The Pharaoh, without a doubt, was a powerhouse above the Yang God realm. During the Great Fusion of Ten Thousand Realms, he must have been sealed and suppressed by the Heavenly Dao. Under such a seal, he had no choice but to slumber. Such ancient existences would never perish so easily. However, Yi Tianxing speculated that the Pharaoh was still unable to act directly. Otherwise, it would inevitably trigger the Heavenly Dao's restrictions.
That whirlpool from earlier was only possible because this was the Pharaoh's tomb—his domain, his territory, his law field. This was his lair. Within his own lair, utilizing certain powers—so long as they weren't too excessive—was completely allowed. Even the Heavenly Dao couldn't object. After all, the invaders had barged into his tomb and disturbed his slumber. Naturally, the intruders were in the wrong.
Being killed would be well-deserved.
It was like in the mortal world: if someone trespassed into a private home and caused trouble, even injuring or crippling them wasn't a big deal. In Western regions, you could even shoot them dead without facing legal consequences.
By the same logic, this was no different.
In this tomb, the Pharaoh was the rightful master. No one had the right to run amok in the master's home and expect him not to retaliate.
This was not unfair.
The Heavenly Dao is just, and on this point, it wouldn't stop the Pharaoh.
However, there seemed to be a limit—something still preventing the Pharaoh from fully awakening.
"A pity… I didn't manage to catch them all in one net."
Yi Tianxing looked deeply at the space above the great hall and murmured.
Zha Zhijiang nearly stumbled at his words. Looking at Yi Tianxing's haul and comparing it to his own, he felt like he'd taken a brutal critical hit. He glanced oddly at Yi Tianxing and muttered, "Fellow Daoist, you surely didn't walk away empty-handed this time. All the spirit beans you gathered must total over a million, at least."
If that amount was still considered "not much," then what about his three thousand beans from burning paper? Would that make him a beggar?
Comparing oneself to others was a fast road to self-torment.
"I have a big family and a big empire. If there isn't enough to go around, it just won't do."
Yi Tianxing smiled calmly.
As the ruler of an empire, his demand for resources was naturally vast. Of course, that didn't mean he had to turn over everything he obtained through his adventures. Rather, it was an investment. What he contributed would eventually return to him—one way or another.
"What now?"The Decomposer asked.
The Pharaoh's strange manifestation and sudden attack raised serious questions. Judging from that earlier strike, it was clear the Pharaoh was terrifyingly powerful—even capable of shattering the Yin-Yang Mirror. Worse yet, he could appear suddenly, meaning that he likely observed everything happening inside the pyramid. In other words, he was likely fully aware of their tomb-robbing activities.
This placed them in an extremely passive position.
The enemy lurked in the dark, while they were in the open. Worse yet, the enemy had the home-field advantage. It felt like they were prey trapped in a jar. Perhaps the Pharaoh was secretly laughing, amused by their futile efforts, toying with them before finishing them off.
The danger level in the pyramid had just increased—tenfold or more.
This was no longer just tomb raiding. It had become an act of invading the Pharaoh's sacred domain, and the distinction between the two was significant.
"No matter. Let's observe and decide. Since the Pharaoh didn't strike us down immediately, it likely means he still has limitations."
Yi Tianxing mused aloud.
From the brief moment within the whirlpool, it was evident that the Pharaoh remained inside his sarcophagus. What appeared was merely a scepter, not his true form. That meant a few things—perhaps the Pharaoh disdained acting directly, or perhaps there were other reasons preventing him from leaving the coffin.
What those reasons were remained unknown.
"The Pharaoh…"
Tong Jiu whispered to himself after a long silence, still shaken from what he had just witnessed.
"Let's move. We continue exploring the tomb."
Tong Jiu finally made the call and looked around.
There were four doors in the hall, aligned with the cardinal directions—East, South, West, and North. Each door clearly led to a different area.
Rustle… rustle…
Suddenly, a strange rustling echoed from the door they had entered through. It sounded like thousands of insects crawling, sending shivers down their spines.
Flicker! Flicker!
Flashes of golden light appeared at the door.
"Not good—Sacred Scarabs, the Golden Sacred Scarabs!!"
"Damn it, they've followed us into the tomb!"
"These things eat anything, fear nothing. They're like scavenger demons."
Seeing the swarm of golden scarabs rush into the hall, all the cultivators turned pale with dread. They had seen the horror of these insects earlier—get swarmed, and you'd be stripped to bone dust in seconds.
"Kill!"
A werewolf cultivator near the entrance had no time to evade. Swarmed instantly, he let out a furious roar. His fur stood on end, shimmering with metallic luster before shooting out like countless steel needles—each one razor sharp.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The first volley of fur needles bounced off the beetles' armor, but as wave after wave struck, some of the insects finally cracked open—bursting apart.
This wasn't magic or divine power. The scarabs couldn't devour it.
Several were destroyed.
But for each one slain, even more poured in.
The werewolf soon exhausted all his fur and turned into a bald, pathetic figure—then was promptly overwhelmed and devoured alive. In seconds, he became a pile of white bone dust. From his remains, more scarabs were born, replacing those he had killed.
Even more than before.
"Magic and divine powers are ineffective. We must rely on physical attacks. But with this many of them, charging in is a death sentence."
Yi Tianxing watched grimly.
"Lightning Storm!"
Tong Jiu's eyes lit with lightning. Thunder burst forth from his divine pupils, bombarding the scarab swarm like a cataclysm.
And yet… the lightning was blocked by golden light. Some scarabs even bit into the thunderbolts—crunching audibly, as though savoring crispy snacks.
A shudder ran down everyone's spine.
"Run!!"
Yi Tianxing didn't waste time. He picked a direction and dashed toward the northern bronze door.
The Decomposer and Zha Zhijiang followed without hesitation. Yi Tianxing flung the door open and, with a wave of his hand, fused a silver-white ancient portal into the bronze door. A silvery glow surged from within.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
The scarabs pursued relentlessly, their instincts driving them forward. Without hesitation, they surged through the door.
"Got them."
Yi Tianxing stood behind the door, a faint smile on his face.
This was a spatial gate that led not forward—but directly into the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower.
The tower's interior was vast beyond comprehension. Holding this flood of scarabs was nothing.
But they weren't sent to the Chaos Realm—these weren't ordinary insects. A true scourge, even feared by gods and demons. The Pharaoh had entrusted them to guard his tomb for a reason.
Yi Tianxing had them sent to a special interior space created by the Wuxie Heavenly Sound Treasure Tree.
As the scarabs entered, the tree appeared in the void. Strange instruments manifested—ancient zithers, conch horns, golden bells. Mystical heavenly music echoed throughout the space, while layers of white divine light descended.
Buzz…
Bathed in the divine glow and surrounded by heavenly melodies, the scarabs' golden radiance began to dim. Their aura fluctuated—feral one moment, tranquil the next—yet all of them slowly settled down, as though mesmerized by the divine harmonies.
Before long, even those initially resisting began to calm… and then, one by one, fell into deep sleep.
The Conversion Melody continued to echo.
It drilled into their souls, etched into their very being—becoming an unshakable belief:
"Our master is His Majesty Emperor Yi."
"Our master is our divine creator, the god who gave us life. We must protect him with our lives."
Bit by bit, the scarabs developed an instinctual reverence and fanatic loyalty toward Yi Tianxing.