The labyrinth and the reunion

"Isn't it said that this school of thought was once highly sought after by high-ranking officials and nobles? And the owner of this tomb is clearly of noble status," Chu Yuanzhen analyzed.

His meaning was clear: the tomb's owner was a fanatical devotee of dual cultivation.

"To witness the long-lost art of dual cultivation here makes this trip worthwhile," Master Jinlian remarked.

"Daoist Master, you are not interested in women, so this dual cultivation technique is useless to you," Xu Qi'an said with a smile.

Master Jinlian's face darkened.

"The clothes worn by the people in the murals are rather strange, and they are so old that I can't even determine which dynasty or era they belong to."

Compared to the dual cultivation technique, Chu Yuanzhen was more interested in the other mural.

Xu Qi'an had already memorized the dual cultivation technique depicted on the mural, and hurriedly urged, "Let's go, get out of here, finding Number Five is the priority."

He wants to keep such a good thing all to himself.

So the group continued to explore, and Qian You overheard their conversation throughout, learning that the things depicted on the murals were the legendary dual cultivation technique.

This is great stuff! It allows you to have both sex and spiritual practice.

For men, it's an irresistible temptation. Especially for someone like Qian You, a man of the underworld, who lacks resources, mentors, and secret techniques.

He quietly stepped back a few paces, and once Xu Qi'an and the others had gone far away, Qian You immediately turned back to look at the mural.

Time was limited, and he only managed to memorize a few pictures, which was far from enough to form an effective dual cultivation technique, rendering it useless.

"I'll go after them as soon as I write it down. It'll be over soon, very soon."

Qian You held the torch and walked very fast; in the empty space, only the sound of his footsteps echoed.

Gradually, Qian You realized something was wrong; he had walked for so long but still hadn't returned to where the mural was.

"We haven't gone this far, how come we're still not back at the mural?"

He held up a torch and shone it around aimlessly. The tomb was empty and eerily quiet. There were no murals, not even a coffin.

The murals were gone, as were the sarcophagus and the zombie. He stood there for a moment, then cold sweat poured out.

Qian You's jaw trembled, and his voice trembled as he cried out, "Great hero? Great hero, I'm here! Don't leave me!"

The sound echoed, refracted, and distorted in the open environment, and when it returned to my ears, it sounded like someone else was calling out.

Qian You felt a chill run down his spine, his hair stood on end, and he tightly shut his mouth, daring not to speak again.

He turned back, trying to catch up with Xu Qi'an and the others. However, he went from walking briskly to running wildly, panting heavily, and still couldn't catch up with Xu Qi'an.

Not a soul could be seen. In the silent tomb, only the echo of his footsteps reverberated, making one feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, experiencing the chill of hell.

Suddenly, Qian You, who was running wildly, tripped and fell hard to the ground with a groan. He grabbed the torch in panic and shone it on the ground.

It was a corpse, or more accurately, half a corpse.

He only had his upper body; his lower body had been severed at the waist by something, the wound a bloody mess. His internal organs had also been emptied.

Qian You cried out in surprise, scrambling back in fright.

There was an evil creature nearby, a man-eating evil creature. I was in danger of encountering it at any moment. A huge fear exploded in my heart, and Qian You's face gradually turned pale.

"Leave! Get out of here right now!"

Qian You's hand holding the torch trembled slightly. He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

He was an old member of the Houtu Gang, and had been to tombs and experienced all sorts of crises, but none of them were as bizarre as the one before him. Fortunately, he still had some courage, so he wasn't scared out of his wits.

"Firelight might attract evil spirits, but without torches, I might run right into one without even realizing it. Besides, spending so much time underground would surely degenerate my eyesight, making me less sensitive to light."

"What I need to do is not extinguish the fire, but get rid of the smell on my body."

As a seasoned tomb raider, he possessed all these items. He took out a porcelain jar from his bag, which contained a pungent powder that, upon closer inspection, resembled the stench of a corpse.

Qian You sprinkled the powder on himself, held up a torch, and carefully walked forward.

He had completely lost his sense of direction and was just going wherever the road took him.

Suddenly, a surprised voice came from behind. "Qian You?"

Holding torches, they walked for a while, then Master Jinlian suddenly frowned. "Aren't we missing someone?"

As he spoke, he glanced back, and the old Daoist's pupils contracted slightly.

There was nothing behind him; the leader of the Houtu Gang had vanished.

Xu Qi'an, Chu Yuanzhen, and Heng Yuan immediately noticed the abnormality, their expressions changed slightly, and they were on high alert.

"When did he disappear? I didn't even notice." Xu Qi'an closed his eyes, stared intently for a moment, and frowned as he said:

"My senses were unaffected. If it had been swept away by something, I wouldn't have been completely unaware. Since that thing was hostile to him, it would surely have been hostile to us as well."

"And once hostility arises, my divine sense will quickly detect it and relay it to me."

Chu Yuanzhen's expression turned grave as he analyzed, "Not only that, but one of the footsteps was missing, and we didn't even notice? That in itself is unusual."

Hengyuan frowned and remained silent.

Master Jinlian's heart skipped a beat. She took out the fragment of the Earth Book, examined it for a moment, and said in a deep voice, "The fragment of the Earth Book is unusable."

Xu Qi'an, Chu Yuanzhen, and Heng Yuan all simultaneously reached into their pockets to retrieve something. The latter two successfully pulled out fragments of the Earth Book, while Xu Qi'an realized his mistake in time, pulled back from the brink, and casually scratched his chest.

"It really can't be used anymore." Chu Yuanzhen tried to send a message, but failed, and his face darkened.

The reason why No. 5 drifted away and lost contact in Xiangcheng has been figured out.

This underground tomb shielded the fragments of the Earth Book.

"I... I think I know where we are now, or rather, I know our situation." Zhong Li raised her small hand.

When the four people looked over, she lowered her head and whispered:

"Generally speaking, a tomb is structured in three layers: inner, middle, and outer. The innermost layer is the main tomb, where the tomb's owner is buried. The middle layer consists of side chambers and passageways, where important figures buried with the tomb's owner are buried. The outermost layer is the tomb's defense. We are currently in the outermost layer, which is also the most dangerous."

"This place is riddled with mechanisms, traps, and formations. If I'm not mistaken, we entered a formation the moment we stepped into the tomb chamber with the murals."

Four men were staring at her at the same time. Xu Qi'an glared at them and said, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I forgot," Zhong Li said, lowering her head, looking aggrieved. "I don't know why I forgot."

Upon hearing this, the four men fell silent, unable to bear blaming her any further.

"What kind of formation is this? Can you tell?" asked Master Jinlian.

"It must be some kind of maze. The layout of the underground palace fits this formation. We are now in a huge maze and must find the right path to leave, otherwise we will be trapped here forever," Zhong Li said.

"Take us away quickly," Chu Yuanzhen said hurriedly.

"I... I will lead you all to your deaths." Zhong Li lowered her head even further.

Everyone: "."

"The unlucky prophet," Xu Qi'an sighed inwardly.

Chu Yuanzhen frowned, glanced at Xu Qi'an, and immediately found inspiration in him. "If we can't break the formation using conventional methods, then brute force is the best option, just like the two strikes Xu Qi'an unleashed during the duel."

Master Jinlian rejected the suggestion, saying solemnly, "It's best not to do this before we figure out the identity of the tomb owner. The outer layer is entirely made of bluestone, so luxurious. Let alone in ancient times, even the current Great Feng Dynasty couldn't produce that much bluestone."

"The High Antiquity dual cultivation technique is the Secret Method of that school, and it is not something that is easily handed over in its entirety, but it is found in the tomb."

"The maze we're in is so intricate, and it was set up at least two thousand years ago, before Warlock existed. All of this suggests that the owner of this tomb is no ordinary person. Breaking the formation rashly could lead to unpredictable consequences. Heh, if you're a third-rank expert, then disregard what I said."

Chu Yuanzhen nodded silently.

Hengyuan frowned. "What should we do now?"

He was a martial monk and didn't understand these things. Chu Yuanzhen practiced swordsmanship, and although he was well-read and knowledgeable due to his scholarly background, he was also unfamiliar with formations.

Xu Ningyan is just a military man, so there's even less reason to rely on him.

"The Daoist School is unfamiliar with feng shui, but we have some knowledge of formations. I can try to lead you through it," said Master Jinlian.

The Daoist School knows how to form formations. When Zi Lian and Yang Yan fought outside the city, they set up a large formation. However, they are not as monstrous as the Warlock, who could create formation patterns with a single step.

A quarter of an hour later, Master Jinlian's face stiffened as she stared at the deep darkness ahead, her brows furrowed in silence.

Jinlian's attempt to explore the path failed, leaving her questioning the meaning of life.

"You're a fraud too, Xu Qi'an," Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

No one present knew that Master Jinlian was the remnant soul of the leader of the Earth Sect, representing the benevolent side, and therefore they were unaware that a heavy truth lay hidden behind his solemn expression.

They're in trouble, huge trouble.

"Before the Warlock, who else possessed such powerful mastery of formations?" Master Jinlian pondered silently, searching his mind for "suspicious targets."

"Is there nothing the Daoist priest can do?"

Hengyuan and Chu Yuanzhen exchanged a glance, both seeing the heaviness in each other's eyes.

I was too careless. I should have checked the local chronicles and historical records of Xiangcheng first to find clues about the tomb before even considering whether or not to go down into it. Our team's lineup is so strong that even a fourth-rank expert would run away at the sight of us. I got carried away and became negligent.

Chu Yuanzhen secretly regretted his actions.

Hengyuan chanted Buddhist mantras softly, feeling guilty. Number Five had been missing for several days, waiting for rescue in a dark and eerie tomb. But his group had only just arrived and were already facing an insurmountable problem.

Master Jinlian sighed and looked at Zhong Li: "What's your opinion? You don't need to tell me your choice; just explain the mysteries of this formation in detail."

Zhong Li pondered and said, "These kinds of formations are usually built in dark rooms or underground. Otherwise, those who enter the formation only need to determine the direction to easily find the correct path."

"Without knowing the direction, escaping the formation relies solely on the experience and judgment of the one who entered it. If my experience and judgment are clouded by greed, it might lead to even greater trouble."

Now, even Master Jinlian fell silent.

The members of the Heaven and Earth Society finally understood the despair of Number Five. Trapped in the underground palace, unable to escape or contact the outside world, they watched as time slowly passed and their physical condition gradually deteriorated.

In the tense atmosphere, Zhong Li raised her hand again and whispered, "Actually, there's another safe way."

Chu Yuanzhen and Xu Qi'an's faces lit up with joy, and they asked eagerly, "What's the plan?"

Hengyuan looked up at her, his eyes filled with expectation.

Master Jinlian's heart stirred.

Zhong Li poked Xu Qi'an with her finger and said with her head down, "If we have him lead the way, we can get out. Hmm, most likely we can."

He?!

All eyes turned from Zhong Li to Xu Qi'an.

Chu Yuanzhen scrutinized the situation with disbelief, a multitude of thoughts flashing through his mind. Xu Ningyan was merely a martial artist; he couldn't possibly be knowledgeable about formations. It would be better for me to break the formation myself.

But this diviner from the Bureau of Astronomy wouldn't joke around so easily. So, is Xu Ningyan something special, or does he possess some item that can break the magic array?

However, judging from Xu Ningyan's expression, he seemed quite taken aback.

Thinking of this, Chu Yuanzhen couldn't help but glance at Daoist Jinlian, only to find that he seemed to have suddenly realized something.

Even Daoist Jinlian knew? Chu Yuanzhen secretly noted this detail.

Xu Ningyan seems to be hiding something. I'm becoming more and more curious about him.

"Lord Xu understands formations?"

Hengyuan's inner thoughts weren't as rich as the top scholar's; he directly asked the question that was on his mind.

Xu Qi'an's lips twitched. "I don't understand."

Qian You abruptly turned around, drawing his weapon and assuming a defensive stance. He then squinted at the darkness ahead and whispered, "Who's there?"

Footsteps approached, and a figure drew near the edge of the torchlight-illuminated area. The outline gradually became clearer, revealing a middle-aged man in his forties.

His face was thin, his eyes were sunken, and his eyes were bloodshot, making him look like a sick man who had been seriously ill and whose body had been drained.

The lower jaw, which had not been repaired for many days, had grown a short blue-black beard, looking slovenly and decadent.

"The gang leader?"

Qian You's eyes widened, his face filled with ecstatic joy. He moved the torch and shone it on his face, discovering many familiar faces—all his brothers from the Houtu Gang.

Unexpectedly, they encountered the gang leader and his men here, all without any effort on their part. Qian You was about to greet them when his expression suddenly changed. He pointed his weapon at the group and shouted, his voice trembling with fear:

"Don't come any closer, none of you move, or my knife won't discriminate. Hmm, how do you plan to prove yourselves?"

The sickly gang leader smiled with satisfaction, "Very good, you weren't careless. It seems that the human-skinned corpse you encountered underground in Jingzhou two years ago left a deep impression on you."

The gang members behind him then cursed angrily, "You, surnamed Qian, don't you know why we left you up there? With your pathetic skills, going into the tomb is just suicide."

"Haha, it really is you guys." Qian You laughed instead of getting angry, and happily went to greet them. When he got close to the sick man gang leader, he suddenly sprinkled a handful of cinnabar.

"Damn it, this piece of junk can only deal with low-level vengeful spirits, it's useless against zombies." The Sick Man Gang Leader cursed as he patted the cinnabar off his body.

At this point, Qianyou had no more doubts.

Holding the torch, he looked around and saw the vice leader, the elderly wild Warlock, with gray hair, sunken eyes, and a similarly haggard appearance.

The white robe he was wearing was now dirty and tattered.

Then, he saw the girl from the Southern Frontier. Her once round face had become thinner, and her chin was even a bit pointed. She was still pretty, but her eyes were bloodshot, as if she hadn't slept in a long time, and her expression was undeniably haggard.

After he finished looking through the list and counting the number of people, he felt quite heavy-hearted.

Of the thirty-two people who went down to the tomb this time, only twelve remain.

"Are you all starving? I brought you some dry food and water." Qian You untied the luggage he was carrying and distributed the dry food to everyone.

Everyone's eyes lit up suddenly, including the girl from Southern Frontier, staring at the sesame seed cake as if it were a stunningly beautiful woman who was completely naked.

The team had long since run out of food and had been starving underground for several days.

While distributing food, Qian You noticed that the gang members were all injured, some even with a missing arm, along with their sleeves. The wounds were simply bandaged, with traces of blood visible through them.

"Boss, what's wrong with you all?" Qian You asked.

Upon hearing this, the group, who had been wolfing down their food, simultaneously paused. The sickly gang leader whispered, "We're in trouble."

"Even a blind man could see that," Qian You thought to himself.

"This is a maze; we can't find our way out no matter which way we go. After I led my brothers down into the tomb, we entered a burial chamber full of zombies. We lost many brothers to finally defeat those evil creatures. We owe it all to Lina; otherwise, even more brothers would have died."

The sickly gang leader glanced at the girl who was eating a pancake with her head down, and continued, "After entering that tomb, we never came out again. For days, we've been wandering around aimlessly, and our water and food have been dwindling."

"This caused a fight between the gang and the experts they hired. But that wasn't the worst part; one time we woke up to find our 'night watch' brothers were gone."

"From that time on, several brothers disappeared without a trace every day. The team was in a state of great panic. The experts we hired had disagreements with us, and after a heated argument, they went their separate ways."

"Not long after, we discovered that all those who had left the group were dead, their deaths gruesome, as if they had been eaten by something."

Qian You's heart sank, and he inexplicably thought of the gruesome corpse that had tripped him.

The sickly gang leader took a sip of water, swallowed the food in his mouth, and said, "That's a monster, a very powerful monster. It's hunting us. It eats two people a day; more than that won't eat us, and less than that won't do."

His voice trembled slightly as he said those words.

"We've repelled it twice already, thanks to Lina. Otherwise, you might not be seeing us again," the Sickly Gang Leader said in a deep voice.

"But Lina's condition is getting worse. Without food and water, we'll eventually run out of energy. By the way, how did you get down here?"

PS: Future updates will be announced in the book club group. The group number is in the pinned post in the book review section. You can join at your own discretion. Other than this, none of these are official groups and have nothing to do with selling newspapers.

Furthermore, as mentioned at the beginning, the extra chapters are an additional benefit for legitimate readers and have no impact on the main storyline. There will also be no extra chapters for the Nightwatchers for the time being. You can join the VIP group to sell newspapers by having a fan value of 5,000 for any work. Therefore, there is really no need for everyone to spend money to buy the extra chapters, and there is even less need to sell them for profit.