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墨書 Inktalez
As the candlelight drew closer, the coffin lid seemed to begin stirring, emitting a creaking sound. Countless particles of dust floated down. Mu Xuanche pulled me behind him, and the three men focused intently on the coffin that appeared to be on the verge of revealing its occupant.
With a sudden bang, a withered hand emerged from the edge of the coffin. My mind went blank; before I could react, Mu Xuanche swiftly hoisted me onto his shoulder. The three men turned and fled toward the direction of the flickering candlelight. I stared wide-eyed as the coffin lid was violently thrown open by whatever lay inside. Unable to contain myself, I covered my mouth; what unfolded before me was unlike anything I had ever seen. A lifeless corpse with a parched, colorless face rose from the coffin, its cold and eerie expression fixated on our retreating figures. Then it stood up and stepped forward, following us closely. Its pace matched ours perfectly, quickly closing the distance.
"This is a Zongzi!" Yan Shengwei shouted. "The air here restricts spiritual energy; we can't fight it yet. We need to retreat!"
Mu Xuanche and Bai Qiling fell silent.
We dashed into a chamber through the passageway.
Mu Xuanche suddenly halted, and I was taken aback, unsure of what had happened. Following his gaze, I turned my head to see that this chamber was brightly lit with candles placed all over the floor like some sort of sacrificial ritual. In the center lay a coffin even larger than the one we had just encountered. Mu Xuanche gripped my waist tightly, showing no intention of putting me down.
At that moment, it seemed as if this new coffin sensed something; its lid moved, and another withered hand reached out from within.
The fear I had just experienced resurfaced.
The Zongzi that had been pursuing us from behind exhaled white mist as it caught up, its gaze vacant.
"This is the Main Chamber," Yan Shengwei murmured. "Then this before us is the Tomb Owner."
As Yan Shengwei's words fell, the coffin lid crashed to the ground. The Tomb Owner rose up, its head stiffly turning a full three hundred sixty degrees. The corpse inside wore an extravagant robe that shimmered in vibrant colors but appeared somewhat dim under the light.
A cloud of white mist billowed from the coffin as the Tomb Owner stepped out, expressionless and staring at us four.
The three men surrounded me in the center, their eyes fixed on the two corpses closing in from both sides.
Mu Xuanche suddenly exhaled lightly, pulling something from his pocket and fearlessly walking up to the Tomb Owner, placing the item in his palm. It was a piece of Jade Fragment, surprisingly radiating an indescribable clear and warm light even in the dim chamber.
The Tomb Owner froze for a moment, staring intently at the Jade Fragment.
At that moment, Zongzi caught up with us from behind, roaring in a language I couldn't understand. It sounded more like whispers from a hellish demon. Zongzi lunged at Bai Qiling with a fierce strike. Bai Qiling ducked, agilely maneuvering around Zongzi, drawing a knife from his side, and engaged in a fierce struggle.
The Tomb Owner's expression darkened; his already eerie face grew even colder. He suddenly gripped the Jade Fragment tightly and let out a furious roar, as if he had fallen into a frenzy.
It seemed he truly was that high official from the Qin Dynasty; his reaction to the Jade Fragment was immense. The Corpse King we had slain earlier must not have been the real one.
I couldn't help but shiver as an unexpected chill swept through the air. Flames danced and flickered in the wind before being extinguished in an instant. The entire chamber returned to pitch darkness. All I could hear was an unknown roar followed by the clash of blades, and in the blink of an eye, Mu Xuanche, who had been standing beside me, vanished without a trace.
"Big sister, follow me!" Yan Shengwei suddenly grabbed my hand and shouted in the darkness. "If this is the Main Chamber, we've reached the end of the Tomb. Follow me; I can lead you out."
"But what about those two...?"
"Don't worry. They're strong; they'll be fine," Yan Shengwei reassured me. "Since so many candles can burn simultaneously here, it means there must be plenty of oxygen stored away, indicating there are ventilation shafts. Follow me; I have a rough idea of where the exit is."
"But what if we're underwater?" I couldn't help but protest. "We'll die if we go out."
"How long do you think you can hold your breath underwater?"
"I haven't calculated... but I'm quite good at swimming."
"That'll be enough," Yan Shengwei said.
As light began to filter through from the corridor, I gradually adjusted to my surroundings. Bai Qiling seemed to be evenly matched with the Corpse King while Mu Xuanche drew his long knife.
"Is there any way to send these two corpses back?" I asked.
"Back?" Yan Shengwei was taken aback. "No, the corpses can't be killed again. Unless we seal them with Cold Iron. Or if we can temporarily incapacitate them, we might be able to escape."
Yan Shengwei didn't say much more; he simply moved to the side of the coffin. "Sister, come over here and help me push this coffin aside."
"Is the exit beneath this coffin?" I was startled and hurried over.
As I touched the damp wood of the coffin, it felt like I was touching a disgusting slug. I instinctively withdrew my hand, noticing Yan Shengwei gritting his teeth and pushing with all his might, yet it didn't budge at all. I was surprised and looked around.
Sure enough, the coffin was surrounded by thick iron chains.
"No way. This coffin is embedded all around; no matter how hard you push, it won't move."
Hearing this, Yan Shengwei quickly crouched down, squinting to examine it closely. He saw that the chains were embedded in the corners of the coffin, emerging from the ground. He suddenly looked pained and covered his face, pulling out a knife from his pocket. He traced the patterns on the coffin's surface before finally standing still.
Meanwhile, Bai Qiling and Zongzi were locked in a stalemate. Even when Zongzi was knocked down, he kept getting back up, while Bai Qiling was gradually running out of stamina. On Mu Xuanche's side, things were similar; Tomb Owner's attacks were fiercer, like a lion suddenly enraged after being struck in a soft spot.
Yan Shengwei found a circular lever on one side of the coffin and glanced at me. It seemed he had made a decision; he pressed down with both hands and twisted the lever. Suddenly, sharp arrows shot out from all directions with a whoosh. Yan Shengwei dashed over and pulled me aside just in time as arrows thudded into the coffin. Dozens of arrows whistled through the air, hitting both Zongzi and Tomb Owner, slightly slowing their movements. Bai Qiling and Mu Xuanche quickly dodged until the sound of falling arrows ceased, then they charged forward to knock Zongzi and Tomb Owner aside.
"What are you doing!" I couldn't help but shout in anger, not understanding what mechanism he had activated. If something went wrong, we could all die here.
"One more time," Yan Shengwei said as he set me down. "I think this lever can activate a mechanism to help us escape!" He crawled back over to it, and this time I was ready, huddling to one side. Mu Xuanche and Bai Qiling exchanged glances quietly when Tomb Owner suddenly roared in realization and abandoned Mu Xuanche to charge toward Yan Shengwei.
Clearly, Tomb Owner had sensed Yan Shengwei's intentions.
Mu Xuanche rushed forward but was struck aside by Tomb Owner's sudden burst of power. When had he ever suffered such humiliation? His brows furrowed as he leaped into the air to strike down with his knife. Tomb Owner paid no attention as he sprinted toward Yan Shengwei. In that critical moment, Yan Shengwei twisted the lever again.
A sudden splash echoed as a large volume of water gushed out from beneath the coffin.
At that moment, Mu Xuanche's blade had already struck the Tomb Owner between the brows, using nearly all his strength. The Tomb Owner let out a piercing, heart-wrenching roar, while the water spread to its toes, releasing steam like molten substance. In an instant, it was transformed into a pool of stagnant water. Zongzi, seeing the torrent of water rising, let out a sharp cry and turned to flee.
It seemed that everything here had something it feared.
The Tomb Owner, now a mass of dead water, took on an eerie dark hue as something fell from the air. On the surface of the water lay a pitch-black talisman. Mu Xuanche swayed unsteadily, and I hurried to support him while picking up the fallen talisman.
If I wasn't mistaken, this should be the Ghost Seal. It was hidden within the Tomb Owner's body. Mu Xuanche felt heavier than I had imagined. Bai Qiling quickly came over to take Mu Xuanche from my hands and looked at Yan Shengwei. "Although we've temporarily resolved the crisis with Zongzi and the Tomb Owner, what do we do next?"
"The river will soon surge in," Yan Shengwei replied. "The problem is that all the Oxygen Tanks have been thrown at the exit."
(End of Chapter)
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