Chapter 499: Collapse of the Ancient Tomb
Translator: Tim Editor: GlobeGlotter
Ye Mo scanned the tunnel with his spirit sense and immediately saw a ghost in a corner. He wouldn't have cared if he were alone, but Song Yangzhu had entered recently; the ghost might attack her.
He casually threw a fireball. The ghost vanished, and the tunnel felt less cold.
Ye Mo quickly walked through the cave. He soon saw a stone door adorned with luminous pearls; two bodies lay beside it.
Something was amiss. Ye Mo recalled the Fu brothers mentioning nine pearls, but he only found eight. They had also mentioned a third body, killed by arrows, which he couldn't find.
He disregarded this, focusing on Song Yangzhu's whereabouts. He couldn't sense her in the tunnel.
Knowing the stone door could shoot arrows, he threw a rock at it, but nothing happened. Had the arrows run out?
Regardless, he pocketed the eight luminous pearls—a fortune he wasn't leaving behind.
He approached the stone door, intending to break it with his flying sword, but a light push opened it.
He found himself on a one-meter-diameter platform above a deep abyss. Luckily, a stairway descended from the platform's center.
As he started down, the stone door slammed shut. He tried pushing it open, but it was locked.
Angry at being tricked, he used his flying sword to attack the door, only managing to cut 15 centimeters. He realized it wasn't stone, but a 30-centimeter-thick steel plate covered with 15 centimeters of granite on each side.
While an impossible task for most, Ye Mo used his flying sword to quickly create a large hole.
Satisfied, he descended the stairs, keeping his spirit sense active.
After about 100 meters, he found Song Yangzhu in an underground river, in dire straits.
Her face pale, she stood on a rock, wildly swinging her sword at nothing.
Ye Mo charged down, throwing a wooden board into the river as a makeshift raft. As he approached Song Yangzhu, countless black heads surfaced, attempting to bite the board and his feet. A foul stench emanated from their gaping, sharp-toothed mouths.
Shocked, Ye Mo had never seen such repulsive fish. Their sharp teeth, crooked scales, and strange inter-scale liquid made them horrifying.
He quickly attacked with his long sword, splashing foul-smelling blood into the river. The dead were quickly devoured, but more appeared. The wooden board disappeared, forcing Ye Mo to jump onto Song Yangzhu's rock. He didn't want to touch them, especially since they clearly weren't herbivores; falling into the river meant certain death.
Song Yangzhu, having lost her bag, continued swinging her sword blindly, even stabbing Ye Mo.
He seized her, sensing a bleak chi within her, a residue from the ghost encounter. After he eradicated it, she calmed down. Though she'd lost her torch, his familiar scent stopped her resistance. She remained silent, bewildered by his appearance.
Before Ye Mo could speak, more fish arrived, drawn by the blood.
He produced a luminous pearl, allowing Song Yangzhu to see her surroundings. Terrorized, she screamed. She hadn't screamed when encountering ghosts or losing her virginity, but the fish overrode her fear.
The rock was small, and the water seemed to be rising. Neither wanted to fall in the river; Ye Mo preferred a thousand ghosts to these fish.
He couldn't use his flying sword; he needed another escape plan.
He sliced through dozens of fish. Before more could attack, he gave Song Yangzhu a luminous pearl. "I'll send you up first. Leave immediately."
"Then you—" she murmured.
"Go first, I'll follow," he said, grabbing her and throwing her safely onto the stairs.
He continued fighting the fish, lacking a better escape. He still had the wooden board, but the fish were countless.
Song Yangzhu watched dazedly from the stairs as Ye Mo fought, his image blurred in the dim light.
Then, something scarier happened. The fish, having eaten their own kind, were growing legs and crawling onto the rock.
Goosebumps erupted on Ye Mo's skin. He wondered if he should use his flying sword, but insufficient chi would send him to the river's depths. They reminded him of desert insects that grew stronger after cannibalism. What were they?
"What are you still doing there?!" he yelled at the dumbfounded Song Yangzhu.
"You—!" She retorted, then saw the fish crawling closer and recoiled in disgust. She'd rather die than see them again.
She fled. Reaching the door, she saw the hole Ye Mo had made and turned back.
Rumble—Dirt fell, and the stone door crumbled. A moment longer, and she'd be buried.
She ran as rocks and earth rained down. Outside, a larger rumble shook the tomb, the entire snow mountain trembling.
Safe, she rejoiced, narrowly escaping being buried alive. Then, she froze. Where was Ye Mo? He'd saved her, but he hadn't escaped. Her mind went blank.