"This Huang Shuliang is damn rich. Boss, even if Fatty is dead, he’d want to do this!"
"Be extravagant for once!"
Fatty looked at the surroundings; this was the most luxurious tomb he had ever visited.
"Fatty, I advise you against it. You won't be able to handle it. If you do this, even the Boss won't be able to save you."
Hu Bayi chuckled, glancing around.
"There are ten soul lamps above. This should be the legendary Soul Lamp Array. Lighting them should allow us to enter the tomb chamber."
Hu Bayi surveyed his surroundings, paying little attention to the tomb's architecture, and spoke directly. His skills had clearly improved.
"Indeed. Using ghost fire to light the lamps. Ordinary fire won't ignite them."
Zhang Tian also chimed in. After a quick scan, he concluded that only ghost fire would burn, and other flames likely wouldn't sustain.
As Zhang Tian finished speaking, Zhang Qilin was already on his feet. He picked up a wooden stick, and his figure flickered a few times.
All ten lamps on the tomb walls were lit.
After the lamps illuminated, the door didn't open immediately. Hu Bayi then turned a mechanism beneath his feet, and the tomb door rumbled open.
Dust billowed. As the door opened, a gust of chilling wind swept through.
"Good heavens, the Yin energy here is palpable. Not only is the layout of the underworld recreated, but even the Yin energy is replicated?"
Daoist Yimei frowned slightly. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation. Moreover, it filled Daoist Yimei with a sense of pressure.
"Huang Shuliang certainly had a King of Hell fantasy."
Zhang Tian muttered, then gazed into the tomb.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a few small stones, and scattered them inside.
As the stones entered the tomb, there was no immediate reaction from within.
"It's alright, Boss. It should be safe inside."
Fatty's eyes lit up, and he eagerly stepped forward.
The group entered the tomb chamber. Some ghost fires were burning, igniting without any external source, illuminating the entire space.
Zhang Tian surmised that the ghost fires had been ignited by the influx of air when the tomb door opened.
As they stepped inside, the entire scene was revealed.
The vast space was filled with stone slab statues.
In the central area, there were even two large statues.
The carvings on the statues depicted various ghosts and monsters from the underworld.
On the larger statues, a bull's head and a horse's face were intricately carved, appearing exceptionally eerie.
Around them, ghost lamps flickered on the walls, their spectral blue light like tiny sprites dancing throughout the tomb chamber.
The carved figures on the stone slabs seemed to come alive, emitting faint whimpers. It was as if the vengeful spirits within the slabs were about to emerge and claim their lives.
"This is a Soul-Hooking Array. The Bull Head and Horse Face control hundreds of Yin souls. Anyone who enters this array is doomed."
"Furthermore, the vengeful spirits carved on these stone slabs are not mere illusions; they are real. Living people were painstakingly turned into stone sculptures while alive and displayed here."
Daoist Yimei's expression was grave.
After he spoke, Zhang Tian understood why the Yin energy had been so heavy upon entering. And why the stone statues seemed poised to break free – it was because living people were trapped within them.
"Damn it, Huang Shuliang is truly inhuman. There are about a hundred of these stone slabs. If they all contain people, he must have killed at least a hundred individuals."
Fatty grumbled, his eyes burning with anger.
Zhang Tian knew this was not the time for such talk; the priority was to break the array.
"Master, if you say that, does it mean there's a way to break it?"
"Alas, who made me the most talented Taoist priest of Mount Mao? The way to break this array is to destroy the Bull Head and Horse Face. Without them, the array will naturally collapse."
Daoist Yimei possessed knowledge of Qimen Dunjia, so he was familiar with formations.
"But, I'm wondering how we're supposed to take down the Bull Head and Horse Face."
Zhang Tian asked, puzzled. Given the circumstances, it was possible the stone slabs would even move, making things more difficult.
"Don't worry, your master has a plan."
Daoist Yimei said with utmost confidence. Zhang Tian nodded and said no more.
"Then shall we go in? Fatty, your speed isn't great, so you can wait outside."
Zhang Tian suggested. Fatty pointed to the tomb door behind them.
"Boss, the tomb door has already closed. If we're going in, we all go together."
Fatty stated. Zhang Tian had no choice but to nod.
Zhang Tian looked at the Bull Head and Horse Face stone slabs in the center.
"Charge!"
With a command, they rushed forward.
Daoist Yimei and Zhang Qilin, with a flash of movement, sprinted towards the Bull Head and Horse Face.
Upon entering, the array had already activated.
The stone slabs began to rotate at an extremely rapid pace, as if being pushed by someone. They made a rumbling sound. The tomb chamber was vast, and the whereabouts of the Bull Head and Horse Face slabs were unclear.
Simultaneously, numerous stone slabs formed a trapping formation, closing in on Zhang Tian and the others.
Each slab weighed at least a thousand pounds. Two slabs pressing together would exert a force exceeding tons.
"Everyone scatter and run, try not to get crushed. I'll figure out how to break these stone slabs."
Zhang Tian instructed. The others nodded and began to flee in different directions.
Xie Yuchen's Qinggong was exceptional, making it difficult for the stone slabs to hit him.
Fatty, on the other hand, ran while sweating profusely, muttering curses at Huang Shuliang under his breath. The stone slabs chased closely, moving wildly. Fatty would occasionally accelerate, and the slabs couldn't catch him.
Zhang Tian dodged the stone slabs while observing his surroundings.
"These stone slabs correspond to the subordinate vengeful spirits of the Bull Head and Horse Face."
"And earlier, Daoist Yimei said that these slabs were controlled by Yin souls. If the Yin souls inside dissipate, then..."
With this thought, Zhang Tian pulled out a peach wood sword.
"Let's try."
Thinking to himself, Zhang Tian drew a talisman while running. The next moment, a fire talisman appeared.
The surrounding temperature began to rise, filling the tomb chamber with warmth.
After the flames appeared, the speed of the stone slabs noticeably decreased.
Seeing that it was effective, Zhang Tian quickly drew more talismans. The surrounding stone slabs stopped advancing, seemingly wary of Zhang Tian's talisman fire.
They had never expected that tomb raiders could include Taoist priests!
As the stone slabs slowed down, Zhang Qilin and Daoist Yimei found the two large stone slabs.
Bull Head and Horse Face!
Zhang Qilin punched a slab. It trembled, and cracks appeared. Zhang Qilin's punch had actually created a fissure in the stone. If Fatty saw this, he'd probably boast about it for a long time.
Concurrently, Daoist Yimei drew a thunder talisman with his peach wood sword, and the Horse Face slab was also shattered by him.
As the two main slabs broke, the surrounding smaller slabs seemed to quiet down again.
Everyone then converged towards Zhang Tian.
"That was simple. Fatty thought it would be difficult."
Fatty said dismissively, looking at the surrounding stone slabs.
"Crackle... crackle..."
As soon as Fatty finished speaking, the surrounding stone slabs began to shatter one after another. White bones tumbled out from within.
On the remains, black Yin energy solidified.
"Wuwuwu..."
The Yin souls emitted mournful cries. Their dark gazes fell upon Zhang Tian and the others. Without the control of the Bull Head and Horse Face, they were like wild horses, darting about uncontrollably. Black mist enveloped the entire tomb chamber.
"Watch your master deal with these things, my good disciple. Learn a few tricks!"
Daoist Yimei declared, his peach wood sword already in hand.
However, before he could make a move, Wang Fei's figure appeared. She opened her mouth wide, and a powerful suction force emanated. The Yin souls were all drawn into her belly.
Daoist Yimei froze mid-action.
"Benefactress, you're being a bit unfair. You didn't show up earlier, and now you're here for a meal."
"You want both the fisherman and the fish? Do you think you're an Empress?"
Daoist Yimei grumbled, a hint of displeasure in his tone.
"Master Heavenly Master, this humble woman thought that since you are a master of great skill, I shouldn't steal your thunder. In my heart, you are an unparalleled master!"
Wang Fei spoke. Fatty was stunned.
When had Wang Fei become so agreeable? She was always so cold towards him. Fatty's heart sank. Indeed, what one cannot obtain is always more desirable.
"I forgive you. Who asked this Heavenly Master to possess such a masterly demeanor?"
Daoist Yimei waved his hand magnanimously. Wang Fei returned to the blood jade, looking satisfied.
Zhang Tian and the others were speechless. Couldn't they have a bit of professional ethics?