The Cycle of Reincarnation in the Four-Courtyard House: A Journey Through the Heavens

The words are divided into two parts.

Just as Li Xiao and Evelyn were venturing deeper into the underground level to break the thousand-year-old seal of Imhotep's double-layered sarcophagus, the American expedition team also discovered a cube-shaped stone box in another hidden stone chamber in Hamunaptra, the city of the dead.

This expedition team, having traveled a long way, avoided the intricate underground tunnels and followed the ancient stone patterns to explore. Finally, in a secluded and hidden stone chamber, they unearthed a perfectly square stone box.

The stone box has regular edges and corners, and is covered in dust. It lies in a depression in the ground. It is inconspicuous but has an ancient and rustic feel. It is obviously an object that the ancient Egyptians deliberately buried and sealed.

Several team members worked together to bend down and carefully dig out the cube-shaped stone box that was buried deep in the soil, and then lifted it onto the ground.

But the moment the stone box was completely detached from the soil, the temperature in the entire sealed stone chamber plummeted, and a chilling coldness instantly permeated everyone's limbs and bones.

A deep, hoarse, and extremely penetrating roar suddenly echoed in the void.

The voice was neither that of a wild beast nor a human; it carried a deep resentment and bitterness, drilling into the eardrums of these people, making their scalps tingle and their spines go cold, and an eerie feeling instantly enveloped the entire scene.

Before the roar subsided, a violent gust of cold wind suddenly swept through the stone chamber.

The howling wind crashed against the walls, stirring up dust and gravel, and the dim torches flickered violently, on the verge of being blown out.

This sudden and bizarre situation completely shattered everyone's psychological defenses.

The three Egyptian laborers hired by the expedition were well aware of some of the terrifying legends surrounding Hamnata, and they would never have come here if it weren't for the money.

Seeing this bizarre sight, he was terrified and didn't even have time to scream before turning around and running away as fast as he could, disappearing into the depths of the dark tunnel in an instant without a trace.

Benny, who was always afraid of death and sought to avoid harm, was so frightened that his legs went weak. When he saw the three laborers run away, he immediately followed behind them and fled in a sorry state. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared.

The expedition members who remained behind were still in shock, their hearts pounding.

But fear could not overcome the greed buried deep in their hearts. At this moment, no one chased after the fleeing guys. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the square stone box in front of them, and their eyes were filled with greedy light.

In their view, this ancient city of the dead must contain the pharaoh's burial goods, and this stone box, which was deliberately buried and sealed, must contain priceless treasures.

However, one of the older men looked somewhat nervous after carefully examining the ancient Egyptian writing on the lid of the stone box.

"Hi, Professor Lawrence, what's wrong?"

The middle-aged man, named Lawrence, pointed to the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs on the box lid and said, "It says here that anyone who opens this box will surely die!"

Lawrence's words caused the surrounding explorers to change their expressions. They were also somewhat afraid of these mysterious curses.

But this was the most valuable thing they found after entering the royal tomb. Perhaps it contained treasures left by the pharaoh. They couldn't bear not to open it!

The explorers exchanged glances, seemingly having made a decision. Two burly men gritted their teeth and together lifted the heavy stone box lid.

When the contents of the box were fully revealed, the anticipation on everyone's faces froze instantly—inside the stone box, there were no gold or silver treasures as expected, but instead, a simple, ancient book that was entirely black.

The material of this book is extremely special. It feels heavy to the touch, resembling neither gold nor wood, and has not shown any signs of decay or weathering even after thousands of years.

In the very center of the pitch-black book, there was a familiar eight-lobed triangular groove, the pattern, shape, and size of which were exactly the same as the groove of the stone coffin mechanism that Li Xiao and Evelyn had just opened.

On the other side, three Egyptian laborers who were fleeing in panic, along with Banni who was afraid of death, scrambled out of the dark passageway and finally escaped through an open exit of the tomb. Before they could even catch their breath, a dense array of gun barrels were suddenly pointed at them.

A group of guards dressed in black with cold expressions were already waiting there, surrounding the group and blocking all their escape routes.

Faced with the fully armed men in black, the already terrified group completely lost the courage to resist and immediately raised their hands in surrender.

Under the threat of gunfire, Benny and the three local laborers dared not utter a word of complaint. They turned around and led the group of black-clad guards back into the treacherous Hamunaptra Mausoleum.

The group followed the passageway deeper into the underground palace and soon encountered the American expedition team that had just unearthed the stone box.

The men in black, who had guarded the tomb for generations, already harbored a deep hatred for tomb raiders. When the two sides met on a narrow path, without any further negotiation, a fierce gunfight broke out instantly. Sparks flew and gunfire exploded, completely engulfing the entire underground area.

Inside the underground stone chamber, Li Xiao listened to the increasingly clear sounds of gunfire, his gaze darkening slightly. He immediately turned to Evelyn beside him and said in a deep voice, "Come with me. The Book of the Dead has been found by those Americans."

Evelyn's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and she asked with surprise and doubt, "Really? Could it be that these men in black who risked their lives to break into the tomb were after the Book of the Dead?"

Li Xiao shook his head slightly, deliberately showing a puzzled look on his face: "I'm not quite sure either."

He knew very well that these descendants of the Pharaoh's guard had been stationed here for generations, bearing two great missions.

Firstly, they vowed to protect Hamunaptra, the pharaoh's tomb, to the death, preventing any outsiders from robbing or disturbing it.

Secondly, and more importantly, is that the sealed High Priest Imhotep must not be resurrected.

Once Imhotep returns to the world with the power of the Book of the Dead, monstrous calamities will sweep across the land. Not to mention the whole world, at least the entire Egyptian continent and even the African continent will be plunged into devastation and endless suffering.

Li Xiao felt no ill will toward these black-clad guards who had been protecting Hamunaptra for generations.

They were not villains or evil people, but simply obeyed their ancestral teachings, guarded this forbidden land of the dead, and were on guard against Imhotep's resurrection and harm to the world.

That's why, when he took Evelyn's hand and slowly walked out of the stone chamber and appeared at the edge of the battlefield, he did not intend to kill the guards.

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Xiao abruptly changed his footwork, unleashing the mysterious and unpredictable Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique).

His movements were as swift as a breeze and flowing clouds, his figure elusive as he moved back and forth between dozens of black-clad guards and the explorers, his silhouette so fast that only blurry afterimages remained.

In less than ten seconds, Li Xiao struck all the dozens of black-clad guards and explorers on the field, causing them to become numb.

Everyone froze instantly, unable to move an inch, standing still like frozen puppets, and the entire underground area returned to deathly silence in an instant.