Chapter 639
The Silent Promise
Tian Siyao was stunned by her actions. "Xiaoxiao, what if those stone lanterns fall and hit us?"
"It's alright, those lanterns aren't very heavy." After saying that, Yan Xiaoxiao whispered, "If we don't leave here quickly, we might not be able to get out later!"
"Huh? Is there another exit here?"
Tian Siyao became increasingly confused.
She remembered that when they fell in, they fell straight down the cave wall. How did it become the exit?
Yan Xiaoxiao pursed her lips and did not answer.
Because she doesn't know either.
Before long, Yan Xiaoxiao landed on the ground, bent down and listened carefully for a moment, then said to Tian Siyao, "We are now about twenty meters above the ground, and this tomb is more than ten feet wide."
"Twenty meters..."
As Tian Siyao read on, she suddenly remembered that when she found Xiao Mo and Xiao Chu in the valley, they were both on the treetops fifteen meters high. She guessed, "When those mechanisms were activated, it caused changes to the area below the tomb, making the originally spacious tomb much smaller."
Yan Xiaoxiao nodded, then looked up at the sky and shouted, "Xiaoxiao, you go out first, we'll stall for time here."
Tian Siyao quickly grabbed Yan Xiaoxiao's arm, "You guys stay in this tomb, I'll go out and see what's going on outside."
Having said that, without giving Yan Xiaoxiao a chance to stop her, she used her light-footed skill to leap out of the tomb.
Fearing that she would be in trouble, Yan Xiaoxiao immediately jumped after her.
After going outside, Yan Xiaoxiao looked around and then found a protruding paving stone on a relatively flat area.
She immediately squatted down and tapped it with her hand.
Yan Xiaoxiao squatted down and carefully examined the condition of the stone slab.
Because everyone was quite tense, her actions went unnoticed by others.
They probably thought Yan Xiaoxiao was just looking for mechanisms on the ground.
In this oppressive and terrifying atmosphere, Tian Siyao suddenly felt as if the air around her had frozen.
She tilted her head slightly, avoiding the gruesome coffins and human skeletons, and focused her gaze on Chen Ze.
Chen Ze's eyes were unfathomable, like a deep pool of water, yet they revealed a sharpness that could not be ignored.
"Those who make these pronouncements speak with certainty, but that doesn't necessarily mean their information is accurate."
"This mausoleum city is ever-changing and full of traps. Who can be sure of the truth?" Tian Siyao's tone was calm, like ice water that had just thawed from the far north ice.
Chen Ze was slightly taken aback after hearing this!
His gaze shifted to Yan Xiaoxiao, who seemed to be searching for something, her emotions having calmed down slightly.
Chen Ze slowly spoke: "Since that's the case, why don't we go together to uncover the truth? Otherwise, even if we leave this place, the shadow in our hearts will not dissipate."
Upon hearing this, Yan Xiaoxiao instantly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, appearing ready to face the challenge at any moment.
Chen Ze smiled as he watched this scene, though his smile was like a ray of sunshine under frost, beautiful yet cold.
“Okay,” Tian Siyao replied simply, then glanced at the coffin behind her.
Yan Xiaoxiao suddenly drew her sword, and the sword light swept across the skeleton on the ground like flowing water.
This stroke, like a sweeping attack on a thousand armies, commands respect.
She gritted her teeth and said, "No matter what, I must find my parents' remains and give them a peaceful resting place."
Tian Siyao's eyes flashed, she nodded to Yan Xiaoxiao, and then turned to Chen Ze: "Let's go together."
Finally, under a skeleton, Yan Xiaoxiao discovered a dented stone slab, which seemed to be the trigger point for some kind of mechanism.
After the four confirmed it, Chen Ze gently tapped the dented stone slab with the tip of his sword.
Just then, a section of the stone wall in the distance suddenly cracked open and slowly moved, revealing a hidden passage. "Let's go and see what's inside," Chen Ze said calmly.
As everyone stepped into the passage, their hearts were filled with anticipation and trepidation, but no one spoke; only the sound of their footsteps echoed in the dim passage.
The passageway was very narrow.
And it's getting narrower and narrower.
Soon, they walked into a dead end.
Yan Xiaoxiao's gaze was like lightning, as swift as a cheetah darting through the jungle.
Her hands gently touched the patterns on the stone slab, each touch filled with extraordinary sensitivity.
Just then, her hand suddenly stopped, and she felt a gentle breeze quietly wafting from one corner of the stone slab.
"Found it," Yan Xiaoxiao said in a low voice, her voice firm, as if she had just cracked the most complex code in the world.
Chen Ze stood to the side, his gaze shifting back and forth between Yan Xiaoxiao and Tian Siyao.
When he heard Yan Xiaoxiao's words, a hint of appreciation flashed in his eyes, as if he had seen a lake that had been frozen for thousands of years finally thawing and blooming.
At the same time, Tian Siyao held a slender silver needle and carefully examined the skeleton next to a coffin.
Her focused expression was like that of a sculptor admiring his masterpiece.
"These skeletons all have one thing in common: they were all missing their hearts when they were buried."
Tian Siyao raised her head, her gaze falling on Chen Ze and Yan Xiaoxiao, her tone carrying an unquestionable decisiveness.
"The heart?" Chen Ze frowned slightly, then suddenly realized something. "Could the mechanisms in this mausoleum city be related to the heart?"
Tian Siyao suddenly picked up a small iron box from the ground and threw it at Chen Ze.
"Open it."
Chen Ze caught the iron box and instantly felt a powerful energy fluctuation.
He twisted it hard, and the iron box opened with a click, revealing a red stone inside.
"This is the Heart Stone, which can unlock the last mechanism of this mausoleum city," Tian Siyao revealed the secret.
Tian Fen'er's eyes lit up. "If that's the case, then we've found the key to the truth."
“It’s time to take action,” Chen Ze said, slowly gripping the heart stone in his hand.
The four stood in the center of the city, where there was a huge stone platform with a groove inlaid on it that was the same shape as the heart stone.
Chen Ze first lightly swung his sword, and the sword energy flew out, clearing away all possible hidden dangers.
Then, Chen Ze slowly stepped forward and placed the heart stone into the groove.
Instantly, the entire city of Lingcheng began to tremble, and the patterns on the stone slabs emitted a dazzling light, as if the clouds had parted from the night sky, allowing the stars to illuminate the earth once more.
Tian Siyao couldn't help but sigh softly, "The truth will eventually be found, just as a bright light cannot be obscured forever."
Chen Ze glanced at Yan Xiaoxiao and Tian Siyao, and their eyes met at that moment, as if they had reached a silent agreement.
Chen Ze led his team through a narrow underground passage and finally arrived at this unusual stone chamber.
Upon entering, they were awestruck by the dense murals all around them.
These murals seem to depict a complete story, or rather, an ineffable ritual.
The mural depicts a vast number of figures, each one remarkably lifelike, as if it were a masterpiece of oil painting. (End of Chapter)