Nightmare Light

Chapter 249 Imperial Mausoleum, Dragon Head Lord
"The soldiers of the Steelbone Army have all been corrupted, so I dragged them into a dream and won't let them wake up."

Huang Liangye's words surprised all four of them.

"The Steelbone Army... corrupted?!" Dog's eyes widened. "You mean, those strange-looking ones that just woke up..."

The yellow-skinned rat nodded: "Yes, and I know very well where their pollution comes from."

He stretched out his little paws and drew a square on the table.

Then, looking at the square he had drawn, he clapped his hands and exclaimed, "The square I drew is so neat... No, I'm getting off-topic."

He pointed to the square: “Suppose this is the base of the Steelbone Army, and not far from this base, there is a tomb… the tomb of you mortals.”

"A tomb?" Lin Wang frowned.

"You mean, the imperial tomb?" Dog Brother's eyes widened.

Lin Wang then remembered that there was a genuine Lu Shan person next to him.

He asked Dog Brother, "Imperial Mausoleum? Lushan Imperial Mausoleum?"

“No, it’s not just Lushan.” Dog Brother shook his head. “It’s the tombs of almost all the emperors from the Three Sovereigns period.”

“Initially, the emperors were buried in their own places, but in the late period of the Three Sovereigns... you know I’m not very good at history,” Dog said. “From a certain period onwards, all the emperors after that were buried in the imperial mausoleum in the Western Region.”

He added, "So, in fact, the Steelbone Army... besides guarding the western border, has another important task—that is, guarding the imperial tombs."

Lin Wang nodded, understanding what Dog Brother meant.

“Huangpi… Huangliangye, please continue.”

"You were trying to call me a yellow-skinned rat, weren't you! I..."

"Add a roast chicken," Lin Wang said quickly.

"I am a celestial being with the magnanimity of a mortal, and I will not stoop to your level." Lord Huangliang snorted. "The Steel Bone Army is stationed here not only to guard the imperial tomb. If I am not mistaken, they should have another task—to guard a celestial being."

"Immortals?" Lin Wang frowned. "Immortals living in the imperial tombs?"

"No, it's a celestial being sealed inside the imperial mausoleum." Lord Huangliang wagged the tip of his tail. "I personally went to the imperial mausoleum to investigate. On the surface, the layout of the mausoleum looks like a tomb, but in reality, it's a huge sealing array. And the celestial being guarding it is someone I happen to know."

After saying that, He muttered to himself, "After all, I used to steal a lot of food from that person's altar back then."

"What is this immortal's name?"

"He has two names. The royal family usually calls him Dragon Head Lord, while ordinary people prefer to call him by another name—Kitchen God Lord," said Huang Liangye. "He is the deity who oversees the daily life of all people, and at the same time, he is the deity who stabilizes imperial power."

Dragon Head God, Kitchen God...

It was actually this person...

No wonder those soldiers outside looked like that after they mutated—they were clearly grotesque versions of dragon heads…

"Wait a minute, why did the ancient royal families use their tombs to suppress the immortals who consolidated their imperial power?" Bai Xiaoxiao raised her hand.

"You're very polite, mortal." Lord Huangliang waved his claws. "I'll tell you the answer..."

After a pause, He said, "I don't know either—at that time, Yuansheng's subordinates were waging war everywhere, and I had already hidden myself away."

"..."

Dog Brother breathed a sigh of relief and looked around: "Um... can we go back to Tangsheng City now? The investigation into the Steelbone Army's inability to respond to the conscription should be considered complete at this point, right?" "Mortal, I solemnly remind you, if you intend to just leave like this... then what follows will surely be a bloodbath." Huang Liangye scurried to the chair next to Dog Brother, squatted on the back of the chair, pointed at Dog Brother with his little paws, and reached out to tug at his beard.

"Ouch...it hurts! Why?"

"Because I'm about to collapse." Lord Huangliang turned around, ran back to the table, took a deep look at the four people around him, then shook his body, and a wisp of yellow smoke rose from his body.

As the smoke cleared, a gaunt, old weasel with a mixture of white and yellow fur and even bald patches on its body was revealed.

Even its beautiful big tail was withered, yellow, and bald, with only a thin strand remaining.

After revealing its true form, it tried to make a wide smile at the people around it.

"Ever since Yuan Sheng went mad, the statues on the altar have been smashed, and I've been hiding for so many years, constantly depleting the power stored within my body..."

“If I were to cultivate to the level of a god, I would be able to live endlessly within my body. But I am just a minor immortal… I still have to go around repairing things for that stupid girl, Zhili…” It sighed, “I can’t even eat a roast chicken.”

After grumbling for a few minutes, it raised its paw and pointed in a direction in the distance: "The seal of the Dragon Head Lord was disturbed a few days ago by someone, and the polluted aura leaked out of the tomb."

Lin Wang glanced at Dog Brother, and in his mind, certain clues vaguely connected together.

"I am but a mere minor immortal. Although we are both in the 'Lord' realm, that one is the Kitchen God, who brings fire to all people... How can I possibly fight against Him?" Lord Huangliang shook his body, and yellow mist rose, transforming back into his previous beautiful weasel appearance. "Besides, He is still holding back a lot of anger underground."

He suddenly raised his voice and bared his teeth in that direction: "But I am a celestial being! I can't just ignore this... So I'll go all the way and drag all these soldiers into my dreams."

"If you drag it into your dream, what are you going to do next?" Dog Brother asked.

"There's nothing we can do, we'll just wait it out," said Grandpa Huangliang.

"What if you run out of energy?" Dog asked again.

This time, Huang Liangye remained silent.

The big weasel looked out the window at the mist and the distant mountains, remaining silent, its nose twitching.

Seven or eight seconds later, He said softly, "I am exhausted."

At this moment, a thunderous sound suddenly came from deep within the Steelbone Army camp, in the direction of the imperial tomb.

The Yellow Millet God's tail suddenly stood up straight.

He turned his head and said urgently to the four, "You should leave quickly! I... I can create an illusion and delay Him for a few more hours! If you act fast..."

“We’re not going anywhere.” Lin Wang picked up the big yellow rat by the scruff of its neck, then pressed down on the top of Huang Liangye’s head with his other hand, flattening and pressing its features onto his head, making it look like a yellow melon-shaped hat. “We’re here to solve this problem.”

At this moment, shouts began to rise and fall from the various military camps outside—clearly, many of the dragon-headed soldiers had already woken up.

Dog was taken aback: "Boss, isn't our mission to investigate the Steelbone Army?"

"Have we investigated this thoroughly?" Lin Wang casually asked. "Why did the emperors of that time seal the Kitchen God? And how did they manage to do it? How could mortals suppress a powerful deity?"

"Uh……"

"So our investigation isn't finished yet?"

"So, at what point in our investigation do we consider it complete?"

“Of course, defeat Him.” Lin Wang said calmly.

(End of this chapter)