"???"

The atmosphere in the hall froze for a split second as everyone watched Li Mo casually take hold of the Cold Fairy’s other hand without a care in the world. The crowd’s expressions varied, though most were simply dumbfounded.

What kind of "safety" was this?

The entrance to the underground palace didn’t look like it had any teleportation arrays at all.

Among the crowd, the disciples of Hengyun Sword City stood expressionless, silently stepping further away.

"Junior Brother, aren’t we going to greet Young Hero Li Mo?"

Wei Zhaoliu blinked in confusion. Her hair had grown back to ear-length by now.

Well, since Ying Bing wasn’t at Hengyun Sword City, she no longer needed to keep cutting her hair short as a vow.

She turned around and saw her junior brothers all pretending to be unrelated bystanders, which struck her as odd. After all, she thought Li Mo was quite a decent guy.

"Senior Sister, aren’t you full yet?"

Wu Chushu grimaced, feeling his teeth ache from sheer sourness.

"Why would I be sour?"

"You seriously can’t smell the stench of dog food? And you still want to go up and eat more?"

"What’s dog food?"

Wei Zhaoliu looked utterly lost.

Bai Jinghong, who understood this sword-obsessed senior sister better, explained seriously:

"Senior Sister, once you see Miss Ying Bing take action later, your hair won’t survive."

"......"

Wei Zhaoliu fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Now isn’t the right time to greet them."

Before long, a sinister gust of wind blew from the depths of the underground palace’s entrance, accompanied by eerie, inhuman growls.

"What was that sound?"

Those who heard it couldn’t help but feel a chill crawl down their spines.

Many swallowed hard, staring at the dark entrance as if it were a gaping maw ready to devour them.

"Let us proceed."

Jiang Yu was the first to step into the underground palace.

Tan Zhuyin had initially hesitated, unwilling to be the one to test for dangers, but now that Jiang Yu had entered, he feared the other might gain an advantage.

After shooting Li Mo a dark glance, he led his own group inside.

"That sound… could it be zombies?"

Li Mo mused aloud, still holding the Ice Block’s hand.

"Zombies? That term isn’t entirely accurate," Ying Bing gently corrected.

"Indeed. More precisely, they’re a special kind of zombie."

A voice suddenly chimed in from behind.

Li Mo’s brow twitched. There was something about this voice that inexplicably annoyed him, despite his usual gentlemanly demeanor. Who could possibly irritate him just by speaking?

"Young Hero Li, we meet again."

Tian Miao offered a pale smile.

"You… why are you here?"

"I followed the guidance of the heavens to your side."

Tian Miao spoke like a seasoned riddler—the infuriating kind.

"Young Hero Li, you might dislike the nickname given to you on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, but that was my master’s intention. She values causality deeply, so there must be a reason for it."

Li Mo narrowed his eyes. "You’d better have a good reason for seeking me out."

Riddlers were always a pain.

What made it worse was that this one wasn’t just spouting nonsense—she actually had skills.

"I wish to explore the tomb, so I’d like to join your group," Tian Miao said earnestly.

"Why not follow the Crown Prince instead? Why us?"

"No, your group is better."

"Then give me a reason to let you tag along."

Li Mo worried he might lose his temper halfway and whack her over the head with something.

"I’m highly knowledgeable, well-versed in the principles of yin-yang and the five elements, skilled in feng shui and mechanisms, and capable of divining fortunes."

Tian Miao pointed at the dark entrance.

"For example, the ‘Ba’ in that tomb."

"Ba?"

Tian Miao calmly began explaining ancient lore.

Those beings were neither demons, ghosts, nor living creatures. They were corpses devoid of consciousness, preserved by spiritual and baleful energies, driven by lingering resentment or unresolved grudges.

Ordinary zombies typically absorbed the essence of the sun and moon, but such creatures had long vanished from the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

Ba, however, thrived on spiritual and baleful energies, growing stronger and developing unique abilities.

For instance, those whose mere presence caused droughts were called "Drought Ba," the most well-known variety.

There were also "Flame Ba," which ignited raging fires, and "Earth Ba," capable of shaking mountains and rivers.

But the most troublesome for humanity were those whose appearance heralded great famines—

"Stop! I get the gist. Welcome to the team."

Li Mo waved his hand, signaling her to spare him the details.

The Eye of Heavenly Fate had its limits—it could only read people, or at least beings with humanoid forms, like Junior Brother Little Treasure…

Earlier, he hadn’t been idle either, using the Eye to scan everyone present.

Among them, the most noteworthy were those from Hengyun Sword City, along with a few blue, blue-purple, and even purple investment targets.

And then there was the one who had come for him.

[Name: Zhu Renji]

[Age: 56]

[Physique: Yin-Yang Assassin Veil Body]

[Cultivation: Outer Scenery, First Heaven]

[Fate: Blue with Purple Hues]

[Evaluation: Mocked since childhood for his eye condition, he killed his tormentors at age ten. By thirteen, he became a bandit, only to be expelled for his tendency to attack friend and foe alike. He later joined the Fine Rain Tower’s covert trials, eventually assassinating the eldest son of the Thunderbolt Fortress. Known in the jianghu as ‘Spares Neither Man Nor Beast, Leaves No Chicken or Dog Alive,’ he later defected to the Demon Summoning Sect’s Yin-Yang Hall, hoping they could cure his ailment.]

From bandit to assassin to demonic sect member—

Well, his life was certainly trending toward the criminal.

[Recent Activity: Accepted two side jobs—both to assassinate Li Mo and Ying Bing. Decided to kill two birds with one stone.]

"Outer Scenery realm…"

Li Mo watched the man’s back disappear into the tomb’s entrance.

Soon, only hesitant rogue cultivators remained outside.

Li Mo tucked away his notebook, and the three of them descended into the underground palace.

At first, the path was narrow, barely wide enough for one person…

Well, actually, the entrance was quite spacious, but the oppressive darkness made the space feel vast and empty. Despite the crowd that had entered earlier, not a single footstep could be heard now.

Only the echoes of their own steps lingered, the silence so deep they could hear their own heartbeats.

Li Mo took out a luminous pearl, dispersing the thick darkness.

Yet even with its glow, not a soul could be seen.

"Where did all those people go?"

Li Mo couldn’t help but mutter to himself.

Tian Miao pondered for a moment. "They’re not in the same underground palace."

"?"

Li Mo turned to look back at the entrance, only to find complete darkness behind them—not a trace of light remained.

Ying Bing rested a hand on her sword. "This underground palace… is moving."

A shifting maze?

This ancient tomb, buried underground for who knew how long, was still rearranging itself?

"We should head for the main burial chamber."

Li Mo recalled the tomb-raiding novels he’d read in his past life.

Tian Miao gave him a surprised look before nodding, the ornaments in her hair tinkling softly.

"First, we need to determine which era this tomb belongs to."

"Tombs from different periods have distinct layouts and structures. And this one is shifting on top of that."

Her eyes gleamed with excitement.

"If we can’t decipher the rules of this place, then…"

"We might be trapped here forever, never to see the light of day again."

Li Mo: "?"

So why are you so excited?