The memories of all humanity are awakening, except for mine.

No one knew the shock Li Yu was feeling at that moment.

Although there are slight differences from what I remember, it is still possible to see that the images sculpted by these four huge stone statues are the Four Heavenly Kings from mythology.

They were sculpted deep within these mountains, seemingly guarding something.
Li Yu looked around carefully.

The ground here is unusually flat, clearly having been artificially polished.

However, no written records were left here, and apart from the sculptures of the Four Heavenly Kings, there was nothing else.

When I sent out my mental energy, I didn’t find any fluctuations on the four statues. They seemed to be just ordinary, huge statues.

Although Li Yu had awakened memories of the Spring and Autumn Period, his historical research was limited to high school history textbooks. He had no way of knowing what era these statues represented, or what their aesthetic style was. At this moment, sheer strength was of no use.

But subconsciously, Li Yu knew that there was definitely something fishy going on here.

He silently investigated and pondered.

"This place is probably inside a mountain."

"Moreover, after I defeated that stone giant, I was chased by even more stone giants... I passed out and woke up here. So at least it can be confirmed that I didn't come here on my own initiative."

"Then all we need to know is who brought me here..."

"That will solve the puzzle."

His mental energy swept over the enormous stone statues again and again, trying to find new clues.

At the same time, he was recalling the myths and legends about the Four Heavenly Kings in his mind.

The Four Heavenly Kings are widely known in Buddhist mythology and were later incorporated into Taoist mythology, becoming the Four Heavenly Kings who guard the Heavenly Court. In even earlier legends, they were deities who protected the four continents and guarded the four directions.

"They guarded the four continents, yet all of them ended up here..."

"Could it be that Mount Kunlun is the boundary between the four continents?"

"..."

"You're thinking a bit off track. This shouldn't be related to the Four Continents, but rather that a civilization created idols here. So this must be some kind of place of worship?"

"If someone brought me here... who could it be? This person hasn't shown themselves; are they trying to tell me something?"

The more I think, the more confused I feel.

What is the connection between the Four Heavenly Kings statues and the mysterious person who brought me here? Or is the beast tide happening now related to these Heavenly Kings statues?

However, at this point, there were too few clues, and these ideas were no different from guesses.

"Let's think about how to get out of here."

Are they all safe and sound?

"I wonder what the situation is like in Kunlun."

Li Yu pondered silently, expanding the scope of his mental power exploration even further.

Since this statue is man-made, there must be a way to leave it.

Besides, how did I even get in here?
Surely no one actually has the ability to walk through walls, right?

As long as one's mental energy can find a hole behind the surrounding stone walls, it should be possible to reach the outside world.

Despite his relentless exploration, he found no way to reach the outside world. Beyond the surrounding walls lay only ordinary rock; to reach the outside of the mountain, he would need to dig a tunnel at least two hundred meters long.

If they are at their peak, this is not impossible.

However, Li Yu's condition was not good at the moment. Moreover, he knew nothing about the situation outside. Even if he managed to get out after exhausting his strength, he would probably be facing death if he encountered those stone giants again.

He continued to ponder a way to leave, refocusing his attention on the four enormous statues, hoping to glean some clues from them. However, no matter how he looked at them, the four statues were simply stones; there were no passages or mechanisms inside.

"Is the only option to shoot through it?"

Li Yu silently raised his head and looked up at the pitch-black dome above him.

As his gaze swept over the area, Li Yu suddenly froze for a moment, then immediately lowered his head to look at the eyes of the enormous stone statue. Those were the eyes of the Heavenly King Virupaksha, who had a third eye on his forehead, and these three eyes were glaring angrily at…himself?
Li Yu raised his eyebrows, as if he had suddenly come up with an idea.

He immediately looked at the Heavenly King Virudhaka, the Heavenly King Dhritarashtra, and the Heavenly King Vaishravana... and found that their gazes were undoubtedly fixed on him. But Li Yu knew that they weren't actually looking at him.

He looked down at his feet.

At the same time, his mental energy also explored the flat ground beneath his feet.

"The presence of the Four Heavenly Kings here must be to suppress something."

"So……"

"really."

A ray of light shone in Li Yu's eyes.

"Whoever brought me here, there must be an exit."

Right beneath his feet, his mental energy penetrated the rock strata and "saw" a huge cavity.

He gave a self-deprecating laugh.

He used his mental energy to scan the surrounding walls, but had forgotten about where he was standing?

So, it seems that these Four Heavenly Kings are suppressing the entity inside the cavity?
Light emanated from around him.

The smooth ground beneath his feet immediately began to crack and crumble. A rumbling sound gradually emerged, and dust fell in a flurry, but Li Yu was oblivious. His gaze was fixed on the ground beneath his feet, and his heart was pounding faster.

What's down there...?
What exactly are these four Heavenly King statues suppressing?
Before long, the rumbling stopped, and Li Yu floated above the cave entrance, which was big enough to accommodate one person. He stared at the darkness below, his eyes filled with solemnity, as if he was deciding whether to go down.

Even if no danger is perceived, the answer to whether or not to go down is still unclear.

If given a choice, Li Yu knew he wouldn't go down.

He took a deep breath, his body glowing, and then entered the cave.

A beam of light, as bright as the sun, illuminated a mountain hollow even larger than the one above, and this humanoid beam of light slowly descended.
But here, it's completely different from the one above.

Unlike the dry air above, the air here is humid.

You can even smell some moisture.

The babbling sound of water flowing through the mountains indicates that there must be an exit here.

However, Li Yu's focus was no longer on his way out.

Rather, it was the giant building beneath his feet.

It was a magnificent, colossal palace.

The palace was entirely constructed of wood, and Li Yu could sense a spiritual energy enveloping it, an energy that had remained for thousands of years. It even emitted a faint glow amidst the darkness. Having remained in this damp, hollow space for an unknown period, it had miraculously preserved its original appearance.

This was perhaps because the pavilion was enveloped in spiritual energy, allowing it to cross the river of time and arrive before Li Yu.

It was unknown who built it, what dynasty it belonged to, or what its purpose was. But with the relevant knowledge stored in Li Yu's mind, looking at its grand and solemn design, at its almost extravagant jade and gold ornaments, even the steps shimmering with golden light under the glow emanating from his spiritual power…

Those are steps painted with gold?
Looking down, between the two massive golden staircases leading to the main hall, lies a piece of white jade carved with magnificent and grand patterns. The roof is pure black, with jade mythical beasts hanging from the four corners of the eaves, and at the very center of the roof stands a huge, luminous pearl…

Although Li Yu didn't have much knowledge of ancient architecture, his awakened memories came from the Spring and Autumn Period. Just by looking at the style of the building, he could tell that it might be a building from the State of Qi... but it was more likely a building from the State of Qin.

In terms of style, it is more like the extremely luxurious royal architecture style after the unification of the six kingdoms.

Is it a tomb?

As is well known, the Qin Dynasty only lasted two generations, and the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng, is widely known and is a treasure of Chinese civilization. But if, as Li Yu argues, this is indeed a Qin Dynasty structure, then who is buried here?

Why were four statues erected above the tomb to suppress it?
If it's a place of suppression, why does it possess such a luxurious palace?

Li Yu was unaware of the reason behind it.

And the problems don't stop there.

Kunlun is extremely far from the Central Plains, and even further away from Xianyang and Chang'an. So why would such a grand building be left in the deep mountains here?
Moreover, why did I wake up under the watchful eyes of those four statues? And who saved me?
Too many questions.

Now that we're here, there's no reason not to investigate. Besides, Li Yu's spiritual power didn't detect anything unusual. Although this huge and magnificent palace was enveloped by spiritual power, that spiritual power was extremely weak... Even if it was once awe-inspiring, time has passed and it can swallow everything.

Li Yu did not land on the steps, but landed in the very center of the main hall.

Only then did the view shift from looking down to looking into the main hall.

Compared to the building's own opulence, the interior of the main hall presented a stark contrast. Li Yu imagined it might be filled with all sorts of burial goods—mountains of gold and silver, countless treasures. Or perhaps it contained ancient texts recording secrets, or cultivation techniques that could aid humanity's progress…

However, the actual situation is quite the opposite.

The vast hall was completely empty.

This made Li Yu frown.

"Nothing?"

"..."

What is the significance of this building?

He remained cautious, his perception range enveloping the entire hall.

But still, nothing unusual was found.

"And what is that statue suppressing?"

"That thing...has already escaped?"

Li Yu stepped forward and finally entered the eerie hall.

However, the moment he stepped across the threshold, his entire body froze.

The immense, stagnant pressure, like the immense pressure of being in the deep sea, pressed down on him, making even breathing extremely difficult. If it were an ordinary awakened being, they would probably have been crushed to death upon entering this place. If Li Yu hadn't remained vigilant and possessed strength approaching that of a top-tier warrior, he probably wouldn't have survived either.

That's why Li Yu understood that this place was definitely not as empty as it appeared on the surface.

This immense spiritual power remains so formidable even two thousand years after the building was constructed… What exactly is it guarding? Even its own spiritual power cannot detect its presence…

How can it be?

Mental power... Is there actually a higher level of mental power?

Li Yu's curiosity grew, and the mystery deepened.

He gradually adapted to the pressure of the mental energy and continued to venture deeper into the main hall. The white jade bricks beneath his feet made a crisp sound as they struck the soles of his shoes, echoing rhythmically in the darkness.

It felt like it was imprinted on my heartbeat; as I went deeper, the pressure grew.

Li Yu gradually clarified his direction.

As he ventured deeper, he could feel the oppressive spiritual force growing stronger. Clearly, once he reached the core, he would find the answer to his journey.

As his steps slowed, he drew ever closer to the center of that spiritual energy. Even Li Yu couldn't help but feel a growing sense of tension.

"Who will it be?"

"The First Emperor?"

"Duke Xiao of Qin? Or...Shang Yang?"

"Why did you save me?"

He continued his arduous journey through the sea of ​​spiritual energy, but soon came to a stop.

He saw that target.

It was neither a coffin nor a shrine as one might imagine.

That was a "person" bound by four chains?
Four enormous chains, engraved with patterns and characters, were flashing rhythmically. A vast spiritual energy seemed to circulate from these characters, ensuring the chains' strength.

These four chains were binding the limbs of the target Li Yu was looking for.

Li Yu couldn't be sure if it was a person or not. Its head was hanging down, and its limbs were bound by chains and it couldn't move, like a suffering god in those Western paintings.

Li Yu's gender can only be confirmed through his organs, and there is no other explanation of his identity, not even an epitaph.

Nothing happens.

His body was entirely grayish-blue, without a trace of spiritual energy fluctuation; from any angle, he looked like a dead man. However, compared to a corpse, he resembled an extremely exquisite stone statue, with lifelike muscle lines, yet appearing slightly aged.

Is he dead or not?

Why doesn't it decompose or show any signs of decay after death?

But if he didn't die, why was there no reaction?

Is it because of... a higher existence? A higher level of spiritual power?
Why should he be bound? And why build such a magnificent palace for him?

Li Yu wanted to know who that person was, but he couldn't see their face. However, Li Yu also knew that such a bound being was definitely not a benevolent being.

He stood before the chained man, motionless for a moment.

He paused for a moment, then took a deep breath.

Ultimately, Li Yu decided to prioritize stability.

Regardless of who this person is or whether they are related to the beast tide, I'll go out first and let the headquarters and the military department investigate.

However, just as Li Yu was about to turn and leave...

He had just turned around slightly when he saw a scene that was hard to comprehend.

That "corpse"...

The muscles in his neck twitched.

Li Yu's eyes narrowed immediately.

As the muscles twitched slightly, a sickening creaking sound emanated from the bluish-gray body, like a heavy, long-closed, decaying door finally opening.

creak-

The head was raised.

Li Yu gradually saw the man's face.

This is an old man's face.

His skin was loose, his face was full of wrinkles, and you could even see a few age spots.

He didn't open his eyes, and he wasn't breathing.

But the scene in complete darkness was truly breathtaking.

Even Li Yu got goosebumps all over his body, and his breathing involuntarily stopped.

The chilling feeling left his mind blank.

The face was finally fully revealed to Li Yu.

Li Yu knew he should never recognize this face, but somehow he felt it was somewhat familiar.

Immediately, he gasped.

He finally understood why he felt so familiar with it.

Although his eyebrows and face were aged, they still matched the face in my memory.

Li Yu's eyes widened, his face showing extreme disbelief!
"Jiang...Jiang Chuan!?" (End of Chapter)