This Taoist priest is so unprofessional!

At this moment, the truth was revealed to everyone in an almost absurd way.

This is not some kind of longevity ritual at all.

This is just a cenotaph.

The tomb owner set up this elaborate scheme, which is difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood and tests people's hearts at every turn, in order to prevent greedy people in later generations from disturbing his friend's peace.

The true keepsake, the bamboo scroll that might record their friendship, is hidden in the most inconspicuous place, requiring an unintentional coincidence to trigger it.

The stone box that had attracted everyone's attention was, from beginning to end, just a decoy.

"No……"

The professor ran over at that moment, staring blankly at the tombstone. The fervor on his face froze instantly, then shattered into pieces.

He was completely stunned, as if his entire soul had been emptied out.

The next second, as if his spine had been ripped out, he suddenly knelt down and then fell into complete madness.

"impossible!"

He pounded the ground with his fists and roared incessantly.

"My intelligence can't be wrong! The Longevity Bureau... Where is my Longevity Bureau! My Longevity!"

Years of obsession and a lifetime of pursuit collapsed in this moment, turning to dust.

He was not the chosen one, nor was he a wise man about to usher in a new era.

He was just another pathetic fool who was manipulated by the ancients.

Taking advantage of the moment when everyone was distracted by the Ksitigarbha, Wang Xiaoer had a sudden inspiration. Without even thinking, he pointed to the top of the cave above their heads and shouted again.

"It looks like something fell from the sky!"

The voice just fell.

A stalactite the size of a human head, as if heeding a call, silently broke off from the dark dome.

It crashed down with a sharp whooshing sound.

"Bang!"

The member who was fighting Zhang Chen hadn't even realized what was happening when he was hit squarely on the back of the head.

Without uttering a sound, he rolled his eyes and fell straight down.

Zhang Chen was freed from his predicament. Looking at the chaotic scene before him, and then at the bewildered Wang Xiaoer, he had a look of mixed amusement and exasperation on his face.

"Waiter."

He took a breath and walked over to Wang Xiaoer.

"From now on, don't do anything in the fights. Just provide the voiceover."

"Huh?" Wang Xiaoer was still in shock from the sudden turn of events.

"roar!"

On the other side, Brother Long let out a deafening roar.

His opponent's moment of distraction was his best opportunity.

He endured the excruciating pain throughout his body, forcefully shoving one man's weapon aside with his shoulder, twisting his body, and delivering a vicious whip kick to another man's knee.

"Snap!"

The crisp sound of bones breaking was clearly audible.

The man screamed and fell to his knees.

Without pausing, Brother Long turned and delivered an elbow strike, hitting the last enemy's wrist as he held the stick.

The opponent, in pain, released his grip, and the short stick fell to the ground.

Brother Long snatched it away and flicked it with his backhand.

With a muffled thud, the man's eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

The situation was reversed in just a few dozen seconds.

Those brought by the Ksitigarbha organization either died, were injured, went insane, or fainted.

Brother Long was breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently, his body covered in a mixture of blood and sweat.

He didn't look at the insane professor, nor did he pay any attention to the mysterious bamboo scroll.

His gaze swept over the mess on the ground and locked onto the bespectacled strategist who had just gotten up from the ground, still dazed and confused.

step.

Two steps.

He dragged his injured leg and walked step by step toward the bespectacled strategist who had collapsed to the ground.

With each step he took, the murderous aura emanating from him intensified.

The bespectacled strategist adjusted his askew glasses, looked in horror at Brother Long who was walking towards him like a demon from hell, and retreated backward on all fours.

"Brother Long... let me explain..."

"Who the hell asked you to explain?!"

Brother Long's eyes flashed with murderous intent; he didn't want to hear another word of nonsense.

The bespectacled strategist immediately felt a tightness in his lower body, and a foul stench instantly filled the cold air.

"Brother Long! Brother Long, spare me! It wasn't me! It was the professor!"

Tears streamed down his face as he crawled backward on all fours.

"He forced me to do it! I didn't want to! I was forced into it!"

Without pausing for a moment, Brother Long swung his fist, the size of a sandbag, with tremendous force, directly at his opponent.

The blood in his eyes was so thick it was almost impenetrable.

Just as the fist was about to land, a calm voice rang out.

"If you really beat him to death, your life is truly over."

Zhang Chen stood not far away, his voice not loud, but it was like a bucket of cold water poured on Brother Long's boiling killing intent.

Brother Long's fist hovered in mid-air, just inches from the bespectacled strategist's nose, the wind from the punch already ruffling his hair.

He suddenly turned his head and glared fiercely at Zhang Chen.

"He deserves to die!"

"He deserved to die," Zhang Chen nodded, not refuting, "but he shouldn't have died at your hands."

Zhang Chen's gaze was calm as he looked at Brother Long.

"Hand him over to the police. He's committed tomb raiding and premeditated murder; he'll be locked up for life."

"You killed him with your own hands, so the nature of the crime changes."

Zhang Chen paused, his tone devoid of preaching, merely stating a fact.

"What is he anyway? A worthless life, not worth wasting the rest of your life on."

"Some things, just because we don't talk about them, we can't pretend they never happened."

Brother Long's fist remained suspended in the air for a long time, and trembled for a long time as well.

He wasn't afraid.

He's not afraid of going to jail, he's not afraid of death.

But Zhang Chen's words were like an awl, piercing the most lucid corner of his heart.

not worth it.

Yes, it's not worth turning yourself into a murderer for such a despicable creature.

His chest heaved violently, and finally, his clenched fist, which had turned white, slowly loosened.

"Pooh!"

He spat a mouthful of thick, bloody phlegm hard onto the face of the bespectacled strategist.

The sticky liquid slid down the lenses, but the bespectacled strategist dared not move, only trembling violently.

"Go to hell."

Brother Long withdrew half of his hand, then suddenly swung it out again, smashing it hard into the left cheek of the bespectacled strategist, dislocating his jaw.

"snort!"

After letting out a snort, Brother Long stopped looking at the traitor rolling on the ground clutching his chin, turned around, walked to the side, sat down against the rock wall, and began to breathe heavily.

Inside the cave, apart from the bespectacled strategist's uncontrollable howls, only the insane professor remained, muttering to himself.

"Immortality... My immortality scheme... how could it be fake...?"

Wang Xiaoer looked at the mess in front of him, and then at the white marble altar.

He composed himself and walked over.

He bypassed the mad professor, walked to the side of the altar, and carefully took out the ancient bamboo scroll from the hidden compartment that had been knocked open by the bespectacled strategist's head.

The bamboo slips felt cool to the touch, carrying the weight of time.

Wang Xiaoer didn't open it; he just gently stroked the knot on it with his hand.

He felt that the place was no longer safe, and as a neighbor, he should help him keep the things safe. If they weren't valuable, then handing them over to the state wouldn't be a problem.

This is the best explanation for the unknown tomb owner and General Li.

Zhang Chen walked over, took out a rope from his backpack, and began to work.

He first tied up the professor, who had completely gone mad.

Then there's that bespectacled strategist.

Finally, there were the few members of the Ksitigarbha sect whose limbs had been broken by Brother Long and who had passed out.

"Throw this at them first, then call the police and let them deal with them once we get out."

However, looking at this huge underground cavern, the three of them still felt a headache coming on.

The dark dome had no top in sight, and the surroundings were pitch black; in some places, even a flashlight couldn't reach the top.

"Why don't we split up and look for ventilation openings or something?" Brother Long suggested.

He forced himself to stand up, his wounds still bleeding, but he simply tore off the hem of his clothes and tied it haphazardly.

"Wait a minute, let me try again."

For some reason, Zhang Chen remembered his compass again and subconsciously took it out.

"Um?"

With a soft sigh, a hint of joy unconsciously appeared on Zhang Chen's face.

This stuff actually helped me sober up!