Volume Three, Visiting Antiquities and Seeking Immortals - Chapter Eight: A Sinister Scheme

After a while, the spellbound crowd gradually regained their senses and began leaning against the walls to tend to their wounds. The tomb chamber was immediately filled with muffled groans of pain.

While the others tended to their injuries, Lu Yi began recounting what had transpired during their collective hallucination, complying with Guo Qiang's request.

When he mentioned how several individuals had scooped the oily substance from the coffin, the expression of the experienced trial-taker remained calm, showing only a trace of disgust. However, two or three of the native inhabitants instantly turned pale with fright.

The one who drew Lu Yi's attention the most was a man named Rat. He raised both hands, his face ashen as he stared at them in disbelief, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Lu Yi clearly remembered that Rat was one of those individuals. At that time, Lu Yi had rushed forward and knocked the substance out of their hands, but some of the oily residue inevitably clung to their skin.

Yet Rat's hands had not been wiped or cleaned, and at this moment, they looked completely spotless. Lu Yi suspected in his heart that the oily substance might have already seeped into Rat's body.

Finally, Rat could no longer hold it in. He abruptly stood up and cried out in a near-breakdown, "No, I can't stay here anymore. I have to get out."

His shout instantly drew everyone's attention. Even Yu Chan, who had been spacing out while sucking on a lollipop, was startled by the outburst. She blinked and looked at Rat with utter bewilderment. "The captain said earlier that the path we came through has vanished. Why didn't you listen?"

Hearing this, Guo Qiang's expression changed dramatically. He anxiously demanded of Lu Yi, "What? The tunnel we came through is gone?"

Lu Yi looked at Yu Chan with a mixture of helplessness. He hadn't yet had the chance to tell the others that the tunnel had disappeared; he had only mentioned it to Shen Yixue and Yu Chan, so how would anyone else know? He then nodded at Guo Qiang to confirm it.

Yu Chan was about to speak again, but Rat could no longer contain the terror within him. With a piercing scream, he pushed Yu Chan aside and bolted toward the direction they had come from.

Frowning in displeasure, Lu Yi quickly reached out to steady Yu Chan.

Meanwhile, Rat quickly reached the spot where the tunnel used to be. Panicking, his trembling hands frantically fumbled along the wall while he muttered words that Lu Yi found utterly baffling, "Grand Patriarch preserve me, please don't come after me, I can still be saved, I can still be saved."

Rat tapped rapidly against the wall with both hands, trying to push every spot that might conceal a mechanism. After searching frantically for a moment, Rat struck the wall hard, roaring as he clawed at his hair in desperation, "It's not there! How could the tunnel just vanish out of thin air?"

Seeing this, the trial-takers who had finished treating their wounds also joined the search. Over a dozen people lined up along the tomb walls, beginning to search inch by inch. As the search progressed, Wu You soon touched the hidden compartment Lu Yi had previously interacted with.

Seeing this, Yu Chan immediately shouted, "Captain, he..."

Hearing Yu Chan say that, Shen Yixue's expression shifted. To prevent Yu Chan from letting something slip, she hurriedly bumped Yu Chan's arm with her elbow. Yu Chan's hand instinctively jerked upward toward her face, the lollipop colliding with her cheek. However, Yu Chan's reflexes when it came to food were always lightning fast; she opened her mouth and bit down directly onto the lollipop.

Taking advantage of Yu Chan's silence, Shen Yixue quickly chimed in, "Captain, it looks like they found something."

At Shen Yixue's words, everyone immediately turned their gaze toward Wu You. Putting on a show, Lu Yi looked over at Wu You, pondered for a moment, and said, "Let's go take a look."

Seeing the other trial-takers crowding over, Wu You decisively displayed the empty hidden compartment. At this sight, the group stopped in their tracks. The native inhabitants nodded, seemingly convinced, while the rest of the trial-takers cast meaningful and probing glances at Wu You, with some even shooting him provocative looks.

After exchanging a series of explanations with Yu Chan via the team channel, Lu Yi turned his gaze to another person. "Old Immortal Luo, what exactly is the thing inside there? Why did you guys fall right into the trap despite being so thoroughly prepared?"

Old Immortal Luo sat cross-legged on the ground, his eyes tightly shut as he formed a strange hand seal. Hearing Lu Yi's question, he didn't even open his eyes, merely letting out a faint sigh. "Everything is destined by fate."

"Damn it all." Guo Qiang instantly grew annoyed. He grabbed Old Immortal Luo by the collar and hauled him to his feet. "What destiny or fate? Seeing you like this pisses me off. A moment ago you were sitting there sighing over your hands, and now you've adopted this ghost of an attitude. What do you want? Waiting to achieve nirvana?"

Because he was being yanked by the collar, Guo Qiang's spit flew right into Old Immortal Luo's face, yet Luo didn't react in the slightest, not even bothering to wipe it away.

A bitter smile crossed his face. "Achieve nirvana? That's about right. Considering how many tombs I've looted over the years, meeting this calamity is only getting what I deserve. To be buried in such fine geomantic terrain, it's worth it."

Xu Tianyi hurried over to pry the two apart. "Senior Luo, we haven't reached the end of our rope yet. The tunnel we came through must have been concealed by a mechanism. As long as we find it, all of us can get out safely."

Another native resident spoke up at that moment as well. "That's right, Immortal Luo. You specialize in geomancy and Feng Shui. Now is the exact time to pull yourself together and help us find a path to survival. How can you sit there in despair and become the laughingstock of the younger generation?"

"The younger generation." Luo's eyelids twitched. He then opened his eyes and looked at Xu Tianyi. Finally, a glimmer of light appeared in his gaze. "Very well. For the sake of the younger generation, this decaying piece of wood will struggle once more."

Old Immortal Luo stood back up and turned his head to look at Lu Yi. "Weren't you curious about how we triggered the trap? I'll spell it out for you right now."

Giving Xu Tianyi a deep look, Old Immortal Luo began to narrate, "If I remember correctly, the remains inside the coffin should be female, so the coffin itself is a trap."

As he spoke, he raised a hand to point at the fallen coffin lid. "Suspended beneath this coffin lid is something called a Underworld Whistle. The moment any wind passes through it, it produces a strange human voice.

"The coffin before us was sealed using special measures, maintaining a state of low pressure. As the coffin lid was opened, air rushed inside and passed through the Underworld Whistle, instantly producing the sighing sound we heard.

"Anyone who heard that sound would experience a brief trance. It was precisely during that period of distraction that our bodies unconsciously relaxed, causing us to inhale the volatile substances evaporating from the coffin, and thus we fell into the trap."

"So that's how it was. No wonder I caught a hint of fragrance at the time—it turned out I had inhaled it inadvertently." Xu Tianyi wore an expression of sudden realization. Guo Qiang and the other native residents also nodded, clearly having experienced a similar situation.

"Hold on." Shen Yixue looked at Old Immortal Luo and Guo Qiang. "Since something like that was hanging inside, how come none of you saw it at the time?"

Old Immortal Luo paused, then said with some uncertainty, "That's probably because when it was originally secured, it was designed so that the moment the lid opened and the whistle sounded, it would drop to the bottom of the coffin.

"Or perhaps the fastenings of the Underworld Whistle corroded in that environment, and when the coffin was pried open, it simply fell off. The sound we heard was actually generated while it was falling."

Guo Qiang complained with an irritated expression, "Damn it, this Prince Yongming is truly treacherous. We almost all perished by his tricks. Not only did he put hallucinogenic spices inside the coffin, but he also rigged up a mind-disrupting Underworld Whistle.

"Just think, which tomb raider dares not pay attention to the sounds inside a coffin when opening it? Naturally, the moment one listens closely, they hear the sound of the whistle and subsequently inhale the spices. When I find this Prince Yongming, I'm going to strip him bare just to vent the hatred in my chest."

"I only read about this description in an ancient text and thought it was just a fairy tale. I never expected..." At this, Old Immortal Luo sighed once more.

A flash crossed Guo Qiang's eyes as he slowly said, "I've looted so many tombs and never heard of such a thing. Furthermore, if Prince Yongming really engineered it so that the whistle fell to the bottom the instant the coffin was opened, that Underworld Whistle must be worth a fortune."

Hearing Guo Qiang say this, one of the native residents immediately brightened up, looking straight at the coffin as he said, "In that case, this Underworld Whistle is quite a treasure then."

Guo Qiang smacked the man across the back of the head. "Dachuang, aren't you stating the obvious? There's probably only one such thing in the entire world. How could it not be rare?"

Dachuang chuckled foolishly. "Fine then, I'll go fish it out right now."

"Humph, humph." Old Immortal Luo sneered a few times. "That Underworld Whistle is indeed a treasure, but since it has already fallen to the bottom of the coffin, if you want to fish it out, you can stay in this tomb with me."

Dachuang gave a start. Perhaps feeling that he was being too cowardly, he straightened his posture again. "Immortal Luo, don't try to scare us with alarmist talk. Isn't the danger of this tomb chamber just coming from those spices?

"Now that the whistle has fallen down, it's bound to be blocked by whatever is at the bottom of the coffin, so it won't make any sound. As long as I hold my breath and fish it out quickly, won't everything be fine?"

The mockery on Old Immortal Luo's face grew even more pronounced. "Spices? If it were merely spices, would I have been so desperate just now?" At this, Old Immortal Luo looked at Guo Qiang. "Guo Qiang, you're also an old hand. You should be able to sense the eeriness of this royal tomb. I hope you can know when to quit and lead everyone out."

"This." Guo Qiang appeared somewhat conflicted.

Anxiously grabbing Guo Qiang, Old Immortal Luo raised his voice a notch. "Guo Qiang, I can tell you unequivocally that Prince Yongming definitely practiced evil arts. If we manage to find the tunnel leading forward, under no circumstances must we enter it. There are bound to be things inside that exceed our imagination."

Seeing this situation, Xu Tianyi quickly asked, "Senior, did you discover something?"

Old Immortal Luo caught his breath. "There is a substance called Hundred-Grievance Corpse Oil that you probably haven't heard of. This stuff must be refined while the victims are still alive, and the methods used are extremely cruel.

"Once successfully refined, this corpse oil not only lacks any foul odor, but instead emits a rich, mellow fragrance. However, the moment you inhale even a tiny bit, you are struck by the impact of lingering resentment, producing all sorts of bizarre and grotesque hallucinations. Yet, that is not the most terrifying part."

Saying this, Old Immortal Luo raised both hands. "These hands of mine reached inside, and now that corpse oil has seeped into my body. But even if you don't touch it with your hands, simply inhaling a certain amount of the volatilized gas will subject you to the effects of the Hundred-Grievance Corpse Oil."

"Shorter lifespan, a hundred ailments entangling the body, failing fortune, breeding of evil thoughts, and plummeting willpower." Old Immortal Luo pronounced each word clearly while staring directly at the crowd.

Hearing Old Immortal Luo's explanation, all the tomb raiders drew in a sharp breath.

Xu Tianyi was momentarily stunned, then quickly spoke up, "Senior, if that's the case, all the more reason we must find Prince Yongming's coffin. Since Prince Yongming could create such a thing, he must have a way to deal with it."

Old Immortal Luo let out another long sigh. "Alas, Prince Yongming was capable of producing so much corpse oil; how could he possibly be an easy adversary to deal with?

"Now that this corpse oil has remained stored in the tomb chamber for so long, it has long since harmonized with the Feng Shui of this place. Given my physical condition, the moment I step out of this tomb, the effects of the corpse oil will manifest, causing me to suffer a slow and agonizing death."

Clutching Old Immortal Luo's clothes, Xu Tianyi found the situation completely unacceptable. "Senior, are you saying you can only stay in this tomb forever?"