AZI Volume 3 Chapter 49

As Long Hua and Tian Cheng descend at a slow rate—

"Hm?"

Seeing a tunnel entrance to the right, Long Hua pauses their descent, while Tian Cheng says—

"No doubt the others have fallen to the very bottom, they couldn't have been able to take this route."

Agreeing with Tian Cheng, Long Hua thought for a moment before swinging them towards the tunnel entrance.

Swaying back-to-back like a pendulum, Long Hua and Tian Cheng eventually landed their feet smoothly onto the edge of the tunnel.

"We're taking this route, then, master?"

"Yeah."

Severing the fishing line, Long Hua faces forward.

"Hmm."

*Pah.* snapping his fingers, the clothes on him changes.

"Feels like it's been a while since I've worn these."

Layering over a black-out attire—that covers him from head to toe, is a honeycomb-patterned black robe with wide sleeves. Further modifications have been made to the full-faced helmet through Tai Xuan, resulting in it having six red eyes and twin horns that jut upwards.

Assuming that they will now be using everything at their disposal to face whatever dangers there are, the Tai Xuan Emperor changes her vessel's attire as well.

Due to her vessel being a combat body, the swapping of attires doesn't take long—as the maid attire simply breaks down into liquid metal, and reforms into a similar set of honeycomb-patterned black robes with the same helmet as Long Hua.

Simultaneously, Kun appears in Tian Cheng's hand.

"Let's go then."

Resting his grip on Bai Zhe—that is sheathed inside of his belt, Long Hua speaks through a voice-changer.

...…

As golden radiance dissipates from Yu Ji's body, her eyes twitch in response to the subtle bit of pain that is coming from every part of her.

"Damn that surnamed Long…"

Sitting up with a bit of struggle, Yu Ji is surprised to feel that nothing had been broken, but—

(…I should have had every bone in my body shattered from this fall. Was what surnamed Long said—about there being a divinity protecting me, true?)

"Ach…"

Hearing someone else's grunt of pain, Yu Ji turns her attention towards the source—which turns out to be Shao Tianming.

"Surnamed Long, screw you to hell…"

Muttering this, a ripped-up talisman peels off Shao Tianming's body, as he sits up.

"Ugh…"

Waking up as well, Li Zi Xiang presses a hand to her head.

"I'm… Alive?"

With a voice that seems incredibly moved, Chen Lan also wakes up. Beneath him were two bodies that had all the bones beneath their flesh shattered.

"How many shield talismans do you all have left?"

Asking this, Shao Tianming rises to a stand.

"This was my last one, boss…"

Ripping the used-up shield talisman off, Chen Lan answers as such.

"I got two more."

Saying this, Li Zi Xiang turns to Yu Ji with a complicated look on her face.

"Ai, Chen Lan, take this."

As Shao Tianming tosses a talisman over, Chen Lan catches it, and in the same instance, the two turn their attention towards Yu Ji.

With an uncomfortable frown on her face, Yu Ji says—

"I'm warning all of you, don't come near me."

Shaking his head, Shao Tianming shrugs his shoulders, and replies—

"Relax, we won't do anything."

As everyone stands back up, the group faces forward.

"Another tunnel…"

Seeing the same tunnel as before, Yu Ji couldn't help but sigh, while Chen Lan says—

"Ah boss, anc-… S-Surnamed Long asked, if there's been a precedent—where a ruin is revealed to be… Not the sort that is meant to be excavated?"

Towards this question, Shao Tianming's expression turns solemn. Scratching his head, he raises a sigh, and answers—

"Zi Xiang, Chen Lan, there are ruins out there that have been designated as forbidden. The reason for this is because… They're meant to seal something, or at least that's what scholars seem to think."

Pressing her brows together, Li Zi Xiang asks—

"And this ruin is one of them?"

"Hard to say for certain, but with how everything in here seems to be designed to kill as many people as possible, it's likely. A normal ruin is designed to be a learning experience with the risk of death, but this one… Feels like a death trap through and through."

"You people… Have hidden quite a lot—even from your own."

Several reasons for this appear in Yu Ji's head, but she nevertheless felt the need to voice these words aloud, to which, Shao Tianming replies—

"Some things are hidden from even our own—for good reason. As for hiding even more from the people of this world… Well, you don't honestly expect us to play along nicely—with a civilization that is so different from our own, right? If our main forces were able to come into this world, I can say for certain that we'd be able to plunder most of the ruins in this world clean. If your world isn't able to clear out the resources ahead of that, then tough luck, and get ready for a complete civilization reform. Still, since you're a Sinner, you won't be treated too badly."

Towards Shao Tianming's words, Yu Ji frowns, and asks—

"And if a Sinner isn't willing, or able to contribute?"

"…Then they're better off dead."

"…"

Thinking of Li, her little sister—when Shao Tianming had said those words, the frown on Yu Ji's face deepens.

"Ai, in any case, chin up for now. Let's just set our grudges aside, and move on. The sooner we get out of this hellhole, the better it is for all of us."