The moment Long Wei's fingers touched the cold stone, the entire hall shuddered.
A deep, resonant hum rolled through the endless corridor like the sound of a thousand ancient drums beating beneath the earth. Blue ghost flames in the lanterns along the walls flared brighter, their light dancing wildly across the rows of imperial tombs.
Long Wei instinctively took half a step back.
"Okay… not creepy at all."
His voice echoed through the vast chamber.
The Tombkeeper only smiled.
The Tombkeeper
The tomb before him glowed faintly, ancient lines of gold running across its surface like veins of molten metal. The phoenix engraved on the lid seemed almost alive.
For a moment, Long Wei could swear its stone eyes were watching him.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Please tell me this place doesn't have jump scares."
The Tombkeeper gave him a look that was somehow both amused and ancient.
"You hide fear behind humour."
Long Wei folded his arms.
"Nahi, main trauma ko style ke saath handle karta hoon."
No, I handle trauma with style.
A faint laugh escaped her lips.
The sound was soft, but in this silent hall it carried like music.
Long Wei looked around again.
Rows upon rows of tombs stretched endlessly into darkness.
Each one is different.
Some were carved with dragons.
Some with phoenixes.
Some with crescent moons, swords, lotuses, or crowns.
The sheer scale of it made even him feel small.
"Kitne tombs hain yahan?"
How many tombs are here?
The Tombkeeper turned and looked down the infinite corridor.
"Countless."
Her voice softened.
"One for every empress who was betrayed by the people she trusted most."
The words settled heavily in the air.
For the first time, Long Wei's humour faded.
Betrayal.
The word struck too close.
His mind flashed back to Lin Meiyue.
Her soft smile.
Her warm voice.
And then—
He was useful. Nothing more.
His jaw tightened.
The Tombkeeper watched him quietly.
"You understand their pain."
Long Wei looked away.
"More than I'd like."
She walked slowly along the nearest row of tombs, trailing her fingers lightly across the stone.
"These women were rulers."
Queens.
Empresses.
War leaders.
Mothers of nations.
Each was powerful in her own era.
Each destroyed not by enemies…
but by betrayal.
Long Wei's expression darkened.
"Same old story."
The Tombkeeper turned back to him.
"Not all stories end the same way."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Long Wei stepped closer to the first tomb.
The engraved phoenix glimmered faintly.
Something about it felt… familiar.
Not in memory.
In emotion.
Pain.
Loneliness.
Rage.
A pressure settled around him.
Subtle, but immense.
The spiritual energy in this place was unlike anything he had ever felt.
Even as Arjun Rathore, in his old world, his instincts screamed that this realm defied every known law.
He took a slow breath.
"Fine."
He looked at the Tombkeeper.
"Ab full story batao"
Now tell me the full story.
She inclined her head.
"The pendant is the key to this realm."
Long Wei raised the jade in his hand.
It glowed softly.
"You already said that."
She nodded.
"But not what it means."
Her gaze sharpened.
"The pendant chooses only one person across all worlds."
Long Wei's eyes narrowed.
"And that is?"
She looked directly at him.
"The King."
The words struck the hall like a bell.
Long Wei blinked.
He then looked behind himself.
Then pointed at his own chest.
"Me?"
Her expression remained calm.
"Yes."
He let out a disbelieving laugh.
"Mujhe dekh ke aapko king vibes aa rahi hain?"
Are you getting king vibes from me?
The Tombkeeper's lips curved.
"You survived death twice."
She stepped closer.
"You adapted to another body in a single night."
Another step.
"You already think like a ruler."
Long Wei went quiet.
That last part… she wasn't wrong.
He had already begun planning military reforms for the border fortress.
Supply control.
Patrol restructuring.
Long-term retaliation.
The instinct to lead had come naturally.
Was it Arjun?
Or Long Wei?
Or something else?
The Tombkeeper continued.
"Every tomb contains the world of an empress."
Long Wei frowned.
"World?"
She nodded.
"When you enter a tomb, you enter her dynasty, her era, her fate."
A slow realisation dawned.
"Different worlds."
Her expression softened.
"Yes."
Each tomb = a different dynasty.
A different empire.
A different betrayed empress.
Long Wei looked back at the endless corridor.
"Bhai… this is literally infinite DLC content."
The Tombkeeper blinked.
"…what?"
He waved a hand.
"Nothing. Continue."
She gave him an unreadable look.
Then said,
"To free them, you must help them achieve the dream that was stolen from them."
Long Wei's eyes sharpened.
"And if I do?"
The blue flames flickered brighter.
Her voice dropped to almost a whisper.
"She becomes your companion."
A pause.
Then—
"Your queen."
Long Wei stared.
Then let out a short laugh.
"Of course."
He rubbed his forehead.
"Revenge mission plus emotional therapy plus marriage."
He looked up.
"Very efficient system."
The Tombkeeper almost smiled again.
"Each empress will share her cultivation with you."
That made him pause.
Now that was useful.
He stepped closer.
"How much?"
Her eyes met his.
"Equal to hers."
Long Wei whistled softly.
"Now we're talking."
She continued.
"Her generals, guards, strategists, and army can also be summoned."
His special forces mind immediately began racing.
Elite troops.
Military tacticians.
Kingdom-level resources.
Political influence.
This was bigger than cultivation.
This was empire-building.
His lips curved.
"Now this is a package deal."
The Tombkeeper nodded toward the first tomb.
"Would you like to meet the first empress?"
Long Wei looked at the phoenix carving.
The stone surface now glowed brighter than before.
A strange warmth pulsed through the pendant.
He hesitated.
For just a moment.
Then asked the question that had been sitting in his mind.
"Why me?"
The Tombkeeper's gaze softened.
"Because only someone betrayed deeply enough can truly understand them."
The words hit harder than he expected.
His thoughts flashed again to Meiyue.
The desert.
The fall.
The lie behind her smile.
He looked down.
"Fair enough."
The Tombkeeper raised one elegant hand.
The hall darkened.
Then a single tomb ahead of them lit up completely.
The stone lid trembled.
The ancient golden script was burnt across its surface.
Long Wei read the title aloud.
Phoenix Moon Dynasty
The Tombkeeper spoke.
Empress Zhao Lian
"This is the resting place of Empress Zhao Lian."
Long Wei felt a sudden chill.
The name itself carried power.
Regret.
Royal authority.
A storm of emotions he couldn't explain.
The Tombkeeper stepped aside.
"Touch it."
Long Wei looked at her.
"Last chance to say this is a bad idea?"
She smiled.
"This is destiny."
He sighed dramatically.
"Meri life mein normal kuch ho hi nahi sakta."
Nothing normal can ever happen in my life.
Still—
His hand moved forward.
The moment his palm touched the glowing phoenix seal—
The hall erupted in blinding golden light.
A force stronger than before pulled at his body.
The wind howled.
The ghost flames flared.
The Tombkeeper's voice echoed around him.
Save her dream.
The world shattered into light.
And Long Wei disappeared.
Author's Thoughts