Seeing that Zhang Shi and the other three had decided to go down into the cave, Master An returned to the Soul-Binding Bell and emitted light from his body. The bell shone like a golden lamp, dazzling even in the daytime.
"Alright, stay within my light range, and I'll protect you from being possessed by spirits."
Zhang Shi hung the bell around his neck and addressed the crowd.
"Everyone, get ready for battle. Huo Xiuxiu should have already escaped by now. If you want to go back, you'll have to fight her to the death."
Everyone took out their weapons, gathered around Zhang Shi, and entered the cave once again.
The dim tunnel was brightly lit by the light emitted by the bell, which emboldened Zhao Feng, who muttered to himself as he walked.
"This place is really weird. I didn't get any benefits and almost lost my life. If I had to come here again, I wouldn't."
Ge Dalong, the organizer of this expedition, felt somewhat guilty upon hearing this.
"This exploration was all my fault. I didn't make the right judgment about the strength of the dungeon and the monsters, which caused everyone to be in danger."
Zhao Feng realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly put his arm around Ge Dalong's shoulder.
"Hey, Lao Ge, don't take it personally. I didn't mean to blame you. It's all because of this lousy dungeon, it's so poor and difficult. If you really feel bad about it, next time there's a similar scroll, just call on your brothers."
Ge Dalong patted Zhao Feng's hand and nodded with a smile.
"Silence!"
An Ye's voice came from the bell, and the four men immediately gripped their weapons and became alert.
Zhang Shi walked at the front, activated his Focused Realm, and looked ahead. He saw two mud monsters wandering aimlessly in the passage, seemingly on patrol.
Zhang Shi gave the others a wink, and they all understood. They each used their own methods to easily defeat the two mud monsters.
"Now that this monster is dead, Huo Linjian should know we're here. Everyone be careful and don't let it sneak up on us."
"It's alright, with me here, no one can do anything under my nose."
Master An was quite confident in his abilities, but Zhang Shi didn't really trust this strange old man.
The four continued deeper into the area and soon arrived at the location of the altar.
Zhang Shi glanced at the scattered belongings on the ground, which still bore Zhao Feng's handprints.
"Hey, that's where I lost consciousness. I was rummaging through gold when suddenly everything went black and I didn't know anything anymore."
Zhao Feng pointed to the area and described it vividly.
Zhang Shi felt a pang of anxiety as he looked at the clean ground, but he didn't show it on his face. He then called everyone to head to the secret chamber.
The four of them cautiously ventured inside, only to find it empty, as if Huo Xiuxiu and the other person had already left.
"What's going on, Uncle An? Can you check if there's anything wrong?"
"Nothing seems amiss. Xiuxiu must have left."
Grandpa An made his judgment with absolute certainty.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Shi led everyone away. As they passed the altar, he glanced at it again, confirming that the spot where Zhao Feng had disappeared was completely clean. Suddenly remembering the description of the dungeon scroll, he started searching through the team chat history.
A moment later, Zhang Shi suddenly understood.
...
The four returned to the ground. Zhao Feng yawned, glanced at the time, and realized it was already 2 PM.
"Hey, I don't know why, but I feel so tired. It's probably because of that possessed spirit. My body has become weak."
Zhang Shi took off the Soul-Binding Bell, held Lao Duan in his other hand, and smiled at everyone.
"It's normal to feel tired. Isn't everyone tired?"
Wu Qing and Ge Dalong exchanged a glance and nodded.
"That's right. Actually, it's been 15 hours since we started the dungeon."
Ge Dalong looked at Zhang Shi suspiciously and asked in confusion.
“Zhang Shi, you were pulled into the ‘past,’ and you spent twice as much time as us. But we only exist in this time and space; we haven’t experienced any changes.”
Zhang Shi shook his head and pointed to the Soul-Binding Bell.
"You'll have to ask Master An about all of this. Even now, the four of us are in an illusion he created."
Grandpa An remained silent, and seeing this, Zhang Shi continued speaking to himself.
“After Zhao Feng disappeared, I left a mark on the spot. This happened before I met you, and you were unaware of it. That’s why when I passed by the altar just now, the ground was clean and I didn’t see the mark I left.”
Wu Qing activated the Staff of the Ancestors and inquired.
"But wasn't he supposed to leave this village with us? What's the point of creating an illusion to deceive us?"
Zhang Shi gently shook the Soul-Binding Bell and continued speaking.
"Of course they wouldn't dare let us see Huo Xiuxiu. If we met her, wouldn't all of Master An's bad deeds be exposed?"
Ge Dalong interrupted.
“It’s still not right. Even so, there’s no point in dragging this out. If we don’t get the Soul-Relieving Bell, he will be trapped here and unable to leave.”
Zhang Shi raised his arm and shook the watch on his wrist.
"Did you forget that when we used the scroll, we were told that this instance has a time limit? I think even if we do nothing, we will be forcibly teleported back to the wilderness world in another hour."
Ge Dalong suddenly realized what was going on, then raised his magic wand and stared intently at the Soul-Binding Bell.
"So, Master An already knew we would be teleported back, and created the illusion to buy time."
Zhang Shi nodded and added.
"In fact, we had already fallen into an illusion without realizing it, and even ignored the passage of time. But our bodies cannot be deceived. After such a long period of high-intensity activity, we will feel more or less tired."
After a long silence, Master An took the initiative to materialize, clapped his hands, and said to Zhang Shi with great appreciation.
"You guessed most of it right, but what really exposed my weakness was your kitchen knife; it's quite extraordinary."
Zhang Shi placed Lao Duan across the bell and said coldly.
"Since you've already been seen through, stop pretending."
With a perfectly coordinated wave of his hand, Grandpa An shattered the scene before the four of them like shards of glass. The already gloomy sky became even darker, with only the golden light emanating from Grandpa An illuminating the surroundings.
Once out of the illusion, Zhao Feng angrily pointed at Master An and cursed.
"You shameless old man, you dare to plot against us in secret! You might as well stay in this village for the rest of your life."
Grandpa An shook his head and said with certainty.
“I’m not the only one eyeing you. Compared to them, my purpose is simpler. In critical moments, I can even step in to protect you. You won’t lose anything by taking me away.”
Zhao Feng wanted to argue with Master An, but Zhang Shi stopped him.
"What do you mean? Who else is targeting us? Explain yourself."
Grandpa An spoke frankly, pointing towards the ancestral hall.
"That black tiger has guarded the ancestral hall for countless years. Over the years, no spirit has dared to approach the ancestral hall. What do you think it relies on?"
“I should have been in the underground palace of the ancestral hall, but I inexplicably appeared in the underground cave under Huo Youming’s tomb and was used as a magic tool to suppress Huo Xiuxiu. Who do you think did this?”
"Now that Huo Xiuxiu is free, she has been trapped in the underground palace for many years and is bound to seek revenge. Without my protection, do you four think you can survive in their hands? Hmph, wishful thinking!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com