Chapter 334 169: Formation Net

In fact, aside from the passages connecting to the other secret rooms, there were only two paths.

They were lucky. The first path they found was an entrance leading down.

But standing at the entrance and looking down, the place felt strange no matter how they looked at it.

"Tell me… doesn't this look like a tomb raider's tunnel?"

After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Ran voiced his suspicion.

The opening wasn't natural, nor was it part of the original construction.

Instead, it looked as if someone had dug it out little by little with a shovel.

Although Jiang Ran and Ruan Yuqing were both laymen in this regard, they could still faintly sense that the person who dug the tunnel must have been exceptionally skilled.

After a long moment of hesitation, Ruan Yuqing said:

"I really can't be sure. I've never seen anything like this before."

"Come on, let's go down and see."

Jiang Ran's interest was suddenly piqued.

Tomb raider tunnels, Ancient Tombs, treasures... things like that were enough to stir anyone's heart.

There had been an Ancient Tomb back in Benma County.

But that one had been practically trampled flat by visitors.

This one probably wouldn't be like that.

Besides, if this really was an Ancient Tomb, it would explain why the old man at the posthouse was playing the part of a mysterious phantom.

'Is he protecting this Ancient Tomb?'

'Or rather, is he protecting something inside the Ancient Tomb?'

'And that murder case Ning Jiuyuan mentioned—the one that happened at this posthouse seven or eight years ago—could it be related to this Ancient Tomb as well?'

As these questions swirled in his mind, the two of them had already jumped down into the opening.

There wasn't much room, and it still looked like it had been dug out one shovelful at a time.

The two of them had to crouch and crawl to move forward through the tunnel.

It was a very awkward feeling.

The air in the tunnel was stagnant. It was narrow, cramped, and seemed to go on forever, creating considerable psychological stress.

It was a good thing that both Jiang Ran and Ruan Yuqing possessed profound Inner Energy.

They wouldn't get dizzy from the stale air.

Otherwise, it would have quickly become unbearable.

"These moles... if you're going to dig a tunnel, you might as well make it a bit bigger.

"A bigger person probably couldn't even fit through a hole this small."

Jiang Ran grumbled as he crawled forward.

Ruan Yuqing sighed.

"At least it proves one thing: whoever dug this tunnel definitely wasn't a big person."

"Yuqing, who do you think would build an Ancient Tomb here? And who discovered it?"

Jiang Ran continued as he crawled forward,

"And who was that Court official who died here seven or eight years ago?

"When I first heard Ning Jiuyuan's story, it felt a little strange...

"An official died, and an attendant went missing.

"What if it's possible the official never died, and it was only his attendant?

"What if that high official actually went into hiding?

"Disguised as a senile, stooped old man, guarding an Ancient Tomb from who-knows-what era, and wandering around like a phantom all day for some ulterior motive?"

Ruan Yuqing was stunned for a moment, then nodded seriously.

"You know, listening to your analysis, it actually makes a lot of sense.

"According to Female Knight Ning, the case was never solved.

"That means even now, no one has ever found the head, so they could never confirm the body's identity.

"So whether it was the official or the attendant who died... remains a mystery to this day."

"Exactly..."

Jiang Ran trailed off, falling silent for a moment.

"Yuqing... do you believe the Nine Nether Purgatory exists in this world?"

"...How would I know?"

Ruan Yuqing froze. "Young Hero Jiang, don't try to scare me. You know I'm timid... Is there something up ahead?"

"I think we're at the exit."

Jiang Ran said,

"but there's an intense, fiery glow in this underground space."

"Fiery glow?"

Just as Ruan Yuqing was feeling puzzled, Jiang Ran suddenly vanished.

Ruan Yuqing was startled and quickly scrambled forward, only then noticing that there was indeed an exit ahead.

A dark red, fiery glow filled her vision from the exit.

When she reached the exit, she found that Jiang Ran had already jumped down. He was standing on a platform, gazing forward.

Before them was a vast expanse of underground lava.

"This is..."

Ruan Yuqing exclaimed in shock, "There's a place like this underneath the posthouse?"

The scene was far beyond what either of them had expected.

Moreover, there were signs of artificial structures over the lava.

On both sides, they could see platforms paved with bluestone. Huge sword-like constructs stood upon them, linked together by chains to form a great net.

In the middle of this net over the lava, there was another platform.

A coffin was faintly visible on the platform.

Ruan Yuqing crawled out of the opening. Jiang Ran reached out to catch her, then brushed the dust and dirt from both of them.

They exchanged a look, each seeing the astonishment in the other's eyes.

Neither of them made a rash move. One look at this place told them it was dangerous, and they had to proceed with caution.

Jiang Ran mulled it over for a moment, then picked up a rock from the ground and tossed it.

The rock struck one of the chains between the sword constructs, making a CLANG.

The chains RATTLED and shook. Suddenly, a plume of fire erupted, and a surge of lava engulfed the section Jiang Ran had struck with the rock.

"Just as I thought. There's a trick to it."

Ruan Yuqing took a deep breath.

"It's an Array."

Jiang Ran's brow furrowed.

"I don't know where this underground lava came from, but someone used it to lay an Array. They harnessed the natural properties of this place, linking them to the lava, and then hung these iron chains to complete the formation.

"Anyone who doesn't understand its workings and rashly sets foot on it would be burned to ash by the lava, leaving not even a bone behind.

"If we had come here ten days ago, we would have had no choice but to turn back. Now, though... my hands are itching to see if I can break this Array..."

...

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PS: My health is acting up again. It's so frustrating. Why won't this stupid cold go away?