The shock hit everyone when Fan DeBiao spoke, their eyes darting from face to face. Da Guo Guo and Cai Qing Chong’s expressions hardened instantly; they rushed to the sarcophagus, and both let out a unified curse: “Damn it!”

Young Master Liu inwardly wondered what strange thing could have escaped now to elicit such a reaction from Da Guo Guo. He immediately left Fan DeBiao and hurried to the front of the coffin. Inside, he saw a continuously spinning stone staircase. It appeared the central pillar was hollow. The pillar wasn't very wide, meaning the staircase could only accommodate one person at a time. Because the flashlight had been on for too long, its battery was low, and the beam couldn't reach the bottom of the stairs. This must be the secret chamber Fan DeBiao mentioned! Perhaps he’d been startled earlier and his eyes had played tricks on him.

Da Guo Guo growled in frustration, “Damn it all, what the hell is Zhang Jiao playing at? Setting up all these contraptions. Today, I’m going all in; pack your gear, we’re going down.” It seemed Da Guo Guo was finally serious. After all, being toyed with by mechanisms like this could anger even a clay Buddha.

Just as everyone was preparing to descend, a small stone suddenly dropped from above, striking Fan DeBiao squarely on the head. Fan DeBiao cursed his mother, looked up, and roared, “Bad news, scatter!”

Young Master Liu looked up and saw a dark shadow hanging from the stone ceiling above. Someone shone a flashlight beam upward, and only then did Young Master Liu clearly see it: Ying Long was clinging precariously to the rock face. That stone had fallen because Ying Long’s body had swayed.

Suddenly, Da Guo Guo yelled, “Everyone move apart quickly!”

Young Master Liu looked up upon hearing the shout and watched a massive black shadow fall—it was Ying Long!

Just as it seemed poised to smash onto the stone slab, it was deflected by something, tumbling to the side. Only its head remained hooked on the edge of the slab. Since the head had been badly mangled when previously disturbed, it now looked truly terrifying.

The slab was fixed incredibly firmly; even with Ying Long’s massive size, it hadn't overturned the slab. It was sheer luck that no one was harmed.

Just as they breathed a sigh of relief, Cai Qing Chong suddenly cried out in alarm. Young Master Liu turned back to see white insects slowly crawling out from the terrifying, gaping maw of Ying Long’s head. Liu thought, That’s it, it’s clearly the Chi!

Seeing the Chi emerging, Fan DeBiao bellowed, “Quick, everyone jump into the water!” With that, he prepared to leap, but after making the diving motion at the edge of the slab, he instantly recoiled in fear, landing hard on the stone. Clutching his chest, he gasped, “Holy crap! Down there… there’s that son-of-a-bitch… red-shelled beetle.”

Hearing Fan DeBiao, Young Master Liu looked into the water. Vast swarms of Zhi Bìng were already amassed below, tinting the entire pool crimson. A chill ran through his entire body. Damn it, what you fear most is what comes true.

Young Master Liu said, “We have nowhere to go up and no way down. What should we do?”

Cai Qing Chong frowned. “You all go down to the stone steps first; I’ll hold them off for a bit.”

Da Guo Guo waved his hand. “Brother Liu, Brother Fan, Brother Su, Jackson, you go down. The Bug and I will cover the rear.”

The Chi slowly advanced toward them, and the Zhi Bìng leaped from the water onto the stone pillar, slowing their pace. It seemed they knew the group was trapped, so they deliberately slowed down. This situation was far more dreadful than a fierce attack. A violent assault, even in death, offers a kind of clean release. This slow advance was less an attack and more a form of torture. Did these insects possess twisted, thinking minds?

Young Master Liu glanced back. Jackson was huddled next to the sarcophagus, trembling violently, constantly making the sign of the cross over his chest with his right hand. It seemed Jackson was indeed a devout follower of Jesus. However, his pale face suggested he had witnessed the brutal end of one of their companions by the Zhi Bìng, leaving a deep scar.

Fan DeBiao stood ready with his double-barreled pistol, his legs shaking at high frequency. He couldn't decide whether to fire or not.

Da Guo Guo commanded everyone to retreat to the secret chamber. Young Master Liu initially wanted to refuse, eager to stay and help. But he realized this was no time for discussion. Since Da Guo Guo had given the order, he must have his reasons. Perhaps their remaining would only make Da Guo Guo and the others hesitate.

He nodded to Da Guo Guo, then turned to Fan DeBiao and the others. “Let’s go, you first.”

With that, Young Master Liu grabbed his flashlight, tucked his dagger into the most accessible spot, hastily scooped up a handful of items from his pocket without looking, and jumped into the sarcophagus.

Although the stone steps weren't wide enough for two, they were quite manageable for one person. Soon, a faint sarcophagus appeared ahead.

Young Master Liu stopped. The coffin was not far from the end of the steps, seemingly right at the terminus. He felt puzzled. Didn’t Fan DeBiao say this led to a secret chamber? Why was there only one coffin here? This place didn’t resemble a secret chamber at all, at least not in terms of size.

He turned back. Fan DeBiao, Su You Gui, and Jackson were slowly making their way down. Liu wondered why Fan DeBiao, usually so quick when fleeing for his life, and Jackson, despite being a bit dense, were moving so sluggishly.

What truly worried Young Master Liu were Da Guo Guo and the others back on the slab. Though battle-hardened experts combined, Liu had personally experienced the power of the Chi and the Zhi Bìng. Even if one could squeeze into a crack in the wall, those insects could dig them out.

Thinking of this, Young Master Liu felt a strong urge to rush back and help Da Guo Guo. But he was alone; rushing out would likely mean his end before he could even exchange a single blow with those bugs.

Young Master Liu turned back to the coffin below. Since these insects were created by Zhang Jiao, he must have some artifact to deal with them. The only thing he could do now was rush down, pry open the coffin, retrieve the artifact, and go back up to save Da Guo Guo and the others.

Just as Liu stood up, ready to descend, he suddenly felt something was wrong. He thought, Damn it! I didn't bring a black donkey hoof! If he managed to open the coffin and a giant zombie jumped out, with his inexperience and average skills, the outcome would be more tragic than being ravaged by the Chi and Zhi Bìng.

He instinctively raised a hand to scratch his head, but before his fingers touched his scalp, they knocked against a hard object. The sharp pain made him suck in a breath. He lifted his hand to look—a massive black donkey hoof was clutched in his grasp. Only then did he remember the items he’d randomly grabbed from his pocket: it turned out to be a black donkey hoof.

This was a heaven-sent opportunity! Young Master Liu was overjoyed. He was definitely going to open Old Man Zhang Jiao’s coffin now. With this thought, Young Master Liu gripped the black donkey hoof in his left hand, held the flashlight steady in his right, puffed out his chest, and charged downward.

But the moment he exerted himself, his body suddenly felt weak, and leaning against the wall, he found it difficult to breathe smoothly. What the hell, isn't this oxygen deprivation? Did he get so excited that he ran out of air? Was there really something wrong with his body?

Someone nudged him then. Young Master Liu looked up to see Fan DeBiao and Jackson.

Fan DeBiao said, “Big Shot, oxygen starved, huh? This coffin has been sealed for ages; the air hasn't even circulated enough yet. And you rush in like you’re eager to bite the bullet—first in line, first to get hit!”

Hearing Fan DeBiao explain that the lightheadedness was due to the thin oxygen and not a physical ailment, Young Master Liu was secretly delighted, though he couldn't help but curse back, “So you two were moving so slowly up there waiting for the oxygen levels to stabilize? Damn it, why didn’t you tell me?”

Fan DeBiao replied, “You can’t blame me for that, Big Shot.” He pointed to his own pocket. “Look, you were so clumsy just now, you spilled the mercury from the bag, ruining the whole thing. Plus, these stone steps are damn hard to walk on. Brother You Gui, the foreign kid, and I put in a lot of effort to get this far. Only when we saw your state did we realize there wasn't enough oxygen here.”

Young Master Liu sat down, took a deep breath, and looked up. “It’s fine. We’ll wait here for the air to clear before going down. I’m just worried Da Guo Guo and the others can’t wait.”

Fan DeBiao scoffed. “Stop worrying about them. They definitely have trump cards they haven’t used yet. Those two strange spirits have been fighting half their lives and haven’t lost a limb yet.”

Young Master Liu suddenly remembered the secret chamber and asked Fan DeBiao, “Fan DeBiao, didn't you see a secret chamber down here just now? Why is there only one coffin here now?”

Hearing this, Fan DeBiao stretched his neck to peer down the stone steps, his face blank. “Damn it, a phantom barrier! This time it’s a straight-up phantom barrier! I clearly saw a tomb chamber with a coffin in it just now, and now there’s only one coffin left.”

Young Master Liu felt a bit dejected hearing the term "phantom barrier." Besides, Fan DeBiao wasn't entirely reliable; maybe his eyes had truly deceived him. So, Liu said to Fan DeBiao, “What phantom barrier? I didn't see a tomb chamber when I looked. Maybe you were seeing things.”

Fan DeBiao countered, “Didn’t Da Guo Guo look too? Didn’t he curse? What he saw back then was definitely a tomb chamber.”

Young Master Liu froze upon hearing this. Recalling the scene, it was indeed true. One person misjudging is possible, but four people misjudging defies logic. Had they really encountered a phantom barrier?