Section Forty-Seven: The Army of Faceless Terracotta Warriors

He had actually won...

Tang Tian stared blankly at his own palm—the charred, blackened hand, covered in burn marks—he had won... he had really won...

A foolish grin spread across his face. He opened his mouth wide, revealing two rows of dazzling white teeth amid the soot-stained features, and his smile grew broader and broader.

“Haha! I won! I won!”

Scratching his head, Tang Tian burst into laughter. His blackened face shone with innocent joy as he raised both arms high and shouted, “Wow! I won!”

Suddenly, his legs gave way, and he plopped down on the ground, still grinning like an idiot.

This was his first true victory...

He would become stronger!

He would claim even more victories!

The young man clenched his fists tightly and silently promised himself. This battle was not the end; ahead lay more challenges, stronger opponents.

Tang Tian, keep going!

Taking a deep breath, his gaze settled into calm once more. He crossed his legs and began to examine his body’s condition. During the fight he’d had no time to check, but now he needed to assess himself carefully.

As soon as he activated the Crane Qi Formula, Tang Tian immediately sensed something different.

The second Crane Form had grown noticeably larger. He could feel faint threads of power gently spreading from it, flowing along the dantian’s steps into the third-tier dantian pool, then coursing through his whole body, dispersing into his limbs and bones.

Tang Tian tried to urge the second Crane Form, but it still showed no response, only slowly circulating on its own.

What a strange thing...

Though he hadn’t figured out how to use the second Crane Form, the power it released poured into his third-tier dantian pool, expanding its capacity by more than double before he even realized it.

Tang Tian, delighted, wasted no time and focused his mind fully on the Crane Qi Formula. Energy from all directions converged, drawn into his body, transformed through his meridians into pure true force, and continuously poured into the enlarged dantian pool, gradually filling it to the brim.

※※※

“What a brilliant confrontation—Single Word Cannon Fist. Such an ancient boxing style, and yet in Wang Zhen’s hands it was reborn. That boy has a promising future. For Tang Tian to defeat Wang Zhen, that was truly beyond expectation.” An indifferent voice, filled with admiration, echoed. His gaze rested on a glowing screen before him, which clearly replayed the recent duel between Tang Tian and Wang Zhen.

Had the city lord been present, he would have recognized this man at once: his business partner, Mr. Wu of the Corvus constellation!

On the wall before Mr. Wu were countless glowing screens, each displaying moving figures within.

“You’re saying Bi Jun was killed by Tang Tian?” Mr. Wu suddenly asked. Behind him stood Di Han, hands respectfully folded.

“Yes,” Di Han replied.

“What a gifted youth,” Mr. Wu remarked, his face full of appreciation.

Di Han said, “Tang Tian is rumored to have practiced basic martial skills for five years, thought to be lacking in talent, offended the Zhou family, and was expelled from Ander Academy. But recently, his strength has advanced rapidly. He’s even stronger than when he fought my men.”

“Practiced basic martial skills for five years? There are still such interesting people in this world?” Mr. Wu clapped with laughter, then his eyes lit up as if recalling something: “Hmm, in that case, could it be that the Southern Cross token is in his possession? The Southern Cross Penitent Card, combined with five years of basic martial training, certainly fits the profile. That would also explain why the little girl recognized the Southern Cross insignia. Make Tang Tian a key person of interest.”

“Yes!” Di Han responded.

“Such luck!” Mr. Wu laughed heartily. “The Southern Cross Penitent Card is said to conceal a great secret. I’ve searched for so many years, and here it is! Heaven truly favors me.”

Di Han said nothing.

“How many blood samples have we collected now?” Mr. Wu asked, his tone calming.

“Thirty-two,” Di Han replied. “Blood-Eye analysis found eighteen ordinary bloodlines, eight qualified ones, five of good quality, and one bronze-grade bloodline.”

“Oh? Whose is the bronze bloodline?” Mr. Wu asked.

“Zou Kai,” Di Han answered. “The top expert of Divine Might Academy, ranked seventh among Starwind City’s students. We’ve already apprehended him.”

“Excellent! Excellent!” Mr. Wu was very pleased. “Didn’t expect to find such quality so soon. With ten bronze-grade bloodlines, ha, I can refine and synthesize a silver bloodline! The legendary silver bloodline—just thinking about it is thrilling!”

Mr. Wu’s wild laughter echoed in the room, sending an unbidden chill through Di Han’s heart.

“It’s just a pity Tang Tian wasn’t injured—we couldn’t collect his blood. I’m quite curious about his bloodline,” Mr. Wu mused.

“Tang Tian is a bit too old—he’s already seventeen,” Di Han hesitated, then spoke.

“What a shame,” Mr. Wu paused, then his face filled with regret. “Seventeen? That is rather old. The younger the subject, the more vigorous their bloodline, and the better their fusion ability. What a waste.”

He quickly put Tang Tian out of his mind and instructed, “Once Tang Tian leaves that area, get some blood from Wang Zhen. The descendants of those ancient martial families often have decent bloodlines.”

“Yes!” Di Han acknowledged.

“Heh, all my efforts to find Starwind City have not been in vain,” Mr. Wu’s voice darkened. “No matter what, this time I must obtain ten bronze bloodlines! I can hardly wait to see what power the legendary silver bloodline will possess!”

“Ah! Tang Tian disappeared…” Di Han, watching the screen, suddenly cried out in alarm.

“Hmm?” Mr. Wu snapped to attention, staring at the display. He froze, speechless for a moment, then exclaimed in disbelief, “This Soul Labyrinth has already been completely mapped—how could this be…”

※※※

Tang Tian opened his eyes, a flash of brilliance in his gaze. With a surge of true force—crack!—a cloud of black smoke exploded from his body, blasting away every trace of char and soot. The blackened Tang Tian had returned to his original form. He stood up, beaming.

His true force had surged, breaking through the highest stage of the third tier and reaching perfection.

Because his true force had already touched the wall of perfection—a clear sign of full mastery.

Tang Tian glanced at Wang Zhen lying on the ground, still unconscious.

“Hmm, you’re a worthy opponent. I’ll let you be. Pity, though—missed a good chance to loot some spoils…” Tang Tian muttered. Without hesitation, he looked up at the opening in the ceiling above, then leapt upwards.

As he passed through the barrier, a powerful suction pulled at him from above.

The force was astonishing. He had no time to react—everything spun wildly. He didn’t notice the Southern Cross on his palm suddenly blaze with light.

He had no idea how much time passed.

Splash!

Tang Tian fell into water. The icy seawater slapped his face, jarring his groggy mind awake.

Wait, why is there an ocean here? Didn’t Wang Zhen say there should be a Soul Key?

Tang Tian looked around in confusion, and suddenly spotted a small black dot far off on the horizon.

There!

His spirits soared. He quickly gathered his true force and leapt from the water.

“Wow! Let’s see my Eight-Step Cicada Rush! Go, go, go—Soul Key, here I come!”

His shout echoed across the sea as he surged forward, leaving a tall spray in his wake, speeding toward the tiny dot. With his true force at third-stage perfection, his breath was long and his Eight-Step Cicada Rush was swift.

Six hours later.

Tang Tian was panting, all his true force spent. What seemed close was actually astonishingly far. In the end, he could only thrash desperately through the water, swimming toward the island with arms and legs.

Phew, phew… What a worthless Soul Key… Is this just to torment people?

Grumbling inwardly, Tang Tian struggled, crawling ashore with arms and legs. Reaching the edge, he realized that towering stone walls, stretching for tens of miles, rose straight from the sea.

Magnificent!

But so hard to climb...

Tang Tian struggled up.

Underfoot, the surface was perfectly flat—massive stone blocks, each more than ten feet square, laid in neat grids stretching into the distance. Following the grid with his eyes, Tang Tian was dumbstruck.

Far ahead, an unimaginably vast army stood in silent opposition. Spears like a forest, black and endless, the ranks strict and orderly, a suffocating aura of killing intent sweeping toward him. For such a huge army, not a sound could be heard. The deathly silence only made it more terrifying.

Th-this…

Tang Tian’s face turned ghostly pale. Brave as he was, this sight made him tremble uncontrollably.

I—I… went… to the wrong place…

His teeth chattered, but he couldn’t utter a sound. What he saw was utterly beyond what his mind could bear. His legs shook, his mind went blank.

But as time ticked by, the army ahead remained motionless.

Still dead silence.

Gradually, Tang Tian regained his composure, his thoughts beginning to stir. What was going on?

He hesitated, then steeled himself. With that many people, there was no way he could run if it came to that.

“Hey, hey, hey, where is this?”

He shouted as he cautiously edged forward, his face full of vigilance, ready to turn and flee at the first sign of danger.

No response.

Sensing something strange, Tang Tian crept forward. Yet as he approached, the army seemed not to notice him at all.

Utter, deathly silence.

Tang Tian swallowed nervously, his heart pounding.

Only when he was right in front of the army did he finally sigh in relief. So they weren’t real people after all. Nearly scared me to death!

Looking closely, he saw it was indeed an army—but an army of terracotta warriors.

Gray terracotta figures, life-sized, armored and armed, lifelike in every detail.

Except for their faces.

Each and every terracotta warrior was faceless—their features were blank and smooth as white boards. Row upon row of faceless statues stood in strict formation, stretching into the distance, no end in sight.

Tang Tian was shaken to his core, his face ashen.

What… is this place?