The paper figures, whose eyes had been drawn on, were lifelike and eerie to begin with. Liang Yinqiu, even through the camera lens as she took photos, felt a chill.
Li Yang and Xia Qi stayed far away, not daring to approach.
Upon discovering that the paper figures' eyeballs had moved, Liang Yinqiu trembled. The camera slipped from her grasp and fell to the ground with a thud!
Yan Shouyi sighed inwardly, thinking scholars were truly stubborn and rigid!
They had agreed on the surface that in critical moments, everyone would follow his lead. Why was Professor Liang so confused now?
"Professor Liang, retreat quickly!"
As soon as Yan Shouyi spoke, the paper figure suddenly revived, crawling directly towards Liang Yinqiu and grabbing her ankle.
Liang Yinqiu was so terrified she nearly fainted. But at this critical juncture, a ball of flame ignited on her body. The flame transformed into golden light and struck the paper figure heavily!
It was the exorcism talisman Yan Shouyi had given her that took effect!
The exorcism talismans had been given not only to Wang Sihhuai and his team, but also to Liang Yinqiu and her companions, one for each, just in case.
Now, they had proven their worth.
The paper figure was not strong. After being struck by the golden light, its body instantly turned to ashes, annihilated on the spot!
But before Liang Yinqiu could recover, more paper figures in the courtyard awakened. They all stiffly turned, their cold eyes fixed on Yan Shouyi and his group of "outsiders."
"Professor Liang!"
Yan Shouyi called out again. This time, Liang Yinqiu finally snapped back to reality.
She immediately pulled Li Yang and Xia Qi backward, while Yan Shouyi stepped forward and stomped his foot!
The eighteen layers of the Qimen Dunjia Luo Pan instantly unfolded beneath his feet. The Luo Pan spun rapidly, finally positioning the Li Fire directly beneath the paper figures, encompassing them all!
"Shang Men! Li Huo!"
Yan Shouyi shouted. A fierce blaze erupted beneath the paper figures instantly!
The paper figures were engulfed in flames, writhing in agony, and even let out piercing screams.
Witnessing this, Yan Shouyi felt a pang of guilt. The souls within these paper figures were likely common people from the Qin Dynasty, captured by Qin Shi Huang to serve as tomb guardians.
But to protect himself, Yan Shouyi had no choice but to use a simple, brutal method to destroy them.
If he had the time and opportunity, he would have preferred to ferry each paper figure individually.
Hearing the commotion, Wang Sihhuai and his team also ran over, only to collide with a pale-faced Liang Yinqiu and her group.
"Professor Liang, what happened?!" Wang Sihhuai asked.
Liang Yinqiu replied with a dry throat, "The paper figures in the courtyard... they revived!"
Wang Sihhuai's eyes widened, and he exchanged glances with his team members.
Ghosts again?!
Before entering the imperial tomb, Wang Sihhuai and his men were all brave warriors. But what they had seen and heard since entering had made them increasingly timid.
It wasn't a fear of death, but a fear of the unknown.
However, after recovering his composure, Wang Sihhuai gritted his teeth and said, "Let's go, we'll go help Mr. Yan!"
"Charge!"
"I heard that evil spirits fear wicked people. If we're fierce enough, they'll be scared of us!"
"Everyone, curse a lot; it'll make us seem fiercer!"
"Alright! F***!"
A few hot-headed, spirited team members, with flushed faces and curses on their lips, stormed into the courtyard, wanting to help Yan Shouyi.
However, less than three seconds after entering the courtyard, they all retreated.
Completely unlike their previous "The world is vast, and I am the greatest" demeanor, they were all pale-faced, their hands and feet icy cold, their blood pressure seemingly plummeting from 200 to 50.
"Too terrifying... it's too terrifying in there..." one team member muttered.
The experienced Wang Sihhuai tremblingly took out a cigarette. If he hadn't been wearing a gas mask, he would have taken several deep drags.
They saw the courtyard engulfed in flames, with paper figures, indistinguishable from living beings, wailing in the inferno. It was a hellish scene!
What help could they offer? Were they supposed to add fuel to help Yan Shouyi make the fire burn even hotter?
In the courtyard, Yan Shouyi's expression was not relaxed. On one hand, he felt guilty for attacking the paper figures in self-defense; on the other, he worried that the fire might not destroy them.
Chu Liang's paper figures were no longer afraid of fire, and later A Gong also learned this skill. Yan Shouyi was unsure if the paper figures in this imperial tomb were also extraordinary.
As he was worrying, a muffled thud suddenly echoed from above the imperial tomb: *Dong*—
The next second, all the struggling paper figures stopped their movements in unison.
They no longer seemed afraid of the fire, nor did they show any pain. As if controlled uniformly, they began to walk towards Yan Shouyi!
"They..." Lin Zitong's expression changed as she said, "Their abilities seem to have strengthened!"
The paper figures, which had been struggling and crying out in the flames just a moment ago, were now completely unfazed by the fire. This sight made even Yan Shouyi feel a tremor of fear.
"What was that sound?" Yan Shouyi wondered.
The first sound had woken all the paper figures. The second sound had improved their abilities.
What would happen if there were a third or fourth sound?
Lin Zitong suddenly thought of something and said with a cold face, "Legend has it that the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum was filled with mercury to form rivers and lakes, and Qin Shi Huang's bronze coffin floated on the mercury river, patrolling the nine provinces day and night. Could that sound just now have been the sound of the bronze coffin colliding?"
Yan Shouyi pondered for a few seconds and shook his head. "This sounds more like a bell."
The bell was muffled. The sound of a bronze coffin should not be like this. Besides, how could a mere collision of bronze coffins affect the paper figures?
As Yan Shouyi was contemplating how to deal with these paper figures, Liang Yinqiu, Wang Sihhuai, and the others who had retreated from the courtyard returned.
They even brought the unconscious experts into the courtyard.
Wu Mian Gui Yan Gui said sternly, "What are you doing coming in here?!"
Li Yang, his face pale, stammered, "We didn't want to come in, but all the coffins in the courtyard broke open, and zombies crawled out. And from those spirit tablets, many ghosts floated out!"
They had thought it would be safe outside, only to discover that the outside was even more thrilling than the courtyard.
Upon hearing this, Yan Shouyi's heart sank.
He wondered how many zombies and ghosts were lurking in the inner city. It seemed they had all been activated by the bell sound. They were now like turtles in a jar, with no escape to heaven or earth!
The inner city of this imperial tomb was indeed far more dangerous than the outer city!!