The moment the bronze coffin was pried open, a sinister aura pervaded the air, causing the temperature within the main tomb to plummet as torches flickered violently.

Those who were about to turn and leave found themselves frozen in place, not by choice, but because their blood seemed to congeal, enveloped by a chilling presence as if they were trapped in a frigid environment, their limbs and blood encased in ice.

If Taoist Master Jin Lian had the body of a cat, his fur would be standing on end by now.

Clang!

The sound of the coffin lid hitting the ground echoed from behind. At the same time, those facing away from the high platform saw the armored mummies guarding the steps below twist their necks in an unnatural 180-degree turn, their faces now contorted to their backs, silently staring at the group.

This scene was so horrifying and bizarre that a wave of terror exploded within their hearts. The tomb raiders from the Earth Sect showed expressions of extreme fear.

Crack, crack...

Xu Qi'an heard the sound of bones popping not far from him, as the armored figures standing at the four corners of the high platform also began to stir.

He slowly moved his eyes to gauge the expressions of his companions.

Chu Yuanzhen's eyes widened slightly, beads of sweat the size of beans forming on his forehead. His sword at his back trembled occasionally, as if it wanted to unsheathe itself but was suppressed by an invisible force.

Master Heng Yuan's facial muscles twitched, his jaw muscles bulged as he strained against the invisible force, trying to regain his freedom.

Taoist Master Jin Lian's chest rose and fell as if he were performing a certain breathing exercise. He was the most composed and calm, yet his eyes held a resolute determination.

Is the Taoist Master holding back a powerful move, preparing to sacrifice himself to save us... or to cut off his own tail to survive? Xu Qi'an wondered, his eyes rolling in their sockets as he turned to look at Zhong Li.

Lina, unconscious on her back, was ironically the most "relaxed" one there. As for the unfortunate Zhong Li, her delicate body trembled slightly beneath her coarse robe.

Was it her fault, or mine... or perhaps both? Xu Qi'an mused with a bitter sense of amusement.

At that moment, an image automatically surfaced in his mind: a hand covered in green fur reached out from the bronze coffin, pressing against the edge.

The person in the coffin slowly sat up, a mummified figure in a yellow robe with a pure gold crown atop its head. The skin on its face was tight against the bones, the nose decayed, leaving only two holes.

The eyeballs were set in their sockets, as if they could fall out at any moment.

The moment Xu Qi'an's divine sense captured the mummy, his brain felt as if it had been pierced by a steel nail, the pain nearly causing him to faint, and the image shattered.

So the one lying in the coffin is indeed that Taoist, a second-grade who failed his Tribulation Crossing. No wonder he's so powerful... Xu Qi'an felt a tingling on his scalp.

After a few seconds of silence, the first footsteps sounded. The mummified figure left the bronze coffin and began to walk slowly towards the group.

"Hum, hum, hum..."

Chu Yuanzhen's sword behind him vibrated intensely but could not unsheathe.

Drip... The beads of sweat on the scholar's forehead finally fell.

Master Heng Yuan's eyes bulged, veins on his cheeks and forehead protruding, his muscles spasming violently. Yet even so, he was still unable to break free from the invisible force.

Zhong Li trembled like a quail, her head buried lower and lower.

A foul stench wafted over; it was the Earth Sect members in front who had wet themselves in fear.

But it wasn't their fault. Being in an ancient tomb thousands of years old, with an evil being emerging from the coffin and slowly approaching from behind...

Just the thought was enough to send chills down one's spine, let alone the fact that it was really happening.

Taoist Master Jin Lian closed his eyes and then reopened them, his gaze clear. It seemed he had made up his mind.

Just then, the footsteps stopped, and a hoarse, deep voice spread throughout every space and corner of the main tomb.

"Welcome back, my lord!"

The sound of armor clashing rang out as one, as the mummies at the four corners of the high platform and those on the steps all knelt down, worshipping someone in the crowd.

The sinister and terrifying aura quickly retracted, like a receding tide.

To their astonishment, everyone found that they had regained the ability to move.

"Don't make any rash moves!"

Taoist Master Jin Lian telepathically warned everyone, including the tomb raiders.

"Gulp..."

The sound of swallowing saliva was incessant. The tomb raiders' legs trembled, but they did not lose their sanity. Their past experiences played a crucial role, preventing them from collapsing mentally like ordinary people, thinking only of escape and making things worse.

At the same time, a thought flashed through their minds: My lord?

Who was this lord? Judging by the posture of the mummy, it seemed that the lord was among them.

The tomb raiders looked at each other, trying hard to find the "lord" in the crowd. Who could be the lord of a mummy? What kind of person would that be?

And that person was among us...

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The leader of the Sick Man Gang subconsciously looked towards Taoist Master Jin Lian. According to the murals, the owner of the tomb was a Taoist, and there happened to be a high-ranking member of the Earth Sect present.

The conclusion was simple: this old Taoist Master was the lord of the mummy.

"He, he actually has such an identity... So it seems that this high-ranking member of the Earth Sect did not come to the tomb solely to rescue us. Hmm, the actions of a master are not something that a commoner like me can guess."

The leader of the Sick Man Gang trembled with fear.

The wild sorcerer, Gong Yangsu, scrutinized Taoist Master Jin Lian with a mix of shock and doubt.

Sensing the unusual behavior of the two leaders, the Earth Sect members immediately looked towards Taoist Master Jin Lian, who most fit the image of a high-ranking person, and felt immensely reassured.

The members of the Heaven and Earth Society were standing close by, so for a moment, they couldn't tell who the mummy in the yellow robe was kneeling to.

Chu Yuanzhen, out of habitual thinking, first glanced at Taoist Master Jin Lian.

Taoist Master Jin Lian shook his head slightly.

Master Heng Yuan was a martial monk, not a member of the Taoist sect, and although he had great innate talent, there was nothing too strange about him... Lina was from the Gu tribe of the Southern Border and had no connection to this tomb... The lady from the Bureau of Heavenly Masters, Zhong Li, could be directly ruled out... Could it be?!

Chu Yuanzhen suddenly turned his head, staring intently at Xu Qi'an.

He remembered the reason why the team had come to the main tomb: it was because of Xu Qi'an's three "coincidences" that they had entered the main tomb.It turns out that everything is not accidental, there is a reason......... Xu Ningyan is the master of this great tomb?

This guess appeared in Chu Yuanzhen's mind, and he was suddenly filled with fear, and his body inexplicably trembled.

Is he kneeling to me? Calling me the master? Xu Qi'an, the person involved, could directly perceive that the "master" in the mouth of the dried corpse was himself.

A huge shock and confusion filled his mind, making him unsure of how to respond for a moment.

For a moment, he almost blurted out: Why do you call me the master!

But reason made him shut up, because the situation in front of him was nothing more than two possibilities: first, he really was the master of the yellow-robed dried corpse, a status so terrifying that it was unimaginable.

Second, for some reason, the dried corpse had mistaken him for someone else.

Let's put aside the first possibility for now. If it's the second, the dried corpse has mistaken him. Then if he rashly asks, his identity will definitely be exposed.

What awaits them then is total annihilation.

Thinking of this, Xu Qi'an forcibly suppressed the surging emotions, staring expressionlessly at the yellow-robed dried corpse, and said in a deep voice:

"Well done."

The dried corpse's head hung even lower.

The sickly leader of the patient gang, who saw this scene, was almost dumbfounded. He slowly widened his eyes, realizing that... the "master" in the mouth of the dried corpse was the sixth-ranked warrior, not the Taoist Master of the Earth Sect?

This, this........ He was just a warrior.

Gongyang Xuyi also couldn't hide his shock. At this moment, he was extremely grateful that after removing these "reinforcements," he did not secretly activate the art of divination.

Otherwise, he would probably have died on the spot, the cause of death being seeing something he shouldn't have seen.

The members of the Houtu Gang held their breath, stupidly looking at Xu Qi'an.

The dried corpse, with its head lowered, once again spoke in a low voice, with a hint of doubt: "Master, why haven't you become an immortal?"

Become, become an immortal?!

This sentence was like a thunderclap in everyone's ears, causing a great commotion in the hearts of the low-level tomb robbers, the highly cultivated Taoist Master Jin Lian, and of course Xu Qi'an, who remained calm on the surface.

Xu Qi'an stared expressionlessly at the dried corpse, but inside, his emotions were exploding at this moment.

Become an immortal? As far as I understand, becoming an immortal means surpassing the ranks, right? It's an existence on the same level as Buddha, the God of Poison, and the God of Witchcraft.

Who exactly is the master of this yellow-robed dried corpse?

After the gods and demons, there are only a few existences that have surpassed the ranks. The age of this great tomb is over two thousand years. In over two thousand years, has someone become an immortal?

No, it could also be a failed attempt at becoming an immortal, but the dried corpse doesn't know........

Damn, in the next tomb, I could also encounter an existence of this level........ It's Zhong Li's fault, it must be her fault........ What should I do, how should I answer?

The dried corpse's drooping head, and the eyes that seemed to be on the verge of falling out of their sockets, moved slightly, as if scrutinizing Xu Qi'an.

Sensing the dried corpse's scrutiny, Xu Qi'an's eyes suddenly became sharp, and he said slowly, "Are you teaching me how to do things?"

The dried corpse lowered its head in fear, and its body trembled slightly, "Master, forgive me, master, forgive me."

As he spoke, he untied the yellow robe, revealing the withered flesh inside, with a sunken chest and the outlines of ribs showing through the thin flesh.

In addition, Xu Qi'an noticed that this dried corpse's body seemed to have been burned.

"Pluff........."

Suddenly, the dried corpse did something that no one had expected. He raised his palm and pierced his own chest, digging out an object from inside, not the heart, but a translucent jade seal.

"Is the master here for this jade seal? You left it in my body back then, entrusting me to take good care of it. I have always kept it safe, and now, I return it to the master."

The dried corpse handed over the jade seal with a hoarse and low voice, "And now, what year is it."

"The current Central Plains dynasty is called the Great Feng," Xu Qi'an said indifferently.

"Great Feng........" The dried corpse murmured, humbly asking, "How many years have I been asleep?"

How the hell would I know, why don't you come with me first, I'll hand you over to the country, and let the researchers tell you the answer.......... Xu Qi'an was silently complaining in his heart.

His mind was racing, and he didn't actively answer the dried corpse's question, saying calmly, "Time is meaningless to us, isn't it."

A beautiful answer!

Taoist Master Jin Lian was encouraged in his heart and whispered to Xu Ningyan that he had done well and to find a way to escape.

Xu Qi'an got it, reaching out to pick up the jade seal and saying, "Go back to sleep."

Without many words, on the one hand, he was afraid of saying too much and making mistakes, and on the other hand, he was now acting as the master, taking back his own things, and didn't need to explain to his subordinates.

Actually, he didn't want the jade seal, but judging from the dried corpse's attitude, this jade seal seemed to be very important. Not taking it might make the dried corpse suspicious.

The jade seal was hard and felt warm to the touch. Xu Qi'an calmly turned the jade seal over and saw a few words carved underneath. He only had time to remember a few words when suddenly, the jade seal turned into white grains of sand, slipping away from between his fingers.

An indescribable, inexplicable force, like the power of the tide, surged into Xu Qi'an's body through his arm.

He felt the blood in his body rushing into his brain, causing a strong dizziness, as if something inside his body was awakening.

"You are not the master........."

The dried corpse suddenly raised its head, and in its eyes, bloodshot light burst out bit by bit.

The hoarse and low voice echoed in the tomb, mixed with strong anger and killing intent.

"Go!"

Taoist Master Jin Lian reacted the fastest, waving his sleeves and creating a gust of wind, sending the tomb robbers of the Houtu Gang and Chu Yuanzhen and the others down from the high platform, flying towards the main tomb's gate.

At the same time, he grabbed Xu Qi'an's shoulder, trying to throw him down.

He would stay behind and bear the wrath of the dried corpse.

However, Xu Qi'an shook his shoulder, shaking off his hand, and pressed his palm against his chest, saying in a low voice, "Master, take them out. I'll stay."

Bang!

The qi in his palm suddenly exploded, and Taoist Master Jin Lian shot out like a cannonball.In the midst of being thrown, Taoist Master Jin Lian saw the dried corpse clutching Xu Qi'an's neck, hoisting him high into the air. The armored soldiers at the four corners of the platform brandished their weapons and charged forward, intent on tearing the imposter of their lord into ten thousand pieces.

"Xu Qi'an..." Taoist Master Jin Lian murmured.

...

PS: There was no mistake with the burning time of the candle in the previous chapter. It could burn for decades, but with limited oxygen in the tomb, as it burned, the oxygen depleted, and the candle eventually extinguished.