Afraid?
What could a thousand-year zombie, impervious to blades and fire, possibly fear? The Sanqing Bell couldn't be it; at most, it would make her uncomfortable. There must be something even more powerful in the tomb, and if that were the case, the system should have mentioned it during the quest.
Wait, why assume it's fear? It could just as easily be disgust.
A thought struck Cao Yi, and his eyes brightened. He turned to Ying Caihong and asked, "What time is it now?"
Ying Caihong was taken aback that the Daoist Priest was concerned about the time at such a moment. After a moment of hesitation, she raised her wrist and replied, "It's eleven thirty-five."
Eleven thirty-five meant it was nearly noon, the time of day when the yang energy was at its peak. Could the thousand-year zombie's absence be related to this?
With this speculation in mind, Cao Yi set aside the Sanqing Bell and said to Ying Caihong, "The timing isn't right; we'll talk more in the evening."
"Okay," she nodded. When it came to understanding zombies, she knew she wasn't as knowledgeable as Cao Yi. Whatever he said, she would follow.
Cao Yi chose a dusty stone and wiped it down before sitting down to casually flip through the first volume of the Compendium of Talismans he pulled from his canvas bag. Yoko and the foreigners gathered around Ying Caihong.
In silent waiting, about twenty minutes passed when voices echoed from the depths of the suspension bridge.
Cao Yi perked up, listening closely. It was Wang Kaixuan and Hu Bayi. Why had they returned? Was Wang Kaixuan being stubborn again?
After three or four minutes, Hu Bayi and the others arrived.
"Why are you back?" Cao Yi asked, puzzled.
"The path was cut off; how can we go back?" Hu Bayi spread his hands, wearing a wry smile.
Cao Yi almost smacked his forehead—how could he have forgotten? The way back was already blocked when they took the third bronze key.
In the original storyline, Hu Bayi and his team had escaped through an explosion, a coffin, and some luck, emerging from a lake.
"Now, unless your boss's people open another gap above, we're stuck here," Hu Bayi added.
Cao Yi looked to Ying Caihong, who, despite her boldness, surely wouldn't want to be trapped here.
"Don't worry, Daoist Priest. Eventually, they'll come down and find the path is cut off. They'll definitely reopen a gap above," Ying Caihong reassured confidently.
Cao Yi nodded; this was the benefit of having wealth and followers. Compared to them, the Tomb Raiders were lacking—just three people with no backup. If something went wrong, they would have all been lost without the main character's halo.
Upon hearing Ying Caihong's words, Hu Bayi and the others felt relieved.
The eight of them waited quietly. They had no idea how long had passed when a faint explosion echoed.
Cao Yi suddenly looked up, realizing that Ying Caihong's subordinates had begun the demolition.
"Did you hear that, Daoist Priest?" Ying Caihong asked, noticing his reaction.
"Your people are starting to blow things up," Cao Yi replied flatly.
Ying Caihong's face lit up with joy.
The others looked puzzled; they hadn't heard anything.
In the next thirty minutes, seventeen explosions occurred, but all were far from the platform.
"These guys are slow; finding a gap is so difficult!" Ying Caihong cursed in her native Sichuan dialect, her patience wearing thin.
Cao Yi looked up at the ceiling and shook his head. "No wonder; we're beneath a lake."
In the original storyline, Hu Bayi and his group had emerged from this place right into a lake.
"A lake?" Ying Caihong paused, then her expression shifted to realization. "Mark mentioned there was a lake nearby."
Hearing their conversation, a cloud of anxiety settled over everyone. If they were right in the center of the lake, finding an escape route would be tough for rescuers.
After another twenty minutes, shouts echoed from the depths of the bridge: "Master, where are you? Master, where are you..."
"They're here," Cao Yi said as he got to his feet, prompting the others to do the same.
After waiting seven or eight minutes, a group in work clothes appeared. Just like that, they left the Goddess Tomb.
Back at camp, they hastily ate a lunch, and Cao Yi resumed drawing corpse-exorcising talismans. Uncertain about the strength of a thousand-year zombie in this world, he wanted to be prepared. He worked from noon until after two o'clock, not feeling hungry or tired.
"Daoist Priest, shouldn't we set off?" Ying Caihong's voice called from outside the tent.
Cao Yi acknowledged her, quickly packed his things, and stepped outside.
Looking up at the night sky, the grassland's night was beautiful. Stars scattered irregularly across the dark canvas, and the moon hung high, casting a soft silver glow that mingled with the chill of early spring, creating a sense of melancholy.
"I send a follower to check the Goddess Tomb every thirty minutes. Ten minutes ago, one reported that it suddenly froze inside," Ying Caihong informed him.
Frozen? That meant the thousand-year zombie had emerged.
"Let's go," Cao Yi said, leading the way.
On the suspension bridge leading to the platform, the ice made it very slippery. The group proceeded cautiously, taking twice as long as during the day to reach the edge of the platform.
During the day, the stone cave covered in dark, viscous substance had been opened, and a chilling aura wafted out.
"She... she has come out," Ying Caihong's voice trembled.
Cao Yi, standing at the front, turned to see the worried faces of the others and said in a deep voice, "When the fight starts, I won't be able to care for you. This is your last warning: if you don't want to die, leave now."
This was directed primarily at Hu Bayi and the workers.
After hesitating, the workers left.
Wang Kaixuan stayed, making it impossible for Hu Bayi to leave.
If Hu Bayi stayed, Shirley Yang couldn't leave either.
With no one willing to leave, Big Gold Tooth felt awkward to depart.
On Ying Caihong's side, no one moved.
It had to be said that Ying was a talented religious leader, albeit in the wrong place.
Around three-ten, a heavy footfall echoed from below the crack.
Cao Yi's gaze sharpened, fixated on the fissure.
Suddenly, brilliant red light shot up from below, blinding everyone.
"A thousand-year zombie plus Bianhua? This is bad."
"Regardless of what you see, don't kill too hard, as you might end up harming your own people," Cao Yi loudly warned.
Hu Bayi, standing nearby, paled at this: "Daoist Priest, you mean that if influenced by Bianhua, we'll harm our companions?"
Cao Yi nodded.
Hu Bayi's expression twisted in pain.
If that were true, then years ago, he and Wang Kaixuan had killed many Japanese zombie soldiers while escaping from the Japanese stronghold—those were actually their comrades.
Booming sounds echoed as the ancient tomb trembled, stones falling in a terrifying display. If there were any timid souls present, they would likely lose control of themselves.
"Everyone, don't be afraid; it's all an illusion," Cao Yi called out, shaking the Sanqing Bell.
The melodic chimes echoed out, dispelling the horrific scene of the collapsing tomb.
Of course, this relief didn't apply to everyone. The Sanqing Bell was just an ordinary talisman, and Cao Yi's use of it was rudimentary; it couldn't protect everyone.
Several foreign followers of Ying Caihong, gripped by fear, jumped off the platform. From such a height, they had no main character halo and no chance of survival.