Chapter 38: The Elevator Tomb

Chapter 38: The Elevator Tomb

Wu Yu shrugged, ignoring the Fatty any further.

After all, if one were to speak truly, the so-called Eleventh Warehouse was nothing more than the largest logistics depot for the Nine Gates. Aside from the treasures kept privately in their homes, almost everything else was stored there.

Naturally, this included the coffins of the Buddha and his wife, which they had placed in storage there. At the thought of this, Wu Yu recalled the pair of red eyes he had inadvertently glimpsed back when he was at the Ganyang Warehouse of the Eleventh Warehouse. They were only the second presence to date that had triggered a system warning, forcing him to keep his distance.

Though he didn't know what they were, he had spent the following half-month trapped in nightmares, breaking into a cold sweat every time he remembered them, still lingering in fear.

Closing his eyes slowly, he channeled his internal energy, guiding it from his dantian to circulate through his limbs and bones. It wasn't until he had completed a full major cycle that he finally felt composed.

Recalling the scene beneath the sea just moments ago, he was truly exhausted. Even so, he was still about two hundred short of completing the system's task.

After all, these water-ghosts were far cleverer than the water-monkeys. While they harbored hatred for him, they knew to flee when they realized they couldn't win.

Consequently, Wu Yu had spent much of his time chasing them, wasting a significant amount of his internal energy.

Yet, as he slew more of the creatures, he noticed something strange: with the death of each one, a wisp of yin energy would burrow into his body. The Eye of Curses would then devour it, becoming noticeably more active.

Wu Yu had to expend a great deal of mental effort to resist the power of the curse, which caused him no small amount of distress.

But there was no help for it; this was the price. If he were to completely seal the Eye of Curses, his cultivation talent as a descendant of the Ban Shan lineage would inevitably be sealed as well. He would need at least another fifty years of internal energy to achieve his current level of power.

As the saying goes, one must lose something to gain something. That was simply how it was.

"Huh? What is that sound?" As soon as he opened his eyes, Wu Yu heard a "ding-dang, ding-dang" ringing in his ears.

"I don't know!" Tian Zhen frowned. "It started not long after you began your breathing exercises. It’s been over half an hour now, and it hasn't stopped."

"I've searched everywhere," the Fatty added. "I even climbed up on the bronze coffin to listen for a while, but it's not coming from inside. It sounds like it's coming from the walls themselves." As he spoke, the Fatty pulled out a bundle of dynamite. "How about it, boys? Shall we set off a charge?"

"Don't do anything reckless!" Wu Yu shot him a glare. "We are a hundred meters below the seabed. Who knows what might happen if you blow this up?"

"This..." The Fatty hesitated, but the strange sound was truly maddening.

After a quick meal, Tian Zhen finally finished reading the notes, but a yellowed, aged photograph caused him to furrow his brows deeply.

"Xiao Ge, this person... is this you?" Tian Zhen looked from Xiao Ge to the person in the photo, eventually confirming his suspicion.

"I don't know!" Xiao Ge’s expression was unprecedentedly grave upon seeing the photo, but in the end, he only uttered those three words.

He truly did not know, for in his memory, he had never taken a photograph. And yet, the person in the picture seemed undeniably to be himself.

"Don't ask any more." Wu Yu stood up lazily. "Xiao Ge is from the Zhang family. Because his bloodline is so pure, he suffers from a strange, congenital illness. Every so often, his recent memories vanish. That is why Xiao Ge has always been on a journey to find his own past."

"So that’s how it is!" Wu Tian Zhen nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this.

He had witnessed the power of the Qilin bloodline back at the Palace of King Lu Shang, but he had never imagined it came with such a massive side effect.

At the same time, the two of them finally understood why Xiao Ge was so cold and distant. He had grown accustomed to being alone, because even if he became close with someone, he might forget them at any moment. Over time, Xiao Ge had simply sealed away his emotions and his interactions with the outside world.

Perhaps one day, when Xiao Ge recovered all his memories, he would be better.

But that road was undoubtedly long.

"Xiao Ge, don't worry! Regardless of whether you remember me in the future, I will always remember you, and I will definitely help you find your memories!" Tian Zhen grinned at Xiao Ge, his expression pure, honest, and free of any ulterior motives.

This was the true Wu Tian Zhen.

"Hey, hey, hey! A fun thing like this, count me in, of course!" The Fatty walked over with a laugh, then leaned in toward Xiao Ge and whispered, "But Xiao Ge, if you ever have a nosebleed or something, could you give me the tissue? That way, when the Fatty goes tomb-raiding in the future, I'll be a bit safer, right?"

"You damn Fatty, what are you saying!" Tian Zhen glared at him, annoyed that he had ruined the atmosphere yet again.

Watching the two of them bickering, the corners of Xiao Ge’s mouth lifted slightly. He liked this feeling, but he would never participate, for he was afraid that his involvement would destroy it all.

"Xiao Ge, after we return this time, I’ll take you to see that friend of mine," Wu Yu said. "If you spend a few days with her, you should feel a bit better. In any case, I’m always happy whenever I see her."

"Good." Xiao Ge nodded, but then added a follow-up that nearly made Wu Yu trip over his own feet: "I'll spar with her in swordsmanship!"

"..."

"Rumble!"

At that moment, a massive roar erupted. The ground began to shake violently, and the room that had housed the bronze coffin vanished with visible speed.

Where the doorway had been, a massive wall stood without a single seam, as if it had been there all along.

"Oh no! My bag!" The Fatty pounded against the wall in agitation, but there was no reaction.

"Our way back has appeared," Xiao Ge said suddenly.

"But what is this... a roadblock vase?" Wu Yu looked at a half-man-high vase lying across the middle of the path and raised an eyebrow.

"Watch the Fatty!" Irritated, the Fatty raised his arm, intending to put a bullet through it. But the next second, the vase moved on its own, accurately dodging the bullet. The tinkling sound returned as it rolled across the floor, even circling around the group once before darting into a pool of water and vanishing.

"Is this... haunted?" The Fatty couldn't help but move closer to Wu Yu, seeking a sense of safety.

"There must be something inside. I can sense the presence of yin energy, but it moves very fast," Wu Yu smiled. "Still, how do we proceed? I feel that if we don't figure out the logic behind this mechanism, we're going to face more trouble ahead!"

"No need. I’ve got it." Xiao Ge looked at the passages to the left and right, then finally stopped in front of a wall.