Everyone answered in affirmation and slowly peered out from behind the rocks. Not far ahead were the swarm of blood bats and the three Zhenhai Monkeys. The number of blood bats was terrifyingly large, swirling densely in the air ahead, resembling a scene from some horror film. The three Zhenhai Monkeys were using their jackets to constantly ward off the charging blood bats. The one named Xiao Tao was holding a bundle of ** ready to ignite should they be overwhelmed. Piled on the ground were numerous corpses of blood bats mixed with bloodstains, clearly the result of the two earlier explosions.

Ge Mei felt a wave of dread seeing the sheer multitude of blood bats ahead. Insects and vermin were typically feared by most girls, and since bats were a type of rodent, Ge Mei was naturally very unnerved by the sight.

Lu Zong sidled up to Ma Xiong and inquired, "Old Yi, are we charging now?"

Ma Xiong replied, "Wait. These bats are extremely dangerous; once you're entangled, it's incredibly hard to break free. We must pick the right moment!"

Liu Quansheng nodded in agreement. "Exactly. We have to succeed in one fell swoop this time, or if we get tangled up by the blood bats, we’ll be trapped on the spot like those three, unable to escape."

Ma Xiong said no more, instead silently observing the bat swarm ahead. After a moment, Ma Xiong noticed a large contingent of bats suddenly dive downwards, seemingly launching a full assault on the three Zhenhai Monkeys. At that instant, a gap opened up on one side of the bat cluster.

Without a second thought, Ma Xiong yelled out, "Charge!"

At the command, everyone pushed off their legs and sprinted toward the opening. Soon, we breached the gap.

Although it was an opening, many blood bats were still flitting around us. As soon as these blood bats spotted the four of us, they immediately rushed toward us. None of us dared to pay them any mind; everyone kept their heads down, refusing to let their legs slow their pace even slightly.

As for the three Zhenhai Monkeys, they were already completely encircled by the swarm of blood bats, making it impossible for them to see the four of us running past them.

Lu Zong pulled his jacket over his head, muttering as he ran, "Monkeys, we’re borrowing your luck to slip away first, Zhang Laosan! Take care of yourselves. If we make it out, I’ll treat you all to roasted bat sometime..."

Ma Xiong mimicked Lu Zong, pulling his jacket over his head, and whispered to him, "Keep your voice down. Don't let those others know we’re here and attract unnecessary trouble. When two groups are in the same ancient tomb, you should know what kind of conflict can arise."

Lu Zong scoffed, "What's there to fear? We have more people!"

Ma Xiong gestured toward Ge Mei running beside them. "I’m not afraid of them, of course. But don't forget we have Ge Mei with us. Fights among tomb raiders in ancient crypts are brutal; if Ge Mei gets into danger, we might not be able to look after her."

Lu Zong laughed and cursed him playfully, "You always think about that girl. You won't admit you like her."

Just as Ma Xiong was about to reply, a deafening boom echoed from behind them. As we were running, the sudden explosion made the group hesitate. Seeing this, Ma Xiong hurriedly urged everyone to keep running, thinking to himself: It seems those three tossed another bomb. Just how ferocious must these blood bats be to force them to use explosives even at the risk of collapsing the grotto?

We ran for a stretch, then rounded a bend in the passage. The sound of the blood bats was gone from our ears by this point. Seeing that we had escaped the swarm, Ma Xiong finally switched his flashlight back on.

Everyone stopped and gathered together again.

Ma Xiong asked the group, "Is everyone alright?"

The others confirmed they were fine. Just as Ma Xiong was about to say something else, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching from the corner they had just turned. He immediately switched off his flashlight and whispered to the group, "Someone’s coming. Hide well!"

Just as everyone scrambled behind a large rock, two beams of light appeared around the bend, followed by the sound of footsteps arriving at the corner.

"Xiao Tao, did you intentionally blow up Shark?"

"Old Meng, you have to understand, if no blood isn't shed, none of us can shake off those blood bats!"

After Xiao Tao said this, Old Meng fell silent. Ma Xiong, hiding behind the rock, heard their exchange and shook his head. Situations like Meng Xiong’s were common in the tomb raiding world; it was just like when Kong Que used a similar tactic to hold back the giant snake in the passage before the Ghost Palace.

While he was thinking, he heard Meng Xiong say from outside, "This place feels dead and stagnant; it’s likely connected to the Black Dragon Trapped Corpse formation. You and I need to be even more careful."

Xiao Tao replied, "Of course. With your skills, Old Meng, plus