Chapter 105: The Gravekeepers

Princess Anping’s Tomb, Seventh Level, Fourth Trial.

Three flashes of light flickered. Li Yan, Tang Feng, and Imperial Inspector Liu suddenly appeared inside a burial chamber.

Along the surrounding walls, ever-burning lanterns abruptly lit up, dispelling the darkness.

The three of them turned their heads to observe their surroundings and found that the secret chamber was square-shaped, approximately 100 square meters in size. However, the furnishings within were extremely simple.

To their right stood a wooden pushcart covered in dust, about two meters high. Its design strongly resembled the carts ancient vendors used to sell snacks or pastries.

Behind the cart was a tomb passage, above which two large words were inscribed—Poison Chamber.

To their left was an entire wall of copper mirrors. Under the dim yellow glow of the lanterns, their reflections appeared within the mirrors—slightly distorted, eerie, and unsettling.

At the center of the copper mirror wall was another tomb passage, also inscribed with two large words —Soul Chamber.

Ahead of them, about ten meters away, stood an iron-barred gate. The passage beyond it stretched deep and winding, ascending into utter darkness, making it impossible to see the end.

At the center of the iron gate was a small square opening, about the size of a ventilation window. To the left of this opening hung a wooden plaque with three words inscribed—Drop-off Point.

The three of them took in their surroundings but refrained from speaking first, choosing instead to wait in silence.

Sure enough, after about ten seconds, they all simultaneously heard the Star Gate’s notification.

[Players, welcome to the fourth trial of Princess Anping’s Tomb. To receive a powerful inheritance, you must first possess the courage to move forward even when faced with overwhelming odds. Thus, this trial is named—”Courage.”]

[A long time ago, a group of tomb raiders came here, foolishly attempting to open Princess Anping’s eternal resting place and steal the Human Emperor Seal. However, they had not anticipated the presence of an “extraterrestrial visitor” who had taken over this place. With merely a single body as its vessel, it buried all the tomb raiders and imprisoned their souls, preventing them from moving on as punishment.]

Hearing this, Li Yan’s expression darkened as if recalling something unpleasant.

[The lingering souls of those despicable tomb raiders have wandered here for ages, attracting many evil entities from Qingliang Mountain. This trial revolves around this premise.]

[There are three gravekeepers for this trial. You must enter the Soul Chamber and use the Soul-Binding Rope to capture 108 ghost souls. You must also use a suona inside the Poison Chamber to capture 3,600 evil spirits. Finally, you must drop both the ghosts and the evil spirits into the Path of Rebirth through the Drop-off Point to complete the trial.]

[The gravekeeper badges, the Soul-Binding Rope, and the suona are all placed on the vendor cart. Once you pick up a badge and wear it on your waist, the trial will officially begin. Keep in mind: To pass this trial, you must drop off exactly 108 ghost souls and 3,600 evil spirits—not one more, not one less. Failure to meet the exact count will result in total elimination of your faction.]

[Special Reminder: This trial has a time limit of six hours. Any faction that completes the task first will gain a tremendous advantage, greatly increasing their likelihood of ultimate victory.]

[Now, let the trial begin, gravekeepers.]

As the Star Gate’s cold voice gradually faded, the three slowly opened their eyes.

Tang Feng immediately scanned the surroundings and cautiously remarked, “From what we see right now, this trial doesn’t seem too difficult—it’s mostly a matter of speed and competition. But knowing the Star Gate’s twisted nature, who knows if the rules will change later?”

“I can tell you a way to stop worrying about that,” Imperial Inspector Liu said, hands clasped behind his back.

“How?” Tang Feng asked, curious.

“Just don’t think about the rules. Whatever changes happen, let them happen. I wouldn’t even notice.” Imperial Inspector Liu’s response was profound in its simplicity.

Hearing such a seemingly simple-minded remark, Tang Feng found himself unable to refute it. Instead, he nodded in agreement. “A great sword has no edge; without a move, one can overcome all moves… That actually makes sense.”

“So, what should we do now?” Imperial Inspector Liu asked seriously.

“Damn.” Li Yan almost lost it upon hearing this. “One talking nonsense, the other believing it blindly—unbelievable.”

With that, he strode towards the vendor’s cart.

As the three of them moved closer, the objects on the cart gradually came into view.

A long, pitch-black chain.
A seemingly ordinary suona.
And four wooden plaques stacked together.

“This is the Soul-Binding Rope?” Imperial Inspector Liu picked up the chain. It was ice-cold to the touch, sending a piercing chill through his hand.

Yet, strangely enough, despite being as thick as an adult’s wrist and over two and a half meters long, the chain didn’t feel particularly heavy.

Beside him, Tang Feng reached out and picked up the suona, fiddling with it curiously.
“…Playing a horn? That’s not exactly my specialty! Chief Historian, you frequent the spa houses—do you know how to blow this?”

“When I go there, do I even need to blow it myself? How much of an addict would I have to be?” Li Yan replied with an exasperated look. His eyes then fell on the four wooden plaques on the cart, his expression puzzled.
“Are these nameplates? Why are there four of them? There are only three of us…”

Shff!

As he spoke, Li Yan casually picked up a plaque and flipped it over—it read Grave Keeper.

“Old Liu, you grab one too. This round is all about speed; stop dawdling.” Tang Feng set down the suona and reached for another plaque, which also bore the words Grave Keeper.

Urged by the others, Imperial Inspector Liu grabbed at the plaque on the far right—but it didn’t budge.
“…What the hell?”

Tang Feng and Li Yan, intrigued, also tried to pick up the immovable plaque, only to find that they couldn’t lift it either.

“It won’t open…”

Tang Feng pondered for a moment.
“Maybe it’s not time to use this plaque yet. No need to waste time on it. Old Liu, take the other one.”

Shff!

Imperial Inspector Liu immediately reached for the adjacent plaque—this time, he lifted it with ease.
Flipping it over, he saw the same words: Grave Keeper.

“So, do we just put these on and get started?” Imperial Inspector Liu asked.

Li Yan glanced at Tang Feng.
“There are only 108 souls—relatively few. Should we head to the Soul Chamber first?”

“Sounds good,” Tang Feng agreed.

“I say we split up; it’ll be faster that way,” Imperial Inspector Liu suggested bluntly.

“Do you even know what’s inside? When things are uncertain, sticking together is the best choice,” Tang Feng shot him a sidelong look and advised in a solemn tone,
“Just focus on your job as political commissar. Provide some emotional support when needed, and the rest of the time—keep your mouth shut.”

“Oh.”

Imperial Inspector Liu, despite his reckless demeanor, was quite self-aware when it came to his weaknesses. He took the advice without complaint.

With the plan settled, the three wasted no more time. They fastened the Grave Keeper nameplates to their waists and headed directly for the Soul Chamber on the left.

…

In the mirror space.

“I swear! I don’t care if the one who designed this damn tomb is a gate spirit, a door god, or some so-called divine entity—if I ever get my hands on them, I’ll have Old Liu twist them into noodles.”

Ren Ye sat cross-legged on the ground, grinding his teeth in frustration.

Ever since Li Yan and the others received their mission, he could no longer hear their conversations—the Star Gate had muted them completely.

What a dirty trick!

Originally, Ren Ye had planned to analyze their dialogue for clues about the next challenge, but now? He was stuck watching a silent play.

Still, he had noticed the group’s actions when picking up the nameplates. He ran through the details in his mind.

“Three people, four nameplates… From my perspective, this feels like a subtle hint… I wonder if those three picked up on it.”

…

In the dark tomb passage.

Li Yan led the way, Imperial Inspector Liu took the middle, and Tang Feng covered the rear.

After advancing about twenty meters, they turned into another chamber.

Step!

At that moment, Li Yan suddenly halted. The flames of his torch abruptly turned blue, flickering erratically.

Behind him, Imperial Inspector Liu lifted his head, scanning the surroundings. He saw that the burial chamber was vast, resembling an empty broadcast studio—large enough to hold four to five hundred people with ease.

However, at the center of the chamber stretched a deep, impossibly wide chasm. Even with a running start, no adult could possibly leap from one side to the other.

Behind them, Tang Feng also looked up and noticed a passageway on the far side of the chasm. “Chief Historian…!”

“Don’t speak yet.” Li Yan, standing at the front, abruptly interrupted. He turned to Imperial Inspector Liu and asked, “Are you afraid of ghosts?”

Standing in the eerily quiet burial chamber, Imperial Inspector Liu hesitated slightly. “I… well… not that much, I guess. It depends on what kind of ghost… Why?”

Silent. Empty. An eerie wind howled through the chamber.

The torchlight flickered, swaying side to side, as if someone were blowing on it from nearby…

Li Yan’s face, half-lit by the flames, appeared and disappeared in the shifting light. His eyes, tinged with a purplish hue, fixed on Old Liu.

Their gazes met. Imperial Inspector Liu shifted his neck slightly, feeling a strange sensation…

“There’s a child riding on your shoulders,” Li Yan suddenly pointed at him. “It’s grinning at you.”

In an instant, Imperial Inspector Liu’s hairs stood on end.

“Snap!”

At that precise moment, all three torches went out.

“Boom!”

A sinister blue fire erupted from the chasm in the center of the burial chamber, illuminating the entire space once more.

The three turned their heads—only to find that the room was now packed with people.

To Tang Feng’s left, an old woman leaned on a cane, tilting her head unnaturally as she gazed at him. Her withered lips, painted blood-red, curled into a smile.

On Imperial Inspector Liu’s shoulders, a small boy wearing a red bellyband sat, his face deathly pale with a purplish tinge. Like a child playing hide-and-seek, he tilted his head and giggled foolishly.

Not far away, a group of figures in ancient attire all turned their heads in unison, staring at the three of them.

Imperial Inspector Liu swallowed hard, catching a glimpse of his right cheek from the corner of his eye. The little boy on his shoulders was now peeking out, his blood-red face terrifyingly close…

A chill ran up his spine, freezing him to the core.

Maintaining his stance, Old Liu whispered urgently to Tang Feng, “Quick… give him a motherly smile and get him off me! Hurry up!”

Before he could finish—

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…!”

Countless ghostly figures lunged at him without warning.

“I’m gonna fight you all!!! Whoever has the Soul-Binding Rope, start swinging it!!!” Imperial Inspector Liu let out a scream like a pig being slaughtered, losing all reason as he flailed wildly. But no matter how he swung his arms, his hands simply passed through the ghostly bodies, unable to harm them.

At the same time, Li Yan was seized by two female ghosts.

“Snap!”

One of them reached out and clutched his throat, instantly cutting off his air supply. He instinctively pushed at them, but his arms passed straight through their ethereal forms.

Beside him, Tang Feng stood frozen in shock, trembling violently.

Yet strangely enough, the ghosts seemed to ignore her entirely, drifting past her as if she didn’t exist.

“I-I’m done for! I’m gonna die!” Imperial Inspector Liu was being strangled by six or seven ghosts, his life force being drained away. His eyes rolled back. “Songstress, Songstress, save me…!”

Inside the mirror space, Ren Ye watched the scene unfold, momentarily stunned. Then he furrowed his brows and muttered, “Something’s off about Tang Feng… Why aren’t the ghosts touching her?”