Running A Cemetery in North America-Chapter 447 - 318: Lishan Mausoleum

The Lishan Mausoleum has been coveted by countless tomb raiders throughout history.

Everyone knows that buried under Lishan is the tomb of an emperor for the ages, but it has yet to be looted.

Some say it’s because the tomb raiders know that opening this grave would earn the scorn of the entire nation, so they refrain from doing so.

But in truth, would those who are already tomb raiders adhere to such high moral standards?

Clearly that’s impossible; it’s utter nonsense.

The true reason the Lishan Mausoleum remains intact to this day is that it’s too dangerous inside.

Even the tomb raiders dare not venture deep into it, or they risk dying inside.

The tomb of an emperor for the ages is not that easy to plunder.

During his lifetime, Emperor Qin Shi Huang searched throughout the Divine Land for famous mountains and rivers, although it’s not recorded in the history books.

But how can you be sure he never encountered immortals residing between the mountains and rivers?

Though he ultimately did not gain the immortality he sought, what lies buried in Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s tomb is of significant origin.

Some things within it might even influence the fate of the Divine Land and reveal secrets of this world.

For example, the Creation Bell and Cauldron.

For something belonging to the Immortal Family to be buried in a mortal emperor’s tomb is extremely suspicious.

Under the leadership of Professor Zhao’s archaeological team, Sun Yan and two others arrived at an unnamed barren slope in Lishan.

There they saw an obviously man-made cave entrance, now blocked by stones.

As the archaeological team used tools to pry it open, the entrance quickly revealed a path leading deep underground.

"This was left by a group of foreign excavators a century ago. People from eight countries tried to excavate Emperor Qin’s tomb and steal the treasures inside, but none succeeded."

Professor Zhao explained to Sun Yan and the others.

"Why not?" Zhou Mangmang asked.

"Everyone died in there. Besides the well-known Water Milky Way inside the Emperor’s Tomb, countless mechanisms and killing traps are hidden within. Any tomb raider entering is likely to trigger them and meet a deadly fate."

Professor Zhao said with a serious expression: "Our country’s archaeological understanding of the Emperor’s Tomb is still quite superficial. When we enter later, we need to be extremely cautious, or accidents could easily occur."

Hearing Professor Zhao’s words, Sun Yan’s curiosity grew even stronger.

As the tomb of an emperor for the ages, everyone is very interested in knowing what lies within the Emperor’s Tomb.

Sun Yan was no exception, and today he finally had the chance.

They continued deep into the underground passageway, not knowing how long they walked, until they descended the last stone step.

A massive, clearly man-carved monolithic coiled dragon stone wall appeared before them.

The intricacy of this stone wall was such that a single glance would reveal it to be a rare ancient artifact.

The dragon head relief on the wall was so lifelike, it seemed as if it was about to fly out of the stone wall.

Unfortunately, the eyes of the dragon head, which should have been inlaid with something, had long been gouged out, leaving two hollow pits, making it look even more incomplete and regrettable.

"Back then, the foreign coalition blew open this tomb entrance. We can enter through that gap, which is quite convenient."

Professor Zhao approached the stone wall, where there was a welded iron gate with a metal plaque on it:

’National Importance, Destruction is Illegal’

This was clearly intended to warn those with illegal intentions.

But Professor Zhao had already obtained archaeological permission, so she had the iron gate removed and went in first.

Everyone picked up their flashlights and followed her in.

At this moment, everyone was on high alert, knowing any slight mistake could lead to irreparable consequences.

Even someone as experienced as Sun Yan was carefully observing the details inside the Emperor’s Tomb.

The grandeur of the tomb, coated in smoothed mud, was indeed befitting for an emperor for the ages.

The craftsmen also carved decorative patterns on it, adding to its beauty.

If the Emperor’s Tomb were fully developed and opened to visitors, it would undoubtedly become a famous tourist attraction.

As they progressed, they quickly reached the first burial chamber.

"This is where the members of those foreign archaeological teams encountered trouble; be cautious, the path ahead is unknown."

Professor Zhao pointed to the distant passage leading to the next chamber, her expression grave.

Sun Yan looked at Lin Wan and whispered, "Does Professor Zhao know we’re here to find the Creation Bell and Cauldron?"

Lin Wan shook her head, "No, I told her we wanted to explore deeper into the Lishan Mausoleum to better protect the country’s artifacts. According to the rules, any formal archaeological team is not allowed to remove anything from the tomb. We are an archaeological team, unlike tomb raiders; we have the right to maintain and protect artifacts but not to take them."

"Then it seems we’ll need to find an appropriate opportunity to act on our own, or Professor Zhao definitely won’t let us take the Creation Bell and Cauldron."

Sun Yan thought aloud, "And I have a feeling something’s odd about this place, like we’re being watched in secret. There’s something wrong."

"I have that feeling too," Zhou Mangmang quickly agreed.

Boom boom boom!

Suddenly, a rumble sounded down the passage from which they came, and everyone watched as a gate slowly descended within, trapping Sun Yan and the entire archaeological team inside the Lishan Mausoleum.

"What?!"

The sudden turn of events left everyone pale and panicked.

Any gate in a large tomb is at least tens of thousands of pounds; once lowered, it cannot be lifted.

It would permanently trap anyone daring to break into the tomb.

No one knew there was an undiscovered gate in this passage before they arrived.

"We’re done for; we’ve triggered a mechanism. What do we do now?"

A team member anxiously asked.

"Don’t panic. We can use the satellite phone to call for help from above. With modern technology, destroying the gate won’t be a problem. Everyone, stay calm."

Professor Zhao quickly offered reassurance.

Underground, staying calm is vital; even the most professional team members can find themselves in danger if they panic.

But just as she finished speaking, all their flashlights suddenly went out.

The entire chamber was instantly plunged into silent darkness.

"Ah!!!"

"Something’s biting my hand!"

A team member suddenly screamed in terror, and a sense of fear spread throughout the chamber.

Everyone was on edge.

Sun Yan quickly looked towards the source of the commotion and saw, in the darkness, a figure that didn’t look human grabbing a team member and dragging them towards the next chamber.

"Something’s wrong, attack," Sun Yan shouted.

He immediately rushed towards the creature, raised his hand, and struck the front of its head, sending it flying on the spot.