usatvline Chapter 129 On the Bronze Tree
Chapter 129 On the Bronze Tree
When everyone looked back, they saw shadowy figures on the cliff behind them, seemingly about to emerge from the mountain.
Soon, a warhorse that looked both real and illusory stepped off the cliff.
Atop the table sat a burly general clad in armor and wearing a demon mask.
"It's actually ghost soldiers passing through. Looks like we're pretty lucky."
Hei Xiazi said casually.
Cheng Feng and the others remained where they were; in this situation where there was no time to dodge, they could only remain still and wait for the situation to change.
"Judging from their armor, these should be the same group of 'Silent Riders' from the Northern Wei Dynasty."
Cheng Feng said softly, a cigarette dangling from his mouth.
The middle-aged professor overheard his words, and a subtle change flashed across his expression.
As the two were talking, the entire army of ghost soldiers emerged from the rock wall, maintaining their orderly ranks as they walked toward the other side of the passage.
What sent chills down everyone's spine was that all of these illusory, silent riders were looking at them, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
"Could they see us?"
A young male student looked terrified and said instinctively.
The general riding a tall horse had a sharp gaze hidden behind his mask, which made the students afraid to look him in the eye.
"This is interesting. I'd like to see if you're ghost soldiers."
As he spoke, Cheng Feng opened the imaginary space and took out the meteorite tiger talisman he had obtained in the Heavenly Palace on the Cloud Top.
The moment Cheng Feng took out the tiger tally, all the soldiers in front of him stopped in their tracks as if a pause button had been pressed.
"This is……"
Hei Xiazi looked at the tiger tally in Cheng Feng's palm.
Suddenly, all the Silent Riders transformed into pure ghostly light, burning like will-o'-the-wisps.
In the eerie firelight, these ghostly figures vanished into nothingness.
Cheng Feng put the tiger tally into his pocket with some disappointment; these silent riders were not real ghost soldiers.
It is probably just a phantom image left behind due to the special nature of the Bronze Tree.
"Wow, impressive, son-in-law! You've managed to get rid of all the ghost soldiers!"
Black Bear clapped his hands with a chuckle and said.
"They are just a historical image, not ghost soldiers."
After giving a brief explanation, Cheng Feng waved his hand, signaling everyone to continue on their way.
Upon seeing this, the disciples of the Unloading Ridge sect shoved and pushed the members of the archaeological team who were walking in front.
Although they were very reluctant, they had no choice but to start walking deeper into the canyon.
On the way, Cheng Feng and Hei Xiazi lagged behind the group, their expressions indifferent, seemingly unconcerned about what had just happened.
After walking forward for a while, the group suddenly stopped.
The disciple from the Unloading Ridge sect in front turned around and reported:
"Chief, there's no road ahead!"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Feng and Hei Xiazi walked through the crowd to the front of the line.
Sure enough, the space ahead became narrower and narrower until finally all that remained was a wall covered in moss.
"There must be a mechanism here, blind man, go and take a look!"
Upon hearing Cheng Feng's words, everyone in the archaeological team except for the three girls looked rather strange.
It's somewhat inhumane to send a blind person to "see" the mechanism.
Black Bear showed no sign of anything amiss, and after agreeing, he strode off toward the end of the road ahead.
They hadn't noticed before, but now they realized that the blind man moved around without any difficulty whatsoever.
If his eyesight is normal, but he's wearing sunglasses in such a dimly lit place, one might question the meaning of life for a moment.
Everyone watched Hei Xiazi's movements closely and saw him groping around on the rocks on both sides for a while.
He then pressed down on a rock that appeared perfectly normal from the outside.
Instantly, the ground beneath Black Bear's feet collapsed.
But he reacted quickly, instantly placing his hands on the rocks for leverage to flip himself up.
Finally, it landed steadily on the stone.
After looking down, he waved to Cheng Feng and the others:
"We've found the way, come on over!"
While most people were still captivated by Hei Xiazi's impressive skills, Cheng Feng had already reached the entrance to the cave leading downwards.
Looking down, I realized the drop was less than three meters, something any normal person could jump down.
"Let's go down first."
After saying something to Hei Xiazi, Cheng Feng jumped in first, followed closely by Hei Xiazi.
Although it was dimly lit below, Cheng Feng and Hei Xiazi could still tell that this was a specially constructed passage.
The walls on both sides are carved with totems depicting human bodies with two snake heads.
While the two men were surveying the surroundings, the two men with buzz cuts fell to the ground from above.
They tripped and fell because their hands were tied.
Fortunately, the distance wasn't high, so I climbed up quickly.
The remaining members of the archaeological team then descended into the passage one by one, with the disciples of the Unloading Ridge Sect following last.
"Keep going, you guys go ahead."
The members of the archaeological team gradually got used to it and consciously moved to the front of the line.
During this time, the two men with buzz cuts were walking unsteadily. The middle-aged professor called out to the male students, and the two men each helped one of the men with buzz cuts.
The disciples of the Unloading Ridge Sect stared at the two for a moment, but found nothing unusual.
After walking along the passage for several dozen meters, the group finally saw the exit.
Just then, the professor's hand inadvertently brushed across the back of the man with the buzz cut.
Black Bear at the back of the group suddenly smiled, then turned to look at Cheng Feng.
He noticed that Cheng Feng's gaze wasn't drawn to the exit, but rather fixed on the middle-aged professor.
"Someone's not behaving properly, aren't you going to do anything about it?"
Black Bear nudged Cheng Feng with his elbow and said gloatingly.
"Regardless, everyone has to pay the price for their choices. I hope he won't regret doing it."
Cheng Feng responded softly, his expression unchanged.
Soon the group arrived at the cave entrance, and the outside world came into view under the light.
This is a platform about the size of a basketball court, with crisscrossing silk threads hanging around it.
These silk threads were covered with octagonal copper bells that were exactly the same as those on the white coral in Cheng Feng's hand.
After exiting the cave and arriving at the platform, the group discovered that the number of octagonal copper bells was far greater than they had imagined.
Some of the lower bells are even within reach.
In the very center of this platform is a coffin. If someone unfamiliar with this place were to find it, they would surely think they had found the main tomb.
For example, the middle-aged professor, looking around excitedly, said:
"The tree beneath our feet must be the sacred tree of the She Kingdom. Legend has it that this sacred tree can grant people's wishes."
"I never imagined that the Ku Kingdom recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas actually existed. This discovery will surely shock the entire archaeological community."
The male student's fear had been replaced by excitement, and he followed the middle-aged professor, constantly looking around.
Unfortunately, their excitement didn't last long.
Cheng Feng approached the two men with buzz cuts, drew his Fish Intestine Sword, and casually cut the rope.
He said, amidst their surprised expressions:
"You two go and open that coffin."
The two quickly pulled the ropes off their bodies, then looked at each other as if they were about to resist.
But soon, the pistols of the Unloading Ridge disciples were pressed against the back of their heads.
"Go open the coffin, or you'll die!"