Witnessing No. 2 collapse again after encounter No. 12, a sense of despair nearly overcame me. Facing a powerful foe, No. 2 was our sole pillar of morale; his repeated injuries were a devastating blow to us all.

Furthermore, this was the most critical moment, as a formidable enemy lay just ahead.

Seeing him in that state, I knew if I didn't offer some encouragement, we would face the Toad King completely devoid of fighting spirit.

So, I spoke to him, "Don't panic. Our No. 2 has eight lives; he can be reborn even if he dies. These injuries are nothing."

Hearing my words, No. 2's lips moved slightly, as if wanting to say something.

I knew he might have been thinking that if he truly died, it might be for the best—it was this half-dead state that dragged everyone down the most.

Saying that was clearly wrong; even if No. 2 had eight lives, each death involved enduring the agony of passing, and if one didn't cherish life, even many lives wouldn't be enough.

Just as I thought this, No. 2 suddenly let out a wry smile and said, "I'm sorry, I lied to you all. This is actually my very last life. So, I apologize; this time, I might be holding everyone back."

I looked at No. 2 in surprise, but he maintained a look of composure.

From him, I saw his profound loyalty to the Ninth Division, leading him to pay such a heavy price in lives.

Seeing that neither of us spoke, No. 2 sighed and said, "I understand. With great power comes great responsibility. Precisely because I have eight lives, I push myself harder than anyone else during missions. But with every death, I understand the pain of death and the true meaning of life even more profoundly. So, the truth is, I fear death more than anyone."

I noticed his lips trembling slightly as he spoke these words, clearly indicating his sincerity.

I was at a loss for what to say, so I simply told him, "Since that is the case, rest well for a while and don't speak. There's still a long time before the Toad King appears. You can use this opportunity to recover."

No. 2 shook his head and said, "No, the stakes are too high. We should stop him as soon as possible! Even if the Toad King hasn't appeared yet, we should go and wait until he does."

I frowned and said, "But even if we wait for the Toad King, you won't be able to fight!"

No. 2 gave a slight smile and replied, "You underestimate me too much. You can underestimate me, but you must not underestimate my Master!"

Saying this, he got up unsteadily and walked toward the basket set aside.

At that moment, a plume of green smoke began to rise from within the basket, coiling like a gigantic, emerald-green python drawing an arc in the air before wrapping around No. 2's body.

Suddenly, No. 2, who had been utterly exhausted, found his eyebrows turning green, and his face instantly gained color, becoming vibrant and energetic.

No. 2 told us, "My Master’s ability can rapidly heal my injuries, but it can only be used once a month. I can maintain this state for about five hours. We must defeat the enemy within this timeframe."

I nodded and said, "We definitely can! I believe your Master is incredibly powerful!"

No. 2 smiled mysteriously, perhaps for an unknown reason, and led us up the mountain.

However, we hadn't walked far when we noticed that not far from the large crater formed by the recent explosion, a slab of earth-yellow stone was half-pried open, revealing a dark, bottomless underground passage in the gap, its depth unknown.

Upon seeing this, No. 12 remarked, "There seem to be footsteps inside. Could Big Pillar and the others have escaped in here?"

I shook my head, indicating I didn't know, and then said to No. 12, "Why don't we shout in and find out?"

No. 12 nodded, took a breath, and shouted into the passage, "Hey! Anyone in there? Is Big Pillar there?"

Because the space inside was vast, the shout produced infinite echoes that drowned out any subtle footsteps. The sound lingered long in the tunnel.

I figured that with such an echo-concentrating terrain structure, the occupants should have heard us, no matter how quiet the sound was, yet there was no reply.

Only after all the echoes faded did we hear a man making a strange "un un" sound.

"Is he answering us?" No. 12 asked me.

I frowned and said, "I don't know, but that sound is very strange, a bit unnatural, as if something is muffling their mouths?"

No. 2 spoke up then, "Amitabha, they must be in danger. Let's go down quickly and check."

At that moment, I said with a hint of doubt, "If they were in danger, why do I feel that responding sound getting farther away? They seem to be moving?"

No. 12 chimed in, "Indeed, I noticed it too. The sound really seems to be moving."

I suggested, "Could it be that Big Pillar’s father woke up but is still confused, making that noise, and Big Pillar didn't answer me but is carrying his father deeper inside?"

No. 2 countered, "That's possible, but then why wouldn't Big Pillar answer us? Did he discover something?"

Knowing that guessing here was futile, I told them both, "We had better go in and see, but be careful of everything."

With that said, I pushed the half-open stone slab aside and jumped down first.

The area near the entrance wasn't completely dark, but as I looked down, I realized the passage ahead was completely devoid of light.

And as soon as we entered the cavern, we were hit by a strange odor.

The scent was very familiar; it was the same smell as the purple smoke created by the Six-Armed Bodhisattva—a smell akin to gunpowder.

However, unlike regular gunpowder, this odor was sharper, somewhat resembling a mixture of saltpeter and sulfur.

Clearly, the other two also noticed the scent. No. 12 asked me, "Did you smell that? It smells like saltpeter."

I nodded, "Correct. And sulfur."

No. 2 frowned, "This smell doesn't bode well. I kept wondering where the Six-Armed Bodhisattva got his gunpowder from; now it seems this must be where that creature nests."

I added, "Saltpeter and sulfur are used to make explosives in ancient times. Could this place be a forgotten armory of some sort?"

I shook my head and said, "I don't think so. Look, although this passage seems intricate with connections everywhere, it must have taken a great deal of manpower and resources to build. It's clearly not comparable to an ordinary warehouse. Judging by the specifications of its construction, this looks more like an ancient tomb."

No. 12 laughed heartily and said, "No. 10, I heard you used to be a tomb robber. You’re back to your old trade now!"

No. 2 was in no mood for jokes. He said, "The village on the mountain is already so dilapidated; I doubt that’s where the Toad King hides. According to Old Man Li, the Toad King emerged from an ancient well. Perhaps this passage leads down to that old well, so we must be prepared to encounter the Toad King at any moment."

I nodded, "Indeed, this is no ordinary passage. Since the Toad King is a demon practicing the Dao, it must possess high intelligence, so constructing such a long corridor is not surprising."

No. 2, however, countered, "I don't think the Toad King built it. If the Toad King only occupied this place recently, it couldn't have constructed such complex underground facilities in a short time. It must simply be utilizing facilities that were already here to hide. And the original purpose of these facilities, as No. 10 suggested, is very likely an ancient tomb."

No. 12 suddenly became interested and said, "If a tomb is built this large, the owner must have been wealthy. Maybe we can find something valuable inside, especially since we have a specialist here!"

Seeing that No. 12’s tone didn't sound like a joke, I suddenly recalled that both No. 12 and No. 11 were only persuaded to join the Ninth Division by the allure of money, meaning they must crave wealth.

If that were the case, as he suggested, finding one or two priceless artifacts might prevent No. 12’s frail body from being worn out by the Ninth Division's missions.

However, to achieve any of that, we first had to defeat the Toad King. Thus, my focus remained fixed on defeating the Toad King and completing the mission, rather than on treasure.

Seeing me lost in thought, No. 12 quickly said, "Oh, I was just kidding, don't mind me, don't mind me."

Before I could reply, No. 2 urged, "Stop dawdling, let's go."

With that, several clusters of red light suddenly illuminated his hands—the seeds of Karmic Fire.

Since there were no evil entities nearby to destroy, these sparks floated meekly in his palms, serving as our guiding lights.

Illuminated by the flickering firelight, the contours of the passage emerged before us.

It was a corridor built sloping downwards at a straight angle, walled with yellow sandstone. It must have been quite level and imposing in its prime, but due to the great age, many stone slabs were cracked or buckled.

If a passage in an underground tomb is not built in a particularly water-seeping stratum, it usually remains relatively intact. The decay and erosion here strongly suggest that this passage was opened a very long time ago, certainly over a hundred years.

This implies that even if this is an ancient tomb, let alone whether the Toad King has disturbed anything here, someone else might have entered before the Toad King arrived, making the probability of finding treasure very small.

I did not share this thought with No. 12, lest I disappoint him.

I observed the ground closely, hoping to find any footprints left by others, when I noticed a thin layer of pale yellow powder lightly covering the floor.

Curiously squatting down to examine it, I discovered that this powder was indeed sulfur, and it was bone-dry.

I couldn't fathom where so much sulfur came from, but I was now certain that this wasn't ordinary sulfur; it was sulfur that had been subjected to fire but had not ignited.