Chapter 138: The Grave Robbing Captains

With his resolve set, Lu Chen’s blood began to boil once more as he prepared to become a tomb raider, intent on excavating the entire pyramid complex. As for those protective light barriers, if he couldn't break them in ten strikes, he would try a hundred, or even a thousand. As the saying goes, "With enough persistence, an iron pestle can be ground into a needle," and "With a good enough hoe, there is no corner of a wall that cannot be dug."

Before starting, however, Lu Chen decided to investigate the mysteries within the bronze sarcophagi before him, wary of encountering another situation like the stone coffin he had shattered earlier, which had been filled with countless beetles that launched a silent ambush the moment he reached for the spirit stones.

Coating his body in mud armor once more and making thorough preparations, Lu Chen manifested a massive earthen claw to push open the lid. There was no movement inside. After a dozen seconds, a faint, putrid stench began to drift out, growing steadily more intense. Confirming there was no immediate danger, Lu Chen stepped forward.

Inside the massive sarcophagus lay an alien being with a humanoid body and a canine head. Clad in intricate armor and clutching a spear, the figure looked so lifelike it appeared as if it had only just perished. Lu Chen even touched the skin with his earthen claw, feeling a lingering elasticity. However, within two minutes of the coffin being opened, the stench of decay became so pungent it nearly made him vomit. Lu Chen quickly held his breath and observed closely. Soon, the alien’s muscles rotted away, revealing bare bone.

So that was it! This must be the legendary mummy. The mystery of why the pyramids were famous for preservation in his past life had finally been solved: the bodies remained incorruptible because they were placed within a spirit stone runic array. Once Lu Chen removed the primary fifth-grade spirit stone, the structure of the array collapsed, causing the bronze walls and the corpse to decay.

To confirm his theory, he opened a second bronze sarcophagus. It was exactly as he expected; the alien inside initially looked as if it were merely sleeping, only to begin rapidly decomposing and emitting a foul odor immediately after. He opened the third, the fourth, and all the rest—every one was the same. To his disappointment, there were no valuable items or unique artifacts placed beside the bodies.

Lu Chen closed the bronze sarcophagi and flew back to the top of the pyramid fortress to systematically harvest the spirit stones. As more were removed, the corrosion of the runes accelerated. Soon, the structure was covered in rust, groaning and creaking as if it were on the verge of collapse. When he plucked the final spirit stone, the pyramid fortress could no longer support itself and came crashing down, burying Lu Chen in the wreckage.

"Damn it..." Lu Chen felt like he had been played. Fortunately, his skin was tough and his scales provided immense defense. Having sensed the danger, he had instantly covered his body in a thick layer of earth, so he remained unharmed. Otherwise, with tens of thousands of tons of stone slamming down on him, he would have been crushed into paste or at least severely wounded. Truly, tomb raiding was a risky business—one had to be cautious.

"BOOM!" A blast of compressed energy erupted, pulverizing countless stones into dust. A massive cloud of smoke and debris surged toward the sky. Lu Chen burst forth from the gap, letting out a sigh of relief. The bronze sarcophagi and the runic fortress were completely buried, and the once-magnificent pyramid was now nothing more than a pile of rubble.

He had no time for regret, however, as there were dozens of other pyramids waiting for him to "archaeologically excavate."

*Wait... what is that?*

As Lu Chen mused, he suddenly turned his head toward the horizon. To avoid alerting any potential foes, he concealed his primal aura as usual. Soon, a massive winged creature came streaking through the sky. Lu Chen had initially assumed it was another griffin, but as it drew closer, he realized he was mistaken.

Though the creature possessed four legs, its anatomy was entirely different. Its body was covered in thick, heavy scales, and its jaws were lined with sharp, serrated teeth. A row of bony spines ran from its massive, grotesque head, down its long neck and back, ending in a thick, powerful tail. Ignoring its two broad wings, it looked somewhat like a crocodile, though it was closer to a lizard.

The giant lizard monster did not attack immediately. Instead, it looked down at him with haughty contempt and released a unique wave of psychic energy. Lu Chen was about to retaliate but paused.

"Coo... coo..." The lizard opened its mouth, emitting a sound that Lu Chen could clearly sense contained threads of psychic laws. Although they were of different species, Lu Chen understood the meaning behind the vocalizations perfectly.

"You base worm, where did you crawl out from? How dare you disturb the tombs of the God-men... Do you not know that this place is guarded by the dragon race under the command of Lord Seraph? Damned worm, surrender to me now, and perhaps Lord Seraph will spare your life. Otherwise, prepare to die!"

This method of communication based on psychic energy was likely the legendary beast-tongue. It was Lu Chen’s first time experiencing it, and he found it novel. It seemed that an instinct hidden within his genetic memory had awakened, allowing him to comprehend it instantly.

*Wait... the dragon race?* This ugly, lizard-like creature dared to call itself a dragon? Lu Chen found the claim laughable. Yet, he finally understood where the Western dragons of his past life had come from; they were not mere imagination, but had a prototype. Furthermore, it was highly likely that this originated from this very different dimension.

According to this lizard, they were the guardians of the God-men’s tombs, which meant there were likely many more of these monsters in this realm. Moreover, if Western dragons existed, did Eastern divine dragons exist as well? The thought made Lu Chen excited. As a native of China in his past life, his aesthetic preferences naturally leaned toward the Eastern dragon—the creature that could grow or shrink, ascend or hide; that could summon clouds and mist, transform at will, and navigate the cosmos or the depths of the sea. That was a true dragon.

Furthermore, Lu Chen felt he possessed dragon blood himself. After all, on Earth, the crocodile was often called the "pig-woman dragon." He realized once again that neither Earth nor Blue Star was as simple as he had imagined; many ancient myths and legends likely held a basis in fact.

Seeing Lu Chen standing in silence, the lizard monster grew truly enraged. "Damned worm, will you submit to Lord Seraph or not?"

"Heh, you aren't qualified to demand my submission. Tell that 'Lord Seraph' to crawl over here and bow to me instead," Lu Chen replied, projecting his intent back through the psychic energy laws. The idea that an ugly lizard would demand his submission was nothing but a pipe dream.

"Damn you! You dare insult Lord Seraph? You're asking for death!" The creature roared, its broad wings flapping violently.