Chapter 80

After two consecutive attempts, although both failed, Chu Nan's physical strength had recovered significantly. He paid no attention to Can'er, who was still lying motionless like a dead dog on the side, and instead began to climb up again with the scales and spider claws in hand.

The crack in the ground seemed to extend to an unknown depth. At least from this point, it was probably four or five hundred meters to the surface. As for the bottom of the crack, the cold and eerie aura penetrated to the bone. Even with his current strength, Chu Nan was unwilling to go deeper and instead turned to climb up.

Can'er raised its head and watched Chu Nan climbing up from a distance, not moving. No one knew what it was thinking.

Chu Nan climbed up the sheer cliff and soon reached the giant cave where the pangolin king had emerged from.

Chu Nan paused for a moment and glanced inside the cave.

Just this glance made Chu Nan's heart stir.

Because in the cave, he sensed a faint light coming from the end, and more surprisingly, he saw stone steps at the end.

Wasn't this cave just the pangolin king's nest? But how could the pangolin king, no matter how smart, build stone steps?

The stone steps looked as if they were made by human hands.

Human hands? Could it be... that this cave was actually a relic left by humans in the past, and the pangolin king had simply taken over?

While Chu Nan was deep in thought, a sound came from below. He looked down and saw Can'er grabbing the cliff with its four paws, climbing down quickly.

Chu Nan immediately raised the spider claws, becoming alert.

However, this time, Can'er did not show any signs of attacking him. Instead, it leaped from the other side and jumped into the cave.

Like Chu Nan, Can'er also sensed something strange in the cave. With its more acute hearing and sense of smell, it felt the presence more strongly.

Seeing Can'er enter the cave, Chu Nan's heart stirred. After a moment of thought, he decided to go in and check, figuring that with Can'er leading the way, he could retreat if there was any danger.

From the look of Can'er, Chu Nan knew the dog was very cunning and shrewd. Could there be some treasure in the cave? Otherwise, why would it rush in so quickly?

Carefully entering the cave, Chu Nan was cautious, holding the spider claws in his right hand, wary of Can'er turning around to attack him.

After a few dozen meters into the cave, he saw a series of stone steps, all carved from rock, polished smooth, a significant engineering feat that the pangolin king could not have accomplished.

The cave gradually widened. Following the stone steps, Chu Nan found himself at a giant tomb gate, built in the style of a palace gate. The eaves, lintels, flying rafters, and brackets were all made of glazed tiles. On the other side, there was a moon platform, making the structure look quite grand.

Can'er was up there, looking around, clearly stunned by the sight of the buildings.

Chu Nan recognized the architectural style of a tomb. The person buried here was no ordinary individual, which was why the tomb was so grand.

After watching for a while, Can'er walked in, and Chu Nan followed behind. Passing through the tomb gate, he saw stone statues carved ahead, depicting mountains, rivers, flowers, dragons, phoenixes, seahorses, turtles, and snakes. At the end was another gate and a giant stone stele.

Can'er stopped in front of the stele, lifting its head as if reading the inscriptions.

Chu Nan chuckled inwardly. No matter how smart Can'er was, he didn't believe it could really read. Now it was pretending to appreciate the inscriptions on the stele.

Chu Nan slowly approached, and Can'er became alert, giving him a cold stare before moving a dozen meters away, maintaining a cautious distance, not daring to get too close.

No one knew when one of them might attack first.

Chu Nan read the inscriptions on the stele and was shaken.

This was the Stele of Divine Merit and Virtue. When he saw the name of Emperor Jianwen inscribed, he suddenly understood who was buried in this tomb.

Although Chu Nan was a veterinarian, he had a deep interest in history and had studied ancient Chinese history extensively. He often read historical books in his spare time. When he saw the name of Emperor Jianwen, he immediately knew whose tomb it was.

Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen, the grandson of Zhu Yuanzhang, became emperor but was overthrown by his uncle, Prince of Yan Zhu Di, who launched a rebellion and captured Nanjing.

Zhu Di later became the famous Emperor Yongle.

He sent Zheng He on voyages to the Western Seas, dredged the Grand Canal, pacified Jiaozhi, and launched five campaigns to the northern desert. His civil and military achievements created the prosperous Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty.

After his defeat, Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen disappeared without a trace. Some said he became a monk, others that he fled to a foreign country. His whereabouts remained unknown, a mystery in Ming history.

When Chu Nan read the inscriptions on the Stele of Divine Merit and Virtue, he realized that the person buried here was the missing Emperor Jianwen, the central figure in the Ming Dynasty's mystery.

The tomb looked grand on the outside but was small inside, more impressive than a common person's tomb but far from the grandeur of an imperial tomb. Considering Emperor Jianwen's situation at the time, this seemed fitting.

Chu Nan was now about 70-80% convinced that the person buried here was indeed Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen.

The tomb was buried so deep underground that it was no wonder it had never been discovered. If not for the earthquake that split the ground, Emperor Jianwen's tomb might have remained hidden forever.

At the end of the stone gate was the main tomb chamber. From a distance, Chu Nan could see a stone coffin inside. He thought of the many novels he had read about tombs, which often described them as filled with traps and mechanisms. He hesitated, not daring to enter casually.

The main tomb chamber emitted a faint light, which was particularly noticeable in the darkness. Chu Nan focused his vision and determined that the light came from several pearls embedded in the ceiling.

"Night pearls? If I had them in the past, they would be worth a fortune..." Chu Nan whispered. But in this crazy world, money had lost its value. Billionaires and ordinary people were not much different, and the night pearls had lost their significance.

Chu Nan hesitated, but Can'er darted into the main tomb chamber without any hesitation. Seeing that there were no traps as he had imagined, Chu Nan relaxed and followed in.

The main tomb chamber was a large, excavated cave. Apart from the stone coffin in the center, it was empty and looked very simple. Thinking that the tomb's occupant might be Emperor Jianwen, Chu Nan felt a sense of sorrow for the Ming emperor.

A grand Ming emperor, ultimately buried in such a simple place, unknown to the world.

Although they entered the main tomb chamber together, Chu Nan and Can'er maintained a distance of more than ten meters. Chu Nan was wary of Can'er attacking him, and Can'er was equally cautious of Chu Nan.

Looking at the stone coffin, Chu Nan had a sudden urge to open it and see the remains of Emperor Jianwen. But after some thought, he decided to leave.

So many years had passed. Even if there were remains, they would likely be just bones, no different from those of an ordinary person.

The tomb might contain gold and jewels, but in this world, they were less valuable than a bit of food.

Sighing inwardly, Chu Nan turned to leave, but Can'er leaped onto the stone coffin, seemingly trying to pry it open, its nose twitching as if sniffing something.

Chu Nan's heart stirred. Can'er's sense of smell was much better than his. Could it have detected something valuable in the stone coffin? That's why it was so persistent?

Just as he had this thought, Can'er jumped down and tried to push the coffin lid with its paw.

Although it was a dog, it was highly intelligent and incredibly strong. Soon, it pushed the thick lid open a crack.

When the stone coffin opened, Chu Nan sensed a special aura.

The aura of elemental factors, faint but present, emanated from the stone coffin.

Chu Nan was shaken and stopped.

Previously, because the coffin was closed, he hadn't sensed it. Can'er must have felt it, which is why it tried to open the coffin. Now, with the lid open, Chu Nan also sensed it. But why would there be the aura of elemental factors in the stone coffin, and why was it becoming stronger?

The presence of elemental factors suggested that there might be a genetic weapon in the coffin.

Judging by the increasingly strong aura, this genetic weapon was likely more advanced than the spider claws and pangolin scales he had obtained.

Just as Chu Nan was thinking this, a creaking sound came from the previously quiet stone coffin. Can'er, seemingly startled, jumped back.

Chu Nan immediately raised the spider claws and took a few steps back, stopping at the entrance of the main tomb chamber. If the situation turned bad, he would flee immediately.

Although genetic weapons were valuable, his life was more important.

The sound from the stone coffin grew louder. Can'er's fur stood on end, its tail raised high, and it let out a low growl, staring at the coffin but not fleeing.

Chu Nan had to admit that the dog was very brave.

Suddenly, with a loud bang, the coffin lid, which Can'er had pushed open, flew out and crashed into the cave wall, shattering. The sight was terrifying, and Chu Nan's face changed.

As the coffin lid flew out, a figure sat up in the stone coffin.

Seeing this figure, Chu Nan was stunned.

It was a human-shaped skeleton.

But it was definitely not human.

Wasn't this Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen's tomb? How could the skeleton in the stone coffin... not be human?