Bai Ye moved forward rapidly, using the frost to slow down the nine small dragons, weaving through them. His serrated blade swung swiftly, unleashing continuous slashes.
Upon being struck by Bai Ye, the nine small dragons emitted wisps of golden smoke before quickly dissipating.
Having struck a successful blow, Bai Ye did not pause but moved swiftly towards the colored lantern.
This was because severing the materialized nine small dragons was meaningless. As long as the Nine Dragon Yin-Yang Candle was not extinguished, the nine small dragons projected onto the colored lantern would continuously appear and attack Bai Ye. Therefore, Bai Ye needed a window of opportunity.
He intended to exploit the brief interval between the dragons being struck and their subsequent reappearance to extinguish the Nine Dragon Yin-Yang Candle.
Bai Ye thought so, and he acted so, rapidly reaching the area below the colored lantern. He leaped up, his serrated blade sweeping forcefully, slicing off a section from the top of the lantern, revealing the Nine Dragon Yin-Yang Candle within.
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 gaping maw towards Bai Ye. Immediately after, a golden radiance spewed from the dragon's mouth, striking Bai Ye directly in the chest.
In that instant, Bai Ye felt as if he had been hit by a colossal hammer. He was propelled backward, slamming into the wall behind him with a resounding thud.
Bai Ye slid down the wall, but as soon as he landed on the ground, the dragon attacked again. Its two whiskers twitched, its mouth opened, and a golden beam shot out once more towards Bai Ye.
Bai Ye quickly pushed off the ground, dodging to the side.
*Boom!*
The golden beam struck the wall, blasting a hole through it.
And this was merely the beginning, for the second small dragon was also being materialized.
The moment the dragon appeared, its body writhed. As its tail swept forward, a golden ring flew out, incredibly sharp, grazing Bai Ye's cheek before striking the wall behind him, leaving a visible mark of its passage.
Simultaneously...
The third small dragon began to reappear.
At this rate, extinguishing the Nine Dragon Yin-Yang Candle would be difficult. The same tactic would not necessarily work a second time, as the nine small dragons might not give Bai Ye another chance to freeze them.
Fortunately, Bai Ye had a contingency plan!
"Ning Shuang, Ice Barrier!"
The Ning Shuang Sword flew towards Bai Ye, and a massive surge of cold air filled the tomb, turning it into a blinding white expanse.
An ice wall 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 materialized directly...
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 leaped forward, soaring over the two small dragons. He then grabbed the porcelain bottle containing Yin-Yang Qian-Yuan Water and hurled it forward.
*CRASH!*
The porcelain bottle struck the wall above the colored lantern and shattered, its contents, the Yin-Yang Qian-Yuan Water, spilling out and landing precisely on the Nine Dragon Yin-Yang Candle!
The Nine Dragon Yin-Yang Candle emitted a sizzling sound, its flame flickering, weakening, and finally extinguishing completely.
As the Nine Dragon Yin-Yang Candle died out, the materialized small dragons around disappeared without a trace.
"You have successfully extinguished the Nine Dragon Yin-Yang Candle in the tomb. Reward: Golden Thread Robe x1."
Beneath the colored lantern, a hidden compartment suddenly opened, revealing a neatly folded Golden Thread Robe.
At the same time...
Bai Ye landed back on the ground, executing a roll to dissipate the force of his landing.
Throwing the porcelain bottle was indeed risky; if it had missed its mark, the consequences would have been dire. However, given the circumstances, it was the simplest and most direct method. Moreover, anticipating the possibility of a miss, Bai Ye had made some preparations beforehand.
Therefore, Bai Ye now...
"Ugh!"
Bai Ye's mouth opened, and he began to retch, leaning against the wall.
As there were no other containers to hold the Yin-Yang Qian-Yuan Water, Bai Ye had preemptively swallowed a mouthful, retaining some of the liquid in his mouth.
However, this stuff was even more potent than he had imagined. It tasted like Banlangen mixed with snake grass water, incredibly overwhelming. For a moment, Bai Ye even thought he saw his long-deceased grandfather waving to him from the clouds.
After squatting by the wall and vomiting for a while, Bai Ye finally felt somewhat better. He took out water to rinse his mouth, 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 along the robe's edges, adding a touch of opulence to the otherwise dashing garment.
Golden Thread Robe (Upper Garment) (Blue): "Do not lament the golden thread robe, but cherish your youthful days. Effects: Physique (Strength, Constitution, Speed +10 points); Martial Prowess (Increases the power of martial arts by 10%); Immortal Cultivation (Increases the casting speed of Taoist magic by 10%)."
Bai Ye examined the robe's effects with considerable satisfaction. Setting aside other aspects, the fact that wearing the Golden Thread Robe would increase his strength, constitution, and speed by ten points alone was testament to its value, not to mention the increased power when using martial arts and Taoist magic.
However, as Bai Ye lifted the hem of the Golden Thread Robe, he spotted a pair of dirty, hole-ridden jeans. He felt the combination was somewhat incongruous.
It reminded him of those street performers beneath the overpass, holding chipped bowls inscribed with "Serve the People" and performing performance art for passersby.
"This King of Huainan is something else. He gives you the robe, but couldn't even spare a pair of pants."
After sighing, Bai Ye lowered the robe's hem and turned to leave the tomb.
Forbidden Zone Quests One and Two were complete. Next was the most crucial Quest Three...
To obtain the Five Spirit Disk!
Upon exiting the tomb, Bai Ye quickly returned to the main passage.
After walking about ten meters, he saw several slain child corpses. Ahead, there were also normal-sized paper figures, now torn to shreds.
These were the tomb-guarding spirits of the King of Huainan's mausoleum. Clearly, as others had pushed forward, they had dealt with these guardians along the way.
This was one of the reasons Bai Ye had deliberately let others go ahead. Bai Ye had already completed his mission of defeating fifteen tomb-guarding spirits. Since that was the case, having others clear the path for him was something he welcomed.
...