The dark night, where one couldn't see their hand in front of their face.
Although the grave robber's tunnel was bumpy, walking wasn't too difficult.
Lin Shan walked unevenly for about a hundred steps, suddenly feeling the surroundings turn eerie, with cold wind whistling through, and the path underfoot becoming much smoother.
He knew this was leaving the grave robber's tunnel and entering the tomb passage.
His steps gradually slowed. A tomb passage was naturally different from a grave robber's tunnel; the danger level was significantly higher.
After all, the grave robber's tunnel was dug by grave robbers, but the tomb passage was left by the tomb builders. There might be various mechanisms, and these things were definitely impossible to guard against.
None of the three groups who went in before came out. God knows if they died by zombies or under mechanisms.
He, Lin Shan, was not like Wu Yuanwai's five subordinates. As the saying goes, everyone has their specialty. Those people robbed tombs every day, so they naturally had experience dealing with mechanisms.
Thinking of this, Lin Shan felt a bit regretful. He should have known to trick those five talented individuals into exploring the tomb with him.
'However, I still have Brother Chicken little.'
Lin Shan patted the cage at his waist.
Brother Chicken little: "Cluck cluck cluck?"
...
After walking about two hundred steps, Lin Shan used the weak light of the tinder to see a pile of bodies lying haphazardly ahead and immediately stopped cautiously.
To see more clearly, he moved forward carefully step by step, finally seeing that the bodies were almost all pierced by arrows, and basically all of them were already rotten and stinking.
Lin Shan observed cautiously for a while but couldn't tell what clothes the deceased wore in life or what force they belonged to, as there were bloodstains on the walls and ground of the tomb passage.
Lin Shan took down the cage, opened the wire door, and took out the rooster that was trembling from the eerie wind in the tomb passage.
He slowly tied a rope to the rooster's leg, untied it, and seeing it was uncomfortable holding its breath, he also removed the cloth strip from its mouth.
The rooster was also very sensible at this time, neither crowing nor running around. It seemed very reluctant to gain freedom and instead leaned against Lin Shan, refusing to leave.
"Whoosh whoosh~"
Chilling cold wind blew in gusts, looking at the eerie and dark tomb passage ahead, like an endless abyss, ready to devour people.
"Go, there's the sorghum rice you love most ahead."
Lin Shan spoke kindly.
Brother Chicken little was unmoved.
"Go, there are young hens waiting for you ahead!"
Brother Chicken little leaned even closer to him instead.
"Bang!"
Lin Shan kicked out.
Only a pile of chicken feathers was left on the spot.
Brother Chicken little was exploring the path ahead sadly.
...
The rope was released longer and longer, and Lin Shan could feel the rooster still walking further in.
"Could it be that the arrows in these people weren't from a mechanism? Was I wrong?"
Just as he couldn't help but doubt, the rooster ahead suddenly crowed "Cluck cluck cluck!" At the same time, the hair-raising sound of "whoosh whoosh whoosh" was endless!
Lin Shan quickly ducked his head. Using the light of the tinder, he vaguely saw arrows like flying locusts ahead, like a storm, densely packed, and a black figure jumping around within them.
After three breaths, the tomb passage became quiet again.
...
Lin Shan's back was covered in cold sweat. If it had been him, he would probably have been shot into a sieve.
After a moment of lingering fear, he sighed inwardly that things were bad. The mechanism was tested, but what about the road ahead?
Nothing left.
Before he finished thinking, the rope in his hand suddenly moved, and a black figure ahead hopped towards him.
"Cluck cluck cluck!"
Lin Shan: "..."
It didn't die?
Lin Shan held the tinder further forward. It really was the same rooster from before! What was different from usual was that its body was almost completely bald, looking exceptionally miserable.
Lin Shan was thrilled and once again urged the rooster to explore the way.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
"Cluck cluck cluck!"
As expected, right where they were before, the arrow rain arrived as promised, and the noisy chicken cries were endless.
It was no different from the first time. After Brother Chicken little's performance, he was still alive and well!
As expected of Brother Chicken little! Lin Shan secretly gave a thumbs-up!
After trying a few more times, the mechanism no longer triggered. It was highly likely that the arrow rain was exhausted.
Just like this, a chicken leading a person slowly advanced in the eerie tomb passage.
...
"Whoosh whoosh~"
The deeper they went into the tomb, the colder the eerie wind blowing from inside became. Lin Shan shivered, holding the rope, and goosebumps kept appearing all over his body.
In the places they passed next, they found two more sets of bodies left by previous explorers. It seemed there were ordinary people who froze to death, and also Martial Artists who were scratched and bitten to death.
Lin Shan examined with a solemn expression, finding that some bodies even had their intestines pulled out.
The scene was extremely brutal!
It was likely that the people here died at the hands of ancient corpses.
Seeing their death postures, with heads facing outwards and feet inwards, Lin Shan couldn't help but secretly guess that this group must have entered deeper, were chased out by the ancient corpses inside, and died on the way back while fleeing.
All the items left on their bodies had grown mold and mildew, looking a sickening green that made people feel uneasy, fearing they carried corpse poison.
At this point, Lin Shan already had an answer in his heart, telling himself he couldn't go any further. The threat of ancient corpses was already close at hand!
But he had walked so far along the way and still hadn't found the antique he suspected of possessing Ancient rhyme. If he returned now, this trip would be completely fruitless.
This matter made him feel slightly unwilling!
And another voice began to argue back. Now that he had entered the tomb passage, taking out some items from the deceased could prove that he had explored the Ancient Tomb. When he returned to Nightingale, it would count as completing the mission, and he was still young, with plenty of time and infinite possibilities.
There was no need to seek death!
For a time, in the cold and eerie tomb passage, Lin Shan was alone, caught in an internal struggle.
He stumbled forward for a while, feeling somewhat lightheaded and heavy-footed in a daze.
Lin Shan almost fell headfirst, only then realizing that the eerie wind here was bone-chilling. He truly didn't know how those grave robbers managed to get in and out back then.
Gritting his teeth, enduring the intermittent pain like being pricked by needles all over his body, Lin Shan took out two more tinders from his Arms and lit them. Although they couldn't resist the cold, the dim firelight still gave him some comfort.
Unknowingly, he didn't know where the rope in his hand had gone. As for the rooster, Lin Shan could only hope it would fend for itself.
The further the tomb passage went, the wider it became. The surroundings were even covered with black moss, which felt fuzzy and damp to the touch. There were no more bodies or bloodstains on the ground, only a few scattered footprints.
In the silent and eerie tunnel, endless darkness seemed to be the main theme. He had no idea where it led, how far it was, everything ahead was unknown, as if he was gambling with his life, just like the weak firelight flickering in the cave wind.
Flickering erratically, strangely mournful.
Perhaps danger was in the next moment, perhaps this passage had no end.
Finally, after wandering for an unknown amount of time, at a corner, Lin Shan, relying on the faint light of the tinder, saw a figure sitting against the wall.
This person's face was blurry. To be precise, they had been dead for over a month. In their hand, they held a broken sword, the front half of the broken sword was stuck in their chest, and on their side, there was a huge claw print that was green to black.
Lin Shan silently checked, and in his heart, he could already confirm that the person who died here was very likely the first-rate expert among the three groups.
After being discovered by the ancient corpse, this person immediately held their sword to defend, but their weapon was directly broken, and they died tragically under the claw. The others fled back the way they came but still couldn't escape.
And the other end of this corner was very likely the ancient corpse's burial place!
And the antiques that Wu Yuanwai's five subordinates dropped back then could only be inside, after all, Lin Shan had already walked through the path behind them one by one.
So. Go in, or not?
Having reached this point, Lin Shan became resolute instead, even gaining a belief of breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats.
Human nature is like this. When you have a way out, you will definitely hesitate. When you see a glimmer of hope, you will instead burst with fighting spirit in adversity!
The bold get stuffed, the timid starve!
Lin Shan tightened his clothes, slowly drew out his ring-pommel saber, took out the gourd of black dog blood from his bag, and placed it at the most convenient position on his waist.
"The purpose of this trip is the antiques dropped by those five grave robbers after seeing the ancient corpse. I will absolutely not cause extra trouble, absolutely not go any further. Once I get the antiques, I will stop while I'm ahead and immediately retreat and return the way I came."
Lin Shan secretly warned himself, and at the same time, considering the possibility of an accident, he mentally prepared a contingency plan in advance.
"It's better to be prepared for the worst than to be caught off guard."
"If the worst happens and I am discovered by the ancient corpse..."
"As long as I instantly find an antique with Ancient rhyme, use the enhancement panel to enhance the saber in my hand into a divine weapon, and then use the black dog blood to gain the initiative, there might not be no chance. If there is enough Ancient rhyme, the ring-pommel saber could even level up twice..."
Lin Shan continuously conceived each step of the strategy and details in his mind, carefully verifying the possibility of his guesses. After going through it in his mind and feeling it was alright, he moved step by step along the wall, slowly approaching the corner.
Just as he was about to move...
"Rumble!"
Suddenly, a muffled thunderclap sounded out of nowhere. At the corner ahead, a wave of air suddenly struck!
"Bang!"
Before Lin Shan could react, his chest felt like it was hit by a heavy object, and his whole body was sent flying to the ground. Before he could figure out what was happening, the entire wall in front of the tomb passage shattered!
An underground square the size of a basketball court appeared before his eyes.
Stone pillars stood in the square, and on each pillar, eerie ghost fires burned, making the entire square appear ghostly and chilling.
But at this moment, the ghost fires swayed and dodged under wave after wave of air currents, yet they burned resiliently whenever they were about to extinguish.
The center of the square was now filled with dust, making it impossible to see what was happening inside, but the deafening thunder continued, and roars came from time to time.
"Cough cough cough"
Lin Shan lay on the ground with a blank expression, coughing up blood heavily. His whole body was cold and aching. The surrounding smoke and dust carried the musty smell of the Ancient Tomb from thousands of years, making him feel like he was suffocating.
One second he was still contemplating how to face the ancient corpse, the next second he encountered the aftermath of an unknown fight and was knocked to the ground, unable to get up.
"Roar!"
At this moment, a furious roar suddenly came from the center of the square. Then, after a dense series of thunderclaps, a charred body, only half remaining, was sent flying from the center of the square to beside Lin Shan.
Lin Shan turned his head to look. The body was completely black, emitting faint green smoke. Its terrifying features, sharp and long fangs, palm-sized hands, and long sharp claws...
...all indicated its identity.
"Ancient corpse!"
Before Lin Shan could finish being shocked, an earth-shattering roar came, shaking the entire underground square above, causing plaster to fall "pupu".
"Remnants of the Black Lotus Sect! Today, bow your heads and accept your execution!"