Severing ties with family to marry the young marshal, his whole family chases me to the crematorium.

Si Jingnian noticed that Shen Qingyao's gaze was directed at him. He frowned slightly and fell into deep thought.

After careful consideration, he finally shook his head gently, indicating his refusal.

In fact, given his abilities and position, it would not have been difficult for him to persuade Secretary Chen, and he was even fully qualified to take strong measures to force the other party to withdraw to the ground.

However, this mission was far more complex than it appeared. It was not only a task assigned to Secretary Chen, but also an important directive from above.

The value and significance of the mysterious "thing" they were pursuing were beyond imagination.

Both he and Secretary Chen bore the heavy responsibility of successfully acquiring and handing over this crucial item to their superiors.

Even the slightest mistake could lead to unpredictable and serious consequences.

Therefore, even faced with Shen Qingyao's eyes full of doubt and expectation, Si Jingnian could only helplessly choose to stick to the original plan and continue to complete this almost impossible task.

Looking at the scene before her, Shen Qingyao felt a sense of helplessness. She shook her head gently and then let out a long sigh.

Since this was also a task that Si Jingnian was responsible for, she knew that she would have no chance of successfully persuading him to withdraw.

Although she hadn't known Si Jingnian for very long, through this time she had gained a certain understanding of his personality traits.

If they were still on the surface, trying to persuade him to give up going into the tomb might have had a slight chance of changing his mind.

However, things have already come to this point, and now that everyone is in this mysterious and unpredictable tomb, it is practically impossible to get him to turn back and leave.

Because she knew very well that Si Jingnian was the kind of person who, once he made up his mind, would never easily turn back.

Even if what awaits them is a mountain of knives and a sea of ​​fire, or countless dangers, he will forge ahead without hesitation until he reaches his final destination.

After all, for Si Jingnian, death has never been a stumbling block on his path forward.

Shen Qingyao's gaze slowly turned to Ruan Hongshuang beside her. Their eyes met, and they both saw the same emotion in each other's eyes.

After a brief silence, neither of them said another word.

After a moment, Shen Qingyao finally broke the deadlock and said softly:

"Let's go, let's see how we can get in first."

Her voice was calm yet firm, as if she had already made up her mind to face the difficulties that might come next.

Upon hearing Shen Qingyao's words, Ruan Hongshuang nodded slightly in agreement.

So the two of them split up again, carefully observing their surroundings and intently searching for a way to enter the unknown land ahead.

Shen Qingyao walked step by step toward the huge tomb door, her heart pounding involuntarily, and a sense of awe welled up within her.

In an era when technology was underdeveloped and everything relied almost entirely on manual labor, it was truly unbelievable that people were able to build such magnificent tombs! She couldn't help but marvel at the wisdom and skill of the ancients.

Looking up, one can see the massive stone gate, nearly ten meters high, standing majestically, like an insurmountable wall.

The stone gate is intricately carved with various beautiful patterns, the lines flowing and natural, as if telling an ancient and mysterious story.

Some of these patterns resemble dragons and phoenixes in flight, while others resemble flowers, birds, insects, and fish; they are so lifelike that they are breathtaking.

Then look at the two large cast iron rings hanging on the tomb door. Each one is as thick as an adult's arm, and its heavy weight gives people a sense of solemnity and grandeur.

Shen Qingyao slowly raised her hand and gently touched one of the large iron rings.

The moment his fingertips touched the iron ring, a bone-chilling cold suddenly struck him, spreading throughout his body like an electric shock.

Shen Qingyao instinctively wanted to pull her hand back, but curiosity compelled her to continue experiencing the coldness.

When she pressed her palm against the large iron ring again, the cold sensation became even stronger, as if she were touching not ordinary iron, but a piece of ancient ice.

"Little one, you mustn't touch this thing. It's filled with yin energy; you might lose your life if you do."

Just as Shen Qingyao withdrew her hand, a man's voice came from behind her, his tone carrying a mysterious and unpredictable meaning.

Shen Qingyao slightly raised her beautiful eyebrows, which resembled distant mountains, and a half-smile appeared in her eyes, as if she were looking at an ignorant fool, and turned her gaze to the person who was speaking.

The man was a middle-aged man who was over fifty years old. He was slightly hunched over and wore a faded Taoist robe. He held a whisk tightly in his hand.

With a gentle wave of his arm, the whisk swayed gracefully like a fairy dancing.

Surprisingly, although the man was not yet sixty, his gray and white beard, which reached his chest, added a sense of age and weariness to him.

He had a calm and collected expression, with a faint smile on his lips. His deep and mysterious eyes seemed to be able to see through everything in the world. At first glance, he really did have the demeanor and mystery of a Taoist master.

Unfortunately, the moment he uttered those words, Shen Qingyao instantly saw through him and realized he was nothing more than a charlatan swindling people under the guise of Taoism.

The middle-aged man deliberately emphasized his words and stroked his beard in a pretentious manner, seemingly trying to show off his profound knowledge.

However, how could Shen Qingyao be so easily fooled? She could tell at a glance that the middle-aged man in front of her didn't even know the most basic things.

This so-called large iron ring only emits a slight chill because of its special material or the low temperature of the surrounding environment; it has absolutely nothing to do with any yin energy.

However, Shen Qingyao merely raised an eyebrow slightly, a barely perceptible smile playing at the corners of her lips.

She had absolutely no interest in exposing the clumsy performance of the person trying to deceive her.

After all, getting too entangled with such minor characters will only waste your precious time and energy.

So she moved gracefully past him as if she hadn't heard a thing, not even sparing him a second glance.

The person who is so arrogant and dares to swindle and cheat here probably doesn't realize the dangerous situation they've already found themselves in.

He really thinks he has too much time on his life and is tired of living! How dare he come to a place like this to scam people.

Has he forgotten that the terrifying illusion and the incredibly powerful Soul-Devouring Array were both broken by her and Ruan Hongshuang working together?

He actually dared to try to deceive her with such a simple and easy-to-understand lie. He was truly overestimating himself and incredibly foolish!