Chapter 737: with translation of chapter title

Gu Jiu Ling followed Xiao Yin along the long tomb passage, walking straight inside, the Eternal Lamp on both sides flickering, casting alternating bright and dim light.

At that moment Gu Jiu Ling felt something strange in her heart, as if she had entered another time and space, everything before her eyes becoming illusory.

Finally having passed through those passages, they arrived at a burial chamber.

This burial chamber was entirely carved and piled up from Han white jade.

Gu Jiu Ling gazed at the enormous burial chamber built of white jade before her, and couldn't help drawing a breath.

Good heavens! That's incredibly lavish! Simply extravagant to the point of being inhuman!

Who would have thought the Murong royal family of the Li Dynasty would be so rich, even their tombs built so magnificently?

It's a pity they died out after two generations, lacking heirs, and thus that splendid realm was seized by the Xiao family.

Thinking of the Xiao family, Gu Jiu Ling glanced at the man beside her and secretly sighed.

The Xiao family hardly has any decent members; this one beside her is practically a bamboo shoot sprouting from rotten bamboo.

"Let's go! Let's go in and take a look," Xiao Yin also felt a huge curiosity aroused.

As for matters of the Li Dynasty, Xiao Yin hadn't heard much about them.

After all, it was a secret of the former dynasty, and besides, the Xiao family's seizure of the throne was hardly glorious; not to mention the common folk, even their own royal kin rarely spoke of it.

She now wanted to see what exactly was hidden here.

Even the old master of the Du family brought so many dead warriors into this desolate mountain and hid such a vast underground tomb here.

Before them stood another bronze gate, about three or four zhang high.

Gu Jiu Ling and Xiao Yin stood before this gate, like ants before a deity.

Gu Jiu Ling looked at the blood trough at the entrance and couldn't help but give a wry smile.

"Today they want to drain my blood clean."

Gu Jiu Ling picked up the dagger and raised her wrist.

Xiao Yin hurriedly grabbed her, looking at her with some heartache: "Forget it, there's no need to look at such a design; do they really intend to drain all your blood?"

"It's fine, a little blood is enough; having come this far, how could we not go on?"

Gu Jiu Ling smiled: "Actually, you and I both know deep down that I likely possess the bloodline of the former dynasty's royalty. This matter isn't just related to your Xiao family's royal line; it also concerns my origins, so we must get to the bottom of it."

Xiao Yin had no choice but to release Gu Jiu Ling; she raised her hand, the dagger directly slicing her arm, then letting the blood drip into the groove.

Sure enough, another sound of machinery being triggered rang out, and the massive gate slowly retracted to either side.

Suddenly, piercing rays of light shot straight at them; at that instant Gu Jiu Ling reflexively closed her eyes and lifted her hand to block the light.

Ling Feng and the others following behind also exclaimed in surprise.

Gu Jiu Ling slowly opened her eyes, gazed at the scene before her, and was utterly stunned.

The Han white jade–carved burial chamber was about the size of half a basketball court, filled with all kinds of jewels.

Besides the dazzling jewels, there were all sorts of weapons—swords, spears, halberds—especially those famous swords, which at a glance were clearly not ordinary.

There were also chest after chest of military manuals and ancient texts, almost all rotted away.

Anything taken out from here would be worth a fortune, yet they were piled everywhere, giving the impression of utter carelessness.

Gu Jiu Ling experienced for the first time what it felt like to stand amid a heap of jewels.

Xiao Yin's face beside her also twitched slightly; he hadn't expected that inside Mang Shan lay an underground treasure trove.

No wonder one must rely on the blood of the Murong royal family to enter; if the Murong royals were exterminated, the underground treasure would remain forever sealed.

When Murong Gu originally died of illness, he likely already harbored worries, so he hid the treasure here without telling those around him.

He even designed this mysterious mechanism so that only his descendants could enter via bloodline—others wouldn't even dare to think about it.

Xiao Yin couldn't help but sigh inwardly, guessing that his grandfather never imagined he would miss out on such a vast treasury by a hair's breadth.

Pearls and jewels lay everywhere on both sides; Gu Jiu Ling bent down and snatched up a handful of pearls.

Though covered in dust, a light wipe made them shine brilliantly, of excellent quality; this single pearl could support an ordinary household's food and drink for three years.

Gu Jiu Ling casually tossed the pearls into the gem pile and continued walking inward.

The jewels piled all around extended all the way to the very center of the chamber.

In the middle stood a platform about a person high, and the steps leading up to it were carved from mutton-fat jade and obsidian.

Gu Jiu Ling saw a massive coffin inlaid with rubies, and her brows furrowed slightly.

Xiao Yin also inwardly wondered why the coffin's surroundings were all inlaid with rubies.

Moreover, the outer walls of the coffin were carved with phoenixes, scarcely any dragon motifs, and even the dragon appeared to be crouching beneath the phoenix's feet.

Xiao Yin said slowly: "An infant in swaddling clothes buried with such grandeur—wait, what is that?"

By the time Xiao Yin and Gu Jiu Ling walked up onto the platform together, they discovered that the coffin there was strange.

Xiao Yin also noticed something off about this platform; how could this be a coffin?

This was clearly two coffins placed side by side, except the inner one differed slightly in size and pattern, and was even blocked by the outer coffin, making it invisible from their viewpoint.

Xiao Yin turned his face to look at Gu Jiu Ling beside him: "Should we pry it open?"

Gu Jiu Ling nodded; Ling Feng and the others hastily drew their side swords, walked to the coffin, then froze, looking at Gu Jiu Ling with awkward expressions.

Gu Jiu Ling had anticipated this; she approached the coffin, picked up the dagger, and continued to let blood.

Gu Jiu Ling's blood dripped into the coffin's groove, and all that was heard was a soft "click."

Ling Feng quickly moved forward with several guards, placing the sword scabbards beneath the lid.

"Up!" Ling Feng gave a low shout, and the four of them together shoved the coffin lid to one side.

Inside lay not an infant's corpse, but a silver-haired woman.

The woman wore a bright yellow dragon robe, held a night‑shining pearl in her mouth; though her body was somewhat decayed, her features could still be discerned clearly—she was actually an elderly lady.

Xiao Yin stared: "How could this be? Isn't this supposed to be Murong Qing's tomb?"

Gu Jiu Ling whispered: "Could it be in the other coffin? This woman might be Murong Qing's mother, for all we know."

Gu Jiu Ling's brow furrowed, and she felt a strange sensation approaching.

She took a few steps to another coffin, urgently using a dagger to cut the skin of another arm, letting the blood drip onto the mechanism.

Ling Feng and the others hurried after her, and even Xiao Yin drew his Dragon Spring Sword, joining Ling Feng and the others in prying open the lid.

The lid slowly tilted to one side, revealing the person inside the coffin.

Gu Jiu Ling and Xiao Yin stepped forward and lowered their heads to look.

Gu Jiu Ling let out a sudden exclamation, incredulously stepping back a pace.

She could hardly believe what she saw before her eyes.

"What's going on? Why... why is this happening?"