“You’ve been here?” Han Wu asked.

Locust-V nodded. “I recognized this place. Something ahead is calling me.”

It then ran off, and Han Wu told everyone to follow. The other Armament Spirits moved on his command, but Locust-V was too fast. No matter how quickly they walked, they failed to catch up. They watched as Locust-V passed straight through a door.

Han Wu led the others through after it. Beyond the door stood a warrior that appeared to be pure soul, clad in blazing crimson armor. Flames covered him as he blocked their path. Locust-V walked past him without drawing any attention.

“This is the king’s resting place. You have no business being here!” As the warrior spoke, Locust-V reached the other side, pushed open another door, and disappeared through it.

“Follow its path. It must have some connection to the king,” Master Ou said. He raised the Taiqing Sword and stepped in front of the warrior. “I’ll distract it. The rest of you should go ahead.”

Han Wu considered this for a second before nodding. “I’ll leave markings along the way. Deal with it and follow us.”

Master Ou swung the sword and sent hundreds of sword auras clashing against the flames that the warrior released. Sparks filled the air.

“Go. Don’t worry about me.” He attacked and pushed the warrior back several steps with the sword’s power.

The group didn’t waste time and moved on. They passed through the door Locust-V had taken and entered another room dense with the energy of living things. Locust-V ran ahead at high speed.

As the group moved closer, another warrior emerged. This one wore azure armor engraved with dragon motifs. “I am the Azure Dragon Vanguard. I will defend the king’s resting place to my death!”

At that, dense vegetation erupted from the ground, forming an endless wall of trees that closed in from all directions.

Han Wu commanded more than 100 Small Locust Blades and sent out an equal number of blade auras to cut them down. Unexpectedly, the trees kept regrowing just as quickly, and slowly boxed them in.

Sun Qingnian activated his strongest move and transformed into his Nine-Tailed Fox form. His nine tails swept through the air, each one wielding a powerful Divine Weapon, and he carved open a path.

“I’ll hold him here. Keep going,” Sun Qingnian said as he stepped forward to face the Azure Dragon Vanguard, fighting with his nimble tails and sharp claws.

Han Wu trusted his strength and continued ahead with Qin Shuang and Jin Tuantuan close behind. In the next room, the environment shifted again. An endless storm raged, and a warrior in white armor appeared.

“You shall not disturb the king’s sleep!” the White Tiger Vanguard roared.

Wind Energy gathered in both claws before it lashed out twice. The strikes surged forward, breaking the sound barrier.

This time, Jin Tuantuan stepped forward to face the powerful White Tiger Vanguard. “I’ll wait here for my husband to catch up. Keep going.”

The Wandering Flying Ring flew from her hand and split into tens of thousands of tiny rings that crashed into the White Tiger Vanguard. The rings linked together and formed a net, momentarily trapping it.

Seeing that Han Wu and Qin Shuang hadn’t moved, Jin Tuantuan urged, “Go! I can hold it here. Any longer and you’ll lose Locust-V!”

Han Wu made his decision and moved on, with Qin Shuang following close behind.

Another door led to a different room. This time, Water Energy filled the air. A warrior in black armor, wielding two black war hammers, stood like a statue before an ornate door.

Locust-V had already opened the door and disappeared into the depths beyond. Han Wu’s brows tightened. Something was deeply wrong. Locust-V was his Divine Weapon’s Armament Spirit. How could it be acting beyond his control? Yet no matter what command he issued, it continued forward without looking back, as if possessed.

Qin Shuang looked at the Black Tortoise Vanguard across from them and told Han Wu, “Go on ahead. I’ll hold this one.”

Her voice was calm and certain. She trusted her strength, as well as the two powerful Armament Spirits that she had obtained: the Thunder Vermilion Bird and the Winged White Tiger. The Black Tortoise Vanguard couldn’t defeat her.

Han Wu nodded, told her to be careful, and headed for the next door. The Black Tortoise Vanguard swung his hammers to block the way, but Qin Shuang’s three Deceiver’s Cords caught him. He broke free quickly, but it was already too late. Han Wu had passed through.

“You have intruded upon the king’s tomb. Prepare to die!” the Black Tortoise Vanguard growled at Qin Shuang. Water surged, and thunder cracked through the space.

Han Wu entered the next room. This time, Locust-V had stopped moving. It stood with its head upward. Before it lay a crystal coffin. Inside rested a slender, pale, middle-aged man. Despite his gaunt appearance, he exuded absolute authority. He lay perfectly still, yet Han Wu felt a pressure that reached deep into his soul.

“What exactly are you doing?” Han Wu asked Locust-V.

Locust-V turned, as if he had finally heard him. For some reason, its eyes were filled with tears. It pointed at the man in the coffin and said, “He's calling to me.”

Han Wu frowned. The man in the coffin was almost certainly this secret realm’s king. Even though he had been dead for countless years, his corpse still radiated a commanding presence that unsettled Han Wu.

Such a presence indicated the king’s soul strength had reached at least World rank, possibly even beyond, and was already approaching the Microcosm rank.

That would not matter if Han Wu’s true body were here. However, he was only a clone forged from ten Divine Essence, and he had no intention of carelessly provoking the king in the coffin.

“Whatever. Come back first,” Han Wu commanded Locust-V.

Locust-V obediently stepped toward him. In the next instant, the crystal coffin moved, and the corpse sat upright. Then a transparent soul thread shot from the king’s mouth, coiling around Locust-V and pulling it toward the coffin.

“Damn it!” Han Wu cursed.

Even though Locust-V didn’t obey every command or show him full respect, it was still his Armament Spirit. He wouldn’t allow the corpse to take it from him.

Han Wu summoned all his Armament Spirits at once. The Locust Soul Orb emerged and transformed into the Netherworld White Tiger, the Explosive Locust Blade appeared as the Vermilion Bird, the Abyss Armor formed the Black Tortoise, and the Locust Dragon Seal became the Azure Dragon.

All four sent threads of their own and grabbed Locust-V to pull it back. At the same time, Han Wu summoned numerous Small Locust Blades and attacked the crystal coffin.

Tens of millions of blades crashed into it relentlessly. Cracks spread across the surface until the coffin shattered entirely. The corpse inside fell to the ground and turned into ash.

Locust-V was pulled back to Han Wu’s side, and he let out a breath of relief. However, its next words made every hair on his body stand on end.

“Why did you drag me away?”

Han Wu looked again. The figure before him was no longer Locust-V, but the king who should have been lying in the coffin.