Night descended slowly over the temporary sect encampment, painting the distant horizon in shades of violet and fading gold.
The tomb complex loomed in the distance like a dark, slumbering beast, but here within the ring of tents and flickering bonfires, the atmosphere had shifted to something more communal.
The disciples gathered in clusters, their voices rising in animated chatter as the scents of roasted meat, steamed buns, and simple broth drifted through the cool air. Sparks snapped upward from the great bonfire at the center, illuminating faces that bore the marks of both triumph and exhaustion.
Han Yu sat cross-legged beside Fatty Kui, Wu Shuan, and Senior Brother Duan, their bowls of food resting in their laps.
He chewed slowly, not because the food wasn't good, but because his attention was fixed on the conversations swirling around them. Tonight was the first proper gathering after their day of exploration, and every disciple seemed eager to share what they had seen.
"This tomb is insane!" one disciple exclaimed from across the fire, waving his chopsticks dramatically. "We triggered a collapsing ceiling trap that nearly turned us into flat cakes. If not for Junior Sister Chen's quick Tailwind talisman pushing us out, we'd still be there, buried alive!"
A chorus of laughter and sympathetic groans rose around him.
Another disciple shook his head bitterly. "At least you escaped. Our group spent half a day following what looked like an important corridor, only to find… nothing. Not even a single blade of grass, let alone a treasure. Just more dust and stale air."
Han Yu's ears perked up, his gaze flicking curiously from speaker to speaker. He found himself drinking in every story, every detail, every lesson learned. His mind worked like a restless loom, weaving the information together.
It did not take long for him to notice a pattern.
Most of the disciples had nothing tangible to show for their efforts. Some groups bore light injuries, while others admitted to having lost companions who needed to be rescued by patrolling elders.
Only a small handful, perhaps one in ten, had truly gained something of value. Official source is NoveI-Fire.ɴet
That realization made Han Yu straighten slightly, pride warming his chest. His group was among the lucky few. Not only had they avoided death by collapsing traps, but they had also discovered the Spirit Garden. Compared to most others, they had done exceedingly well.
"Luck, sheer luck," Fatty Kui muttered beside him, stuffing another mouthful of rice into his cheeks. "If we'd gone left or middle first, we'd be dead meat. Heaven must love me more than I thought."
Han Yu gave him a side glance. "Heaven doesn't love you. It probably just missed when it was throwing disasters your way."
A ripple of laughter passed through their little circle, but before Fatty Kui could retort, Han Yu's ears caught another tale being shared a little further down the fire.
"…so we're running for our lives from this rolling boulder trap," a wiry disciple was explaining, gesturing wildly as his companions leaned in to listen. "It was enormous, like a mountain of stone chasing us through the passage! We barely managed to dodge into a side alcove before it thundered past."
"What happened then?" someone pressed eagerly.
The wiry disciple smirked. "That's the strange part. Once the boulder passed, we went back to look. The corridor we had entered from… wasn't the same anymore. The wall had shifted. There was a new path, right in the middle of where the boulder had rolled. We checked carefully, and sure enough, it was a hidden passage."
Han Yu froze, his attention sharpening instantly. 'A hidden passage?'
The disciple continued, voice lowering as if to heighten the drama. "Naturally, we followed it. And it didn't lead us back to our complex at all. We ended up in an entirely different tomb section, one none of us recognized. And there… we ran straight into disciples of the Crimson Cloud Sect."
A hushed murmur swept the bonfire circle. Even the crackle of flames seemed subdued as everyone digested that revelation.
The Crimson Cloud Sect were rivals, competitors, but still allies.
If they were inside another complex, it meant that not only had they discovered entrances of their own, but some of these tombs were interconnected.
Han Yu leaned slightly toward Wu Shuan and whispered, "So that's how beasts like the rat wolf could have ended up in our section. Hidden tunnels connecting the complexes."
Wu Shuan nodded gravely, his eyes reflecting the firelight. "It makes sense. If paths can shift or appear with the triggering of traps, then beasts would naturally find ways through them over time."
Fatty Kui shuddered. "So you're saying we might not just face traps, but beasts wandering in from other complexes too? That's horrible! As if collapsing floors weren't enough…"
Han Yu ignored his whining, though inwardly, his mind was racing.
If tomb complexes could connect to one another, that meant danger, but also opportunity. Treasure hoards hidden in one complex might be accessible only through another, and the mechanisms that shifted the paths could lead to completely new discoveries.
Around the fire, the stories continued.
Some disciples muttered about strange vents in the walls, like the ones they had seen earlier, hiss with faint spiritual fluctuations. Others spoke of entire nests of rat wolves or strange beetle-like palm sized insects that swarmed in clouds.
One unlucky group revealed that they had to abandon half their 'treasure' just to escape.
But what caught Han Yu's attention most was the repeated mention of formations.
"The elders and the formation division disciples are already investigating the arrays in the tombs," a senior remarked knowingly, his voice carrying authority. "There's no doubt a large-scale formation governs the entire complex. Every shifting corridor, every triggered trap, even the hidden passages… all controlled by a central array."
"And if they crack it?" someone asked eagerly.
"Then everything changes," the senior replied. "We'll have maps, control, and foresight. Exploring the tomb would be ten times safer and faster. Whoever deciphers it first will have an enormous advantage."