“Yes, the Jade Yang Spike,” Ni Ren Zhang did not deny.
“The outer formation has already shattered along with the coffin lid. You go ahead and remove her mask while I stay nearby. Then we’ll break the middle formation.”
“The middle formation? What middle formation!” Liu Dashao suddenly felt like he was walking straight into a trap.
“It’s underwater—you’ll see soon enough,” Ni Ren Zhang seemed somewhat dismissive.
“Can’t you speak clearly for once? What exactly is it?” Liu Dashao was growing uneasy. What if the moment he reached out, a bunch of monsters jumped out and devoured him? Who would he even complain to?
“King Yama? Or Lao Tzu?”
“Really want to know?” Ni Ren Zhang smiled for the first time. He suddenly found this kid quite endearing—and quite cowardly.
“Obviously.”
Ni Ren Zhang replied calmly, “If nothing unexpected happens, what’s inside should be the ‘Ranyi Fish!'”
“What?!” Liu Dashao’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Ran… Ranyi Fish?!” Most people wouldn’t know what that meant, but Liu Dashao did—he knew it was something formidable. Like the earlier Jiushi Yin, the Ranyi Fish was also recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas: a fish with a snake’s head, six legs, and eyes like those of a cow. Eating it could prevent nightmares and ward off misfortune. Though brief, this description was thorough enough—a fish with a snake’s head and six legs. Whether it was poisonous remained unknown, but just imagining it was enough to paralyze anyone with fear.
“You scared?” Ni Ren Zhang couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Don’t think the water in the inner coffin looks calm—it’s where these little creatures are sleeping. Once you remove the mask, they’ll all wake up one by one.”
“Scared,” Liu Dashao muttered, rubbing his nose.
“Fine, you remove the mask then! I’ll keep watch and try to leave you with a whole corpse.”
“If I could, I would’ve done it already,” Ni Ren Zhang said coldly with a faint smile. “There’s probably only one person left alive who knows how to use the Jade Yang Spike, and the only thing that can counter the Ranyi Fish is the Full Sun Yang Spike, a treasure of pure yang energy that’s its elemental opposite.”
“You know how to use it?” He tossed the small red spike in his hand.
“Fine, you keep it. Seriously, watch my back—this place gives me the creeps,” Liu Dashao said, pointing to his chest.
“Stop pretending. I know your abilities better than anyone else,” Ni Ren Zhang whispered into Liu Dashao’s ear, “you’re just too good at hiding them—deeply concealed indeed.”
“Everyone else, fall back!” Diao Shu nodded in understanding, waved a hand, and the others retreated several steps, treating the moment like a life-or-death confrontation. Even Fande Biao and Zhong Kui no longer remained at the center of the tomb chamber. Only Ni Ren Zhang and Liu Dashao stood near the golden coffin.
On the water’s surface, the female corpse floated gently, like a jellyfish drifting in the deep sea. The water appeared calm, but Liu Dashao could feel countless terrifying eyes watching him, tracking his every move and thought.
“Ready to take it off?” Liu Dashao dragged out the words.
Ni Ren Zhang nodded.
“Really take it off?!” Liu Dashao extended his hand, then quickly pulled it back. He gathered his courage several times before finally reaching out again. As his fingers drew closer, his breath nearly stopped. His eyes locked onto the silver mask on her pale, flawless face, unable to look away. Everyone’s heart pounded faster with each of his movements.
“Plop… plop…”
Suddenly, Liu Dashao clenched his teeth, shut his eyes tightly, and yanked the silver mask with all his might. In an instant, the mask came off effortlessly. He flung it far away, as if it had teeth that could bite. Without the mask, the woman inside the coffin was suddenly revealed—a stunningly beautiful face, skin white as snow with a faint pinkish glow, a small, delicate nose, and moist, alluring lips slightly parted. If she were alive instead of a corpse, Liu Dashao might have been tempted to kiss her. Everyone was stunned by her unearthly beauty. Her expression was peaceful, as if she were merely sleeping. After a moment without any danger, everyone exhaled in relief, and Liu Dashao’s heart finally settled. But just as he was about to ask Ni Ren Zhang something, the woman’s eyes suddenly flew open. Her large, almond-shaped eyes locked onto him with terrifying intensity. Liu Dashao was so frightened he immediately edged closer to Ni Ren Zhang, trying to escape her suffocating gaze. But the woman seemed to have truly revived—her eyes followed him wherever he moved, as though he were the only person she could see.
“Ni Ren Zhang, what… what’s going on?!” Liu Dashao’s eyes widened.
“Get down!” Before he could recover, Ni Ren Zhang shouted fiercely from behind and forcefully shoved Liu Dashao’s head down.
In the blink of an eye, the inner coffin transformed completely. Countless bubbles, large and small, surged upward, forming vertical liquid columns that rippled across the water’s surface. The ripples grew larger and more chaotic. At the exact moment Liu Dashao’s head was pushed down, a dark shadow suddenly shot up from where he had stood. With a loud snap, it lunged through the air, missing its target and spinning back into the water with a splash. Then, countless more shadows leaped and dove like koi fish leaping over the Dragon Gate.
The tomb robbers erupted into chaos, staring at each other in shock, raising their guns but waiting for Diao Shu’s command. Diao Shu himself grabbed a rifle, lit his pipe, and watched with a grin.
“Good! It really is the Ranyi Fish! Never thought I’d live to see such a mythical creature in my lifetime,” he said, taking a puff of smoke before returning to his role as an observer.
“Uncle Diao, should we join in? Xiao Si still has some explosives in his backpack. If things go bad, we could just blow the whole place up,” Zhong Kui suggested.
“No, no,” Diao Shu shook his head. “These things can’t be dealt with by bullets. Believe me or not, but you’ll regret it if you try. Besides, those two can handle it. We’d only be in the way. Explosives? Hah! You really think of everything. But in this narrow space, surrounded by sand and stone, do you want to bury everyone alive?”
“Uncle Diao, I…” Zhong Kui blushed, embarrassed.
“Just watch the show,” Diao Shu said, then fell silent, as if meditating.
“Hey, you helped stir this mess up. Now what do we do?” Liu Dashao finally regained his senses, anxiously asking as he looked up at the joyfully leaping fish-like creatures.
“Do you know how to draw talismans?” Ni Ren Zhang didn’t even look at him, gripping the Jade Yang Spike tightly as he crouched low.
“Of course I do,” Liu Dashao replied, puzzled by the question at such a critical moment.
“Draw four ‘Zhurong Heart-Calling Talismans’ at the southeast, southwest, south-south, and north-south corners, with the focus on the inner coffin. Can you do it?”
“Wait,” Liu Dashao frowned. “I’ve never even heard of the Zhurong Heart-Calling Talisman.”
“It’s from the Quanzhen Sect!”
Liu Dashao nearly choked. Asking a Zhengyi Dao disciple to draw a Quanzhen talisman—did he really think he was some kind of all-around genius?
“You really think I can do that?” Liu Dashao asked with a helpless grin.
“I didn’t think about it,” Ni Ren Zhang frowned. “Then, does your Zhengyi Sect have any talismans that can summon fire?”
“Alright,” Liu Dashao clapped his hands. “I thought you were going to ask for something super advanced, but it’s just about starting a fire? I’ll give you four blazing infernos—raging, sky-high flames!” He said, signaling to Ni Ren Zhang before pulling something from his pocket and getting to work.
Meanwhile, the water inside the inner coffin kept rising, spilling over the edge within a short time. It seemed those newly awakened little creatures were getting bolder by the second.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage