Chapter 98: This Pearl is Dangerous

***

One by one, the group turned away, avoiding eye contact with Hai Ying. Among them, five or six people had stepped on her body while rushing into the peripheral tomb chamber, and they felt guilty.

Chairman Zeng couldn't help but say, "Hai Ying, let's not dwell on this matter. At that moment, we were all trying to save our lives. Who had the time to think about so much?"

Hai Ying glanced at him and replied, "So, according to your logic, in the future, when we face danger, we shouldn't bother to save our comrades and instead use them as cannon fodder to shield ourselves?"

Hai Ying had a feeling that the person who had pushed her down was Chairman Zeng. However, he had pushed her from behind, and with others continuously stepping on her afterwards, combined with her flashlight falling and breaking when she stumbled, she couldn't be sure.

"Was it you who pushed me down?" She stared at Chairman Zeng.

"Hai Ying, you're making baseless accusations!" Chairman Zeng retorted angrily. "You should know how I've always treated everyone as the chairman. I've been working for the group all along. How can you think of me that way?"

"But the person who was walking ahead of me was you. So, who else could have pushed me?" Hai Ying insisted.

Chairman Zeng felt somewhat embarrassed and defensive, pointing at Hai Ying, "You couldn't even stand firm on your feet, so whose fault is it? At such a dangerous moment, everyone was focused on escaping. Who would care whether you fell or not?"

Daoist Zhang quickly intervened, trying to calm the situation. "Alright, alright, everyone should believe that Chairman Zeng is not that kind of person. The people who neglected Hai Ying were indeed in the wrong. Now that we're here, we must unite, work together, and ensure our safety."

Daoist Zhang's words put an end to the argument between Hai Ying and Chairman Zeng.

The group cooperated to dig a large hole beside the rolling rocks and moved the rocks aside. Then, they continued to advance into the tomb passage.

This time, they were extremely cautious. However, no matter how careful they were, disaster struck again. As they walked, the ground suddenly gave way beneath their feet. Since they were practically walking single file, only a stretch of about one meter collapsed, but it resulted in three people falling into a pit.

Moreover, the pit wasn't just a hole; it had upward-pointing spikes. So, the three who fell in let out muffled groans and didn't move. One of them emitted a long, eerie scream, which gradually faded away.

Another person only dropped one foot into the pit. After a startled cry, they grabbed onto the person next to them, preventing themselves from falling.

This time, they lost two people.

The group felt a heavy burden on their hearts. This was still inside the tomb passage, and they had already lost three and injured one.

They were in the middle of their thoughts when someone suddenly cried out, "I'm still young, I don't want to die, I won't go any further."

Everyone looked, and it was the young Taoist from Laoshan who had almost fallen into the pit earlier.

"If you don't go, you'll get lost!" Chairman Zeng shouted at him and gave him a kick, urging him to move.

The young man didn't hesitate at all. He hurriedly ran back.

Now, the group was reduced to eleven members, and they had one injured person.

However, they didn't encounter any more traps on their way to the entrance of the tomb chamber.

"Open the door," Chairman Zeng told the tomb raider, Zhong Changsheng.

Zhong Changsheng didn't say anything and just walked up to the stone door, delivering a powerful kick that sent it flying open.

As soon as the tomb chamber's door opened, the strong light from their flashlights illuminated countless treasures inside. Their hearts couldn't help but rejoice: they had struck it rich!

However, before they could enter, a colossal creature suddenly rushed out from inside, opening its massive jaws and lunging at Zhong Changsheng.

Startled, Zhong Changsheng let out a cry and attempted to retreat, but his speed couldn't match the creature's. All the group saw was Zhong Changsheng's head being engulfed by the creature's enormous mouth.

"My goodness!" Chairman Zeng screamed and quickly backed away. The colossal creature was none other than a snake, but it had horns on its head. "Is this a spiritual snake?"

The snake extended its neck a few times, showing no intention of coiling up. Instead, it lazily stared at them, its eyes filled with disdain.

Yes, disdain. After realizing the expression in its eyes, Zhang Tianshi's heart sank. Perhaps, the snake wasn't moving because it had just devoured Zhong Changsheng?

Or maybe it was guarding the treasures inside this chamber?

Zhang Tianshi understood that with this snake here, how could they take away anything? They were lucky if they could leave this place alive. He attempted to move closer, but the snake immediately extended its head towards him. Zhang Tianshi quickly stepped back, and the snake followed suit, not moving from its spot.

Both sides found themselves in a tense standoff. Zhang Tianshi and Chairman Zeng, along with the others, realized that the snake could wait, while they couldn't. If they stayed here, the snake might eventually pick one of them as its next meal.

Now, they all secretly envied the young Taoist from Laoshan, who had retreated earlier.

In another chamber, Tang Ailian was fixated on the hovering pearl, unsure of how to obtain it. She wanted the pearl but didn't dare to touch it, so she pondered how to retrieve it safely.

"This pearl—"

Zhao Lu and the others were puzzled by the pearl suspended in the air. Had the laws of gravity abandoned it? Why didn't it fall down?

"It's very dangerous!" White Consultant also sensed the extraordinary nature of the pearl but felt that it was incredibly dangerous.

"Yes, this pearl doesn't melt, but it's also very perilous," Tang Ailian agreed.

Just then, Tang Ailian's little white snake began to act restlessly. It touched Tang Ailian's hand and then hopped down, moving toward the entrance of another chamber.

Tang Ailian realized that her snake might have detected something valuable. She couldn't think of a way to deal with the pearl at the moment, so she decided to follow her snake and investigate.

White Consultant, Zhao Lu, and the others were surprised to see the snake. They couldn't believe that Tang Ailian had been carrying a snake with her all along.

(End of the chapter)