The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 1174 - 634: The Grand Ancestor Emperor’s Threefold Gate (Part 2)
"Creak—"
The heavy door opened, and sunlight bypassed the threshold. Zhao Douan finally saw the layout inside the hall.
Imposing and solemn, the offerings table held the rankings of emperors from various dynasties, arranged in a specific hierarchical order.
The sword box holding the Taia Sword was placed at the center of the offering table, flanked by incense burners.
On either side of the hall’s pillars stood candlesticks anchored to the ground. The room was dimly lit, though it was morning, so candles were not needed.
"Xu Zhenguan, descendant of the Xu Family, pays homage to the ancestors." Xu Zhenguan’s expression was solemn as he respectfully bowed down.
Zhao Douan mimicked, "Prince Consort of the Xu Emperor, pays homage to the ancestors... uh."
He hesitated, unsure whether to address them as ancestors, as he wasn’t officially married yet, and calling them that felt awkward... Zhao wasn’t in the habit of hastily acknowledging ancestors.
"..." Xu Zhenguan glanced at him speechlessly, stood up, and handed him some incense, motioning for him to light it: "It’s the thought that counts."
"Oh..."
Once they finished offering incense, Zhao Douan couldn’t contain himself: "Where’s the secret chamber?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚
Xu Zhenguan turned a page in her hand-copied "Grand Ancestor’s Notes" to the corresponding page, examined the architecture carefully, and said: "According to the notes, the entrance is beneath the altar, but it’s sealed with magic, and unless you know how to open it, even a cultivator at the Heavenly Human Realm can’t perceive it."
With that, she put away the notes, forming a seal with her hands, reciting incantations.
"Whoosh!"
The wind suddenly picked up inside, causing the drapes hanging from the massive pillars in the hall to flutter.
Zhao Douan felt a chill down his spine, then watched in surprise as white mist rose out of nowhere, making them feel as though they were in a heavenly palace. Beneath the massive altar, where nothing had been before, a staircase descending downward appeared out of thin air.
"Let’s go," the Empress said softly, her eyes bright; it was her first time seeing another hidden space within the Imperial Palace.
"After you, Your Majesty..." Zhao Douan murmured timidly, following behind the Empress as they descended.
Strangely, as they descended, the wall lights on either side of the stairs began to light up one by one.
"These wall lights use the oil of the East Sea Giant Whale; it has been used in royal tombs through the ages for eternal flames. I didn’t expect there’d be so many here," Xu Zhenguan remarked, her face stunningly beautiful with surprise.
It sounds quite expensive... Zhao Douan swallowed, continuing onward with the Empress, discovering that the stairs were extremely long and deep.
As the entrance gradually vanished behind them, turning into a glowing square, Zhao Douan felt an utter silence around him, as if they had delved so deep underground that they lost contact with the outside world.
"How deep is this? The secret chamber beneath the Primordial Ancestor Temple is only several zhang deep; this must be close to a hundred, right?" Zhao Douan marveled.
The Empress softly replied, "It’s hard to say. I suspect this space may not truly exist, as my divine sense is completely blocked, unable to extend."
A divine sense from the Heavenly Human Realm can’t even expand? What exactly did Xu hide beneath the Imperial Palace?
Zhao Douan’s curiosity was piqued, and just then, they finally reached the end of the staircase. Before them, a vast underground palace-like space, similar to a tomb, unfolded.
Massive stone pillars supported the area, with the wall lights illuminating every detail.
Before them in the stone wall were three gigantic doors, lined up side by side.
The central door shimmered gold, seemingly cast in gold. On it was a strange disc, reminiscent of a safe’s combination lock, and on either side of the disc were two keyholes...
To the left and right of the golden door stood a green door and a blue door, their hues uncertain in origin, without "keyholes," smooth as if set into the wall. All three heavy doors were closed, appearing untouched for countless years.
"The dust is extremely even; it’s been ages since anyone set foot here," Zhao Douan noted, observing the floor, finding only their footprints and nothing else.
The Empress walked up to the three doors, extended her delicate jade hand, gently brushing her fingers across the golden door, only to have her divine sense rebounded back.
"You’re right, perhaps this place has been sealed for six hundred years," the Empress said gravely.
Although emperors typically possess secrets, it seems this secret passage remained unknown even to successive monarchs.
"So, Old Xu... um, the Grand Ancestor Emperor went to all this trouble just to leave three doors beneath the Grand Temple? What’s behind them? Could it be a treasure vault?"
Zhao Douan wondered, hoping to unravel the mystery of his traversal, yet the unfolding events caught him off guard.
The Empress shook her head, saying in a low tone: "I don’t know, but I have a hunch that behind these doors lies extremely powerful magic."
Zhao Douan curiously asked: "How powerful?"
Thinking a moment, with her face played upon by the flickering light, the Empress replied: "Possibly... God-level."
God-level...
A weight settled inexplicably on Zhao Douan’s heart. He knew that a Heavenly Human was still far from divine; recalibrating, god-level might correspond to the "Human Immortal" realm.
"Don’t tell me, there are three gods hidden behind these three doors." Zhao Douan took a deep breath, joking darkly.
The Empress ignored him, deep in thought, as a Heavenly Human’s instincts warned her against rashly forcing these doors open. Yet, without opening them, how could the secrets within be revealed?
