Tomb Raiding: My Family's Last Clan Chief is Little Brother

Chapter 505 The Sound of the Deer Antlers
Inside the semi-transparent box that Zhang Wuxun opened, there was a Ghost Seal lying quietly, while the other identical Ghost Seal had been taken to Changbai Mountain by Xiao Ge.

"This is the Ghost Seal we bought at the New Moon Hotel." Wu Xie recognized it at a glance, then asked in confusion, "But how did it end up in your hands?"

"The Ghost Seal was left behind by Zhang Wuxun before his accident, along with the secrets he discovered, because only the Ghost Seal can open the Bronze Gate."

Zhang Wuxun closed the lid and continued talking nonsense without blinking, "When he first came to Motuo, he had already contacted Kangbaluo and entrusted this thing to us for safekeeping."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Haixing's eyes flickered subtly. No wonder that after the mission at Yinshan Ancient Tower failed and Zhang Wuxun died, the Ghost Seal that he and Wu Xie had spent a fortune to acquire also disappeared with his death.

Afterwards, the Wang family searched around Wu Xie and Fatty several times, but found no trace of the Ghost Seal. So they guessed that either Zhang Wuxun sensed something was wrong and hid the Ghost Seal in advance, or he carried the Ghost Seal with him when he entered the Zhang Family Ancient Building, and was eventually buried under the collapsed ruins along with his body.

Her original plan was to immediately notify her family of the coordinates after confirming the authenticity of the bronze gate, so that her family could find a way to enter and then deal with these troublesome guys around her.

However, Bai Ci's sudden return disrupted her plans. She was deeply wary of this man; he was far too troublesome. She wasn't confident she could eliminate him in the shortest amount of time. Moreover, given the hatred the Kangba people harbored towards the Wang family, Bai Ci would definitely intervene and stop her if she took action against Wu Xie herself. Taking action rashly would definitely be a losing proposition.

However, the appearance of the Ghost Seal was an unexpected surprise. Zhang Haixing temporarily suppressed her thoughts, observed the situation, and first investigated the secrets inside the door before deciding what to do next.

Wu Xie and the others watched as Zhang Wuxun, holding the box, turned around, walked back, sat down on the rock next to him, and then took out some dry rations from his backpack and started eating.

Feng Momo stepped forward and asked, "Now that we have the key, why don't we just go and open the door?"

Zhang Wuxun glanced at his watch and shook his head. "We'll have to wait a little longer."

Feng's expression changed slightly, and he asked urgently, "Besides us, will anyone else come here?"

Zhang Wuxun raised his eyebrows slightly, his gaze fixed on Feng's face. Although his eyes were calm and composed, Feng suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and was about to say something to cover up his urgency.

Zhang Wuxun suddenly smiled, the smile vanishing in an instant. He replied, "I'm waiting for an earthquake, waiting for the underground river to rise, so I can borrow some ghost soldiers to help."

"What?" Feng looked at Zhang Wuxun's expression with suspicion, trying to determine if he was joking.

"Borrowing ghost soldiers!" The fat man exclaimed, his expression a mix of excitement and something strange. "Could it be that back then, young man, you used the Ghost Seal to command the ghost soldiers, and then had them push the bronze door open with all their might?"

Lost in his memories, Wu Xie was somewhat dazed and didn't quite catch what Fatty was saying. He only mumbled a reply, "Maybe... I guess so."

Zhang Wuxun found it somewhat amusing, but his expression remained calm. "In the ancient records of the Khampa people, the Bronze Gate is also called the Ghost Gate. It is said to be the passage that appeared when the Iron Yama King went to the human world to capture evil spirits. Living people cannot enter the Ghost Gate, so we must blend in with the ghost soldiers to conceal our life force. After entering, we must use a rhinoceros horn lamp to guide the way, otherwise we will be trapped inside forever and never be able to get out."

Zhang Haixing seized on the suggestive words in his words and asked, "How do you know so much? Or have you already been inside? What's inside the door?"

Zhang Wuxun raised his hand and rubbed his neck, making a crisp cracking sound at the junction of his two cervical vertebrae. Then he said slowly, "I have never been inside. These clues were given to me by the old patriarch before he died. Every patriarch would go into the Ghost Gate to take a look after taking office. I don't know what's inside."

"Before his death?" Wu Xie frowned slightly. "You suddenly disappeared before because the old clan leader suddenly passed away? When we came here, we saw that the avalanche had buried the entire valley. Are the rest of the clan members alright?"

Zhang Wuxun's eyes dimmed, and he nodded slightly. "Originally, the Kangbaluo tribe was going to face a disaster that nearly wiped out the entire tribe. Azonggela foresaw this catastrophe and sacrificed his own life to ensure the safety of the entire tribe."

Wu Xie stared at his pale fingertips and slowly said, "...My condolences."

The fat man stepped forward and patted Zhang Wuxun on the shoulder, "The dead are gone, but the living must go on. Your whole family is still hoping for your safe return. Cheer up."

Zhang Wuxun sighed and said nothing more.

Silence enveloped the entire space, with only the sound of calm breathing echoing in one's ears, making one feel oppressed and restless.

After a long silence, Zhang Haixing broke the silence by asking Zhang Wuxun, "Is the timing of earthquakes fixed? How much longer do we have to wait here?"

"The fires of hell will consume everything of the one who opens the gate."

After Zhang Wuxun finished speaking the first time, he repeated it again. In everyone's eyes, his expression at this moment had an indescribable eeriness.

After a moment's thought, Wu Xie immediately realized, "The earthquake you mentioned is actually a volcanic eruption?"

Zhang Wuxun nodded and explained, "As you've all seen along the way, the geothermal activity has caused all the snow on the peaks to melt, covering the valleys where we live. There are also hot springs constantly gushing up the slopes, and all sorts of creatures escaping from underground. You arrived at just the right time; not many things have escaped yet. If you had run into those things head-on, you definitely wouldn't have made it this far."

“Every ten years, when the pressure underground accumulates to a sufficient level over time, the magma pool below will churn. The underground river flowing through the mountain will be heated by the high temperature, generating air waves that will trigger mechanisms hidden in the mountain to emit the summoning sound of ghost soldiers' horns. Soon, a large number of ghost soldiers will gather here.”

Wu Xie already understood what he meant. In other words, they would be like Xiao Ge when he was in Changbai Mountain, carrying the Ghost Seal and walking step by step into the Bronze Gate, mixed in with the ranks of the Yin soldiers.

The waiting process was extremely long. It wasn't until midnight on the second day that Zhang Wuxun, who was resting, suddenly woke up. He pressed his hand to the ground and felt for a few seconds before turning around and waking up Wu Xie and the others.

"It's about to begin," he said.

As Wu Xie and the others finished packing their gear and got up, the fine sand and gravel on the ground began to vibrate, and dust kept falling from all around the valley.

Suddenly, a lot of light blue mist appeared out of nowhere in the valley, rising rapidly like clouds and quickly covering the entire valley floor. Even the cracks in the rocks at their feet were emitting mist.

The clicking sound of chains and mechanisms constantly came from the surrounding stone walls. In the hazy atmosphere, they felt that many long and large black shadows seemed to be extending from the stone walls on both sides. Just as they were puzzled, they heard a series of clear and long antler horn sounds, accompanied by the sound of flowing water, coming from all directions.

The voice seemed to be right next to their ears, very clear. A long-forgotten fear surged into their hearts, and Wu Xie froze, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

His vision was blurred, and he was having some difficulty breathing. He felt a large figure close to him, and initially thought it was the fat man, but then he heard a cracking sound of bones twisting in his ear.

Wu Xie was still wondering what Fatty was up to when, just as he was about to turn his head to take a look, a cold hand suddenly grabbed his other hand, which was holding the flashlight. The chill penetrated his skin and went straight to his bones, startling him. He instinctively raised his hand to shake it off. "Turn off all the lights!"

The hand holding his icy grip remained motionless, while her fingertips quickly traced a coded message on the back of his hand: "Follow me once you go inside."

With that familiar feeling, Wu Xie's heart immediately settled.

Upon hearing Zhang Wuxun's reminder, everyone remembered that their lamps were still lit. The fog had completely risen and obscured their vision, so they hurriedly turned off their lamps.

"What do we do next?" Zhang Haixing asked softly.

"Hold hands, one following behind the other, don't fall behind," Zhang Wuxun replied.

All eyes turned to him at the sound, and they saw that an octagonal lantern with a faint blue flame had appeared in his hand.

The horn-like sound continued, and the surrounding space grew increasingly cold, as if Wu Xie was encased in ice. He hurriedly waved his hand, urging the fat man next to him to hold him tightly so he wouldn't get lost again.

The fat man's voice came from four or five meters away, "Naive? Holy crap, where are you? I can't find you anywhere."

Wu Xie was taken aback. Fatty wasn't there? Then who was that big guy who had just leaned against him?

A sense of unease suddenly rose in his heart. A chilling aura surrounded him, getting closer and closer, making his teeth chatter.

The fog in front of him was suddenly dispelled by the blue light. Wu Xie looked up and saw Zhang Wuxun holding up a lantern and shining it on him, his eyes fixed on an open space to his left. Gradually, a huge black shadow appeared in his peripheral vision.

Soon, as if infected by a plague, more and more eerie dark shadows appeared in the surrounding mist.

Wu Xie was startled and realized that the Yin soldiers had arrived long ago, and there was one right next to him.

Zhang Wuxun gave him a reassuring look, then bit his finger and smeared the blood on his forehead.

Unable to find Wu Xie, the fat man continued to yell in a low voice from a short distance away, "Innocent, innocent, innocent..."

"Holy crap, it looks like a ghost is holding my hand!"

The fat man felt as if he were being gripped by a sinister, ghostly claw, and his body stiffened, unable to move.

Zhang Wuxun was both speechless and amused. He smeared some blood on the fat man's forehead, handed his hand to Wu Xie, and told them to hold each other tightly and not to let go even in the most urgent situation.

Then he told Wu Xie to grab the back of his clothes so he could free his hand to open the box and pick up the Ghost Seal.

In an instant, a cold wind rose throughout the valley, and the dark figures that had been lingering around the box all lined up in a long queue, just like an ancient army marching in formation. Vanguards and cavalrymen carrying foreign flags led the way, followed by chariots, and they marched in perfect order. Zhang Wuxun and his group were surrounded by several ghost generals riding tall horses and wielding spears and bows.

Looking back, countless still, silent shadows loomed in the thick fog beyond, sending chills down everyone's spines.

Zhang Haixing and Feng also groped their way over. Feng quickly grabbed the fat man, and the solid, fleshy feel in his hand eased the fear on his face.

Zhang Haixing's expression wasn't much better. She kept observing the long-faced ghost soldiers around her, her eyes becoming increasingly strange, a hint of secret joy flashing across them.

Zhang Wuxun held the Ghost Seal in front of him and slowly stepped forward. Wu Xie and the others lined up neatly according to the positions of the Yin soldiers and followed his steps closely. The sound of the deer horn echoed throughout the valley.

The ghostly soldiers were all deathly pale, as if they were all made of paper. Their steps were perfectly synchronized, and the movement of such a massive army was completely silent.

Unlike the armor worn by the ghost soldiers in Changbai Mountain, the tattered armor worn by these ghost soldiers is the most distinctive iron plate armor of the Tibetan people, also called lamellar armor. This type of armor is made of many small rectangular iron plates stacked horizontally and connected to each other with leather straps.

The helmets worn by the ghost generals around Zhang Wuxun and his companions had very high tips, standing like a spire. But upon closer inspection, it could be seen that the tip of the helmet was actually a large-eared Buddha sitting cross-legged on a platform.

Just as the leading ghostly soldiers were about to reach the bottom of the valley, the entire space suddenly jolted as if an elevator had jammed.

Zhang Wuxun and the others watched as a crack appeared in the middle of the bronze door, from which ghostly blue light emanated, like fireflies dancing in the grass, carrying countless streams of light as they flew into the entire valley.

Wu Xie and his companions were astonished by the fantastical, dreamlike scene before them. A strange smell wafted from the crevice, indistinguishable and indescribable.

The gap between the two bronze doors continued to widen until it was the size of a Liberation brand truck cab. The ghostly soldiers at the front had already entered and their figures disappeared into the blue light inside.

Wu Xie swallowed hard, his heart pounding as he watched the blue light getting closer and closer.

Can they really get in? Are they really allowed to get in?

Closer and closer, the bronze door is right in front of us.

The moment they stepped into the blue light zone, everyone felt dizzy, as if they had fallen into a bottomless tunnel. The blue light disappeared, replaced by complete darkness. All their senses seemed to have been taken away by an invisible black hole; they could see nothing and feel nothing.

Zhang Haixing, who was walking at the very back, immediately tried to turn on her flashlight, but no matter how many times she pressed the button, the flashlight did not light up.

"What happened?" she finally couldn't help but ask.

"I don't know," Feng replied. "There's no light source here."

good night