Each word was powerful, its sound carrying far and wide, echoing throughout the entire temple grounds.

The chilling buzzing sound rang out again, and instead of a dense swarm of tiny mantises emerging from the soil, a gigantic mantis as large as a person's waist crawled out.

A pair of round, black, pearl-like eyes stared at the human standing in his territory for three seconds, then slowly extended a pair of scythe-like feet, about the length of his calves, to drag the corpse away.

His black eyes noticed that Ruan Xianxian didn't stop him, so he felt relieved and began to eat.

The teeth made a cracking sound as they chewed the flesh.

Ruan Xianxian stood there for a long time until he swallowed Morris's entire corpse, then hesitated for a moment and took a step forward.

She felt more at ease since the mantis ancestor didn't stop her.

With a turn of her feet, she took the Heavenly Steps and approached the bronze house. The mantis still did not stop her until Ruan Xianxian stood with both feet in front of the door. The small door of the bronze house clicked open!

The people who followed were stunned, and Mu Xia was the most shocked.

Even if they evolved superpowers after experiencing the apocalypse, and even if they time-traveled, there is a scientific basis for it. Ruan Xiaoxian claimed to be an unfilial descendant and asked his ancestors to open the door, and the door actually opened.

She grabbed the madman's arm in a daze, "Has this world finally become a fantasy?"

The madman ignored her, lost in thought, his gaze inadvertently meeting that of Gong Ye, confirming a certain guess in his mind.

"The key point is... the Heavenly Gang Steps?"

There's a trap underground!

"Not only that!" Miyano gestured for the madman to look at the enormous mantis. "There are many ways to enter the Bronze House."

"When a heavy object hits the door, it opens the first mechanism and releases the praying mantis. At this time, running around on the ground will only trigger the mechanism and release more praying mantises."

The Heavenly Steps should effectively prevent stepping on traps.

"What happened to that door that opened by itself?" Mu Xia asked.

Miyano pondered for a moment, fragments of memory flashing through his mind, and he seemed to be deep in thought.

"It should still be a mechanism. As the mantis left, the weight of the mechanism he was in decreased, and he slowly touched the next mechanism, so the door opened."

"According to you," Dracula said, having walked over at some point and stopping not far from the group.

"Can I release a bunch of mantises to kill them all, and then jump to the door without touching any of the mechanisms on the way to open it?"

Miyano tilted her head, her face expressionless. "You can give it a try."

Well, judging from that tone, it's not going to work out!

Dracula shrugged.

Following Ruan Xianxian's method, the madman opened the copper house opposite the alley, threw in the corpse, performed the Heavenly Step, the door opened, and he entered smoothly.

Gong Ye nodded to Mu Xia, "You should also find a place that catches your eye. The three demons and I will stay here and keep watch."

It goes without saying who they were guarding. Morris's team was wiped out by the combined efforts of everyone, leaving only Dracula and his two companions.

These three were honest from beginning to end, as Miyano could tell. During their fight on Mount Kunlun, they were just going through the motions.

Dracula even took the fatal blow for Ruan Xianxian.

But these are not enough for them to take away or covet the Taoist heritage of China.

The three smiled wryly, exchanged glances, and after confirming that it was truly safe for people to stand on the path, they each found a place to sit cross-legged and meditate.

They only hoped that once someone took away the important items from this place, the three of them could make some gains and return to the Holy Alliance to report back.

Mu Xia's expression was even more miserable than the other three. She didn't know how to do the Heavenly Steps!

Miyano then said that there were many ways to open the door here, and asked her if she wanted to come in.

Mu Xia thought for a moment, "Forget it, even if I go in and take the things inside, I might not understand them. It's the same if Ruan Xiaoxian brings them out."

Then, changing the subject, she said, "I'll stay here, you can go in."

Gong Ye didn't stand on ceremony with her. He walked up to the three demons, gave them some instructions, and then strolled into the large house where Ruan Xianxian was.

"Moo—!"

As soon as Miyano left, the three demons guarded Mu Xia from three directions, keeping a watchful eye on the three people opposite them.

Dracula was heartbroken. "Old Bull, we were just on the same side!"

Niu Niu couldn't understand and showed off its huge horns.

Mu Xia was envious. Such a big yak, it would taste so delicious steamed, boiled or stewed!

She reached out her wicked little hand, trying to pluck two hairs to take back as a souvenir—a cow bigger than a house!

"Moo—!"

Before I could even touch it, the yak turned around and warned me, with one message in mind: Don't touch me!

Mu Xia pouted and went to flirt with Xue Lang again.

Having been driven back, I stood on the quiet, winding path, and for the first time, I felt such a sense of awe!

Throw the enemy to knock on the door, feed the corpse to the mantis to slow down the return journey so that the mechanisms can be connected, and then use the Heavenly Step to avoid the next mechanism and approach the house.

If it's not a descendant of the Chinese people, they can't even get through the door.

One thing leads to another; the wisdom of the ancients is truly remarkable!

This is just one way to switch it on. When she gets back, she'll definitely ask if there are any other ways.

...

The copper room was spacious, with a bookshelf and an altar. There were traces of decay on the prayer cushions under the altar. Ruan Xianxian stood in front of the altar and placed the room's light on the table.

Looking up, I realized that there was originally a portrait of the owner of this Taoist temple, or perhaps the Three Pure Ones, above my line of sight.

Unfortunately, it has long since decayed and ceased to exist after thousands of years.

But she still lit three sticks of incense and performed the Taoist ritual.

“The unfilial descendant Ruan Xianxian has disturbed the senior’s peaceful cultivation.”

The swirling smoke seemed to be telling us that this generation of descendants was quite useless.

She chuckled and turned her gaze to the bookshelf.

Rolls of parchment were neatly arranged on it.

I carefully took out a roll and held it under my nose to sniff it. It had a very faint fruity wood scent, indicating that the sheepskin must have undergone preservation treatment during that period.

The booklet opened, and the contents caught her eye, leaving her no time to pay attention to anything else.

Having visited similar small worlds during that period, Ruan Xianxian was not unfamiliar with the writing system of that era.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!