Chapter 135: Exhausted and Near Death

Facing the group's support for Lixing, Ye Dong let out a cold snort and charged forward, clutching his Yuyan blade.

Huang Wuchang observed Ye Dong’s actions from afar. "This kid has a strong sense of loyalty! It’s just a pity I don't know the true extent of his capabilities."

"I cannot afford to play the novice here, or these boulders and mechanical traps will claim my life in an instant!"

With that thought, he pushed off with his left foot and sprang with his right, overtaking Master Wei after just a few strides. After dodging several incoming blades, he was within twenty meters of Lixing.

Ye Dong’s transcendental physique was no myth; his speed, agility, and strength were all a cut above the other mercenaries, and even superior to Master Wei and his companion. This brief display of skill left Chen Yong and the other mercenaries stunned once again. "What incredible prowess! It’s no wonder he dared to boast about coming to the Eternal Tomb in search of excitement!"

"Good heavens, is this He Wentian actually this formidable?"

Seeing Ye Dong’s ferocity, Master Wei was secretly startled. "It seems Li Zimu wasn't lying about his passion for extreme sports. Without having undergone true trials, no ordinary person could possess such skill and courage! It seems his accidental 'vacation' has truly and genuinely been a help to us!"

"Awoo!"

The fanged ghouls were as hideous as they were grotesque, but they seemed to have lost the ability to speak, only howling incessantly at Lixing. Clambering over one another, they leapt from behind the paper screens, rolling across the ground and springing forward to strike directly at Lixing.

Their objective was clearly defined: whoever entered first would be the first to die.

"The numbers are beyond what I can handle right now. With ghouls in front and traps behind, the longer this drags on, the more vulnerable we become!"

Although Lixing was brave, his opponents were clearly looking to win through attrition. Furthermore, they were reckless, suicidal creatures; biting the enemy once was a profit, and killing one was an immense victory. There was no reason for them not to fight with desperate fervor.

"Damn it! These things are far tougher than the usual ghastly beasts!" Lixing gritted his teeth, holding his ground through sheer force of will as he used both fists and feet to maintain his footing. "Why do these ghouls feel so strange? Every time I strike them, it feels like tearing through paper."

As the battle wore on, even Ye Dong, with his transcendental physique, began to feel the strain, let alone the ordinary men. The mercenaries were gasping for air, their stamina depleting rapidly.

"Is it because we’ve exhausted too much energy fighting our way here?" Ye Dong felt a prickle of worry as he noticed signs of fatigue in Lixing and the others. "This battle must be finished quickly. The Coiling Snake Formation that Huang Wuchang mentioned is no simple trap. A formation used in this Eternal Tomb must have its own unique, formidable qualities."

"Awoo!"

The fanged ghouls, seeing others arrive to assist Lixing, seemed to be organized by some unseen force, diverting a portion of their strength to stall Ye Dong and his companions.

"They really are being directed! But by whom? And where is the eye of this formation?"

These three questions flashed through Ye Dong’s mind simultaneously—three questions that held the key to their survival.

Everyone who had made it this far was an experienced veteran. Seeing the ghouls begin to conduct a systematic, strategic assault caused their hearts to sink.

"This is bad, truly bad!"

Standing outside the stone passage, Huang Wuchang let out a long sigh. "Just as I feared. This is no ordinary Coiling Snake Formation; it is a rare and peculiar array that evolves systematically from a 'Coiling Snake' into a 'Coiling Dragon' as the intensity of the battle increases!"

The Coiling Dragon Formation was a legendary array evolved from the "Dragon Flight" formation, one of the Eight Trigrams of Heaven's Mystery.

*Heaven and earth charge from behind, the dragon transforms within, with claws and feet, back and chest. Hidden, it is unfathomable; moving, it is infinite. The formation stands formidable, shaped like a dragon.* Such was the essence of the Dragon Flight formation. In ancient times, even Zhuge Liang used these formations in military campaigns; one could only imagine the immense trouble Ye Dong and his team were in.

The more Ye Dong fought, the more he felt something was wrong. "But it isn't entirely the Dragon Flight formation. Could it be... could it be the Coiling Dragon Formation!?"

"There is no mistake. It is the Coiling Dragon Formation, evolved from the Dragon Flight!"

With this realization, Ye Dong felt a sense of impending disaster. "This is terrible. My master once said that if one encounters the Coiling Dragon Formation, one must avoid it at all costs and never attempt to brute-force it! If one is trapped within, their energy will be slowly drained away by the formation to nourish the 'dragon.' The Coiling Dragon Formation grows stronger with every strike, and even if the trapped enemies aren't killed by the mechanical traps, they will eventually die of exhaustion!"

"No wonder Lixing’s strength is failing him. So that’s how it is! It’s truly impossible to guard against!"

Ye Dong used his Yuyan blade to parry and strike, his fists and feet working in tandem as he finally drew near to Lixing.

"Brother Tian, I never imagined you were this strong!" Lixing gasped, offering a bitter smile. "Damn it, it seems I underestimated this place. My stamina is draining way too fast!"

Ye Dong’s heart turned cold. *Of course it's draining fast, because your very essence is being sucked away by this great formation!*

"Lixing, hold steady! The Master must be looking for a way to break this formation!" Ye Dong did not mention the danger of the "Coiling Dragon Formation" to Lixing, choosing instead to focus on the battle.

"The Great Emperor of Xuanwu is before me! Spirits return to the temples, ghosts return to the graves, demons and monsters return to the mountains! By the decree of the True Lord Xuanwu, obey at once!!!"

On the other side, Master Wei unleashed two "Xuanwu Exorcism Spells," forcing back the endless waves of fanged ghouls. His dagger never stopped dancing, and with Le Cheng’s assistance, he finally reached Lixing.

"You’ve both arrived?" Lixing gave a wry smile. "This wretched snake formation seems tough to handle. I’m sorry to have put on such a pathetic display."

Master Wei shook his head and smiled. "Don't talk nonsense. If we had entered here on our own, we would have been dead long ago! Let alone discovering the true nature of this formation."

"But I can't risk opening fire here, or I would have let them taste a full magazine of bullets!" Lixing said, frustrated, as his strength was nearly spent.

"If this is a formation, it must have an eye, right?" The four of them stood back-to-back, covering each other while fighting off the encroaching ghouls.

"Brother Tian, this isn't a simple formation," Le Cheng said with a bitter laugh. "This is Zhuge Liang’s Coiling Dragon Formation. It is unpredictable and ever-changing; even the Master might not be able to locate the eye!"

"Ah!"

Several screams rang out as two of the mercenaries, caught off guard, were struck down by the shifting mechanical traps and perished instantly.

"If we keep dragging this out, we’re all going to die here!" Ye Dong thought, his heart sinking. "Without stamina to support us, we will eventually die under these traps and the fangs of these ghouls!"

The fanged ghouls kept coming in an endless stream, and the traps on the walls and floor began to cycle again. Ye Dong felt the stone floor beneath him turn into quicksand, making it impossible to stand. The stone pillars he had been using for cover suddenly crumbled into piles of rubble, sinking into the mire.

"How can this be!? Is it shifting again? Is something else about to emerge?"

Ye Dong turned pale. Looking up, he saw a wall of blades suddenly materialize, their sharp tips gleaming with a cold, piercing light!

"If we get hit by those, we’re dead for sure!" Master Wei roared. "Use the iron umbrellas to shield against the flying blades!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The umbrellas were barely opened before the blades were launched!

"Cling! Clang! Cling-clang!"

Countless flying blades seemed to be equipped with target-seekers, aiming only for the living. Fortunately, the umbrellas shielded their bodies, and the various blades soon littered the floor.

"Is this the same principle as the 'Soul-Chasing Bow' in the Blazing Fire Tomb? It only targets the living!?"

Ye Dong hid tightly beneath his umbrella, stealing a glance at his feet. The ghouls were swarming in, taking advantage of the chaos to rush forward!

"Damn it! This is not good!"

Before he could devise a countermeasure, a ghastly hand reached through a gap in his umbrella from below!

"Go to hell!" Ye Dong felt a surge of panic and rage, hacking his Yuyan blade down at the ghost hand.

"Splat!"

That hand fell to the ground, but a second and a third were already reaching out!

"This is bad! If we go on like this, we'll be wiped out!" Ye Dong barked. "Flying blades above, ghouls below—everyone, think of something!"

Before Master Wei could respond, the stone walls on both sides of the passage began to shift again!

"No way!? After all this, another wave?"

Ye Dong felt a chill run down his spine. "If they attack from all four sides, there’s no escape route!"

"Except for the side with the ghouls, the other three sides are death traps!" Master Wei shouted, holding on grimly. "If we want to break out, we have no choice but to push through the ghouls!"

Ye Dong panted heavily. "You're right, but our stamina is almost entirely depleted. To jump into the pile of ghosts and fight them is to walk into our own graves!"

What made Ye Dong feel truly helpless was that the speed at which the Coiling Dragon Formation drained their energy far exceeded his estimations; even with his transcendental physique, he was finding it difficult to cope.

"There's no other way. I have to channel a bit of the Samadhi True Fire into my blood and Qi. Otherwise, I’ll be exhausted soon and left to the mercy of these ghouls!"

With that, Ye Dong silently recited the mantra. A faint flicker of Samadhi True Fire emerged from his lungs, continuously supplying energy to every part of his body.

"Without the support of Daoist arts, the transcendental physique is still just flesh and blood. But now, with the energy of the Daoist Qi from the Samadhi True Fire, my stamina is recovering rapidly!"

Master Wei possessed Daoist Qi and could comprehend the Samadhi True Fire, but he lacked the transcendental physique—the vessel required for such training. As a result, the difference between their constitutions was more than just one level.

"Kek-kek!"

Seeing the blades on the walls emerging once more, the group knew that if they didn't find a solution, they would soon be skewered like baskets!

"There's no other way, Master Wei. It seems we must use that technique now!" Lixing looked at Master Wei and Le Cheng with a helpless expression.

"It’s the only way. Take out your bottles of dog blood!" Master Wei shouted, "Drink them all!"

"What!? Drink dog blood!?"

As Ye Dong gasped in shock, the three of them had already downed their entire bottles!

"What a disgusting bunch!"