King of Tomb Raiders

Chapter 160

In Chinese mythology, the sun is the son of the Jade Emperor. There are ten of them, and they are very mischievous. They do not abide by the rule that only one sun can appear each day, but they always appear together, drying up the water sources on the ground and causing people to suffer.

Hou Yi, the most valiant archer on earth, shot down nine of the suns, leaving only one, which brought good weather and abundant harvests to the world.

When nine red stars orbit the Earth, plus the sun that already exists in the solar system, wouldn't that make ten suns, a re-enactment of ancient mythology?

"When Yi shot down nine suns, all nine suns fell to the ground. The enormous impact caused them to sink below the Earth's surface, becoming something forever buried in another world. The 'Biluo Huangquan Jing' marks the location of their fall. Unfortunately, the vertical depth of each red star relative to the Earth's surface was constantly changing, which is enough to show that they possessed some kind of power."

"The mystery and obscurity of the text in the scriptures are unimaginable. Even with Master's great wisdom, he only found the location of the only red star that fell on Fusang Island, right under our feet. The 'Sea God's Plaque' is the map to enter the 'Underwater Tomb of the Gods.' Actually, I've always been puzzled as to why the scriptures call that place a 'tomb'? Does it contain corpses, like the graves of people on Earth?"

"Did you see that? A strange, three-dimensional array—"

The image in my mind suddenly shifted, revealing a Rubik's Cube-like maze-like structure. Each face of the cube was densely covered with flat entrances. The structure itself was charred black, like volcanic rock that had been dormant for many years after an eruption.

“My soul stayed here to break it. Look at the direction of that red line. The formation is made up of countless flat houses with openings on all four sides. There is only one correct passage. All other paths will lead people to magma caves, chlorine gas layers, underwater whirlpools, and dangerous creature nests. They are all dead ends.”

"No one knows who built this enormous, bizarre structure, spanning 361 lanes on each side. My master said that the wisdom of any Earthling is limited, and its maximum limit is defined from birth, impossible to surpass. His only wish in life was to find the 'Wrath of the Sun God' and destroy it, to prevent it from bringing disaster to humanity—"

The wind was cold, and an invisible chill had completely enveloped us. I felt that no part of my body could escape the invasion of the cold.

In that instant, I thought of the Pyramid of Turkham, which has been permanently sunk underground.

When we first entered the tower, wasn't what we encountered also a strange layout of 361 interconnected rooms? Only that was a flat surface, while what Fujika showed me was a doubly complex cube.

Suddenly, Fujika exclaimed "Ah!" and stared at me in surprise: "At a time like this, you can still control your thoughts at will and calmly withdraw from your own fantasy world?" She raised her palm, examined it carefully, and her face was full of endless sorrow.

"What? Is something wrong?" I took two steps back and stomped my foot hard, the old wooden floor making a hollow "thump" sound.

"I thought I could temporarily control you with illusions until I could convey all the insights I've gained to your mind, but I discovered that there's a peculiar defense mechanism deep within your thoughts that can resist my mental intrusion—" Fujika's gray hair fluttered again, suddenly filling me with a strange sadness. Thinking about it carefully, her physical changes hadn't deviated from the natural cycle of life, aging, sickness, and death on Earth; it was just that she had skipped over a path that should have taken forty years in a few days.

Part 3: Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain

— Chapter 10 - The Ambush at the Scripture Pavilion (Part 2) —

"If a hexahedron with 361 entrances on each side were divided into rooms with four openings in each direction, what an enormous number of rooms that would be! I wonder, what lies at the end of the correct passage? Is it the 'Wrath of the Sun God'? How do we obtain it? What method does Master Jianzhen intend to use to destroy it?"

“I only see the passageway. The ‘Poseidon Plaque’ is just a miniature hexahedral maze. If you follow my route, you won’t lose your way in the maze.” She seemed helpless, just as she had when she mentioned the “limits of human intelligence” earlier.

I gazed at her tousled hair, moved by her sorrow and helplessness, and sighed along with her. It seems that no one in this world can know everything, including Tengjia, whom I thought was "omniscient." Now it seems that he was just a ladder leading to the "underwater tomb."

She reached out and groped at the lower right corner of the window frame, picking up a pale brown cicada shell. She sighed softly, "A thousand years. This is where I dwell. A small cicada shell imprisons my soul."

This perfectly intact cicada shell seems no different from any other cicada shell in the world. It is completely dry, and it will turn into fine powder with just a gentle rub in the palm of your hand.

I always felt that I had many questions in my heart that needed her answers, but unfortunately, in a moment of confusion, I suddenly had great doubts about the answers she knew, fearing that I would make the mistake of "asking a blind man for advice" and lead myself down an even more absurd path of exploration. There are countless versions of the legend of the "Underwater Tomb of the Gods," and in the past month of exploration, what Guan Baoling and I saw, what Shao Hei detected through remote sensing, and Guan Baoling's strange dream last night, all reflect a corner of the tomb of the gods, like glimpses of the whole picture.

Two doors, the unfinished message from her elder brother, gears, the red gem in the crystal—what I wanted to know, Tengjia deliberately kept silent about, or perhaps she knew nothing about it, but instead devoted her entire life's wisdom to exploring the correct path through the three-dimensional maze.

The torch crackled and a few sparks burst forth, illuminating the four empty, towering walls.

“Miss Fujika, I would like to get the translation of the ‘Blue Heaven and Yellow Springs Sutra’ as soon as possible. Perhaps everyone has a different perspective, and the wisdom of all can be combined to make greater discoveries.”

“No, I want you to understand the correct route in the three-dimensional maze first, that’s the most important thing—” She raised her hand and gently tapped her temple.

I smiled and said, "Actually, I already have the route map. It's already in my head. As long as I see it, I'll definitely be able to find the entrance and exit smoothly. Don't worry." Without a doubt, the moment I saw the Rubik's Cube building, I had already read all the data in Teng Jia's head. It was like copying a few bytes of data between two high-speed computers. The speed was so fast that the transmission process between the two could be ignored. It only took a fraction of a second.

Fujika showed an extremely surprised expression: "Really?"

I smiled calmly: "Of course it's true. I don't want to waste time joking around at a time like this."

The three-dimensional perspective of the six-sided Rubik's Cube building has been clearly and accurately implanted into my mind, and I can recall it at any time. The "mind-reading" ability that Shao Hei passed on to me is not very effective yet, so being able to read Teng Jia's thoughts this time was a truly unexpected delight.

Tengjia walked to the northeast corner of the house and groped along the wall for a while. In that inconspicuous corner, several blue bricks collapsed, revealing a silver-gray handle.

“The translation is right here, with a password and a seal, two safeguards, and—” She straightened up, as if to stop and catch her breath, but suddenly several flashes of light appeared on the gray wall, the blades whistling as they instantly formed a gleaming array of blades, trapping her in a fierce attack.

We'd been talking non-stop ever since we entered the courtyard of the library, never imagining that someone would be lying in ambush there. Or perhaps I was too excited, blinded by the anticipation of discovering the mystery, and overlooked the potential danger.

Fujika's movements were too fast to see clearly; it seemed as if he had only flicked his sleeves to simultaneously complete four actions: dodging, disarming, counter-stabbing, and kicking. The air was filled with the hissing sound of blood splattering, and four tall, thin, headless corpses swayed forward and fell to the ground, blood still gushing from their cavities.

The cold wind brought by the flashing swords and bloodshed blew towards the east window, causing the cicada shells on the windowsill to stand upright. I quickly reached out and caught them.

Fujika dropped his blood-stained longsword, bent down and grabbed the handle of the safe, trying to drag it out of the hidden compartment.

"Are you a ninja from the Iga school?" I asked casually, holding the cicada shell in my palm.

"Yes, they were sent by the 'Heavenly Ninja Alliance,' which means they belong to the forces of Tani no Shinshu. We were originally minding our own business and living in peace, and I had promised to use the contents of the scriptures to help him obtain the 'Eye of the Moon Goddess.' Now that all that has fallen through, he has finally become restless."

The safe was dragged out; it was about a meter square, perfectly square, and gleamed with a silver-gray luster. The nameplate number on it had been worn away, but judging from its appearance and workmanship, it was probably a Japanese product.

"This bears a death seal from Zen Buddhism. It will only be released when I die. Feng, I hope you will open it yourself. Those scriptures containing endless secrets, if they fall into the hands of ordinary people, will only bring annihilation. Do you understand?"

Based on the safe's volume, it must weigh at least 100 kilograms, yet she could drag it with one hand. It must be said that Teng Jia's martial arts skills have not yet been fully displayed; she is keeping them hidden.

"Now? Can't we open it? I don't want anything to happen to you. Can we continue our cooperation properly?" Keeping Tengjia by his side meant she could replace ten sharpshooters like Wang Jiangnan and Hawke. Besides, she was a royal princess, granting her unique privileges in everything she did.

She reached out her sleeve and gently wiped the dust off the top of the safe. In the flickering flames, her expression shifted between light and shadow, but most noticeably, her chest heaved, as if she were having difficulty breathing.

With her martial arts skills, killing those four ninjas who were lying in ambush just now would be a piece of cake; it shouldn't be that she was struggling like this.

"Alas, this is a life-or-death seal, sealed with life itself as its bond. Once planted, it cannot be removed—"

Three consecutive "clangs" rang out just as she bent down to check the safe handle.

I was familiar with that sound—"Russian-made high-powered torsion spring crossbow bolts, firing at a rate of 'slow, fast, fast,' often the bolt fired later arrives first, the first one being just a decoy. The bolt has extremely strong spin, and in close-range attacks, it can penetrate the bodies of four adults in succession within a five-meter radius, making it extremely lethal."

Three points of cold light flashed from Tengjia's back, their force undiminished, heading straight for my chest.

I dodged to the side, and with three sharp "whoosh" sounds, the three half-foot-long crossbow bolts shot through the wall beside me with tremendous force and flew straight into the courtyard.

Outside, the moonlight suddenly dimmed, as if a dark cloud had suddenly drifted by and obscured the sky above Fengji Temple.

Without a sound, Teng Jia brought his palms together and smashed a person's head with a loud thud, as if a hammer had hit a watermelon.

I smelled blood, not just from the enemy, but also from Fujika herself, because the crossbow bolt was fired from the hand of the ninja hidden behind the safe, instantly piercing her chest.

In a swift and decisive turn of events, before Fujika could even straighten up, the clatter of crossbow bolts filled the air. Arrows rained down on the walls and rooftops, the clanging and thuds a rapid cacophony. At least a dozen gray-clad ninjas emerged from the equally gray backdrop, their crossbow caskets, their firing ports wide open, unleashing a barrage of fire at Fujika.

My first reaction was to save her and then jump out the window to escape the danger. But a chilling gust of wind rushed in from the east window, mixed with two different surging palm forces, one cold and one hot, which intertwined to form two opposing vortexes that tightly bound me in the middle.

The immense killing intent I had felt before reappeared. Just fifty paces outside the window, on a roof tile, stood a burly giant over two meters tall, his arms holding a massive bow as tall as his body, drawn taut like a full moon, with a snow-white feathered arrow nocked, aimed straight at me.

This method of attack doesn't seem any more effective than a sniper rifle, and it gives me an extremely strange feeling, as if I've suddenly returned to the era of cold weapon combat, where bows and arrows became the decisive weapon in determining the outcome of battles. You see, ever since Westerners brought powerful gunpowder guns to all parts of the world, bows and arrows have become obsolete and useless, losing their former glory and only able to reappear in ancient films.

I quickly slid and spun to the side, avoiding the two surging vortexes. I immediately deduced that besides the giant on the eaves, there must be another extremely powerful enemy nearby, the one who unleashed the palm strike.

I still hold that cicada shell in my left hand. For Tengjia, it may be an indelible memory, worth preserving for a lifetime. After all, her soul was imprisoned inside it for a thousand years.

Tengjia suddenly stepped back, his gray hair already stained with dark red blood, and his whole body reeking of blood.

"This is an operation by the 'Heavenly Ninja Alliance,' we're retreating—"

Before she could finish speaking, the bowstring twanged suddenly, like a sharp, resonant high note on a zither, its echo lingering long after. The long-neglected window frame was instantly shattered by the arrow's blast, countless splinters of wood and window paper pelting my shoulders. Even more deadly was the long arrow itself, its power no less than that of the Azuka rocket that struck fear into German tanks during World War II, carrying a mad, all-consuming ferocity.

I grabbed Fujika's right arm, flipped over, and lunged toward the south window. With a stealthy flick of my right hand, my tactical knife flew out swiftly, aimed directly at the archer giant's Adam's apple. Long arrows are powerful because of their momentum, but knives are better suited for surprise attacks. In such a critical situation, I had to kill with one blow; I would show no mercy whatsoever.

Unexpectedly, the white arrow could change direction mid-flight, and the enemy had also anticipated our retreat along the same route. With a "whoosh," the arrowhead whistled as it followed us into the east window. The following three events occurred almost simultaneously, within a tenth of a second of each other: I saw from the south window that the giant had already drawn his bow for the second time, aiming at the window like a hunter waiting for its prey. If we jumped out, we would become two geese pierced together by a single arrow; the cold glint of a tactical knife flashed on the enemy's Adam's apple, bursting open like a bulging plastic bag full of blood, splattering blood everywhere; the first arrow struck Fujika in the back, piercing through his chest with unstoppable force, the gleaming arrowhead barely touching my left rib. If it had penetrated another ten centimeters, my life would have been in grave danger.

The third part, "Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain," is now complete. Please look forward to the fourth part, "Super Weapon."

The fourth super weapon

— Chapter 1 - Genin (Part 1) —

The sudden battle left Fujika severely wounded from the start, especially the last arrow that pierced straight through his chest. Fortunately, I had already shot down the ambushers on the roof, grabbed Fujika by the waist, and gracefully descended, landing in the center of the courtyard.

“Be… careful, be careful, the ‘Heavenly Ninja Alliance’ has… appeared…” Fujika’s voice seemed to be choked in his throat, so low that it was almost inaudible, and the smell of blood on his body grew stronger.

After a dazzling white light, the gray-clad men who appeared from all directions split into three teams, each holding a long, narrow fishing net with a gleaming short knife hanging from the net's hook. With a quick movement, they surrounded me and Tengjia in the middle.

The sounds of melee combat did not awaken the monks nearby; they could only see the moonlight, not a single person.

The torches were about to burn out, and in a few minutes, only the dim moonlight would remain in the library.

I gripped the arrow shaft with my left hand and flicked my right finger, breaking off the part with the arrowhead. But I dared not remove the arrow for her; without an effective tool to stop the bleeding, removing the shaft would only hasten further blood loss.

There were twenty-one people surrounding her. Near the upstairs window, at least ten more were lurking in the shadows. I knew I had to finish the fight within minutes, then take Tengjia to see the Elephant Monk and find gauze to stop the bleeding. She had more than just these few wounds; her monk's robe was riddled with countless small holes, and blood was seeping out everywhere.

As long as it's not a gunfight, I'm confident I can get Tengjia out of trouble. At least I don't take these dozens of people seriously.

"Feng, tell them... to find Tano Shinshu to talk to... he is the leader of the alliance..." Fujika's entire weight was on me, and in less than a minute, a shallow pool of blood had formed on the ground where he was standing.

The female ninjas of Yuhōmizu once said that Tani no Shinshū was the leader of the "Tennin Alliance," who held the power to command all schools of Japanese ninjas, and was the master of all ninjas.

"I want to see the leader of the alliance, and Mr. Tanino Shinshu," I said loudly in Japanese to the nearest man in gray.

He muttered a curse in Japanese, bent his knee, and flung the fishing net down at me. This was the last thing he could do in his life, because before his raised arm could fully lower, my fist had already broken his right ribs, and as I pulled the long sword from his shoulder, I kicked him away.

The knife was a fine knife, both bright and sharp. I only used half of the "Night Battle Eight Directions Hidden Head Style" move, and the two gray-clad men on the right lost half of their heads and fell backward.

Ninjas consider completing missions their most sacred duty, so their actions are like those of a wound-up robot; there's no way to escape their clutches except to cut them down with a single blow.

I will show no mercy this time. With each swing of the blade, I will hear the "swoosh" of the edge cutting into flesh and bone. Fujika's life is precious. If anything happens to her, even killing everyone would be a greater loss. What she just told me is only the tip of the iceberg of all the secrets. I crave to know more, not to miss this opportunity.

It had been a long time since I had unleashed such a satisfying and exhilarating killing spree. After pushing my techniques and movements to their limits, my blood was boiling with excitement.

In the martial arts world of the 21st century, firearms have taken an absolute dominant position. Martial arts masters basically have no chance to participate in this kind of weapon combat without any worries, but I happened to be there by chance.

The last ninja carrying the fishing net was stabbed, his body twisting strangely as he stumbled backward, his heel hitting the steps, and he fell over with a thud.

"Don't be too careless. These are just small fry in the alliance. The real powerhouses haven't even entered the fray yet," Fujika reminded them weakly.

With a flick of my blade, a long sword, not yet drawn, leaped into the air from the shoulder of a dead man. I tossed aside my already slightly dulled sword and replaced it with the other one. The crisis was far from over; I could feel the surging killing intent in the vast darkness of the night.

The lights on the first and second floors suddenly blazed on, and with the sound of windows being kicked open, at least seventy or eighty ninjas appeared, all dressed in gray and wearing gray face masks.

In the center of the first-floor hall, a masked man in a black robe sat steadily on a grand chair, a long sword with a black scabbard resting across his knee. On either side of him stood two rows of gray-clad men with their hands at their sides.

This kind of formation seems out of place in Fengge Temple; it would be more suitable for the stronghold of a martial arts gang. I lightly twirled my sword, and tightened my grip on Fujika with my left hand. With a formidable enemy at hand, I needed to give her enough confidence to survive and watch me single-handedly defeat these arrogant ninjas.

I remember during the military mutiny in the Egyptian desert, I also faced a heavy encirclement by rebels, but under the barrage of countless guns, I had no chance to fight back. Traditional martial arts are no match for modern firearms; one person against a group has absolutely no chance of winning.

"Do you know who I am?" the masked man asked in broken Chinese.

"Kujōrō of the Iga school," Fujika whispered, announcing the other person's name first.

The tip of my blade pointed diagonally at the ground. It's a pity I don't have a legendary sword that can cut a hair in two and never dull—at this moment, I miss the Dragon-Slaying Saber I just spoke to on the phone. The fine blades he crafted could effortlessly slice through renowned Burmese swords, English sabers, and British cavalry sabers. If I had one of his forged swords right now, I wouldn't have to worry about ten times as many enemies.

"Do you know what we want?" The masked man was arrogant, his voice lazy, as if he didn't take me seriously at all.

I shook my head slightly. The battles in the martial world are nothing more than for wealth and power; one must take either one. I don't need to ask what he wants. In any case, once the two sides start fighting, only one person will survive in the end—it will be me.

The masked man waved his hand and gave the order in Japanese: "Take them down, quickly!"

Two rows of men in gray robes drew their knives from their shoulders and slowly filed out. Surprisingly, the people on the second floor descended the indoor stairs in a civilized manner, without resorting to a swarm attack strategy.

I smiled down at Teng Jia and said, "We Chinese have an old saying: a great general must be able to 'take the head of a general from among ten thousand horses as easily as taking something out of a bag.' You wait and see me take Jiu Chonglang's head and avenge you." To catch the thief, catch the leader. Since Jiu Chonglang thinks he is the leader of this group, I will kill him first.

The moon was still obscured by clouds, and the light outside the threshold was dim. The wind intensified once again in the middle of the night, causing those who had just stepped into the courtyard to involuntarily turn their heads away, close their eyes, and cover their faces with their sleeves.