Chapter 38

Last time, Yan Xing and the others pretended to go down the cave, but this time, they were really going in. Of course, there was no need to leave anyone behind this time. They all went down the cave in order.

The first one was Shi Chong, the second was Yan Xing, the third was Xiao Ge, the fourth was Zhao Zhu, and the fifth was Li Liangjian. The walls of the cave below were relatively narrow, so they could only go down one by one.

There were many cracks and sharp rocks on the stone walls, but fortunately, Zhao Zhu had prepared silk gloves. These gloves were originally part of Old Han's equipment and were very convenient to use.

However, the further down they went, the more turbid the air became, and their lungs began to feel a burning sensation. Zhao Zhu knew that at this moment, they could only grit their teeth and endure. They had already come this far, and since he was not the last one, it was impossible to go back up.

Finally, Yan Xing's voice came from below:

"Be careful up there, hold your position, don't slip down. There's a horizontal entrance here with signs of artificial excavation. It should lead to the ancient tomb. Let Shi Chong go in first."

Zhao Zhu pressed his back against one side of the stone wall, bent his legs to brace against the front wall, and stayed in place. After about five minutes, Shi Chong, Yan Xing, and Xiao Ge had all entered the cave entrance in the wall, and Zhao Zhu also went in.

Where were the signs of artificial excavation?

They were in the horizontally cut cave. Its four walls were very smooth, and there was no friction or sharpness when touching them.

The cave was only half a meter high, so everyone had to crawl forward. They crawled for nearly half an hour, and just as Zhao Zhu began to feel exhausted, Shi Chong's voice came from ahead:

"There's an open space ahead, Brother Xing, pass me a fire stick."

Shi Chong's backpack was behind him, and he couldn't turn around to get it, so he had to rely on Yan Xing behind him to get the fire stick.

"Here."

Yan Xing passed the fire stick to Shi Chong, who pulled it and threw it down. The people behind only saw a flash of light, but only Shi Chong could see clearly. After a moment, Shi Chong took a deep breath and shouted:

"Prepare the rope, there's an underground cave ahead, it looks about fifty meters deep."

Xiao Ge then said, "First, check if there are any cracks for climbing. Since this cave is artificially excavated, the craftsmen who built it couldn't have flown up here."

Shi Chong always followed Xiao Ge's orders. He immediately stopped preparing the rope and leaned out of the cave. When he spoke again, it sounded a bit hollow to Zhao Zhu and the others inside.

"There's an iron chain nailed to the stone wall, but it's already rusted beyond recognition. Four hundred years have passed, relying on it to go down is not safe."

"Alright, let's use our rope then." Xiao Ge took the rope out of his backpack. "One of mine isn't enough, the person behind, give me another one."

Zhao Zhu also passed his rope over. Xiao Ge's fingers danced between the two ropes, tying them together and throwing them directly to Shi Chong from above Yan Xing's head, shouting:

"Secure it to the iron chain."

Shi Chong didn't say anything and immediately went to work. Soon, he shouted:

"I'll go down first, you follow one by one."

Shi Chong tied a rope around his waist and slowly descended. After about five minutes, he waved the rope, and those above saw it shake, indicating he had landed safely. The next person continued.

Yan Xing also crawled out. Although he was a Taoist and looked somewhat weak, he must have practiced Taoist techniques, so he had a hidden strength. He descended steadily along the rope. Soon, the rope was shaken again, and Xiao Ge started to go down. His speed was faster than the previous two, and it only took about two minutes for the rope to be shaken again.

Finally, it was Zhao Zhu's turn. Zhao Zhu descended steadily and quickly. The stone wall was quite slippery, so he could only rely on the friction between his hands and the rope to control his descent. Since he was wearing silk gloves, he didn't have to worry about his hands getting hurt. However, when Zhao Zhu was halfway down, a gust of wind suddenly blew through the cave. This was not an ordinary wind, but a cold wind!

Zhao Zhu didn't hesitate, let go with both hands, and slid down as fast as possible. Just before landing, he tightly clamped the rope with his arms and legs to reduce his momentum. However, he still fell to the ground. A hand reached out to pull him up; it was Yan Xing.

"Shh, don't speak," Yan Xing warned seriously.

On the other side, Xiao Ge and Shi Chong stood together, looking ahead with serious expressions. The rope was still shaking, indicating that Li Liangjian was coming down.

Zhao Zhu stood up and looked ahead. When he saw what was there, he was also stunned. Below the cave was a wide stone path. Not far from where they gathered, there was a group of tall, armored knights on horses, each with a spike-like object on their helmets.

These knights were not stationary but were moving. They repeatedly rode back and forth, moving in one direction, then turning and charging in the opposite direction. Each time they charged, a chilling cold wind blew, as if they were practicing a battle formation.

Li Liangjian also came down. He had the best eyesight among them. His eyes flickered in the cave, and then Zhao Zhu saw blood streaming from the corners of his eyes, as if he had been injured. He leaned against the wall.

Yan Xing walked to Li Liangjian's side and whispered, "What's going on?"

"It's the same as the village we encountered before. They don't actually exist, but we can see them," Li Liangjian said. "There must be a skilled sorcerer who set this up."

"Can we get through?"

"It's definitely much harder than the village. These Eight Banners soldiers were likely battle-hardened in life. The feeling and mental impact they create, I don't have absolute confidence in blocking it."

"We can't wait any longer. Since the group leader hasn't indicated that we've completed the side mission, it means we're still far from the main tomb. We don't have much time to waste," Yan Xing decided. "I'll hold the bell and walk in the middle, you surround me. I'll use the bell to steady our minds, and we'll go through there!"

This was the only way. Yan Xing kept chanting and shaking the bell as he moved forward, with Xiao Ge, Shi Chong, Li Liangjian, and Zhao Zhu around him.

As Zhao Zhu walked, he watched the Eight Banners soldiers getting closer. This time, they made a detour and started charging again. The horses galloped, and the soldiers drew their bows and arrows, looking so lifelike that it was hard to tell they weren't real. However, when they charged, there was no actual contact, just a strong wind that stung their faces. Zhao Zhu stumbled and fell backward, and a hand grabbed him and pulled him up.

But when Zhao Zhu was pulled up, he was stunned again. He wasn't in the cave but on a battlefield. The person who pulled him up was a Qing dynasty armored officer, who roared at him and continued to fight.

Zhao Zhu looked around, and in every direction, there was a battlefield. Everywhere, there were fighting soldiers, horses falling, and blood and flesh boiling...

"Am I in a second round of the same place?" Zhao Zhu was speechless. He had experienced this once in the village, and now again in the cave.

However, this time, Zhao Zhu suddenly felt the jade hairpin tattoo on his left shoulder burning hot, like a branding iron. He let out a scream, his body trembled, and his eyes widened. He realized he was still standing in the same place, and Yan Xing and the others were already about ten meters ahead.

Seemingly sensing Zhao Zhu's abnormality, Yan Xing suddenly turned back, his eyes filled with surprise, and he shouted:

"The soul anchor has come loose, let's go quickly!"

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