213: Swarms of corpse beetles, triggering mechanisms.

Hearing Yang Mi's tearful inquiry, Ye Bai slightly turned his head to glance at her. A hint of imperceptible softness flashed in his eyes, but he quickly returned to his usual sternness, stating in a deep voice, "I'm not sure, but it's better than waiting for death."

Zhang Dada was trembling on the side, constantly muttering, "I wish I never came. Oh my god, if I get out of here alive, I must go eat a huge meal to reward myself."

Although Meng Ziyi also looked fearful, she forced herself to remain calm and comforted Yang Mi, "Mi Mi, don't be afraid. We will definitely get out if we follow Ye Bai."

The group struggled forward in the narrow Passage, the light from the flashlight in Ye Bai's hand swaying in the darkness. Suddenly, a "rustling" sound came from ahead, as if something was crawling. Yang Mi grabbed Meng Ziyi's arm in terror, her voice trembling, "Are those Zombies chasing us?"

Ye Bai stopped and shone the flashlight ahead, only to see a swarm of small black insects surging forward like a tide. "No good, they're Corpse Beetles!" Ye Bai cried out softly.

Zhang Dada's face turned pale with fright. "Corpse Beetles? Don't they eat people?"

Ye Bai quickly took out a bottle of Insect Repellent Powder from his backpack and sprinkled it in a circle around them. The Corpse Beetles stopped when they approached the edge of the powder and began circling. "Hurry up, this repellent powder won't last long," Ye Bai said.

The group quickened their pace and finally arrived at a slightly wider hall. Inside the hall were four massive Stone Pillars, covered in strange symbols and patterns. Yang Mi curiously approached one Stone Pillar, wanting to see the patterns clearly. Ye Bai, however, pulled her back abruptly. "Don't touch anything. mechanisms are everywhere here."

Meng Ziyi looked at Ye Bai, a hint of admiration in her eyes. "Ye Bai, how do you know so much? Did you often raid tombs before?" Ye Bai rolled his eyes at her. "I just have some research into history and archaeology; this is not Tomb Raiding."

Just then, the floor of the hall suddenly began to shake, and a Stone Platform slowly rose up in the center. On the Stone Platform lay an exquisite box.

Zhang Dada's eyes lit up. "This box must contain treasure! Maybe it's some peerless rarity." As he spoke, he tried to step forward to take it.

Ye Bai stopped him immediately. "Are you tired of living? This is very likely a trap designed to trigger a mechanism." Zhang Dada reluctantly pulled his hand back. "But maybe there's something inside that can help us get out."

Ye Bai carefully observed the Stone Platform and the box, noticing a small hole on the box that was similar in shape to the copper plaque they had found. His heart stirred. He took out the copper plaque and carefully inserted it into the hole. When the copper plaque was fully inserted, the box made a soft "click" sound and slowly opened.

Inside lay a worn Ancient Book. Ye Bai picked up the Ancient Book and gently flipped it open; the writing was ancient and obscure. Yang Mi leaned over and asked, "What does it say?"

Ye Bai shook his head. "I can't read it yet, but it should be related to the secrets of this Ancient Tomb."

Suddenly, many Dark Arrow Holes appeared on the walls of the hall, startling everyone. Ye Bai quickly put the Ancient Book back into the box and pulled Yang Mi behind a Stone Pillar. Dark arrows shot out like rain, several flying past right next to them.

"What should we do? We're going to be trapped here!" Meng Ziyi said anxiously. Ye Bai observed the surroundings while considering a countermeasure. He noticed some protruding stones on the Stone Pillars that seemed to be arranged in a specific sequence.

Ye Bai shouted to Zhang Dada, "Go to the third Stone Pillar from the left, and press those protruding stones in order from top to bottom." Zhang Dada hesitated, "What if that triggers a mechanism?" Ye Bai said impatiently, "If we don't try, we'll all die here."

Zhang Dada gritted his teeth and cautiously walked toward the Stone Pillar, pressing the stones according to Ye Bai's instructions. A miracle occurred: the dark arrows gradually stopped firing.

Everyone sighed in relief. Ye Bai continued to study the Ancient Book. He found that the paper of the Ancient Book seemed to have been specially treated; under the light of the flashlight, some hidden patterns appeared. These patterns seemed to have some connection with the layout of the Stone Pillars in the hall.

Ye Bai stood up and paced around the hall, constantly pondering the relationship between the patterns and the Stone Pillars. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his mind: "I know! The positions of these Stone Pillars are arranged according to the Bagua Formation. We need to rotate the Stone Pillars according to the hints in the Ancient Book."

Thus, under Ye Bai's command, everyone worked together to rotate the Stone Pillars. When the last Stone Pillar was turned into place, one side of the hall wall slowly opened, revealing a new Passage.

Ye Bai was the first to enter the Passage, followed closely by the others. A pungent odor filled the Passage, and some fluorescent substances shimmered on the walls.

As they walked, Yang Mi felt the ground give way beneath her feet, and her body plummeted downward. "Ah!" she screamed in terror.

Ye Bai reacted quickly, turning around and grabbing Yang Mi's hand. "Don't panic!" Zhang Dada and Meng Ziyi also rushed over to help and pulled Yang Mi up.

Yang Mi was so frightened her face was pale, and tears welled up in her eyes. Meng Ziyi softly comforted her, "It's alright, Mi Mi."

Continuing forward, they arrived in front of a massive Pool. The water in the Pool was a strange, dark green color, and mist hung over the surface. Ye Bai picked up a stone and threw it into the water; the stone instantly vanished without a ripple.

"There's something wrong with this water," Ye Bai said. Zhang Dada scratched his head. "Then how are we supposed to get across?"

Ye Bai observed the area around the Pool and noticed a Stone Door on the opposite bank. After thinking for a moment, he took a Rope from his backpack and forcefully swung it toward a stone on the opposite side; the Rope successfully wrapped around it. Ye Bai tested the Rope's stability, then told the others, "I'll go first. Follow me one by one."

Ye Bai held the Rope and carefully slid toward the opposite bank. Just as he was about to reach the other side, a massive Tentacle suddenly stretched out from the water and coiled toward Ye Bai. Ye Bai quickly drew the Dagger from his waist and severed the Tentacle. Green blood splashed onto the water, making a sizzling sound.

"Ye Bai, are you okay?" Yang Mi cried out worriedly. Ye Bai shouted back, "I'm fine, be careful."

The others crossed the Rope one by one to reach the opposite bank. Ye Bai walked toward the Stone Door and found a circular groove on it that perfectly matched the size of their copper plaque. Ye Bai placed the copper plaque into the groove, and the Stone Door slowly opened.

A stretch of profound darkness appeared within the Stone Door.

The group cautiously stepped through the Stone Door, which immediately closed again, letting out a heavy grinding sound.

Everyone carefully walked out of the darkness. The environment here was even gloomier than outside. Using the faint light from his Phone screen, Ye Bai could barely make out that this was a room resembling a warehouse, filled with various miscellaneous goods.