"The outer formation has already broken along with the coffin lid. You go unmask her shortly; I’ll stand guard nearby. Then, shatter the middle formation."

"The middle formation? What is the middle formation?" Young Master Liu suddenly felt like he was being led deeper into a snare.

"It’s in the water. You’ll know soon enough," Old Man Ni replied somewhat dismissively.

"Can you possibly say everything at once? What exactly is it?" Young Master Liu was feeling a bit timid. What if he reached out only for a swarm of monsters to leap out and devour him? Who would he complain to? Pluto? Or the Grand Supreme Elder Lord?

"Do you really want to know?" Old Man Ni smiled for the first time. He suddenly found the kid rather endearing. And certainly quite afraid of death.

"Nonsense."

"I'll tell you. If nothing unexpected happens, what’s inside should be the 'Ran Yi Fish'!" Old Man Ni stated calmly.

"What?!" Young Master Liu's mouth fell open, speechless: "Ran... Ran Yi Fish?!" If it were anyone else, they truly wouldn't know what kind of fish this was, but Young Master Liu actually knew—it was a formidable creature. Moreover, this fearsome thing, just like the preceding Nine-Devouring Yin, originated from the Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shanhaijing). Ran Yi Fish: A fish with a serpent’s head, six legs, and eyes like ears. Eating it prevents sleep and can ward off misfortune. Though short, the description is quite complete: a fish, damn it, with a snake's head and six legs. Whether it's poisonous is unknown for now, but the mere thought of its appearance made his legs unwilling to move!

"What, scared?" Old Man Ni couldn't help chuckling. "Don't let the water inside this inner coffin fool you; it's calm on the surface. Those little things are all dormant in there. Once you remove the mask, they will awaken, one by one."

"Scared," Young Master Liu rubbed his nose.

"You unmask her then! I’ll watch your back and try to leave you an intact corpse."

"If I could, I would have done it long ago," Old Man Ni laughed coldly. "In this world, the only one left who knows how to use the Yuyang Thorn is probably me, and the only thing that can deal with the Ran Yi Fish is the Qunzhen's utterly fierce, treasure of opposite attributes: the Yuyang Thorn."

"You can use it?" Having said that, he tossed the small red thorn in his hand.

"Forget it, you keep it! Seriously, cover for me later; I might not be able to handle it. This place... feels ominous," Young Master Liu said, pointing to his chest.

"Stop playing coy with me. They might not know your capabilities, but I certainly do," Old Man Ni whispered into Young Master Liu's ear. "It's just that you’re too good at hiding; deeply hidden indeed!"

"Everyone else, fall back!" Uncle Diao understood immediately and waved his hand. The others retreated several steps further, as if facing a great enemy. Fan Debiao and Zhong Kui, along with the others, also moved away from the center of the tomb chamber. Only Old Man Ni and Young Master Liu remained around the golden coffin.

On the water's surface, the female corpse slowly drifted, like a jellyfish in the deep sea. The water below was tranquil, yet Young Master Liu could sense that countless terrifying eyes were currently waiting for him, watching him, scrutinizing his every move and thought.

"Take it off?" Young Master Liu drew out the word.

Old Man Ni nodded.

"Really taking it off?!" Young Master Liu's hand reached out but quickly retracted. After secretly mustering several measures of resolve, he extended his hand again. As his five fingers drew closer, his breathing nearly stopped. His gaze was fixed intently on the silver mask covering the skin as smooth and cold as jade, unable to look away for a long time. Everyone's hearts pounded faster in time with his movement.

"Plop..."

"Plop..."

Suddenly, Young Master Liu gritted his teeth, closed his eyes tightly, steeled his resolve, and yanked the silver mask. Instantly, the entire mask came off without resistance. Young Master Liu violently flung it far away, as if the mask were lined with teeth and capable of biting. With the mask gone, the woman in the inner coffin was suddenly revealed in full. What met the eyes was undoubtedly an extremely beautiful face: skin as white as snow, faintly showing a hint of rosy color. Below the high, delicate nose was a pair of moist lips, half-open, intensely alluring. If this were a living person instead of a corpse, Young Master Liu might have involuntarily leaned in to kiss those lips. Everyone was stunned by the exquisite beauty of the female corpse. Her face held an expression of serene peace, showing no trace of death, as if she were merely in deep sleep. However, after a moment, seeing that no danger had materialized, everyone let out a sigh of relief. Young Master Liu’s heart sank momentarily, but just as he was about to question Old Man Ni, the female corpse abruptly opened her eyes, a pair of almond eyes staring intently at him. Young Master Liu was horrified to the extreme and hastily shuffled closer to Old Man Ni, trying to evade the suffocating gaze. To his shock, the woman seemed to have come alive; her beautiful eyes appeared to track his movements. No matter where Young Master Liu shifted, her gaze followed, as if this young man was the only person she could see.

"Old Man Ni, what... what is going on?" Young Master Liu's eyes widened.

"Get down!" Before he could fully recover, Old Man Ni roared from behind, then grabbed the back of Young Master Liu's head and slammed it down hard.

In less than a second, the entire inner coffin transformed. Countless bubbles, large and small, surged upward, connecting to form vertical columns of liquid that sent ripples across the water’s surface. These ripples grew larger and more unstable. The very instant Old Man Ni pressed his head down, a dark shadow shot up from the spot where he had been standing, snapping audibly as it missed in mid-air. It tumbled twice before reluctantly leaping back into the water, causing a huge splash. Immediately following it, countless other dark shadows writhed, leaping out, plunging down, leaping out, plunging down, like carp attempting to jump the Dragon Gate.

While the excitement raged there, the tomb robbers on the side had already exploded into chaos. They exchanged nervous glances, raising their rifles, eager to fire, but they couldn't get Uncle Diao's order. Uncle Diao, meanwhile, snatched a repeater rifle, a pipe clenched in his teeth, watching the scene with a smile.

"Good, it really is the Ran Yi Fish! I never thought in my lifetime I'd see such a mythical, strange creature." After speaking, he took a puff of his cigarette and returned to being an observer.

"Uncle Diao, should we charge in together? Little Fourth's pack still has some explosives. If things go south, we might as well risk it all..." Zhong Kui suggested quietly.

"No need, no need..." Uncle Diao shook his head. "Guns can't deal with this thing. Don't doubt me, or you'll suffer the consequences, and no one will avenge you. Besides, those two can handle it completely; us going over would just be causing trouble. Explosives? Heh, what an idea you have, you scoundrel. In such a cramped space, surrounded by loose rock and sand, do you intend to bury us all alive?"

"Uncle Diao, I..." Zhong Kui blushed, somewhat embarrassed.

"Let's watch the show!" With that statement, Uncle Diao fell silent, as if entering a deep meditative state.

"Hey, you've attracted trouble, now what are we supposed to do!" Young Master Liu finally sobered up, looking at the gleeful fish-shaped creatures above his head, asking anxiously.

"Can you draw talismans?" Old Man Ni didn't even look at him, merely gripping the Yuyang Thorn tightly, crouching low in a defensive posture.

"Yes, of course, I can." Young Master Liu couldn't understand why the man would ask such a question at this critical juncture.

"In the southeast, southwest, south-south, and north-south corners, draw four 'Zhurong Guiding Heart Talismans.' Set the core formation on this inner coffin. Can you manage that?"

"Wait a moment," Young Master Liu frowned. "I've never heard of a 'Zhurong Guiding Heart Talisman.' What is that?"

"It's from the Quanzhen Sect!"

Young Master Liu almost choked on the words. Asking a disciple of the Orthodox Unity Heavenly Master Dao to draw a talisman from the Quanzhen Sect? Did he think the man was a straight-A student proficient in everything?

"You think I know how?" Young Master Liu asked back with a wry smile.

"I hadn't considered that," Old Man Ni knitted his brow. "Then, does your Orthodox Unity Dao have any spell to invoke fire?"

"Never mind," Young Master Liu slapped his hand. "I thought it was some advanced technique. It's just lighting a fire, right? I'll give you four massive blazes, infernos!" Saying that, he greeted Old Man Ni, fished some items out of his pocket, and got busy on his own. Meanwhile, the water inside the inner coffin was strangely rising, the water level slowly climbing until, in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, it overflowed the edges of the coffin.

It seemed these newly awakened little creatures were becoming increasingly audacious.