Without a moment to spare, Elder Qian carefully used the small shovel in his hand to clear away the large section of wall before him. Next, he brightened the lamp he held and began to inspect the surrounding masonry.

This inspection immediately revealed a problem to Elder Qian—around every single brick, the mortar joints were sealed impeccably tight, clearly made with yellow sugar mixed with fine sand. This implied the presence of toxic sand or poisonous water within, possibly between every brick. If that were the case, this brick wall was absolutely not to be disturbed, because even after thousands of years of burial, the toxic water or sand, deprived of ventilation, would guarantee instant death upon release!

What was to be done?

Elder Qian worried inwardly.

Did he have to enter first, at the bottom, and tunnel through the base of the wall to reach the interior of the ancient tomb? However, this would likely require digging a very deep vertical shaft, as the structure of any ancient tomb wall extends deeply downward. Thus, after breaching the wall, they would still have to dig upward a significant distance to reach the tomb chamber, making the workload substantial.

Elder Qian instinctively looked up at the moon, only to find it was already past three in the morning, with less than three hours until dawn. Did they still have enough time to enter the tomb tonight?

Elder Qian hesitated, unsure whether to continue the operation tonight or wait until the following evening.

Finally, Elder Qian gritted his teeth and resolved to complete the action tonight no matter what. According to the plan he had formulated in his mind, as long as they were not greedy and did not venture too deep into the tomb, they could rescue Zong Lu, who was trapped inside, in very little time.

Elder Qian reached for the shovel and resumed digging. Ge Mei, hearing the activity above the shaft, lowered the hanging basket again. In the end, the wall was not as deep as Elder Qian had imagined. After digging for nearly another hour, he finally broke through to the base of the wall. When he switched places with Li Agui and bored another shaft just wide enough for one person beneath the wall, he was pleasantly surprised to find the foundation wasn't very deep. He jabbed upward a few times with the shovel and punctured the floor of the ancient tomb interior. The moment a stench of decay hit Elder Qian's nostrils, he immediately threw down the shovel, scrambled backward, and pulled the rope. This was the signal; Ge Mei above felt the tightening rope and quickly hauled Li Yingdong up.

"Quick! Run!"

As soon as he climbed out, Elder Qian yelled at the group, scrambling desperately in one direction himself.

Ma Xiong had been jumpy all night; hearing this, his mind didn't even process the command, and he bolted madly down the mountain. Ge Mei hesitated for a moment, then followed Hu Dawei. Ge Mei hadn't really thought about anything else; upon hearing Elder Qian's shout, he instantly assumed the Zongzi had come back to life. The ensuing frantic escape was beyond description.

In reality, Elder Qian meant that the gases trapped inside the tomb for millennia were lethally toxic, potentially fatal upon inhalation. That was why, the instant he broke through, he scrambled out immediately to avoid being suffocated. To ensure the safety of the others, he had shouted for them to clear the entrance, but he failed to explain why, resulting in everyone being terrified and fleeing. Only when he realized something was wrong did he shout for them to return. Fortunately, they hadn't run too far and could still hear his calls.

"How can you all be so timid!" When Hu Dawei and the others returned and gathered around him, Li Yingdong roared in annoyance.

The group was still shaken, but upon realizing there was no great danger, they all let out a sigh of relief. Elder Qian didn't press the issue further. Seeing that the time was still early, the plan could proceed on schedule. He gathered everyone and, while waiting for the tomb's residual gases to dissipate, carefully mapped out every step for entering the ancient tomb. According to the plan, all three of them had to enter the tomb; if even one person was missing, they would either fail to enter successfully or only go in without coming out.

Elder Qian had made his instructions to the two men extremely clear: they must strictly follow the method he outlined, or he guaranteed they would never return.

However, even as Elder Qian detailed how they should enter the tomb, he concealed the single most perilous step—a step that, according to what he had heard from others, would be the absolute key to safe entry and exit. But this crucial step was not something an ordinary person could accomplish.

The time was almost right.

Elder Qian checked the moon's position and calculated that the gas inside the tomb should have mostly dispersed. Yet, he knew perfectly well that completely clearing the tomb's residual fumes was fundamentally impossible. With such a small ventilation shaft, air exchange was severely limited; just diluting the air would be considered a success. But Elder Qian was completely unconcerned, for he had come prepared. Before entering the tomb, he required everyone to wear a gas mask. These masks were acquired through Ma Xiong’s sheer willpower; Ma Xiong claimed they were foreign imports, guaranteed one hundred percent effective. Furthermore, Elder Qian had prepared a candle and a bundle of thick hemp rope several tens of meters long. The candle was obviously meant to be lit once inside the tomb, but no one, not even Ge Mei, knew what the rope was for.

"Once you go in, you must obey my commands completely!"

Before entering the shaft, Elder Qian reiterated his warning.

Ge Mei and Ma Xiong nodded repeatedly. Seeing this, Elder Qian said nothing more.

The three of them entered the man-high subterranean passage—it was hard to imagine this chamber had been constructed by ancient people thousands of years ago.

At this moment, Zhi Xiong appeared extremely tense. Large beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, trailing down the tightly sealed gas mask. His heavy breathing echoed through the mask, and both his eyes were bloodshot from nervousness.

Of course, he wasn't the only one; all three entering the tomb were in a similar state. Even Elder Qian, the most composed, was not faring much better.

The tomb interior was silent, pitch black all around. The light from Li Yingdong's headlamp didn't even fully illuminate the area immediately in front of him—

Legend held that inside a tomb chamber, only candles or torches could produce a more penetrating light! Natural flames, such as those from candles or torches, though they could affect the cornea and impair vision, were considered the best defense against all forms of dark power!

Ma Xiong fumbled, slinging the rope over his shoulder, then pulled out his lighter, clicking it repeatedly, trying to ignite the candle held in his other hand. However, the lighter was soaked with his sweat and refused to spark. Just as Ma Xiong was about to break down mentally, click, the flame finally caught.

He immediately extended his other hand and lit one of the candles.

By this time, his entire body was almost drenched in sweat, and the other two men squatting or lying precariously in the shaft beneath him breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Come up!"

Ma Xiong signaled the others in a trembling voice. Simultaneously, he noticed that the surroundings had indeed become significantly brighter.

Elder Qian, Ma Xiong, and Ge Mei all scrambled up out of the shaft one by one. Upon entering the tomb, every one of them, without exception, scanned their surroundings with their eyes, examining this place created by ancient people millennia ago—the place most steeped in mystery in countless imaginations.

The candlelight could not illuminate the entire space they occupied; they could only see a small area immediately around them.

Based on the blueprint, Elder Qian knew this chamber wasn't very tall, but he found the candlelight couldn't reach the ceiling, nor could it illuminate the floor or the surrounding walls. It felt as if they were suspended in mid-air, standing on a real yet intangible surface. Every one of them felt enveloped by an immensely vast space, empty and dark in all directions—A hallucination, it must be a hallucination! When they were inside the narrow shaft just moments ago, it seemed so small; how could it be so huge now? It had to be an illusion.

Ma Xiong immediately used his lit candle to ignite the other candles that the other three held ready—this was a very important step in the plan!

All the candles flared to life.

At that moment, the group could discern the floor, but it was dark and murky, making it impossible to tell what it was made of—earth, they presumed, it could only be earth.

Hoo!

Hoo!

Amidst all the sounds, the only audible thing was their own breathing echoing through their gas masks.

"Now..."

Elder Qian finally spoke.

"Ge Mei stays here, not moving an inch..."

As he spoke, Elder Qian took the rope off his shoulder and untied one end, binding it around Ge Mei’s waist. Ge Mei flinched but offered no resistance; he did exactly as Elder Qian instructed.

"No matter what..."

Elder Qian continued, "You must stay right here and not move—do not move for any reason!"

Ge Mei nodded frantically; he knew a little about Elder Qian's plan, and he was part of the inescapable connection—he had agreed to obey Elder Qian completely in exchange for being allowed to come.

But Elder Qian's requirement didn't end there—he pulled several pieces of black cloth from his pocket and handed one to each person. As the others stood puzzled as to why, Elder Qian spoke, addressing Ge Mei: "Cover your eyes."

Everyone gasped! Ge Mei was even more stunned—he knew parts of the plan, but nothing about having his eyes covered!

"Cover your eyes!"

Elder Qian repeated the order. They couldn't see his expression, only the faint glow from the headlamp on his helmet. But no one, not even Ma Xiong, could believe Elder Qian was demanding this of Ge Mei, and since everyone held a black cloth now, did this mean everyone would have to blindfold themselves next?

"We are already inside. If you do not follow my instructions, I guarantee none of you will get out!"

Elder Qian was forced to continue, his tone bordering on desperate madness.

The sound of breathing through the gas masks grew heavier among the group.

Ge Mei gritted his teeth, unfolded the black cloth, and secured it over his eyes. Instantly, he was plunged into total darkness. Yet, this was not Elder Qian's final demand.