Chapter 221.1 - I Became the Legendary Emperor Throughout the Ages After I Started Giving Away My Territory

They proceeded forward cautiously, each treasure-hunting team maintaining a certain distance from the others with torches in hand.

They noticed that this cave was quite special.

It seemed as if it had been carved out from the entire mountain and rocks, forming a seamless whole.

Another weird thing is the cave was incredibly deep. They had already walked dozens of zhang forward, yet the end was still nowhere in sight.

The light from the torches revealed that the path ahead remained dim and eerily quiet.

“Do you think this could be the tomb of Heavenly Khan?”

It was the same 16-year-old boy speaking, his voice a mix of excitement and fear, which stood out in the cave.

“It’s hard to say, but this place must have been man-made! Look here, this path is so straight. It couldn’t have been formed naturally!”

His eldest senior brother commented.

“What a massive undertaking this must have been! Even using martial artists to carve the way, it would take years to create!”

“Maybe there really is some incredible treasure inside!”

“It might also be the tomb of the Heavenly Khan…”

The others remained silent, continuing their journey forward.

Then, after descending another hundred zhang, they still hadn’t reached the end.

And the entrance they had come through was no longer visible.

As they delved deeper, they increasingly felt that the cave hid something extraordinary.

It could be someone’s tomb or some kind of treasure.

Otherwise, who would go to such lengths to create such a cave?

With a mix of excitement and fear, they kept moving forward, and after walking another hundred zhang or so, they came across another two pitch-black cave openings and finally stopped.

“It seems we have to choose one of the caves!”

The eldest senior brother from the Iron Sword Sect pondered for a moment and said, “One of these caves might lead to the treasure, while the other might be a trap! It’s also possible that both are traps! So, let’s think carefully before we enter!”

“Eldest senior brother is absolutely right!” his junior brothers and sisters all stopped.

The other groups shared the same sentiment.

They carefully observed the two cave openings, trying to choose the safer path.

But in the end, they discovered nothing.

After about the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, someone grew impatient.

“Forget it! I came here to find treasure. If I don’t seize the opportunity when it’s right in front of me, wouldn’t my trip be in vain? I’ll choose this path, you all wait here for me. I’m off to make a fortune!”

He chose the cave on the left and walked in with his torch.

The crowd became agitated, and a few people followed him, afraid of missing out on the treasure.

After a while, some chose to enter the other cave.

Gradually, everyone ventured into the dark caves, each seeking their fortune.

“Eldest senior brother! If we don’t move now, the treasure might be taken by others!” the members of the Iron Sword Sect looked at him anxiously.

The eldest senior brother sighed, “Let’s go!”

They chose the right cave and entered one after another.

They walked forward for about another hundred zhang and still found nothing.

Not even the people who had entered before were anywhere to be seen.

The cave was pitch black and extremely quiet.

Just then, they discovered that there were two more cave openings ahead, which again looked indistinguishable from each other.

“We face the same choice as before!” said the eldest senior brother.

“Eldest senior brother, you choose!” everyone agreed.

The eldest senior brother crouched down to carefully examine the two openings but still couldn’t discern any difference, which left him somewhat disappointed. “Let’s continue choosing the right side! Follow me, and be careful along the way!”

“Yes, eldest senior brother!”

They continued down the opening for about a hundred li and encountered two more openings.

They keep choosing the right opening and keep moving forward.

Another hundred zhang passed, and two more cave openings were discovered.

This cycle repeated over and over as if they would never reach the end.

About an hour later, they had passed forty or fifty openings but still hadn’t found what they were looking for.

The eldest senior brother stopped everyone, his face grave, and said, “Something isn’t right!”

“Eldest senior brother?” everyone looked at him.

“We’ve descended about four or five thousand zhang, which is equivalent to more than 30 li in distance! Yet, we still can’t find the end, which is very strange!”

“Eldest senior brother, what should we do?” everyone was anxious.

“This place is too strange. I think it’s beyond our ability to get involved with this. We must go back the way we came and report this matter to our sect elders!” the eldest senior brother declared.

“Alright, let’s head back!” the junior disciple agreed without hesitation.

In fact, after walking for so long, they also felt that the place was too eerie and that staying here too long might bring misfortune.

It was best to leave now.

However, after they had walked back a hundred zhang, they were stunned.

Because what appeared before them were two pitch-black cave openings.

They looked almost identical, leaving them unsure of how to choose.

“Eldest senior brother…”

“Everyone, don’t panic!” the eldest senior brother raised his hand.

“When we came in, we always took the right opening, so we just need to keep choosing the left opening to go back!”

“The eldest senior brother is right!”

So, they chose the left opening and continued on.

However, after another hour, they had gone three or four thousand zhang and still hadn’t found their way out.

They continued forward for another hour, and still, there was no exit.

The situation was too bizarre. They were spending an extra hour retracing their steps and still couldn’t get out.

At this point, they were completely panicked.

“Eldest senior brother, what should we do?”

“Can we still get out?”

“Are we going to die here?”

With his back drenched in sweat, the eldest senior brother said with a wry smile, “Don’t ask me, I don’t know what to do either!”

At this moment, not just them, but others who had entered the cave also couldn’t find a way out and were trapped underground.

As the torch in their hands extinguished, they were plunged into panic.

……

By this time, it was already daylight outside.

The people outside had waited anxiously through the night, yet no one emerged from the cave.

Realizing that something ominous might have occurred, they immediately reported the situation.

Once too many people knew about it, it was no longer a secret.

Thus, the news spread rapidly across the land, causing a sensation in the rivers and lakes.

“Did you hear the recent news? Someone found the tomb of the Heavenly Khan in the Wanshou Mountain of Great Xia!”

“Is that true? It’s hard to believe.”

“It’s very likely true! That night, three thunderbolts from the sky struck down Wanshou Mountain! When people rushed over, they found a pitch-black cave that was man-made and bottomless! Tell me, who would go to the trouble of creating such a cave if there wasn’t something valuable inside?”

“What you’ve said does make some sense…”

“Even if it’s not the tomb of the Heavenly Khan, it could still be someone else’s treasure!”

“Yeah, let’s go check it out!”

“If we really dig up something incredible, we’ll strike it rich!”

Those who sought the treasure set their sights on Wanshou Mountain.

Various powers also sent people to investigate.

***