On the other side, a crescent moon hung high, casting a silvery-white veil over the golden sea of sand.
The desert night brought a chill with occasional gusts of wind.
Li Lin and Kassadin waited outside the grand entrance of the ancient tomb for quite some time before proceeding towards the periphery through steep slopes and marble steps.
Witnessing the grand spectacle of the tomb, Li Lin couldn't help but inhale sharply, "Wow, I've only seen this kind of scene in movies and games."
Hearing his quiet muttering, Kassadin was somewhat surprised, "Games? How do games recreate such scenes? And... what's that mo-bis thing?"
"Nothing, just a term used in my hometown," Li Lin smiled, not wanting to dwell on this topic.
Kassadin wasn't one to pry, knowing when to speak and when to stay silent.
Subsequently, Kassadin's gaze swept the hall in front of him, taking in everything.
He noticed four bodies lying far apart on the ground, two of which were charred, making it impossible to discern their original appearance.
"It seems the expedition encountered many mechanisms... but still triggered some hidden magical traps," Kassadin considered for a moment, then turned to Li Lin, speaking solemnly, "This exploration is much more dangerous than the Holok Tomb I visited before. Despite Sivir and the others clearing most of the traps ahead, I still hope that from now on, you will completely follow my arrangements."
Influenced by him, Li Lin also became serious, nodding, "Rest assured."
The day before, he had asked Kassadin about many things to pay attention to when exploring such tombs.
Apart from trap mechanisms, the most dangerous thing in the tomb was the guardian, Baccai.
But Li Lin was well aware that in the tomb where Azir was buried, there existed something even more terrifying than Baccai.
The insane Ascended Renekton, The Butcher of the Sands.
And the ancient mage who betrayed Azir, Xerath.
Under Kassadin's guidance, they followed the traces left by the expedition on the ground, avoiding the traps that had already been disabled, and finally arrived at the steps leading deeper.
"By the way, Kassadin," they were walking, and Li Lin pretended to suddenly remember something, "You should know the legend of the Grandmaster, right?"
The Grandmaster was the revered title the people of Shurima gave to the Ascended warrior Nasus.
Because of his vast knowledge, he once managed the empire's grand library.
"Of course, Nasus is well-known throughout Shurima." When this name was mentioned, Kassadin's voice carried a sense of reverence, "Why do you suddenly ask about this?"
"I remember, Nasus has a brother named Renekton, right?" Li Lin pretended to be curious.
"Yes, but he disappeared a thousand years ago with the fall of Shurima... there are many legends that he accompanied Emperor Azir and was annihilated by the collapsing sun disc."
"But they all forgot about the Ascended's incredibly robust vitality. According to the ancient texts left behind, at that time, Nasus and Renekton were sent to deal with an urgent threat, and they weren't even present."
Kassadin snorted, showing disdain for those ignorant people who liked to spread baseless stories.
He then told Li Lin what he knew, mostly stories he learned from ancient texts and a small part from the mouths of wise elders:
Emperor Azir had a trusted slave and confidant named Xerath. However, this ungrateful thief attempted to seize Azir's Ascension power.
At the highest point of the Ascension altar, the Sun Disc's great power was summoned to the world by the Sun Priests.
But Xerath pushed Azir off the altar, depriving him of the protection of the runic ring, turning him into ashes in the surging solar flames.
Afterward, Xerath used the immense power he gained to reduce the Sun City to ruins and engaged in a battle with Azir's Ascended brothers who hurried back upon hearing the news.
To eliminate this evil, Renekton sacrificed himself, choosing to perish with Xerath...
These stories were recounted by Kassadin, combining ancient texts and stories passed down by the wise elders, and were relatively consistent with what happened a thousand years ago.
However, his stories also contained later additions and inaccuracies made by later generations.
For example, it was not Xerath who destroyed the Sun City, but the immense celestial power from the higher realms, which this unacknowledged individual stole, causing an explosion that destroyed the capital.
And Renekton did not perish with Xerath; instead, he and his brother Nasus sealed Xerath in a magic sarcophagus they carried with them when they went to deal with an Eternal Flame Beast.
But Xerath's power exceeded their expectations. He shattered the sarcophagus and, under Renekton's restraint, the two were sealed together in the Emperor's Tomb...
"But I remember, Renekton and Xerath did not perish together; they were sealed by Nasus in the Emperor's Tomb," Li Lin continued.
After Kassadin finished speaking, Li Lin took the opportunity to share his own knowledge.
"Hmm?" Kassadin was taken aback by Li Lin's statement, subconsciously glancing down towards the deep recesses of the tomb, "Where did you hear this?"
"Oshra Va'Zuan, once the northern trading post of the Shuriman Empire. There is an ancient manuscript about Shurima in the Piltover Library," Li Lin casually fabricated, offering a somewhat convincing reason.
Kassadin, now silent, suddenly stopped walking.
Zaun originally belonged to Shurima, he had heard of it. If there were preserved records from that time due to some coincidental chance, it wouldn't be impossible...
"If what you say is true, and Renekton and Xerath are sealed in the Emperor's Tomb, this is probably it... Are you sure you want to continue forward? Regret is still an option."
Kassadin wasn't scared, but rather concerned for Li Lin.
If anything unexpected happened, he could use Horok's Nether Blade to tear through space and escape. However, Li Lin couldn't.
Little did he know that Li Lin's powered armor also had a function similar to "Void Walking."
"Let's keep going." Li Lin lightly patted Kassadin's shoulder, "We haven't encountered danger yet, have we?"
...
...
In the deepest chamber of the tomb.
Sivir's last dozen subordinates were reduced to three heavily injured individuals on the brink of death.
After Cassiopeia gave the order to continue, they encountered another group of undead guardians who, upon detecting intruders, resurrected.
Among them, five mercenaries and four Noxian guards fought desperately. The remaining people squeezed into a narrow passage less than three meters wide and extremely crowded.
However, this passage was filled with traps more lethal than the grand hall outside the tomb.
In blood and screams, most of the remaining mercenaries traded their lives to ensure the survival of the others.
But, in front of the last massive tomb door leading to the scene of emperors and ascended beings, Sivir, who was originally quite furious, did not question Cassiopeia any further.
She even abandoned her three heavily injured subordinates without concern, gazing obsessively at the sculptures of guardians and reliefs depicting ancient god-warriors around her.
Above were countless beast-headed warriors fighting evil twisted creatures emerging from the abyssal cracks.
Sivir could feel her blood boiling, developing an inexplicable hatred for these abominations within her.
As if it were not the great god-warriors battling those monsters, but herself.
Not far away, Cassiopeia's intense gaze lingered on the last tomb door for a long time.
Then, she looked at the mesmerized Sivir, a trace of ruthlessness flashing in her eyes, "What a beautiful sight, Sivir, isn't it?"
However, Sivir did not react to Cassiopeia's words.
She didn't even notice when Cassiopeia pulled out a poisoned dagger and approached behind her with hostility.
"I appreciate you bringing me here..." Cassiopeia's words suddenly echoed behind her.
Before Sivir could react, she felt a cold and numb sensation around her waist, as if a sharp blade had stabbed into her body.
Subsequently, an unbearable pain swept through her entire body. Sivir weakly collapsed to the ground, her blood gushing out, staining the scattered golden sand on the ground.
In the fading consciousness, Sivir stared wide-eyed. In the gradually dimming vision, she saw Cassiopeia picking up her crossblade and then walking to the massive tomb door.
Shortly after, endless darkness descended, and she completely lost all perception of the outside world...
(End of this chapter)
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