Chapter 36

(Listen, please recommend and collect, a new week, let's climb to the top of the new book list!)

As the day passed and evening approached, the sky gradually darkened, and the stars slowly became visible. The night was indeed clear, with no clouds to obstruct the view.

Yan Xing held a small compass in his hand, occasionally looking down at the compass and then up at the stars in the sky, while his fingers moved back and forth, calculating something. Zhao Zhu remained seated nearby, watching and waiting, as did Xiao Ge, Shi Chong, and Li Liangjian. Since they didn't know how to determine coordinates by identifying star positions, there was no need for them to join in.

After about a quarter of an hour, Yan Xing put away the compass, muttered to himself, and then picked up his bag, jogging towards the western side of the mountain hollow. At the same time, Zhao Zhu and the others quickly picked up their backpacks and followed.

Yan Xing re-entered the forest but didn't go deep. Instead, he stopped at a place covered with fallen leaves. When the others approached, Yan Xing spread his arms and shouted:

"Be careful, there's a hidden pit under the leaves."

Hearing this, everyone stopped in their tracks, none daring to move recklessly. If they accidentally stepped into the void, the outcome would be extremely dire.

"There are too many fallen leaves here; we can't search bit by bit. It would be too time-consuming. Shi Chong, you clear away these leaves," Yan Xing said, looking at Shi Chong.

Shi Chong turned to look at Xiao Ge, who nodded. Shi Chong then stepped forward and got into position:

"Snake - Goat - Monkey - Pig - Horse - Tiger... Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

A large ball of flame shot out from Shi Chong's lips, sweeping across the fallen leaves. The leaves were immediately ignited, and for a moment, smoke filled the air, and the fire burned fiercely.

"Everyone, step back!" Yan Xing said.

Actually, without Yan Xing's instruction, everyone had already instinctively stepped back. After all, the leaves were layered, and the smoke from the burning leaves was indeed too much for anyone to bear.

As Zhao Zhu covered his mouth and stepped back, he caught a glimpse of a figure moving in another direction. However, when he looked again, there was nothing. Zhao Zhu silently lowered his head and cautiously observed the expressions of the others.

Shi Chong continued to spew fire, seemingly unaware of anything. Li Liangjian continued to wear his sunglasses, covering half his face, and Yan Xing used the sleeve of his Daoist robe to cover his mouth and nose, making his expression hard to read. Xiao Ge, seemingly noticing Zhao Zhu's gaze, turned his head and met Zhao Zhu's eyes, a warm smile on his face.

The fire burned for a full twenty minutes. Once the flames gradually died down, everyone began searching the area with flashlights. Without the fallen leaves obstructing their view, the search progressed quickly. Soon, a three-meter-long, half-meter-wide crack was found, and everyone gathered around it.

"Is this a tomb robber's tunnel?" Li Liangjian squatted down and touched the walls of the tunnel, saying, "It doesn't seem to be man-made. When we entered the mission world, we were on the roadside, so regardless of whether this mission world and our original reality are in the same time plane, we can at least determine that the tomb was built less than four hundred years ago. Unlike the Qin Emperor's mausoleum, which has withstood two thousand years of wind and rain, it's not easy to completely erase all traces of human work in just four hundred years."

Li Liangjian's point was that this tunnel didn't seem to be a man-made entrance. If it was just a natural cave, and they foolishly explored it, spending a lot of time and energy only to find a cave with no trace of the tomb, what would they do?

"We can't just dismiss everything because it's a natural cave. Perhaps there's a passage in the tomb that connects to this natural cave. If we go down, we might find the way to the tomb," Zhao Zhu said, giving his opinion.

"Regardless, we must go down to check. Someone must also stay above to keep watch," Yan Xing said, looking at everyone. "I will definitely go down. Shi Chong, your physical condition is the best, so you should go down too. Li Liangjian, your eagle eye scan will be most effective in the cave. The three of us will go down, and Xiao Ge and Zhao Zhu, you two stay above to guard the cave. If we find the way to the tomb, we'll signal you with a flare. If not, we'll climb back up."

Li Liangjian immediately said, "I have no objections."

Xiao Ge also nodded in agreement, which meant Shi Chong also agreed, as it was clear that Shi Chong always followed Xiao Ge's lead.

Zhao Zhu naturally had no objections. Staying above was safer for the time being.

Yan Xing and the others began tying safety ropes to their bodies and putting on headlamps. Everyone was well-equipped. Shi Chong went down first, followed by Yan Xing, and then Li Liangjian. Once they were all in the cave, Zhao Zhu sat down beside the entrance, but Xiao Ge remained standing. Seeing Zhao Zhu sit down, Xiao Ge waved to him and said:

"Get up, trouble is coming."

As he spoke, a sharp howl echoed from the forest, and a lone wolf emerged. The wolf's fur was silver, and its eyes glowed with a pale green light. Its appearance seemed to lower the temperature around it, bringing a chilling cold.

The wolf shook its body, and then it began to transform. Its fur receded, gradually revealing a human form. In the end, it became a person crouching on the ground. When the person stood up naked, Zhao Zhu's pupils dilated. The wolf was actually the lecherous uncle, Ma Ruixi!

At this moment, Ma Ruixi was still the short, middle-aged man, but he now exuded a cold, murderous aura!

"Sure enough, it's you," Xiao Ge said, smoothing his bangs.

"Heh, don't act like you know everything. I don't buy it," Ma Ruixi said.

As soon as Ma Ruixi finished speaking, Xiao Ge, who had been smoothing his bangs, suddenly pulled out several white hairs and shot them out, turning them into several white beams that pierced towards Ma Ruixi.

Ma Ruixi's body twisted, his joints dislocating, but he narrowly avoided the beams. The beams struck the ground, creating a harsh scraping sound and leaving several small grooves. The power was more terrifying than bullets, considering these were just Xiao Ge's hairs!

"Are you being a bit short-sighted by turning on us now?" Xiao Ge asked. "At the very least, wait until we enter the tomb."

"I have my plans and my intentions. And you have something I want."

Ma Ruixi's body continued to transform, growing larger, with green fur sprouting on his body, and his face becoming more grotesque, resembling a werewolf. His aura soared once again.

Zhao Zhu could only stand behind Xiao Ge, hoping that Xiao Ge could handle the suddenly aggressive Ma Ruixi.

However, just as Xiao Ge and Ma Ruixi were facing off, a figure stumbled into view from another direction. It was Wang Ye, who had been "tricked" by Zhao Zhu. Wang Ye was ragged and bleeding, with several parts of his body already rotting, but he was still alive and managed to walk to Zhao Zhu.

"The fire was too bright; it was hard not to find this place."

Zhao Zhu laughed bitterly and stopped looking at the two facing off. He pulled out his Swiss Army knife and said, "We're all newbies, so don't act tough in front of me. Fine, seeing how hard you've worked, I'll give you a free ride."

"Heh heh heh." Wang Ye let out a bitter laugh. "Sorry, I'm not alone."

Zhao Zhu looked at Ma Ruixi, but Wang Ye shook his head. "I'm not familiar with that uncle."

At that moment, a red figure descended gracefully, a red veil covering her face, and a graceful bride appeared beside Wang Ye, leaning on his shoulder, looking completely demure.

Page AD starts

Page AD ends