You said you were going to make games, how did you become the richest man without doing anything?

Chapter 455: The Secret That Has Been Hidden for Many Years (2 in 1 Order)

Amidst the ruins, the imperial palace was vaguely visible. Zhong Wuye, along with Tana and many other warriors, followed the hidden clues and searched for hidden mechanisms in the ruins.

"Although the palace was destroyed, there should be some traces of trap doors left." Zhong Wuye squinted his eyes and looked around. Suddenly, his eyes lit up: "Look over there!"

Amidst the rubble, a small corner of a carved stone brick emerged. Though dilapidated, it still vaguely displayed its former splendor. Zhong Wuye quickly ran over and examined the stone brick carefully.

"This carving technique is clearly the style of the imperial architect!" she muttered to herself, then looked up and around: "Logically, as long as I find a few more similar stone bricks nearby, I can open a secret door."

The warriors immediately felt as if they had been rewarded with a great reward, and quickly split up to search every single ruin here. Tana was also unwavering, rolling up her sleeves and joining the search.

After much effort, they finally found four identically shaped carved stone bricks among the temple base, beams, and even the cliffs of the city wall. Each brick was engraved with a unique pattern symbol.

"This is the key to open the secret door." Zhong Wuye smiled: "But the puzzle is, how do we arrange these four symbols?"

As she spoke, she picked up four bricks and arranged them in a makeshift arrangement in her hands. The warriors were completely bewildered and confused.

"Wait a minute!" At this moment, Tana suddenly stopped them and looked at the stone bricks carefully.

"I think I know the answer." She parted her red lips and spoke word by word, "These four symbols actually represent the four auspicious meanings recorded in the Zizhi Tongjian, a book I was often taught in my childhood."

"They are Fu, Lu, Shou, and Xi," she continued, "and if you arrange them in increasing order of auspiciousness, you might be able to open the secret door here."

When Zhong Wuye heard this, he immediately clapped his hands in admiration: "Great, Tana! It seems your erudition and wisdom have come into play again!"

So, she arranged the four stone bricks in the order of "Fu, Lu, Shou, Xi" (happiness), and with a click, a staircase appeared in the ruins of the imperial palace!
"This is it!" Zhong Wuye jumped down happily, followed by Tana. Other warriors also followed.

The stairs spiraled down, sinking deeper and deeper, almost plunging into the ground. Just as the surrounding darkness threatened to swallow everything, Tana suddenly spotted a faint glimmer of light ahead!
Sure enough, when the stairs turned a corner, a majestic and huge space appeared before everyone's eyes.

This turned out to be the largest royal library in the empire! The extremely large space was filled with densely packed bookshelves, treasure display racks and niches, and it seemed that its purpose was to collect various classics and cultural relics.

The huge dome is inlaid with countless gems, which sparkle brightly under the projection of sunlight, like a starry sky; the heavy marble pillars support this narrow world, and the heavy demeanor is awe-inspiring.

Not far away, a majestic stone bust sat at the center of the library, its hands clasped together, its face solemn, like a great scholar. Below the statue were inscribed the eight characters: "Broadly read and selectively absorb, accumulate knowledge and then release it sparingly." These characters perfectly capture the empire's emphasis on scholarship as a national treasure.

"Here... here is the legendary royal treasure house!"

Zhong Wuye couldn't help but sigh: "Such a huge scale, the collection of thousands of years of wisdom of the empire, is simply a miniature of the royal collection!"

"That's right." Tana took a deep breath, her eyes gleaming with charming wisdom. "I was often introduced here when I was a child. Through the bits and pieces scattered in this treasure house, I learned about the rise and fall of the empire. Until later, it was sealed forever by order of my father the Emperor."

As she spoke, she slowly walked towards the main stone statue in the center, tears welling in her eyes: "I didn't expect to see this scene again with my own eyes today. I feel so emotional."

Zhong Wuye looked at his lover with pity, then turned to face the depths of the treasure house, full of heroic spirit:
"Alright everyone, now we've entered the palace's underground heartland. We've already gained the upper hand in exploring the route before launching a surprise attack on the Nightmare Clan! Next, let's redouble our efforts and follow this path to the upper reaches in one swift move, completely crushing Blood Rose's conspiracy!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The warriors behind him shouted heroic slogans, their swords clashing, and flames shot out!
At this moment, there was a sudden rumbling sound in front of us, and the ground shook! It turned out that the sealed library had hidden many levels and mechanisms, waiting to reveal the final mystery.
……

Passing through the library's entrance, the view suddenly opened up. A broad, straight avenue stretched out before them, leading to the interior of the Imperial Library. The stone pavement, shining brightly, betrayed the former splendor of this place.

"This is the secret passage leading to the palace." Zhong Wuye pointed forward with his wrist, his eyes as determined as fire: "All opportunities lie here. Everyone follow, and be careful!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a huge airflow suddenly hit them in the face, almost blowing Zhong Wuye and others all over the place! Immediately afterwards, an extremely magnificent gate stood in front of them, blocking their way.

"The scale of this entrance is beyond my expectation!" Tana was stunned by the scene before her and couldn't help but sigh in her heart.

The massive gate, constructed of two bronze panels, stood tens of feet tall, nearly blocking out the sun. Carved upon the doors was a lifelike dragon, its fangs bared and claws snarling, its eyes fierce and ferocious. Two fiery red gems were set into the dragon's eyes, gleaming brightly in the dim light. Even more terrifying, the beast showed signs of breathing. Whenever Zhong Wuye and his companions approached, it would roar violently.

"This is something I have never seen before!" Tana leaned on Zhong Wuye's arm in shock.

"Yes, the defensive design of this stone gate is extremely sophisticated." Zhong Wuye pondered for a moment and added: "I heard that there is a huge space hidden behind this door, which contains the royal family's supreme secrets. If you want to get through, you will have to use all your tricks.
"Otherwise, we won't be able to take another step forward and solve the mystery that has puzzled you for so many years."

"What?" Tana's eyes suddenly lit up: "Wuye, what do you mean by this?"

"Just now, in the dim light, I vaguely saw some words engraved on the door." Zhong Wuye recalled: "Why don't we light a torch and take a closer look at what it is."

Soon, Zhong Wuye's great wisdom was put into practice. Everyone lit torches and gathered in front of the door to take a closer look. They saw a line of small words engraved on the lintel of the bronze door:
"Reveal the king's secret!"

Tana was immediately intrigued and turned to ask her lover's opinion. Zhong Wuye then spoke solemnly:
"Tana, I know you've been wondering about your origins since you were little. This door gives me a bold guess—perhaps you have some secrets that are different from ordinary people!"

"No way?" Tana was so surprised that her mouth was wide open, her eyes full of disbelief.

"There's no time to lose. While there's still time, let's find out!" Zhong Wuye's eyes were determined and he raised his sword, smashing it hard against the gate. "Crackle, crackle!" A sharp metallic friction sound rang out, and the stone dragon gate actually trembled slightly. Zhong Wuye suddenly had an idea and struck several times with his sword, each strike landing on the stone dragon's eyes!
At this moment, there was a violent shaking, and the stone dragon suddenly opened its eyes! Zhong Wuye and others were blown all over the place by the strong airflow, and almost fell to the ground. When they looked closely, they saw that the two bronze doors had slowly opened!
Inside was a vast and majestic space, so imposing it was terrifying. And permeating the air was a strange, nightmarish aura!
"Look over there!" Zhong Wuye gestured to Tana's attention, pointing to the center of the square. A three-person-high stone platform held a fragmented ancient book. Following Zhong Wuye's finger, Tana saw the words "Human-Nightmare Synthesis Ceremony" written prominently on the cover.

Tana's eyes seemed fixed on those four words, unable to move away for a long time, her breathing becoming heavy. Something seemed to be tugging at her heartstrings, her expression shifting from trance to dullness.

Seeing this, Zhong Wuye quickly grabbed Tana's arm and pulled her towards the stone platform. When he got closer, he saw that the contents of the ancient book were incomplete, but from the scattered handwriting and incomplete illustrations, Zhong Wuye could roughly understand some of the content.

"A human-nightmare fusion ritual?" she muttered. "It seems to be a secret technique that fuses the bloodlines of humans and nightmares, aiming to create a completely new life form. However, the process seems extremely cruel and bloody, requiring the lives of many innocent people as sacrifices."

"No," Tana's body began to tremble, her beautiful eyes filled with fear and sadness: "This is simply an evil crime!"

Zhong Wuye nodded, then frowned, stroked Tana's cheek with his palm, and spoke slowly word by word:
"Tana, it seems your origins have some hidden connection to this strange ritual of 'human-nightmare union'."

"How could I be associated with such an evil thing?" Tana subconsciously took a few steps back, almost collapsing.

……

Just as Zhong Wuye hugged Tana, a strong airflow suddenly came from the depths of the library, swirling to form a huge vortex.

"careful!"

Zhong Wuye held Tana in his arms, his eyes fixed on the swirling energy. At that moment, a fully armed figure emerged from the vortex. It was none other than the tyrannical emperor who had plunged the entire empire into chaos and turmoil.
"Father, Emperor?" Tana immediately recognized the figure, her face filled with horror.

"Oh? It seems you've indeed discovered the secret here." The tyrannical emperor smiled grimly, sizing up the lovers coldly. "How commendable! You actually have the courage to take the initiative and step into this ritual altar of human nightmare!"

"What?" Zhong Wuye was startled, his eyes involuntarily glancing towards the edge of the altar, only to see it covered in pentagrams and various other evil magic patterns!
"You should know about the ritual of human-nightmare union, right?" The tyrannical emperor paced slowly and continued, "As long as the life energy of you believers is injected into it, a new species of demonized humans will eventually be born. They will become the most powerful undead army in my hands!"

"You are absolutely crazy! Do you actually want to threaten the entire empire and even all of humanity with this?" Zhong Wuye was furious, protecting Tana with his hands behind his back.

"Hahaha, speaking of this, I have to thank my pedantic daughter." The emperor sneered at Tana. "She contains the most precious seeds of nightmare energy. I have strictly protected her since she was born, waiting to become the final straw in the ritual!"

Tana's face was as pale as paper, and she was almost fainting. Zhong Wuye put his arm around her shoulders, his expression equally solemn.

"It seems you've discovered everything, but that doesn't matter." The tyrannical emperor sneered, "I knew you'd show up here! Come, let me personally sacrifice you two to this ritual!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly waved his hand, and the formation around the altar suddenly lit up with a dazzling purple light! A huge energy tension instantly enveloped Zhong Wuye and Tana, and the two were instantly bound to the spot!
"Ah—" Tana let out a heart-wrenching scream, tears streaming down her face from the pain. Zhong Wuye struggled desperately, but was unable to escape from the energy bondage.

"Hahahaha, let this ritual energy slowly devour your consciousness! Soon you will become my most powerful demon species!" The brutal emperor's hideous smile was particularly creepy in the darkness.

At this critical moment, Zhong Wuye suddenly noticed a figure flashing by on the other side of the altar! Then a lazy female voice came over:
"Oh, it seems you, old man, have been plotting this for a long time. I didn't expect you to drag your own daughter into this!"

Then Wu Ya's figure slowly appeared. She looked at Zhong Wuye and the other man who were tied up with a playful look, with a hint of pity in her eyes.

"Wu Ya! Are you, a succubus, also involved in this?" Zhong Wuye roared, wishing he could eat her alive.

"Don't be so nervous, I don't mean that." Wu Ya pretended to be innocent, but a hint of cunning suddenly flashed in the corner of her eyes: "But I'm afraid your good fortune today will end here."

After saying this, she unexpectedly waved her hand, suppressing the violent emperor to the side. Then, Tana was lifted up by a powerful force and suspended in the center of the altar.

Zhong Wuye's eyes widened as he helplessly watched his beloved being held captive in mid-air by the suction. Tana had lost consciousness, her face an ominous purple. A twisted magical force was constantly drawing her body into the altar, and the magic circle above it began to glow with an eerie light.

At this crucial moment, Wu Ya's azure eyes suddenly shone with a cold gleam. She slowly extended a finger and pointed at the center of the altar.

"Change! Become a real nightmare!"

As soon as she finished speaking, a brilliant purple magical power burst out from Wu Ya's fingertips! The magical power rushed straight to the altar and slammed into Tana's body. Immediately, a fiery reaction stirred in the air, and Tana's body was shrouded in a dazzling mist of light!
"Tana na na na!" Zhong Wuye screamed in horror, watching his lover's figure being transformed by the twisted magic.

Finally, the mist of light dissipated, and a brand new Tana appeared before everyone.

Her hair was no longer golden, but now a strange deep purple that fell across her shoulders. Her skin had turned as pale as snow, appearing strangely seductive. Most striking were her once clear eyes: now, they seemed to be burning with two clusters of purple demonic flames, blazing with wild power!
"Ahahahahaha!" Wu Ya laughed crazily. "Great! This is what that crazy emperor always dreamed of! Human and nightmare in one body, a fusion of human and nightmare! It's a pity that this body is too precious, and I can't refine it myself."

"What do you want to do, you succubus?" Zhong Wuye almost cried out, his heart filled with despair.

"Of course, I'm going to use this unique nightmare body to devour all humans, including you!" Wu Ya licked her lips, her eyes flashing with fanaticism: "Once we achieve this, the entire empire, and even the entire world, will surrender to the Nightmare Clan! Hahahaha!"

At this moment, the demonized Tana suddenly opened her eyes, revealing an extremely twisted and evil smile, and sneered at Zhong Wuye:
"Hehehe, look, I've gained supreme power! Don't blame me for not warning you! From now on, you'll all be killed without a burial place by my hands!"

After saying this, an astonishing surge of magical energy erupted from her body! Powerful force surged within her, causing her originally fragile body to tremble violently! Zhong Wuye opened his eyes wide, watching his beloved lover gradually being transformed by the magic power, transforming into a hesitant and terrified monster!
"Ouch——"

Tana let out a heart-wrenching roar, and then her wings suddenly spread out, transforming into a dragon-like form, roaring and howling at Zhong Wuye!
"Tana! Wake up, Tana!" Zhong Wuye cried out in despair, but he could only watch as her incarnation completely lost its mind and launched a fierce attack on him.
(End of this chapter)