"Time-wise, it should be enough, but I'm worried about accidentally triggering the self-destruct mechanism." Hu Bayi said gravely.
Based on such a grand formation, one or two self-destruct programs wouldn't be surprising. Furthermore, there would likely be more, not fewer.
"I can identify self-destruct programs. As long as my nephew can break the formation, that's all that matters." Shan He chimed in, sounding confident.
"Then boss, I don't have any problems here for now. If it's a Golden Dragon's Blessing, I'm confident I can crack it, as long as I have enough time." Hu Bayi looked at Zhang Tian.
Zhang Tian nodded.
"Then let's not delay. Uncle-master, please lead the way. We'll go in and break the formation." Zhang Tian said, his curiosity about the final sarcophagus growing. It was not common to possess a Black Gold Ancient Coffin.
"Oh, right, I haven't asked yet. Why are you all here, and how did you find this tomb?" Daoist Shan He seemed to recall something.
"Master, I'll answer." Fatty stepped forward and quickly explained to Daoist Shan He.
"It's like this, we learned that a lot of cultural relics were stolen by the Fuji country, so we planned to retrieve the lost artifacts. That's how we ended up here. At the same time, I found my senior brother, the one from the Yin Yang Shop, and then we got your message and came here." Fatty finished explaining the entire story in one go.
Daoist Shan He nodded as if in realization.
"He's not your senior brother; he's just a little fellow I took in because he had no home. His aptitude isn't sufficient for me to take him as a disciple." Daoist Shan He waved his hand.
Zhang Tian instantly understood. The child he saw earlier had low cultivation and knew nothing. Zhang Tian had been puzzled before, thinking that a disciple of Daoist Shan He, who had such high cultivation, shouldn't be so weak and had assumed it was for his protection. It turned out he hadn't actually accepted him as a disciple, and not taking him as a disciple was also a form of protection. If he had, with Daoist Shan He constantly dealing with demons and monsters, the child would have eventually been harmed by them.
"Then Master, am I still your first disciple?" Fatty's eyes lit up. As the first disciple, the treatment would be unparalleled.
"Yes, you are my first, my first disciple in the true sense." Daoist Shan He nodded, a hint of emotion in his voice.
"Let's go in. Uncle-master, you've been here before, so you should know the way." Zhang Tian interrupted their conversation.
Daoist Shan He nodded seriously, looking at everyone. "Are you sure you're capable? The one inside is very strong. Although it was a surprise attack, his strength is not weak." Daoist Shan He said. Zhang Tian and Hu Bayi both nodded.
Seeing Zhang Tian's resolve, Shan He was not one to dither. With a wave of his hand, a wooden sword, taller than Zhang Tian's, appeared in the skeleton's hand.
"Holy cow, Master, you pulled out such a huge wooden sword from your backside!" Fatty exclaimed in surprise, looking at the large, long, and rather stout wooden sword. This was because Shan He, like Yi Mei, took things from his hip bone.
"This is Sleeve Universe! However, that technique is only half-complete, so most people cultivate it incorrectly. Don't pay attention to such details." Shan He waved his hand. If he still had a physical body, his cheeks would surely be red.
"How strange, where does he get things from?" Fatty mumbled. Seeing Shan He glare at him, he dared not say anything more. Daoist Shan He suddenly felt something was amiss. His newly accepted disciple was giving him a bad premonition.
Daoist Shan He, carrying a weapon larger than himself, slowly walked ahead.
"A truly giant peach wood sword." Zhang Tian twitched his mouth, looking at the peach wood sword in front of him, even larger than the one he saw at the Yin Yang Shop. Truly, an inch longer is an inch stronger.
"Uh, Master, do you have any more? I don't have a weapon either." Fatty said with a smile. He had grown tired of using Zhang Tian's broken sword every day, and he didn't have time to forge one himself. His armor had been made in a rush, let alone weapons.
"Aren't you a weapon refiner? You don't have a weapon?" Daoist Shan He squinted his eyes.
"I haven't refined any yet. It's mainly because Master's weapon is so good." Fatty flattered him.
"I really don't know what to do with you." Daoist Shan He produced another peach wood sword, but this one was about the size of a dagger in both length and width. "Here, this size should be perfect for you. I'll give it to you. Let's go inside. Remember to follow me." Daoist Shan He handed the small peach wood sword to Fatty and walked ahead.
"Brother Kai Xuan, you can't give me that." Wang Banyue blinked her eyes.
"Never mind, Fatty thinks this length is perfect for me." Fatty quickly put away his wooden sword. This was probably his only complete weapon.
At this moment, Daoist Shan He walked ahead, and above them, on the steps, was a dilapidated dragon throne. At the head of the throne, there was a large bite mark.
"Dang dang." Xiao Bie, the corpse beetle king, lay on the dragon throne, wagging its tail, as if welcoming Zhang Tian and the others.
"This is a Corpse Beetle King, it's evolved into a demonic beast, a Rank Two demonic beast. It doesn't seem to be hostile," Daoist Shan He murmured, his steps gradually becoming lighter as he proceeded with great caution.
"Uh, Uncle-master, this is my pet," Zhang Tian said, noticing Daoist Shan He's caution.
"What? This Rank Two demonic beast, the Corpse Beetle King, is your pet? You tamed it?" Shan He was slightly surprised. After all, demonic beasts were difficult to tame, let alone a Rank Two one.
"Yes, we don't need to mind it." Zhang Tian nodded, not finding it unusual. Xiao Bie was tamed when its cultivation was low, so it wasn't difficult.
"Yi Mei is truly blessed. Perhaps your Corpse Beetle King will become a guardian beast of Maoshan in the future," Shan He mused.
A scene flashed through Zhang Tian's mind: Xiao Bie lying on the peak of Maoshan, being worshipped by people. Ugh, it sounded bizarre just thinking about it.
Soon, following Daoist Shan He, the group smoothly reached the dragon throne.
"When I came in back then, I suffered terribly. This dragon throne has three layers. The first layer is filled with poisonous gas below. The second layer is a mechanism, and the mechanism is filled with poisonous arrows. The third layer is the passage to the main tomb." Daoist Shan He said. He touched the dragon throne a few times, as if pressing a mechanism.
Immediately, the dragon throne made a sound and began to descend. Xiao Bie quickly scurried down and followed behind Zhang Tian. As the dragon throne descended, layers of steps appeared. From the marks where the dragon throne was, it indeed seemed to have three layers.
"Follow this tomb passage downwards, and you'll reach the main burial chamber, which contains strange crystals that emit light. Follow me." Daoist Shan He said, leading the way. Meanwhile, Zhang Tian and the others held their flashlights and followed closely behind.
Since they were underwater and the tomb passage was almost entirely downwards, the depth was likely fifty to sixty meters. Zhang Tian could clearly see some crystalline substances on the steps.
"We should be about seventy to eighty meters underwater here. Boss, it seems this tomb was designed very cleverly. If it's robbed, the tomb will self-destruct, and no one will be able to escape." Hu Bayi judged the approximate depth from the rocks.
"Once we go in, we need to be extra careful to avoid triggering any mechanisms. Young Master Wu, Fatty, you two stay out for now, and wait for my command." Zhang Tian said. Wu Tianzhen agreed with a nod. He naturally had no objections. Fatty, knowing he wasn't skilled in formations, simply remained silent.
Soon, following Daoist Shan He, the group successfully reached the bottom of the tomb. Upon entering, Zhang Tian immediately saw lines drawn on the ground. Along each line, there were several circular pits, the size of marbles.
"These are star lines!"