The Depths

He glanced at Tessa, who stood a few steps away, looking somewhat nervous.

From his pack, he took out a spare piece of burlap to wipe and wrap the grime-covered metal items.

Using the motion of leaning over to stuff the bundle back into his pack as cover, he willed it to disappear from between his fingers and into his Space Ring.

Once finished, his gaze instinctively drifted toward the other two closed coffins.

Five coffins... If every one contained a Rotting Coffin Zombie, and each zombie’s coffin held similar burial goods...

A surge of greed mixed with adventurous impulse rushed to his mind.

But he immediately felt the curve of the iron rod in his hand and the mana reserves within him that were far from full.

The battle with the zombie just now was fresh in his mind—exhausting and fraught with danger.

Go and kill five more?

Leaving aside whether he could handle five in a row, if he accidentally woke them all at once, he might as well call it an early game over for his time in this world.

He squeezed his eyes shut, took a deep breath of the foul-smelling air, and thoroughly suppressed that dangerous temptation back into the depths of his heart.

He looked around the corridor again.

Aside from the coffins and the damaged portraits on the walls, nothing else stood out.

His gaze finally landed on the tightly closed gate.

He stepped forward, pressed his hands against the door, and pushed hard.

The door didn't budge, as if there were solid mountain rock behind it rather than a passage.

He tried pulling it to the sides and even searched for potential rings or handles, but nothing worked.

“This should be some kind of mechanical lock,” Tessa’s voice came from beside him, sounding hesitant. “It can’t be opened with strength alone. I’m a Thief; I have some skills for detecting and disarming mechanisms... Want me to try?”

Bai Xuan stepped back half a pace and nodded, his gaze remaining alert.

Tessa stepped forward, not fumbling blindly.

She crouched down, first lightly brushing her fingertips along the seam where the door met the stone wall.

Then she moved along the doorframe, carefully checking the edges of every stone brick before activating a skill.

Her expression became focused, as if she were deciphering invisible patterns on the stone surface.

Finally, her gaze left the gate and landed on the closed coffin on the right.

“The subtle flow of energy... the trigger for the mechanism is inside that coffin.”

She pointed at the coffin, her tone uncertain but her direction clear.

Bai Xuan felt a sense of relief.

Fortunately, they only needed to open one, not all of them.

“Same as before,” Bai Xuan quickly formulated a strategy. “You open the coffin and lure the monster out; I’ll deal with it in the corridor where the terrain is in our favor. Watch out for its acid spit.”

Tessa didn't say much this time; she simply nodded.

Bai Xuan immediately retreated to the Skeleton Corridor and lay in wait at the designated spot.

Tessa picked up a large piece of rubble from the ground.

Walking to the coffin, she struck the heavy lid several times and then quickly retreated toward the corridor entrance.

A dull scraping sound came from inside the coffin, and the entire casket began to shake slightly.

With a clicking sound, the lid was slowly pushed open from the inside, and more of the foul stench drifted out.

Following that, a hand covered in rotting flesh and green liquid reached out, gripping the rim.

Tessa immediately turned and ran into the corridor.

This Rotting Coffin Zombie crawled out of its coffin; its form was much the same as the previous one, and its movements were equally sluggish as it pursued Tessa.

Having the experience from the first time, Bai Xuan handled it more carefully this time.

He no longer rushed into a forceful attack but instead coordinated patiently with Tessa.

Using the width of the corridor to avoid the lethal acid spit, he carefully observed the zombie’s movement patterns.

Waiting for the brief stiffness after its attacks or the opportunities created by Tessa’s risky distractions, he finally unleashed a lethal 【Redemption Strike】.

The battle was still not easy; the zombie’s defense and toxins remained significant threats.

However, the process was less frantic and more of a methodical war of attrition.

Ultimately, after consuming a fair amount of mana and stamina, they dodged the final corpse explosion.

This Rotting Coffin Zombie turned into a pile of smoking remains on the floor.

The two took a brief rest, tended to some minor scratches, and then returned to the coffin.

Bai Xuan followed the same procedure, using the iron rod to fish out the burial goods.

There were even fewer gold ornaments this time—only a small ring—and the silver pieces were mostly fragments. The total value was probably only worth about two gold coins.

He tucked them away as usual.

Tessa endured her disgust and leaned into the coffin to search.

Avoiding the blackened padding and slime, she felt a slight protrusion on the stone wall above where the head would be.

“Found it!” she whispered, then pressed down hard.

Click.

A clear mechanical sound came from the direction of the gate.

Immediately after, the sound of chains and gears turning echoed from within the heavy stone door.

It slowly opened inward, revealing a deep, dark passage beyond.

The sound and vibration of the door opening were minimal and did not disturb the remaining four coffins.

Bai Xuan and Tessa glanced at each other, both seeing a hint of relief in the other's eyes.

Without delay, they gripped their weapons and stepped into the newly opened passage.

The passage wasn't long, heading straight forward. In less than a minute, the space ahead opened up.

They stepped into a circular hall several times wider than the Wraith Corridor.

In the center of the hall was a stone altar raised several steps above the floor.

The altar's style was crude and ancient, its surface covered in incomprehensible runes and reliefs.

Most strikingly, at the edges of the altar, several thick, dark-red metal chains firmly bound several tall figures.

These were undead clad in full-coverage heavy armor.

The armor was a dull, dark black, covered in dents and scratches from battle. Its design was grotesque, with the faces completely covered by helmets adorned with horns.

They held massive battleaxes nearly as tall as themselves, the blades glinting with a cold light even in the dimness.

Dark-red chains wound around their arms, torsos, and legs, fixing them in kneeling or hunched, struggling postures to the altar’s stone pillars and base.

Their heads hung low, motionless. Not a hint of ghost fire or sign of activity could be seen through the gaps in their armor; there was only an empty void.

Bai Xuan and Tessa froze at the entrance, their first instinct being to turn and run immediately.

Even motionless, the aura of malice and death pressure radiating from these bound undead was far beyond that of the Rotting Coffin Zombies outside.

Fortunately, the chains looked incredibly sturdy, and the undead remained still.

Bai Xuan forced himself to calm down and observe carefully.

He noticed very clear scraping marks where the chains rubbed against the stone pillars.

On the altar floor beneath one of the undead, there were even several fine, radial cracks.

These marks... were very new.

It was as if not long ago, these bound giants had struggled frantically.

Bai Xuan immediately thought of the violent tremor he had felt in the underground space earlier.

Could the source have been here?

Had these powerful undead been struggling to break free just a short while ago?

He focused his mind, and only location information appeared in his vision:

【Undead Altar】

For the bound armored undead, no level, HP, or other data appeared.

This usually meant their current state was completely dead.

Being bound like this on this eerie altar... they seemed more like sacrifices.

This thought sent a chill through Bai Xuan.

The danger lurking here was likely deeper than he had imagined.

Tessa hid behind him to his side, her face pale, her fingers unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes.

The psychological pressure from these silent armored giants was much greater than that of active skeletons.

She stole a glance at Bai Xuan.

Seeing that although his brow was furrowed, he was still calmly observing, her inexplicable panic was strangely suppressed a bit, replaced by a mixture of dependence and a quietly growing trust.

Bai Xuan quickly scanned the entire circular hall.

Aside from the altar, the surrounding walls were bare, with no other exits or doors.

“What are the usual characteristics of the core you mentioned? Or where would it roughly be?” Bai Xuan whispered to Tessa.

Tessa shook her head, her voice very soft. “The core is different in every place. There’s no fixed pattern for its form or location...”

“It could be a special stone, a magical item, or... the powerful monster itself.”

After confirming there were no signs of hidden passages on the walls, Bai Xuan turned his gaze toward the massive altar in the center of the hall.

He took a deep breath and began to walk slowly up the stone steps.

Though the undead appeared to be no threat, their massive size and grotesque armor still radiated an invisible pressure.

Tessa watched Bai Xuan walk up the steps, hesitated, then grit her teeth and followed.

However, she stayed several steps behind him, her eyes warily scanning the motionless armored figures.

Reaching the top of the altar, they found the platform was open.

Right in the center of the altar floor, they discovered an entrance.

A perfectly square hole, large enough for a carriage to drive through easily.

A set of stone stairs extending downward vanished into the darkness below.

The signs at the entrance were very fresh.

There was no dust on the edges of the steps, creating a sharp contrast with the surrounding ancient stone slabs.

More importantly, in the dust near the hole, several rows of footprints were clearly imprinted.

The footprints weren't large, belonging to humans or creatures of similar size, and they pointed down into the hole.

Additionally, there was a deeper mark, like something heavy being dragged, which also disappeared over the edge of the hole.

Bai Xuan crouched down to examine the marks carefully, his fingers brushing the edges of the footprints; the dust was fresh.

He stood up and turned to Tessa, who had followed him.

His gaze suddenly became cold, his voice carrying suppressed anger and suspicion. “These marks were left less than half a day ago. Who else is here besides us?”

“Your missing leader, Kamy? Or Quentin, who you thought was dead?”

“Or has the Nightshade team’s goal from the very beginning been something inside this hidden space?”

Tessa was startled by the sudden coldness in his eyes and took a half-step back.

The color drained from her face, and her lips began to tremble. “No! I don’t know! I swear!”

“If this was planned, how could I... how could I have almost died at the hands of those zombies outside!”

Her voice took on a sob, filled with fear and grievance, her eyes brimming with the panic of being suspected.

“Leader Kamy has been missing the whole time, and Quentin... he sacrificed himself so I could escape...”

Bai Xuan stared at her intently. In his vision, her status bar clearly displayed 【Status: Dazed, Terrified】.

The sudden shock he gave Tessa at least confirmed to Bai Xuan that she was indeed unaware of this matter at the moment.

He didn't press her further.

Turning around, he took the lead and stepped onto the stone stairs extending downward.

Tessa wiped the corners of her eyes and didn't dare say more, timidly following behind him into the unknown darkness.

The stone stairs were a downward slope that continued for a considerable distance.

The air became increasingly cold and dry.

Finally, light appeared ahead again, and they stepped out of the tunnel.

Before them was another vast underground space, like a buried hall.

The walls were made of smooth, dark stone, carved with massive reliefs.

They depicted scenes of war, hunting, and feasting.

Though covered in dust, the exquisite craftsmanship of yesteryear was still visible.

Tall stone pillars supported the vaulted ceiling, their shafts wrapped in beautiful stone carvings.

This place didn't feel like a gloomy tomb; it felt more like a silent underground palace.

In the center of the hall sat a massive stone coffin.

The sarcophagus was enormous, large enough for four or five people to lie side-by-side.

The body of the coffin was carved from a single piece of dark-green, nearly black stone, its surface smooth and its edges decorated with complex patterns.

However, the heavy lid that should have covered the coffin was currently lying in a distant corner.

The lid was deeply embedded into the stone wall, with the surrounding wall cracked in a radial pattern.

Yet the lid itself was intact; the material seemed incredibly sturdy.

Bai Xuan’s gaze was immediately drawn to the massive coffin.

With such a large coffin in a noble’s tomb, how much gold, silver, and jewelry must be inside?

He immediately shook his head, casting aside that ill-timed greed.

The most important thing right now was to find the core and a way out.

He quickly scanned the entire tomb hall.

Aside from the slope they had entered from, there were no other visible passages.

Magnificent and empty—besides the central stone coffin and the lid in the corner, there was nothing else.

No piles of treasure, and no sign of the people who had entered before them.

Where did they go?

Bai Xuan pondered. Either the newcomers had already taken the core and left.

Or there was a hidden area they hadn't discovered yet.

Or... the people were inside that massive, open stone coffin.

He glanced at Tessa.

Tessa was also looking blankly at the stone coffin, clearly thinking of the same possibility, her face looking even more uneasy.

Bai Xuan gripped the bent iron rod in his hand, focused his mind, and locked his gaze on the opening of the stone coffin.

【Eternal Silence King's Sarcophagus: Forged from a mixture of Cold Iron and Deep-sea Obsidian. The hard materials have provided it with long-lasting protection, shielding it from external erosion.】

A King's Sarcophagus?

To be called a King suggested the status and position of the owner here were extremely high.

A light flickered in Bai Xuan’s eyes.

The materials of the coffin itself were likely worth a fortune. Such a massive chunk...

But reason soon overrode his brief materialistic desire.

He realized the inspection info only showed the coffin itself and not the situation inside.

Unpredictable risks were the most dangerous.

He could only grip the bent iron rod and hold it across his chest, approaching the open sarcophagus with the smallest of steps, moving extremely slowly.