Ye Huohuo sprang away from the side of the coffin at the same moment Lu Yao, as if shocked by an electric current, sprang to the other side with lightning speed.
"This, this… there’s breathing inside, there’s… a living thing?" Lu Yao almost bit her tongue.
The two exchanged a glance, seeing fear in each other's eyes, but more so, astonishment.
The appearance of such an ancient coffin here had already blown their minds, and now to discover something breathing inside. Fortunately, the two of them were brave; any other girl might have been terrified and unable to crawl back.
Whether it was the lightning talisman in Ye Huohuo's hand or the peach wood sword in Lu Yao's, both were meant for dealing with ghosts. Now, with a living being inside, could they handle it?
Most importantly, what was this living thing? Could it be that the girl hadn't died, and those who had sought them out before weren't ghosts, but living souls?
Both of them retreated several steps towards the exit, trying to get as far away from the eerie coffin as possible.
"What should we do? Open it or leave?" Ye Huohuo was the one to speak first this time.
She knew her unlucky constitution; if they opened the coffin here, anything could jump out. If a formidable creature they couldn't handle emerged, opening the coffin would be suicidal, not only for her but also for Lu Yao.
"You want to leave?"
"Since we've found this place, why don't we go back and open it another time?" Ye Huohuo’s usual boldness had vanished.
"When did you become a coward? The answer is right in front of us. You can tolerate it, but I can't. If you're scared, go out first. I can open it alone, but all the good stuff inside will be mine!" Lu Yao’s greedy nature was on full display.
As she spoke, she reached to push the coffin lid, but Ye Huohuo placed a hand on it. "Even if there's good stuff, we need to be alive to take it. Let's go!"
While the two were arguing, the coffin lid beneath them actually moved.
Now, both of them fell silent, their eyes fixed on the coffin lid as if it would flip open on its own the next second.
"It's coming out? We can't leave!" Ye Huohuo tossed the glowing talisman in her hand into the air and shouted, "Fix!" The talisman hung in the air like a light bulb, illuminating the room brightly.
"Fine, neither of us is leaving. I want to see if there's really an ancient monster that's lived for a thousand years inside?" Lu Yao held the peach wood sword horizontally across her chest, her face showing no fear, only a slight smile and sparkling excitement in her eyes.
"An ancient monster that's lived for a thousand years? I've met one before. I'll introduce you sometime." Hearing Lu Yao’s words, Ye Huohuo remembered Fang Fang from before; she was a thousand-year-old enchantress, having lived for over a millennium.
"Alright! Then…" Before Lu Yao could finish, the coffin lid began to slide downwards, as if someone inside was pushing it.
It was a high-quality nanmu coffin. Lu Yao and Ye Huohuo had pushed and pressed it earlier, and it hadn't budged, showing how heavy the lid was. Yet, now it was slowly, slowly, inching open.
Ye Huohuo felt her palms begin to sweat, her heartbeat uncontrollably quickening. She glanced at Lu Yao from the corner of her eye, noticing her chest heaving significantly, indicating she wasn't faring much better.
As the coffin lid opened wider, more and more chilling aura emanated from within. The white mist from Ye Huohuo's exhales grew thicker, and even when she blinked, her upper and lower eyelashes would easily stick together.
Just as Ye Huohuo thought the coffin lid would slide all the way off, it stopped halfway.
"What’s going on? Is it coming out or not?" Lu Yao's voice trembled with cold.
"I'll go take a look!" Ye Huohuo gritted her teeth. This stalemate couldn't last. The one inside might be an ancient being who had lain in the coffin for a thousand years; another ten or eight years wouldn't matter to them. But they couldn't endure it. After such a short time, both their bodies were almost frozen, and any longer, they might not be able to move at all.
"I'll go! You provide backup from behind." Lu Yao grabbed Ye Huohuo.
"I'll go. You're good at magical support, but I'm better at close combat."
At this moment, they started arguing. If whatever was inside came out, neither would benefit, but the one who went first would certainly be in more danger. Facing death, former rivals were now vying to do the most dangerous thing. Wouldn't those friends who acted close but fled at the first sign of danger feel ashamed watching this?
"Heh, if I die, you'll be spared the trouble!"
"Bah, neither of us will die today. I said it before, the only one who can kill you is me!" Lu Yao said, then charged towards the coffin.
The coffin was very tall, placed on a stone platform. The upper edge of the coffin was already above both their heads. To see what was inside, they had to jump onto the coffin lid and look down.
Ye Huohuo grabbed her from behind, using the momentum to pull her behind her. She planted her feet firmly, leaped up, and stood on the coffin lid, peering inside.
But before she could clearly see what was in the dark interior, a gust of black, turbid air sprayed from the coffin towards her face. Ye Huohuo, with quick reflexes, leaned her body back sharply, her upper body almost parallel to the coffin lid, narrowly dodging the black air.
The black air, having reached mid-air, curved around and descended towards Ye Huohuo again.
She exerted force with her feet, twisted her waist sharply, and performed a 360-degree aerial flip, landing towards the edge of the coffin.
But to her surprise, another ball of black air shot out from the coffin, aimed at her.
"Damn it!" Now she was caught between pursuers above and blockades below, unable to go up or down. But she couldn't just freeze in mid-air. Seeing that she was about to be struck by the black air below.
A flash of golden light streaked across, shattering the black air, and Ye Huohuo successfully landed.
She landed on the ground without even a moment to catch her breath when the black air pursuing her from above was also reaching her. Another flash of golden light scattered the black air above as well.
Ye Huohuo looked up to see Lu Yao's sword-wielding pose, still graceful, and she raised an eyebrow at Ye Huohuo. "How was my support attack? Pretty good, but your main attack wasn't great; you almost died. What's inside, anyway?"
"If I told you I saw nothing, would you believe me?" Ye Huohuo felt her face flush slightly.
"I believe you. You couldn't even stand steady up there before you were attacked. I'd be surprised if you saw anything. But I'm even more curious about what's inside. This time, you provide backup for me, and I'll go up to see." Before Ye Huohuo could react, Lu Yao had already flown up. Using the wall for leverage, she shot towards the coffin like an arrow.
Just like Ye Huohuo earlier, a ball of black air attacked Lu Yao. Interspersed was a pungent odor that, upon a slight whiff, made her entire respiratory tract feel burning. She knew this black air was highly corrosive; if it truly sprayed onto her body, it would burn away a piece of flesh and skin at least.
Lu Yao, however, had some psychological preparation. Unlike Ye Huohuo, she didn't dodge; instead, she advanced. With a wave of her hand, the peach wood sword traced a golden light, splitting the black air in half and dispersing it into the air. Seizing this opening, she focused her gaze into the coffin, but the next second, her body suddenly froze, as if struck by a paralyzing spell, remaining stiffly in place, her eyes unblinking…