Though the Xiaoling Guards' guns were fast and accurate, the beast before us was no pushover. It ran too quickly, and the bullets missed its head, only hitting its torso and front legs. This didn't stop it at all.

Seeing the big dog lunge at us, the gunshots only fueled its bloodlust. With a "woof," it pounced at Old Wei.

Old Wei dropped his gun, left without a weapon to defend himself. He was also getting old and didn't have the reflexes of a young man. For a moment, he turned and ran, but he couldn't outrun the four-legged beast.

In that critical moment, Hu Wazi picked up his baton and rushed toward the big dog.

"You son of a bitch! Come at me if you've got the guts!"

Before the words faded, he stepped in front of Old Wei. The big dog didn't hold back, letting out a "woof" as it lunged at Hu Wazi. Hu Wazi swung his baton at the beast's head, but it pinned his shoulders and flipped him to the ground.

Just as the dog's mouth was about to bite Hu Wazi's neck, the Xiaoling Guards fired a second volley of shots.

This time, because the target was so close, two shots hit the dog's head directly. The beast let out a "whoof" and died instantly, collapsing on top of Hu Wazi.

Though I've written several paragraphs to describe it, all of this happened in the blink of an eye. In that short moment, Old Wei and Hu Wazi experienced life and death.

Once the dog was sprawled on top of Hu Wazi, I rushed over to him.

I ran while shouting, "Hu Wazi! Hu Wazi!"

Hu Wazi struggled to crawl out from under the big dog. He grinned at me and said, "Brother-in-law, don't panic. I'm still alive!"

Old Wei also quickly turned back to help Hu Wazi up, saying gratefully, "Hu Wazi, you saved my life! You just saved my life!"

Hu Wazi chuckled and said, "I just saw that your old arms and legs couldn't handle this beast, so I gave you a hand. It was nothing, just a small favor."

"This is not a small favor," Old Wei said quickly. "I don't know how to thank you enough."

"How to thank me? Take me out to dinner when we get out of here. Don't you even know that?" Hu Wazi said with a smile. After he finished, he kicked the big dog and cursed, "This damn beast is pretty strong. I almost got bitten to death!"

Seeing that the big dog was dead, I squatted down to examine it closely. This dog was just too big, big enough to make your hair stand on end.

At this time, Yinhuan She and Xiao Liang also came over, marveling at the size of the dog.

Xiao Liang said, "Do you think this dog is a mutant? How can a normal dog grow so big? I think this dog is like a mutant dog that's been exposed to radiation..."

Old Wei said, "Can radiation make a mutant creature grow so big? But what radiation could there be here in the Qu Shang Underground Palace? This area is all scenic and agricultural, and there aren't even any factories for miles around. Where would the radiation come from?"

Hu Wazi wasn't interested in discussing this. He was anxious to find Sister Xiao Mei. Patting the dust off his body, he pointed to the Crystal Palace and said, "Let's hurry up and go to the Crystal Palace. An'an is still inside. Don't let this beast delay our business."

Hearing this, I also quickly said, "Yes, yes, yes. Business is important."

After saying that, we temporarily left the big dog and walked into the Crystal Palace.

But as soon as we stepped into the Crystal Palace, we were dumbfounded!

The entrance to the Crystal Palace reeked, and there were several corpses on the ground, rotting to varying degrees.

These corpses were clearly the big dog's "dog food." Judging by their clothes, they were all tomb robbers.

Further in, there was a huge pile of bones scattered on the ground! The bone pile was mixed with some clothes, shoes, tomb-robbing tools, and the like. These people were clearly tomb robbers who had come down to rob tombs before, but their final fate was to become dog food.

My scalp tingled as I looked at this scene, and everyone else gasped.

Xiao Liang said, "Do you think that the old man's initial attempt to harm us wasn't at the command of Uncle Liu Huang at all, but his own idea? This couple lives in the underground palace all year round, specializing in killing people, and then dragging the dead to the Crystal Palace to feed the dog..."

Xiao Liang's words made my heart sink!

Looking back, it was entirely possible!

Old Wei also sneered twice after hearing this, saying, "Tomb robbers are themselves a group of lawless elements who seek wealth and kill people. But who would have thought that evil will be punished by evil, and there is an old couple living in this Qu Shang Underground Palace who specialize in killing tomb robbers. It can be regarded as heavenly justice, haha..."

As we went further, I saw something else that made my scalp crawl!

In front of the pile of bones, there was actually a stone that had been moved from some tomb chamber. The stone was square and could be used as a table.

And on this table, there was actually a cutting board for chopping meat, and on top of the cutting board was a rusty kitchen knife!

Not far away, there was a pot propped up on the ground, with half a pot of soup left in it, and it seemed to be stewing some bones and minced meat.

Seeing this scene, I felt a churning in my stomach and almost vomited.

Xiao Liang even screamed and covered her eyes, afraid to look.

Yinhuan She snorted coldly and said, "Hehe, this old couple is really not human!"

Hu Wazi also cursed, "They are truly demons on earth!"

After some emotional outbursts, we didn't linger in this place of right and wrong. We continued to walk along the path in the Crystal Palace, looking for the location where Sister Xiao Mei had appeared before.

I observed the surrounding situation. According to the direction of the first time we entered the tomb, Sister Xiao Mei should be in the southwest corner of the Crystal Palace. I have a good sense of direction in the underground palace, so I took the initiative to replace Old Wei and led the way with Hu Wazi, heading towards the southwest.

After walking a few steps, I vaguely heard footsteps not far away. The footsteps were faint and kept a certain distance from our team.

I suddenly shone my flashlight over there, but I couldn't see anything. The area I was observing was pitch black, without a single shadow.

Hu Wazi asked me, "Brother-in-law, what's wrong? Did you see someone?"

I said, "I didn't see anyone, but I heard some movement."

Hu Wazi waved his hand and said, "Maybe you misheard. It's normal to have some hallucinations after not eating for several days."

Xiao Liang said from the side, "Chen Rongsheng has very good hearing and wouldn't mishear. If he heard it, there must be some movement."

Yinhuan She immediately reminded us, "Don't forget, the group of people who ambushed me haven't been completely wiped out yet. Some of them must have entered the Crystal Palace as well, so everyone be careful!"