Lieutenant Zhao’s cold sneer still echoed in her ears, but Shen Mingyue’s gaze was fixed firmly on the bronze lampstand in the corner of the altar. An eight-sided pillar was coiled with a nine-segmented hornless dragon, its scales clearly defined and shimmering with a ghostly, cold light, as if harboring an ancient and mysterious power. The night-luminescent pearl embedded in the dragon’s eye cast an eerie red glow, staring at them like a living thing, its radiance seemingly capable of piercing straight through a person’s soul. Just as she opened her mouth to warn Gu Jinghong, the blue brick beneath her feet let out a faint, almost imperceptible "click." The sound was as light as a ghost’s touch, yet in the absolute silence of the tomb, it pierced the air like a death knell.
"Don't move!" Gu Jinghong’s sharp shout and the shaking of the ground came simultaneously. In an instant, the twelve stone pillars surrounding the altar spun with a roar. The grinding of stone against stone was deafening, as if the entire tomb were groaning in agony. Dense rows of holes appeared, and countless tri-edged arrows tipped with a cold, ghostly blue light erupted, their whistling flight chilling to the bone—like a chorus of vengeful spirits shrieking in one’s ears. Gu Jinghong lunged without hesitation, tackling Shen Mingyue to the ground. His movement was lightning-fast, fueled by an irresistible strength. In that brief moment, Shen Mingyue could even feel the frantic thrum of his heartbeat th…
Chapter 23