Crisp sounds of reading drifted into their ears.
It wasn't the sound of a single person reading, but rather numerous students simultaneously reciting aloud. As they read, a unique rhythm was embedded within, giving one the feeling of being enveloped by the scholarly Qi of various books, as if truly within an academy.
However, both Xia Wuya and Zhuang Buzhou, along with the others, had expressions of surprise on their faces.
Where was this place?
This was an underground Ancient Tomb. Although they hadn't yet entered the Ancient Tomb, the problem was, this was underground! Where would an academy come from underground? Where would scholars emerge from? The emotionally rich reading sounds couldn't be fake.
"Brother Xia, have you ever had such an experience before, where there are reading sounds in an Ancient Tomb?"
Zhuang Buzhou asked curiously.
In terms of experience, Xia Wuya and his companions certainly had more.
"No." Xia Wuya shook his head and said, "If you encounter ghosts or evil spirits, it's not surprising to find one or two readers, but this is a chorus of reading sounds. I've never seen a group of scholars appear inside an Ancient Tomb before. This Ancient Tomb must be extraordinary; everyone, be careful."
"There's no path ahead, Skinny Monkey, clear the way. The main tomb should be just ahead."
A decisive look flashed across Su Qiu's face as she directly spoke to Skinny Monkey.
"Alright, there's no tomb under heaven that my Skinny Monkey can't open. No path? What's that? My Luoyang Shovel isn't for show!" Skinny Monkey let out a strange cry, his eyes gleaming.
Love what you do.
Ever since he joined the Dao Gate, he had a particular fondness for digging tunnels.
He specifically commissioned an Artifact Refiner to forge this Luoyang Shovel, and the functions it contained were incredibly powerful. When it came to digging tunnels, he was a professional.
The next moment, he arrived in front of the stone wall, picked up his Luoyang Shovel, and plunged it into the wall.
Crack!!
The Luoyang Shovel was extremely sharp. After all, it was a Magical Artifact specially refined using a Material called Purple Vein Steel. This Material was not only hard but also incredibly sharp, always serving as a top-grade Material for refining divine weapons. Let alone a Magical Artifact, even for a Magic Treasure, it wouldn't be out of place.
With that one shovel, the stone wall was like tofu, easily scooped away. Then, Skinny Monkey used a special technique to twist the shovel, scooping down a large chunk of earth and stone. Before it even hit the ground, the earth and stone vanished into thin air.
"A Luoyang Shovel, and it even has a storage space in its handle."
Yun Qinghe saw this and couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
Every profession has its specialties. The Dao Gate truly pushed the art of tomb raiding to its extreme. When digging a tunnel, they even stored the earth, completely eliminating the need to transport it back and forth. This was not only convenient but also much faster, saving a lot of effort.
When tomb raiders became Spirit Masters, their methods naturally changed.
Naturally, they did whatever was most convenient.
Skinny Monkey's digging technique was truly superb. The stone wall wasn't thick, and soon, a tunnel was opened. Through the opening, they could see that the view on the other side was suddenly clear, and the reading sounds became even more distinct.
Skinny Monkey poked his head out to look.
Upon seeing it, Skinny Monkey's entire body froze in astonishment.
"Skinny Monkey, what's going on?"
Xia Wuya asked.
He also poked his head out to look.
Upon seeing it, a look of shock also flashed across his face.
"How is this possible? It's really an academy."
Xia Wuya murmured to himself, his voice betraying his inner shock.
"Let's go in and see."
Zhuang Buzhou said curiously.
The tunnel was already open, so there was no reason to retreat. He strode forward, passing through the tunnel, and saw that the space ahead was indeed wide open. What lay before their eyes was a massive underground area.
The first thing that came into view was a huge academy.
This academy occupied an enormous area, easily capable of accommodating a large number of students for study.
The academy's overall architecture, built from unknown Materials, appeared ancient and imbued with a unique charm, brimming with scholarly Qi.
Above the academy's entrance hung a plaque—Bai Sha Academy!!
"Bai Sha Academy? Isn't this academy already abandoned? And Bai Sha Academy isn't even here; its abandoned location is on the nearby West Mountain. How could it appear here?" Zhuang Buzhou looked at the academy's name, a hint of shock in his eyes.
After hearing the old fisherman talk about the academy's legend, he specifically sought out some elders in the town to inquire. Many elders knew nothing about it, and what they said was merely hearsay. But one thing was certain: Bai Sha Academy did exist and flourish on West Mountain. Now, for it to appear here, if it wasn't rebuilt, then something ghostly was going on.
"Bai Sha Academy appearing in an Ancient Tomb? It seems this Ancient Tomb is definitely inextricably linked with Bai Sha Academy. There must be some connection."
Xia Wuya's expression was solemn. He had raided many tombs, but he had never encountered such an Ancient Tomb. Instead of mountains of gold and silver, an academy appeared within. What kind of trick was this?
"The anomaly is just ahead."
Following his Dao Soldier's perception, Zhuang Buzhou could sense that the anomaly they had encountered earlier was just ahead. As for whether it was inside the academy, that wasn't entirely clear. But the academy was an unavoidable path.
"Brother Xia, should we go in or retreat?"
Su Qiu's face showed a hint of hesitation.
They were tomb raiders, but the situation before them was too strange. It was definitely not an ordinary Ancient Tomb.
"The situation is unclear, and this academy is strange. I think it's better to think twice before acting, and observe for a while first." Zhuang Buzhou took a deep breath and slowly said. Even as a World Spirit Master, he definitely didn't want to rashly rush into such an academy with an unknown situation.
Stay steady, don't be reckless!
He hadn't forgotten that he was just a novice who had just stepped into the cultivation world.
He still needed to be steady; only stability could lead to longevity.
The more reckless he was, the faster he would die.
Not only him, but Xia Wuya and the others also showed signs of indecision upon hearing this. After all, they were Spirit Masters, and they valued their lives very much. Therefore, facing the current strange situation, they were inclined to temporarily retreat, and it wouldn't be too late to act after investigating thoroughly.
Boom, boom, boom!!
Drip! Drip!!
Just as everyone was contemplating retreat, they suddenly heard a dense sound of footsteps from behind. It sounded like an army marching and warhorses galloping. When this sound reached Zhuang Buzhou and the others' ears, their expressions drastically changed, because it was simply too familiar.
"Yin Soldiers! There's a large number of Yin Soldiers behind us!" Xia Wuya said with a look of terror.
"Even more than we saw before, this Yin Qi is simply too heavy. There must be a Third-rank Yin General within."
Yun Qinghe's face twisted in fear. He could sense that there were terrifying powerhouses within the Yin Soldier army. If they were to fight, it would be extremely perilous, and with such a large number of Yin Soldiers, no one knew if they could hold them off.
"Don't be afraid, we have the Sun-Shading Umbrella. The Yin Soldiers won't be able to see us."
Su Qiu quickly pulled out the Sun-Shading Umbrella and spoke.
"The effect of the Yin-Avoiding Talisman should still be active," Yun Qinghe also said.
With these, they might be able to evade the Yin Soldiers' sight.
At this moment, they could see wave after wave of Yin Soldiers continuously appearing from behind, rapidly gathering. Each unit of Yin Soldiers numbered one hundred, and each squad had a Second-rank Ghost General. Such Yin Soldier teams appeared one after another without end. In the blink of an eye, there were no less than a hundred units, gathered together, with over ten thousand Yin Soldiers. A Yin General, clad in black armor, with a single horn protruding from his head, exuded a unique aura that intimidated all other Yin Soldiers.
At a glance, one could feel the oppressive aura emanating from his body.
The Yin General's gaze was cold and expressionless. After appearing, his eyes directly swept back and forth over Xia Wuya and Zhuang Buzhou. It was as if their Sun-Shading Umbrella and Yin-Avoiding Talisman were completely ineffective in his eyes, any actions like a mere monkey show.
"Those who dare trespass on the academy shall be executed without mercy!"
A cold glint flashed in the Yin General's eyes. He brandished his long blade and roared, "Living people have intruded! Kill them!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The Yin Soldiers surged forward like a tide, stepping forward with long blades pointed ahead. A wave of Evil Qi assaulted them, suffocating and chilling them to the bone.
"These Yin Soldiers can see us! Quick, run! Into the academy!"
Zhuang Buzhou quickly shouted.
As his voice fell, he rushed into the academy without hesitation.
"Damn it, how could the Sun-Shading Umbrella fail? That bastard Wanbao Tower, when I bought it, they said it was excellent, that this Sun-Shading Umbrella had extremely strong effects against various Yin objects, and that even some powerful Yin objects couldn't see through it. Now it's all bullshit, completely useless!"
Su Qiu couldn't help but curse out loud.
Wanbao Tower had guaranteed that even Third-rank Yin objects couldn't see through the Sun-Shading Umbrella's concealment. She never expected it to be completely ineffective. Now they were truly in deep trouble.
"Go! These Yin Soldiers are not right. Quick, get into the academy first! There are too many Yin Soldiers. Once we engage, we'll all be trapped and it'll be hard to escape."
Xia Wuya quickly said.
The three of them moved incredibly fast. "Still as a virgin, swift as a fleeing rabbit" described them perfectly. It was no exaggeration.
Yun Qinghe witnessed this and immediately rushed into the academy as well.
He was a Sword Cultivator, not a brainless barbarian. He wasn't so foolish as to face tens of thousands of Yin Soldiers head-on.
And just as they rushed into the academy,
The Yin Soldier army, which had been charging and sweeping forward, suddenly halted its advance. Their discipline was absolute. One could tell at a glance that this Yin Soldier force was an elite unit. A strange, eerie smile appeared at the corner of the leading Yin General's mouth. He did not approach the academy, merely standing quietly outside, as if in awe, or for some other reason.
It seemed as if he had no resentment or anger about Zhuang Buzhou and the others' escape.
It was as if his true purpose was to drive them into the academy all along.
"Retreat!"
After standing outside for a while, the Yin General waved his hand. Immediately, teams of Yin Soldiers dispersed again, retreating towards various cave entrances around the area. It seemed they were beginning a new round of patrols, fulfilling their duties.
In an instant, only the Bai Sha Academy remained standing there, its crisp sounds of reading still continuously drifting out.