The giant fish bones in the center of the lake flipped over with the ice, once pointing upwards, now pointing downwards.

After spending a full six or seven hours at the Hall of Ascending Immortals, everyone's energy was depleted, and with fewer monsters along the way, they couldn't immediately enter a state of tension.

All of them were trapped in the space surrounded by ice and snake bones, with nowhere to escape, only able to watch as the world spun around them.

The cold around them grew more intense, and their joints began to stiffen, their breaths producing increasingly visible white vapor.

Yin Ci wasn't nervous, even if everyone died here, he could still retrieve the Buddhist beads. But if he was the only one left, the road ahead would be difficult - who knows if there are still traps set off by others.

If things go wrong and he's trapped at the bottom of the Ghost Tomb for a long time, he definitely wouldn't be able to bear it. 

"We have to find a way to save them," said Shi Jingzhi. 

"Shizun, put me down. I can step on the snake bones." 

Shi Jingzhi crouched down and rubbed the white bones. "Mm, no problem... Ah Ci, don't run around. I'll figure something out." 

At that moment, the Hall of Ascending Immortals had rotated halfway, and water was pouring in from the gaps in the ice, making the water level even with the snake bones. 

If it continued to turn, everyone would be crushed into the water. The feeling of the world turning upside down was particularly oppressive, and the air was slowly flowing away, almost driving people crazy. 

Shi Zhongyu was not panicked. She tried to break the ice beside her. Shi Jingzhi ignited golden flames and bombarded the snake bones beside him. Yan Qing, on the other hand, was quite self-aware. He held his luggage and waited patiently, occasionally moving to make room, looking like he was leaving everything to fate. 

However, he was the first to have an accident. Yan Qing stepped on a snake bone and lost his balance. He fell into the water with a loud splash, sinking to the bottom of the lake in front of everyone. 

Unlike the previous victims, his body was not corroded.

However, the lake water was stirred up and murky, making it impossible for people to see where he had sunk.

"Don't move, it's an illusion," Shi Jingzhi reached out and touched the "snake bone," easily passing his fingers through the illusion.

People were focused on the maze itself and wouldn't notice if the snake bone was missing a piece - let alone notice such a finely crafted illusion.

Everyone immediately stopped moving. 

Shi Zhongyu's sword technique broke the illusion, and the snake bone slowly disappeared, revealing a gap just big enough for one person to pass through. Shi Jingzhi threw a piece of jerky down, which instantly dissolved, no different from before. 

As the lake water was about to flood them, Shi Zhongyu urgently asked, "It should be triggered by Yan Qing's bloodline, did anyone see what happened just now?" 

Yin Ci raised a hand and said, "The direction of the sediment is wrong." 

A true master can see through things with just a small clue, and almost everyone looked down at the lake water at the same time. 

The green water wrapped around the white sand, and the water flow appeared slightly turbid, with clusters of soft and transparent liquid balls mixed in between - they were the same green color as the lake water and were difficult to spot at first glance, like glass beads in the water. The liquid balls were cocoon-shaped and just big enough to fit one person. 

Shi Jingzhi took a deep breath and said, "This thing is floating around everywhere... it seems that it will only actively transport the descendants of the Yan family." 

Judging from the situation, they had to jump out of the snake bone hole and leap into the liquid balls without any deviation. If they missed or deviated, they would lose an arm or a leg at best, and at worst, they would lose their life. 

The members of Taiheng Sect were few, all of them were Shi Zhongyu's confidants. They nodded to Shi Zhongyu and jumped down one by one. 

The liquid sphere enveloped them and quickly sank to the bottom of the lake.

However, the liquid sphere moved very fast, and they knew they wouldn't have another chance if they made a mistake. 

What they could have done elsewhere, they didn't dare to do now. When it was Jin Lan's turn, his face turned pale, and he rubbed his feet on the ice, afraid to move forward.

Seizing the opportunity, Shi Zhongyu pushed him down. Jin Lan gasped for breath and successfully curled up, only revealing a piece of his clothing outside.

The fabric was immediately swallowed by the lake water.

Next were the people from Prince Rong's Manor.

The person in the sedan did not get out. The sedan folded itself into a barrel shape, tightly sealing the person inside. The experts from Prince Rong's Manor threw the sedan down the gap, ignoring the liquid sphere, and surprisingly, the sedan did not shatter. 

With a cold gaze, Shi Zhongyu watched as the people of Prince Rong's Manor left, then jumped into the lake. 

Only Shi Jingzhi and Yin Ci remained on the snake bones, and the ice surface was about to completely freeze over.

"Ah Ci, come, let me help you find the right moment," Shi Jingzhi took a deep breath.

Yin Ci shook his head. "No."

"Don't be afraid."

"These pits look more like traps. If Shizun's guess is correct, the liquid spheres come because they are attracted by the Buddhist beads," Yin Ci quickly said. "I can jump on my own, but if the Buddhist beads are not here, the liquid spheres may disappear."

Two choices. Either Shi Jingzhi takes back the Buddhist beads and lets Yin Ci go first, or Shi Jingzhi goes first and Yin Ci jumps down later.

Although there is only one Buddha bead, it is still considered valuable. Yin Ci was just about to take it down to return it--

Shi Jingzhi interrupted, "Are you sure you can jump?"

Yin Ci froze in place, "What?" 

"When I ask you, are you sure you won't jump wrong?" Shi Jingzhi tiptoed, afraid that his shoes would be corroded.

"I'm sure, but..." 

Shi Jingzhi interrupted with a smile, "Then let me take the first step. Don't worry, since you have the Buddhist bead, I will definitely come to find you."

After speaking, he jumped into the water decisively and quickly sank.

...This person's logic is really strange. How can he not distinguish between an ordinary disciple who is not familiar with him and a Buddhist bead that may be a lifesaving clue?

Yin Ci was silent for a while, and finally jumped into the lake.

In the next moment, the ice surface completely overturned, and the lake water completely poured in. The snake bones that were originally under the lake surface turned over and formed a new maze.

The sinking process was not long. It was just that the liquid was made of an unknown material, and the Ghost Skin Suit were wrinkled and unusable for a while. 

The sound of rocks rubbing against each other echoed above his head. Yin Ci adjusted his posture and landed silently on the ground. 

He then took off his sect robe and the Ghost Skin Suit. He eliminated his breath and hid in the darkness, observing the room in front of him.

The room was neither big nor small, and it didn't look like a tomb. In the center of the room was a pillar-like device that connected to the ceiling, and at the bottom of the pillar was a deep hole. At the other end of the room, there were four Ling Sect disciples and a monk from Jianchen Temple lying down.

Yin Ci licked his fingertips with his tongue and felt the numbness caused by the anesthetic in the liquid. After surveying the room, he guessed Yan Budu's plan. He leaped lightly and hid behind a ghost-faced statue, intending to watch the situation unfold.

Soon, the unconscious people gradually woke up. 

As if on cue, a fire was lit in the room. The stone pillar was illuminated by the flames, and a line of text slowly appeared. The members of the Ling Sect stepped forward. 

"Elder Lu, in the scripture it says, 'scatter a thousand pieces of gold and ascend five steps to heaven'...what does it mean?" 

Lu Fengxi, one of the elders of the Ling Sect, had a face like a sickly donkey. He was known for his cunning and treacherous ways, and Yin Ci had heard of him before. However, his martial arts skills were impressive, and he could currently take on two and a half of Shi Jingzhi. 

Elder Lu took the lantern and carefully inspected the pillar. 

"According to the records of our sect, this contraption is called 'Parting Sorrow', and there is a precious treasure at the top of the pillar. We need to throw a heavy object into the sacrificial hole to make the pillar descend." 

He took back the lantern and chuckled dryly. "As for the heavy object, it needs to weigh at least five men." 

The crowd was horrified. 

The monk from Jianchen Temple asked: "Is it possible to break the stone carving and use the stones as a substitute?" 

Lu Fengxi sneered, "Not only are the statues made of Muyan stone, but the walls are too. They're impenetrable. And our path here has been sealed off by stone slabs, so we can't go back the way we came." 

The monk remained silent, leaning against the wall and quietly reciting scripture. 

Lu Fengxi paced around the room, his expression growing colder. "I haven't found any other exits.""

"I-Is the Holy Leader planning to trap us here?" Someone from the Ling Sect asked.

Everyone had only brought a small amount of luggage with them, having relied on the liquid to transport them to this place. But with only five people in the room, if no one had brought anything useful, they wouldn't be able to survive the descending pillars. 

Did Yan Budu make a mistake in his calculations? 

Lu Fengxi clicked his tongue. "If the pillar comes down, there might be an exit at the top. It seems like we have to move the 'Parting Sorrow' after all." 

Pausing for a moment, he brandished his club again: "The Holy Leader never makes mistakes. There must be someone hiding in here... Who dares to play tricks in front of me?" 

Yin Ci chuckled lightly and leaped down barefoot. 

He took off his Ghost Skin Suit and didn't bother to put on shoes. He wore only a white undershirt, looking like a ghostly figure. However, with his long black hair flowing down and his face revealed, even a ghost could become alluring. 

The gloomy tomb suddenly gained a hazy atmosphere, as if a thin cloud was covering the moon and warm jade was emitting smoke. 

The five people across from him fell into silence - this person must have been hiding his identity. Otherwise, no one would forget that face. 

Seeing that this person was unarmed, Lu Fengxi relaxed a bit and asked, "Who are you?" 

Yin Ci smiled and replied, "A dead person." 

Unfortunately, this person was not like his cheap master, as Elder Lu shook with anger and charged forward with his staff, shouting, "It would be better if you were dead, but for now, you'll do!" 

The other disciples of the Ling Sect were still in a daze, saying, "Elder, hold on, this person's appearance might indicate that he's a deity..." 

But Lu Fengxi was overjoyed and said, "A deity my foot! Look at his eyes, he's more like a fierce ghost!" 

"What a pity," Yin Ci said lightly, dodging the attack. "If your killing intent was a little less, maybe I would be willing to use some divine magic to help you all escape." 

"You don't even dare to give your name, what kind of deity are you?" Lu Fengxi shouted fiercely. 

Yin Ci just smiled and said nothing, then turned and walked over to the monk from the Jianchen Temple. Before the monk could react, Yin Ci hit him on the forehead with a palm strike and pressed a few acupoints. 

The monk immediately collapsed, unconscious. 

Three Ling Sect disciples immediately surrounded the monk, lifting him up and attempting to throw him into the sacrificial hole. 

Yin Ci smirked, his palm wind sweeping past, causing the three to crash into the stone wall and spew out a lot of blood.

Lu Fengxi chuckled strangely, "Well done, I'll throw them in together later!"

Although Elder Lu laughed, he knew he was no match for Yin Ci and gradually shifted from attacking to defending, running around the room in chaos. Yin Ci shook off the troublesome flies and naturally chased after him with a murderous aura.

Unfortunately, Lu Fengxi kept escaping with sneaky moves, and the scene was like a cat catching a mouse.

Strange, Lu Fengxi's martial arts were extremely mediocre, unlike the rumors. Yin Ci furrowed his brows and became more cautious in his attacks.

Lu Fengxi had killed top-notch experts like Cui Wen with the Snow Spear and Old Mountain-Shattering Feng Yishan, so he must have hidden some killer moves. 

Now, he was beaten up into a sorry state by Yin Ci, but he didn't show any intention of fighting back. His weapon was coated with poison, not very toxic, but the material was somewhat rare. 

However, in the dim light of the fire and with his club covered in blood, Yin Ci couldn't see clearly for a moment.

Lu Fengxi was panting as if he had really reached the end of the road. Yin Ci became even more cautious, only using palm strikes to injure his opponent and keeping his distance at all times.

He didn't want to die, but he also didn't want to be thrown into the sacrificial hole after being hit. Once it reached a certain weight, the sacrificial hole might be sealed shut by the Muyan stone, trapping him deep in the tomb.

Just the thought of it made Yin Ci's internal organs shiver with cold.

Seeing that his opponent didn't want to get close, Lu Fengxi grinned, revealing his rotten black and yellow teeth. 

He split his blood-soaked club in two and suddenly struck out, catching Yin Ci off guard: "Fall!" 

Yin Ci could withstand poison, but he couldn't resist the curse that entered his mind. Using a blood sacrifice tool was already a form of black magic. Upon hearing the malicious sound, he stopped in his tracks.

Elder Lu continued to chant away, a smug look on his face. "Even if you were a great immortal, as long as you have ears, you will fall under my Terror Sound. Kid, it's no use trying to distance yourself. If you die slowly, you'll only suffer more."

As he spoke, Lu Fengxi's face turned dark and his seven orifices bled. This move clearly hurt the enemy while also injuring oneself.

"With this move, cough, I've never left anyone alive. Fall for me--"

Author's note:

Yin Ci: Shizun = unit of combat power (?)

Lu Fengxi is about 2.5 times of Shizun √

Shi Jingzhi: Disrespectful disciple! (；ω；)

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Demon Lord Yin is also very handsome. However, most of the time, he was wrapped up in the Ghost Skin Suit, leaving only Fox Shi to boast about.