Chapter 775: Breaking the Tomb, Entering the Game!

Ji Shang didn't react.

"We're all in the same boat, so I think it's best to be honest. I'm not someone who likes to lie; everyone in the know understands that I'm sincere and treat others with integrity!"

Li Li, however, spoke frankly, "Lies ensure that cooperation won't last. Smart people can sense sincerity. 'Eternal Dynasty'—that was all made up by me; I admit my mistake. I am indeed from another realm, possessing divine blood. The technological level of that world is a notch higher than your ancient era: skyscrapers, cars, planes... But now that you've been dormant for these years, the outside world should be quite similar. I suddenly encountered a god and was teleported here; I'm as bewildered as you are."

Ji Shang was stunned. Such a simple background?

He suddenly burst into laughter. "What an interesting fellow, truly fascinating! I like people like you. Let's conspire together to conquer the world; my empire will have a place for you... I'll also be frank: regardless of whether what you said before was true or false, in the future, I would naturally have killed you, because you bit to death thousands of my brother-soldiers who fought alongside me for most of my life... But now, it seems their fate was to perish, unable to bear the immortal blood."

Li Li also chuckled, relieved. Killing for the first time was still quite exhausting, and he had been through so much here. "Right, one must be rational. They were going to die of old age anyway, and I didn't kill them. I even gave them a chance to live longer..."

"Perhaps so."

Ji Shang's eyes dimmed slightly. In this situation, trapped in the tomb, if he continued to sleep, those soldiers would certainly die, as they had already reached their critical point.

Acknowledgment is mutual.

If complete trust couldn't be established, then cunning and guardedness would be meaningless.

He acknowledged Ji Shang, having known for years from his interactions in society and from the terracotta warriors that Ji Shang, despite having most of his Stage Four lifespan left, entered the tomb because he couldn't bear to let his aging soldiers perish, choosing to sleep alongside them. From this, it was clear that Ji Shang was not the kind of emperor who would kill his meritorious subjects.

As long as he treated Ji Shang genuinely, Ji Shang would naturally sense it.

This was his business philosophy from years of navigating the world.

If you tried to deceive such a powerful figure, even the cleverest trick would surely be noticed. Their intelligence was terrifyingly high; they had eidetic memory and could learn basic communication in a foreign language within days—it was truly frightening.

If it were an ordinary person, they wouldn't be able to escape this trap and would inevitably end up in a confrontation.

"So, I'll bite? You were able to open four realms alone, so your cultivation talent and ingenuity must be terrifying, and your willpower firm. There's a very high chance of success, after all, you're a chosen one," Li Li said, then bit down.

Three days later.

Ji Shang successfully survived the gene fusion and regained consciousness. His willpower was indeed astonishingly terrifying.

At the same time, Li Li was surprised to discover that this eternal emperor did not become a three-gene being but remained a two-gene being, as the immortal bloodline actually replaced the radiation bloodline.

"Are the bloodlines incompatible?"

Li Li said, "The True Qi bloodline is also starting to leak significantly... This isn't bloodline incompatibility; it's cancer cells constantly destroying body tissues, creating lesions, leading to things like tracheal rupture. It would be fine in a hospital; you should get an X-ray."

He briefly tested the blood and felt that the carbon dioxide heart and the oxygen heart, those two dual-core power cylinders, were starting to leak.

In Li Li's words, Ji Shang was now like a leaky doll.

After all, the internal True Qi circulation was a perfectly delicate bodily structure, and now that structure was damaged.

"Leakage? Damage? You mean the two major internal Qi circulations, right?"

Ji Shang didn't understand, merely stating, "Originally, internal Qi circulation isn't perfectly closed. Based on my extensive research, we actually need to replenish it regularly, but through food—supplementing what you call oxygen and carbon dioxide, absorbing them from the stomach into the blood, and circulating them to the two hearts. However, right now, the degree of leakage is indeed immeasurably greater... It seems this bloodline is too dominant, severely damaging the body. From this, it appears we need to eat a lot of food to replenish carbon dioxide and oxygen and sustain the internal circulation."

"This way, the efficiency is too slow."

Li Li shook his head. "Especially during periods of intense physical activity—combat, running, increased oxygen consumption—when there's a significant deficit, it's very difficult to recover quickly. We might have to... drink blood to replenish what's lost."

Ji Shang nodded. "Drink blood?"

In fact, Ji Shang was only in his forties, the same age as Li Li. The two began to discuss and research.

Ji Shang, with a serious expression, said, "We do need to drink blood to sustain ourselves... As we grow stronger, we might need to raise blood-people to replenish us regularly..."

"From this perspective, the cost of immortality is terrifying. But according to you, after reaching Stage Seven, the body's normal cells will be completely devoured, and we'll be truly complete, our internal circulation won't break down, and we'll no longer need to drink blood."

Li Li took a deep breath, goosebumps rising on his skin.

Is this the true nature of vampirism?

Cancer cells invading, causing internal blood circulation to rupture, forcing one to drink blood for nourishment?

So that's it!

The ancients truly didn't deceive me.

Zombies fear Buddha: Cancer cells fear radiation therapy.

Zombies drink blood: Cancer cells destroy the body, requiring blood replenishment.

"But when the bloodline is fully awakened, while we won't need to drink blood and will become true zombie progenitors, this will be replaced by complete half-sleep," Li Li took a deep breath. "After all, the great immortal blood we lowly mortals obtain is naturally imperfect... We, unlike that ancient, singular god in the shadows, must bear a terrible cost."

"Therefore, two people must alternately guard each other while the other sleeps, becoming each other's protectors."

As Li Li said this, as an Earthling, he actually got goosebumps all over.

Wasn't this the path of the two ancient gods from back then? It perfectly matched!

Although those players were silly, their deductions were incredibly precise. He felt he had to stand up for them, considering how some people online had previously dismissed their theories as mere fabrications or wishful thinking!

Another seven or eight days passed.

Both sides had fully integrated the bloodline, and their food supply was completely exhausted.

"It's time to leave. There's a secret passage in the mechanism, prepared for my awakening and departure," Ji Shang said, opening a very concealed mechanism that might lead directly to the outside. "However, I suspect the perimeter is already guarded with outposts, heavily encircling the tomb."

The two exited the tomb's mechanism level and reached the tunnel entrance. Beyond a pile of soil, they detected a large collection of round covers connected by metal wires.

"What kind of mechanism is that?" Ji Shang frowned.

"Those should be vibration sensors, likely connected to some kind of trap. Let's see if your descendants love you. If they do, it's a small nuclear bomb that detonates instantly; if not, it's just a small explosive," Li Li said.

Ji Shang frowned. "What should we do then?"

Li Li said, "You're at Stage Four now, so your divine sense can still cast some simple spells. Cut the wires behind it."

"Wires?" Ji Shang began to act.

*Snip.*

They were cut first.

They directly dug through the soil and reached the second level, which surprisingly was a modern laboratory corridor with white lights. This structure slightly surprised Ji Shang, an ancient man.

"Don't rush. It might be a UV light or some other mechanism. Check if there are any wires or circuit boards nearby. Cutting them will definitely be fine."

The two broke through several layers and finally reached the surface.

The dazzling sunlight was very uncomfortable.

"What's happening?" Ji Shang felt his skin rotting. His immortal cells were incredibly fragile and sensitive to this energy.

Li Li, enduring the pain, went to some small towns and managed to acquire umbrellas and leather materials to heavily wrap themselves, which made it less unbearable.

A shop nearby was open for business.

"Beauty and Hair Salon, get a membership card for 20% off!"

A tour guide holding a small flag and wearing a cute red cap announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is Shangshan Royal Tomb, where our greatest ancient Central Plains emperor sleeps."

This place seemed to have already become a tourist attraction.

"Wait for me," Li Li said. The two, draped in thick black cloaks forming makeshift radiation suits, like beings that couldn't face the light, went to a nearby street and bought a newspaper from a kiosk.

"What is this?" Ji Shang asked again.

"A newspaper," Li Li replied, looking at the paper.

Ji Shang looked on with great curiosity, his face full of astonishment as he stood on the modern street.

Li Li, however, wasn't surprised. "It's like Emperor Qin Shi Huang suddenly crawled out and walked onto the street..."

Suddenly, Ji Shang pointed to a shop. "I have a terrible feeling, as if something very dreadful has appeared somewhere. My instincts are screaming, and I feel immense revulsion."

Li Li followed his gaze.

It was an accessories shop, selling jade jewelry.

A slogan was posted at the entrance:

"New stock has arrived from Manwei International Ocean Company! Moonfall Stones, mined from the core of the great explosion at the Southern Pacific Moonfall Center, carry auspicious energy and the blessing of the Moon God Ji, warding off evil, ensuring safety, and nourishing your body!"

"Exorcising Buddhist artifacts, so that's what it is?" Li Li was startled, looking at many noblewomen on the street wearing pendants around their necks, feeling an urge to stay far away.

"Let's go!"

Surrounded by such a street, he felt very uneasy and directly moved to a sparsely populated shadowed area.

Ji Shang began to read the newspaper. Fortunately, the ancient script and modern characters were not vastly different.

"Yunzhou Cross-Sea Bridge: Ancient divine beast Qilin spotted! Its body radiates auspicious golden light, like a moonfall pendant, bringing an extremely comfortable aura!"

The picture showed a dazzling golden, sacred Qilin.

"Yingkou Dragon Fall Incident! Ancient divine beasts are reawakening from antiquity. What kind of enemies did they encounter? Can humans cultivate?"

A massive dragon corpse, over ten meters long, lay on the ground, drawing countless shocked onlookers.

"Divine beasts? I always feel they emit an aura that makes us extremely uneasy," Ji Shang frowned. "Spiritual energy resurgence? Ancient myths and legends awakening in modern times, with everyone able to cultivate?"

He read the keywords in the newspaper.

Li Li: "..."

He suddenly looked at the endless stream of people on the bustling street, feeling very uneasy.

What the hell have those silly players been up to recently? It's so difficult not being able to secretly observe them online.