: Return, National Prosperity, Dragon Vein Soars

Da, da, da.

The combat boots pounded on the dry stone slabs, their echoes reverberating through the empty cave.

This is not a natural cave.

The ground was almost too smooth, clearly having been meticulously polished.

On the rock walls on both sides, there is a complex rune carved every few meters.

The runes were all carved in reverse and filled with a dark red pigment, making them look particularly ferocious in the darkness.

"This is... a corpse-suppressing curse?"

Knowledgeable viewers in the live stream sent comments.

"And it's carved upside down! This is 'perverted'! This place isn't for suppression, it's for raising corpses, isn't it?"

"Don't scare me upstairs, it's chilly in my bed."

"Master Jiang, something's not right here. Why does this place feel even more eerie than the underwater area we just left?"

Jiang Han knew something was wrong, of course.

But he doesn't care.

His attention was now completely drawn to the strange blue light in front of him.

After walking for about several dozen meters, the space in front of us suddenly opened up.

This is a huge stone chamber.

Or rather, it is a tomb.

The tomb chamber has a high dome covered with star maps, but the positions of the stars are all random, giving people an extremely oppressive sense of disorientation.

And in the very center of the tomb chamber.

There is a round stone platform.

Around the stone platform was a ring of water troughs that had long since dried up.

At the very center of the stone platform, a lamp stands quietly.

It was a lamp with an extremely unique shape.

The lamp base is a bronze-cast human figure kneeling on the ground.

The terracotta figure has its hands raised high, holding a plate.

The plate was filled with yellowish-brown grease.

The eerie blue flame floated above the grease, burning silently.

There is no wind.

The flames, however, were flickering slightly.

Each beat felt like breathing.

That cloyingly sweet aroma was emanating from this lamp.

"This is……"

Jiang Han walked to the stone platform and his gaze fell on the lamp.

The system notification sounded at the appropriate time.

[Ding! S-rank special item detected: Mermaid Tears Everlasting Lamp!]

[Material: The lamp oil is refined from the live bodies of merfolk; a single drop can burn for months. This lamp has been burning for 1,100 years!]

[Characteristics: Burns for millennia, emits a strange fragrance when burning, and has hallucinogenic, calming, and corpse-attracting effects!]

[Warning: This light is 'yin fire'; living people should not look at it for too long, or they may be possessed!]

"A mermaid lantern?"

Jiang Han gave a cold laugh.

"No wonder it smells so good."

"This lamp is lit with the oil from a mermaid's corpse."

The live stream chat exploded instantly.

"Holy crap! Mermaids?! A merman?!"

"Using mermaid oil to light lamps? That's too cruel!"

"The ancients were really ruthless!"

"Burning for over a thousand years? Is this still a scientific world?"

"Upstairs, you're talking about science in Jiang Shen's livestream? Jiang Shen himself is the biggest unscientific person!"

Jiang Han ignored the astonishment in the comments section.

He reached out, wanting to touch the blue flame.

As soon as the finger approached, the flame seemed to come alive, suddenly shrinking to the side before leaping up again, as if trying to lick Jiang Han's finger.

A chilling sensation traveled up my fingertips.

This is not fire.

This is a solidified mass of malevolent energy.

"roll."

Jiang Han let out a low shout, and the Qilin blood within his body trembled slightly.

The arrogant blue flame instantly seemed to have met its nemesis, wilting and shrinking to the size of a bean, trembling.

"You're smart to know what's good for you."

Jiang Han withdrew his hand, his gaze passing over the ever-burning lamp and landing beside the lamp.

There.

There's something there.

Something square, wrapped in a bright yellow cloth.

Although the cloth had been there for a thousand years and was covered in dust, its original color was still visible.

That was the bright yellow reserved for emperors.

Moreover, there was a faint golden shimmer on the fabric.

Jiang Han leaned closer to take a look.

"Wow."

"That's a big spender."

"This is not ordinary silk."

"This is gold-threaded dragon scale cloth."

He gently lifted a corner of the fabric with the tip of his knife.

The texture was smooth, cold, and had a metallic feel.

This is woven from gold thread mixed with the soft scales of a certain reptile; it is impervious to water and fire and will not decay for thousands of years.

This piece of cloth alone, if sold, could be exchanged for a courtyard house in Beijing.

But Jiang Han's interest was clearly not in the cloth.

What he cared about was what kind of thing was worthy of being wrapped in such a precious treasure and specially placed under this ever-burning lamp for worship?

Or perhaps... being suppressed?

He walked around the stone platform.

The edge of the stone platform is engraved with densely packed small characters.

Regular script.

The handwriting was vigorous and powerful, conveying a sense of despair and resolve.

Emperor Ke burned the palace, and the imperial seal was lost.

Empress Liu hid the treasure to prevent treacherous spies from spying.

"The mermaid candle's pearl is hidden deep within, its azure essence firmly concealed."

"Waiting for the nation to rise again, the imperial seal will continue the dragon's lineage."

Jiang Han quickly scanned the area, his smile growing wider.

"I see."

"I knew this place had such a strong imperial aura."

"So it turns out that the last emperor's wife hid all her wealth here."

He looked up at the camera, his eyes gleaming with a light that seemed to be "greed".

Of course, it's greed for exploration points.

"Brothers."

"History books say that Li Congke, the emperor of the Later Tang Dynasty, burned himself to death upstairs while holding the imperial seal, and the seal has been missing ever since."

"Some say it melted in the fire, others say it was stolen by his men."

"But now it seems that history books may need to be revised."

He pointed to the yellow cloth bundle.

"This thing should be that... ID card that's been missing for over a thousand years."

The chat in the live stream paused for a second.

Then it erupted like a volcano.

"My...ID card?!"

"Jiang Shen, don't tell me that's the Imperial Seal of the State?!"

"The one who is destined by Heaven and whose life is destined to be long and prosperous?!"

"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! Unfortunately, I'm uncultured; one 'holy crap' is all I need!"

"If this is true, it's a national treasure among national treasures! A priceless treasure!"

"Where's Bureau 749? Where's Professor Gu? Come out and investigate!"

No need to shout.

Professor Gu is already online.

Although the call didn't go through, the screen full of red comments said it all.

[Bureau 749 - Gu Changfeng]: [Don't move!!!]

[Jiang Han! Don't move! That's a talisman!]

That's more than just a cultural relic! It's the core element suppressing the dragon vein's energy beneath!

Once removed, the things underneath will be completely exposed!

[Stop immediately! The national top-level combat readiness team has already departed! Don't touch it!]

Jiang Han glanced at the comments and scoffed.

"Don't move?"

"Old Gu, have you forgotten what I do for a living?"

"I'm an adventure streamer."

"Now that we've seen the treasure chest, why wouldn't we open it?"

"Besides..."

His gaze turned slightly cold as he looked down into the bottomless, dark crevice beneath the stone platform.

"The thing down there has been awake for a long time."

"This stone can't hold it down anymore."

Done.

He no longer hesitated.

He stretched out his hand, which was covered with Qilin tattoos, and grabbed the piece of gold-threaded dragon scale cloth.

Apply pressure with your fingers.

Suddenly, it was flipped up!

Whoosh—!

A flash of golden light!

A gentle yet extremely domineering purple aura instantly shot up from that cube!

The light was so intense that it even momentarily overshadowed the eerie blue ever-burning lamp next to it!

The entire tomb chamber was bathed in this purple aura, making it resemble the imperial palace!