At this moment, in this situation, it truly was not appropriate to start internal strife again.
Mu Aotie took a deep breath and swallowed his anger. He and Nan Zhu took up positions on the left and right respectively, each unsheathing their swords and using the pommels to thud repeatedly against the stone walls on both sides.
Yu Qing stood between the two, calculating the walking distance while observing the changes in the smoke from the burning incense in his hand.
He also did not know what was happening with the current situation. There had clearly been an entrance they came through. How could it suddenly disappear?
At least he was certain of one thing. Even if there was a mechanism, as long as the mechanism changed there would be movement. With movement there would be airflow. With changes in airflow, the smoke in his hand would be affected.
Especially within an enclosed space. Once an opening appeared at a certain point or a mechanism changed, the airflow of the entire space would be drawn into it. One move affected the whole body. The effect on the smoke would be very obvious. That was why he needed to keep observing.
The thudding sounds echoed ceaselessly in the dark passage.
The fullness of the knocking sounds continued. There was no obvious difference to the ear.
They knocked all the way down. The torches gradually all went out. The three then tore open the lining at the corners of their clothes and took out the fluorite stones wrapped and sewn inside. Unwrapping them, a pale green light immediately bloomed forth, the light colour somewhat ghastly white.
These were all prepared by Yu Qing before coming to Jianyuan Mountain. He did not dare skimp in this regard. Each person had prepared six or seven pieces. In any case, they had bought twenty fluorite stones in total, divided among three people.
This bit of light was not bright enough, but cultivators had decent vision adjustment. In pure darkness they could not see much. As long as a certain light source was provided, visual observation within a certain range was no problem. Torches simply illuminated a bit further.
Thud, thud, thud…
The knocking sounds kept echoing in the dark passage. The group walked further and further into the passage. Yu Qing’s heart gradually sank to the bottom.
The knocking sounds showed no change. He had changed several sticks of incense. The Character Observation Technique also did not reveal anything. It was truly strange.
According to his calculations along the way, they had already walked very far, yet the path ahead still showed no end.
Nan Zhu, who had been concentrating on knocking the walls and listening to the sounds, suddenly stopped. He also seemed to feel they had walked very far and asked, “How far have we gone?”
Yu Qing did not hide it from him. “About three li.”
“What?” Nan Zhu was shocked. Mu Aotie also stopped knocking.
“A straight passage with no turns whatsoever. How could there be such a long distance?” Nan Zhu asked in alarm.
Mu Aotie also asked, “How wide is the entire mountain?”
Yu Qing, “Not entirely clear. From visual estimation outside, the widest part should not exceed five li.”
Nan Zhu, “Before we turned around, we did not see an end on that side. Here we have walked three li and still see no end. The problem is we have not even walked downhill. Can a straight, flat passage inside this mountain body really be this long? Just the corridor leading to the tomb chamber being this long, how is that possible?”
Yu Qing, “Keep knocking.”
Nan Zhu said angrily, “Still knocking? There is clearly something wrong.”
Yu Qing said in a deep voice, “I know there is something wrong. The mountain width should not exceed five li. Now we have walked about three li. Then what is the harm in walking another two li? Perhaps the exit is just ahead. Knock again!” He threw away the incense butt in his hand, took out more incense, opened the tinderbox, and relit it.
Nan Zhu, “What if there truly is no way out?”
Yu Qing pointed at the stone wall beside him. “Then we will use the stupid method. Directly open a hole in the mountain body. I want to see if we can dig our way out.”
Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie looked towards the depths of the darkness ahead, then simultaneously turned their heads to look at each other. They thought about it and agreed. They had already walked three li. What was the harm in walking another two? Perhaps there was a way out just ahead. Would it not be a pity to stop now?
Thud, thud…
Mu Aotie took the lead in knocking. Nan Zhu followed. The group continued forward in the dark corridor.
At the outside entrance, Meng Wei, who was standing guard on a pile of rocks, suddenly turned his head. He saw a group of people flying over. Of the three people in the lead, he recognised them. He had paid his respects when they arrived yesterday.
The woman in red with twin swords on her back in the middle was the top figure in charge of military matters at Jianyuan Mountain, known as the Grand Protector, Liu Piaopiao.
The bald man carrying a large axe on the left, and the burly man with chain hammers hanging from his body on the right, were precisely Liu Piaopiao’s left and right arms, Zhu Mingchi and Tong Chunqiu.
Over a hundred demon cultivators swarmed over like a nest of bees. Liu Piaopiao and the other two directly flew and landed before Meng Wei.
Meng Wei cupped his hands and smiled. “Why has the Grand Protector come?”
Liu Piaopiao had a gorgeous face but cold, sharp eyes. “Meng Wei, you dare trespass into my demon realm’s forbidden ground. What are your intentions?”
Meng Wei immediately dropped his smile. “Grand Protector’s words are rather exaggerated. Which of your eyes saw me enter the demon realm’s forbidden ground?”
The bald man Zhu Mingchi waved his large axe and pointed, roaring angrily, “A bunch of your subordinates went in, and you still dare to quibble. Do you take us for blind men?”
Meng Wei, “They are all labourers I temporarily recruited to pick congratulatory gifts and enter the mountain. I also do not know why they suddenly became like this. The reason I am lingering here and not daring to cross the line is precisely this. The Grand Protector has come at the right time. I hope you can capture that group of people with ulterior motives and investigate thoroughly. My Blue Sea Shipping Firm absolutely will not harbour them.”
“Hmph, temporarily recruited labourers? You have certainly washed your hands clean of this. Do you yourself believe this nonsense?” Liu Piaopiao let out a cold snort. She did not waste more words, nor did she bother with Meng Wei anymore. She waved her hand to signal. Immediately a group of demon cultivators jumped down into the rock pit and crawled into the ancient tomb entrance to scout the way.
Liu Piaopiao and the other two leaders subsequently jumped down one after another and quickly entered the cave.
The mountain king Hong Teng received the news that someone had entered the ancient tomb. He immediately contacted that Third Master.
That Third Cave Master, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, upon learning that people from Blue Sea Shipping Firm had truly directly entered the ancient tomb, was somewhat surprised. He felt the actions of Blue Sea Shipping Firm were somewhat abnormal. However, he was very clear about who stood behind Blue Sea Shipping Firm.
The Third Cave Master also could not sit still anymore. The Yin Kingdom had directly made a move over there. Did they also grasp some situation unknown to them? He found it hard to sit idly by. Though he did not fully mobilise, he still had Hong Teng send capable subordinates into the ancient tomb to intervene.
Liu Piaopiao and the others had come under orders. They had no time to argue with Meng Wei. The accounts would naturally be settled later.
Over a hundred demon cultivators all quickly entered the cave.
Meng Wei watched them, slowly putting his hands behind his back, his brow furrowing. Such a large group of demon cultivators had gone in. He did not know whether those people like A Shiheng could withstand it. He only hoped that A Shiheng dared enter the ancient tomb because he had something to rely on.
Qin Jue and Cui You, hiding in the mountain forest, were still secretly observing…
Inside the entrance cave, a group of demon cultivators carefully arrived at the breach leading to the ancient tomb and successively crawled into the ancient tomb passage. A crowd of torches illuminated the surroundings brightly.
Liu Piaopiao, who had crawled inside, waved her hand to signal. A team of people quickly walked in the direction of the depths…
Thud, thud, thud. Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie were still knocking on the stone walls on the left and right respectively.
Yu Qing, walking in the middle, suddenly flashed his gaze. He saw the slowly rising blue smoke suddenly lose its drifting rhythm, fluctuating.
He abruptly stopped to avoid the interference his walking would cause to the blue smoke. He stared intently at the changes in the blue smoke itself, rapidly deducing the cause and effect of its fluctuations with the Character Observation Technique.
Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie, who were knocking the walls, successively discovered the abnormality and all turned to look at him.
“The entrance has appeared. It seems quite a few people have come in too. Go!” Yu Qing suddenly gave an urgent call and immediately flashed away.
What mystical nonsense, had he really gotten into it? Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie were bewildered. Then again, it did not seem like he was joking. They immediately flashed after him.
This was much faster than walking while knocking stone walls. Flashing several li would not take much time.
Before long, Yu Qing suddenly stopped. He held the fluorite stone and illuminated all around. The two who had flashed after him nearly bumped into him.
Nan Zhu also looked left and right. “Where is the entrance? Did you not say quite a few people?”
Yu Qing suddenly pointed at a stone wall on one side. “The entrance is behind this wall. The range is roughly within twenty zhang. Knock, keep knocking. Use this place as the centre point. You two knock ten zhang to the left and right respectively. We should be able to find it.”
He had not sensed the exact location. If it were a ventilated place, he could estimate the specific point based on wind speed. However, it was merely a sudden gap appearing in an enclosed space, causing a sudden pull on the airflow. The judgment conditions were insufficient. With his current Character Observation Technique ability, he could only estimate a general direction.
Nan Zhu was amused and angered. “Fifteenth, have you gone mad? We just knocked here not long ago. This side was knocked by my own hands. Where is the entrance?”
Yu Qing could not be bothered to waste words with him. He unsheathed the sword at his waist and personally used the pommel to knock the stone wall. In any case, the range was not large.
Thud, thud, thud…
Liu Piaopiao, who was walking quickly through the passage, suddenly stopped and raised her hand.
Seeing her gesture, Tong Chunqiu, who had chain hammers hanging before his chest, immediately shouted loudly, “Stop!”
The crowd of demons under the blazing firelight immediately stopped. All fell silent.
In this silence, they immediately heard faint knocking sounds. The demons successively turned to look back, all somewhat puzzled.
Zhu Mingchi, “Who is knocking incessantly over there? Has someone else come in?”
Tong Chunqiu, “Could it be those people who entered earlier?”
Zhu Mingchi, “That end is the true entrance of the ancient tomb. After construction, it was filled with specially made rammed earth, harder than stone. That end has already been blocked off. One cannot walk far before reaching the end. Those people entered so long ago. How could they still be over there?”
The somewhat hesitant Tong Chunqiu nodded slightly.
Liu Piaopiao felt something was not right. She immediately gave the order, “This ancient tomb is rather sinister. Send a few more people to see what is going on.”
Immediately five minor demons obeyed the order and quickly turned back to investigate…
Thud… thud… thud…
Yu Qing, who had been walking back and forth knocking before the stone wall, suddenly stopped. He used the pommel of his sword to forcefully knock the stone wall before him several more times.
Not to mention him, even Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie could tell that the sound of this stone wall being knocked was different. Compared to the sounds from other positions, the echo was slightly hollow, somewhat muffled, not solid enough.
The two were also very shocked. Could they really have found the entrance?
Yu Qing lowered the sword in his hand and suddenly kicked out.
Bang! A long slab of stone flew out. The wall had been kicked through by Yu Qing, revealing a gap.
The three almost simultaneously crowded before the gap. Their fluorite stones almost simultaneously extended through that gap. Borrowing the light, they looked to the other side of the wall. There was a space. Looking up and down, they immediately recognised it. It was precisely the place where they had broken through the tree root blockage when they first entered this passage.
In other words, they had found the entrance to enter and exit the ancient tomb.