As he thought about how strange this yellow abomination was, it moved toward him at blinding speed. Seeing this, he instinctively summoned his turtle, which appeared in the creature's path and stopped it in its tracks. Meanwhile, his floating gun targeted a worm in mid-jump whose mouth was gaping to swallow a Yang clan member. He shot the worm with Exploding Bullets infused with qi from his Ethereal Pearl, causing it to burst into a red mist. The gun then swiveled and gunned down the abominations cornering the other Yang clan members. After felling a monstrous dog, he unleashed a crescent qi slash that obliterated an abomination made of five fused bodies, leaving only a bloody stain on the floor.

At that time, Yang Hongyin finally landed in the room and created a giant fire bird that swept over a cluster of snake-limbed abominations, scorching them to ash. The Yang Clan members, who had been backed into a corner, began attacking as well, sending a myriad of fire attacks pelting the surrounding abominations.

Less than thirty seconds after Liu Xing landed, only two abominations remained. The snake-limbed abomination with yellow skin and a human head, and a Sun Refining abomination walking through the hole in the wall, dusting off its red robe. The yellow abomination jumped back, landing beside its companion and crossing its limbs over its chest as if they were truly arms.

Yang Jinyan and Yang Suyin finally landed, and along with Yang Hongyin, they positioned themselves beside Liu Xing, with the Yang clan members behind them. Liu Xing heard some of them exclaim happily, crying, "We're safe!" or "The prince has come!" but he remained focused on the enemies.

These two were obviously abnormal—one a Sun Refining abomination, the other maintaining a calm, intelligent expression, as if it were truly in control.

"Explain the situation," Yang Jinyan ordered, his eyes fixed on the enemies.

"Yes!" one of the Yang clan members responded. "We're from the fourth group, and as you instructed, we scouted the way to the Emperors' Tomb. Some people from the second group are here, but there's no news from the third group."

"The third group was scattered," Yang Suyin commented.

The snake-limbed abomination pointed at them and spoke to its companion with a slight smile, as if joking with a friend. Liu Xing caught its words: "Aren't these people from your clan?"

Liu Xing's eyes narrowed.

"Continue," Yang Jinyan said.

"We had secured a tunnel into the Emperors' Tomb and were waiting for further instructions when suddenly, thousands of abominations came rushing in."

Liu Xing glanced at the speaker. He looked young, his red robe torn in several places. His dark hair was dirty, and his face was pale. The rest of the group looked equally weary and terrified—an understandable reaction after facing thousands of snake-limbed and worm abominations.

"Luckily, all the abominations rushed toward the Emperors' Tomb, not to us" he said, pointing at two giant, open double doors.

This information raised several questions in Liu Xing's mind, the most prominent being why? Why had they headed straight to the Emperors' Tomb? It was as if killing him was no longer a priority once they entered the castle. This could be good, as it meant Wei Yi was drawing them into the tomb according to plan, making them less of an immediate threat. But it also suggested that Wei Yi and Yang Lihuo had a specific plan that could guarantee their victory.

"But then, a small group of abominations arrived," he continued. "They were led by that." He pointed to the two abominations, who looked like two friends chatting—though only one was speaking, while the other merely listened.

"Do you know who he is?" Liu Xing asked the prince, gesturing to the Sun Refining abomination.

Prince Yang Jinyan narrowed his eyes. "I don't know. I would recognize him if he were an elder or even a talented member. Does anyone know him?" he asked his clan members.

"Don't know," Yang Suyin said.

Yang Hongyin remained silent.

The rest of the clan stammered, "I don't know," or "I don't recognize him."

These responses were concerning. The abomination wore a red robe similar to the Yang clansmen, which meant it had either torn the robe from a fallen member or it was a previously unknown Yang clansman. The second possibility was more likely and far more alarming, as it suggested the abomination had advanced from its original cultivation to the Sun Refining realm.

"You know, we can hear what you're saying," the snake-limbed abomination said with a smile. This abomination was almost human. Its red snake limbs were larger than those of most abominations, resembling muscular arms and legs. The fact that it could talk marked it as special, and likely as dangerous as the Sun Refining abomination beside it.

"What are you?" Liu Xing asked.

"Me? My name is Wei Yi," it said, pointing a red snake arm to its side. "He is also Wei Yi. We're Wei Yi." For a moment, its human eyes glazed over, as if it were being mind-controlled, but then it spoke again as if nothing had happened. "We're Wei Yi."

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"We are Wei Yi," a gruff sound rumbled from the Sun Refining abomination. Its mouth opened, revealing it was full of writhing yellow eyes, just like the inverted pyramid he had fought.

"We're Wei Yi!" the yellow abomination exclaimed, its face becoming gleeful, as if it had just uttered the most joyful thing in the world.

Liu Xing's eyebrows rose. They seemed less in control than they first appeared. Their claims of being Wei Yi made him wonder. Were they truly Wei Yi, or just abominations who believed they were? If it was the latter, why would the real Wei Yi allow them to use his name?

A flicker of recognition sparked in Liu Xing's mind. The abomination with a normal human head and yellow skin looked familiar. It had pitch-black hair of medium length, a pointy nose, and high cheekbones. He squinted, picturing the face older, with wrinkled skin and white hair. The image clicked into place. It was a spitting image of a young Bai Lin—the old man who had given him the mission to kill Wei Yi.

Bai Lin's grandson had been a mortal living near Mystic Moon City, but his body never fully recovered. Only his arms had remained; the rest of him was likely turned into meatballs and consumed by an abomination.

"You, are you Bai Lin's grandson?" Liu Xing said slowly.

At the mention of Bai Lin's name, the yellow abomination's eyes showed only confusion, as if it were listening to a baby babble. Then, its eyes widened, and kept widening until they seemed ready to pop from their sockets, as if it had just heard the most earth-shattering revelation.

"Bai Lin?" It clutched its head with two snake limbs, its eyes bulging. "Bai Lin. Bai Lin. Grandpa." Suddenly, it closed its eyes, coiled its legs, and leaped toward the still-open golden gate leading to the Emperors' Tomb. It moved frantically, like a child fleeing a monster.

Seeing this, Liu Xing had even more questions. The creature's utterance of "Grandpa" confirmed it was Bai Lin's murdered grandson. Did it still retain memories from its human life? Was it now remembering its past?

"Come back," a voice suddenly reverberated through the room. It was heavy, solemn, and serious—as if the speaker believed everything was beneath them. Liu Xing looked around, then snapped his gaze to the Sun Refining abomination. Its mouth was open, and the voice emanated from it, yet Liu Xing strongly suspected the abomination was not the true speaker. This voice belonged to Wei Yi.

The abomination nodded like a servant hearing its master's command. It crouched, then jumped toward the golden gates, chasing the yellow-skinned abomination. In midair, its body transformed into yellow light and vanished in the blink of an eye, as if it had never existed. That technique reminded Liu Xing of Yang Suyin. He glanced at the man and saw the same surprise reflected in his eyes.

"What the hell is going on?" Prince Yang Jinyan demanded.

The prince's question reflected Liu Xing's own feelings, but his mind was already processing what he had just witnessed. He tried to remember the name of Bai Lin's grandson's bloodline, and after a moment, he recalled it. It was called the Serpent Sun Bloodline. Liu Xing hadn't asked for details, but the name itself suggested a connection to serpents and the sun.

"Yang Suyin, what is the name of the technique that allows you to move so quickly?" Liu Xing asked.

Yang Suyin hesitated before answering. "It is called the Lightform Technique. Why?"

"Is it a common technique that everyone in the Yang clan knows?"

Yang Suyin shook his head, his lips tightening. "No, it's a secret technique. As far as I know, it's mine and mine alone."

"Not anymore, it seems."

Liu Xing suspected Yang Suyin's ability was a diluted version of a bloodline power. However, it could all be a coincidence. Still, Liu Xing couldn't ignore the significance of these two abominations, especially since Wei Yi had called them back instead of letting them fight.

For now, their retreat would provide a much-needed rest.

Prince Yang Jinyan began questioning the remaining Yang clan members. In total, they numbered nineteen—a heavy loss, but those who survived were either strong or well-equipped with treasures. Yang Suyin busied himself cataloging the survivors and their possessions, while Yang Hongyin distributed healing and qi restoration pills.

Liu Xing stood to the side, planning their next move. Their primary objective was still to save Elder Yang Zhaoyan, but now there were thousands of abominations inside the Emperors' Tomb. Their previous strategy was the only viable one. Someone needed to lure the abominations away while the others rescued the elder. Compared to before, this plan was slightly better, as they now had Liu Xing and Yang Hongyin as their primary offensive force.

However, before he could propose the plan to Prince Yang Jinyan, a shout echoed from beyond the gates.

"Jinyan!" the voice boomed. "I'll kill you!"

Countless footsteps accompanied the shout. It took Liu Xing a moment to place the voice as Yang Lihuo's, the man who had betrayed the empire and enabled this catastrophe.

Beyond the giant gates, Liu Xing saw the silhouette of an army. Their eyes shone in the shadows, as if the darkness itself were alive. The illusion lasted only a moment; after several more steps, their faces emerged into the light cast by gems on the walls and ceiling.

The army numbered at least a thousand. Unlike the uniform wave of snake-limbs and worms from before, this group was a grotesque menagerie. A giant, jellyfish-like abomination composed entirely of blood floated above the army, its cap covered by hundreds of human heads, each frozen with wide eyes and a lolling tongue. Scattered throughout were gigantic black dogs with human heads protruding from their foreheads. There were abominations that looked like ordinary humans with heads as large as hot air balloons, others with giant eyes in place of heads, and some that appeared as massive scorpions constructed from human body parts. Each was horrifying, each felt fundamentally wrong.

Walking at the front were the army's leaders. One was a headless human with a gaping hole where its heart should be. Another bore four heads on its shoulders. Two were women with tears of blood streaming from their eyes, while the other two were old men smiling with bloody lips.

Between them walked a man in a pristine red robe. His hair was pitch-black, his skin unnaturally white, as if he had never seen the sun. While his lower face was human, fixed in a scowl, his upper face was alien. Two long, green stalks grew where his eyes should be, ending in twitching eyeballs like those of a snail..

"Jinyan!" he shouted. "To think that you're still alive. How annoying!"

Prince Yang Jinyan rushed forward, his eyes wide. "You, are you Yang Lihuo?"

The man with the snail-like face narrowed his strange eyes, as if he had just heard something profoundly stupid. "Of course. Are you so dim-witted that you've already forgotten my handsome face?" As he spoke, his long snail eyes twitched, and a yellow liquid squirted from them.

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