This Taoist priest is so unprofessional!

However, Wang Xiaoer did not trigger any mechanisms.

He simply let out a surprised "Eh," and tried pushing it again, but the coffin lid remained as stable as a mountain.

"Hey, it's pretty heavy," he muttered to himself.

Just as he was about to give up and try a different position,

"Click."

A very faint clicking sound came from inside the coffin.

Immediately afterwards, the ground beneath Wang Xiaoer's feet trembled slightly.

The huge bronze coffin he was pressing his hands on did not open. Instead, with a series of creaking sounds, it slowly sank into the ground!

On the ground, a dark hole appeared, and a stone staircase leading deeper into the hole appeared before the two of them.

The gate to life opens like this.

Zhang Chen raised an eyebrow as he looked at the scene before him.

It's always like this.

It's that unconventional style again.

The person buried here must have been mentally impaired in life!

Wang Xiaoer turned around and gave Zhang Chen, who was still in a daze, a smug smile, as if to say: See? You were right to trust me.

However, at that very moment!

"Buzz buzz buzz—"

A piercing sound, like a dentist's drill, suddenly came from the other side of the tomb wall!

The sound seemed particularly abrupt and terrifying in the deathly silent ancient tomb.

Immediately afterwards, there was another loud bang, followed by several shrill screams, and then a muffled thud as a heavy object fell to the ground, piercing through the thick stone wall.

"ah--!"

"Help...help me..."

Wang Xiaoer and Zhang Chen both felt a chill run down their spines at the same time.

They immediately realized that someone had come in!

The two looked in the direction of the sound.

On the other side of the tomb chamber, in a charred hole that had just been blasted open, several figures covered in soot were crawling out.

Gravel and dust were still falling from the cave entrance.

The one leading the group was none other than Brother Long, whose face was full of scars and whose head was wrapped in gauze.

He obviously didn't go through the main entrance, but instead used the most barbaric method, forcibly clearing a path with explosives.

It seems that Brother Long's team suffered a significant loss.

The last two people dragged out had bluish-purple faces and were still twitching slightly; they were clearly not going to survive.

Immediately afterwards, a faint almond scent wafted in from the cave entrance.

"It's poison gas from the tomb," Zhang Chen said in a low voice.

Upon hearing the voice, Brother Long immediately spotted Wang Xiaoer and Zhang Chen, who were unharmed.

His gaze swept across the area again, landing on the dark passageway that had been opened up beside the two of them.

On Brother Long's face, there was first relief at surviving a disaster, then astonishment, and finally, undisguised excitement.

His eyes gleamed with a wolf-like light.

"OK!"

"So you two sneaked in all along!"

Brother Long's voice was hoarse and ruthless. His men, who were still standing behind him, immediately understood and raised their weapons with a clatter.

Crowbars, entrenching tools, and all sorts of other weapons were aimed at Wang Xiaoer and Zhang Chen.

The air in the tomb chamber froze instantly.

Wang Xiaoer's eyes also turned cold. He stared at the five people on the other side, secretly estimating the distance and his chances of winning the fight.

Zhang Chen stepped forward and stood in front of Wang Xiaoer.

He didn't look at Brother Long, but instead pointed to the two unfortunate men on the ground who were dying.

He then pointed to the several large bronze coffins.

"It seems you don't know the rules."

Zhang Chen let out a cold laugh, the sound not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"This is called the Seven Star Suspicious Coffins. Each coffin is connected to a deadly trap. The fact that your explosion just now didn't detonate all the traps in the tomb is a testament to the good fortune of your ancestors."

He paused, his eyes becoming as sharp as knives.

"If you dare to cause any more trouble, we might all end up being buried with the owner of this tomb."

A burly man with a fierce look next to Brother Long was not convinced and was about to step forward with an entrenching tool in hand.

"Brother Long, don't listen to this kid's bullshit! There are only two of them. If we take them down, no one will know it was us!"

"shut up!"

A shrill voice stopped the burly man.

The tall, thin man next to Brother Long, who wore glasses and looked like a strategist, had turned deathly pale.

He stared intently at the arrangement of the seven coffins, his lips trembling, his eyes filled with lingering fear.

"Brother Long, he... he's telling the truth."

The tall, thin man tugged at Brother Long's arm, his voice trembling.

"I...I've seen this layout in a fragmented book before, it's called 'Seven Stars Soul Lock,' where moving one part affects the whole. We were lucky with our explosion just now, it hit the outer edge of the formation, if it had been a little off..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.

Brother Long's facial muscles twitched a few times.

He glanced at his brother, who was completely lifeless on the ground, and then at the bronze coffins that exuded an ominous aura. The fierce light in his eyes slowly faded.

The tall, thin man leaned close to his ear and whispered a few words quickly.

"...They know their stuff...They paved the way...It wouldn't benefit us if they forced their way in..."

Brother Long's eyes flickered, and a few seconds later, a smile suddenly spread across his face.

That smile looked worse than crying.

"Young men, it's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding."

He waved his hand, signaling his men to put down their weapons.

"Everyone is looking to make money, there's no need to fight and kill each other, harmony brings wealth."

Wang Xiaoer watched coldly from the side, inwardly cursing, "It's like a weasel paying respects to a chicken."

Zhang Chen remained expressionless, waiting for him to continue.

Brother Long rubbed his hands together, took two steps forward, and his smile widened.

"Since we're all in it for the money, why don't we team up?"

"You know your stuff, you understand the ins and outs here. As for us, we're strong, we have the tools, and we can handle some troublesome matters."

He pointed to himself and the several burly men behind him.

"Alright, you two lead the way, and we'll bring up the rear. If we find the treasure, we'll split it 30/70!"

Brother Long held up three fingers, then flipped them over to make seven.

"You three, we seven!"

As soon as he said this, his subordinates behind him all wore expressions of taking it for granted.

Wang Xiaoer and Zhang Chen only came in out of curiosity and never intended to actually rob tombs, but they were so angry about Brother Long's distribution method that they almost burst out laughing.

Now that they're in, they can't complain about being treated as tomb raiders, but since they've already been labeled as such, why should they only get 30%?

"Seventy percent? Why don't you just rob me?" Wang Xiaoer immediately became unhappy.

Brother Long's smile froze, and his eyes turned cold again.

"Young man, you can't say that. We lost two people and our weapons; we should at least get them some compensation, shouldn't we?"

"Besides, there are five of us and only two of you. Giving you 30% is already more than fair."

The threat in his words couldn't be clearer.

The atmosphere in the tomb chamber became tense once again.

Zhang Chen raised his hand and pressed down on Wang Xiaoer, who was about to lash out.

He looked at Brother Long, and he knew exactly what was going on.

The so-called cooperation is nothing more than using them as cannon fodder to explore the way.

Once they lose their usefulness, this group will not hesitate to kill them to silence them.

But in the current situation, the other side consists of five people, all armed with weapons, and each of them looks fierce and menacing.

A direct confrontation is definitely the worst possible strategy.

One was a Taoist priest, and the other was a country boy. They were good at dealing with ghosts and monsters, but they were not good at fighting.

He glanced at Brother Long, then at the tall, thin "strategist" beside him who looked nervous, and quickly made a decision.

A faint smile suddenly appeared on Zhang Chen's face.

That smile startled both Brother Long and Wang Xiaoer.

"Cooperation is not out of the question."