Max Level Return—I'll Protect That Fragile One

Even if the lock opener says the wrong activation code, as long as the correct rhythm recorded in the sound striker is hit, the lock can be opened.

In contrast, the closure of the Divine Hidden Emperor’s Mausoleum adopts the highest level of locking mechanism.

"To open the Divine Hidden Emperor’s Mausoleum, three conditions must be met." Xu Xingguang revealed a wistful look and said, "First, the visitor to the mausoleum must hold the token of the Divine Hidden Dynasty. Second, the visitor must be a descendant of the direct lineage of the Divine Hidden Dynasty. The third..."

Xu Xingguang glanced at Huo Wen’an and told him, "You must fulfill the wish left by the Divine Hidden Crane."

Upon hearing this, Huo Wen’an furrowed his brows tightly, and Song Chi also felt a headache. "So, we first have to find the token of the Divine Hidden Dynasty, then find a descendant of the direct lineage of the Divine Hidden Dynasty, and finally locate the wish left by the Divine Hidden Crane."

"Where should we look?"

Huo Wen’an curled his fingertips, tapped the hilt of the Divine Hidden Sword in his hand, and said confidently, "The Divine Hidden Sword is the token, and I am a descendant of the direct lineage of the Divine Hidden Dynasty. What we really need to find is the wish left by the Divine Hidden Crane for future generations."

"Mm." Xu Xingguang nodded slightly, acknowledging Huo Wen’an’s analysis.

Song Chi’s eyes twitched slightly, surprised, "Is the Huo Family really descendants of the Divine Hidden Dynasty?"

Xu Xingguang asked him, "Would you bury your most important possession in someone else’s tomb?" Song Chi shook his head.

Thinking about the Divine Hidden Sword being stored in the Huo Family Sacrificial Tower, Song Chi fell silent.

"The Divine Hidden Sword is hidden in the Huo Family Sacrificial Tower. The only one who can open the lock with voice to retrieve the Divine Hidden Sword would be a member of the Huo Family. Only the person who obtains the Divine Hidden Sword has the opportunity to activate the entrance to the underground dynasty of the Central Cave, entering the Divine Hidden Emperor’s Mausoleum."

"Standing here, we already meet the first two conditions." Xu Xingguang looked up at the towering giant pillars in the underground mausoleum and sighed, "Finding the wish of the Divine Hidden Crane and fulfilling his wish is the test he has left for us."

Turning back to Huo Wen’an, Xu Xingguang shook her head and said, "I also don’t know what his wish was, nor where it’s hidden."

Huo Wen’an walked to the front of the palace, leaned on the railing, stared at the city full of white bones, and felt a deep sense of sadness. After a brief pause, Huo Wen’an suddenly asked Song Chi, "How many Sky-reaching Stone Pillars are there here in total?"

When Song Chi changed clothes earlier, he had nothing else to do, so he counted the Sky-reaching Stone Pillars in the underground mausoleum. When Huo Wen’an asked, Song Chi answered without hesitation, "108."

"108." Huo Wen’an turned to ask Xu Xingguang, who stood silently by the side, "What does 108 signify?"

"The Divine Xia Country advocated Taoist culture. In Taoist culture, 108 is the sum of celestial and earthly forces. Erecting 108 Sky-reaching Stone Pillars signifies protection."

Protecting what?

Thinking of the end of the Divine Hidden Crane, Xu Xingguang said thoughtfully, "He uses this underground mausoleum to protect those loyal to him, ministers who died from the infection. He sacrificed his blood and flesh to suppress the noxious gases from the meteorite to protect his people."

Hearing this, Song Chi felt a sense of admiration for the emperor who lived at the end of times two thousand years ago.

Nodding, Huo Wen’an said, "The clues should be on those 108 Sky-reaching Stone Pillars."

"In the middle of each pillar is an Everlasting Lamp, which has been extinguished." Song Chi asked Xu Xingguang, "Boss, do these pillars have any other significance?"

In the mausoleum, every arrangement is related to feng shui, and these pillars may not only serve as support.

"The stone pillars placed in the underground mausoleum are called Heaven-Reaching Pillars by the Divine Xia Country. It is said that the Heaven-Reaching Pillars are Prayer Pillars, covered with prayers. Once the Everlasting Lamp is lit, it can exert a spirit-calming effect."

"Lighting the Everlasting Lamp, the Prayer Pillar will sense the thermal energy, and the prayers will automatically appear. We have to find a way to light them."

"Can any oil be used?"

Shaking her head, Xu Xingguang said, "It must be Jiao Oil."

Huo Wen’an asked in shock, "Oil from the Merfolk?"

"In this world, there are no Merfolk, only Merfolk." After reincarnating ten times, Xu Xingguang had only seen the legendary Merfolk Clan in the Holy Spirit Continent during her tenth life, but even in that world, the Merfolk Clan was nearly extinct."

In any world, merfolk are extremely rare and precious beings.

"Merfolk?" Song Chi looked at the lake outside the city and said, "Perhaps the Merfolk live in that lake."

"Mm."

"Let’s go, let’s catch some fish."

The three of them retraced their steps out of the Nocturnal Palace, heading directly for the lake. With the help of the Eagle Sparrow, the three quickly found a group of Dugongs with mermaid tails at the lake’s bottom.

These were the legendary Merfolk.

Seeing the group of Dugongs, Xu Xingguang manipulated the Eagle Sparrow’s long arms, catching a Dugong by its waist and abdomen with one grab. They caught a total of three Dugongs before returning to the shore.

The Eagle Sparrow poured the Dugong’s blood into the lamp and lit them all with a lighter.

The 108 Everlasting Lamps all ignited simultaneously, illuminating lines of text on the Sky-reaching Stone Pillars.

Song Chi could not understand the Ancient Xia Country language, and Huo Wen’an had to guess.

Xu Xingguang quickly finished reading the inscriptions on the stone pillars and said, "The Heaven-Reaching Pillars are inscribed with soul-suppressing words, used to calm the souls of the deceased."

Walking to the last Heaven-Reaching Pillar, Xu Xingguang looked up and finished reading the document, saying, "The wish of the Divine Hidden Crane is for someone to play a complete Soul Suppressing Song to help the infected souls trapped in the Infected Zone gain liberation. The only musician capable of playing the complete Soul Suppressing Song at the time has gone to the Divine Martial Realm."

"The Soul Suppressing Song?" Huo Wen’an recalled something and asked Xu Xingguang, "The music we heard on the 7th floor of the Huo Family Sacrificial Tower, was it the Soul Suppressing Song?"

"Yes. The Soul Suppressing Song in the 7th-floor sacrifical tower was just a fragment. I’ve never seen the complete musical score. However, I was fortunate enough to hear that musician play the Soul Suppressing Song at the old Monarch’s funeral."

But after so many years, she only vaguely remembers the melody.

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