Chapter 142

The good news was that Lin Shuyou, though carrying a bamboo pole with the corpse-driving team, could open his eyes and seemed to retain some degree of self-awareness.

This suggested that he might not have been “brought in,” but rather joined the team willingly.

The problem, however, was that despite his occasional mental lapses, Lin Shuyou was usually very obedient, especially before undergoing the “face-opening” ritual. Moreover, he had been specifically assigned to a team with Yin Meng.

Under normal circumstances, neither of them would secretly undertake unauthorized actions while on an existing mission.

His team prioritized strict discipline above all else.

So, had some unexpected incident occurred midway, forcing them to become involved?

The bad news was that they were entering the water.

The tinkling of the bell held by the yellow-robed Taoist leading the way gradually faded, replaced by the sound of water. Li Zhuiyuan, with his keen hearing, could distinguish the sound of each person entering the lake, one by one.

Li Zhuiyuan pressed his lips together and began to think rapidly.

Because… time was running out.

At present, Lin Shuyou retained some self-awareness. Though he hadn't been able to observe Yin Meng, it was highly probable she wasn't in the worst possible state either.

But "at present" was only for now. What about a day from now?

Tomorrow, eight teams would leave the lake and set out again. By then, each team would likely be in the standard three-person formation of "two people carrying one."

The eight teams would return around the same time tomorrow, approximately twenty-four hours from now.

In that day and night, submerged beneath the lake, could Yin Meng and Lin Shuyou truly remain safe?

Therefore, if he chose to wait another twenty-four hours, it would be tantamount to abandoning the rescue and merely hoping they could miraculously survive on their own.

If he wanted to do something, the only opportunity was the approaching eighth team, whose dark silhouettes were already visible ahead.

He had to infiltrate that eighth team and enter the water!

Li Zhuiyuan made up his mind.

Admitting defeat by "lighting the lamp a second time" and ending the river journey was not an option in the young man's mind.

Therefore, he would have to enter this water sooner or later.

Given this, why not go down now to meet and rescue Yin Meng and Lin Shuyou while they still retained their self-awareness, rather than waiting until they were dead?

Li Zhuiyuan turned his head to look at Xiong Shan.

Xiong Shan had been down there before; he had experience.

From the perspective of a guide and team coordination, if Xiong Shan could go with him, it would undoubtedly significantly increase the success rate of their rescue.

Struggle was evident in Xiong Shan's eyes.

Li Zhuiyuan couldn't precisely gauge Xiong Shan's feelings for his sworn brothers, but Xiong Shan had previously expressed a desire to "light the lamp a second time" and withdraw.

When a person voluntarily reveals such emotions, it means their inner dam has already been riddled with holes.

Furthermore, it was his sworn brothers who had gone down, while he, his wife, and child remained above. If this arrangement were reversed, his struggle might not have been as intense.

The situation had clearly spiraled out of control. Xiong Shan could "light the lamp a second time" right now, declare defeat, and spend the rest of his life with his wife and child, at most enduring a pang of conscience in his midnight dreams, remembering the two sworn brothers he had abandoned to their fate.

“Ding-a-ling… Ding-a-ling… Ding-a-ling…”

The bell of the eighth team drew nearer.

Xiong Shan closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, all struggle had vanished.

He looked at Li Zhuiyuan, but reached out to gently pat his wife, saying, “We’re going to rescue Second Brother and Third Brother.”

Lihua let out a breath and smiled. She first bent down to kiss her son, then secured the swaddling clothes to herself, pulling the child close to her body to free up her hands entirely.

Meeting Xiong Shan's gaze, Li Zhuiyuan calmly replied:

“Together.”

Xiong Shan smiled. “You’ve outdone me, young brother; you truly value relationships more.”

Li Zhuiyuan asked, “What do we do next?”

Xiong Shan had previously explained how to blend into the team, but he hadn't revealed the true operational details, deliberately holding back some information.

“When they are about to enter and exit the ‘inn,’ quickly blend into the team and simultaneously discard the paper money. This way, you can successfully blend in without alarming them.

Once inside, when the bamboo poles begin to rotate, let go, stand still, and pretend to be dead.

There's an eye in there. Don't move when it's open; wait for it to close before you find an opportunity.”

“Did you succeed on your first attempt last time?”

“I’m half-local. After killing that evil cultivator, I learned the Chenzhou talismans he left behind. So, I have some understanding of the taboos and methods of corpse-driving.

If you're interested, young brother, I have some fragmented Chenzhou talismans. If we all make it out alive this time, I could let you take a look.”

“I’m not interested in that.”

“Right, you’re worried it might entangle you in my underworld karma.”

Li Zhuiyuan offered no further explanation.

The eighth team consisted of only three people, which meant they hadn't picked up anyone.

Xiong Shan said, “Our three will go first, then your three.”

His remark clearly included his son as one of their three.

Li Zhuiyuan replied, “Okay.”

The young man turned his gaze to Runsheng and Tan Wenbin, who nodded in response.

As the eighth team arrived, everyone collectively lowered their heads.

Once this team adjusted its angle and began circling the “Yin-Yang Road Inn” – the so-called “entering the inn” – Xiong Shan and Lihua quickly rose, each on one side, gripping a bamboo pole with one hand and lifting it with their shoulders.

Three pieces of paper money fell from their persons.

As the team was about to “exit the inn,” Li Zhuiyuan and his two companions quickly rose as well.

Runsheng and Tan Wenbin mimicked Xiong Shan's movements, while Li Zhuiyuan held onto Runsheng's clothes.

Three pieces of paper money were quickly discarded.

In that instant, his entire perspective seemed to shift.

The surrounding environment blurred, with only a phantom silhouette of a lit inn visible behind them.

Although they were moving step by step, their progression felt exaggerated, creating an uncanny sense of spatial dislocation.

Lin Shuyou must have sensed something earlier, which was why he opened his eyes and searched. However, he was within the corpse-driving team, while Li Zhuiyuan and the others, holding paper money inside the inn, were essentially in a different barrier. Therefore, it was perfectly normal that Lin Shuyou hadn't been able to find anyone.

Being at the back of the team was not as advantageous as being at the front.

Because you had to avoid the one in the middle whose feet didn't touch the ground; you couldn't look at it.

Thus, Xiong Shan and the others at the front could look forward more freely, while Li Zhuiyuan and his two companions at the back could only glance from side to side.

But since they were the experienced ones, with the guide leading the way, there was nothing to complain about.

Beneath their feet, the sound of splashing water emerged.

They were about to enter the water.

The front entered first, followed by the back.

The water was somewhat cold, and upon complete immersion, there was a suffocating sensation, a feeling of being unable to breathe. However, this was more a psychological reaction than a truly severe physical suffocation.

It was very unpleasant and uncomfortable, yet it wouldn't drown them.

This must be another characteristic of this corpse-driving team.

So, this was how Liangliang felt every time he went to see Lady Bai.

Even experiencing this agony twice each time couldn't deter him from frequently traveling to and from Nantong.

The team advanced along the lakebed, the two bamboo poles remarkably steady, like a boat.

As they walked, Li Zhuiyuan spotted an underwater village, submerged beneath the water. This must be Peach Blossom Village.

The underwater Peach Blossom Village still retained most of its original appearance, and the team walked directly through the middle of its village path.

After leaving the village, the team continued its downward journey. This must be the true Yinma Lake.

Down, down, and further down – they must be heading towards the center of the lake.

Finally, Li Zhuiyuan felt his feet lose purchase as the entire team began to descend vertically.

Even so, the "corpse-driver" behind them continued to swing its legs back and forth at the original rhythm, and everyone followed its pace, swinging their own legs.

Sinking, sinking, further sinking…

“Splash!”

For the first time, he experienced the sensation of surfacing after sinking. Foul yet real air rushed into his nostrils, beginning to soothe his heart and lungs.

This was an underwater pool.

In front of the pool, many people stood.

They all stood steadily in the water, lower bodies submerged, eyes closed, completely motionless.

At this point, the bamboo poles began to rotate.

Xiong Shan and Lihua let go and stood still. Runsheng and Tan Wenbin also released their grip and remained standing.

The standard three-person corpse-driving team seemed to have completed its delivery here, then continued its journey.

Above the pool stood an ancient, massive stone gate. The left side of the gate was only a half-fragment, while the right side was riddled with cracks. On the steps leading to the gate, there was a large crater with four deep indentations along its edge, as if violently punched into existence.

The surrounding rock walls, originally adorned with meticulously painted murals in a dome-like arc, were now densely covered in black stains of varying shades, likely splattered blood.

A great battle had once taken place here, claiming many lives.

Suddenly, the “sky” brightened.

Above them, a ball of red ghostly flame appeared.

Ghostly flames typically weren't this color, but within this particular flame, there genuinely seemed to be an eye, scanning below, exuding immense pressure.

This “eye” gave Li Zhuiyuan a strong sense of familiarity.

The corpse-driving team, having discharged its cargo, began to walk into the stone gate. As they proceeded, faint sparks flickered into existence around them, only to be immediately suppressed and extinguished by another force.

They should not have moved. Under the ghost eye, any unnecessary movement would be deemed an anomaly, resulting in immolation.

However, either the ghost eye had been damaged, or it had been artificially modified, or perhaps both; in any case, this ghost eye had no effect on the corpse-drivers.

The corpse-drivers could enter and exit freely, but others did not enjoy the same privilege.

Even without Xiong Shan's warning from the shore, no one would have moved recklessly at this moment. The warning from the ghost eye was palpable, almost corporeal.

Many rows of people stood ahead. Being short, Li Zhuiyuan could see some details of the front rows through the gaps between their legs.

He noticed he could see the backs of the heads of the first two rows of people.

Based on their head shapes, they were all adults.

Furthermore, from the front rows backward, there was a clear gradual increase in overall height.

This meant it wasn't because the first two rows consisted of dwarves with large head disease; it was because they had melted.

This pool was like a candelabra; the "people" brought here would melt, becoming wax, used to sustain the existence of that ghost eye.

The problem was that while this method was ingenious, it seemed utterly mismatched with the majestic ghost eye.

Wei Zhengdao had once meticulously and sternly criticized evil formations.

The young man deeply agreed.

Therefore, Li Zhuiyuan knew that ordinary evil formations could indeed disguise themselves with an aura of righteousness to lure people in. However, the more sophisticated an evil formation, the harder it was to conceal its true essence. Moreover, there was no need to do so, because anyone important enough to warrant such elaborate arrangements would surely see through such a simple trick, making the effort seem pointless.

Furthermore, to keep the ghost eye perpetually burning, relying on corpse-driving teams to constantly bring people in from outside as “lamp oil” was truly too cumbersome, like trying to pull a locomotive with horses.

If he were to arrange this ghost eye… well, there was a lake above, wasn't there? He would directly utilize the lake's tides, connecting them to the ghost eye. As long as the lake didn't dry up, the ghost eye would exist eternally.

Suddenly, Li Zhuiyuan's eyes lit up.

No wonder he felt such a strong sense of familiarity! After putting himself in the shoes of the designer, wasn't the operating principle of this ghost eye identical to the Qin Clan's “Dragon Gaze Contemplation Method”? And wasn't the formation itself the Qin family's “Dragon Eye Lock Gate Formation”?

Only the method of sustaining its existence had been altered, and what should have originally been a pair of ghost eyes was now reduced to just one.

The Qin family's old ancestral home's secluded meditation areas would feature such formations to prevent external disturbance during seclusion. Some special forbidden grounds also utilized this formation, ensuring that anyone foolish enough to stumble upon them would have no one to blame if they were incinerated.

It seemed this was the work of a Qin family Dragon King.

It was he who, along with the four great families of the old Heaven's Gate, had suppressed the General here.

To be fair, this was Li Zhuiyuan's first time visiting an "ancestral ruin."

Although the ruin had been so extensively damaged and modified that it was almost unrecognizable.

Just then, the ghost eye gradually dimmed.

This must be what Xiong Shan had previously mentioned: waiting for it to close its eye.

Li Zhuiyuan's breathing deepened slightly. "Modify it if you must," he thought, "but why degrade the formation's quality so much?"

What kind of formation in a forbidden area closes its eye and dozes off?

Finally, the ghost eye extinguished completely.

Xiong Shan moved, and Lihua followed. The two left their positions and began searching forward for their team's Second and Third Brothers.

“Search!”

Li Zhuiyuan, with Runsheng and Tan Wenbin, also moved, starting their search for Yin Meng and Lin Shuyou.

There were many people in the pool, and the lighting was insufficient, making the search genuinely troublesome.

Fortunately, they could start with height, searching only the last two rows, as newly brought-in individuals wouldn't have melted and shrunk yet.

Yet at this moment, Li Zhuiyuan harbored a doubt. He wasn't sure of Yin Meng's condition, but Lin Shuyou should have been able to move freely. It was understandable that he hadn't dared to move when the ghost eye was open, but now that it was closed, why hadn't Lin Shuyou moved yet?

In the pool, excluding the child on Lihua's chest, there were still only five sounds of movement.

Secondly, if it were merely a simple "opening and closing eye" taboo, the difficulty here would undoubtedly be too low. Xiong Shan wouldn't have claimed he nearly perished the last time he entered.

So, entry and exit points were not the same in this place?

To get out of here, would they have to go through that stone gate?

The young man knew that even if he asked Xiong Shan now, the other man wouldn't explicitly tell him. While their internal brotherhood was strong, they wouldn't be unclear or ambiguous when dealing with outsiders.

“Stop!”

Li Zhuiyuan called out a warning.

Runsheng and Tan Wenbin instantly froze.

Xiong Shan and Lihua, however, continued searching. Lihua heard Li Zhuiyuan's warning, but seeing no reaction from her husband, she didn't stop.

The ghost eye had indeed not yet lit up. Only after a significant delay did new light appear, at which point Xiong Shan finally took his wife's hand, and they both stopped moving.

Li Zhuiyuan's prediction was half a minute too early, causing Tan Wenbin and Runsheng to play dead a little longer with him.

This was Li Zhuiyuan's mistake; he had applied the correct operational rhythm to an incorrect formation.

After another period of waiting, when the ghost eye extinguished once more, all five moved simultaneously.

Li Zhuiyuan's group still hadn't found Lin Shuyou and Yin Meng; moreover, they hadn't even seen Brother Hu and his two companions.

However, Tan Wenbin had found Second Brother and Third Brother. They stood motionless, eyes closed, in the central position of the second-to-last row.

Tan Wenbin looked at Li Zhuiyuan.

They had found their people first. What if they took their men and didn't help find Li Zhuiyuan's people? They might even leave first.

Li Zhuiyuan proactively called out, “Found them!”

The difficulty wasn't in finding people, but in how to safely get such a group out. Additionally, Xiong Shan was likely still thinking about sealing the General.

They wouldn't be so short-sighted.

Xiong Shan and Lihua immediately waded over.

Lihua exclaimed, “Second Brother, Third Brother!”

Despite the calls, Second Brother and Third Brother remained motionless, eyes closed, as if dead.

Li Zhuiyuan was about to try and awaken them, but seeing Xiong Shan already retrieving talismans and forming hand seals, he refrained from interfering.

After forming a hand seal, Xiong Shan placed a Chenzhou talisman on Second Brother's forehead, sliding his thumb down the paper.

A black mist diffused from Second Brother's nostrils, and his eyes slowly opened. However, he could only move his eyeballs; he couldn't speak or move his body.

Li Zhuiyuan's eyes instantly narrowed: He had been placed under a restriction!

Xiong Shan exclaimed, “Hahaha, Second Brother, thankfully, you’re not dead! Wait, I’ll help you remove the restriction…”

Xiong Shan's voice trailed off. He had also realized the problem: Who had placed the restriction on Second Brother, and what was its purpose?

Second Brother's eyeballs began to dart rapidly sideways, precisely towards Third Brother's position.

Xiong Shan asked, “Third Brother, what’s wrong with him?”

Li Zhuiyuan replied, “He’s telling you to run!”

Second Brother had kept his eyes closed previously; how could he have known Third Brother was standing right beside him? Even after opening his eyes, he couldn't see Third Brother's location without turning his head.

It was a mere coincidence that when he made the eye gesture, he happened to glance in Third Brother's direction, leading Xiong Shan, who was caught in the situation, to be confused.

“Brother Runsheng!”

The young man reached out and grabbed Runsheng's arm. Runsheng instinctively swung him onto his back, then grabbed Tan Wenbin's arm with his other hand. With his Qi gate activated, Runsheng began to sprint, guided by the young man's directions.

Prompted by the warning, Xiong Shan finally realized what was happening, embracing his wife as he ran backward.

Inside Second Brother's clothes, blue light glowed. Talismans seemed to be hanging within, entangled with chains that swirled with black mist, fiercely rubbing against the talismans' power. All of this officially began with the host's eyes opening.

“Loud crackling and sputtering!”

Electric currents snaked wildly across Second Brother's body, and black flames erupted from his eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth.

Not only externally, but his body had also been filled with something internally.

This was absolutely not the work of the "corpse-drivers." It could only have been a pre-arranged scheme by whoever placed the restrictions on them, allowing them to carry these things and be brought here by the corpse-drivers.

The eruption of black flames from Second Brother ignited Third Brother. Blue light first appeared on Third Brother's body, followed by black flames spewing from his mouth.

These black flames were corpse-fire, refined from corpse oil using special methods. Once ignited, they could easily trigger corpse qi, setting surrounding corpses ablaze.

“Ah!!!”

“Ah!!!”

As the corpse-fire within Second Brother and Third Brother erupted further, the restrictions on their bodies were also removed. However, they only had time to turn and glance at Eldest Brother before their heads fell off, their bodies rapidly melted, their "containers" shattered, and the corpse-fire poured out, beginning to spread over a large area.

Upon contact with the corpse-fire, even the already dead bodies of others began to writhe and twitch, much like corpses contorting when ignited in a crematorium.

In an instant, more than half of the pool area became a scene of demonic chaos.

“Second Brother, Third Brother!”

Xiong Shan cried out to them, tears welling in his eyes, as he pulled his wife, running relentlessly towards the stone gate.

Li Zhuiyuan's group, meanwhile, didn't even glance back.

After Runsheng activated his Qi gate, his power and speed were simply terrifying. Tan Wenbin, with his ordinary human body, and no opportunity to "invite a ghost" to possess him at this moment, finally collapsed after struggling to keep up for a stretch.

However, Runsheng continued to drag him along. Tan Wenbin's body bounced and splashed across the water like a skipping stone, “Splish! Splish! Splish!” as he was dragged forward at high speed.

Binbin began to slide, using his hands and feet to assist as much as possible, while keeping his mouth tightly shut to prevent dirty water from rushing in.

But simply closing his mouth was futile, as his nose and ears couldn't be sealed. His nose, especially, was directly facing the direction of their sprint, and the powerful impact caused water pressure to force the pool water into his nasal cavity.

Yet even so, they couldn't stop.

If they didn't run now, it would be too late.

Because the ghost eye was about to open.

Finally, Li Zhuiyuan and his two companions reached the shore first. Tan Wenbin knelt on the ground, his stomach churning, while a warm sensation flowed from his nostrils, indicating a nosebleed.

At that moment, the ghost eye was also gradually opening.

Xiong Shan slapped two Chenzhou talismans onto himself and his wife respectively, boosting their speed.

However, various factors had caused delays earlier. Xiong Shan was already injured, and Lihua was carrying a child. So, they were still a short distance from the shore. They should make it, but there was still some danger.

On the shore, Li Zhuiyuan said, “Help them.”

Upon hearing this, Tan Wenbin immediately pulled out his Seven-Star Hook from his backpack, flung it forward, and as the hook rapidly extended, he quickly handed it to Runsheng.

Xiong Shan and Lihua grabbed the hook, and Runsheng, standing on the shore, exerted force, pulling the couple up as if fishing.

It had to be said, their skills were excellent; they landed steadily.

Lihua began to sob, turning her back to the pool.

Xiong Shan, eyes reddened, first looked at Li Zhuiyuan and nodded at him, then let out a low growl from his throat: “The Xie family, the Bu family!”

The ghost eye opened.

Below, all the corpses were “dancing” under the corpse-fire.

Streaks of flame descended from above, striking all the corpses.

In an instant, fierce flames erupted across the entire pool, which began to boil violently, resembling an inferno on earth.

Those standing on the shore remained motionless, but even so, they could feel terrifying waves of heat relentlessly assaulting them.

Finally, the great fire consumed everything, the pool was almost dry, and all the corpses had turned to ash.

The ghost eye faded somewhat, then, as it was time for it to close, it gradually shut.

Xiong Shan said, “I'm sorry, your people are also buried…”

Li Zhuiyuan replied, “I’m sorry, my people are not here.”