202: Who is secretly guiding the copper wire patterns?

"Run away!" Yang Mi shouted anxiously.

The statue strode toward him in pursuit. Ye Bai quickly ran forward and soon reached the exit of the Passage.

Just as he pushed open the iron door at the exit, he heard a loud crash. He quickly looked back to see that the statue had collapsed to the ground.

"Hahaha! I won!" Yang Mi laughed happily, as if she hadn't been the one injured just moments ago.

"Don't celebrate too early, or you might get bitten to death," Ye Bai reminded her.

Yang Mi immediately shut her mouth and stared nervously at the statue on the ground.

Ye Bai walked over to inspect the statue and found that it wasn't damaged, merely unconscious. He breathed a sigh of relief, brushed the dust off himself, and said, "It's fine. It shouldn't attack us anymore."

"Then can we take the items now?" Zhang Dada looked at Ye Bai expectantly.

"Yes." Ye Bai led them through the corridor to another open area. This time there were fewer items, consisting of only a few pieces of porcelain and jewelry.

Zhang Dada couldn't wait to pick up the jewelry and stuff it into his pockets, but a green jade pendant caught Ye Bai's attention.

"This jade pendant looks so beautiful."

Ye Bai picked up the jade pendant and examined it closely. The jade had a warm color and a mysterious luster, and the patterns carved on it were delicate and exquisite, as if hiding some secret.

Watching from the side, Zhang Dada's eyes sparkled. "God Ye, this jade pendant must be worth a fortune. Maybe it's some kind of royal treasure!"

Yang Mi also leaned in. "Ye Bai, look at the pattern on this jade pendant; it seems a bit strange."

Ye Bai nodded slightly. He gently traced the patterns on the jade pendant with his finger, falling into deep thought. Suddenly, as if he had realized something, he took the previously discovered copper coin from his backpack and compared the jade pendant with the copper coin.

"Look, some of the lines on this jade pendant seem to correspond with the patterns on the copper coin," Ye Bai said.

Zhang Dada scratched his head. "What does that prove? Could they be part of a set?"

Ye Bai stood up and looked around. "This place is becoming more and more mysterious. We have to be careful; this jade pendant might be the key to unlocking a certain secret."

They continued forward. The Passage became increasingly narrow, allowing only one person to pass through sideways. Zhang Dada grumbled at the front, "Why is this path getting harder to walk? There won't be another trap, will there?"

Yang Mi said nervously from behind, "Don't jinx us. Just walk carefully."

Ye Bai walked at the very back, his gaze always alertly observing his surroundings. Suddenly, he heard a faint 'buzzing' sound, as if some machinery was operating.

"Stop!" Ye Bai shouted in a low voice.

Zhang Dada and Yang Mi stopped immediately and asked nervously, "What's wrong, God Ye?"

Ye Bai listened intently. The sound seemed to be coming from inside the wall. He tapped the wall lightly with his hand and found that it sounded hollow.

"There might be something behind this wall," Ye Bai said.

Hearing this, Zhang Dada became excited. "Is it more treasure? God Ye, quickly find if there's a mechanism to open this wall."

Ye Bai began to carefully feel along the wall. Suddenly, he touched a small protrusion. He pressed it gently, and the wall slowly rotated, revealing a Secret Chamber.

A faint fragrance permeated the Secret Chamber, which contained some ancient scrolls and various bottles and jars. Zhang Dada said disappointedly, "There's no gold or silver jewelry. What's the use of these scrolls?"

Ye Bai entered the Secret Chamber, picked up a scroll, and gently opened it. The writing on the scroll was ancient and obscure; after looking at it for a long time, he only recognized a few characters.

"These scrolls might record the history and secrets of this Ancient Tomb," Ye Bai said.

Yang Mi also picked one up and looked at it. "But we can't understand them."

Just then, the lights in the Secret Chamber suddenly went out, plunging the surroundings into darkness. Zhang Dada cried out in fear, "What's happening? God Ye, I'm so scared!"

Ye Bai said calmly, "Don't panic. We might have triggered some mechanism. Everyone, don't move."

He took a lighter out of his backpack and flicked it on. The weak flame flickered in the darkness, illuminating a small area. Suddenly, they heard the sound of footsteps, as if someone was slowly approaching.

"Who? Who's there?" Yang Mi asked with a trembling voice.

The footsteps grew closer, but no one answered. Ye Bai gripped the sword in his hand and stared in one direction into the darkness. Suddenly, a figure appeared in the firelight—a person wearing ancient clothing, but their face was obscured.

"Who are you?" Ye Bai asked.

The figure didn't speak, only standing there quietly. Zhang Dada mustered his courage, picked up a stone, and threw it at the figure. The stone passed right through the figure and landed on the ground without any reaction.

"This... what's going on?" Zhang Dada said in terror.

Ye Bai stepped forward, wanting to see the figure more clearly.

As he drew near, the figure suddenly vanished.

Immediately after, the lights in the Secret Chamber turned back on.

"What on earth is happening? Ye Bai, I feel like we've encountered a ghost," Yang Mi said, crying.

Ye Bai shook his head. "It can't be a ghost. This must be some kind of mechanism or hallucination within the Ancient Tomb. Let's keep looking for clues."

They began to study the scrolls again.

Ye Bai noticed that the paper material of one scroll was different from the others. He examined it carefully and found a hidden compartment on the back of the scroll.

He cautiously opened the compartment, and a piece of parchment fell out.

A map was drawn on the parchment, marked with strange symbols and routes.

Seeing the map, Zhang Dada said excitedly, "God Ye, is this a map to get out? Or a map to find more treasure?"

Ye Bai looked at the map, pondering. "I'm not sure, but this is definitely an important clue. Let's try following the route on the map."

They followed the route marked on the map out of the Secret Chamber and continued through the Passage. Strange sounds echoed from time to time, making their hearts race with fear.

As they walked, they arrived at a massive Tomb Chamber. There were many stone coffins inside, all carved with various patterns. Zhang Dada curiously wanted to open one.

Ye Bai stopped him immediately. "Don't touch anything. These stone coffins might be dangerous."

Yang Mi looked around the Tomb Chamber and suddenly discovered a painting on the wall.

The painting depicted a person holding a jade pendant, standing in front of a palace.

"Ye Bai, look at this painting. Is this jade pendant the same as the one we found?" Yang Mi shouted.

Ye Bai walked over to look at the painting, his gaze becoming even more solemn. "It seems this jade pendant is very closely related to this Ancient Tomb. We must keep it safe."

Just then, the stone coffins in the Tomb Chamber began to vibrate violently, and the Coffin Lids slowly opened. A cloud of black smoke billowed out from the stone coffins, quickly filling the entire Tomb Chamber.