Dao Qi Wu Zang Guan Guan: I became a Daoist Master in the 1990s

Chapter 176 A Nighttime Rescue
Before dawn, Niubei Mountain is a painting soaked in ink.

Thick fog and low-hanging morning mist clung to the mountains, blurring all outlines and leaving only damp shadows.

An abandoned forest ranger station, like a forgotten lone boat, is moored on the edge of this forest. A few windows let in dim, flickering light, which intertwines with the pale blue fluorescence dancing on the screens of several instruments.

The atmosphere inside the forest ranger station was somber.

Zhang Guisheng pressed his finger heavily on the spread-out map, which was overlaid with a rough sketch of the tomb structure drawn based on the tomb robbers' confessions and preliminary exploration.

His brows furrowed into a deep frown. "The last point where the signal disappears is right here, at a depth estimated to be around twenty meters."

Old Jin, still the same old down-to-earth guy? Any new changes?

The feng shui master, known as Lao Jin, held an old compass, his fingertips subtly calculating and shifting positions on it.

The compass needle was not stationary, but was trembling continuously and nervously within a very small amplitude.

Old Jin's face darkened, and he shook his head: "Chaos! An unprecedented chaos!"

Yin energy, malevolent energy, earth energy... and an indescribable 'field'—all were intertwined, inseparable.

This is by no means a naturally formed feng shui site; it's more like... a carefully modified, deliberately arranged 'setup'! His tone was filled with unprecedented confusion.

In the corner, technician Xiao Zhou, wearing headphones, had his face almost pressed against the screen of a portable energy detector.

The screen displayed a jumbled waveform, while a nearby monitor showed the entrance to the tomb.

Those were the last images transmitted back by the cameras the team had set up before they lost contact.

"The energy readings have been fluctuating between L2 and L3 levels, but the waveforms are very strange, with sharp peaks and abnormal decay patterns that do not conform to any known negative energy or spectral characteristics...etc!"

His voice suddenly rose, "There's interference! The image jitter is getting worse!"

Lin Wei, who was in charge of both medical and logistical support, remained silent and checked the first-aid kits again.

She made sure to place all kinds of first aid medicines and equipment in the most convenient places, and checked the gas masks that the team members had hung on the wall one by one.

"The preliminary analysis results of the air composition are in."

"The oxygen content near the cave entrance is low, the humidity is over 98%, and trace amounts of unknown volatile organic compounds have been detected. It is preliminarily judged that they may have neurotoxic or hallucinogenic effects."

All personnel entering the premises must wear protective gear properly at all times; there can be no lapse in vigilance.

Commando Lei Bao stood against the wall, impatiently wiping his modified submachine gun, a military dagger with talismans engraved on its blade, and special bullets with an oilcloth.

His muscles were tense, like a raging wild beast trapped in an invisible cage.

at this time.

"Boom!!!"

The ear-piercing roar of the engine, like a wounded beast, approached from afar, violently tearing apart the last silence before dawn.

A beam of bright white headlights cleaved through the thick fog like a sword, and a dark black SUV sped up the steep slope in front of the forest ranger station in a nearly out-of-control manner. It spun violently, its tires screeching against the ground and emitting a burnt smell, before finally coming to a stop.

The car door popped open, and Qi Yun stepped out.

His dark blue Taoist robe fluttered in the crisp morning wind.

His face was cold and stern, his eyes were like cold stars, and his aura was deep and unfathomable, making the already damp and cold air around him seem to drop several degrees even further.

Following behind him, Daoist Yuncheng was pale and his steps were slightly unsteady, clearly indicating that the arduous journey had taken a toll on him.

Zhang Guisheng, who was already standing outside the door with his entourage, immediately stepped forward and extended his right hand.

"Master Qi! Thank you for rushing to our aid under the cover of darkness! I am Zhang Guisheng, the person in charge of this operation."

The moment their hands clasped, Zhang Guisheng felt that the warmth emanating from Qi Yun's palms was not that of an ordinary person, but rather a steady, understated yet intensely powerful force, which sent a chill down his spine. Qi Yun nodded in return, his gaze sharp as lightning, quickly sweeping over the makeshift command post and each team member. Without any pleasantries, he cut straight to the point: "I have a general understanding of the situation. What new discoveries have you made? The most detailed ones."

Zhang Guisheng turned to Qi Yun to check the map and equipment, speaking quickly and clearly: "Five days ago, Captain Liu Lan of the Chuancheng Branch arrested three tomb raiders. During the interrogation, two of them died mysteriously in their sleep under strict guard. There were no external injuries or water marks. The forensic examination determined that they died of suffocation and drowning, and their souls dissipated extremely quickly."

The large tomb they looted is located here!

He pointed to a spot on the map, saying, "The entrance to the tomb is filled with an extremely heavy yin energy, the surrounding vegetation is abnormally withered, and the ground is constantly seeping water, which has not improved even after several sunny days."

Team leader Liu and Captain Song Dingqian of the Shancheng Branch jointly led a small team to explore the tomb three days ago with the last tomb raider. Shortly after entering the tomb, they lost all contact.

The last intermittent communication mentioned "a loud sound of water," "bitterly cold," and "shadows."

Old Jin immediately added, "The compass completely malfunctions here, and the magnetic needle vibrates wildly. This is definitely not caused by geomagnetic anomalies, but rather by interference from some stronger 'field'."

I suspect the tomb itself is a giant 'magic circle'.

Xiao Zhou quickly turned the monitor screen to Qi Yun: "Master Qi, this is an abnormal video that was just captured, lasting less than a second..." In the video, a blurry figure wearing a uniform similar to that of 749 flashed by at the entrance of the tomb, the figure twisting and turning before disappearing without a trace.

Upon hearing this, Qi Yun's eyes suddenly turned cold.

He didn't ask any more questions, took a step forward, faced the direction of the ancient tomb, and quietly circulated his true qi.

"Search the Soul, Open!"

He silently recited the incantation in his heart, and a faint golden light flashed and disappeared in the depths of his eyes.

In an instant, the world before my eyes changed dramatically!
In his divine vision, the valley in the distance was completely shrouded by a huge, thick, and churning black aura!

The black mist was not lifeless; within it, countless transparent human figures seemed to struggle and float, writhing in pain, emitting silent wails. Their forms were beginning to take shape, like puppets forcibly shaped by the flow of water.

Deep within the black mist, the faint, dark, murky shimmer of water could be seen.

A cold, resentful aura spread out, like an invisible giant net, enveloping that area.

Qi Yun slowly closed his Dharma Eyes, and when he opened them again, he had returned to normal, but his expression was even more solemn and cold.

He said in a deep voice, "This is no ordinary corpse demon. The resentment here, combined with the special water veins, has probably already formed a ghost realm!"

Zhang Guisheng took a deep breath, his attitude becoming even more respectful: "Abbot Qi, what do you think our next step should be?"

He has unknowingly relinquished half of his command authority.

Qi Yun replied without hesitation: "Even if it's a ghost realm, we must go in to rescue them."

During the initial reconnaissance phase, Captain Zhang took command; but in crucial moments, I took over command!

"Understood!" Zhang Guisheng nodded emphatically and immediately turned to make arrangements.

"Lei Bao, check the weapons and reload the magazines with the Evil-Slaying Rune ammunition. Unless under special circumstances, do not fire without my or Master Qi's orders!"
Old Jin, do your best to identify the earth's energy veins and potential traps!

Xiao Zhou, streamline the equipment to the lowest possible load to ensure uninterrupted short-range communication and energy detection!
Lin Wei, check the first-aid kit one last time. Be prepared for multiple unexpected situations! —Master Yun Cheng

He looked at Yun Cheng, whose face was still pale, and said, "You are not on the list for this operation. Please stay at the command post, establish and maintain communication relays, monitor external energy changes and all channels at all times, and issue an alarm immediately if there is any abnormality!"

Everyone obeyed the order with a solemn air, quickly conducted a final check of their equipment, and put on their gas masks. The atmosphere was tense and heavy.

Qi Yun glanced one last time at the direction of the valley where black mist was rising into the sky, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

Just as everyone was preparing to set off.

"Boss! Abbot Qi!" Xiao Zhou suddenly pointed at the detector screen, his voice abruptly changing, "The energy reading has skyrocketed! It's exceeded the threshold! Level L4! The direction of the tomb entrance... the energy is highly concentrated!"
Something...something's about to come out?!

The curve on the screen suddenly spiked sharply, and a piercing alarm blared out!
(End of this chapter)