Feng Huagu's inference is that the lama is the guardian of this place, and Mr. Zhao, who was buried here, adopted precautions to scare off outsiders.
Nine out of ten, he said it deliberately to confuse the rest of the people.
The truth is that the lama had crossed through this forest of the dead by another path!
Ding Ruipu should not know so much otherwise, she would have already obtained what she wanted by now!
Completely relying on Feng Huagu's precise calculation and keen observation!
"They might have left; this place is too dangerous, and they wouldn't want to continue searching downward." I spoke in a low voice, glancing at Xu Wang and Tao Mingyi at the same time.
"Impossible." Tao Mingyi shook his head.
Xu Wang picked up the conversation: "It should be what Xuan Chi Jinxiang said. He discovered something peculiar while we were observing the situation."
I gave Xu Wang the spiritual pill, and he now occupies a position in his eyes. His attitude and words are much stronger than before, and there's a slight change in how he addresses Old Gong.
"Mm, carefully looking for traces. If they can pass through here, we can too. Brother Huagu, he wants to take it all for himself." Tao Mingyi revealed a look of dissatisfaction.
"Tsk tsk, he isn't just going to take all that feng shui art; he's going to enjoy the old lady as well. What wonderful bone structure! Old but not decayed, it's worth savoring slowly." Old Gong, who enjoys watching others without being involved in the event, added another remark.
His posture is pandering to Tao Mingyi and Xu Wang's views, outwardly contradicting me, but in reality, I feel a slight chill on my shoulder like a gentle knock on it. It's Old Gong giving me a reminder!
"I still think he may want to leave. I'm going back to check. How about this, Mr. Tao, Mr. Xu, you guys find a path first, and I'll be back soon. If he's gone, it's not necessarily a bad thing; I just need to confirm."
I acted as if I were serious.
"The Taoists are obstinate. If you want to go, go ahead."
Xu Wang waved his hand, and Tao Mingyi didn't say anything else. The two of them walked to the spot where Feng Huagu had previously stood and stopped, carefully observing their surroundings, as if pondering how Feng Huagu had managed to pass through.
I remembered the direction we had come from earlier, so I followed the specific stone pathway back. When I left this forest of the dead, it was still light outside, and Old Gong disappeared again.
The sunlight was strange. Although there was no obstacle above, it seemed like it couldn't be fully illuminated, with a faint obstruction.
The deep pool remained still like an ancient well, and the fierce corpses still stood on both sides, motionless.
Suddenly, there was a flicker of some figures deep within the cave.
I cautiously looked in that direction.
Some people slowly revealed their figures, and at the forefront was Wu Jinluan!
He stood with his back straight, facing me across the pool.
Behind him, there were seven gentlemen who were looking around, paying closer attention to the fierce corpses on both sides of the small path.
I did not speak loudly. Although the corpse forest behind me is a hell, we can't hear any sound as we delve deeper into it, but what if someone comes out? Seeing me talking to Wu Jinluan, I would be in trouble.
"Careful driving leads to a thousand years of safe sailing."
Wu Jinluan raised his arm and shook it, which was a greeting to me.
I also raised my hand and then put my finger to my lips, indicating to him to be quiet.
Bowing my head, my gaze was entirely fixed on the deep pool, especially on the shore near me.
In fact, it's not entirely a still well without a ripple. There are some faint ripples that can be seen, as if something has been put in before and hasn't completely calmed down yet.
Taking a deep breath, I moved forward two steps and waded into the water.
Oddly enough, the pool of water was not cold at all; instead, it carried a faint warmth, not very high, similar to body temperature, giving a sense of relaxation.
In the next second, a cold gazing feeling came.
It was the fierce corpses standing on the small path, showing some signs of restlessness.
However, they did not enter the water, as if the party with Wu Jinlan was also a threat.
I fully immersed myself in the water, took a deep breath, held my breath, and swam downstream without hesitation.
At first, it was okay, but as I went deeper, I felt pressure from all directions.
The bottom of the water was not as dark as it appeared on the surface; instead, there was some faint light, as if coming from the very bottom.
The bank was vertical, and the surface was smooth, which could not have been hewn by man but only by the supernatural power of nature.
I swam downstream for about ten meters, and the pressure was already considerable. In my line of sight, I saw a cave!
The cave was slightly concave inward, as if sealed with a special material. It looked very round and smooth, and there was a faint elasticity when touching.
There was a gap in the center of the material, although tightly joined together, but my intuition told me that I could break through it.
The cave is semi-circular, resembling a gravestone. A little higher up, there is a stone tablet inscribed with the word "Shendao" (Divine Path).
My heartbeat quickened.
Indeed!
The lama must have gone into the water.
He discovered this cave!
He passed through the forest of the dead from here, came to the deepest pool in the center of the forest, and came out exactly when the immortal who had been sent out by Chang Xin saw him.
He might have been waiting for me there, decisively attacking the immortal and letting half of them go back.
Without hesitation, I pulled out the high-heaven staff and touched the gap with it. There was a slight resistance, but I quickly passed through it. Inside, it was indeed empty, and its thickness was about half the length of the high-heaven staff.
I didn't directly drill through it because of the layout of this place, always cutting off people's retreat, I'm afraid I can't return the same way after going in here.
Therefore, I started swimming upstream.
When I reached the surface of the water, I saw that Wu Jinluan and the others were all looking at me from this side.
I first looked at the direction of the corpse forest, then lifted my arm and beckoned Wu Jinluan and others, indicating that they should get into the water.
Wu Jinluan and the others were decisive, all diving into the water.
At the same time, the sound of splashing water echoed. All of the fierce corpses on the small path fell into the water like cooked vegetables.
Wu Jinluan's party hesitated a bit, as if they were afraid.
However, they heard Wu Jinluan shout twice, and then the group calmed down and swam towards me.
I moved forward a bit, and soon, I merged with Wu Jinluan and the others.
"Master Luo, this place is somewhat mysterious. Can we swim over and get on shore? What about those fierce corpses?" Wu Jinluan was obviously not yet thinking about the reason.
I simply explained a few points using Feng Huagu's words.
"This means that the fierce corpses will only block our way when we reach the shore? Hmm..." One of the gentlemen seemed to be a bit uneasy.
However, most of their emotions were stable, and they were questioning me.
"There's more to say later. Hold your breath and follow me down, if you can't hold it, you can return the same way, and I can send him back to shore." I spoke in a low voice.
Fierce corpses can hinder their way to the shore, but they can't stop me.
Sending one or two people out does not affect me.
However, no one volunteered to leave.
Wu Jinluan said, "Master Luo, you can rest assured. We have already considered the worst-case scenario, and if we want to retrieve our own things, it's not enough to just want it; we have to pay the price."
He looked very composed and showed no signs of hesitation at all.
I didn't say much, just thought for a moment before saying, "Then, Wu Sir, you and the two of you with me, come down."
Holding my breath, I submerged myself in the water.
Wu Jinluan and the two people I pointed to followed me down.
The scene underwater was much more eerie than before.
The stiff corpses moved around randomly, as if they were walking underwater, but they didn't directly approach us.
As if as long as we didn't go ashore, they could coexist harmoniously with us.
A depth of ten or so meters is nothing to me.
For Wu Jinluan and the other two, it was a bit of a struggle.
However, they still followed me and stopped at the entrance of the cave sealed with a special material.
Wu Jinluan was indeed smart; he didn't ask many questions and simply reached out to pull on the narrow gap in the sealed cave. With a hard pull, he managed to tear open a small space. In the next moment, he directly stuck his head through and his body writhed in as well. The material of the cave seal had a lot of elasticity, so even after Wu Jinluan entered, it still tightly adhered to his body.
I helped from behind, pushing forward. In a moment, Wu Jinluan had entered.
The other two didn't hesitate and followed suit, also trying to worm their way in.
After they had entered, I went back to shore and brought down the other three.
Soon after, the last two also followed me down and wormed their way through the cave.
I was the last to enter.
When that material touched my face, I felt like my head and face were pressed by a wet, gel-like substance.
Just as my hands were out, they were grabbed by several hands and pulled forcefully into the cave!
With a soft snap, I slid through the cave opening, landed, and stood up.
This is a very wide passage, with a width of around two meters and a height of around two meters.
The ground was paved with neatly arranged bricks, a color similar to that of jade, a kind of white stone.
The light of the flashlight flickered, and Wu Jinluan and others' eyes shone with amazement.
"Master Luo, when you emerged from that forest, if there are no surprises, this secret passage is probably something you discovered alone, without anyone passing through it. Where does this lead to?"
Wu Jinluan looked at me with a hint of admiration.
"It leads to the center of that forest, a shortcut, hidden very deeply." I replied.
Wu Jinluan's admiration was even more apparent, deeper, and his eyes shone with excitement.
"This means that we have left behind all the others, allowing us to be the first to go ahead?"
"No, Feng Huigu also discovered it. He and Ding Rui Pu passed through here, but the others don't know; they thought they had gone through the forest in chaos. I came back to take a look and confirmed that it is indeed here."
"After a slight pause, I briefly explained the situation above to Wu Jinluan."
Since we were cooperating, Wu Jinluan gave me his spirit soul, so I did not hesitate to inform him about the unexpected guest who also entered through this passage first.
The unexpected guest is an enemy of mine, and he is quite cunning in his methods.
I simply described the monk's abilities to Wu Jinluan and others, who nodded and said, "It's no problem. We won't face him directly. If anything strange happens, we can handle it. You don't need to worry, Master Luo."
Sir, you are indeed adept at pacifying ghosts and corpses.
With just one monk, he should not be a problem.
Moreover, Feng Huigu and Ding Rui Pu have also passed through here. They should be the first to face the monk.
"From what I can see, the corpse forest protected itself with such fierce means, surrounding it on all sides without a single dead corner. The deep pool in the center must be the location of the tomb. The tomb is in the water, sealed with Etian meat to prevent water from entering!" Wu Jinluan's eyes shone with excitement.
"And it's likely that the corpse forest cannot be crossed at all, because if there's a direct path, then the other obvious path on the surface is basically a trap."
"When people from the Jade Profoundness Cult and the Emptiness Profoundness Cult discover that this is a trap and have to turn back, they will also have to find this divine path. They are biased in their thoughts, making it difficult for them to discover details."
"Our opponents are significantly outnumbered! Feng Huigu alone poses a considerable challenge, but he is truly outnumbered."
Wu Jinluan spoke quickly and seriously, "A tomb underwater is not a mountain or water that Feng Huigu is skilled in. With our cooperation, we might be able to kill him with one strike!"
