246: Indeed, the ultimate goal of tomb raiding is metaphysics.

He opened the two iron boxes and handed two candles to Meng Ziyi.

"Stay here for now; I'm going out to check the situation. If there's any danger, call out to me," Ye Bai instructed.

Meng Ziyi nodded.

Ye Bai took the Iron Rod and rushed out of the cave.

Outside the cave, the gale howled, making leaves dance wildly.

Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi were shivering inside the cave.

The two girls' faces were as pale as paper.

Outside the cave, there were two skeletons, long since frozen stiff.

"These two sets of remains were trapped here," Ye Bai sighed.

The two skeletons had been severely eroded by the wind.

"They must be Tomb Robbers," Ye Bai said. "The Ancient Tomb is full of mechanisms; they couldn't get near the Tomb Chamber and could only wander around the entrance, eventually stumbling into this cave by mistake."

Yang Mi nodded.

Ye Bai took the flashlight out of his pocket and illuminated the surroundings.

This cave wasn't very large.

He walked through the whole cave but didn't see any other caverns or hidden compartments.

"This is a solitary grave," Meng Ziyi murmured. "Could the tomb owner really have led us here?"

Ye Bai pondered.

"Are you sure this is the Tomb Chamber?" Meng Ziyi asked again.

"This is the largest Tomb Chamber. There is a strong presence of Yin Qi inside."

Ye Bai said, "I think it is the Tomb Chamber."

Yang Mi nodded.

She also agreed with Ye Bai's judgment.

She believed Ye Bai's words.

The three discussed for a moment, then Meng Ziyi said, "Let's head back. It's late, and we have to travel tomorrow; let's not delay our business."

"Alright."

The two prepared to go back.

Suddenly, a strange sound came from outside the cave.

The sound was like some kind of animal running.

"It's wolves," Ye Bai said.

Wolves are very dangerous creatures; Ye Bai had fought them before and knew their cruelty and bloodthirstiness well.

And now, they had actually broken in!

Yang Mi was stunned with fear.

Ye Bai picked up the Iron Rod and stared outside vigilantly.

"Awoo—" The howling of the wolf pack drew closer and closer.

They sprinted through the mountain forest, letting out deafening roars.

Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi's legs went weak from fear.

"Where are they?" Meng Ziyi asked, her lips trembling.

"Outside in the forest." Ye Bai pointed to a spot. "Look at this rock wall. They likely came in from there, leaving paw prints along the way."

"Oh."

"By now, they should have already pounced on the Iron Cage," Ye Bai said.

Inside the Iron Cage were food and water. The starving wolves would definitely attack them.

"Awoo—"

The howling of the beasts outside became clearer and clearer.

Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi were terrified, barely able to stand.

"Don't panic, you two," Ye Bai comforted them. "These wolves are organized and disciplined. Once they've raided the food and water, they'll retreat. We don't need to worry."

"Oh."

The two gradually calmed down.

They huddled together into a ball.

The howling outside drew closer step by step.

Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi could even smell a faint stench of blood and decay.

Involuntarily, goosebumps broke out all over their bodies.

Ye Bai held his breath and focused, listening carefully to the pack's movements.

"Thud, thud, thud!"

The wolf pack finally stepped onto the muddy ground beside the Iron Cage.

Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi screamed uncontrollably in fear.

However, the wolves didn't rush forward immediately.

They stopped about five meters from the Iron Cage, snarling continuously.

Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi widened their eyes and saw a sight they would never forget.

Beside the Iron Cage, a crack appeared. It wasn't very wide, about half a foot or so.

Two paws reached out from the crack.

The paws were slender and clean, as white as jade, translucent and cold.

These were tiger claws!

"Screech—" A sharp, piercing cry cut through the night sky, causing a splitting headache.

Those two sharp claws suddenly grabbed the Iron Cage.

The Iron Cage creaked and groaned as if it were about to shatter.

The Wolf King is here!

Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi were overwhelmed with terror.

"Ah!"

"Help—"

Both girls were crying, at a loss for what to do.

Then, Yang Mi saw a scene that left her dumbfounded.

A massive and powerful Grey-furred Black Panther leapt from the crack into the Iron Cage.

Its claws gripped the Iron Cage tightly, while another paw slammed onto the ground.

The ground immediately sank several inches.

The Iron Cage was pressed back by it.

"Crack!" The crack widened again, and the iron bars deformed.

It bit the other end of the Iron Chain and pulled the Iron Cage out of the crack.

Then, it tore with such force that it actually snapped the Iron Chain.

Before the chain broke, a section of a black wooden stake was revealed.

"Squeak—" It released the Iron Cage.

That was a coffin board!

Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi's eyes widened in surprise.

"This..."

"Whose coffin is this?"

"Why is a panther helping?"

Ye Bai glanced at Meng Ziyi and smiled. "How do you know everything?"

"Because I like studying antiques," Meng Ziyi said.

Ye Bai smiled.

The iron door had opened, and a corner of the wooden board inside had been torn away, revealing the Coffin Lid.

A wave of cold air rushed toward them.

Inside the coffin lay another coffin and a Bronze Box.

Ye Bai, Yang Mi, and Meng Ziyi exchanged glances, all stunned.

Ye Bai crouched down.

The torn part of the wooden board revealed a gap.

Ye Bai brushed away the wood chips.

Lying inside was a skeleton.

The skin on the skeleton was perfectly preserved.

Ye Bai gently touched the skeleton, feeling the texture of its skin.

"So hard, almost like steel," Ye Bai whispered. "It's made of stone."

With that, he lifted the Coffin Lid to examine the interior.

The inside of the coffin was packed with stone materials.

Layer upon layer, they were densely packed, appearing to weigh at least several hundred catties.

The texture of the stone was exquisite. They were arranged like works of art, magnificent and beautiful.

"These stones can be sold for money!" Yang Mi said.

Meng Ziyi agreed, "These are top-quality Raw Stones. They are worth a fortune."

Ye Bai nodded.

Yang Mi got excited. "Raw Stones in this world are quite rare; they're world-class treasures!

We're so lucky to have dug up a stone house in a godforsaken place like this."

But Ye Bai shook his head.

"No, more than just stones are buried here," Ye Bai said. "Humans are buried here."

"Hmm?"

"These stones were for the dead," Ye Bai said. "Buried here are two ancient military officers, a noble, and an emperor."

"How do you know?" Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi were both stunned.

Ye Bai smiled. "A guess."

"That's impossible!" Yang Mi said. "If people were buried here, there wouldn't be absolutely no trace."

"Let's go out first," Ye Bai said. "We'll talk once we're out."

The three climbed out.

This Ancient Tomb was indeed not simple.

This series of events left the viewers in the Live Stream Room completely dumbfounded.

[Totoro's Buddies]: "Whose tomb is this? It actually buries two officers and a noble... My family's ancestral grave has an old lady buried in it; I wonder if I can trade her for money?"

[The Stars in the Sky are Shining Brightly]: "Do you dare? If you do, your mother will kill you!"