Building My Empire in the Frozen Apocalypse (Riley Carter) novel Chapter 286

Chapter 286 The Stone Coffit

Chapter 286 The Stone Coffin

Description: An extremely rare stone resistant to both high heat and extreme cold.]

Riley pulled her hand away with regret and patted the pillar reluctantly.

The material looked high-quality, but there was no way to harvest it.

The three girls walked past the outer stone pillars and finally got a clear view of the altar’s center.

A huge circular groove sat in the middle. Instead of lava, it was filled with pure still watek

A massive stone statue crouched quietly right in the center of the liquid.

t was a giant turtle.

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More accurately, it was a mythical creature. It had a dragon’s head and a turtle’s body. Sharp spines and thick armor covered its back. Its four sturdy legs, thick like elephant limbs, gripped the ground tightly.

nstead of a stone tablet, it carried a huge stone coffin on its shell.

The gray coffin had no visible cracks. Countless thin chains wrapped densely around its surface, stretching all the way to the creature’s neck as if binding the coffin firmly to its body.

PineappleBeer tightened her grip on her dagger subconsciously. She pulled a loose stone from her inventory and tossed it toward the statue, yet nothing happened at all.

‘Looks like there aren’t any traps.”

TartKing circled the area and shook her head.

“I can’t sense any magical energy nearby. It’s probably just an ordinary structure.”

‘Let’s move forward, but stay careful.”

Riley took the lead. The three girls stepped cautiously across the narrow stone bridge connecting the outer platform to the center and stopped in front of the giant turtle statue.

Up close, the statue felt even more oppressive.

The carving was incredibly lifelike.

Its eyes remained closed, yet every fold on its eyelids was sharply detailed.

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The scales even looked damp, as if soaked in water for countless years. A faint subtle curve lingered at the corner of its mouth, making it seem ready to open its jaws at any second.

“This is pure artwork.” Riley couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.

If this sculpture had existed back on Blue Star, it would have easily been the most precious treasure in any museum.

It was truly a remarkable sight.

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2:37 pm

Chapter 286 The Stone Coffitt

The trio circled the stone coffin. Other than the heavy, unsettling pressure, the place was unnervingly quiet.

No hidden guardians jumped out. No traps triggered. Even the scorching heat in the air seemed to freeze in this spot.

“Look over here.”

PineappleBeer suddenly pointed to the far side of the altar. “There’s a path.”

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Riley walked over and saw a sunken section behind the turtle statue. Two wide stone steps led down into endless darkness.

No one knew where the staircase led.

Since there was nothing else to explore nearby, the three girls continued downward.

After descending roughly twenty steps, the view opened up into an even stranger space.

They had reached a crossroads directly beneath the altar.

Four wide corridors stretched toward the north, south, east, and west. Each passage faded into shadow, resembling giant maws waiting to swallow anything that entered.

Strange torches lined both sides of the corridors, placed every five yards. Cold blue flames burned inside them. The fire gave off no warmth and carried a faint chill, painting the entire hallway pale white.

What truly shocked the three girls were the rows of statues standing along the walls.

These were not ordinary human carvings. Each one depicted a twisted fusion of humans and monsters.

Some were wolf-headed warriors with human bodies, gripping dual blades and wearing fierce glares. Some were archers with spider legs sprouting from their backs, clinging to the walls in a predatory crouch. Others were heavily armored scaled guards holding massive shields. Every statue stood in a unique combat stance.

Every carving looked vividly alive.

Most unsettling were their stone eyes. Whenever someone walked past, it felt like cold gazes stared sharply into their backs.

Riley and Pineapple Beer each tapped the nearest statue with their weapons.

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