I never imagined that inserting the key would cause such a reaction. My first thought was to grab Zhang Dabiao and leave immediately, or we would be buried alive.
"Xu Yi, what are you standing there like an idiot for? Hurry up and run!"
Because the event happened so suddenly, Xu Yi was still stunned and unsure of what to do. With my shout, he casually supported Zhang Dabiao's right arm, while I ran over and supported Zhang Dabiao's left arm. The three of us, like a linked cart, prepared to rush out.
However, before we could run ten meters, we were blocked by two mountain sprites accompanying Li Zuoquan. Their scarlet eyes stared at us intently, and they approached us step by step.
I looked towards where Li Zuoquan had been, as if he had vanished into thin air.
But I knew he wouldn't leave easily. I could only raise my voice and shout, "Li Zuoquan, you dishonorable turtle, the cave is collapsing! Do you want us to be buried with you?"
My words didn't attract Li Zuoquan's attention, but because we had stopped, the two mountain sprites blocking our path didn't attack us. Instead, they squatted on the ground, scratching their ears and cheeks like monkeys.
Just as I was hesitating whether to attack the two mountain sprites in front of me and then have the three of us rush out, the shaking stopped. Only some faint mud and sand fell from the mountaintop. The collapse I had imagined did not occur.
"It stopped?"
My heart rejoiced, and I quickly said, "Quickly turn on your flashlights and see what's going on!"
Earlier, in my attempt to break free from the stone door's suction, I had tossed my flashlight somewhere. Now that the cave had stopped shaking, I needed to see what the situation was.
"Mine is here."
"Mine isn't lost either."
Zhang Dabiao and Xu Yi spoke one after another, pulling out their flashlights. Light once again illuminated the cave.
As the wolf-tooth flashlight shone, I realized that the cave hadn't collapsed. When the flashlight beam hit the stone door, I saw that the dark stone door was peeling. The originally dark black stone door had now turned a greenish-blue, and a pile of dust nearly a meter high had accumulated in front of it.
It turned out that the falling mud I had felt was not the cave collapsing, but the accumulated soil from the door peeling off. This made me feel both embarrassed and a sense of lingering fear.
The door was seven or eight meters high and nearly four meters wide. The accumulated dust reached almost a meter high. If all of that had fallen on me, even if I didn't die, I would have been seriously injured.
In this godforsaken place where you can't call out to heaven or earth, the possibility of dying was greater than surviving.
My wildly beating heart pounded like a drum in my chest, and my legs felt weak. I could no longer support Zhang Dabiao's strong body, so I slowly lowered him and then sat down on the ground.
Hoo—
I gasped for air. This was the first time I had been so close to death. Even when trapped in the cave by the mountain sprites, it hadn't been this dangerous. After all, at that time, I still held out hope that Zhang Dabiao might come to rescue me.
This time, it was like facing a tiger in front and wolves behind, completely cutting off all my escape routes.
Zhang Dabiao gently patted my shoulder.
"Scared?"
I nodded and said, "This is the first time I've been so close to death."
Zhang Dabiao chuckled, said nothing, but lit a cigarette and handed it to me. "I know you don't like smoking, but this thing can sometimes relieve tension."
"Mm!"
When I was young, I had secretly smoked my master's cigarettes. I always felt that this thing was not only spicy but also made my eyes water, so I never really took to smoking. However, this time, taking a puff, I felt a sense of refreshing my heart and lungs. Although it was still very choking, it significantly eased my tense mood.
Perhaps due to nervousness, I finished one cigarette in a few quick drags, and a wave of dizziness washed over my head, making me feel as if I had drunk too much.
"Cough cough…"
"If you don't know how to smoke, don't inhale so hard all at once…" Zhang Dabiao said, patting my back and comforting me.
"Huh? What is he doing?"
Although Xu Yi was with us, he had some secret communication with the skinny monkey, Li Zuoquan, earlier, so there was a bit of a rift between us. He didn't interject while we were talking, but was aimlessly shining the wolf-tooth flashlight around out of boredom.
Following the beam of the wolf-tooth flashlight, I saw Li Zuoquan bending over, like a greedy hound, meticulously examining something in front of the stone door… no, it should be called the bronze door now.
Since he was facing away from us, I couldn't tell his expression. However, from his occasionally trembling body, I could tell that this guy was extremely excited, as if he had discovered some incredible secret.
The light from the wolf-tooth flashlight made Li Zuoquan straighten up. He slowly turned around, a green glint flashing in his eyes. He then slowly floated over from the door and landed in front of us.
"Oh dear, I was so busy avoiding danger earlier. Are you all alright?"
I rolled my eyes. You ghost, how could you be afraid of the cave collapsing? If you really cared about us, you wouldn't have let the two mountain sprites block our escape route earlier. If the cave had truly collapsed, wouldn't you, a ghost, have caused our deaths?
Although I was mentally cursing Li Zuoquan's ancestors for the eighteenth generation, I didn't say it out loud.
"Thank you for your concern, Elder Li. We're not dead yet."
Then, I changed the subject and said, "I saw Elder Li carefully observing the door earlier. Did you discover anything special?" I emphasized the word "observing," making my meaning clear: you had the mood to observe the bronze door, so how could you have the mood to care about our lives and deaths?
Li Zuoquan seemed not to have caught my underlying meaning. He still wore a faint smile and said, "No major discoveries, but I can confirm one thing."
"What?"
"This is the true dragon tomb hidden in Qingfeng Mountain."
"True dragon tomb?"
I stood up somewhat excitedly.
You know, a true dragon tomb is not something everyone has the opportunity to witness. It's not just because of the tomb's layout, but also the arrangement of the entire Yin dwelling. It's an existence that all Yin diviners long to see.
"Really, this is the tomb of the Fifth Prince."
As the words "Fifth Prince" left Li Zuoquan's mouth, it was as if a basin of ice water had been poured over my head. My excitement vanished without a trace.
The true dragon tomb had always been something I yearned to behold. However, if the owner of this tomb were the Fifth Prince, I would never be willing to enter and see it. Whether it was the Fifth Prince or the Fifth Princess, they had both shown me kindness.
Especially the Fifth Prince. If he hadn't rescued me from the "waiting-to-die room" back then, I would have been trapped and starved to death by Li Zuoquan. Not only that, but the Fifth Prince had also given me a Yin Underworld Snake that could grow to the "Ghost Emperor" level. If I were to dig up his Yin dwelling, would I still be considered human?
Setting aside my conscience, if my master found out, he would surely beat me to death. Moreover, the Fifth Princess was also on Qingfeng Mountain. If she saw me digging up her father's grave, wouldn't she slap me to death?
As an old fox whose eyelashes were all hollow, my subtle change in expression naturally couldn't escape Li Zuoquan's eyes.
"Kid, don't worry. I'll only take that one item. I'm not interested in the tomb itself and won't damage it."
Facing Li Zuoquan's assurance, I felt a surge of contempt. Your promise is as worthless as a fart. You know full well that the true owner of the Half-Yin Realm is the Fifth Prince, yet you still want to seize it to achieve your goal of eternal life.
"Let's open the door now!"