Ancient tomb excavation traces

A sinister, calculating atmosphere surrounded us. Xiao Ba, combining our conversation, finally concluded: "The Turan family hasn't shown up yet, but it's clear now that they're either outside the tomb or have already entered. They're hiding in the shadows, not attacking us, probably because, like Grandpa Gu, they think we still have a use. As for Yin Shi's death, perhaps he discovered something, which led to his tragic end."

"Then...where do you think they are now?" Bao Cai asked worriedly. "Outside, or inside?"

I paused for a moment, then slowly said, "These are all just our guesses right now, maybe we're overthinking it... But..." I opened my palm, looking at the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl that shimmered with pink light, "If things are really as we think, that old fox definitely wants to obtain the treasure in the ancient tomb, and then transform himself into a powerful and wealthy person with inexhaustible wealth. Right now, he's probably hiding somewhere, waiting for us to eliminate the obstacles, and then reaping the benefits and wiping us out in one fell swoop."

"Ah?" Bao Cai exclaimed anxiously, "What do we do now? The enemy is in the shadows, and we're in the open. If they use hidden weapons, we'll definitely be hit!"

The young Taoist priest said calmly, "Then let's play along. Let's do what he wants, complete what needs to be done, and then wait for the old fox to show himself."

I stood up and put the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl into the cloth bag at my waist. "This is the only way! If things are as we predicted, then Turan will definitely appear and forcibly take the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl from me. What we need to do now is help Manager Feng and the others eliminate the last threat."

At this point, everyone agreed. I gripped my battle scythe tightly. The Ancestor, Chen Tianzhou, and the Black-Clad Legion were all fighting valiantly. The flames on Tu Xie's body grew increasingly intense, and no one could get close to it. Moreover, after its demonic transformation, its speed was much faster than when we first saw it in the tomb. Most importantly, this old Grand Preceptor possessed the ability to absorb people's vital energy. As soon as it opened its mouth, its deep, eerie voice forced the Ancestor and Chen Tianzhou to retreat. The two were now panting heavily, and after repeatedly draining people's life force, Tu Xie's fiery face had developed faintly visible evil features.

There weren't many ghosts and evil spirits left around, but they still caused Gu Cheng and his companions considerable trouble. Their bodies were covered in wounds, and the warmth of human blood drove the ghosts into a frenzy, causing them to intensify their attacks. Seeing this, the young Taoist priest suddenly rushed into the chaos.

I told Xiao Ba to stay, worried that his wound might worsen, but he remained silent. Just as I turned to look at him in confusion, I noticed that his face was deathly pale and his whole body was incredibly tense. I was startled and was about to ask him what was wrong when Xiao Ba secretly held up a finger to me and shook it carefully. Then he pointed to the fire-breathing tree on the left, as if he was indicating something to me.

His alert demeanor made me extremely nervous, and I broke out in a cold sweat. What had happened? The uncertainty made me anxious. I held my breath and stared intently at Xiao Ba. Xiao Ba mouthed something to me, and I mimicked his words, then murmured, "There's movement over there, the sound of footsteps."

After reading the last word, my eyes widened suddenly, and I whispered, "Are you sure?"

Xiao Ba nodded gently and said, "It can't be wrong..."

Bao Cai, who had been guarding the two corpses, noticed us two standing motionless, seemingly exchanging something, and asked in confusion, "What are you two mumbling about? What do you mean, 'certainly, no mistake'?"

At this moment, realizing that some predicted events were about to happen, I went on high alert. The Soul-Stabilizing Pearl in the cloth pouch at my waist was being eyed by wild beasts, who would wait for the right moment to strike and eventually devour me.

To avoid alerting them, I glanced seemingly unintentionally into the depths where the Fire-breathing Tree was located. I had no idea what lay beyond that place, but at that moment, all the dread in my heart stemmed from that direction.

Bao Cai got anxious when he saw that we didn't answer him. He said, "Hey, what's wrong with you two? Why are you frozen in place?"

At this moment, Xiao Ba and I were both on high alert and had no time to care about Bao Cai. I asked Xiao Ba, "Can any of you tell what's going on?" In fact, the surroundings were in complete chaos, with all sorts of noisy fighting sounds surrounding my ears, making me panic and unable to make any sense. Only Xiao Ba, with his exceptional hearing, could discern something amidst the chaos.

Xiao Ba said to me in a very serious tone, "It's strange, there's only one!"

"One?" This number surprised me. According to our previous analysis, if Turan was really in the tomb and wanted to reap the benefits, he wouldn't be the only one there. There would definitely be other accomplices, unless... unless... he also lost many powerful generals in the tomb.

If it were just one person, at least there would be a chance of victory, I thought to myself. But then I remembered Grandpa Gu's assessment of Turan, and a sense of unease crept in. He was a cunning and shrewd fox; if we really fought him, I doubted Xiao Ba and I, two injured rookies, would gain any advantage. And looking at the ancestors who were currently engaged in battle, if I asked them for help or offered them any advice, they would definitely be distracted. I gritted my teeth; it seemed I had no choice but to resolve this myself.

With that in mind, I asked Xiao Ba for his opinion: "Since we're all alone, can we handle this ourselves?"

Xiao Ba nodded and said very seriously, "Young Master, you have the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl on you, so just pretend you didn't find anything and don't move. Just watch the two girls' corpses with Master Bao. I'll run into the battle zone, then disappear into the darkness to force that person to show himself."

Although this method is a bit risky, it's the only thing we can do. I nodded and told Bajian to be careful in everything he did, and if it was Turan, to never fight him and to run away immediately.

Xiao Ba nodded and then rushed towards the battle. There was a fierce fighting going on there, and the people in the darkness wouldn't notice him. I stayed alertly beside Bao Cai, silently keeping an eye on the movements from the Fire-Breathing Tree. Bao Cai saw that we were talking to each other for a while and asked me what was wrong. I just said, "Get ready. We're going to force that thief to show himself."

Upon hearing this, Bao Cai was terrified. He processed our words and finally realized what had happened. He hurriedly said, "Xiao Ba went to lure the snake out? What if it bites us when it comes out?"

"It's just one poisonous snake. The three of us can handle it; surely all three of us won't be bitten to death!"

As soon as I finished speaking, someone suddenly shouted in the darkness. I quickly stood up straight and turned my head in alarm. The voice was not Xiao Ba's, but very familiar. I thought to myself, and then it suddenly dawned on me that the voice belonged to You Chi, who had disappeared earlier. That damned guy had been following us around, hiding here and there, but unexpectedly he ran behind the Fire-Breathing Tree in a flash.

I like tomb raiding.