Chapter 94: An Extraordinary Treasure

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"Which tomb passage did you take last time?" Former President Zhang asked Zhao Lu.

"We took the larger passage on the left side, which leads directly to a large burial chamber. There were arrow traps along the way, all of which we disabled. However, when we opened the door to that chamber, a strong Yin energy rushed out, making it difficult to deal with. We had to make a quick decision and retreated. Even so, when we were hit by that Yin energy later in the night, many of our workers fell. I held my breath and managed to retreat to the smaller side chamber at the entrance before collapsing," Zhao Lu explained.

Everyone was aware of the incident where Zhao Lu was the sole survivor among the ten who entered the tomb. He barely made it back and was declared beyond salvation until Tang Ailian used a secret remedy to save him.

The Yin energy they encountered when they exited the chamber affected even the workers waiting in the outer chambers. If it weren't for Tang Ailian's intervention, both the team inside the tomb and the workers outside might have met with disaster.

After some discussion, Zhang Tian Master and the others decided to enter the right tomb passage. Zhao Lu's group had already relinquished the responsibility of leading, so they had to follow the decision made by the newcomers.

However, Zhao Lu couldn't help but voice a reminder, "The traps on the left passage have been disabled, and that chamber should be the core area."

Zhang Tian Master responded, "Let's explore the adjacent areas first before heading to the core area."

They were well aware that the main passage appeared to lead to the central burial chamber. However, considering what happened to the previous archaeological team, they might have ventured into the main burial chamber. Therefore, for their own safety, they decided to investigate the side chambers first.

The Daoist from Maoshan Mountain, however, stopped and asked Tang Ailian's group, "Which way are you planning to go?"

Tang Ailian had initially intended to follow the right tomb passage but felt an inexplicable pull, as though something was urging her to take the left passage.

Two tomb passages lay before them, one wide enough for two people to walk side by side, and the other narrow, allowing only one person to pass through. The dilemma was which passage to choose.

Both passages led to perilous areas within the tomb, but not necessarily the main burial chamber. Since they had two passages, only one of them could be genuine.

If they aimed to protect the central chamber, it would make sense to create a passage leading to a dangerous section to trap grave robbers. Hence, logically, the wide passage that seemed to lead to the central chamber was probably a decoy.

However, Tang Ailian had a different perspective. If this were the tomb of an emperor, he would likely be exceedingly proud and would not take a secondary route to the main burial chamber. Therefore, the narrow passage must lead to the tomb's main occupant.

The main passage might lead to a place where the tomb's treasures were stored. Tang Ailian used her psychic power to investigate.

Her psychic energy was only 12,000, and she was worried about depleting it in this dangerous tomb. Therefore, she had kept a small portion of her psychic energy active around her for vigilance but had refrained from extending it too far. Now, she decided to extend it for investigation.

She first sent her psychic energy into the narrow passage, where she saw various traps—rolling boulders, iron arrows, and even flooding mechanisms.

The chamber at the end of this passage didn't contain a burial coffin; instead, it had numerous shelves filled with various items. These included everyday objects, valuable gold and silver treasures, and various cold weapons. To guard these items, there was a large snake coiled in the chamber.

Then, she directed her psychic energy toward the wider passage. It became evident that the traps in this passage had already been disabled, and there were signs of explosions and craters, indicating that someone had used explosives here. Therefore, there was no immediate danger on this route.

However, when Tang Ailian extended her psychic energy to the tomb's entrance gate, she sensed extreme danger. Behind that gate was a massive burial coffin, but her psychic energy couldn't penetrate it. Nevertheless, she had an uncanny feeling that there was no one inside.

Could this chamber be the real main burial chamber?

Advisor Bai was aware of Tang Ailian's abilities and, seeing her close her eyes and concentrate, stood by her side. When she opened her eyes again, he asked, "Did you discover something?"

Tang Ailian nodded and whispered, "Both passages lead to chambers without a tomb occupant."

Advisor Bai understood that she meant there were no human remains in either chamber. This puzzled him. What kind of tomb was this? The outer chambers contained scattered remains, but the central chamber had none?

He inquired further, "Is there any difference between the two chambers?"

Tang Ailian extended her psychic energy again, saying, "The narrow passage leads to a chamber filled with various items, including valuables, and guarded by a large snake. The wider passage leads to an empty chamber with only a small box on a table. Inside the box is a fist-sized pearl."

The choice became clear. The right tomb passage contained numerous treasures, while the left passage seemed to hide something extraordinary within the small box.

However, there was a catch: although the box was open, it had an inner compartment that Tang Ailian's psychic energy couldn't penetrate.

Tang Ailian's heart raced with excitement. She had a strong feeling that this wasn't just a typical tomb but a cleverly disguised hiding place for an astonishing treasure. And that treasure was inside the box!

Tang Ailian turned to Advisor Bai and said firmly, "I want that box and the pearl inside. We should take the left passage."

Advisor Bai agreed, not because he was drawn to the treasures in the right chamber, but because he trusted that being with Tang Ailian would lead to significant benefits. He wasn't a ghost-catching expert like the other occultists, but he understood the concept of fortune favoring the bold. Being by Tang Ailian's side seemed like a wise choice.

The stage was set for their decision.

(End of Chapter 94)