Three Kingdoms Mythology World.

Upon returning, Lin Mu summoned Wu Ba and the others.

However, the troops stored in the Ziyan Cave Heaven Ring and the Liangzhou Cauldron were not released.

The sense of crisis within the tomb was growing stronger, like a volcano about to erupt.

That's why Lin Mu didn't dare bring even Yue Jin and Yu Jin in.

"My lord, the danger in this tomb should not be so overwhelming. The killing intent is growing stronger, which means that the cause and effect of the dragon vein is becoming more and more intense... Is this place connected to the space of the dragon vein?" Huang Zhong said in a low voice, hinting at something.

"Hansheng has indeed discovered this problem as well..." Lin Mu said with a faint smile.

“However, it should be said that this place is connected to the national treasury and the space of the dragon vein…” Lin Mu said meaningfully.

"Shizhou, you must break into this tomb as quickly as possible and collect all the resources!" Lin Mu directly seized all the resources of the Epang Palace.

Unfortunately, Zhu Xuan took away a section of the Crimson Dragon's true body... otherwise it would have been even more perfect.

"My lord, rest assured, this tomb palace obstacle is not difficult to break. We have already figured out this barrier, it is called the [Kun Palace Jia Gui Formation], and we have the means to break it, it will only take a little time," Wu Ba said solemnly.

"However, there might be some minor disturbances later, requiring the intervention of the two generals," Wu Ba said meaningfully.

"You just focus on breaking the formation; we'll take care of all the fighting," Huang Zhong nodded in response.

"This formation even held off Han Sheng and his men... Indeed, professional tasks should be handled by professionals." Lin Mu nodded with a sigh.

“My lord, there are actually other ways to break this formation, but if we use other methods, it may cause those involved to be burdened with karma.”

"Oh...what method?" Lin Mu asked curiously.

"Blood sacrifice!"

"Break it with the blood of living beings..." Wu Ba said quietly.

Upon hearing this, Lin Mu nodded thoughtfully.

After that, Wu Ba focused on his work. After a while, another gust of yin wind suddenly rose up, and Wu Ba excitedly shouted, "It's done!"

"Buzz!~~~" At this moment, a strange mist suddenly spread out, obscuring the surrounding view.

After Wu Ba deciphered the barrier, he couldn't wait to lead the group of tomb raiders inside, and sure enough, the barrier disappeared!

Wu Ba's abilities are indeed impressive. Bringing him into our ranks at such a low cost was truly the most worthwhile deal ever!
Lin Mu, accompanied by Huang Zhong and Taishi Ci, followed behind and stepped inside.

Although the air was thick with the lingering fumes, no one was afraid and they moved forward quickly.

After walking for a while, the fog grew thicker and thicker, as if it concealed some unknown terror.

Then, the strange, chilling aura grew even stronger.

"Knock knock! ~~~~"

"Waaaaah! ~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Just then, a series of earth-shattering drumbeats and mournful horn calls rang out, intertwining to brew a terrifying killing intent.

The next moment, a series of strange hoofbeats suddenly rang out.

The sound of horses' hooves, which had initially been heard in the distant depths of the mist, now seemed to tread upon the hearts of everyone present, growing clearer and clearer as if a vast army was galloping forth from the dust of history.

Lin Mu and the others narrowed their eyes and quietly circulated their internal energy. Huang Zhong and Taishi Ci also tensed up, gripping their weapons tightly and warily looking around.

As for Wu Ba and the others, sensing something was amiss, none of them dared to rush to the front; instead, they ran back and hid behind Lin Mu and the others.

"Neigh! Neigh!" The neighing of warhorses echoed through the air.

Then, a terrifying aura pressed down, dispelling the thick fog.

Although the fog had dissipated, the scene ahead caused Lin Mu and the others to slightly change their expressions.

On the black floor of the not-so-spacious main hall of the tomb ahead, rows of blurry red shadows had appeared out of nowhere, stretching out as if filling the passageway behind.

Those red figures, clad in ancient, deep red armor and wielding long spears and halberds, stood motionless like statues, yet exuded a chilling stillness and malevolence.

What caught the eye most was that they were all wearing deep red cloaks.

Even Wu Ba's expression changed slightly upon seeing this.

"Imperial Guards!!!" Wu Ba shouted in a low voice.

As for Lin Mu and others
"The Daoist military unit of the Great Han Dynasty, the Crimson Dragon Feathered Forest Army!" Lin Mu shouted in a low voice, his eyes flashing like lightning, fixed on the dark end ahead. He knew exactly what kind of troops were before him.

“They are already dead… perhaps they were buried alive with the late emperor…” Wu Ba sensed their condition and said quietly.

"No... they weren't buried alive, they died long ago... If you look closely, most of the soldiers' bodies and armor are tattered, clearly they had gone through a life-or-death battle."

“At this moment, their name should be called the [Feathered Forest Ghost Army]…” Lin Mu said with a complicated expression.

Perhaps this group of Crimson Dragon Feathered Forest Army soldiers died while accompanying Liu Hong on that mission...

"Boom boom! ~~~~" The resounding drumbeats still echoed in this space.

As soon as Lin Mu finished speaking, several tall figures rushed out of the shadows.

These figures were indeed not living people; they were surrounded by a dense, malevolent red aura.

Their eyes were hollow, yet burned with a faint red light, and the slightly mottled bronze swords in their hands reflected a cold, icy gleam in the dim tomb.

“Roar!~~~” A series of hoarse roars rang out.

Then, the Imperial Guards simultaneously raised their weapons and slashed down fiercely before charging forward.

"Crack!~~~" Their movements were slightly stiff, but very fast and ferocious, with an indomitable determination, rushing straight towards Lin Mu and the others at the front.

"Protect the tomb raiders!" Huang Zhong shouted, his figure flashing out like lightning. In an instant, he drew his divine bow to its full extent, and nine golden arrows were released from the bow almost at the same time, shooting accurately in three directions with a sharp whistling sound.

Three muffled thuds were heard from each direction, followed by a deafening roar. The surrounding Feathered Forest Ghost Army was blasted away, and hundreds of red figures vanished without a trace.

Taishi Ci also began to act. He didn't use a bow, but charged forward wielding a long halberd.

He wielded his twin halberds in a purple whirlwind, each swing generating a sharp gust of wind that sliced ​​the approaching Feathered Forest Ghost Army in half.

Although those ghost soldiers felt no pain and were fearless of death, under Taishi Ci's fierce and powerful attack, their bodies shattered like fragile rotten wood, turning into specks of red evil energy that dissipated.

Wu Ba and his men certainly wouldn't stand idly by, because these [Imperial Guard Ghost Army] soldiers weren't particularly strong. They were capable fighters... so they all drew their bows and arrows to help Huang Zhong and Taishi Ci suppress the enemy from a distance. Lin Mu stood still, not in a hurry to attack, his sharp gaze sweeping across the entire battlefield.

He noticed that although these Imperial Guards were numerous and exceptionally brave, they seemed to lack true command and were only acting on a lingering will to die and a murderous aura.

Their attack methods are simple and their weaknesses are relatively obvious. However, their fearless spirit and the potential lasting effects of turning into malevolent energy after death are the real troublesome aspects.

After the ghost soldiers were blasted to pieces, they all turned into eerie red malevolent energy. The malevolent energy condensed and did not dissipate, gradually spreading throughout the surrounding space.

"Hansheng, Ziyi, be careful to conserve your energy. There are quite a few of these ghosts, and their malevolent energy is quite potent," Lin Mu warned in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Huang Zhong paid even more attention to detail in his archery. Instead of aiming for wide-area damage, he aimed his arrows precisely at the ghost soldiers who seemed to be squad leaders and whose aura was more intense.

Within the [Imperial Guard Ghost Army], there are no divine generals or heavenly-ranked martial generals. Their auras are all strange, as if they are one entity, and their strength is basically at the level of earth-ranked martial generals.

Fortunately, the place wasn't very spacious, otherwise Huang Zhong and Taishi Ci would have had to stand in front of it together.

Each arrow Huang Zhong fired was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, stirring up a small patch of chaotic malevolent energy and temporarily slowing down the movements of the surrounding ghost army.

Taishi Ci then changed tactics, no longer charging swiftly, but standing still to block the ghost soldiers' attack.

The twin halberds, like two silver lightning bolts, specifically targeted the joints or gaps in the armor of the ghost soldiers, striving to inflict maximum damage with minimal effort.

Wu Ba and the other tomb raiders, under the protection of Huang Zhong and Taishi Ci, formed a five-row formation and continuously fired arrows. Although their efficiency was nowhere near that of Huang Zhong alone, it did relieve some of the pressure on Taishi Ci.

While Lin Mu was observing, Wu Ba and the others were also secretly observing.

"My lord, I advise you not to take action. Killing these Crimson Fiend Soldiers will taint you with other blood fiend power, which may affect the Dragon Lord's destiny," Wu Ba said in a deep voice.

"Oh?" Lin Mu raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. His decision not to act immediately was indeed correct. In the tomb palace, he would treat even the lowest soldiers with extreme caution.

And it was precisely because of this caution that he avoided some trouble.

On the battlefield, the sounds of metal clashing, the roars of the ghostly army, the whistling of Huang Zhong's arrows piercing the air, and the whistling of Taishi Ci's double halberds intertwined, composing a tragic and fierce battle song of the tomb palace.

The deafening drumbeats and mournful horns seemed never to cease, like a death knell, constantly stimulating the Imperial Guards and testing the nerves of Lin Mu and his men.

Lin Mu and the others observed for a while, but they couldn't see where the enemy's drumming soldiers or horn-blowing soldiers were... as if they were just background music!

Lin Mu frowned slightly. He could sense that as the battle continued, the red malevolent energy in the surrounding air not only did not decrease, but instead tended to become more intense. These dissipating ghost soldiers seemed to be feeding their malevolent energy back to this space, or rather, nourishing a higher being.

These ghostly armies seemed endless, as if there were no end in sight.

"This can't go on. We must find the source of these ghost armies, or rather, find the core source that controls them!" Lin Mu thought to himself.

His gaze once again fell upon the dark red end of the main hall, where something seemed to be stirring. An aura a hundred times stronger than the Feathered Forest Ghost Army before him was slowly awakening, like a sleeping behemoth.

Perhaps the source is right there!
After a frenzied bombardment, they discovered that the enemy continued to surge in seemingly endless numbers.

"Boom!~~~~~" Just then, a series of huge booming sounds suddenly came.

It didn't come from the depths of the main hall, but rather it trembled down from the sky.

"Roar!~~~~~" Then, a series of dragon roars rang out incessantly. The roars were filled with anxiety and resentment…

Meanwhile, what Lin Mu and the others couldn't sense was that in the capital city of Luoyang, a series of rumbling sounds came from the ground, and the earth began to tremble.

High-frequency tremors began to appear, causing the surrounding water to tremble, and strange storms started to brew...

"We can't delay any longer!!!" Lin Mu's expression turned grim after sensing the situation.

"Go!" As if he knew what Lin Mu meant, Taishi Ci swung his halberd with both hands, smashing the surrounding ghost soldiers to pieces, and then charged straight into the depths.

Huang Zhong changed tactics, took out his long sword and began close combat, blocking their path.

When this commotion occurred, some of the tomb raiders did not actually use bows and arrows to fight the ghost soldiers.

They took out their special tools and started digging directly into the black stone slabs of the main hall... Wu Ba, after shooting for a while, realized that it wouldn't have much impact on the overall situation, so he joined in.

If we can find any clues in the main hall, it might be helpful in dealing with the current situation.

However, when they dug a twenty-meter-long hole in the ground, they found that it was no longer black stone and soil, but a barrier.

Wu Ba didn't recognize this barrier; it seemed to have absolutely no connection to the items related to the tomb.

"Rest assured, my lord!" Wu Ba, who had already led the tomb raiders to avoid the front and quickly search along both sides of the tomb passage, responded loudly upon hearing this, while his fingers rapidly pointed at some ancient runes on the wall, as if he were deciphering something.

"Roar!!!" The frenzied slaughter by Huang Zhong and Taishi Ci finally gave birth to a terrifying being.

The first ghost general of god-like caliber has appeared.

Perhaps it wasn't conceived or nurtured, but rather the threat posed by Taishi Ci, who had plunged into the depths of the intrusion, brought it forth.

A giant red shadow, ten feet tall, emerged from the depths and blocked Taishi Ci's path.

Just then, a deep shout came from somewhere: "What are you doing?!"

"Hmph! Our lord and strategist both warned us to be wary of you, and they were right!"

Lin Mu recognized the two voices immediately.

The former was Zhang Liao, and the latter was Dong Min!

"Hehehe... We're just taking a little benefit along the way." Another familiar voice came.

Upon hearing this voice, a fierce look appeared on Lin Mu's face.

This commotion indicates that the dragon vein has reached its most critical moment... but the Epang Palace here hasn't been fully conquered yet, which is a bit tricky!

Lin Mu is now facing a choice.

Should we continue exploring the Epang Palace, or head to the Dragon Vein Land...?

"Boom!!!" Just then, a huge roar came.

Then, Taishi Ci, deep within, erupted completely, his dense purple light filling most of the space.

Afterwards, with Huang Zhong and Taishi Ci's frenzied slaughter and the assistance of the tomb raiders, the ghost soldiers were quickly cleared out.

(I worked late again today, so this is only 4000 words.) (End of Chapter)