Following the village path to the low hill, traces of battle were visible everywhere, likely caused by the fight between Grandpa An and Huo Xiuxiu.
Zhang Shi found Huo Youming's tombstone and discovered that the entrance to the underground palace had been filled with rubble. Undeterred, he used his "Focus" technique to observe for a while, but indeed found no trace of any spirits. The entire Huo Family Village seemed to have truly become a dead village, with even the ghosts vanished without a trace.
Zhao Feng dug up a handful of soil from the ground, squeezed it in his hand, and found that it was already somewhat dry and hard.
"It's been a while now, and it seems that Black Tiger wasn't lying to us."
Zhang Shi was at a loss for what to do, so he could only take the porcelain pot from Master An and threaten Old Duan by placing him on it.
"Old Deng, stop pretending to be dead. If you don't respond, I'll smash your coffin and make you a wandering ghost."
There was no movement in Grandpa An's porcelain pot. Grandpa An's soul could be clearly seen inside, but it remained silent, as if it were sealed away.
Zhang Shi shook his head at everyone and decided to take a walk around the village to see if he could find any clues.
The group then began a careful search of the village, proceeding cautiously with every step, afraid of missing any possible clues. Their three animal friends also sniffed around; their senses were far more acute, often allowing them to detect details that humans overlooked.
Although the village has been abandoned for a long time, some buildings are still relatively well preserved, only they are mottled and worn by the erosion of time and unknown forces.
With the help of the Illusion Breaker, Zhang Shi noticed some clues that he had not discovered before.
Most of the existing houses in the village have strange runes painted on their doors with unknown paint. The runes are shrouded in a faint black mist, which echoes the black fog that shrouds the entire village.
"These talismans look like they're used to seal something."
Zhao Feng pointed to a talisman and spoke in a low voice, as if afraid of disturbing something.
Zhang Shi nodded, a sense of unease rising in his heart as he recalled the spirit-gathering array beneath the ancestral hall. If these talismans were indeed used for sealing, then what exactly was being sealed? Was it a vengeful ghost like Huo Xiuxiu, or some other, far more terrifying being?
They continued onward and arrived at the square in the center of the village. The crisscrossing runes, emanating a dark aura, eventually extended to this spot.
Only then did everyone notice that there was a deep recess in the center of the square, which seemed to be used to place some important item.
"This arrangement looks like an altar, and the style is somewhat similar to the one in the underground palace... Could it be related to the mission?"
After observing for a while, Ge Dalong raised a question.
Zhang Shi stared at the groove, a strange unease rising in his heart. He remembered passing by this place many times during his last dungeon exploration, but he hadn't noticed its conspicuous presence. It was only with the help of the Illusion Breaker this time that they discovered the clue.
"Could there be some kind of restriction?"
Just as everyone was discussing around the altar, the little white tiger suddenly let out a low roar, its gaze fixed on a corner of the square. Zhang Shi followed its gaze and saw a stone tablet there, with some blurry characters engraved on it, but with the blessing of the Illusion Breaker, these characters gradually became clear.
"It looks somewhat similar to the carvings on those coffins."
After a moment's thought, Ge Dalong made his judgment.
"It should be one of those engravings, but unfortunately, we can't translate what's written on it."
Zhao Feng, on a sudden impulse, swung his axe down at the ground where the stone tablet stood. Zhang Shi tried to stop him but it was too late; the immense force of the giant flint axe was unstoppable, and it shattered the floor tiles.
"Oh, it's hollow!"
Zhao Feng was overjoyed and worked even harder to break open all the stone slabs made of the unknown material.
At this moment, Pipi suddenly roared loudly at the ground, as if the thing inside was extremely dangerous. The little white tiger and the leopard also went into a wary stance, looking down at the stone tablet as if facing a formidable enemy.
Zhang Shi realized that the thing underground was something special, and dared not continue digging so recklessly. He quickly stopped Zhao Feng and then performed an appraisal on the ground.
Due to the obstruction of the ground, the identification effect was greatly reduced. Only some brightly highlighted figures could be seen below, and there were a large number of them, roughly several hundred.
As a gap appeared in the ground, a stench of blood wafted from underground. Now everyone knew what lay beneath without even looking.
"Damn it, why does it smell so much like a zombie?"
Zhao Feng cursed.
These days, he has to deal with hordes of zombies every night, so he is extremely familiar with the smell of blood mixed with the stench of corpses on the zombies, and he can smell it immediately.
Wu Qing took out the ancestral staff and looked at Zhang Shi, asking him a question.
"What should we do? Should we keep digging?"
Seeing that everyone was ready, Zhang Shi nodded and continued with Zhao Feng.
He wasn't afraid of zombies, no matter how many there were. Now they were wandering around Huo Family Village like headless flies, and having finally found a clue, they naturally wanted to investigate it thoroughly.
As Zhang Shi and Zhao Feng continued digging, the secret beneath the stone tablet gradually came to light. After the stone slab was completely pried open, a deep, dark opening appeared before them. The area around the opening was filled with an even stronger stench of blood and decay, causing them to frown.
"Everyone be careful, the smell of blood is a bit strong, something's not right."
Zhang Shi reminded him, and at the same time took out several torches from his backpack, lit them, and threw them into the cave. This would serve as both lighting and a way to check the air circulation.
Instantly, the cave was illuminated by a bright light, revealing a dense array of figures—just as they had guessed, a group of zombies. They were sitting or lying down, piled together in a regular pattern, as if they were casting some kind of formation.
"It seems these zombies were left here as sacrifices or as guards."
Wu Qing analyzed, her voice echoing in the empty cave, adding to the eeriness.
Zhao Feng jokingly remarked, neither confirming nor denying.
"Don't scare me, what kind of good person would use zombies as offerings?"
"If it's about summoning zombies, then using zombie offerings makes sense."
Ge Dalong suddenly uttered a sentence that silenced everyone.
Zhang Shi noticed that although these zombies looked no different from ordinary zombies, their eyes faintly emitted an unusual light, as if they were being controlled by some force and had fallen into a dormant state. He became secretly vigilant, preparing to deal with any possible emergencies at any time.
Zhang Shi and his companions cautiously explored downwards along the edge of the cave entrance, trying to make as little noise as possible. The cave walls were slippery, and they had to be careful with every step to avoid slipping and attracting the attention of the zombies.
Upon venturing deeper into the cave, they discovered an ancient altar in the center of the horde of corpses, identical in style to the one in the underground palace. Strange artifacts and a massive black crystal were placed on the altar, its surface shimmering with an eerie light.
Zhang Shi cast an appraisal on the black crystal, but no information appeared. According to the normal plot development, this obviously unusual treasure must be the key to controlling these zombies.
But Zhang Shi knew clearly that his goal was to complete the mission and he had no intention of touching these strange objects. However, some things you can't avoid; trouble always finds you unexpectedly.
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