Chapter 44

Since entering the underground, the various sights and encounters have left Zhao Zhu with a very chaotic feeling. Many areas of the ancient tomb seem disorganized, which is understandable given that the tomb has undergone many alterations by successive Qing emperors. It is natural that it cannot maintain its original seamless and continuous state.

However, it is precisely because of this that the ancient tomb appears even more mysterious and unpredictable. If a certain emperor suddenly had a whim and added something inside, it could pose a life-or-death threat to Zhao Zhu. But now, Zhao Zhu is in a situation where he knows the mountain is dangerous but still heads towards it.

Leaving the tomb chamber filled with paintings and calligraphy, Zhao Zhu found himself in a relatively open area. He felt it was spacious because his flashlight could not illuminate all the surrounding areas. The place he was in was no longer an ordinary tomb chamber but rather a large hall or square similar to those in a palace.

Zhao Zhu could only slowly feel his way forward. Gradually, after observing the specific surroundings, Zhao Zhu confirmed that this was an area where several tomb chambers intersected. On the surface, it could be considered a small garden, but there were also flower beds surrounded by white marble, though no living plants remained, only black soil.

"Clank."

Zhao Zhu was startled, as he had stepped on something. He bent down and shone his flashlight, revealing a sword. The scabbard was exquisitely crafted and grand, reminiscent of the swords seen in historical dramas.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhao Zhu decided to throw a flare to get a general view of the surroundings. However, as soon as the flare was thrown, Zhao Zhu deeply regretted it. In the intense light of the flare, he saw nearly a hundred soldiers in bright yellow armor surrounding him. Although they wore masks, they still stood tall, exuding a formidable aura that made Zhao Zhu's breathing difficult.

What made Zhao Zhu's scalp tingle even more was that the nearest armored figure suddenly moved, a subtle action but one that Zhao Zhu noticed in this highly tense moment.

He's moving!

Damn!

However, at this point, Zhao Zhu was already somewhat numb from the pressure. He knew that if he wanted to continue searching for the essence of the dragon vein, he had to push deeper into the tomb and could not retreat!

So, despite knowing that the seemingly mummified guard soldiers around him were acting strangely, he took a deep breath and charged forward.

As Zhao Zhu ran, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that the mummies around him began to move. The areas covered by their masks revealed eyes glowing with a green light, as if they were coming back to life, ready to control their bodies and guard the sacred areas they were meant to protect!

Zhao Zhu's speed was indeed fast, and the guards' "resurrection" was somewhat slower. However, when Zhao Zhu was less than ten meters from the entrance to the next tomb chamber, two guards suddenly drew their swords and slashed at him. The momentum and posture were as if the brave warriors of four hundred years ago had truly awakened!

There was no time to brake or dodge. Zhao Zhu leaped, and by sheer luck, he managed to jump between the two swords, though he lost most of his hair. But Zhao Zhu didn't have time to catch his breath. From a distance, several guards had already drawn their bows and fired several arrows. The force of these arrows was terrifying, but they all hit Zhao Zhu's backpack, causing him to lurch forward. Fortunately, he tumbled into the next tomb chamber.

When Zhao Zhu finally stopped after colliding with something, his entire body ached. He was covered in scrapes and bruises, but fortunately, none of his bones were broken. As long as he gritted his teeth and suppressed the pain, he could still move normally.

The flashlight on his head had broken, so Zhao Zhu had to take a flashlight from his backpack and turn it on. He looked around, and the mummified guards in bright yellow armor did not seem to have followed him here. Perhaps they had a limited range of movement or needed the presence of a living person to react.

"Really hurts," Zhao Zhu kept taking deep breaths to distract himself from the pain. Then, his flashlight beam fell on the object he had collided with, which had stopped his tumble. It was a coffin, a very ordinary coffin, placed here without any offerings, incense stands, or even a platform.

If it were another tomb raider, they might not leave empty-handed and would open the coffin to see what treasures were inside. But Zhao Zhu was not there to rob the tomb; he was there to complete a task. It was better to avoid unnecessary trouble, so he chose to go around the coffin without touching it. However, after walking a few steps, he realized that the tomb chamber was surrounded by smooth brick walls with a slope of about seventy degrees. To leave this tomb chamber, Zhao Zhu would have to climb up, which was extremely difficult given the steep angle and smooth surface. Of course, he had some tools in his backpack, but even with those, it would be a challenge to climb out. But what would he do after climbing out?

Meet those mummy guards again?

Zhao Zhu knew that he had managed to escape earlier for two reasons: he didn't hesitate and charged forward, and he had good luck, as the two swords and the arrows didn't seriously injure him. If it happened again, he might not be so lucky. However, since this tomb chamber was designed this way, there must be a reason. Zhao Zhu's gaze eventually fell on the coffin.

"Could the entrance to the next tomb chamber be inside that coffin?"

If that was the case, the coffin had to be opened.

Without much hesitation, Zhao Zhu took out some tools from his backpack and began to pry the nails from the four corners of the coffin. After removing the nails, he could start to push the coffin lid. Zhao Zhu didn't light any ghostly lamps; no matter what was inside, even if it were a ghost, he had to open the coffin.

"One... two... three..."

Zhao Zhu counted in his mind and then pushed the coffin lid open with one breath.

As soon as the lid was pushed open, a cloud of black gas spread out. Then, Zhao Zhu saw a figure sit up and turn its head, making eye contact with him.

For a moment, a dangerous and terrifying aura completely enveloped Zhao Zhu!

Zhao Zhu didn't expect the corpse to transform so quickly and so unexpectedly. It seemed that the thing inside had been waiting to get out for a long time, and as soon as the coffin was opened, it couldn't wait to come out!

"Thud."

Zhao Zhu instinctively stepped back but tripped over his backpack and fell. This fall calmed him down a bit. When he looked at the figure in the coffin again, it remained motionless. Zhao Zhu shone his flashlight on it, revealing a completely black corpse with a face that had shriveled into a ball, making it impossible to distinguish the features. It was indeed turned towards him, but it made no further movements. Zhao Zhu sat on the ground, shining his flashlight and observing for a long time before finally letting out a long breath:

"Damn, that scared the hell out of me. It's just a corpse."

Zhao Zhu knew that after death, the joints and muscles stiffen. In a well-sealed coffin, when it is suddenly opened, the rush of air can cause the muscles to rapidly decompose, potentially making the corpse sit up or perform other actions. This is a natural phenomenon.

However, having been scared by so many unnatural phenomena in the ancient tomb, Zhao Zhu was momentarily stunned when he encountered a natural phenomenon, and it took him a moment to react.