Creak—
The sound of mechanisms echoed in everyone's ears again.
The heavy tomb door slowly opened to both sides.
This time, there was no need for flares or flashlights; everyone could see the situation in the main tomb at a glance.
This was because the surrounding walls of the main tomb were already illuminated by everlasting lamps, their flames lighting up every corner, leaving virtually no blind spots.
The interior of the main tomb was thus revealed in its entirety.
Thirteen pillars stood around the main tomb, with thirteen red snakes coiled around them. The snakes' heads were extended, their mouths open, serving as the everlasting lamps. The wicks were their forked tongues, and all thirteen lamps were lit.
Between the thirteen pillars were thirteen murals. Despite thousands of years passing, the murals remained vividly colored and clearly depicted.
The thirteen pillars connected to grooves in the ground, twisting in a bizarre and complex manner before converging on the sarcophagus in the center of the main tomb.
The sarcophagus was encased in stone, sealed airtight and impenetrable. A stone tablet rested upon it, bearing the five characters "Tai Shan Shi Gan Dang."
This sight suddenly reminded Yan Shouyi of his grandfather and father.
These characters, he surmised, must have been written by his grandfather.
This meant that, according to his father Yan Chou, they had come here that year, obtained the Flesh Ganoderma, and then, after opening Jiang Wusheng's coffin, his grandmother had been pulled inside.
Later, to prevent Jiang Wusheng from escaping, his grandfather, with tears in his eyes, had inscribed "Tai Shan Shi Gan Dang" to suppress him.
Traces of past events were indeed evident on the floor of the main tomb, including an old-fashioned flashlight.
"Grandmother..." Yan Shouyi murmured to himself. He was only about twenty meters from the sarcophagus, the closest he had ever been to his grandmother since he could remember.
Lin Zhitong grasped Yan Shouyi's hand and pointed to the side of the sarcophagus. Yan Shouyi followed her gaze.
Boss Zhou was sitting beside the sarcophagus, still holding a crowbar. For some reason, however, he had lost consciousness.
Long Feicheng asked curiously, "Wasn't this guy supposed to come in and revive Jiang Wusheng? How did he end up passing out here, and the coffin isn't even open!"
As everyone was puzzling over this, a figure emerged from behind the sarcophagus.
It was none other than Yang Li, the tomb raider!
"Yang Li?!"
Ma Xingping exclaimed, then his face lit up with joy. "I didn't expect you to be here! But it's good that you stopped Boss Zhou. You've helped us a great deal!"
Ma Xingping's words were somewhat naive, as it was clear Yang Li was not acting to help them.
Yang Li let out a cold smile, climbed onto the sarcophagus, stomped on it heavily with his foot, and said sternly:
"How dare a mere mortal like Boss Zhou dictate to me! He even dared to threaten me with my daughter... Hahaha! I, Yang Li, have more than one daughter. If she's dead, she's dead. I don't care! But the treasures in the Jian King's tomb... they are unique in the world, and this is an unmissable opportunity!"
Hearing Yang Li's words, Ma Xingping realized that Yang Li harbored immense ambition and greed.
He had been following them all along, never intervening, allowing others to sacrifice themselves and pave the way, so he could reap the rewards at the end.
Moreover, judging by his demeanor, he likely had no intention of sharing the Flesh Ganoderma with them and was probably aiming to seize all the treasures in the Jian King's tomb for himself!
Yan Shouyi sheathed his soul-slaughtering blade, his hands empty, and said to Yang Li:
"Yang Li, listen to me. What's sealed in this sarcophagus is no good thing. If you want treasures, I can give them to you, but you mustn't touch what's inside the sarcophagus!"
To his surprise, at this point, no matter what anyone said, Yang Li refused to believe them.
He simply thought it was a delaying tactic employed by Yan Shouyi and the others.
Therefore, Yang Li sneered, "Do you think I'll believe your nonsense? I, Yang Li, have traveled far and wide for many years, and I've raided dozens, if not hundreds, of tombs. This Jian King's tomb must contain great treasures. Do you think I'll stop now?"
Yan Shouyi sighed.
Good advice is wasted on deaf ears. At this moment, thick death qi swirled around Yang Li's head.
This indicated that the man was not far from death.
He hesitated for a moment, deciding not to stop Yang Li.
His grandmother was still in the sarcophagus, so it was bound to be opened. Since there was danger, it might as well be the reckless Yang Li who faced it.
Any danger should be borne by Yang Li alone.
Thus, Yan Shouyi ceased his words and told the others to remain silent.
However, his reaction aroused Yang Li's suspicion.
After all, Yang Li was not an idiot. Seeing Yan Shouyi's reaction, he frowned and addressed a peculiar individual behind Yan Shouyi:
"You, come and open the coffin. We'll split the treasures inside fifty-fifty!!"
The peculiar individual was taken aback and immediately shook his head.
Yang Li was alone, while Yan Shouyi and his group numbered five. He would be a fool to abandon his advantageous position and join the lone Yang Li.
However, Yang Li silently produced a submachine gun, identical to Boss Zhou's.
It was likely that Yang Li had secretly brought this weapon from the camp.
Seeing the gun, everyone felt a sense of helplessness.
Although they all possessed considerable skills, they were somewhat fearful of firearms.
No one wanted to be shot, after all.
Even Yan Shouyi, with his immortality, while not able to die from a bullet, would still experience considerable pain. Not to mention Lin Zhitong and the others, who were mere mortals.
Yang Li grinned and said, "Is this enough to make you listen?"
The peculiar individual sighed in resignation, stepped forward, and under the muzzle of Yang Li's gun, silently picked up the crowbar from Boss Zhou's hand, then inserted it into the gap of the sarcophagus.
"Hmph!"
With a low grunt, the sarcophagus trembled slightly, but he failed to pry it open.
"Useless!"
Yang Li pointed his gun at Ma Xingping. "You too!"
Ma Xingping had no choice but to step forward and join the peculiar individual, both exerting force on the crowbar.
A dull thud was heard as the coffin lid was pried open. Yang Li initially watched from a distance, and upon finding no immediate danger, he walked forward and single-handedly pushed the heavy stone lid aside.
Looking inside, he saw a red coffin. He reached out and touched it, discovering that the coffin, originally black, was now covered in the blood of some unknown animal.
Yang Li frowned. He had been raiding tombs for many years, but this was the first time he had seen a coffin like this. The blood on the coffin seemed to remain unfrozen even after a thousand years.
He smeared some of the blood on the peculiar individual's clothes and said, "What are you waiting for? Open the coffin!"