Four and eighty million?! Without hesitation, Sun Miaomiao, Zhao Chenghuang, and the others turned to Xiaohou Aotian, whose tears streamed down like rain, suddenly grasping the depth of his sorrow. Though Sun and Zhao were second-generation spiritual cultivators with abundant resources at Taimei Sect, four and eighty million materials were nothing extraordinary. But when it came to cash, they simply couldn’t muster such a sum. Most extraordinary-stage items typically didn’t exceed ten million. Four and eighty million could buy two ordinary-quality Saint-level items—though these might be out of reach due to their rarity. Still, casually parting with 48 million would be an extraordinary luxury for them. "Enough," Zhang Yuanqing stopped Xiaohu Aotian from launching further attacks. At that moment, the number of soldiers stood at fewer than thirty, presenting a bold, undaunted charge against the group, fearless despite their isolation. Behind them lay scattered earth and crushed sand, the scene chaotic and disheveled. Zhang Yuanqing left Yin Yao Princess to protect Xiahou Ao Tian, and led Tian Xiang Gui, Sun Miao Miao, and Zhao Chenghuang toward the army of soldier statues, easily defeating the remnants of the force. "Strong indeed—these soldier statues possess both strength and speed at level 4," said Sun Miao Miao, holding her military lance in one hand and her large-caliber handgun in the other. This was her standard star official equipment setup: the handgun worked in tandem with her Star Drift technique to create momentum, while the lance complemented her Night Wandering assault. Tian Xiang Gui and Zhao Chenghuang focused their attention on the Primordial Deity's drumming golden hammer. "What kind of equipment is this?" asked Tian Xiang Gui. This compact, pumpkin-shaped hammer proved devastating against the soldier statues—its power seemed to shatter them effortlessly—while even with their equipment, they found it difficult to break a single statue's body. "An exceptional piece specially designed to penetrate armor," Zhang Yuanqing explained casually. Xiahou Ao Tian stepped aside from the Princess and the artillery, hurried over, and knelt beside a half-destroyed soldier statue, examining it I've been looking at them for a long time, and now I realize—these soldier statues aren't infused with souls. What drives them to fight? "There must be a central host controlling these soldiers. If we master this technology, we'll be able to create our own soldier statues and conquer the world." Yet no one seems concerned about the academic aspects. "So Emperor Qin created these soldier statues with the intention of reviving himself to reunify the realm once more?" Zhang Yuanqing, passionate about history, asked eagerly. "Clearly not," Tianxia Guihuo replied, "Could it be that Emperor Qin's unification of the six states was made possible precisely by these soldier statues?" Xiahou Aotian nodded vigorously, "Exactly, exactly—this makes far more sense. Yuanshish Tianzun is simply a fool." Standing nearby, Zhao Chenguang said coldly, "Waste no time." Immediately, the group left the scattered remnants of the soldier statues and proceeded to the white jade platform, pausing at the steps. "I'm repeating myself—these terraced soldier puppets are stronger in both strength and speed than we are. Their weapons and military crossbows are merely props; even when their bodies are shattered, they can reassemble themselves. Their only weakness is that they lack skills. Moreover, there's a bug in their behavior: they only attend to their own zones. That means the second-row puppets won't descend to assist the first row—they can only launch their crossbows for support." Zhang Yuanqing spoke rapidly. The team members nodded seriously, methodically retrieving and donning their defensive gear. Zhao Chenghuang produced the puppet storage box, which he placed with a heavy thud onto the bronze container, half as tall as a person. This puppet storage box is precisely the key tool against the soldier puppets. It is a replica of the master-tier artifact, the "Puppet Storage Box," made from genuine Saint-tier material, though it lacks the core characteristics of the Yanshi. Therefore, its primary function is storage. During the earlier tournament, Zhao Chenghuang had cleverly utilized the unique abilities of his spiritual servant, mimicking the Yanshi's puppet control technique. Yet the soldier figurines were merely replicas—their built-in "storage" function applied only to the figurines inside the box. The terracotta soldiers on the steps, however, were strong and possessed self-awareness. They would certainly not obediently move into the bowls. Therefore, they had to be manually shattered and then reinserted. "Miao Miao, summon the spirits!" Zhang Yuan declared with authority. Sun Miao Miao stepped with her broad stance, raised her rifle, and fired two precise shots. The bullets, inscribed with spirit-breaking incantations, struck the two nearest terracotta soldiers squarely, igniting a soft golden flame and scattering fine black sand. Before the black sand settled, it magnetically returned to the soldiers' foreheads. "Indeed, they heal—what kind of material is this?" Xia Hou Ao Tian was both amazed and excited, shouting in delight. The soldier on the left slowly turned its head toward the attackers, conveying a voice only detectable by the Night Traveler: "Any who dare intrude upon the Emperor's inner chambers shall perish!" With that, the two soldiers leapt simultaneously, launching themselves toward Sun Miao Miao with swift, slashing movements. The world's fire surged from the palm, forming a concentrated flame ball. With his right arm drawn back and left foot stepping forward, he launched the flame ball straight into the chest of the soldier statue on the left. A thunderous boom erupted, sending the statue flying. Amid the surging gusts and blazing light, Tian Xia Gui Huo's form emerged. Fire flows! With fury blazing in his eyes, his muscles expanded, and the crimson fists ignited with intense heat, crashing down onto the soldier statue's chest. For a moment, the flames danced, stone fragments flew in all directions, and the statue retreated step by step. The dark earth that formed its chest began to blush red, radiating intense heat. As Tian Xia Gui Huo, furious and eager to press the attack, prepared to advance, he suddenly observed the soldier statue steady its footing and raise its bronze sword to slash at his neck. Before the fire mage could even begin his sequence, the opponent's superior strength forcibly interrupted it. Tian Xia Gui Huo's brow furrowed—this meant his most effective close-range abilities could no longer gain a decisive advantage. The bronze sword swept through the air, emitting a piercing, sharp cry. The entire realm recoiled as a short, compact figure sidestepped, allowing the sword's edge to skim past his scalp. As he prepared to extend his knee and collide with his opponent's chest, he suddenly noticed the other hand of the soldier statue—already, at an unknown moment, had removed a military crossbow and aimed it directly at himself. *Crack!* The bowstring resonated with a sharp, piercing cry. An arrow shot forth, and a flash of golden light erupted before him, then shattered—driving the arrow straight into his chest. His heart sank. Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn had mentioned that the soldiers stationed on the steps were well-equipped, with the military crossbow possessing extraordinary power, yet he had never imagined that even the defensive artifacts of a sage's caliber would fail against a single arrow. Though constrained by resources, the defensive artifact on his person was of ordinary quality—still, it was no ordinary item, being of sage rank. The sharp, piercing cry resumed, and in his vision, the gleaming bronze sword now stood out with sharp clarity. At that moment, a hand seized his shoulder and suddenly pulled him back. The sword's tip grazed his throat. Tian Xia Gui Fu staggered to his feet Lady Yin Yao released her grip and stepped forward with a crisp, decisive leap, delivering a sharp, elegant high kick that struck the soldier statue squarely on the chin. With a loud *thud*, the statue's half-face shattered into black dust, scattering everywhere. Seizing the opportunity, Tian Xia Gui roared deeply, flames bursting from every pore of his body; his short hair glowed vividly crimson, each strand clearly defined. Furious! This time, he was truly incensed. A flash of flame, and Tian Xia Gui crashed into the statue with tremendous force, producing a sound of *crash* as the solid terracotta body splintered into four and five fragments. As the broken remains hit the ground, they began to tremble violently. Noticing this, Tian Xia Gui kicked one of the legs to the Yin Sheng, then lifted his own half-body and charged toward Zhao Chenguang, shouting, "Open the box!" At that moment, Zhao Chenguang, Sun Miao Miao, and Yuan Shi Tian Zun had just finished clearing away the other soldier statue and placed it into a bronze box half as tall as a person. Seeing Tianxia Guihuo and Yin Yao Princess rush in with the injured, trailing behind them a host of fragmented sand and soil chunks, Zhang Yuanqing summoned the Wind-Bringer Gloves and pushed his palms forward. "Whoosh~" A strong wind surged, dispersing the black sand. Sun Miaomiao precisely targeted and struck the larger soil chunks with her spear, shattering them all. Zhao Chenghuang kicked open the lid of the bronze box, then carefully slid half of the soldiers' bodies of Tianxia Guihuo and Yin Yao Princess inside before sealing it shut. The black sand chunks seemed to lose their focus, standing motionless for a few seconds before trembling again, quickly coalescing into a single, one-armed, one-legged, incomplete soldier statue. The statue's head stood crookedly atop its remaining left shoulder, radiating an angry spiritual pulse: "Return my body! Return my body!" It then leapt forward on its single leg. Stop wobbling around like that without legs! Zhang Yuanqing picked it up, ready to place it into the storage box, when Xiahou Aotian spoke: "Wait—hold on to it for a moment. Let me examine "Speaking of this, fearing that Yuan Shi Tian Zun might not agree, he pulled out a tool dagger and chiseled a patch of black soil the size of a fingernail from the hard body of the military soldier statue. The small piece of black soil vibrated intensely at the tip of Xia Hou Ao Tian's finger, yet could not be dislodged. Xia Hou Ao Tian then removed the dagger, took out a single-lens pair of glasses, and put them on, carefully examining the soil, explaining: "These glasses can help me analyze its composition." Upon hearing this, the group, who had initially grown impatient, patiently waited. After several seconds, Xia Hou Ao Tian drew a deep breath. Sun Miao Miao quickly asked, "Have you identified what this is?" "No." "?" What on earth is he drawing such a deep breath for? Sun Miao Miao thought to herself. Xia Hou Ao Tian released his grip, allowing the small soil piece to settle back, and said solemnly: "The material is characterized by strength and magnetism, and possesses a powerful vitality—thus capable of nourishing the spirit. These soldier statues will never deteriorate, no matter how many times they are broken." "Unless the armorer intervenes to melt and refine them... Hmm, I suspect they're the legendary Xisang." "Xisang?!" Zhao Chenghuang was astonished, "Is Xisang considered the highest-grade material among earth-based creatures?" Xia Hou Aotian nodded. "I believe a small amount of Xisang was incorporated when crafting the military terracotta figures—very, very small. Using Xisang to make soldiers is truly a waste; Emperor Qin must have been a real spendthrift." Everyone in the room suddenly thought of this—wealthy! Their eyes, now fixed on the numerous terracotta soldiers on the steps, burned with eager anticipation and greed. "Do any of you have healing items?" Tianxia Guihuo drew his crossbow arrow, pressing it to his chest, still bleeding, and frowned. "I only have extraordinary-quality wood spirit items, which can't instantly heal my wounds. This will affect my combat performance." Zhang Yuanqing immediately produced the mountain deity's staff, placing its emerald gem against Tianxia Guihuo's chest. A gentle glow of green radiated, and Tianxia Guihuo's arrow wound on his left chest stopped bleeding "Thank you!" He bowed slightly to Zhang Yuanqing. Just as Zhang Yuanqing was about to respond, a strangely off-put tone came from Sun Miao Miao beside him: "Master Yuanshi, you're absolutely bizarre—really, really strange, yep!" The group turned to look at Sun Miao Miao, then followed her gaze down to the lower half of Master Yuanshi. The height of the tent was astonishing. "This is merely the cost of the props," Zhang Yuanqing straightened his mountain god's staff and said. "I don't feel anything special about the world returning to fire—don't blame me unfairly. Wait—did you notice how particularly attentive you've been to me? Did you read the mirror's prophecy and think I'm going to have children?" "Get out of here!" Sun Miao Miao scolded him. Then, the five people and the corpse repeated the same tactic, one by one placing the soldier figures into the bronze boxes. When the group reached the archway, Zhao Chenghuang was already flushed with excitement, since Yuanshi and his companions had agreed that all the soldier figures inside the bronze boxes would belong to him. It was effectively an early distribution of spoils. If the harvest from the Long-Sheng Palace is meager, Zhao Chenghuang will need to compensate everyone; if it's abundant, he'll settle for a smaller share of supplies. For Zhao Chenghuang, as long as he transforms these soldier statues into puppets, he can utilize them until level 6, experiencing a significant boost in power. As for Zhang Yuancheng and the others, without storage boxes or special spiritual servants, the soldier statues hold little value—rather than selling them for money, it's better to simply offer them as goodwill gestures. Zhang Yuancheng calculated the time: since entering the palace, it has been thirteen minutes. Progress is swift. This is something he couldn't achieve alone. With teammates, everything flows smoothly—had he been going solo, he simply couldn't have cleared this path so easily. He glanced up at the mirror hanging on the jade plaque above the archway: "This mirror is also a supply item with a unique function—it reveals the night wanderers. I recommend leaving it undisturbed for now, and only collecting it after we've cleared the current dangers, to avoid any unforeseen mishaps. In unpredictable, high-difficulty dungeons, less action and fewer mistakes are better." His proposal received unanimous approval—this is the advantage of reliable teammates: they never quarrel over money, nor do they create friction when opinions differ. Together, they ascended the white marble platform and were greeted by the majestic and imposing palace. "Will Emperor Qin's body be inside?" "Shut up!" Zhang Yuanqing said coldly. "Don't interrupt!" He then opened his star-eyed gaze, surveying his teammates. Sun Miao Miao, Yin Yao Princess, and the others were all enveloped in dark, blood-tinged clouds—indicating injuries, possibly life-threatening. Xue Hou Ao Tian, though under the same cloud, showed no blood signs, which made sense—he was merely a weak shaman, not required to charge into battle. When Zhang Yuanqing turned to Zhao Chenghuang, his eyes widened. Zhao Chenghuang's face was blazing with blood energy—death was imminent! "Ah! Zhao Chenghuang, you're going to die!" Sun Miao Miao cried out. She too was observing her teammates through the art of star-reading. At that moment, the two massive military terracotta figures standing outside the hall stiffened and turned their heads. The one on the left, holding a bronze sword, transmitted a surge of spiritual energy: "Any who dare intrude upon the Emperor's inner chamber shall be executed without mercy!" The final three words burst forth like thunder, causing the Dread? The awe of a swordsman. Several seconds later, Zhang Yuanqing, who had been practicing the Pure Yang Washing Body Record, regained his composure first. In his vision, the towering figure of a massive military soldier emerged. He saw the soldier advance boldly, cutting directly into Zhao Chenghuang's presence and severing him. *Pff!* Zhao Chenghuang's body was split in two, his warm organs rolling out across the ground.