Self-Detonation, Secret Chamber, and Sacred Artifact Boxes

Within the mausoleum passage.

The Composite Aberrant Beast, Pamir, finally tired of toying with its opponents. It roared heavenward, declaring, “Enough! It’s time for you to die!”

With that, its Asura Saber-claws lunged towards Susanna! Susanna, still trapped by the ‘Goddess of Earth’s Lament’!

Susanna’s legs had already given way. Seeing the menacing claw-blades approaching, she sadly closed her eyes. “Father, your daughter can no longer reclaim the honor you deserve! The Beast Emperor’s Seal within Auerbach’s resting tomb truly is cursed!”

Pfft!

It was the sound of claw-blades piercing flesh…

Crunch!

It was the eerie grinding of claw-blades against bone…

Drip, drop! Drip, drop!

It was the sound of blood, drawn by the ‘Goddess of Earth’s Lament,’ colliding with the ground…

Why… why could she feel no pain!?

Susanna froze. Had she already died? Was she beyond feeling pain?

No!

She violently snapped her eyes open, only to see Babylon standing defiantly before her. Pamir, the Composite Aberrant Beast’s claw-blades, had pierced his chest, stopping just before her eyes!

“Heh! Interesting. To think you could break free from the super-gravity imposed by my ‘Goddess of Earth’s Lament’ – truly surprising. Yet, having escaped, you didn’t flee, but chose to die for her instead! Fool!” Pamir sneered, a cruel twist to its lips, utterly dismissing Babylon’s sacrifice. “How utterly idiotic. You’re all destined to die anyway, what difference does it make who goes first? Why didn’t you attempt to escape!?”

Babylon’s blood trickled from the corners of his mouth and down his chest, yet he managed a grin. “My Battle God Oath dictates that I protect the Princess’s safety. As long as I draw breath, the Princess shall not perish!”

“A Battle God’s Oath… Hmph!” Pamir’s sneer deepened in disdain. – It was an Aberrant Beast, not a Battle God!

“Uncle Babylon…” Susanna watched in horror as Pamir, with its long, razor-sharp claw-blades, hoisted Babylon aloft. The Bear-kin Battle God’s massive frame, once lifted from the ground, hung impaled on Pamir’s steel-blade-like talons. The claw-blades had pierced Babylon’s right chest, impaling him entirely, with blood still dripping from the other side!

The ‘Goddess of Earth’s Lament’ had yet to dissipate, and Babylon endured countless times the normal gravitational force. He struggled with all his might, yet could not prevent his massive body from slowly sinking, accompanied by a sickening ‘crunch, crunch’ – the sound of bone being gradually severed. The sharp claw-blades, aided by the immense gravity, were on the verge of tearing open Babylon’s right side, literally rending him alive!

Suddenly, Babylon’s eyes flared open in fury. “Pamir, do you know what level you are now!?”

“Of course, I’m at least—”

Before Pamir could finish, Babylon abruptly seized the Aberrant Beast’s claw-blades, forcefully thrusting himself forward. He allowed the bone-piercing talons to further impale his body, sacrificing himself to close the distance to Pamir, even if by a mere centimeter!

In a flash, Babylon unleashed an incomparably formidable power. His body, still impaled by the claw-blades, surged towards Pamir’s Metallic Claws. “ROAR!”

His Bear-kin maw tore open, snapping shut on Pamir’s wrist, just behind its Metallic Claws – a point of flesh, not the steel-hard talons!

“You dare!?” Pamir’s blood-red eyes turned even more bloodthirsty. The enraged, Peerless Fiend roared furiously. Immediately, the hairs on its wrist stiffened, standing on end like steel needles, piercing into Babylon’s mouth! Yet, within Babylon’s already pierced skull, a few strands of faint golden blood trickled.

Even the Composite Aberrant Beast, facing Babylon’s final and strongest attack, was inevitably bleeding!

And Babylon was not dead yet! He violently shook his head, pulling it free from the steel needles, then lowered both hands, heaving the impaled claw-blades upwards!

Splurch!

Babylon’s right shoulder was torn open – by his own hands!

Nimbly spinning around the claw-blades, Babylon suddenly grabbed his right arm, which now hung limp by his side. With a violent tug, he tore off his own arm, letting out a long, defiant laugh. “Fool! You didn’t know our Bear-kin possess the ultimate trump card, the ‘Life-for-Vigor Exchange,’ did you!?”

With a muffled 'BOOM,' Babylon hurled his severed right arm like a bomb, aiming for Pamir’s eyes!

Would a handful of sand thrown at a human have any effect? Of course not! Babylon’s self-detonation was nothing more than a game to Pamir. However, this ‘game’ was enough to make the beast instinctively raise a hand to cover its eyes, and in that moment, its body relaxed, temporarily alleviating the pressure of the ‘Goddess of Earth’s Lament’…

Babylon burst into booming laughter, turning and collapsing beside Susanna!

“Uncle, you…”

“Silence! I am a Battle God, and you are my Oath!” Babylon roared, using his sole remaining left arm to hurl Susanna into the tunnel they had come from. “Venerable Prince, Babylon can no longer follow the Princess to reclaim your rightful honor!”

RUMBLE!

The Peerless Fiend Pamir shook off the blood clots and pulverized flesh from its vision, but Babylon had completely self-detonated. This section of the mausoleum passage was utterly destroyed, the openings obliterated beyond recognition!

Pamir had no time to stop Susanna’s escape, but what about Philip? On Mount Tianshan, he was an unparalleled expert, having single-handedly battled three supreme Masters of his era!

Philip, too, had no time to give chase, for at this moment, he was utterly terrified – no, not just terrified, but utterly filled with dread!!

Because…

Du Chen, riding The Sixth, had flown into the deepest part of the tomb chamber. By this time, Philip’s assistants had already packed up all the instruments and followed Philip to the corridor, ready for an easy retreat once the Composite Aberrant Beast had dealt with all the grave robbers.

Brockman, meanwhile, lay in a coffin-like large box, submerged in medicinal fluids, undergoing treatment. Thus, Du Chen and his old friend had not truly met face-to-face this time!

The Sixth’s form, after all, was not as ideally suited for flight as its three elder brethren, making it somewhat inconvenient for Du Chen to pilot. However, as Du Chen flew into the tomb chamber, he had no time to adapt to The Sixth. “Damn it, I know! I know why Philip insisted on choosing this specific location and time for his experiment!”

Du Chen gazed at the White Jade Wall in the deepest part of the tomb, his heart racing. The Nineteenth Laboratory had one, Auerbach’s resting tomb had one, which meant the depths of Mount Tianshan surely held a similar White Jade Wall!

The White Jade Wall – that was the most crucial element of Philip’s experiment!

However, Du Chen hadn’t forgotten his true purpose for being here. With a glance, he saw that opposite the White Jade Wall was a massive carved bas-relief wall, and the Portraits etched upon it were identical to those on the two-layered Sacred Artifact Box that originally contained the Art of Artifact Annihilation!

Without a doubt, the item was certainly within!

Recalling the keyhole on the Sacred Artifact Box, Du Chen found a subtle flaw in the bas-relief of a beastman warrior. The warrior’s open maw was, in fact, a small ventilation shaft. To outsiders, this wall and its vent would appear as mundane features of a tomb, drawing no attention. Yet, Du Chen flew through the ventilation shaft, discovering a secret chamber within!

The secret chamber was not large, somewhat resembling a small parlor within a noble estate. It was pitch-black inside, devoid of any light. Only after Du Chen flew in and activated The Sixth to release streams of golden light did the chamber illuminate.

The chamber’s layout was quite rudimentary, with plain earthen walls that utterly contrasted the overall opulence of Auerbach’s resting tomb. Nevertheless, arranged in a straight line at the very center of the secret chamber, stood three Sacred Artifact Boxes!

Descending from his Lotus form, Du Chen returned to his normal size. He and Deboning exchanged a glance. “Three items, Deboning. Which one do you think holds the Art of Artifact Annihilation?”

Deboning chuckled. “Young Master, you’re putting me on the spot. There are only three Sacred Artifact Boxes in this secret chamber, and the Art of Artifact Annihilation could be in any of them!”

“It’s this one, because the keyhole on this Sacred Artifact Box matches the position on the two boxes my mother left behind!” Du Chen picked up the middle Sacred Artifact Box from the chamber floor. In an instant, the box was opened by the ‘Perverted Thief’! Du Chen glanced inside; indeed, it was a scroll, its cover emblazoned with the words – Art of Artifact Annihilation!

Du Chen smiled faintly, a smug satisfaction in his expression. Just as he was about to open the other two boxes, Babylon detonated his right arm.

“Damn it, such a massive commotion! Do they intend to alert the Crimson Mausoleum Guards above?” Du Chen swiftly gathered all three boxes, stepping onto The Sixth, and flew out of the secret chamber.

But by then, Babylon had completely self-detonated. The colossal tremor caused part of the mausoleum tunnel to collapse. While the main mausoleum, protected by Auerbach’s coffin, remained undamaged, such a massive disturbance was more than enough to attract the other Crimson Mausoleum Guards.

Unfortunately, Philip, worried the tremor might affect his lifeline, had specifically returned to the deepest part to investigate. To his shock, the Emerald-Green Eye on his right shoulder instantly turned blood-red!

“Damn it, that Holy Light!? How is that possible!”

Philip was utterly terrified! It was a fear that clawed from the depths of his soul! After the battle on Mount Tianshan, the Holy Light with which Du Chen had effortlessly countered his Undead Self-Detonation had left an utterly horrifying impression. Undeniably, Philip was a genius, an absolute genius! And a genius, after a single failure, would invariably ponder how to avoid encountering the same perilous situation again!

That massive eye was the result of Philip’s ingenious mind – in Du Chen’s words, a radar specifically for Holy Light-type energies!

“He detected me from such a distance!?” Du Chen was startled. Philip truly lived up to his reputation as a contemporary Scientific Grandmaster!

Compared to Du Chen’s momentary hesitation, Philip was far more decisive. He turned and fled, without the slightest hesitation!

Perhaps this was an instinctual reaction of all living things to objects of fear, and The Undead were no exception!

As he ran, Philip continuously shouted, “Pamir, kill him! Spare no cost, no consequence! Destroy him for me!”

Pamir was still vexed about letting Susanna escape, but upon hearing Philip’s command, it let out a roar. Its Divine Sense swiftly locked onto the mosquito-sized Du Chen, who was rapidly making his escape.

“Stop! Hey, why is my body acting a bit strange!?”

Pamir’s body suddenly encountered a slight malfunction.

At that moment, within its soul-realm, the Golden Behemoth and Andy simultaneously received feedback from the body.

The Golden Behemoth felt nothing particular about this information; its sole desire was to kill Du Chen and fulfill its master Philip’s command. But Andy also received this information! And he sensed a familiar scent!

That scent… it’s Master! Heavens! Master Francis has come! Master is here to save me!

Andy’s soul choked with emotion!

He didn’t ponder why his nose was as keen as Sir Harry’s, nor did he consider the powerful Golden Behemoth beside him. Only one thought occupied Andy’s mind: Master, Andy has finally seen you alive! Thank you for coming to save me, putting aside all past grievances!

In the instant Andy’s soul howled, the Golden Behemoth suddenly felt its control over the body weaken! No, it should be said that in that very moment, at least half of the body’s control vanished completely!

But before the Golden Behemoth could ponder further, Andy roared ecstatically, “Master, Andy will never leave you again! Andy is coming to beg for your forgiveness now, and I’ll never be gluttonous again!”

With that, he eagerly moved to chase after Du Chen, hoping to return to his master’s warm embrace!

At this point, the Composite Aberrant Beast, Pamir, was being controlled by two souls. Temporarily, however, both souls had the same objective: to catch Du Chen!

Thus, when Beast Emperor Rebadon and the Crimson Mausoleum Guards noticed the disturbance below the canyon and descended to investigate, they beheld a sight that made their hearts tremble: a massive, grotesque Aberrant Beast flying up from the canyon depths, its malevolent aura overwhelming, its presence truly fearsome.

As for Du Chen… with a Peerless Fiend charging at them, who would notice a mosquito-sized Lotus form!?