Yue Jinxuan raised a hand to gently press her violently pounding heart.
Her cheeks flushed, and she could not help murmuring inwardly.
"I really, really want to know."
"What kind of experiences does someone need to have to utter such bold and magnificent words!"
She stole a glance at Tang Dou, her face growing even redder.
After a brief rest, they continued onward.
Tang Dou took Yue Jinxuan by the hand. The sound of their breathing echoed in the narrow space, surrounded by endless darkness.
Tang Dou carefully took every step, testing the solid ground ahead with the tip of his foot.
Yue Jinxuan's heart hammered like a beating drum as she followed closely behind Tang Dou.
Suddenly—
A low sound came from the depths of the cave. It sounded like a call from ancient times, making one's hair stand on end, as if...
Countless hands were groping about in the darkness!!
Tang Dou listened intently, trying to catch a clue from the sound.
Yue Jinxuan's hands unconsciously gripped his lapels tighter.
Just then—
A faint blue glow flickered ahead.
Gathering his courage, Tang Dou pulled Yue Jinxuan forward with utmost caution.
As they went deeper, the sound grew clearer!
Suddenly—
A hazy figure slowly emerged ahead.
It was a translucent, humanoid monster wreathed in an eerie blue light.
Its face was ferocious, a bizarre smile hung at the corners of its mouth, and this humanoid shape...
Drifted eerily toward them!!
Yue Jinxuan's heart accelerated sharply.
"Ahhh!"
"A ghost! Senior Brother, quick, hurry and beat it to death! Hurry!"
She screamed in terror, reaching out to hug Tang Dou tightly.
Her fingers dug into his arms, and her entire body trembled as she shrank into his embrace.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze at that moment, and even breathing became unusually heavy.
Every tiny sound was infinitely magnified by the silence, making one's hair stand on end.
Tang Dou could feel the trembling softness in his embrace. He looked down at Yue Jinxuan.
"Don't be afraid, Junior Sister. With me here, I will always protect you."
With that, Tang Dou gently patted her back.
Immediately following—
He carefully adjusted his posture so that Yue Jinxuan could lean more comfortably against his chest.
Then, Tang Dou drew his long sword. Holding Yue Jinxuan with his left arm, he nimbly dodged the ghost's attack.
The ghost missed its strike, twisted its form, and lunged at the two of them again.
Tang Dou sidestepped to evade it, but holding Yue Jinxuan—coupled with his stout build—made movement extremely arduous.
In his desperation, he turned and used his back to take the attack head-on.
"Hiss..."
"Ugly thing, go die for your grandpa!"
In pain, Tang Dou frantically swung his sword and slashed, unleashing dozens of strikes in rapid succession.
Yet the blade passed straight through the ghost, unable to harm it at all.
The ghost shrieked and continued lunging toward Tang Dou.
Tang Dou sidestepped to shield Yue Jinxuan, but a chunk of flesh was torn from his right arm.
"Ah! You damned spirit!"
You're dead!!"
Seeing Tang Dou injured, Yue Jinxuan burst into tears of distress.
"Sob, Senior Brother, it's all because of me that you got hurt!"
"Don't be afraid, Junior Sister. I won't let you get hurt!"
"Senior Brother, I..."
"Just stay put and don't think about anything else! I'll take care of it, trust me!"
Tang Dou said, channeling the power of thunder. His long sword, wreathed in dancing lightning snakes, stabbed fiercely into the ghost's core.
The ghost let out a piercing shriek and vanished into specks of fluorescent light.
"Junior Sister, it's safe now, you can come down!"
Only then did Yue Jinxuan dare to look back behind her, confirming that the ghost was truly gone.
She climbed down from Tang Dou, a hint of shyness on her face.
"Senior Brother, I was really too terrified just now. I've been afraid of these ghostly things since I was a child."
"It's alright, Junior Sister. Let's keep moving forward."
"Wait, let me bandage your wound first!"
"This is just a small injury!"
"That won't do either. It must be bandaged. Quick, sit down properly!"
Without a word of objection, Yue Jinxuan pushed Tang Dou down to the ground. She took bandages out of her Storage Space and began skillfully binding his wound.
A moment later, the two continued walking into the cave.
As they went deeper and deeper,
A faint beam of light guided them to the entrance of the tomb chamber.
The tomb gates were carved from a single piece of bluestone, their surfaces engraved with intricate totems.
The two pushed open the stone doors, and a blast of chilling air rushed over them.
Inside the chamber—
Candles ignited on their own, their dim light illuminating the surroundings and revealing colorful yet archaic murals depicting ancient scenes of ancestral worship and hunting.
At the center of the tomb chamber
Stood a huge stone coffin, its surface covered in ancient runes, the lid half-open.
Tang Dou and Yue Jinxuan exchanged glances and slowly approached the stone coffin.
Inside, a skeleton lay quietly.
Tang Dou's gaze was drawn to the glowing bead gripped tightly in the skeleton's hands.
After a moment of hesitation—
He reached out and took the bead. Its surface was smooth, flawless, and crystal clear.
Tang Dou examined it closely, yet found nothing unusual about it. Feeling curious, he gave the bead a firm tap.
At that exact moment, a sudden change occurred!
Seven-colored light instantly burst from the bead, illuminating the entire stone chamber as bright as day.
Amidst the light—
A mischievous figure slowly flew out. It was only the size of a palm and draped in seven-colored celestial garments.
It spoke in a displeased tone.
"Who dares to awaken this spirit?"
Tang Dou steadied himself and asked, summoning his courage.
"We didn't mean to offend, we were just curious about the origin of this bead."
"Might we ask you to enlighten us a bit?"
Hearing this, the Artifact Spirit flew around the two of them in a circle.
"This bead!"
"Is no trivial matter. It is a heaven-defying divine artifact—the Xiaoling Immortal Bead!"
"And as for me..."
"I am the Artifact Spirit of this immortal bead, Xiaoxiao by name!"
Upon hearing this, Tang Dou said excitedly.
"Xiaoxiao, we are currently trapped here by a Golden Core Stage demonic snake."
"Do you have a way to defeat it?"
Xiaoxiao sighed.
"Well about that!"
"I've been trapped in this cave for endless years, and now my magical power has completely drained away."
"I'm afraid I can't lend you a hand."
Hearing this, the flame of hope that had just ignited in Tang Dou's heart was extinguished once more.
Yet Xiaoxiao changed the subject and continued.
"However, this bead has one miraculous function, and that is to collect joyful emotions."
"As long as it collects a full day's worth of joyful emotions from a hundred people, this bead will emit a single-colored light."
"If it reaches ten thousand people, it becomes a two-colored light, and so on, increasing by multiples of a hundred."
Tang Dou asked curiously.
"Then what use does this colored light have?"
Xiaoxiao said proudly.
"This colored light is the source of my power."
"When there is one color of light, I can cast Foundation Establishment Stage Five Elements spells. When it reaches two-colored light, Golden Core Stage spells. Three-colored light, the Nascent Soul Stage."
"For every additional color of light, my strength increases by a major realm."
At this point,
Xiaoxiao placed her hands on her hips and proudly tilted her small head up.
"When this bead blooms with seven-colored light, that will be the day I return to my former peak. By then..."
"I shall be invincible under heaven!"
Tang Dou carefully stuffed the Xiaoling Immortal Bead into his bosom and changed the subject.
"Still, right now we need to figure out how to escape from this perilous situation."
Xiaoxiao furrowed her brow slightly, then relaxed it.
"I remember there is a secret chamber in this tomb, and inside it hides an underground river leading outside."
"Quickly, follow me!"