Chapter 330: Tomb Protector
Ji Xun took out the yellowed piece of papyrus.
On the paper there are only some landmarks, mountains and terrain drawn like graffiti, and a crossed coordinate point.
This is the reward drawn from the previous "Valen City Rebel Camp".
And the special items that come out of the S-level difficulty space are definitely not ordinary.
Ji Xun had previously suspected that it was the tomb of Augustus.
Now it seems that it is not the case.
At least it is not the tomb of Alduin, the last emperor of Talon, the Mad King.
But the coordinates on this map point to the depths of the Rune Highlands.
Now that it is confirmed that the Rune Highlands are the location of the tombs of the Talon royal family, what else can be found in this place?
Ji Xun felt that even if it wasn't the ancestral mausoleum mentioned by Chujiu, there was a high probability that it had some direct relationship.
Chu Jiu looked at the map, his expression also lost in thought: "You mean, there must be clues about the ancestral tomb of Augustus here?"
"Yes."
Ji Xun also specially observed Nan Jing, the successor of the high priest, and looked at her blank look, obviously not knowing.
He added: "But you may have to go take a look to confirm what it is."
Now that we have come to the Rune Highlands, we have to look at what the map is pointing to.
Master Jamil was a top card maker thousands of years ago. He was able to make a master key to unlock slave collars, and his skills in spells are evident.
This kind of top card master cares about things, which is definitely unusual.
When Ji was looking for someone in the past, he might have to carefully consider the risks of exploration.
But now the strength of the three of them as a team is completely sufficient.
Chujiu can fight back and forth with the seventh-level new king Arthur, and he is already qualified to go deep in this highland; not to mention there is a Miss Meathead who has mysterious methods.
The most important point is Chujiu’s bloodline.
Ji Xun guessed that the places marked on the map might be impossible for outsiders to return to.
But this is not necessarily the case for Chujiu.
This may be a "Special Pass".
Just like the previous mausoleum, the tomb anti-theft ban targets outsiders and will not harm the blood descendants of Augustus.
When Nan Jing heard this, he blinked and became interested immediately: "Okay~"
In her eyes, it is rare for good friends to get together, and adventures together are very worth looking forward to. things.
As she said that, she tilted her head and asked: "Sister Chujiu, what do you think?"
Chujiu also nodded: "Yes."
She also felt a familiar sense of tacit understanding lingering in her heart.
They are all very trustworthy old friends. Ji Xun did not hesitate and said directly: "The coordinates are one hundred and seventy kilometers northeast, but the information around that coordinate is currently blank. South Adventurers from the mainland discovered some high-level undead monsters outside the area."
His previous role as an intelligence dealer was not just to get into the trial team of the Royal Academy.
This is to prepare for going to the coordinates on the map.
He has collected enough intelligence.
After eating, the three of them took a short rest and set off.
There are a large number of undead monsters in the Rune Highlands. The deeper you go, the higher the level of the undead monsters.
And this is an intelligence blind spot, and Ji Xun doesn’t know what he will encounter.
The three of them did not dare to walk too fast.
Fortunately, there is Nanjing's five-eyed civet. This disaster's super spiritual sense allows the three of them to avoid those dangerous areas.
It was a smooth journey.
The three of them walked and chatted along the way.
"If there are such dense undead monsters, there should be a top undead warlock who once used the 'Undead Scourge'. I am afraid that there was a fierce battle on the Rune Highlands back then, and I don't know who took action."< br>
"This should be what happened after our Xinhuo went to the Eastern Wasteland. There is no record at all in the classics passed down by the palace."
"Xiao Nan, do you know what happened to the Tarun Dynasty? Was it destroyed? And how did "Mad King" Alduin die? ”
"I don't know~ My mother never told me. It's just that it was said that several outer gods awakened, and then the empire collapsed. Sister Chujiu, what about you?"
"I don't know too well. But Judging from the current situation, the collapse of Talon may not only be due to the outer gods, but also the decay of the royal power. I have talked about the history of the Dragon Rebel Army before, and they said that the collapse of Talon and " "Mad King" Aldu is directly related to his stupidity and cruelty. Otherwise, he would not have gone to the imperial mausoleum to destroy the coffin to prevent his resurrection."
"I think this matter has something to do with Xiaonan's ancestors. relation. After all, your ancestors killed the guardian angel."
"How do I know the arrangements of our ancestors? My mother didn’t explain it to me clearly, she always let me understand it myself.”
“.”
As the excavation of the Old World deepens, the history that was submerged in dust gradually emerges.
Ji Xun became more and more interested in that period of Talon history.
From glory to collapse, in his eyes, this is the fate of a dynasty where countless personal fate lines converge.
A "world" of this size makes people feel very addictive just by deducing it.
It happens that there is a descendant of the royal family here, and there is also a direct lineage of the high priest.
They know too much about the secrets of history that others cannot possibly know.
Unfortunately, the two of them had an illegitimate daughter, and neither of them received the complete inheritance of the high priest.
They don’t know much about that period of history.
In the end, Ji Xun pieced together some fragmentary information and deduced the general collapse of the dynasty.
The three of them walked for a long time on a road of more than 100 kilometers.
Although the map is crude, fortunately the key landmark locations are accurately described.
Ji Xun and the others finally approached the coordinates pointed to on the map.
As we walked, we were surrounded by a tall forest filled with dense fog.
The branches are bare and as black as ink, like a monster with teeth and claws in the thick fog.
The vegetation on the Rune Highlands has been polluted by the air of the undead all year round, and it is basically so lifeless.
The three of them were not surprised.
This place is already very close to the coordinates, and Ji Xun does not dare to be careless.
He guessed that even if it was not an ancestral spirit, it must be somewhere special.
So pay attention to your surroundings along the way.
Fortunately, the perception of the three of them is very keen, and Miss Ball Head's psychic object, they have avoided the danger that most adventure groups are likely to be wiped out.
But even with all the care, something went wrong.
While walking, Ji Xun discovered a problem and stopped.
Chu Jiu saw him stop, and immediately realized something, and asked alertly: "What's wrong?"
Nan Jing was a little late-minded, staring at those big and smart eyes. I looked around and found nothing unusual.
There are no monsters and no pollution.
I didn't notice any difference from the previous journey.
Ji Xun's eyes showed contemplation and he said calmly: "We are lost."
"Lost?"
This said, Chujiu and Nanjing Everyone was a little surprised.
The three of them are all of high rank, so it stands to reason that they would never make such a low-level mistake as getting lost in the adventure.
What's more, they thought about it and found no problems. It was normal all the way.
But since it was Ji Xun who said it, the two women also looked at it seriously.
But if they are just lost, it is not a big trouble for them.
Nanjing turned his head and looked at Ji Xun, and asked curiously: "How did you find out?"
"The flat stone next to your left foot was the one I placed before . We have never gone back, but this stone has appeared repeatedly. In other words, there is either a problem with the space and we have returned to the previous place; or our perception has been disturbed."
Ji Xun was also very strange, and he definitely didn't go the wrong way in terms of senses.
Since the Luen Highlands had been determined to be the location of Augustus’s imperial mausoleum, he did not dare to be careless from beginning to end.
Along the way, he kept counting his steps to calculate the distance, and also used various reference objects to determine the direction.
It even takes into account that the subjective consciousness is disturbed by some mysterious factors, so there are physical marks along the way.
Theoretically, it is absolutely impossible to get lost.
But the facts are right in front of us.
I tried several methods, but I still got tricked.
Perception didn't notice anything unusual, but a small stone mark made things weird.
But his tone was very calm, after all, this is a good thing in a sense.
The mysterious power that can affect the perception of three people at the same time has an absolutely high legal level.
This means that they have found the right place.
Hearing what Ji Xun said, Chujiu's expression did not change at all. He looked around with cold eyes, sensing something.
Originally I was lost and the atmosphere was a little serious.
But at this time, Nanjing’s slightly slower voice sounded: “Stone, where is it?”
The ball-headed lady lowered her head instinctively, wanting to see what Ji Xun said Which block is marked.
But I glanced around and still didn't see it.
I was stunned for a moment, and then I realized something.
She took a half step back and saw the stone under her feet.
When Ji Xun saw this scene, his eyebrows moved slightly, as if he was smiling.
The breasts of this girl with a round head are so proud that they blocked her view just now. When she lowered her head, she didn't see the stone at the tip of her toes.
Even Chujiu, who had a cold expression, had a faint smile on his lips at this moment.
Nan Jing looked at the strange looks in their eyes, and a blush instantly spread on her pretty face. In a panic, she explained in a superfluous way: "I just didn't notice it just now."
Ji Xun couldn't help but chuckle after all.
He actually discovered it when they reunited in the tent at the Wailing Valley Camp.
Nan Jing’s figure is plumper than last time he saw her. His waist is still slender, but his chest is getting bigger and bigger.
He was already upright, youthful and romantic at his age, and his figure was like a pomelo in autumn. As time went by, he gradually gained a bit of maturity.
But she exudes a pure aura unique to girls.
This contrast gives this ball-headed lady a unique cuteness. Hearing this, Nan Jing also knew why he was laughing, cast a resentful look, and whispered: "Mr. Ji Xun, you are making fun of me~"
Ji Xun shook his head with a smile. .
He was not an outsider either. He raised his eyebrows and glanced again, and said truthfully: "It's pretty good. Xiaonan is getting more and more beautiful."
"Huh?"
This would have been a new acquaintance before. At that time, Nanjing would definitely not dare to accept these words.
But now I have experienced many life and death adventures, and I have long since died.
Besides, she could also hear that Ji Xun was really praising herself.
Not only was the atmosphere not awkward, but it had the warmth and joy that only close friends can have.
Hearing this, the ball-headed lady's eyes suddenly lost all resentment, and she tilted her little head and stared at Ji Xun's expression seriously.
Then he grinned.
The pear dimple sunk slightly, revealing her cute little tiger teeth. She responded playfully: "Thank you for the compliment~"
Ji Xun smiled but said nothing.
On the side, there was also a rare hint of softness in Chujiu's sharp crystal eyes.
The serious atmosphere of being lost was diluted by these few words from Nanjing.
But after coming back to their senses, the three of them have to solve the dilemma in front of them.
After observing, there was no danger, and they continued walking.
Ji Xun is very familiar with the principles of various mazes.
Now that he has accumulated a lot of knowledge, coupled with his super deduction ability, ordinary mazes do not pose a threat to him at all.
Besides, there is enough food in the storage ring that it is impossible to die from sleeplessness.
In his opinion, the danger was never the maze itself, but other problems.
It seemed like it was back to the time in "Grand Cemetery Maze". Chujiu and Nanjing were obviously stronger, but they patiently acted as Ji Xun's followers.
With such two powerful partners, Ji Xun also focused on solving the problem of getting lost.
Various marks were left along the way.
Try various solutions.
This walk lasted nearly half an hour.
The three of them were worried that the monster had not appeared, so they kept wandering around in the dense foggy forest.
Suddenly, Ji Xun stopped again: "It's strange that it's an irregular cycle?"
After walking around for a few times, he also confirmed some patterns.
That is, there is no pattern.
The area of this forest is far less large than the maze of the cemetery, and there are no traces of any artificial mechanisms.
So it’s not a “moving maze”.
How?
What's even more weird is that the three of them tried all kinds of methods and failed to notice what mysterious force interfered with their perception.
This is what Ji Xun is most confused about.
Theoretically, this kind of irregular maze is absolutely impossible to exist in a limited space.
At least it won't leave him without any clues at all.
Either there is something wrong with the space laws in the forest.
Or human intervention?
Ji Xun deduced the two most reasonable situations.
Intuition made him prefer the latter.
That is, there is some kind of "mysterious will" in this forest.
It artificially changed some paths, making the forest maze "irregular" and inducing Ji Xun and the others to get lost.
The purpose is not to trap and kill them, but to prevent them from approaching the area with coordinates on the map.
Thinking of this, Ji Xun's expression became slightly weird.
Why does it feel like
a boring prank by some "ancient will" to have some fun in my long life?
Hey, that’s right!
An idea flashed in Ji Xun's mind.
No living people have come to this Rune Highlands for thousands of years. They have been trapped for too long, so there may not be some undead souls who are not mentally normal.
“Is it some neutral undead?”
Ji Xun thought about the situation in the secret realm of Xia Mu City.
There are many high-level undead there who have been trapped in the time loop for thousands of years, and most of them are neutral.
No malice intended, just entrapment.
That may be true.
Ji Xun stopped to think. Chujiu and Nan Jing did not disturb him and stood beside him quietly.
Seeing the sudden relief on his expression, Miss Wanzitou said, "Mr. Ji Xun, did you find something?"
She was not panicked at all.
If you get trapped, at worst you can go to the underworld, you can always get out.
Ji Xun expressed his guess: "It is not the maze that traps us. It may be some 'ancient will'."
He is not sure what it is.
Everything has spirituality, ancient relics, undead spirits, and even conscious flowers and plants.
When they heard this, Chujiu and Nan Jing understood something on their expressions, and they immediately became alert.
Unexpectedly, Ji Xun suddenly spoke: "Senior, we are adventurers. We followed the treasure map to come here. No offense intended."
Thinking that the will was neutral, he tried to communicate.
Ben is also telling the truth. Only in case the other party is interested in communicating can we follow up.
But after saying this, there was no movement at all.
There was still silence all around.
Ji Xun frowned slightly.
There are only two results.
Either I guessed wrong.
Either the "ancient will" doesn't want to pay attention to it.
When Ji Xun thought of this, another thought flashed through his mind. He looked at Chujiu beside him and suggested: "Chujiu, why don't you show off your demonic power?"
Chujiu understood it tacitly and nodded: "Yes."
She also guessed that whether this maze was a restriction or something else, it was most likely left by Augustus' ancestors.
One's own bloodline identity may be the only key.
As she spoke, her expression suddenly froze, and behind her, an ice and snow demon wearing a crown appeared.
At the same time, the overbearing cold air spread throughout the forest.
[Diamond Q-White Queen] is one of the two exclusive extraordinary sequences passed down by the Augustus royal family for countless years.
Ji Xun thought that three thousand years had passed. The "ancient will" didn't know people, so it should have recognized this professional ability.
The facts are exactly what he thought.
The will came faster than expected!
At the very moment when the demon god's phantom appeared on Chujiu, a hoarse soft cry rang out.
Ji Xunyi rejoiced: "It really does exist!"
It was just a guess.
Now that it is confirmed that the "ancient will" really exists, the current situation suddenly becomes complicated.
Nan Jing and Chujiu beside them also looked cautious.
At that moment, in the dark forest, a rickety figure slowly walked out of the mist.
"Human?"
Ji Xun was also slightly surprised.
In other words, a creature in human form.
The old woman in front of me looked like a living corpse crawling out of a grave.
The black and gray robe on his body has long been in tatters, and there is a dead wood crutch. His exposed skin is pale and withered, looking like it is on the verge of decay, and his eyes are as dim and green as a ghoul. Light.
But when she raised her head and looked at Chujiu, a trace of life appeared.
Sometimes and no time.
Ji Xun calmly observed the mysterious old woman who suddenly appeared.
It looks like a dead spirit, but it seems to be a living person, with no "qi" in it.
The old woman looked at the phantom of the demon behind Chujiu, and then at Nan Jing who was already in battle mode with a large scroll on her back. She stared blankly for a moment, then seemed to remember something and muttered to herself. : "Are you the inheritor of Nanda? It seems like it has been too long. It has been a long, long time."
Upon hearing this, the three of them all looked startled.
Does this person recognize that Nan Jing is a descendant of the high priest line?
I didn't feel any hostility for the first time, and Ji Xun's heart dropped.
The most important thing is that no matter who this old woman is, she has a normal mind and should be able to communicate.
Just when Ji Xun was thinking about how to speak, something unexpected happened.
The old woman stood there in confusion for a moment, and her memory seemed to be restored intermittently.
She looked at Chujiu again, with a touch of solemnity and humble respect on her face.
Then she let go of the crutch in her hand, straightened out her tattered clothes, and knelt down solemnly under the astonished gazes of Ji Xun and the others: "The old slave is the guardian who guards the ancestral mausoleum. People from the mausoleum. Pay homage to Your Majesty.”
This is an ancient court ritual!
Ji Xun and the other three were stunned by this scene.
Being bowed down by a being who didn't know how strong he was and how many years he had lived, Chujiu was also stunned on the spot, even a little at a loss.
The Kneeling Ceremony has been abolished since the collapse of the Oran Dynasty more than two hundred years ago.
Even for a knight, the highest courtesy is to kneel down on one knee.
However, the old woman in front of her made a very elegant kneeling ceremony towards her.
(End of this chapter)