Chapter 289: A Sudden Change
“Crack, crack, crack…”
As the cracks on Tao Yong’s thigh grew larger, pieces of ceramic began falling off, revealing inside him a series of thumb-sized, oval-shaped eggs.
With the ceramic fragments no longer holding them in place, the eggs lost their balance and tumbled out, piling up at Tao Yong’s feet. More and more spilled out until a small mound formed, completely blocking the hole in his thigh.
“Crack—”
The sudden, crisp sound of an eggshell breaking pierced the air.
Atop the pile, one of the eggs split open.
The broken shell twitched, and a black, insect-like leg poked through the opening.
A moment later—
A grotesque head emerged from the egg.
It was a black beetle, no larger than a thumb.
The beetle flailed its limbs wildly and let out a buzzing sound.
Then, it took flight.
As the first beetle rose into the air, a rustling sound spread through the pile of eggs.
The mound began collapsing as more and more beetles emerged, their wings vibrating as they lifted off, joining the first in circling the burial chamber.
More beetles crawled out of Tao Yong’s body, adding to the growing swarm.
It wasn’t until the last beetle had emerged and every single egg on the ground had hatched that the black mass of insects shifted direction.
They swarmed toward one of the eighteen stone coffins, completely engulfing it in a writhing, impenetrable black cloud.
“Crack, crack…”
“Rustle, rustle…”
A cacophony of sounds filled the air as the beetles chewed through the stone coffin’s surface.
Soon, an egg-sized plug of amber embedded in the coffin was completely devoured, revealing a passageway into the coffin’s interior.
A strange, enticing fragrance drifted out of the opening, quickly filling the entire chamber.
The moment they caught the scent, the beetles went wild.
One by one, they scurried into the coffin, scrambling to get inside.
Within moments, hundreds of black beetles had vanished into the coffin’s depths, as if they had never existed.
Only the empty husk of Tao Yong remained, his dried-up skeleton silently testifying to the horrors that had unfolded.
_______
Led by Taotie, Fang Xiaocao and her group quickly left the guards’ burial chamber and entered another tomb.
This one was also a burial pit—
But not for soldiers.
It was a warhorse burial chamber.
Inside lay the remains of eighteen warhorses, their skeletal forms arranged neatly in the pit.
Behind the horse skeletons stood an equal number of clay horses, meant to accompany their riders into the afterlife.
Unlike the exquisite craftsmanship of the clay soldiers, these clay horses were crudely made.
Some had crumbled with time, collapsing into piles of shattered ceramic.
“This is another burial chamber,” Taotie explained with a grin. “It’s for the warhorses of the royal guards and soldiers, so they can become spectral cavalry in the afterlife and continue fighting for their master.”
“If I’m not mistaken,” he added, “the next chamber should be an armory.”
“An armory?” Fang Xiaocao looked puzzled. “Didn’t those clay soldiers already have weapons?”
“Those were just standard arms,” Taotie replied. “Ancient warfare required all kinds of specialized weapons.”
Fang Xiaocao nodded, still not fully understanding but choosing not to dwell on it.
After scanning the warhorse burial pit and finding nothing of interest, she quickly lost enthusiasm.
Noticing her boredom, Taotie led the way toward the next chamber.
But just then—
Tom suddenly halted. His expression turned serious as he glanced behind them.
A second later, Taotie also spun around.
Hummingbird, though slightly slower to react, immediately drew his dagger and pulled Fang Xiaocao behind him.
Seeing their alert posture, Fang Xiaocao froze—
Then realization struck.
Something was moving in the previous chamber.
Someone—or something—was following them.
Instinctively, she chambered a round in her gun with a loud click and gripped several steel nails in her other hand.
Between a gun and her steel nails, she still trusted her throwing accuracy more.
“Hummingbird,” she whispered, “can you tell if it’s a person or an animal?”
“Sounds like a person,” Hummingbird murmured. “Their footsteps are heavy.”
Fang Xiaocao nodded, not asking further.
Tom quickly scanned the area, then spoke:
“Hummingbird, take the princess and hide behind the clay horses. Don’t come out unless necessary. There’s only one person approaching—I can handle it with Taotie.”
Hummingbird nodded. Before Fang Xiaocao could object, he had already pulled her into the cluster of clay horses.
“Tom, you should hide too,” Taotie said.
“Cover me with your gun.”
“This could be a trap.”
Tom hesitated, then nodded.
That was a reasonable concern.
His eyes darted around the chamber, spotting a wooden beam near the ceiling.
Without hesitation, he retrieved a grappling hook and hoisted himself up, perching on the beam like a predator lying in wait.
Looking down, he signaled an “OK” to Taotie.
Taotie turned his attention back to the chamber entrance, gripping his spear tightly.
“Thud. Thud. Thud…”
The heavy footsteps grew closer.
Taotie frowned.
Something was off.
From the sound alone, this person had to weigh at least 300 pounds.
And there was something else—
A faint metallic clinking mixed in with the footsteps.
Could it be… a mechanical soldier?
“BOOM!”
With a thunderous impact, the stone door swung open.
A towering figure stepped inside.
Clad in black full-body armor, gripping a gleaming Mo Dao, and wearing a demonic metal mask, the figure loomed ominously in the flickering light.
Taotie’s eyes widened in shock.
“Holy sh*t—”
“Did we just run into a ghost?!”
