Unearthed

Layer upon layer of blue-gray roof tiles lay so tightly fitted that not even a seam could be seen. The ancient mortise-and-tenon joints were clearly visible as well.

It was the roof of an ancient structure… buried deep inside the mountain.

The thought flashed through Chen Guan’s mind, and a chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to his brain.

The Blackwind Mountain Tunnel had been built by hollowing out the foundation of an ancient structure—and the origins of that structure…

Rumble—

A more violent tremor interrupted his thoughts.

This time, the ground beneath their feet was collapsing. The entire roadbed was sinking.

The massive black transport truck let out a shrill metallic screech as the ground beneath its wheels gave way. Its enormous body began to tilt, on the verge of being swallowed by the darkness below.

“The truck!” An Changqing’s expression changed.

He couldn’t just leave the truck alone—or rather, he couldn’t ignore what was inside it.

“Forget the truck,” Long Ao’s voice came through the clouds of dust. “This whole place is coming down. Move!”

The instant he finished speaking—

Crack… crack-crack…

A teeth-grating sound of splintering rose from beneath everyone’s feet.

They looked down and saw a gigantic bottomless chasm split open in the tunnel, centered around the transport truck. It spread toward both ends at a terrifying speed.

The rift was pitch-black, and that darkness seemed to be surging upward from the depths.

Chen Guan was in a very bad situation.

Not because he himself was in trouble, but because he had too many burdens dragging him down.

“Everyone, crouch down and cover your heads!”

His voice remained calm despite the thunderous roar, steadying the panicked bodyguards.

The long sword in his hand swept out a sheet of clear light before him. Countless fragments of sword qi intertwined into a translucent curtain of light, shielding Qian Yongnian and the terrified bodyguards beneath it.

Clink, clink, clink!

Falling rocks struck the curtain and sent ripples across its surface. The sword-qi barrier visibly dimmed at an alarming rate.

“Ah! We’re going to die! We’re all going to die!”

Qian Yongnian had just woken up, but now he lay sprawled on the ground, clutching his head and screaming like a slaughtered pig. Next to An Changqing, who was calmly issuing orders, the contrast was almost comical.

Chen Guan leaned against the wall. The barrier he had casually set up with Santai earlier was still in place, blocking most of the deadly debris from reaching him.

“Go. Bring it here.”

He quietly ordered Baobao to sneak the treasure known as the Heart of Revival out of the truck.

The truck was doomed anyway. Once it was gone, there would be no evidence. No one would ever know he had quietly made off with something valuable.

Perfect plan. √

Once Baobao began moving, Chen Guan’s gaze crossed the chaotic battlefield and fell on the culprit behind everything.

At some point, Santai had drifted to the center of the tunnel. She stood on a floating chunk of rubble, arms folded, looking up at the enormous hole in the ceiling.

Her face was full of curiosity. It seemed Santai truly hadn’t known there was a structure hidden up there.

Boom—

With a deafening crash, the already tottering truck finally plunged into the darkness. The sound of its impact echoed through the abyss for a long time before gradually fading away.

The Heart of Revival, along with that S-rank transport truck, was gone just like that.

An Changqing and Long Ao’s faces instantly turned ashen, but they had no time to worry about it now.

At last, the final piece of rubble hit the ground.

The shaking stopped.

The thunderous roar slowly subsided, leaving only the distant drip-drip of water somewhere in the pipes.

Naturally, Baobao had been the one to kick the truck into the abyss.

Even a leopard understood the principle of destroying the evidence.

After completing his mission, Baobao returned to Chen Guan’s pocket, taking the Heart of Revival with him.

Now, the whereabouts of the Heart of Revival were completely beyond proof.

The protective barriers dispersed, and thick dust hung in the air like a heavy curtain, concealing everything.

“Cough… cough, cough.”

Long Ao’s coughing was the first sound to break the silence. He slowly straightened, swaying on his feet and nearly losing his balance.

His back was covered in blood. The shirt had been torn to shreds, and shards of stone were embedded in the mangled flesh, some driven deep enough to expose bone.

An Changqing’s sword-qi barrier disappeared as well. He leaned on his sword and gasped for breath, his lips drained of color.

The dust gradually settled.

The scene inside the tunnel slowly came into view.

Everyone instinctively raised their heads.

Then they all froze.

The ceiling of the tunnel was gone. What lay above them was not layers of rock.

It was an endless complex of buildings stretching deep into the darkness, disappearing beyond sight.

Row upon row of orderly blue-gray tiles gleamed with a cold, ghostly light.

Layered flying eaves, interlocking bracket sets, and mortise-and-tenon structures of a precision no ordinary human could have achieved—

It was the roof of an ancient palace complex, buried whole within the heart of the mountain.

This wasn’t the inside of a mountain at all. They had been standing beneath the foundation of a magnificent palace the entire time.

Long Ao forgot all about the wound on his back. He stood there with his mouth hanging open, unable to speak for a long while.

An Changqing’s hand tightened unconsciously around his sword as he stared at the palace that should never have existed in this place. The shock in his eyes was impossible to hide.

Just then, a gentle breeze scattered the last strands of dust.

A massive beast’s head hanging from one corner of the palace was revealed in its entirety.

It looked like a dragon, but not quite. Its face was blue-green, its fangs bared, and its hollow stone eyes had no pupils. Yet it seemed to be silently looking down upon them—the insignificant insects who had stumbled into its domain.

“What is that thing…?” An Changqing murmured, frowning slightly.

The bodyguards beside Qian Yongnian had already collapsed onto the ground. They trembled like sieves as they stared at the enormous blue-green beast’s head, their throats producing nothing but wheezing gasps.

As for Qian Yongnian himself, he simply rolled his eyes back and fainted again.

【Holy crap, so that’s why it’s called Blackwind Mountain. There really is something buried inside it!】

【This is way more thrilling than stealing that whatever-heart. We’ve skipped straight to Brother Coffin TV: Temptation to Go Home.】

【Am I the only one who noticed Santai’s expression? She looks more excited than anyone else!】

Chen Guan’s gaze remained fixed on Santai as well.

The woman who had just been radiating murderous intent and pinning the three of them to the ground was now standing on a raised chunk of concrete with her arms folded, studying the blue tiles and flying eaves with great interest.

The playful look had returned to her face, but it was different from the teasing amusement of a cat toying with a mouse.

This was the pure excitement of someone who had discovered a fascinating new toy.

It was as though the life-or-death battle just now, along with the collapse of the tunnel, had absolutely nothing to do with her.

Leaning against the wall, Chen Guan controlled his breathing. After such a long rest, he had almost completely recovered.

“Hey.”

Long Ao’s voice shattered the silence. Supporting himself against the wall, he stepped out of the dust one slow step at a time, his eyes locked on Santai.

“Given the situation, you’re not seriously planning to keep fighting, are you?”

An Changqing did not stop him. He merely tightened his grip on his sword and moved to Long Ao’s side, adopting a guarded stance.

Though their strength was worlds apart, though they stood above a bottomless chasm with a strange ancient palace overhead, the relationship between enemy and foe had not changed.

Faced with their hostility, Santai finally deigned to pull her gaze away from the roof.

She lowered her head and glanced at the vigilant An Changqing and Long Ao, then looked toward Chen Guan, who was pretending to be dead in the distance.

Suddenly, she let out a soft laugh.

Santai tilted her head, her tone so casual it was almost absurd.

“Little boy, you already know the answer to that.”

She extended one slender finger, pointing first to the hideous beast’s head overhead, then to the bottomless chasm beneath her feet.