Transmigrated into a tortoise, the Empress and the Goddess became my sisters.

The Asura Goddess was not skilled in incantations and her mind was in turmoil, but she did not want to sit and wait for death. She bit her tongue hard and forcibly activated the spiritual power in her body, trying to shatter the electric arc in one go.

She swung her tortoise claws and slammed them against the top of the box, unleashing a sharp roar with the force of the powerful blow.

"Break it, don't block my way."

Arcs of electricity crackled and lightning exploded, scorching her claws black, but she managed to force open the box lid a crack.

The Queen of Loulan exclaimed in surprise, twisting her upper body to barely dodge a stray wire, nearly collapsing in shock.

"Your brute strength is amazing; if it had been any stronger, you would have burned me to death."

The Asura Goddess didn't bother to apologize. Taking advantage of the weakening of the electric arc, she forcefully twisted the lid of the box, finally creating an opening in the object.

Sure enough, inside lay a stone tenon carved with a snake totem, and judging by its size, it seemed to fit perfectly into the recess of the Bagua array platform.

"These are the fragments of the array core we need."

Overjoyed, she pulled out the stone tenon, and along with it rolled out half a broken bone spur from the box, which seemed to be some kind of evil object.

Before she could look any further, she looked up and saw that Lin Tian was trapped by Shui Ling. The situation was critical, so she had no choice but to rush off the stage with Shi Shan to help him.

But as soon as he took a step, an even more violent tremor came from the bottom of the water, the entire stone platform shook, and the waves surged wildly.

The blue humanoid seemed to sense that the box had been taken, and its roar suddenly rose, transforming into an extremely sharp sonic blade that forcefully knocked several pieces of stone off the top of the tomb.

The empress struggled fiercely, and the short spear concentrated its firepower on the opponent's "waist" area, but it was as if it had pierced a blister, causing no real damage.

Seeing that fire attack was ineffective, Lin Tian had a thought and mobilized the molten lava in his body and the cold energy of the Moon White Pearl in his body to try a combination of hot and cold attack.

A burst of blazing flame shot out from its throat, while its shell released a wisp of cold light that intertwined with the flame, causing localized steam to rise.

The water spirit, impacted by the extreme temperature difference, let out a shrill scream, her body became chaotic, and the water lines binding the empress's feet loosened.

The Empress seized the opportunity, kicked her opponent away, and swung her spear to shatter most of the mist.

The Asura Goddess rushed forward, her claws flashing with dark purple poison powder, and fiercely hurled it at the remaining water body.

"Poison me, and see if you still cause trouble."

The poison powder mixed with the water waves, creating a hissing sound. The blue humanoid figure howled in pain again, its body twisting and contorting, gradually becoming transparent and ethereal.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lin Tian swung the bone whip, delivering a heavy blow that completely dispersed its last bit of energy, leaving the ground covered in water stains.

The empress knelt on one knee, panting. Her calves were numb with pain, but she had not suffered any fatal injuries.

The Loulan Queen was terrified on the stage. She only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the spirit being destroyed, but she was still dizzy and disoriented.

The goddess Shura tucked the stone tenon into her waistband, turned her head and gestured to the two turtles and the bear, telling them to quickly leave the broken pool.

Lin Tian glanced at the scattered water shadows, worried that they might reignite, and dared not linger.

The Empress was also worried that continuing the commotion would disturb more ghosts, so she helped the Loulan Queen off the stage and turned back on the slippery stone path.

The little black bear trotted ahead, occasionally glancing back at the water to make sure there was nothing amiss before catching up.

As expected, there was no further movement, and the group retreated safely back to the main tomb hall where the Bagua array platform was located.

Lin Tian immediately took out the stone tenon, aligned it with the groove in the ground, and placed it down. It fit perfectly, and in a flash, a faint blue light appeared.

The Asura Goddess scanned the area and determined that there might be other slots needed. She rotated the stone tenon left and right, but heard a click and the array platform trembled slightly.

The Empress took a few steps back warily, fearing that some strange formation might appear again, but the array platform only hummed, and purple fluorescence flowed on the runes on the wall, eventually converging into the stone door.

"Is the door unlocked?"

Lin Tian glanced at the sealed gate and, sure enough, saw the runes gradually dim and eventually disappear.

The Queen of Loulan perked up and strode forward to push open the door, but her back injury persisted, so she could only grit her teeth.

The Empress immediately went to help, and the two of them exerted force at the same time, causing the stone door to open a crack with a loud rumble.

The moment the cold wind rushed in, carrying a few grains of sand, it seemed as if this was an exit to the outside world.

The goddess of asura's eyes lit up, feeling that she was not far from a way out, but the crack in the door did not lead directly to the outside, but to a dark passageway with a slight slope.

Lin Tian walked over and peered out, smelling a familiar scent—dry, sandy air—which indicated that the passage most likely led to the outer edge of the mountain.

"Don't hesitate, let's leave quickly, or we'll all die if we get blocked in this tomb any longer."

The Empress had no objection and helped the Queen walk inside, with the Goddess of Asura and the little black bear following closely behind, and Lin Tian bringing up the rear.

The group walked into the darkness for quite a while, and the further they went, the drier and hotter the place became. It was much more comfortable than the damp cemetery.

No new mechanisms were encountered along the way, and it seemed that the stone gate was the final seal of the tomb, and once past it, one would truly be out of the main tomb area.

The Queen of Loulan quickened her pace, her lips cracked, her heart filled with mixed emotions at the thought that she could finally escape this cursed tomb.

The Asura Goddess was still cursing and grumbling, muttering that she wanted to go back and beat up that old woman to see what tricks she had up her sleeve.

The empress remained silent, but gripped the short spear tightly, her back taut, as if she knew that the old woman wouldn't let them off easily.

Lin Tian remained silent, his mind filled with thoughts, but he was too lazy to speak. He simply planned to leave the mountainside first and discuss the next steps with the others once it was safe to do so.

After walking for almost the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, a faint light appeared ahead, the passageway gradually widened, the air temperature rose rapidly, and a gust of sandstorm rushed in.

The Asura Goddess blinked and saw the faint afterglow of the setting sun at the cave entrance. Outside was a vast rocky area where tornadoes occasionally swirled.

"Finally, we've reached the exit. We're about to leave."

The Queen of Loulan's legs gave way, and she almost collapsed to the ground, unable to hold on any longer. Her expression was so complex that it was hard to describe.

Lin Tian reached out and supported her, noticing that the gray spots on her waist had not been completely removed. He needed to find a way to give her another dose of Desert Flower.

The Empress looked at the swirling sand outside and didn't know where to go. She was also worried that the old woman might be lying in ambush nearby.

The Asura Goddess stepped out of the cave and first checked several rock platforms on the left. She saw no human figure or hoofprints, and it seemed to be a desolate place.

However, she noticed a recently carved symbol on a craggy rock face, like a mark or some kind of warning.

“This is the old woman’s secret mark. It seems she came here before and even deliberately left some traps.”

The Empress grew impatient and wanted to go further away to find a secluded corner for the Queen's treatment, but she was afraid that there were undercurrents everywhere.

Lin Tian gritted his teeth, turned back to look into the depths of the tomb passage, and then compared it with the blazing sun outside.

"Let her drink some more flower juice first, to prevent the petrification from recurring, and then we'll figure out a way to get down the mountain."

The Asura Goddess took out a cloth bag, crushed some flower petals, and fed it to the Loulan Queen.

She forced herself to swallow the bitterness and stinging pain, and a warm current surged through her body again, slightly reducing the petrification.

The Empress, with a stern face, stared at the Queen as she spoke.

"Although you are not fully recovered, with this flower, you can probably hold on for a few more days. Don't be reckless and step on any landmines in the palace."

She had a feeling that the palace intrigue wouldn't end anytime soon, but their immediate priority was to find the mastermind behind it all before deciding whether to continue helping her consolidate her power.

Queen Loulan was confused and had a splitting headache; all she wanted was to survive. She answered in a low voice.

"As long as I can save my life, I'll go with you to investigate. I want to find out who is harming Loulan."