You don't want your secret to be revealed by others, right?

Imperial Palace.

Yao Shen Lake.

Dressed in the ink-colored attire of a prince, Lin Yue stood silently within Lake Heart Pavilion, thoughtfully gazing upon the lake's surface. The waters were shrouded in a perpetual mist, through which flecks of light shimmered, making it look as serene and mysterious as a fairy lake.

Since the time when Great Yu established its capital here, the Yao Shen Lake had always been owned by the Imperial Family.

The only difference was that the Imperial City was then known as Chonghua City, not Di Hong City.

Had Lin Yue not discovered the secrets of the former dynasty, he'd probably never have guessed that beneath the lake lay the Imperial Mausoleum of Great Yu.

"Great Yu's Imperial Mausoleum..."

Lin Yue stared at the lake surface, in no rush to dive to the bottom.

Before entering, he needed to understand a bit more.

Fittingly, there was someone who knew a lot about the former dynasty.

After a moment, a woman dressed in crimson official robes glided across the misty surface of the lake, stepping lightly before him.

She then waved her sleeve to set up a barrier.

"Do you always have to dress as a palace maid?"

Lin Yue said with a smile, "It's kind of inappropriate for me to be secretly meeting with your maid, isn't it?"

The woman glanced at him before pirouetting on the spot. As her skirt billowed, she transformed, taking on the appearance of the Empress.

"Have you returned from your travels?" The Empress scrutinized him, "You didn't achieve Harmonization, so why have you come back?"

"It's challenging, still lacking some elements."

Lin Yue casually explained and reached for her hand, smiling, "Isn't that why I've come to ask for your help?"

"Asking for my help?" The Empress instinctively recoiled, clearing her throat before saying, "I don't know any Cultivation Methods that help others with their cultivation..."

"..."

Lin Yue was somewhat at a loss for words, "Empress, you're thinking too much. I didn't mean Dual Cultivation Methods, I just wanted to ask you some things."

"Ah? Oh..." The Empress immediately controlled her circulation to prevent her face from blushing, regaining her dignified composure and pretended indifference, asking, "What is it?"

"I've found the Imperial Mausoleum of Great Yu."

Lin Yue said, "Do you know if there is anything special inside the Imperial Mausoleum of Great Yu?"

"The Imperial Mausoleum of my Great Yu?" The Empress couldn't help but startle, then said, "That's impossible, how could you possibly find the Imperial Mausoleum of my Great Yu?"

"Why would it be impossible?" Lin Yue queried.

The Empress frowned and said, "The Imperial Mausoleum of my Great Yu was destroyed along with the fall of the Imperial Family, ruined by you."

"Destroyed?" Lin Yue was also surprised.

He had heard that Xiahou Shou had annihilated the Imperial Family of Great Yu, nearly leading to the extinction of the Human Clan, but it was only because the Divine Emperor and the Crown Prince had emerged out of nowhere that this great calamity was averted.

But had the Imperial Mausoleum of the Imperial Family of Great Yu also been destroyed?

"Maybe it was rebuilt?" Lin Yue suggested.

"Except for me, the entire Great Yu Imperial Family was exterminated by you," the Empress looked at him, "I have not rebuilt the Imperial Mausoleum, so who would put in the effort to do such a meaningless thing?"

At that moment, Lin Yue suddenly felt there was something odd about her gaze, an indescribable flavour.

Was it helplessness? Gratitude? Or hatred?

He couldn't quite tell.

After all, he also didn't understand why this former Ninth Princess of the Great Yu Imperial Family, despite having her family eradicated by him, would still aid him in such a manner?

"Except for you, no one else would rebuild the Great Yu Imperial Mausoleum?" Lin Yue asked.

The Empress slowly shook her head, "The entire Imperial Family, including close relatives and allies, were all slaughtered. The State Preceptor never came to Great Yong, so who would go to the trouble of reconstructing an Imperial Mausoleum?"

Lin Yue fell into contemplative silence.

Thinking about it, the Great Yu Imperial Mausoleum was located right beneath the Imperial Palace's Yao Shen Lake. It had been hidden for so long; did the Second Prince and the Crown Prince really not know?

Perhaps they knew, but couldn't enter?

Or maybe entering was pointless?

"Anyhow, I'm certain it's the tomb of the Great Yu Imperial Family."

Lin Yue said, "Since you don't know who built it, could you tell me if your Great Yu Imperial Family had any special secrets?"

"Special secrets?"

The Empress furrowed her brows slightly, "It's been so many years, and the Great Yu Imperial Family has been annihilated. Telling you won't matter, but... special secrets, don't you already know?"

She shook her head and said, "The Wu family is the direct descendant of the Human Ancestor, connected by bloodline. The State Preceptor helped my Wu family find the slumbering Human Ancestor, discovering that inside the Human Ancestor was an incredibly terrifying Ancient Divine Power. According to the State Preceptor, the Human Ancestor's slumber was caused by this Divine Power. The Wu family has always been trying to extract and utilize this Divine Power from within the Human Ancestor. There's nothing else particularly special."

"Besides the Human Ancestor, nothing else?" Lin Yue asked.

The Empress pondered for a moment and shook her head, "Nothing else. The main goals of my Wu family were to awaken the Human Ancestor and study the Divine Power extracted from him."

After thinking for a while, Lin Yue asked, "What about Xiahou Shou? After forcibly achieving Harmonization, his Divine Soul was on the verge of collapse. How did he manage to survive and become a Demon God of the Demon Clan?"

The Empress looked at him, fell silent for a long moment, then took a deep breath and said, "Back then I was too close to Xiahou Shou, and my clan was wary of me. I'm not clear on exactly what happened, but I heard that after his Harmonization, he forced his way into the Emperor's Mausoleum. Afterwards, my father announced that he had betrayed the Human Clan and defected to the Demon Clan."

"He forced his way into the Emperor's Mausoleum?" Lin Yue's heart stirred.

According to Xia Lie's previous life memories, the slumbering Human Ancestor was placed within the Great Yu Imperial Mausoleum.

Xiahou Shou, after forcefully achieving Harmonization, had the power to defy the heavens and become a Saint. It wasn't impossible for him to break into the Emperor's Mausoleum, especially with the aid of the mysterious Primordial Demon Ancestor.