As the assembled skeleton legion arrived within five meters of Zhong Shenxiu, they abruptly froze, their movement stopping with such sudden synchronicity it was as if they had pre-arranged it.

This in itself was surprising, but what followed was even more astonishing.

The skeletons began systematically stacking their equipment into separate piles on the ground, each piece categorized, before respectfully stepping aside.

How could this be?

Even Charlotte and the others were stunned into silence; this turn of events was utterly beyond their expectations!

"Nizi, collect all this gear," Zhong Shenxiu commanded abruptly, immediately following the instruction with a meaningful glance toward Robin.

Thus, Cannon began gathering the discarded equipment, while Robin efficiently stowed the entire skeleton army into storage bracelets.

Zhong Shenxiu appeared outwardly calm, but inwardly, he was ecstatic. His joy wasn't over the loot, but the tens of thousands of skeletons—free labor, every single one!

Watching Kaini and Robin busy themselves, Charlotte and the others finally snapped out of their shock. They had finally pieced together what had happened: it must have been the effect of that black orb from earlier. It had to be!

Charlotte had already suspected that Zhong Shenxiu was not one to act without purpose; how could those black orbs have had no effect? It turned out they were simply taking time to manifest! No, perhaps they had been working from the moment they were thrown, only the surface effects had masked their true impact!

The current situation was another sharp reminder to Charlotte and the others of the gulf between them and Zhong Shenxiu. They had just fought themselves to exhaustion, battling ferociously to defeat the first wave of skeletons, yet Zhong Shenxiu had merely tossed a small sphere, causing this entire army to submit without a single blow exchanged. The disparity in power was glaringly obvious!

Once Kaini and Robin had finished their tasks, Zhong Shenxiu directed the mercenaries to collect the equipment scattered on the floor. It took the mercenaries several arduous hours to finally complete the chore.

After Kaini had safely stored the collected gear, Zhong Shenxiu performed another feat that made everyone gasp!

Without any visible warning, he unleashed another dark magic spell. Under the astonished eyes of the group, the shattered remains of the skeletons on the ground began to reassemble themselves, instantly reforming into new skeleton warriors!

That was even possible?

The mercenaries stared, rubbing their eyes furiously, convinced that exhaustion was causing them to hallucinate!

Zhong Shenxiu's dark magic managed to restore the vast majority of the skeleton warriors, though it had no effect on those reduced to dust. Even so, the skeletons standing before them still numbered nearly ten thousand.

Scattered on the floor, they were one thing, but once they stood erect, they instantly filled the passage, making it terribly crowded and cramped!

Robin, already prepared, saw the look from Zhong Shenxiu and immediately began securing these newly formed skeleton warriors as well.

With all these tasks completed, Zhong Shenxiu instructed the others to rest where they were. He, meanwhile, began utilizing his spiritual waves to probe the surrounding area.

This time, no skeleton armies appeared. Everything returned to silence, the only sounds being the heavy breathing of the party.

Without lingering on the details, the group rested for an indeterminate time—it felt long to everyone. Each person regained their strength, and after replenishing their reserves with food, they were once again invigorated.

After tidying their gear, the party resumed their journey. As they pressed forward, they noticed the passage widening, and a faint light began to emerge from ahead.

Could it be another "Light Crystal Orb"?

Or perhaps they were approaching another monster being suppressed?

Recalling the Demon Worm they had encountered earlier, the tension tightened in everyone's chests. They clustered closely behind Zhong Shenxiu, terrified of falling behind!

The passage was long. After walking for about half an hour, they finally understood the source of the illumination. It turned out to be rows of ever-burning lamps set into the walls on both sides.

These perpetual lamps were ingeniously designed, using magical arrays to gather Light Elemental energy to produce a steady glow, or perhaps drawing on Fire Elemental energy to create flames. As long as elemental energy was present nearby, the lamps would burn forever.

"Why are there lights only here?" one mercenary muttered in surprise.

The others were equally perplexed. Throughout their journey so far, they had relied solely on torches or the small orbs of light conjured by Zhong Shenxiu; they hadn't anticipated such a specialized area.

"Because we have reached the 'Heart of the Ancient Tomb'," Zhong Shenxiu stated plainly, though the words resonated with extraordinary weight for everyone who heard them.

"What?"

The group started, then collectively scanned their surroundings, trying to ascertain what made this place different.

How could this be the 'Heart of the Ancient Tomb'?

It didn't look like it at all!

Logically, if they were at the core of an ancient tomb, it should be fraught with deadly peril, yet they had traveled this far without encountering a single trap, nor even seeing a solitary hostile creature!

As if sensing their thoughts, Zhong Shenxiu's voice echoed again: "Don't rush; you'll be astonished soon enough!"

His tone carried a hint of amusement, and a spark of excitement flashed in his eyes.

The group stood patiently, yet nothing happened. This profound stillness was unnerving, feeling exactly like the calm before a gathering storm!

Finally, after rounding a sharp corner, everyone stopped dead. They were facing a dead end—the path simply ended! What was going on?

All eyes turned to Zhong Shenxiu, as he was the one leading them down this route; if he didn't know the answer, no one would.

"You have ten minutes to rest," Zhong Shenxiu announced suddenly, the triumphant gleam in his eyes intensifying.

Though bewildered by the layout, no one questioned the order. Instead, they used the time to rest quickly. They had learned by now that whenever Zhong Shenxiu called for a break, it usually signaled that something significant was about to occur!

Consequently, everyone looked grim, frequently glancing at Zhong Shenxiu, hoping to glean some clue about his intentions.

"Hey, what is he doing?"

The group's strained expressions momentarily faltered as they watched Zhong Shenxiu manipulating a piece of dark, lustrous ore in his hand. Simultaneously, directly in front of him hovered a strange, flickering flame!

Under their puzzled gazes, the ore in Zhong Shenxiu's grasp floated upwards and was deliberately dropped into the strange fire.

The group clearly saw the ore instantly liquefy the moment it touched the flame—the speed was breathtaking!

"What kind of magic is that?" Hariman cried out, eyes wide. As a practicing mage, he had never witnessed such an intense heat emanating from such a small flame.

Not only he, but Gandalf, who had been with Zhong Shenxiu for some time, was also dumbfounded.

Ignoring the astonishment of the onlookers, Zhong Shenxiu was fully focused, exerting total control over the Samadhi True Fire to purify and refine the ore. He was forging a magical artifact, one he would need shortly!

If time hadn't been so pressing, he certainly wouldn't have undertaken such crafting openly before so many people.

Zhong Shenxiu’s refinement technique was exquisitely precise. In mere moments, a tablet—three inches long and about one inch wide—appeared before them.

Before it could fully cool, Zhong Shenxiu rapidly formed hand seals, causing dazzling, multicolored light to erupt. Seals were struck onto the tablet one after another, followed by a complex layering of intricate array patterns!

These processes were inherently convoluted, yet in Zhong Shenxiu’s hands, they appeared incredibly simple. The spectators’ vision blurred briefly; when they could see his hands clearly again, an exquisite, intricately carved tablet covered in arcane symbols rested in Zhong Shenxiu’s palm.

Zhong Shenxiu smiled with satisfaction. With this item, things would be much easier moving forward!

He named the newly forged artifact the "Longevity Tablet." Its true function would be revealed soon enough!

The others were still examining the "Longevity Tablet," speculating on its purpose, when they were surprised to see Zhong Shenxiu so summarily tuck it away into his magic ring.

"Little friend, what was that object you were just holding?" Hariman, the archaeologist, couldn't resist his scholarly curiosity about such novelties and needed to understand it.

Zhong Shenxiu merely shot him a dismissive look before addressing the group: "Rest time is over. Follow me!"

Saying this, he turned and led them straight toward the dead end they had just reached!

The group exchanged confused glances but dared not disobey, growing increasingly curious about where Zhong Shenxiu was leading them.

They walked until the wall completely blocked their path, then stopped. Facing the solid barrier, no one doubted that Zhong Shenxiu intended to smash through it—why else bring them here?

But contrary to their expectations, Zhong Shenxiu did not attack the wall. Instead, he tilted his head back, gazing up at the ceiling.

What was up there?

Everyone became instantly interested and followed his gaze. On the ceiling, they saw strange markings carved into the stone—some triangular, some rhombic—their meaning difficult to decipher.

Just then, a muffled "Rumble!" echoed from an unknown direction, sounding quite close.

While everyone was trying to locate the source of the sound, a sudden, violent "CRASH!" reverberated, and the exit behind them was sealed shut by a massive stone gate!

In an instant, the group was trapped like beasts in a cage, with no way back and no way forward. But that wasn't the most terrifying part; what truly chilled them was the sight of the side walls beginning to move inward!

Heavens, who could explain what was happening now?

Hadn't they been told there were no more traps? Why was this happening?

As the walls relentlessly closed in, so too did the tension in their hearts. They had already tried to stop the movement, but it was unstoppable.

Were they truly going to be crushed to death here?

The helpless group pinned all their final hope on Zhong Shenxiu and Robin!

It was at this critical moment that a murmured phrase from Zhong Shenxiu made everyone pause:

"Hmph, playing games with me, are you? Overestimating yourselves!"