Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

The steps extend upwards for about fifty meters.

The stone steps were steep, their edges blackened by moisture and covered in slippery moss. The torchlight flickered in the narrow space, stretching and shortening shadows like a swarm of twisted ghosts following behind.

Xie Linyuan walked at the front, his steps steady. The Black Gold Ancient Blade was already in his hand—he'd been holding it ever since crossing the river. The Qilin tattoo on his shoulder blade was burning hot, like a branding iron pressed against his skin. This burning wasn't pain; it was a warning.

There's something down there.

a lot of.

The group walked in silence. Still reeling from the shock of crossing the river, everyone's face was covered in sweat and exhaustion. Chen Man, supported by Wang Yihan, was still trembling. Kun Ge was deathly pale, his lips turning purple. Jiang Shouyi held the compass, the needle spinning wildly, completely malfunctioning. Professor Zhou Xu'an was panting heavily, his glasses fogged up. Liu Desheng brought up the rear, glancing back every now and then, as if something was chasing him.

Lin Guoce stood in the middle, holding a torch in one hand and a knife in the other. His gaze was mostly fixed on Xie Linyuan's back.

The live stream chat was sparse.

[ID exhausted: How long have they been walking?]

[ID's psychological pressure: I'm on the verge of a breakdown just watching it]

[ID Guy's Back View: Only the Guy Can Still Keep His Steady Stance]

At the end of the stairs is a platform.

The platform was larger than any I'd seen before, rectangular in shape, about thirty meters long and twenty meters wide. The ground was paved with neat bluestone slabs, the gaps between which were filled with white clay. In the center of the platform stood twelve stone pillars, each carved with a pattern—this time not of people, but of beasts. Various ferocious, strange creatures, baring their fangs and claws.

Opposite the platform is a stone bridge.

The bridge is about three meters wide and twenty meters long, spanning a bottomless black abyss. The bridge surface is paved with a single stone slab, and there are stone railings on both sides, with lotus patterns carved on the railings.

On the other side of the bridge was a huge stone gate.

The stone gate was tightly shut, studded with copper nails, each the size of a fist. Above the gate hung a plaque with three large characters inscribed on it:

"The Netherworld Palace".

The characters are in ancient seal script, but everyone can understand them—that eerie atmosphere needs no translation.

"The Netherworld Palace..." Professor Zhou Xu'an murmured, "This name... is too ominous."

Xie Linyuan stopped at the edge of the platform, not in a hurry to go onto the bridge.

He looked at the ground first.

There are drag marks on the bluestone slab.

The drag marks are very new, as if they were made recently. They extend all the way to the stone pillars in the center of the platform.

He followed the drag marks.

There was a pile of things behind the stone pillar.

bone.

Human bones.

There were many bones, piled up into a small mountain. The bones were very clean, as if they had been gnawed clean, with not a bit of meat left. Scattered around the pile of bones were some tattered rags and a few rusty water jugs.

Their equipment was the same as that of the three cannibals in the stone chamber above.

Xie Linyuan squatted down and picked up a piece of skull.

There is a hole at the back of the skull with irregular edges, as if it had been smashed open by something.

He put down the skull and looked toward the bridge.

The bridge surface was very clean and free of dust.

It's too clean.

"Something frequently crosses this bridge," Lin Guoce noticed as well. "Is this bridge... maintained?"

"Not human," Xie Linyuan said.

As soon as he finished speaking, the stone gate on the other side of the bridge opened.

It wasn't fully opened, just a crack.

Light shone through the crack.

Red light.

Then, something emerged from the crack in the door.

One, two, three... ten, twenty...

They were all humanoid.

But their gait was strange; their shoulders were crooked, and their feet dragged on the ground. They wore tattered clothes, some of which were torn to shreds, revealing bluish-black skin underneath. Their skin had festering wounds oozing black pus.

Their eyes are red.

It was red, just like the three cannibals mentioned above.

But there are more.

There are too many to count.

They poured out continuously from the cracks in the door, walked onto the stone bridge, and headed towards the platform.

"Run!" Liu Desheng was the first to scream, and he turned and ran towards the stairs.

But a sound also came from the other side of the stairs.

Footsteps.

Heavy, dragging footsteps.

It came up from the darkness below.

Xie Linyuan turned around and glanced back.

Red eyes also appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

A pincer attack from both above and below.

The team was stuck on the platform.

"Back to back!" Lin Guoce shouted, "Form a circle!"

Everyone immediately huddled together, standing back to back. Chen Man, Wang Yihan, and Kun Ge were surrounded in the middle, while Professor Zhou Xu'an and Jiang Shouyi were also protected. Lin Guoce, Liu Desheng, and Xie Linyuan were on the outer perimeter.

The horde of corpses on the bridge had reached the center of the bridge.

The distance is less than ten meters.

Xie Linyuan gripped the knife tightly.

The first red-eyed corpse rushed in front of him.

It opened its mouth, revealing black teeth, and bit at Xie Linyuan's neck.

Xie Linyuan swung his blade upwards, piercing through the jaw and into the skull.

The red-eyed corpse fell to the ground.

The second and third bodies pounced at the same time.

Xie Linyuan swung his sword with both hands, the blades flashing, and two heads flew off.

But more surged up.

Lin Guoce was also engaged in battle. His swordsmanship was not as good as Xie Linyuan's, but he was experienced and specialized in targeting joints. He severed the leg of a red-eyed corpse with a single strike, and the corpse fell to the ground, only to be trampled over by those behind it.

Liu Desheng was also swinging his knife, but his hand was shaking so badly that he slashed at the red-eyed corpse's shoulder and got stuck. The red-eyed corpse grabbed his wrist and opened its mouth to bite.

Xie Linyuan flicked his hand, and a piece of gravel flew out, hitting the red-eyed corpse's eye socket.

The red-eyed corpse loosened its grip, and Liu Desheng seized the opportunity to draw his sword and retreat.

But as he was backing up, he stepped on a loose stone slab, slipped, and fell to the ground.

A red-eyed corpse pounced on him and pinned him down.

Liu Desheng screamed and pressed the hilt of his knife against the red-eyed corpse's neck, but the corpse was incredibly strong and pressed down slowly. Black teeth drew closer and closer to his face.

"Help me! Help me! My family is rich! We'll give you as much as you want! Help me!"

Xie Linyuan was dealing with the attack of five red-eyed corpses.

He severed the spine of one body with his blade, turned and kicked another away, grabbed the head of the third body with his left hand and smashed it towards the fourth body. The fifth body lunged at him from the side, but he dodged it and the blade pierced its chest.

Clean and neat.

But he didn't even glance at Liu Desheng.

Lin Guoce wanted to save them, but he was entangled by three red-eyed corpses and couldn't break free.

The red-eyed corpse's teeth sank into Liu Desheng's neck.

Fresh blood spurted out.

Liu Desheng's eyes widened, his hands clenched in the air twice, and then fell down.

The red-eyed corpse lay on top of him, devouring him.

Chen Man screamed.

Kun vomited.

The live stream chat exploded with comments:

[Third ID: Liu Desheng is dead!]

[ID Real Death: Neck Bitten Through!]

[ID Money is Useless: Having money is useless...]

[The harsh reality: The guy couldn't save him...]

Xie Linyuan dealt with the red-eyed corpse beside him and turned to look at Liu Desheng's body.

The red-eyed corpse was still gnawing on the food.

He walked over and chopped off the head of the red-eyed corpse with a single stroke.

Then I glanced at Liu Desheng.

Half of his neck was severed, and blood was still flowing. His eyes were open, and he died with his eyes wide open, unable to close them in peace.

Xie Linyuan withdrew his gaze and looked in the direction of the bridge.

More red-eyed corpses are surging in.

"Charge towards the bridge!" Lin Guoce shouted. "They can't fight properly on the bridge!"

Xie Linyuan nodded.

He led the charge towards the stone bridge.

The blade, like a plow, sliced ​​through the horde of corpses. The red-eyed zombies before him were like paper, their limbs flying and black blood splattering everywhere.

Lin Guoce protected the others and followed behind.

They rushed onto the stone bridge.

The bridge was narrow, allowing only two or three red-eyed corpses to rush forward side by side. Xie Linyuan stood guard at the bridgehead, taking them down one by one with a single strike. The corpses fell off the bridge and plunged into the abyss, their impact barely audible.

But the number is simply too large.

Thirty were killed, and thirty remain.

Fifty were killed, and fifty remain.

It was still seeping out through the crack in the door.

Xie Linyuan's breathing remained steady. His blade was covered in black blood, but the Black Gold Ancient Blade was forged from meteorite iron from outer space, and its blade was still jet black and sharp, without the slightest sign of dulling.

A particularly tall, red-eyed corpse charged forward.

It was a head taller than the others, and its muscles were more muscular. It held a stone club in its hand, the club stained with dried blood.

It rushed in front of Xie Linyuan and smashed down with the stone stick.

Xie Linyuan raised his sword to parry.

clang!

Loud noise.

The stone slab beneath Xie Linyuan's feet cracked.

The force from the stone club was immense, making his arm numb. He took a step back to dissipate the force, then slashed diagonally at the waist of the tall corpse.

The tall corpse used a stone stick to deflect the attack, and with his other hand reached for Xie Linyuan's face.

Xie Linyuan lowered his head, raised the blade, and stabbed it into the armpit of the tall corpse.

The knife tip pierced the flesh, but was stuck by the ribs.

The tall corpse roared and swept its stone club across the ground.

Xie Linyuan loosened his grip on the knife, leaned back to dodge, and the stone rod grazed his chest, the wind it generated stinging his skin.

The tall corpse pulled the knife from under his armpit, threw it on the ground, gripped the stick with both hands, and slammed it down again.

Xie Linyuan was unarmed.

He turned to the side, and the stick smashed against the bridge railing, shattering the stone and sending pebbles flying.

The tall corpse was struck again with a stick.

Xie Linyuan didn't dodge this time.

He rushed forward, and just as the stick was about to strike, he grabbed the stick with both hands, spun around, and used the momentum to pull the stick to the side.

The tall corpse was dragged along, staggering.

Xie Linyuan released his grip, leaped up, and slammed his knee into the tall corpse's chin.

Click.

The mandible was fractured.

The tall corpse retreated, and Xie Linyuan followed, slamming his right fist into its chest.

The sound of ribs breaking.

The tall corpse retreated again, back to the edge of the bridge railing.

Xie Linyuan's final kick landed on its abdomen.

The tall corpse leaped over the bridge railing and plunged into the abyss.

Xie Linyuan retrieved the Black Gold Ancient Blade; its blade remained as black as ink and as sharp as ever. He continued fighting.

However, the number of red-eyed corpses began to decrease.

The water stopped flowing out from under the door.

The remaining red-eyed corpses, numbering about twenty, stood around the bridgehead, too afraid to approach.

They were afraid.

Xie Linyuan stood in the middle of the bridge, blood dripping from the tip of his knife, looking at them.

The fierce glint in his red eyes turned into fear.

They began to retreat.

They retreated step by step, back into the crack of the door.

After the last person went in, the stone door slowly closed.

The bridgehead returned to quiet.

All that remained were corpses scattered on the ground and an overwhelming stench of blood.

Xie Linyuan turned around and looked at the group.

Chen Man slumped on the bridge, Wang Yihan holding her. Kun Ge leaned against the bridge railing, his legs too weak to stand. Jiang Shouyi's face was pale, and Professor Zhou Xu'an was wiping his glasses, his hands trembling violently. Lin Guoce leaned against the bridge railing, panting, his body covered in wounds.

Liu Desheng's body was left on the other side of the platform.

Nobody went to collect it.

They also lack the capacity to collect it.

The live stream chat remained silent for a long time.

Then someone posted:

[ID Survival Rule: Here, money is useless, status is useless. Only ability matters.]

[ID Reality Education: This is the third one...]

[The ID guy remains calm: even his breathing isn't erratic]

Xie Linyuan walked to the bridge railing, sat down, took out a water bottle from his backpack, and took a sip of water. Then he took out a cloth and began to wipe his knife.

The movements were still so slow and so meticulous.

There was no sweat on his forehead, and his breathing was steady and normal.

Lin Guoce walked over and handed him a compressed biscuit.

Xie Linyuan took it, tore open the packaging, and ate it slowly.

"Mr. Xie," Lin Guoce said, "thank you."

Xie Linyuan glanced at him.

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Without you, we would all be dead."

Xie Linyuan didn't say anything and continued eating his cookies.

After finishing his meal, he stood up and looked at the stone gate opposite him.

"Ten-minute break," he said.

"and then?"

"Go in."

Lin Guoce looked at the door.

The Netherworld Palace.

What's inside?

do not know.

But you can only go in.

Because there was no road behind.

On the other side of the stairs, there were still red-eyed zombies lingering. On the platform, Liu Desheng's body had already begun to be dragged away by other red-eyed zombies—the battle on this side of the bridge ended, and the others on the other side of the platform emerged.

They surrounded Liu Desheng's corpse and began to devour it.

The images were too gruesome; nobody watched them.

Everyone turned to look at the stone gate.

Ten minutes later.

Xie Linyuan stood up and walked towards the stone gate.

The others followed.

He reached the door and pushed it open.

The door was heavy, but it wasn't locked.

Slowly open.

Behind the door was a large hall.

The main hall is about twenty meters high, over fifty meters wide, and its depth is unfathomable. Countless stone pillars stand inside, each carved with reliefs. The floor is paved with black stone slabs, smooth as a mirror, reflecting the light of the torches.

In the center of the main hall, there is a high platform.

On the high platform, there was a coffin.

Stone coffin.

There was a pattern engraved on the coffin lid.

A circle.

Inside the circle are intersecting lines.

It has the same pattern as the one on the black stone disc.

Xie Linyuan's tattoo on his shoulder blade looked like it was burning.

He gripped the hilt of his sword and strode into the main hall.

Footsteps echoed crisply on the black stone slabs.

The echoes reverberate in the main hall.

It's as if countless people are following along.