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

Evelyn began unconsciously reciting the incantation from the Book of the Dead: "Praise be to you, Ra! When you rise, all things are restored; protect me from the serpents of the abyss, and grant me dwelling with the gods in the fields of reeds..."

Soft chanting echoed gently in the quiet tent, the tone both devout and ethereal.

The ancient incantation, word by word, slowly fell to the ground, quietly stirring the forbidden power slumbering beneath Hamunaptra.

Although they were inside the magic circle, after Evelyn chanted these incantations, a mysterious power broke through the circle's constraints and spread outwards.

Li Xiao stood quietly to the side, his expression indifferent, and did not speak to stop her, letting Evelyn finish reciting the resurrection incantation.

In the original movie storyline, it was Evelyn who inadvertently opened the Book of the Dead and subconsciously recited the incantation, which awakened Imhotep, who had been imprisoned for three thousand years, completely breaking the High Priest's seal and bringing disaster back to the world.

This time, however, Li Xiao not only did not stop it, but deliberately indulged it, his purpose being to actively facilitate Imhotep's resurrection.

The high priest, sealed away for three thousand years, had accumulated three thousand years of malevolent resentment and spiritual essence, possessing deep-seated obsession and overwhelming malevolence.

These ancient evil spirits, dormant for thousands of years, are extremely dangerous creatures capable of destroying an entire region for ordinary people, but in the eyes of a cultivator like Li Xiao, they are a rare and excellent tonic.

Once Imhotep is completely freed from the seal and fully revived, he can take the opportunity to devour the resentment and complete soul accumulated over a thousand years, thereby tempering his own divine soul power and breaking through to the Void Refinement Realm in one fell swoop.

As the last verse fell, a faint growl suddenly echoed from the nearby ruins of Hamunaptra. The sound possessed a chilling quality that sent shivers down one's spine. Even Evelyn, deep within the magic circle, turned pale with fright at the sound.

Deep within the ruins of Hamunaptra, the silence was utterly shattered.

The group of black-clad guards who had been immobilized by Li Xiao's acupoint strikes felt their stiff bodies gradually regain sensation, and the blocked qi and blood around their bodies began to recover.

In fact, when Li Xiao made his move, he gave the group of men in black some leeway, setting them only a short half-hour time limit. Now that the time was up, the acupoint seals were automatically released on time.

Just as everyone regained their mobility and before they could even move their stiff bodies, a terrifying roar that pierced through the rock layers and shook the entire underground palace suddenly swept in from the lowest level of the royal tomb.

The hoarse, turbid, and ferocious roar, mixed with the resentment sealed for a thousand years and the violence of the dead resurrected, was unlike any sound of any living being in the world. It echoed between the layers of stone chambers and passageways, making people's hearts tremble and their eardrums buzz.

In an instant, all the men in black turned deathly pale, their eyes filled with extreme fear and despair.

They have lived here for generations and know the legends all too well; they understand what that roar means.

The leader of the black-clad figures trembled violently, his teeth chattering, his voice filled with utter panic and despair: "It's over! It's completely over! Imhotep has returned! We're all going to die, all of us!!!"

Utter despair enveloped everyone. The leader dared not linger for even a moment. His gaze swept over the group of American expedition members who remained frozen in place, unable to move. Without the slightest hesitation, he roared, "Retreat! Retreat immediately! Now!!!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the more than twenty black-clad guards who had regained their freedom were like frightened birds. At this moment, they could not care about anything and ran wildly towards the exit of the tomb with all their might.

Everyone looked panicked and walked in a hurry. They felt a chill run down their spines, as if an ancient ferocious beast that had broken free of its seal was descending upon the world with overwhelming disaster. Staying for even a second longer would mean certain death.

Inside the underground palace passage, figures moved about, their hurried footsteps clattering and fading into the darkness of the tunnel.

Meanwhile, the American expedition members, filled with greed and intent on stealing the treasures of the ancient tomb, remained frozen in place, their eyes darting around in fear, unable to move their limbs at all.

They remain firmly restrained and will not be able to move for another half hour.

For the black-clad men who had narrowly escaped, the short half-hour period was a glimmer of hope, but for the members of the expedition team trapped in the underground palace, it was a chasm between life and death.

In the dark and deep underground palace passage, a group of black-clad guards ran and fled with all their might, but in the end they managed to escape the Hamunapa Palace safely and save their lives.

But in the deathly silent and gloomy underground stone chamber, the real death hunt has only just begun.

A withered, broken body, wrapped in rotten rags, slowly emerged from the deep shadows. This was Imhotep, who had been unsealed and fully awakened.

The torment of three thousand years of sealing and the excruciating pain of the insect-devouring curse still lingered in his bones and blood.

Imhotep's body was shriveled and withered, his flesh black and rotten, surrounded by a bone-chilling, deathly aura. Every step he took was accompanied by a heavy, deathly dragging sound, swaying and trembling, yet exuding an indescribable terrifying pressure.

Having been buried and imprisoned for three thousand years, Imhotep, upon his return to the world, has become incredibly sharp-sense.

The vibrant energy of the living in the air was an irresistible temptation for him. At this moment, his physical body was broken and his spiritual power was depleted. The three-thousand-year seal had almost exhausted all his vitality. Only by devouring the souls and blood of the living could he repair his broken body, make up for his own losses, and restore his peak power.

And these imprisoned and immobilized members of the American expedition team became the first nourishment for his rebirth and recovery.

In the dim, flickering firelight, the dilapidated, withered figure of the mummy slowly approached the stone chamber.

The group of explorers, unable to move, stared at the monstrous creature before them—a creature with a twisted face, festering flesh, and an aura of deathly ferocity—and were completely consumed by boundless fear.

The extreme horror shattered everyone's psychological defenses. Their pupils contracted sharply, their bodies turned ice-cold, and they felt as if their livers and gallbladders were about to burst. They couldn't even scream.

Two of the younger team members completely broke down; their legs trembled uncontrollably, and warm liquid instantly soaked through their trousers, making them look utterly disheveled.

The extreme fear prevented them from even trembling or struggling; they could only watch helplessly as death drew ever closer.

Imhotep walked slowly and deliberately to the nearest member of the expedition team.

The shriveled, sunken head turned slightly, the decaying skin taut against the bones. He leaned close to the other's neck, gently inhaling the fresh scent, a greedy glint flickering in the empty eye sockets.

Seemingly extremely satisfied with this fresh offering, Imhotep opened his tattered mouth, a low, eerie hum emanating from his throat, and then took a deep breath!

The invisible and colorless life essence transformed into wisps of hazy air, which were continuously and forcibly extracted from the team member's body.

The poor team members, with their acupoints sealed, were unable to even scream or struggle, and could only watch helplessly as their lives rapidly slipped away.

In just a few seconds, the once vibrant and lively person instantly transformed into a withered, wrinkled, and lifeless corpse, which fell directly to the ground.

In contrast, Imhotep's dilapidated body was repaired at a visible speed after consuming this nourishment.

Between the originally sunken, pale white ribs, tender fresh flesh and blood slowly grew, and the dry, blackened skin became slightly plumper, shedding some of its decayed and dilapidated texture. The death aura surrounding the body also thinned out a bit.

He slightly raised his head, and two muffled, strange "heh heh" sounds escaped from his throat, hoarse and obscure, like a sinister laugh that had been silent for three thousand years, filled with violence and greed.

The resurrected ancient demon moved its feet once more, slowly heading towards its next imprisoned prey.