The Stone Sarcophagus

"Clang!"

The battered longsword was thrust in, its icy blade intercepting the weapon aimed at the young girl from behind. 

With a sudden surge of strength, the warrior wielding the sword pushed back the armored golem, which was covered in thick plating, several steps. Xiaomu Yu cast a cold glance at the golden-haired girl without uttering a word. 

"Whew... that startled me! I didn't expect these golems to be capable of invisibility," Lux exclaimed, patting her chest in relief. Then, she turned to Xiaomu Yu and offered a radiant smile. "Thank you, Mr. Mu Yu." 

"..." Xiaomu Yu regarded the girl's brilliant smile with indifference and replied coldly, "Be careful." 

Having said that, he pivoted on the spot, the sharp blade tracing an arc in the air as it once again blocked the strike from the golem warrior.

Though the vast chamber was spacious, it now felt somewhat cramped due to the sudden influx of combatants. 

A total of thirty-six heavily armored golem warriors relentlessly attacked Xiaomu Yu and his companions within the room. Although these remnants from the ancient magical era barely reached a ninth-tier capability in terms of overall strength, they could easily be dismantled by an eighth-tier practitioner in one-on-one combat. 

However, the synergy among these thirty-six humanoid weapons was nearly flawless; ordinary warriors would require decades of rigorous training and countless life-or-death experiences to achieve such seamless coordination. 

It was precisely this almost eerily perfect collaboration that momentarily ensnared Xiaomu Yu and his companions in a slight predicament. 

"Ha!" 

With a fierce cry, the red-haired woman named Shyvana gripped a massive sword forged from blazing crimson flames, striking heavily upon the helmet of one golem warrior. To her astonishment, her nearly full-force strike left only a charred mark on the helmet. 

Clearly, the damage inflicted on the golem warrior was virtually negligible. 

Within the room, she was not the only one facing such a dilemma. 

Not far from her, the tall prince Jarvan found himself in a similar quandary. 

These golem warriors were not only exceptionally coordinated but also remarkably difficult to contend with. The most troubling aspect was the thick layer of armor encasing them. 

Even his long spear, capable of piercing the robust hide of a dragon, could only leave a faint scratch on the armor despite his utmost effort. 

It was evident that the alchemist who crafted these golems understood that, regardless of their offensive capabilities or coordination, they posed little threat to true ninth-tier practitioners. Thus, significant effort had been devoted to enhancing their defenses. 

Nevertheless, no matter how formidable these artificially created golems were, they could never truly pose a threat to ninth-tier practitioners. If they were outside, Jarvan and his companions could simply take flight, leaving behind these ground-bound golems. 

Of course, it was not to say that ninth-tier warriors could not directly destroy these humanoid weapons; Jarvan and his companions possessed the strength to easily dismantle the golems. However, the cost of unleashing such martial techniques was rather steep. 

In this precarious and enigmatic location, conserving energy was paramount, as no one could predict what formidable adversaries might emerge next. It would be unwise to squander their limited strength at this moment… 

"Whew... we cannot continue like this." Gripping her massive flame-wreathed sword, Shyvana deflected the attacks of two encroaching golem warriors and exhaled heavily. 

The red-haired woman leaped nimbly, escaping the encirclement of the golems and landing beside Jarvan. 

"Your Highness, we can no longer afford to linger here. If we allow these golems to delay us further, the Noxians will undoubtedly find the legendary wand before us. We must swiftly forge a path!" Shyvana declared loudly. "If you can buy me a few seconds, I will unleash my molten flames upon them!" 

With a sweep of his spear, a fierce gust of wind sliced through the air, and Jarvan positioned himself protectively behind the red-haired woman, resolutely nodding in agreement. "Very well!" 

In response to her request, Shyvana decisively closed her eyes, gradually channeling her energy. 

Her defenseless stance clearly indicated her unwavering trust in the man before her—a trust forged through years of shared trials and tribulations. 

The spear stirred up a tempestuous wind; although bearing the burden of two opponents was somewhat taxing for Jarvan, he remained resolute, allowing his spear to encompass all nearby golem warriors within his defensive arc. 

Fierce attacks rained down from all angles, and in that moment, the spot where he stood erupted like a flower of blades, the sharp tips of his spear piercing out in rapid succession, neutralizing all incoming assaults from the golem warriors. 

"Ugh…" Suddenly, Jarvan felt an overwhelming surge of pressure; the onslaught from the golems had doubled in intensity. 

His spear emitted a faint cry of distress as Jarvan struggled to maintain his defensive stance against this sudden increase in attacks. 

"What's happening?" Straining to keep his footing amidst the intensified barrage, Jarvan was astonished to discover that all the golem warriors in the room were now targeting them. 

Where were Lux and the Winter's Embrace? 

In what seemed like an instant, the two who had been battling in another corner of the room appeared to have evaporated, vanishing without a trace. The golems, having lost their previous targets, hesitated for a moment before redirecting their focus to the remaining two in the room. 

Could it be a spatial rift? 

Instantly, Jarvan grasped the truth of the situation. 

But before he could ponder further, a sharp voice rang out behind him, "Your Highness, move aside!" 

Instinctively shifting his body, Jarvan felt a searing wave of golden flames, hot enough to melt stone, brush against him, slamming into three heavily armored warriors. The scorching heat erupted within the room. 

The air, compressed to its limit, produced a deafening explosion that echoed far down the shadowy corridor… 

Dark, piercing eyes slowly opened… 

This was a vast and empty chamber, devoid of the murals typically found in ordinary rooms. The surrounding walls appeared as rough, unhewn rock, lending an air of stark simplicity. Yet, the most astonishing aspect was the chamber's structure. 

Unlike those rooms that served as mere transit points, this one was connected by only a single corridor, resembling the dead end of a cul-de-sac. 

In the center of the room lay a stone sarcophagus, intricately carved with elaborate patterns, enveloped in wisps of white mist that swirled around it, bestowing the ancient stone with an eerie beauty. 

"Where are we?" the girl beside him exclaimed in surprise, startled by the sudden change in their surroundings. "Could it be that we've been caught in a spatial rift?" 

Xiaomu Yu paid no heed to the girl's almost superfluous question; he merely surveyed the room with a cold expression before turning indifferently toward the solitary passageway. 

Within the recesses of his mind, the voice of the demon grew grave. 

(Young human, be cautious…)

In Xiaomu Yu's memory, it was the first time the demon's tone had been so grave. 

"Is there something peculiar about this room?" Xiaomu Yu inquired coldly. 

Upon finishing his question, his gaze shifted icily to the solitary stone sarcophagus resting within the chamber; if there were any danger present, it was evidently the sarcophagus that posed the greatest threat. 

(I am uncertain, but… I seem to sense the presence of someone familiar. Yet, why can't I recall who it is? Have I begun to forget? No, no, no! I'm still quite young!) 

Ignoring the demon's frantic cries, which seemed to stem from a kind of obsession, Xiaomu Yu turned away with an impassive expression. "Let's go; there's nothing of interest here." 

"Um… very well." Observing Xiaomu Yu depart, Lux couldn't help but follow suit. 

Trailing behind him, the girl absentmindedly poked her rosy lips with a slender finger and asked, "Mr. Mu Yu, where are we headed next? Are we going to rendezvous with Prince Jarvan and the others, or are we seeking out Captain Riven and her squad?" 

"We are going to…" The young man began to speak but abruptly halted his steps, his demeanor turning cold. 

"Creak… creak… creak…" The sound of friction from the sarcophagus lid suggested an invisible force was at work, as the lid of the stone sarcophagus slowly began to shift. 

"What is… happening?" Lux gasped in surprise. "Could it be that some undead creature has been resurrected?" 

Under the vigilant gaze of the two, the sarcophagus lid was gently pushed open by an unseen power, and a soft, ethereal glow emanated from within, as if a luminous source resided inside the sarcophagus. 

The ghastly green light cast a pallor upon the faces of the two standing beside the sarcophagus. 

Xiaomu Yu momentarily froze, then coldly urged, "Run!" 

Yet, even though the command should have been tinged with anxiety, it emerged from the icy man's lips with an unyielding chill. 

This low, urgent plea did not convey any sense of urgency to the girl beside him; rather, from his frigid exclamation, Lux felt a wave of oppressive darkness wash over her. 

(I remember now! It's that individual! It's truly that individual!!! The legends were real! She is indeed sleeping here!!! She is truly sleeping here!!!) 

Within the recesses of his consciousness, the demon's voice trembled with a newfound fear. 

(Run, human boy! If we don't flee… we shall all perish here! Run, now!!!)