The moment the bronze coffin opened, an evil aura spread, the atmosphere in the main tomb plummeted, and the torches flickered violently.
The group, about to turn and leave, froze in place. It wasn’t that they wanted to stay, but their blood seemed to congeal, a chilling aura enveloped them, as if in an extremely cold environment where their bodies and blood had been frozen.
If Daoist Jin Lian were in his cat form, his fur would be standing on end right now.
Clang!
A loud crash of the coffin lid hitting the ground came from behind. At the same time, the group, with their backs to the platform, saw the armored mummy guards on the stairs below simultaneously twist their necks, rotating 180 degrees against their skeletal structure, their faces now on their backs, silently staring at the group.
This scene was too horrifying and eerie. Great fear exploded in their hearts, and the tomb raiders of the Houtu Gang showed expressions of extreme terror.
Crack, crack…
Xu Qi An heard the sound of bones popping nearby. The armored figures standing at the four corners of the platform had also awakened.
He slowly rotated his eyeballs to observe his companions’ expressions.
Chu Yuanzhen’s eyes were slightly widened, large beads of sweat forming on his forehead. The long sword on his back occasionally trembled, as if wanting to unsheathe, but was suppressed by an invisible force.
Master Heng Yuan’s facial muscles twitched, his masseter muscles bulging as he mustered all his strength to break free from the invisible force’s suppression and regain his freedom.
Daoist Jin Lian’s chest heaved up and down as if performing some kind of breathing exercise. He was the most composed and calm, yet there was a resolute look in his eyes.
Is Daoist preparing a big move, ready to sacrifice himself to protect us or to cut off his tail to survive… Xu Qi An thought to himself, his eyeballs rotating in their sockets to look at Zhong Li.
Lina on her back was still unconscious, ironically the most “relaxed” one present. As for the unfortunate Zhong Li, her delicate body under the linen robe trembled slightly.
I don’t know if it’s her fault or mine… maybe both! Xu Qi An thought, finding humor in misery.
At this moment, an image automatically appeared in his mind: a hand covered in green hair reached out from the bronze coffin, pressing against the edge of the coffin.
The person in the coffin slowly sat up. It was a mummy wearing a yellow robe, with a crown of pure gold on its head. The skin on its face clung tightly to the bones, its nose had rotted away, leaving only two holes.
The eyeballs were embedded in the sockets, seeming as if they might fall out at any moment.
The instant his divine sense captured this mummy, Xu Qi An felt as if a steel nail had been driven into his brain. The pain nearly made him faint, and the image shattered.
So the one lying in the coffin is indeed that Daoist, a second-rank who failed to cross the tribulation. No wonder he’s so powerful… Xu Qi An’s scalp tingled.
After a few seconds of silence, the first footstep sounded. The mummy had left the bronze coffin and was slowly walking towards the group.
“Buzz buzz buzz…”
The long sword on Chu Yuanzhen’s back vibrated violently, yet still couldn’t unsheathe.
Plop… A bead of sweat finally rolled down the State Preceptor’s forehead.
Heng Yuan’s eyes bulged, veins on his cheeks and forehead bulging one by one, his entire body convulsing violently. But even so, he still couldn’t break through the suppression of the invisible force.
Zhong Li was like a quail, her whole body trembling, her head lowering more and more.
A stench of urine wafted over – the Houtu Gang members at the front had wet themselves in fear.
But this wasn’t their fault. Being in an ancient tomb from thousands of years ago, with an evil being emerging from a coffin, slowly approaching them from behind…
Just thinking about it would send chills down one’s spine, let alone experiencing it in reality.
Daoist Jin Lian closed his eyes briefly, and when he reopened them, they were clear. He seemed to have made a decision.
Just then, the footsteps stopped, and a hoarse, deep voice spread to every space, every corner of the main tomb.
“We welcome the Master’s return!”
The sound of armor plates clashing rang out. The mummies at the four corners of the platform, as well as those on the stairs, actually knelt in unison, worshipping someone among the crowd.
That sinister and terrifying aura quickly receded, like an ebbing tide.
The group was stunned to find they had regained their ability to move.
“Don’t act rashly!”
Daoist Jin Lian transmitted his voice to everyone, including the tomb raiders.
“Gulp…”
The sound of swallowing saliva kept ringing out. The tomb raiders’ legs trembled, but they didn’t lose their senses. Their past experiences played a crucial role, preventing them from breaking down mentally like ordinary people, who would only think about escaping regardless of consequences, making the situation worse.
At the same time, a thought flashed through their minds: Master?
Who was the Master? Judging by the mummy’s posture, it seemed this Master was among us.
The tomb raiders looked at each other, desperately trying to find the “Master” among the crowd. Who could be the Master of the mummy? What kind of figure would that be?
And that person was among us…
The Sickly Gang Leader instinctively looked towards Daoist Jin Lian. According to the content of the mural, the owner of this tomb was a Daoist, and there happened to be a high-ranking member of the Earth Faction present.
The conclusion was simple: this old Daoist must be the Master of the mummy.
“He, he has such an identity… This means that this Earth Faction expert didn’t come down to the tomb specifically to rescue us. Well, how can a mere martial artist like me guess at the actions of such a master?”
The Sickly Gang Leader trembled in fear.
Public Sheep Xiu, the wild sorcerer, scrutinized Daoist Jin Lian with uncertainty.
Noticing the unusual behavior of their two leaders, the Houtu Gang members immediately looked towards Daoist Jin Lian, who most fit the image of a master, and felt immensely reassured.
The Heaven and Earth Society members were standing very close together, so they couldn’t immediately tell who the yellow-robed mummy was kneeling to.
Out of habit, Chu Yuanzhen first glanced at Daoist Jin Lian.
Daoist Jin Lian shook his head slightly.
Heng Yuan is a martial monk, not from the Dao School. Although his innate talents are good, there’s nothing too strange about him… Lina is from the Southern Border’s Gu Clan, with no connection to this tomb… Miss Zhong from the Bureau of Astronomy can be directly ruled out… Could it be?!
Chu Yuanzhen suddenly turned his head, staring intently at Xu Qi An.
He recalled the reason why the team had come to the main tomb – it was precisely because of Xu Qi An’s three consecutive “coincidences” that they had entered the main tomb.
So everything wasn’t a coincidence, there was a reason… Is Xu Ning Yan the Master of this great tomb’s owner?
This guess emerged in Chu Yuanzhen’s mind, causing a wave of fear, and his body inexplicably began to tremble.
Is he kneeling to me? Calling me Master? The person in question, Xu Qi An could directly perceive that the “Master” the mummy referred to was himself.
Great shock and bewilderment filled his brain, leaving him momentarily unsure how to respond.
For a moment, he almost blurted out: Why are you saying I’m the Master?
But reason made him keep his mouth shut because the current situation could only be one of two things: One, he really was the Master of the yellow-robed mummy, with an identity so terrifying it was unimaginable.
Two, the mummy had mistaken him for someone else for some reason.
Putting aside the first possibility for now, if it was the second case, where the mummy had mistaken him for someone else, then rashly questioning would certainly expose his identity.
At that point, what awaited them would be total annihilation.
Realizing this, Xu Qi An forcibly suppressed his surging emotions, stared expressionlessly at the yellow-robed mummy, and said in a deep voice:
“Well done.”
The mummy’s head lowered even further.
Seeing this scene, the Sickly Gang Leader was almost dumbfounded. He slowly widened his eyes, realizing… realizing that the “Master” the mummy referred to was that sixth-rank martial artist, not the Earth Faction Daoist.
This, this… he’s just a martial artist.
Public Sheep Xiu also couldn’t hide his shock. At this moment, he was extremely grateful that after encountering these “reinforcements,” he hadn’t secretly activated his aura-viewing technique.
Otherwise, he might have died on the spot from seeing something he shouldn’t have.
The Houtu Gang members held their breath, staring dumbly at Xu Qi An.
The mummy, with its head lowered, spoke again in a deep voice, with a hint of confusion: “Why hasn’t the Master ascended to immortality?”
As-ascended to immortality?!
This sentence was like a thunderbolt, exploding in everyone’s ears. The weak tomb raiders, the profound cultivator Daoist Jin Lian, and of course, Xu Qi An himself, all felt huge waves crashing in their hearts.
However, compared to the tomb raiders who had lost control of their expressions, Xu Qi An and the others were more composed, not showing any expression.
Xu Qi An stared expressionlessly at the mummy, but his inner thoughts exploded at this moment.
As-ascend to immortality? According to my understanding, ascending to immortality means surpassing ranks, right? It’s an existence on the same level as Buddhas, Gu Gods, and Shamanic Gods.
Who exactly was the Master of this yellow-robed mummy?
After the era of gods and demons, there were only a few beings who transcended ranks. This great tomb dates back over two thousand years. Has someone ascended to immortality in the past two thousand years?
No, it’s also possible that the ascension failed, but the mummy doesn’t know…
Damn, entering a tomb and encountering such a high-level being… It must be Zhong Li’s fault, definitely her fault… What should I do, how should I answer?
The mummy’s lowered head, those eyeballs that seemed about to fall out of their sockets, moved slightly as if scrutinizing Xu Qi An.
Perceiving the mummy’s gaze, Xu Qi An’s eyes suddenly sharpened, and he said slowly: “Are you trying to teach me?”
The mummy lowered its head in fear, its body trembling slightly. “Forgive me, Master, forgive me.”
As it spoke, it undid its yellow robe, revealing the withered flesh inside. The chest was sunken, the outline of each rib visible under the thin skin and flesh.
Moreover, Xu Qi An noticed that this mummy’s body seemed to have been burned at some point.
“Poof…”
Suddenly, the mummy made a move no one expected. It raised its hand and thrust it into its chest, digging out an object. It wasn’t a heart, but a translucent jade seal.
“Has the Master come for this jade seal? You left it inside my body back then, instructing me to nurture it well. , I have been keeping it safe all along. Now, I return it to the Master.”
The mummy offered the jade seal with both hands, speaking hoarsely and deeply: “Now, what year is it now?”
“The current Central Plains dynasty is called Great Feng,” Xu Qi An said calmly.
“Great Feng…” the mummy muttered, then humbly asked, “How, how many years have I been asleep?”
How the hell should I know? Why don’t you come with me first, I’ll hand you over to the state, and let researchers tell you the answer… Xu Qi An ranted furiously in his mind.
His brain was working at high speed, not actively answering the mummy’s question, but saying calmly: “Time has no meaning for us, does it?”
Beautiful answer!
Daoist Jin Lian’s heart leaped with excitement, praising inwardly. Xu Ning Yan was truly steady.
He gave Xu Qi An a subtle look, telling him it was about enough, and to find a way to escape.
Xu Qi An got the message. As he reached out to take the jade seal, he said, “Go back to sleep.”
There weren’t many words, firstly to avoid saying the wrong thing, and secondly, because he was now playing a role. As the Master, he didn’t need to explain himself to his subordinates when reclaiming his possession.
In fact, he didn’t want the jade seal, but judging by the mummy’s attitude, this jade seal seemed very important. Not taking it might make the mummy suspicious.
The jade seal was hard, with a warm jade-like texture. Xu Qi An nonchalantly turned over the jade seal and saw characters engraved on the bottom. He only had time to memorize a few characters when suddenly, the jade seal turned into white sand, slipping through his fingers.
A power that was indescribable, ineffable, like a tidal wave, surged through his arm and into Xu Qi An’s body.
He felt the blood in his body rushing madly into his brain, causing intense dizziness. It was as if something inside his body had awakened.
“You are not the Master…”
The mummy suddenly raised its head, blood-red light gradually bursting from its eyeballs.
The hoarse, deep voice echoed in the burial chamber, mixed with intense anger and killing intent.
“Go!”
Daoist Jin Lian reacted the fastest, waving his wide sleeve to create a gust of wind that sent the Houtu Gang tomb raiders and Chu Yuanzhen’s group flying off the platform towards the main tomb’s door.
At the same time, he grabbed Xu Qi An’s shoulder, trying to throw him down as well.
He would stay behind to bear the mummy’s wrath.
However, Xu Qi An shrugged off his hand and pressed his palm against Daoist Jin Lian’s chest, saying softly: “Daoist, take them out.
“I’ll stay.”
Bang!
The energy in his palm exploded, sending Daoist Jin Lian flying like a cannonball.
As he was being thrown, Daoist Jin Lian saw the mummy grab Xu Qi An by the throat, lifting him high. The armored soldiers at the four corners of the platform, wielding their weapons, charged forward to tear this insect who had impersonated their Master into pieces.
“Xu Qi An…” Daoist Jin Lian murmured.