Chapter 19

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“The Eternal Happiness Palace is the residential palace of the crown prince from the previous dynasty. It’s not surprising to have some secret passages or an underground palace.”

Zhao Mu’s gaze shifted around, but it did not express any shock or surprise.

Even a merchant family and noble households would have craftsmen secretly dig a hole in their walls to build secret chambers, or build escape tunnels for emergencies.

The imperial city inner court was no exception.

However, Zhao Mu did not explore it immediately.

Instead, he turned the mechanism again to move the decorative hill back,

A secret chamber had all sorts of uses.

For example, closed-door cultivation, storing treasures, secret meetings, or even fulfilling the special interests for some, and so on.

It would be dangerous to enter such an important place without making preparations. What if there were dangers or his entrance caused some sort of commotion? That would be bad.

“I better wait until late night before I come over again.”

Zhao Mu maintained a calm expression despite his heart being filled with anticipation.

His life in the cold palace was boring. Any unexpected discoveries would bring him a great surprise.

“I wonder if it’ll be records of divine arts, or…”

Zhao Mu smiled. If the secret chamber was used to imprison someone, he hoped that it would not turn out to be some decrepit old man.

Otherwise, that would be traumatizing.

As he contemplated, he slowly departed from the desolated training chamber that was overrun with weed.

After some calligraphy and reading, half a day passed in a blink of an eye.

With the moon high in the sky, it had just passed midnight.

Zhao Mu drifted by like a ghost as though he did not touch the ground. He traveled all the way there without sparking anyone’s attention.

The servants in the cold palace were either old eunuchs and maids that were clumsy or the unlucky ones that were sent there as punishment for the crimes they committed.

Based on his observation, none of them were physically fit martial artists who trained their bodies.

“Who would’ve guessed the prince who had never set foot out of the cold palace would have a fortuitous encounter of being bestowed a technique by the heavens?”

Zhao Mu smirked as he approached the screen.

He lit up the candle within his lantern with an ancient lighter and activated the mechanism he found earlier.

The contraption connected to the secret passage made creaking sounds as the decorative hill in the corner slowly moved away, revealing the secret passage.

“In case of poisonous gas, I should wait for a bit.”

Zhao Mu stood at the entrance for around 15 minutes before entering.

Seeing the flame on his lantern did not show any changes, he felt slightly relieved and continued forward.

There was some unpleasant old musty scent, but the airflow was smooth.

He followed the steps downward, moving deeper into the narrow passageway.

The oil lamps hanging on the walls were already covered in rush, probably due to lack of use over a long time.

The huge candle as wide as one’s arm had also burnt out completely, leaving only a layer of solidified wax behind.

He followed the passage for some time before raising his head.

Ever since he started descending down the tunnel, he had been circulating the true Qi within his body to form a protective layer to protect him from any possible traps.

He imagined a lot of scenarios such as compacting stone walls that would squish him flat, pitfalls filled with sharp spikes, and so on.

However, none of that happened.

Zhao Mu was not sure if he felt relieved or disappointed.

He channeled his strength and pushed aside the very heavy sealed door.

Bright light filled his eyes immediately.

It was an underground chamber made of stone!

It was spacious and had plenty of light, devoid of any feelings of a cramped space.

Furthermore, unlike the absolute darkness in the passageway, the excavated stone chamber had over a dozen luminescent pearls embedded in its walls, giving off a bright light.

“Was someone having closed-door cultivation here?”

Zhao Mu had a surprised look on his face.

He saw an elixir furnace that was several dozen feet high placed in the middle of the room.

The fire within the furnace had already gone out. Its cover was covered with a thick layer of dust.

There were several tall book racks by the walls with many books and elixirs placed on them.

Of course, the most eye-catching thing was still the pure white jade-like coffin in the corner.

Just as Zhao Mu entered the stone chamber, the Primordial Yang Qi hidden in his aperture were being agitated and started circulating on their own.

Waves of extremely pure Yang Qi started streaming out of the white jade coffin and flowed into his body.

He felt as though he was soaking in a hot spring. His body felt warm and blissful.

The Eternal Happiness Palace was steeped in cold Qi. Whenever night fell, it would be extremely cold.

Many eunuchs and maids that were sent there would not last several years before they die of a serious cold due to their weak physique.

After that, they would be sent outside the imperial palace and simply buried.

When Zhao Mu first entered the cold palace, it was also very difficult for him. It was all due to his brother sending him medicine and clothing that he barely survived.

However, what surprised him was the moment he went down the tunnel into the stone chamber, the heavy cold chill disappeared without a trace.

“This white jade coffin is not ordinary…”

Zhao Mu approached it and made a palm strike through the air, moving the lid of the coffin away.

Boom!

A wave of powerful spiritual willpower that looked down upon the living buffet against him.

It felt as though the world around him was collapsing as that domineering will came right at him!

It felt as though it would crush someone’s spirit and destroy their physical body!

Zhao Mu’s body trembled.

His robes vibrated and made a crackling sound!

“Such a strong will of martial arts!”

He lowered his feet into a stance and remained still, not moving a single step back.

“It’s even scarier and dense than Huo Rulie!”

The martial will washed over him in waves like the ocean. However, it did not break Zhao Mu’s mental defense.

He even had spare energy to comment on it.

He kept muttering the profound mantra of “clear as ice, fear not the collapsing heaven’ as he went up against it.

“The corpse didn’t decay and the spiritual willpower didn’t fade away either. It’s lingering on the body…Spiritual Transformation? No! This is the corpse of an Innate Grandmaster!”

Zhao Mu’s eyes were filled with surprise.

How many Innate Grandmasters were out there in the world?

Yet there was one right there in that stone chamber!

With the light from the luminescent pearls, he could see the nameless corpse lying within the coffin.

The corpse was of average build and had a bronze mask on his face. He could not make out the actual appearance.

“All vital signs are completely gone. It seems like he died from failing to breakthrough at the end of his lifespan.”

Zhao Mu’s eyes brightened as his gaze fell upon the dragon-shaped token that was on the corpse’s robe.

He opened his right palm and activated his true Qi.

It produced a suction force that pulled it into his hand.

“It’s made of gold in the shape of a dragon…It looks like the tiger token the emperor used to command the army,” Zhao Mu speculated.

The nameless corpse lying within the white jade coffin must have been someone of high rank.

His martial arts cultivation was even more terrifying.

Even a Spiritual Transformation Expert like Huo Rulie could only imprint his spirit on paper, unable to affect the outside world and could only live in hiding.

This person’s spirit did not disperse after death, and his presence did not weaken.

That went to show how strong he was!

“An Innate Grandmaster living up to two hundred years would be at the end of his lifespan…Someone from two hundred years ago. Back then, the Zhou Kingdom might not have been founded yet.”

Zhao Mu kept the dragon-shaped token and then continued to examine the stone chamber.

On the tall book racks were books detailing the secret cultivation arts of the various sects.

As for the elixirs, just taking a whiff after opening the bottle would prove that most of them were rotten.

“Hm? There are carvings.”

After a simple search, Zhao Mu noticed some text carved onto the stone wall by the side.

The carving was done with firm and powerful strokes.

“Started cultivation in my teens, entering the Spiritual Transformation Stage at twenty-seven years of age, listed among the ranking board. I achieved the Innate Stage by sixty, becoming a grandmaster. The hundred years that followed were wasted, failing to even glimpse at the Human Immortal Stage…”

Zhao Mu fell silent.

Within those words, he could feel a heavy sense of sorrow.

Achieving the Innate Grandmaster Stage by 60 years old. That talent was incredible!

However, for the next century, he tried all kinds of methods yet was unable to move forward!

The difficulty of martial arts was truly lamentable.

“…after the battle with Master Zhizhu, we’re both badly wounded. I tried to use the Taiji Pure Yang Coffin to fuel my last hopes to live and reverse my mortality, rebuild Yin and Yang, and break the barrier of becoming Human Immortal!

“I don’t know if it will be successful, hence leaving these words behind!

“If the successors are kind enough, please cremate my corpse and place my ashes in a container. Lastly, put me to rest in the imperial tomb of Tong Province!

“Zhao Ce failed the founding emperor and will no longer be able to protect the Zhou Kingdom. It is truly regrettable!”

Surname Zhao?

Protect the Zhou Kingdom?

Dragon-shaped commander’s seal?

Innate Grandmaster!

“Rumor has it that the Zhou Kingdom has a group of Dragon Guardians that guarded the fate of the kingdom…I didn’t expect the Grand Commander that fought alongside the founding emperor back then had already turned into a cold corpse.”

Zhao Mu let out a long sigh.

After lamenting for some time, he suddenly recalled—

“I haven’t imprinted my Dao mark today. Why not do it here?!”