Chapter 28

Unfortunately, time did not allow Wu Mian to think further, as the living dead once again surrounded him. And while Wu Mian was staring at the only terracotta figurine, a living dead had already blocked the way to the passage. In an instant, the living dead around him pounced on him again, and this time Wu Mian could not escape using the electric arc, nor did he have time to use the escape technique.

Just as the wave of living dead was about to engulf Wu Mian, he suddenly jumped up, using all his strength to throw the dagger in his hand at the position of the only terracotta figurine. Almost at the moment the dagger was thrown, a living dead pulled him down, and Wu Mian was soon buried among hundreds of living dead.

Wu Mian could no longer see the result of his throw. Just as he thought there was no hope, he suddenly heard a loud noise: "Bang!"

The living dead piled up layer by layer, and in a moment, they buried Wu Mian like a mountain. Wu Mian was ready to be torn apart, but contrary to his expectations, the living dead suddenly stiffened, all with their mouths open and teeth bared, but they made no further move.

Wu Mian tentatively touched the nearest living dead on top of him. The feeling was no different from touching an ordinary corpse, and there was still no reaction. It seemed that the final move had worked. At this point, Wu Mian finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he had escaped death.

Wu Mian should have crawled out of the pile of living dead, but he was completely exhausted. He could not even turn over, let alone crawl out. He could only hope that Gui Bu Gui outside the passage would see the situation and drag him out.

Wu Mian had not been buried under the living dead for long when he heard footsteps. He thought it was Gui Bu Gui coming to save him. However, the footsteps circled around him and then moved further away, finally stopping at some position and disappearing completely. If it were an ordinary person, they would have started shouting for help by now, but Wu Mian's character would not allow him to call for help even if he were to die on the spot.

After a while, with no further unusual sounds, just as Wu Mian's patience was about to run out and he was about to start cursing, there was a commotion around him. The pressure on his body gradually decreased. Finally, after about half an incense stick's time, the last living dead on top of Wu Mian was kicked away, and a wrinkled face appeared in front of him, grinning: "I came just in time, right? How about we call it even?"

Wu Mian glanced sideways at Gui Bu Gui, took a deep breath, and said, "How long do you want me to lie here? You'd better be prepared, for every moment I lie here, you'll have to lie for the same amount of time in the future."

Gui Bu Gui grinned and chuckled, then helped Wu Mian up. He muttered, "You know I can't afford to offend you, so you're taking advantage of me."

Wu Mian felt as if his whole body was falling apart and was still shivering. If it weren't for Gui Bu Gui's support, he wouldn't even be able to crawl. Looking at Wu Mian, Gui Bu Gui said, "You've exhausted yourself too much. There's nothing serious, but you'll need some time to recover."

After a pause, Gui Bu Gui looked around at the dismembered remains of the living dead on the ground and continued, "But it's understandable. You've taken care of at least half of the living dead here, and you even broke the array's core. In a few years, even the Guangzi generation won't be a match for you."

As Gui Bu Gui spoke, Wu Mian was staring at the last terracotta figurine. Most of the figurine was still standing on the ground, and its head, along with the head of the living dead inside, had exploded, spraying black blood like ink all over the ground.

Wu Mian wanted to go over and take a closer look, but Gui Bu Gui stopped him, saying, "There's nothing to see. The living dead used as the array's core are filled with corpse poison. Even if it doesn't kill you, you'll suffer for a month. It's best not to go over there."

Wu Mian knew Gui Bu Gui wouldn't lie about this. Heeding his advice, Wu Mian, with Gui Bu Gui's support, started walking towards the center of the altar. This area was empty, with no altars or statues like in a typical altar.

Wu Mian glanced at Gui Bu Gui, who was supporting him, and recalling the unusual sounds he had heard earlier, he had a good idea of what the old man had been up to. As they approached the center of the altar, Wu Mian suddenly stopped and held out his hand in front of Gui Bu Gui, saying, "Give it to me..."

Gui Bu Gui was taken aback, staring at Wu Mian with wide eyes and saying, "What do you want? At least be specific."

"Didn't you spend all that time looking for what Xu Fu left behind?" Wu Mian continued, looking at Gui Bu Gui's puzzled face. "On the way here, you were mostly right about everything except the terracotta figurines and the living dead. You probably know Xu Fu better than anyone. That's why he left you in the second map to guide me and help me find the locations of the other maps."

After Wu Mian finished speaking, Gui Bu Gui looked at him with a half-smile, saying, "You're mostly right, except for the first part. But who says Xu Fu left anything here?"

Seeing Wu Mian's furrowed brows, Gui Bu Gui laughed and said, "But it's not your fault. You don't usually encounter such advanced arrays like the National Altar. We don't have much time, so I'll explain briefly. This array is a 'one swallows six' layout. Understand? The National Altar suppresses not the Qin, but the other six states. This position should be Chu."

At this point, Gui Bu Gui let go of Wu Mian and picked up a piece of the terracotta figurine. He carefully walked a few steps forward, stopped, and looked back at Wu Mian, saying, "The young Daoist was lucky. He was forced back halfway by the living dead, or we wouldn't even have a chance to collect his remains." He then threw the piece of the terracotta figurine about seven feet ahead. Surprisingly, the piece slowly sank into the ground.

Wu Mian, being very intelligent, had a vague idea of what was happening when Gui Bu Gui mentioned the 'one swallows six' layout. Seeing the terracotta piece sink into the ground, his furrowed brows relaxed. He looked at the now calm ground and asked Gui Bu Gui, "Mercury... Is the ground made of mercury? What's buried here?"

Gui Bu Gui was caught off guard by Wu Mian's question. He had already prepared a speech to show off in front of the young man, but he didn't expect Wu Mian to see through it with just one look. Gui Bu Gui looked at Wu Mian in surprise and said, "I didn't know your eyes were so sharp... Yes, the ground is filled with mercury. If I'm not mistaken, the King's Tripod of Chu is buried in the mercury. As long as the King's Tripod remains hidden, Qin will always suppress Chu..."

Before Gui Bu Gui could finish, Wu Mian suddenly thought of something and immediately interrupted him, saying, "You said this is a 'one swallows six' layout, meaning there are five more side altars like this one?"

"Hahaha, you're a quick learner," Gui Bu Gui chuckled. "The main altar of the National Altar is in the center, surrounded by six side altars. However, this array has been modified by Guang Ren, that little bastard. We'll have to walk around to see what changes he made."

Hearing Gui Bu Gui's answer, Wu Mian felt a headache coming on and said helplessly, "So where did Xu Fu leave his things? In which altar?"