Zhou Lin, however, had no interest in watching these people betray each other. He walked onto the altar and looked at the destroyed statue.
Then, he took out the Azure Dragon Sword and smashed the statue.
He swept it horizontally across the ground.
A deep pit appeared, and a current of air rose from within.
"Is this the entrance?"
Captain Zhao walked over and happened to see Zhou Lin looking at the statue.
"Yes, we still have to wait. We can't go down yet, there's marsh gas inside."
Zhou Lin sniffed the air. There was a faint, pungent odor.
"Alright, but why… why are you unaffected?"
Captain Zhao felt a chill of terror recalling the bone-gnawing pain he had just experienced.
"I am a cultivator, these things are ineffective against me. As for these snakes…"
Zhou Lin looked at the snakes by the side with a hint of regret.
"Professor, aren't you planning to study them? These cells are quite rare."
Zhou Lin asked softly after observing the scene.
Professor Xuanxue and Hodge were taken aback.
Professor Fang was also surprised, his gaze snapping to the corpses of the large snakes and some intact chunks of flesh nearby.
"That's right, we should take some back."
Professor Fang slapped his forehead in realization and led some mercenaries to the location of the large snakes, intending to retrieve some meat.
Jingxia and Zuolin also planned to take some back, considering it a worthwhile gain.
"Professors, you can take them, but remember to give me the snake meat when we get out. I will use my Daoist arts to seal it. Otherwise, these snakes carry a curse. If it's unleashed, you'll be cursed again, and it won't be worth it."
Zhou Lin's words were subtly veiled, yet they served as a warning to the people from Sakura Country.
However, Hodge noticed the slyness in Zhou Lin's eyes and felt a surge of amusement.
"This is a good idea, but I don't want to share it with them."
As expected, Jingxia and Zuolin froze in place as they were about to act. The pain of the curse was still a vivid reminder of their recent ordeal.
The people from Sakura Country abandoned their intentions.
In the live stream.
"Haha, why aren't you taking them? Go on, take more! If you're not afraid of dying, go ahead!"
"Haha, this big shot is amazing. I'm scared just watching. It's truly terrifying."
"Are you people from Great Xia doing this on purpose?"
"You are despicable! How dare you deceive our professors like this? Aren't you afraid of retribution? We also participated in this, why can't we take it?"
"Are you sick? When did we say you couldn't take it? But you're too afraid to. Who are you blaming? Go ahead and take it! It's a curse, and I don't know if you can handle it."
...
In the Dean's conference room.
"Haha, Zhou Lin is so wicked! I think he did this on purpose."
Professor Hu burst into laughter, feeling a sense of wicked glee.
"But these people are too fearful. They don't dare to touch it even if they know it's a trap. This is psychological warfare."
Professor Wen smiled wryly.
"Perhaps none of us have experienced the pain of this thing. Looking at it now, it's understandable. Even if you forget the pain once you're healed, they won't forget it so quickly."
The Dean looked at the large screen and spoke slowly.
Everyone agreed with his sentiment.
Inside the tomb.
The group observed that the entrance was almost ready.
Captain Zhao led his men to test the waters, and after confirming it was safe, he called for the others to descend.
As everyone came down one by one, Hodge and Professor Xuanxue looked at the surrounding flowers and plants...
They immediately felt something was amiss.
How could these things be growing in here?
"Are these flowers? How can flowers grow in here? And so vibrant. Most importantly…"
"What color is this?"
Hodge looked at the flowers in confusion. Their color seemed to be a dark green?
"Why are the flowers dark green? What kind of flowers are they?"
Professor Xuanxue found these flowers very eerie.
Zhou Lin glanced at the fresh flowers and then at Captain Zhao.
"Put on your gas masks."
Zhou Lin cautioned them again, his gaze lingering on the others.
Captain Zhao and the other mercenaries donned their gas masks, and each had a spare to give to the students.
These were specially prepared before entering the tomb, intended for such a situation, and it seemed they were truly needed.
The mercenaries handed their spare masks to the archaeological team and followed Zhou Lin.
Zhou Lin, with his bloodline enhancement, was immune to all poisons, rendering these things ineffective against him.
The mercenaries from Sakura Valley looked at the masks with some hesitation. They had spares, but not many.
The students and professors appeared somewhat troubled.
"Who should we give these to?"
A mercenary whispered, urgently asking Captain Songlin.
"Take all of these. As for the masks, give them to the students. The students are the priority. We should have enough spares."
Songlin deliberately ignored Jingxia's pleading gaze. He wondered how this fellow had become a professor.
Jingxia's heart burned with anger as he looked at the scene before him.
"Songlin…"
Jingxia shouted at Songlin.
Songlin handed the items he was holding to a student nearby.
He didn't even spare Jingxia a glance.
In the live stream.
"To be fair, Songlin is a sensible person, it's just a shame he's from Sakura Country."
"This choice is correct. These are the flowers of our nation, and it's normal to protect them."
"Yes, shouldn't students be the priority?"
"But professors are people too. Is this too arbitrary? Are you people from Great Xia just watching for entertainment?"
"That's our business, not yours from Great Xia. You have no right to comment. What are you?"
"You people from Sakura Country are truly disgusting."
"You've already done it, so why are you afraid of what others say? This is hilarious."
...
Inside the tomb.
"Let's go. There's nothing for us here. What they do is their business, not ours."
Zhou Lin's eyes darkened as he looked at the people from Sakura Country and spoke slowly.
This was their affair, and others shouldn't interfere. At this moment, it was each person for themselves.
"Understood."
Captain Zhao looked at Zhou Lin and gestured to the mercenaries behind him. They followed closely.
They moved deeper inside, and the flowers became more numerous. Their color was truly horrifying.
"What kind of flowers are these? Why do they have such flowers? The blossoms on them look like skulls!"
Professor Fang had never seen such flowers before.