It seemed the most terrifying aspect of the demon pagoda might not be the pagoda itself, but the formations surrounding it.
Zhang Tian thought this as he retracted his hand, which had been preparing to set up a formation. With a formation far superior to his own already in place, Zhang Tian wouldn't even be able to add a few minor formations to the existing one, let alone set up his own.
Formations generally emphasized uniqueness; a powerful formation would repel others. Unless the formation's creator specifically added to it, any unauthorized additions would result in a backlash.
"How is it?"
Seeing Zhang Tian withdraw his hand, Hu Bayi asked.
Zhang Tian shook his head.
"It seems the Queen Mother of the West was not only powerful but also skilled in formations. There's a very powerful formation here, and I can't quite identify its type yet. With it present, I can't set up any formations myself."
Zhang Tian said with a hint of helplessness.
"It's alright, boss. So what if the formations can't be used? It's no big deal."
"Fatty can also hold up half the sky!"
Fatty said from the side.
Truth be told, Fatty was truly terrible at comforting people. Every word he spoke left Zhang Tian speechless.
Zhang Tian didn't reply. He looked at the cave entrance before him.
"We don't know the type of formation yet, so everyone be careful when we go inside."
Zhang Tian said, picking up a stone and tossing it inside. Only when he was certain there were no traps did Zhang Tian step in.
The others followed behind him.
The narrow passage was lined with dark rock walls. Such rock faces, untouched by sunlight for tens of thousands of years deep within the mountain, were rarely discovered. The passage ahead was shrouded in darkness, its end unseen. However, one notable feature was the presence of white stones along both sides of the passage walls.
"I didn't expect this passage to look so beautiful," Fatty said, standing aside and looking at the pitch-black tunnel.
The white stones in the passage emitted a faint glow. The light shimmered like stars in the night sky, making it feel as though they were walking under a star-filled expanse.
"If I'm not mistaken, this should be some kind of 'jia' type stone, with some phosphorescent material mixed in," Shirley Yang said softly, looking at the stones.
"Miss Yang, I'm surprised you can identify this, you're truly amazing." Wu Tianzhen looked at Shirley Yang in astonishment. He had initially thought Shirley Yang was the weakest member of Zhang Tian's team, but it seemed that wasn't the case. Shirley Yang possessed an extensive knowledge base, able to identify stones like these at a glance.
"It's nothing," Shirley Yang replied, shaking her head. She didn't seem surprised by this.
Zhang Tian led the way. The passage was long and narrow, giving a sense of oppression.
"We've walked for so long without encountering anything strange. Perhaps this demon pagoda isn't that formidable, Master Zhang," Wang Banyue said, looking around and relaxing somewhat. He had expected a dangerous place given Zhang Tian's high regard for the demon pagoda, but so far, it seemed peaceful, apart from the earlier encounter outside.
"Brother Banyue, there's a saying: the safer a place appears, the more dangerous it truly is."
"There's definitely something wrong here, Fatty's word, even boss can't stop it." Fatty gave a thumbs-up.
As if on cue, a fierce wind suddenly began to blow through the cave. The wind made it difficult for Zhang Tian and the others to move forward. The cave was like a long pipe, and the ventilation within would naturally result in stronger winds than usual. Zhang Tian felt that the wind around them was at least an eight on the Beaufort scale. He felt a significant resistance against his body. Shirley Yang held tightly onto Hu Bayi, both struggling to stay upright. Wu Tianzhen and Wang Banyue, however, pushed forward against the wind, seemingly unfazed by the force.
Zhang Tian stood firm, looking at the dark cave ahead, unmoving even amidst the raging wind.
"This wind likely isn't a coincidence. If it were just simple cracks, it wouldn't generate such strong gusts."
"There must be a large cliff ahead, or perhaps we are currently in a passage along a cliff face."
Zhang Tian observed his surroundings and spoke. Based on his years of grave-robbing experience, the scene before him was undoubtedly unusual. If his guess was correct, Zhang Tian was fairly certain that the ground beneath their feet was empty. In other words, they were above a deep abyss.
"Holy cow, boss, don't scare me. Fatty is afraid of heights." Fatty swallowed.
"Do you remember the cliff we encountered when we first entered?" Zhang Tian asked.
The others nodded. They had discussed why there would be a cliff here earlier, but now it all seemed to make sense. This was a death trap.
"Indeed, we really need to be more careful," Wang Banyue said, his ability to change his tune rivaling Fatty's.
"Let's pick up the pace. This passage likely has no traps, if I'm guessing correctly." Zhang Tian slightly quickened his steps, and the others followed suit.
After a little less than ten minutes of increased pace, Zhang Tian and the others came face to face with an ancient, weathered door. The stone door looked very old, and intricate sculptures were carved upon its surface.
Seeing these sculptures, Zhang Tian's brows furrowed. The carvings were bizarre, bearing no resemblance to the constellations, door gods, or Taoist deities he knew. Zhang Tian was unsure what they represented. It turned out the source of the mysterious wind in the cave was this stone door. From the seams of the door, a gust of demonic wind continuously emanated. The wind was strong, and as it traveled through the narrow passage, it intensified into the gale they had experienced earlier.
"Why are there strange, unidentifiable creatures drawn on this? This thing looks so weird, very much like a fox," Fatty said, his eyes fixed on the stone door, his large eyes practically glued to it.
Zhang Tian and the others' gazes also fell upon the stone door. Although the carvings were unrelated to any mythical beasts Zhang Tian recognized, he could still vaguely discern what they were. There were nine statues carved across the entire stone door, each rendered with lifelike detail, as if they were about to come alive.
What drew the most attention was the lowest statue. It depicted a creature with nine tails. It resembled a fox but was much larger, and to Zhang Tian, it gave the impression of a wolf. The statue's brow conveyed a sense of heroism, and the ferocity in its eyes was unmistakable. Merely looking at the carving sent a tremor through Zhang Tian's heart.
"Could this be a Nine-Tailed Fox?" Zhang Tian exclaimed inwardly. Tales of the Nine-Tailed Fox were abundant. Most notably, in the neighboring country, they often regarded the Nine-Tailed Fox as their national divine beast. In Taoist texts, however, the Nine-Tailed Fox was considered an inauspicious creature. Of course, this might be due to some ingrained prejudice. Seeing this, Zhang Tian thought of Tuantuan. Could this be from Tuantuan's clan?