Ancient tomb excavation traces

The old ancestor and the young Taoist were evenly matched, both knowing how to use internal energy. It was just a case of friends fighting each other, which I couldn't bear to watch. I cursed Sima the Old Monster hundreds of times in my heart, but I also knew in my heart that if the vengeful spirits in the Yin Wind Passage hadn't been sealed off, the young Taoist would never have been tainted by the evil energy with his perseverance.

The young Taoist priest was currently unaware of what he was doing. His face was cold and aloof, with dark energy swirling around his forehead. His moves were fierce and ruthless, and he was probably only thinking about killing his opponent. Fortunately, both of them were unarmed, and the ancestor was also careful, trying to avoid the young Taoist priest's attacks and waiting for an opportunity to strike again, so as not to kill him.

However, the most anxious one now is Chu Ba. Normally, his knife speed should make it easy for him to slice off Sima Yan's flesh, but after he made several cuts, Sima Yan was completely unharmed, while Chu Ba was already exhausted.

The knife skills of the eighth day of the lunar month are like those of a cheetah, winning with speed. However, if one wastes time fighting, one will only wear oneself down and become someone else's meal.

This kind of fierce one-on-one battle requires multiple helpers, as they would only cause more trouble. We saw this and were anxious.

Chen Yi said, "What the hell? Eighth Master just chopped off his hand, and he's still alright? And Boss Feng's three arrows pierced his forehead, how come he's not dead?"

"Zhang Banxian won't say anything more. Sima Yan is a Yin Sha. What does Yin Sha mean? It means he's evolved several levels beyond just resurrecting corpses. This tomb raiding trip has basically exposed us to all sorts of demons and monsters!" Bao Cai said, puzzled.

I said, "Who cares about demons and monsters? Every evil thing has its nemesis. From ancient times to the present, evil has never prevailed over good."

"Young master, wake up! The so-called 'good triumphs over evil' is like those motivational articles, all about giving positive energy and comforting people. In reality, there are many instances where evil triumphs over good," Bao Cai mocked me.

"We can't just stand by and watch! This isn't a fighting match! We're not expecting them to fight to the death. We've been hungry, fought our way through countless battles, and are covered in injuries. They've been asleep for hundreds of years, and they're wide awake and full of energy." Chen Yi was extremely anxious. He continued, "Look at Eighth Master, his yang energy has been drained, his strength is weak, and he's even injured. If you ask me, the three of us should rush in, one grab his leg, one grab his waist, and one just behead him!" Chen Yi gestured wildly, his face beaming with excitement. It seemed he was itching to fight.

Seeing this made me uneasy, so I agreed to Chen Yu's idea. Bao Cai, seeing that the two of us were about to fight, knew he couldn't avoid it either. The three of us rolled up our sleeves, raised our arms, and were about to rush in for a fight to the death when Lan Quexi suddenly called out to us, "Wait, Miss Chu has something to say..."

Chen Yi said, "Miss Lan, there's no time to listen to this girl right now!" With that, he turned to leave.

Unexpectedly, the young lady Chu said, "You can't kill him... He was formed from blood and qi, and is surrounded by the yin energy of the underground palace; he is an immortal among corpses..."

This statement clearly caught our attention. Chen Yi turned around and asked, "An immortal among corpses?"

I stared at the girl surnamed Chu with a bewildered expression. She stammered, "There's only one way, only one way to kill him!" She grabbed Lan Quexi's hand, seemingly still emotionally unstable due to the shock she had just experienced.

Bao Cai was timid but shrewd. He leaned close to my ear and said, "Young Master, this girl almost killed us. I don't think she'd suddenly repent after someone died, since she's such a devout follower of Sima Yan. Look at those cult members; they'll even kill their own children to achieve their fantasies. We'd better be careful. What if she's a double agent? We wouldn't even know how we died."

I lowered my voice and said, "We're already facing off against Old Monster Sima, and she doesn't seem to be lying. Since she says she has a way to kill him, let's hear what she has to say first. We'll decide for ourselves whether it works or not. Otherwise, the three of us with our remaining strength might not be able to solve the problem. Besides, Old Tiao is seriously injured right now, and I'm afraid he might act rashly and not care about anything else!"

Seeing Bao Cai and I talking to ourselves, Chen Cai said unhappily, "When did you two start whispering in each other's ears? Tell me, are we going to do it ourselves, or listen to what this girl has to say?"

I turned my gaze to the beautiful priestess and said, "Miss Chu, time is of the essence. If you truly wish to avenge your sister, speak only of the most important matters." Right now, Chu Ba was shouting angrily, his blade perfectly controlled, but Sima Yan's skin was incredibly difficult to cut into. It seemed as if his skin had been reinforced during the recent molting process. If the Americans caught such a monster, they'd probably dismember him and use him for experiments. I watched Chu Ba's perilous situation with growing anxiety, but to completely kill the old monster Sima, I could only place my hopes on this priestess who had once served him.

The girl looked up at me with a pitiful expression. I'm soft-hearted, and Chen Yu couldn't stand women looking like that, so we immediately avoided her gaze. I only heard her say, "The Dust-Avoiding Pearl... Do you know about the Dust-Avoiding Pearl?"

Upon hearing "Dust-Avoiding Pearl," Chen Yi, who had been keeping his head down, immediately straightened up and exclaimed, "Holy crap, the Dust-Avoiding Pearl!"

I was also surprised to hear this... The "Dust-Avoiding Pearl" is also called the "Wind-Stabilizing Pearl." It, along with the "Dust-Repelling Pearl" and the "Crimson Pearl," are known as the three great divine pearls of China. The "Dust-Repelling Pearl" was buried with Emperor Wu of Han in his mausoleum, and the "Crimson Pearl" was also a treasure of the palace. Both of them disappeared from the world and their whereabouts are still unknown.

This dust-repelling bead appears in official Chinese history. Its peculiarity is like that of a treasure from a myth, capable of repelling dust and dirt, hence the name "dust-repelling bead." Another feature is its ability to stabilize wind and disperse rain, making it a treasure in feng shui. Some ancient luxurious palaces also used wind-stabilizing beads to control the wind.

Legend has it that during the Qing Dynasty, a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations placed a "dust-repelling bead" bestowed upon him by Empress Dowager Cixi on the roof of his house, and then miraculous things happened. It is said that his house, with its "thousands of tiled roofs, remained dust-free," and the scattered weeds in his house also disappeared, as if the bead truly possessed divine power.

"There's a huge hole at the top of the main coffin chamber, and the floor is made of bronze. No wonder there's no sign of decay in hundreds of years. It must be because of this treasure that can shelter us from the rain and wind!" Chen Yi said excitedly.

"I've read about this thing in some unofficial book. It says that if it falls into the hands of a wicked person, it will amplify evil energy, just like the One Ring in 'The Lord of the Rings,' which allows the Dark Lord to command a demon army. Could it be that the reason the ancient tomb is so evil is because this Dust-Avoiding Bead locks people's path of reincarnation, fueling resentment? Isn't Sima Yan a necromancer?"

As Bao Cai's ramblings became increasingly outrageous, I quickly told him to stop, saying, "Are you making a fantasy movie? A necromancer..."

To my surprise, the young lady Chu said, "Indeed... with the Dust-Avoiding Pearl, the vengeful spirit will be trapped here forever, and he will become a true immortal among corpses. I once thought that as long as he was reborn from the dead, we could seek immortality with him, live forever, and escape the cycle of destruction. But now, seeing my beloved die tragically, I realize that he is completely different from the kind and wise person I once thought he was. I suddenly understand that if he coexists with the Dust-Avoiding Pearl, he will bring disaster to the world. Therefore, we must find the Dust-Avoiding Pearl, destroy it, and let everything return to peace."

Listening to her talk about immortality, I suddenly found it laughable. People are easily brainwashed when they are vulnerable or ignorant about certain things. It's like someone suffering from a rare disease with no cure; if someone offers them a helping hand, they'll eagerly seize it. The ancients' pursuit of immortality stemmed from their ignorance of the laws of life and natural disasters; they didn't know if the heavens were beyond the clouds… Therefore, there's a difference between faith and wishful thinking. Faith can make us good people, while wishful thinking is a delusional, dreamlike fantasy. When the dream shatters, they fall from a great height, shattered to pieces.

I looked at the beautiful, venerable priestess trapped in agony and asked, "What exactly is your identity?"

Miss Chu gave a bitter smile, staring blankly ahead, and said, "The ancient tomb is divided into two factions. One faction consists of the descendants of the sorcerer who served Princess Chu, and the other faction is us. My mother always told me that we are descendants of Sima Yan, that he is our ancestor. But long before that, my deceased sister and I discovered that we are not his descendants... not at all... Our ancestor is down there, the person with chains piercing their collarbone is our ancestor..."

"You knew all along, why didn't you expose me?" I said.

Upon hearing this, Lan Quexi silently replied, "Our fate has long been imprisoned, leaving us with no choice but to act... Moreover, no one will believe our words. The mission left behind by our clan hundreds of years ago is of no significance to us, who are insignificant and powerless."

Miss Chu glanced at Lan Quexi. Their fates were similar; they had suffered the same hardships. She said, "That's right. From childhood, we were immersed in Sima Yan's path to immortality and his philosophy. How could we understand going against the current? My sister and I knew the truth, but to pursue what our hearts desired, we went with the flow. We believed this, year after year, day after day, passing on the blood sacrifices performed by our ancestors, waiting for the day he would be resurrected. He had foreseen this day—the celestial dog eclipsing the sun… My sister and I, seeing this celestial omen, truly felt he was extraordinary. The descendants of the Eight Witches and our ancestors all shared the mission of guarding the tomb. Because we knew the structure of the ancient tomb and understood the way of sacrifice, they all obeyed us."

After Miss Chu finished speaking, I suddenly understood. It turned out that their ancestor (Sima Yan's male disciple) was willing to be a living sacrifice for him, all for the sake of his ideals. To put it bluntly, he was deceived, and his descendants have been deceived for hundreds of years. I have to admire the ability of their ancestors to pass on their ideas.

However, upon learning the truth, Miss Chu seemed to have realized something. She suddenly grabbed my hand and said, "The back chamber! The back chamber! It might be there. For hundreds of years, neither we nor our ancestors have been to that place. The Dust-Avoiding Pearl might be inside!"

Her strange and unconventional behavior reminded me of Liu Hua, a girl who, in the prime of her life, was immersed in the idea of ​​immortality. Now that all of that has been shattered, it's no wonder she's like this.

I pulled her hand away and cautiously asked, "For hundreds of years, why haven't you ever entered the rear chamber?"

The girl chuckled foolishly, clutched her head, stared wide-eyed, and said, "Because if you go inside, you'll be cursed by Princess Chu and die..."

Her words were like a bucket of cold water poured over my head, chilling me to the bone. Bao Cai, upon hearing this, exclaimed, "What! A curse? Oh dear, then why are we going in?"

Chen Yi said, "You son of a bitch, you studied science and you're a graduate student! You actually believe in curses? The coffin below also has curses written on it, and I see you're perfectly fine now. Besides, didn't this girl say that Sima Yan can't be destroyed, only by destroying the Dust-Avoiding Pearl?" As he spoke, he glanced at Chu Ba, who was now injured in several places. Chen Yi turned back and said urgently, "There's no point in saying more. If we don't find the Dust-Avoiding Pearl soon, Eighth Master will be finished. I'll go with Thief Monkey to help him. Liu Zi, you take the two girls to find the Dust-Avoiding Pearl. Also, take the Candlelight Mirror; you can use it to deal with any evil spirits you encounter."

I nodded, and Bao Cai said seriously, "Miss Chu just said that Sima Yan is a corpse immortal. My body is weak, and I'm easily tainted by evil spirits..." Bao Cai muttered to himself, then cautiously glanced at Chen Ting and weakly said, "I'm not going..."

"You little bastard! You cower at the crucial moment!" Chen Yi grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the eighth floor. Bao Cai lost his balance and almost fell over. He started cursing, but Chen Yi didn't care whether he liked it or not. He said, "You son of a bitch, you complained about the curse in the back storage room, and now you're just standing here watching the show?!"

I watched the two of them head towards the eighth day of the lunar month, and sighed. If I couldn't find the Dust-Avoiding Pearl, that might be the last time I saw their backs. Not wanting to waste any more time, I bit my lip and ran towards the wooden door.