Tomb raiding: Trying to become a little painter

Seeing the person deliberately diving, the two people on the surface of the water met each other's eyes, understood each other's meaning, and used both hands to lift up the arms they had grabbed earlier.

thump--

A head emerged from the water, water droplets quickly sliding down its face, wet eyelashes trembled, and a pair of beautiful eyes opened with a hint of helplessness.

"Alright, alright, stop fooling around. Hurry up and wash up. Once you're done, we're off. No more rest, let's head straight for the Bronze Gate!"

Qin Henian didn't want to be in this environment anymore. From the moment he entered the water, the feeling of being watched by the two men made him uneasy. In order to avoid any accidents, Qin Henian decided that the best of the thirty-six stratagems was to run away!

As for the rest, let him wait and see! He hasn't had enough of being single yet!

..............................................

On a high platform stands a tall, double-leaf stone gate, carved with intricate patterns of varying depths. Although the patterns on both sides are symmetrical, their unevenness is striking. Over time, the stone gate has become imposing, heavy, ancient, and solemn, while the platform in front of it is covered in dust.

The energy fluctuations here seem somewhat familiar...

After seeing the gate, Qin Henian asked Hei Xiazi and learned that this was their purpose. Then, he and the two transformed into human form and approached the stone gate, scrutinizing it as they walked. As they drew closer, the gate, known as the Bronze Gate, gave Qin Henian a sense of oppression.

"Is this the gate guarded by the little Qilin? It does look quite intimidating!"

Although Qin Henian felt the oppressive atmosphere inside the door, he was fearless. He wanted to go in and see what this world was all about...

"Shh!"

Hei Xiazi reached out and covered Qin Henian's mouth as he spoke, and after touching his soft lips, his palm "unconsciously" rubbed against them.

"Don't talk nonsense, my dear Henian. Dumb Zhang takes this responsibility of guarding the gate very seriously. Be careful, he might hold a grudge!"

Maybe he's just obsessed with the job of guarding the gate.

Anyone could understand the hidden meaning in Hei Xiazi's words. Regarding the Bronze Gate... Hei Xiazi's early life was truly complex. His life was forever changed after entering it once. Also, because of his constitution, he contracted a spirit while carrying corpses, which tormented him for years. If it weren't for his son, He Nian, he might have suffered for even longer...

"What's inside the door? You two tell me, so I can be mentally prepared!"

Qin Henian turned to the two of them, his gaze fixed on them.

"ultimate!"

"The ultimate goal of everything in the world!"

Zhang Qilin was the most qualified to answer this question, and he answered quickly, his gaze fixed intently on the bronze door, his unspoken words condensing into the word "ultimate".

The ultimate... the ultimate of all things in the world... This little Heavenly Dao really knows how to pat itself on the back!

Achoo!

Beside a giant, fiery red egg inside the bronze gate, a little boy, perhaps three or four years old, suddenly sneezed...

Outside the bronze gate, Zhang Qilin cut his own hand, a drop of bright red blood dripped to the ground, the blood in his palm remained still, a small cut of flesh color spread out, a few seconds later a warm golden light flashed from his palm, and a familiar seal appeared.

It was Qin Henian from the Crescent Moon Hotel who purchased that ghost seal.

A dark, inky demon seal appeared, its base carved with various unidentified scales, and its head and sides carved with demons treading on fish and qilin. The carving technique on the seal appeared to be extremely complex.

"I'll open the door!"

Zhang Qilin, holding the Ghost Seal, walked towards the bronze door, found the familiar spot and groove, and pressed the Ghost Seal onto the bronze door.

Rumble…

squeak...

The sound of the stone door opening rang out, followed by the sudden clamor of horns from behind it. A chilling aura began to emanate from the crack in the door... Through the gap, one could vaguely see white mist swirling inside, and within the mist, a group of armored soldiers wielding cold weapons began to march out of the door in unison.

"Going in."

Looking at the familiar scene, Zhang Qilin didn't say much to Hei Xiazi, but turned his head and secretly whispered in Qin Henian's ear.

The black bear, with its keen ears, heard everything clearly in the silent space. Its expression, too, had become serious without its previous trace.

"Um"

"The Yin soldiers that will emerge from the gate are formed from Yin energy and have no thoughts. I won't bother with them."

Faced with Zhang Qilin's words, Qin Henian knew there was a deeper meaning: he wanted him not to attack the Yin soldiers. The Yin soldiers were fulfilling their duties both in life and death. Qin Henian replied that these Yin soldiers were just minor ghosts, and he didn't bother with ghosts at all.

After all, he had quite a few soldiers under his command, which Qin Henian understood.

Tap, tap...

The footsteps drew closer, the surrounding temperature dropped, and a series of figures appeared in neat rows. The one leading them seemed to be a minor leader. He stopped just as he reached the bronze door, staring blankly at the three people at the entrance.

According to the rules, they should now launch an attack on the three people outside the door, but the three undeniable auras opposite them told them that advancing further would mean certain death. The ghost soldiers had no thoughts, and their path was blocked. A force controlled their ghostly bodies, rendering them unable to move.

"Let's go in and take a look at the ultimate thing you two were talking about."

Qin Henian strode toward the bronze door, seemingly just wanting to go inside and see what was going on.

But actually in my mind...

Xiao Tian cried out, "He! You've finally come! Come save me, waaaaah... I've been bullied... sob sob sob..."

The three of them stepped through the bronze door, which closed naturally without any wind, and blackness enveloped the boundless space inside.

"You idiot! Turn on the light!"

Qin Henian came to help, not to cause trouble. You can't ask for help at someone's house when the lights aren't even on yet.

A playful voice rang out beside him, and Zhang Qilin froze for a moment. His brainwaves were practically burning out, but he still couldn't understand what his He Nian was saying.

Hei Xiazi next to him was also completely bewildered. Zhang Qilin had no idea what he could possibly know!

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh...

As Qin Henian called for the lights to be turned on, a minute later a whooshing sound rang out in the darkness, and one ancient lamp after another lit up from dozens of meters above, illuminating the seemingly endless road ahead.

The ancient and mysterious altar was partially revealed before Qin Henian. Behind the bronze door was an altar about thirty meters high. Around the altar, objects from various periods were hung in different directions. In the center of the altar, a giant egg shaped like a fiery red tadpole with long, extended lines, more than three or four meters high, stood on two pieces of meteorite jade that looked like egg-shaped yellow flowers, forming a tripod on the altar.

"What is this? This giant egg? I don't remember it being here the first time I came!"

"Could it be that even blind people have amnesia? And Zhang the Mute... is your Zhang family's amnesia contagious?!"

Hei Xiazi adjusted his sunglasses, his mouth agape in an exaggerated manner, his eyes fixed on the giant red egg that had inexplicably appeared on the altar.