Bai Ye moved forward rapidly, using the frost to slow the nine small dragons and weaving through them. The sawtooth blade in his hand swung swiftly, striking them down in succession.
Upon being struck, the nine small dragons emitted wisps of golden smoke and quickly dissipated.
Having struck successfully, Bai Ye did not pause but moved swiftly towards the colored lantern.
This was because vanquishing the materialized nine small dragons was meaningless. As long as the Nine Dragon Yin-Yang Candle was not extinguished, the nine small dragons projected by the colored lantern would continuously appear and attack Bai Ye. Therefore, Bai Ye needed a time window.
He needed to exploit the gap created between the destruction of the nine small dragons and their subsequent re-materialization to extinguish the Nine Dragon Yin-Yang Candle.
This was Bai Ye's thought and his action. He swiftly reached the bottom of the colored lantern, leaped up, and swept his sawtooth blade forcefully, slicing off a section of the lantern's top. The Nine Dragon Yin-Yang Candle within was then revealed.
However, the moment Bai Ye intended to extinguish the Nine Dragon Yin-Yang Candle...
A dragon's roar erupted!
A materialized small dragon once again emerged from the colored lantern, opening its maw towards Bai Ye. Immediately after, a golden radiance spewed from the dragon's mouth, striking Bai Ye squarely in the chest.
In that instant, Bai Ye felt as if he had been hit by a colossal hammer. He was sent flying backward, crashing against the wall behind him with a thud.
Bai Ye slid down the wall, and just as he landed on the ground, the small dragon attacked again. Its two whiskers twitched, its mouth opened, and another golden beam shot out towards Bai Ye.
Bai Ye quickly pushed off the ground and leaped to the side.
*Boom!*
The golden beam struck the wall, blasting a hole directly through it.
And this was merely the beginning, for the second small dragon had also materialized.
The moment the dragon appeared, its body writhed. Its tail swept forward, and a golden ring flew out, sharp as a razor. It grazed Bai Ye's cheek before striking the wall behind him, leaving a deep gash.
Simultaneously...
The third small dragon also began to reappear.
Continuing like this, extinguishing the Nine Dragon Yin-Yang Candle would become incredibly difficult. Using the same tactic a second time might not be effective, and the nine small dragons might not grant Bai Ye another opportunity to freeze them.
Fortunately, Bai Ye had a backup plan!
"Ning Shuang, Ice Wall!"
The Ning Shuang Sword flew towards Bai Ye, and a wave of cold air spread out, turning the tomb chamber into a blur of white.
A wall of ice rose from the ground, but this time, it did not appear in front of Bai Ye.
This was because the ice wall was not meant for defense!
The ice wall manifested... beneath Bai Ye's feet!
Bai Ye's body was instantly lifted by the ice wall, dodging the attack. As the ice wall reached its apex, Bai Ye suddenly leaped forward, soaring over the two small dragons. He then grabbed the porcelain bottle containing the Yin-Yang Qian Yuan Water and hurled it forward.
*Crack!*
The porcelain bottle shattered against the wall above the colored lantern, and the Yin-Yang Qian Yuan Water within spilled out, landing directly on the Nine Dragon Yin-Yang Candle!
The Nine Dragon Yin-Yang Candle emitted a "hissing" sound. The flames flickered, then grew weaker, and finally extinguished completely.
As the Nine Dragon Yin-Yang Candle died out, the surrounding materialized small dragons vanished without a trace.
"You have successfully extinguished the Nine Dragon Yin-Yang Candle in the tomb chamber. Reward: Golden-Thread Robe x1."
Beneath the colored lantern, a hidden compartment suddenly opened, revealing a neatly placed Golden-Thread Robe.
Concurrently...
Bai Ye landed back on the ground, rolling to absorb the impact.
Throwing the porcelain bottle was indeed risky; if it had missed its mark, the consequences would have been dire. However, given the situation, it was the simplest and most direct method. Moreover, anticipating a potential miss, Bai Ye had made some preparations beforehand.
Therefore, Bai Ye was now...
"Ugh!"
Bai Ye vomited, leaning against the wall.
Since there were no other containers for the Yin-Yang Qian Yuan Water, Bai Ye had taken a mouthful beforehand to store some in his mouth.
However, the substance was far more potent than he had imagined. It tasted like a mixture of Banlangen and snake grass water, overwhelming his senses. For a moment, Bai Ye even thought he saw his long-deceased grandfather waving at him from the clouds.
After squatting in the corner and retching for a while, Bai Ye finally felt a bit better. He rinsed his mouth and then approached the Golden-Thread Robe.
The Golden-Thread Robe was a blue and white ancient martial robe. The so-called "golden threads" referred to actual gold embroidery around the hem of the robe, adding a touch of luxury to the otherwise heroic-looking garment.
Golden-Thread Robe (Top) (Blue): "Urge you not to cherish the golden-thread robe, urge you to cherish your youth." Effects: Physique (Strength, Constitution, Speed +10 points), Martial Prowess (When using martial arts, its power increases by 10%), Immortality Seek (When using Taoist magic, its casting speed increases by 10%).
Bai Ye surveyed the effects of the Golden-Thread Robe with considerable satisfaction. Aside from anything else, the fact that wearing it would increase his Strength, Constitution, and Speed by 10 points alone proved its value, not to mention the increased power for martial arts and Taoist magic.
However, as Bai Ye lifted the hem of the robe, he saw a pair of dirty, hole-ridden jeans. The combination felt rather incongruous.
It reminded him of those street performers under the overpass who held "Serve the People" inscribed bowls and performed performance art.
"The King of Huai Nan is truly something. He gives me clothes but doesn't even bother to include a pair of pants."
After sighing, Bai Ye lowered the hem of the robe and turned to leave the tomb chamber.
Forbidden Zone Quests One and Two were now complete. The next objective was undoubtedly the most crucial: Quest Three...
To obtain the Five-Spirit Disk!
Exiting the tomb chamber, Bai Ye quickly returned to the main passage.
After walking a dozen meters, he saw several slain child corpses and, further ahead, some normal-sized paper figures that had been torn to shreds.
These were the guardian spirits of the King of Huai Nan's tomb. It was clear that as people pushed forward, they had dealt with these spirits along the way.
This was one of the reasons Bai Ye had deliberately let others proceed first. Bai Ye had already completed his mission of killing fifteen guardian spirits. Since that was the case, he welcomed others clearing the path for him.
...