Yan.

Upon hearing the True Monarch’s explanation, Sun Yan quickly recalled the origin of the Nian.

The "Five Tones Collection of Rhymes" mentions: When people die, they become ghosts; when ghosts die, they become Nian, which even ghosts fear.

Ancient legends say that when people die, they become ghosts; when ghosts die, they turn into Nian. Nian makes ghosts fear, serving to ward off evils and disasters.

Posting a seal character at the door keeps malign spirits a thousand miles away.

This shows the danger of Nians surpasses that of ghosts.

There’s another saying: people die and become ghosts, ghosts die and become Nian, Nian dies and becomes Xi, Xi dies and becomes Yi.

People turning into ghosts is already a rare event.

Not to mention turning into Nian after death, with few having seen a Nian’s form throughout history.

Sun Yan never expected an actual Nian to exist beneath the Emperor’s Tomb.

"This place isn’t simple, you must be careful." The True Monarch of Pure Origin and Mysterious Dao rarely sounded so serious.

Instantly, Sun Yan felt a sense of crisis within.

Indeed, the Eight Stars mission wasn’t a baseless rumor; the Emperor’s Tomb wasn’t as straightforward as it seemed.

A slight mistake could easily cost them their lives here.

"What’s going on?"

Zhou Mangmang and Lin Wan approached Sun Yan’s side, vigilantly glancing around.

"It’s a Nian. Professor Zhao mentioned the foreign archaeology team that died within the Emperor’s Tomb years ago likely fell to these entities. We’ve only encountered them on the outskirts, and the depths must be more dangerous, so we shouldn’t let Professor Zhao’s team follow us further; otherwise, we might not be able to safeguard their lives."

Sun Yan spoke in a low voice.

Even with the Eight Stars mission, he lacked confidence in protecting a group of ordinary people.

Keeping Professor Zhao’s team here without moving was the best decision.

"Lin Wan, stay and protect Professor Zhao’s team while Zhou Mangmang and I enter the depths of the Emperor’s Tomb to search for the Creation Bell and Cauldron."

"Alright."

With just a few words, the three confirmed their plan.

Danger loomed over everyone like a heavy cloud; this wasn’t the time for delays.

Only by quickly finding the Creation Bell and Cauldron, helping Zhou Mangmang complete the mission and swiftly leaving the Emperor’s Tomb, would they achieve their goal.

Sun Yan and Zhou Mangmang exchanged a glance and immediately dashed toward the passage.

———

Without Professor Zhao’s guidance, Sun Yan and Zhou Mangmang’s pace slowed considerably.

Due to the unfamiliarity with the Emperor’s Tomb’s interior layout, Sun Yan soon became lost.

Thus, finding the Creation Bell and Cauldron’s target became even more challenging.

"Damn it, the Emperor’s Tomb’s environment is too complex; we’ll need to think of another method, otherwise we won’t find the Creation Bell and Cauldron at all."

Zhou Mangmang stopped, observing the unchanged surroundings.

"Never mind, let me handle it."

Sun Yan immediately formed a spell, and dozens of black dogs appeared at the scene and, at Sun Yan’s signal, rapidly dashed in all directions.

Soon after, Sun Yan felt a faint signal: "There’s a path this way, follow me."

The two followed the convoluted corridors straight to the second tomb chamber.

This chamber contained numerous ever-burning lamps.

Even after all these years, their glow was as bright as ever.

A coffin was placed in the center of the chamber, it appeared very ordinary, not resembling a place to hold the Emperor.

At that moment, beside the coffin, stood a figure.

The person wore a white mask and a black robe.

Upon hearing the movement behind, he slowly turned around, cold gaze beneath the mask fixed on Sun Yan and Zhou Mangmang:

"I didn’t expect anyone besides me and Master Xu to find this place."

The masked man looked at Sun Yan and Zhou Mangmang, speaking with a hoarse voice.

"Xu Fu?"

Hearing "Master Xu," Sun Yan immediately thought of Xu Fu.

He had completely destroyed Xu Fu, yet traces related to him still existed in the world.

Xu Fu’s malevolent influence had ultimately entered the Emperor’s Tomb in another form.

Bam!

The masked man struck the coffin lid, shattering it instantly, reaching inside to retrieve a bronze cauldron.

"Originally, I had no intention of causing harm upon entering, but since you’ve stumbled upon me... I can’t leave any witnesses."

The masked man chuckled lightly: "I sense that repulsive Immortal Family aura on you. You two must be Tomb Guardians; I feel no guilt killing you. Tomb Guardians deserve death."

Whoosh!

As soon as he finished speaking, the figure vanished and appeared right in front of Sun Yan, single-handedly thrusting toward his chest.

Intending to gouge out Sun Yan’s heart immediately.

Yet unexpectedly, Sun Yan swung his palm to clash with him, a powerful force repelling the masked man.

"You talk big, now let’s see how strong you really are."

Sun Yan struck with a punch, aiming directly at the man’s face.

The man still held the bronze cauldron tightly as if it held great significance; he showed no sign of letting go.

Thus, he raised a hand to defend against Sun Yan’s attack.

But he underestimated Sun Yan’s strength; upon contact, his arm was dislocated by Sun Yan’s force.

The mask cracked under Sun Yan’s punch, revealing a silent, wrinkled face to Sun Yan.

"Who are you?" Sun Yan frowned, feeling an odd familiarity with the person before him.

"I underestimated you; you’re not an ordinary Tomb Guardian, but alas, I don’t have time to tangle with you now. I’ll let you off this time, and when we meet again, I’ll claim your life."

The mysterious figure spoke, releasing a purple poisoned mist from his mouth.

Sun Yan’s vision was instantly obscured, though he quickly swung his palm.

The palm wind dispersed the poisonous mist, and the mysterious old man’s figure vanished, whereabouts unknown.

"Are you alright?" Zhou Mangmang approached.

"This person feels familiar, like I’ve seen him somewhere before." Sun Yan appeared puzzled.

"He took that bronze cauldron from the coffin, who knows what it’s for. From his words, he seems to hold great hostility toward Tomb Guardians, could it be an enemy of the Grand Sacrificial Society?"

Zhou Mangmang glanced into the coffin.

The interior of the coffin was quite empty except for some gold, silver, and jewels; there was nothing else.

"Could the bronze cauldron be the Creation Bell and Cauldron?" Zhou Mangmang suddenly exclaimed.

Sun Yan shook his head: "Impossible, though I’ve never seen the Creation Bell and Cauldron, the bronze cauldron gives me no premonition that it matches; perhaps he has another goal.

Come, let’s quickly check the next chamber; the Creation Bell and Cauldron must not fall into the wrong hands."

...

Trap mechanisms and poisonous water.

Ancient traps activated one by one due to Sun Yan and Zhou Mangmang’s arrival.

Fortunately, the abilities and methods of Sun Yan and Zhou Mangmang had surpassed ordinary norms, else any typical Tomb Raider would have perished deep within this Emperor’s Tomb.

After advancing a hundred meters, an even larger chamber appeared before Sun Yan and Zhou Mangmang.

Splendid and lavish, numerous colored Terracotta Warriors were arranged in pits, creating a striking spectacle.

In the center of the Terracotta Army, a gem-crafted coffin stood out prominently.