King of Tomb Raiders

Chapter 265

"My strength could uproot mountains, my spirit could cover the world; but the times are against me, and my steed will not run. My steed will not run, what can I do? Yu, my Yu, what will become of you?"—Tang Xin, this was the poem you recited then. Yu Baifan's face turned ashen. He cupped your face tightly in his hands and then carried you to an ancient sword on the side of the dressing table. Your eyes had just opened, your dark pupils fixed intently on the sword, unblinking. That sword was bought by Tang Junshi for several thousand US dollars from an American museum; it was said to be the sword of Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Chu, during the Chu-Han Contention…

Tang Qing rambled on as she slowly walked out the door. All the snakes gathered around her and followed behind her, like a huge gray shadow.

The firewood in the fireplace was almost burned out when Tang Xin, as if waking from a nightmare, abruptly looked up: "Mr. Feng, where was I?"

I immediately continued, "You said that the man who leaped out of the shattered iceberg arrived in front of the aircraft and stood face to face with Shui Lan. Miss Tang, think again, what exactly did that man look like?"

Tang Xin smiled in astonishment: "What? What flying machine, iceberg, and man? I only remember sitting on a snow-covered porch, a huge color picture book spread out on my lap. On the most striking page, a man with his back to me was holding an ancient sword, thrusting it into the chest of a tall, six-armed monster. Behind the monster was a gloomy stone wall; the sword's edge pierced through his body and embedded itself in the wall, but his six arms simultaneously restrained the man's throat, shoulders, ribs, and knees, the two locked in a life-or-death struggle. The man was extremely muscular, all his muscles bulging with power, displaying an indomitable and fearless heroic spirit—"

She rubbed her hands together again, smiling sheepishly, "I'm sorry, my memory is a bit hazy; I really don't remember anything about icebergs."

My heart sank: "Don't you remember? You were born with memories of your past life, so—then, do you remember what happened before you woke up?"

"What happened? As I said, I was looking at picture books on the porch, felt a little sleepy, went back to my room for a nap, and then woke up here." She smiled innocently and shrugged helplessly.

I gave a wry smile: "Remember 'Qianji'? The 'Qianji' toxin in your body flared up, you died once, and then you came back to life."

She shook her head in horror: "Impossible, impossible. 'Qianji' is incurable. Only those who have practiced the 'Hundred Deaths Divine Skill' can survive such a deadly poison. I didn't... Oh dear, my head is starting to hurt again. I can only remember bits and pieces of many things..." She covered her face helplessly and began to sob softly.

All I can tell is that her memories are starting to fade layer by layer, not only those related to her past life, but also those she experienced in this life are being rapidly forgotten. This is truly terrible; all the information that was previously possible is gone.

"Let's...go." I took her hand and we slowly walked out the door. If she had completely forgotten that she had even practiced the "Hundred Deaths Divine Skill," then there would truly be nothing more to say.

The snow was still falling, and Tang Xin's head and shoulders were immediately covered with huge snowflakes.

"Where is this? I feel like I've been here before, but it was a long, long time ago." She waved her hands happily, brushing away the snowflakes drifting through the air.

I looked towards the cave, and it was quiet and still. My mood finally calmed down, and I took her hand and walked back.

All around was silent, save for the soft patter of falling snow. The small buildings on either side stood silently in the snow, like rows of snowmen built by playful children. Each building formed its own array, and each cluster of buildings could create a complex and ever-changing formation. Extending this further, the area outside the cave was already layered with formations, demonstrating the depth of Alpha's strategic planning.

I really want to see him now and ask him all the details related to my older brother, so that I don't end up like Tang Xin, suddenly losing my memory and not being able to explain anything clearly.

When I was still a few hundred steps away from the gap in the empty courtyard, I suddenly sensed a murderous aura. The snowflakes no longer fell slowly as usual, but instead danced wildly up and down, sometimes even being swept up by the murderous north wind.

I dragged Tang Xin along and ran, leaping onto a small building to the right of the gap, gazing into the distance. The empty courtyard was covered with a thick layer of white snow, with only the wellhead of the "earth vein" showing a dark, round hole, like a comma carefully placed on a huge white sheet of paper. The killing intent came from all directions, and all the attacks were aimed at the wellhead.

There was no sound, only an omnipresent killing intent that was held back, waiting to be unleashed.

What could possibly be hidden within the ley lines? The Earth God, Tu Liehan, emitted the sound of an African drum. How far away are their flying machines? I hope they can be of help, just as I helped them defeat the shadow of the illusion demon inside the pyramid. We can all join forces to fight the enemy.

Tang Xin's head was covered in a layer of snow, but she still stared at the empty courtyard with great interest, showing no sign of impatience. In fact, she should be happy now, living a much easier life than that girl who was preoccupied with revitalizing the Tang Clan and finding her destiny every day. Perhaps, as psychologists say, only those who have cast aside all thoughts and schemes are truly happy, like an idiot who knows nothing.

If Tiger could have her now, they would live a very happy life together.

"You wait here, I'll go down and check." I brushed the snow off her.

"What?" Her dark eyes darted around.

"You—wait here. It's dangerous down there. Don't move." I repeated.

She frowned, tapped her forehead a few times, and her eyes suddenly cleared. She slowly but firmly shook her head: "No, you mustn't go. That's the 'Heavenly Spinning Dragon Control Formation' from the ancient text *Guiguzi's Divine Chapters*, a deadly formation filled with death traps and no way out. Moreover, the one who set it up anticipated the enemy's overwhelming counterattack, which is why they abandoned all restraint and launched a full-scale attack. Your going will only add more variables and make the situation uncontrollable."

I smiled with delight: "You're awake? Tang Xin, you almost scared me to death!"

"Thank you. My thoughts have been fluctuating too much, so they're often incoherent and nonsensical. Mr. Feng, something big must be about to happen—I used to know the ending, but that part of my memory has suddenly been erased. You must be careful. I sense killing intent all around me; there's no force I can rely on, understand?"

She wearily wiped the snowflakes from her eyebrows, knelt down on the snow, let out a long, melancholy sigh, then scooped up a handful of snow and pressed it against her face.

According to historical records, the "Heaven and Earth Spinning Dragon Control Formation" only appeared once in history. It was used by the legendary swordsman Sikong Guishen during the late Sui and early Tang dynasties when he helped Yang Lin, the "King of the Mountain," to suppress the eighteen rebel kings. That battle was a model of a desperate counterattack and a victory against overwhelming odds. The 350,000 troops of the eighteen rebel kings were almost completely wiped out in the formation.

At this time and place, only Alpha could have set up such a formation, but I can't find him anywhere. Perhaps he has already regarded the power about to emerge from the "earth veins" as an absolute mortal enemy, which is why he is determined to eliminate it without any mercy.

My only concern is that while he's focused on dealing with the impending third-party force, the monsters inside the sealed gate might get a chance to retaliate, leading to a tragic, mutually destructive outcome.

The key issue now is not whether I should participate, but rather, "When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact?" Once the balance of this world is broken, will Suren on the other side of the cave also be in danger?

"I have to go check. There's a hidden escape route at a 45-degree angle to the southeast. Wait for me here, okay?" I bent down and gently patted Tang Xin's shoulder. She dropped the handful of snow; her nose, chin, palms, and the backs of her hands were already red from the cold. If Tiger were here, he would be heartbroken.

"That's not the Gate of Life, Mr. Feng. I know you're also proficient in Qimen Dunjia formations, but Alpha's array formations have transcended ordinary variations. Don't go, or you'll only become an innocent casualty. You are the savior; your mission isn't about protecting the lives of one or a few people, but about the safety of the Earth."

Tang Xin was breathing heavily, but she was perfectly lucid. Her gaze was fixed on the southeast corner of the empty courtyard. She drew a few lines on the snow with her index finger: "Look, what appears to be a one-in-a-million chance of survival can actually be transformed into a deadly trap with just a slight change, leaving one trapped in a state of utter despair."

She drew a five-pointed star that was irregularly shaped with some parts longer than others, but it contained a profound meaning.

I suddenly understood: "Miss Tang, is that from the 'Scripture of the Underworld'? That scripture reveals the secrets of this underground world?"

The Tang Clan of Sichuan is not proficient in the art of Qimen Dunjia, so it is impossible for Tang Xin to have acquired this knowledge from her predecessors; it could only have come from the "Biluo Huangquan Jing".

"Yes, but not entirely. The scriptures are vast and profound; I can only understand a very small part. Mr. Feng, my memory is severely damaged. All I can say is that you must take good care of yourself. For a true savior, only by forgetting one's identity as a 'human being' can one truly be invincible. Whether those about to fall into the Dragon Control Formation are enemies or friends, it is irrelevant to you, because you are a god, and they are human."

She wiped away the pentagon with a flick of her sleeve, her eyes fixed intently on the "earth vein" wellhead.

"You're wrong. They're not human. I bet what's coming out of there are aliens, and ones I've seen before." I silently replied to her in my mind, but didn't say it aloud.

The wind on the rooftop grew colder and colder. I stood beside Tang Xin to shield her from the wind, but her body was trembling uncontrollably, and her lips were frozen pale. The situation in the empty courtyard was like a longbow stretched infinitely; the longer the stalemate lasted, the more violently it would erupt.

The snow was already above my calves. I looked up at the sky and all I could see were endless, swirling snowflakes.

"If the battle doesn't begin soon, this world will be buried by the snow." Tang Xin sighed leisurely.

"Let me take you back to the cave. It's so cold, you'll catch a cold." I hoped she could avoid this great battle.

"No need. This is my ultimate destiny. I hope to see every scene clearly, and when I wake up from this dream again, I may be in another unfamiliar world. Mr. Feng, I am different from you; I am just a passerby in this world." She smiled bitterly, looked around, and still stared at the well opening.

"Don't worry, I will protect you," I whispered to comfort her. In her vision, a man in a gray robe, wielding a crescent-shaped scimitar, would kill her. I wanted to do everything in my power to change that fate.

"But that outcome was my destiny—well, the drumbeat? Did you hear the drumbeat?" Her eyebrows shot up.

It was the sound of an African drum again—"boom boom boom boom," mysterious and hoarse, playing out that monotonous and strange rhythm as if no one else was around.

I nodded: "I heard it, an African crocodile skin drum, right down in that well."

"They're coming. Being deep within the ley lines, every moment consumes a tremendous amount of energy. They see the traps outside, yet they have no choice but to jump in. Is this their fate?" Tang Xin stood up, brushing the snow off her knees, and looked at the endless rows of buildings on either side. "Mr. Feng, they are the enemy."

I gently retorted, "If the one who comes is the ancient god Tulihan, who disappeared in the desert long ago, then even if he can't be considered a friend, he's at least an old acquaintance, not an enemy as you say."

She shook her head resolutely: "There are no permanent friends in this world, only permanent interests. When friends or old acquaintances start vying for your interests, their status naturally transforms into that of enemies, doesn't it?"

Part Two: Asian Gears, Chapter Seven: The Battle for Energy

I don't want to argue any further. On the matter of hunting down the Illusion Demon, at least I'm on the same side as the Great God Tu Liehan. For the time being, it seems there's no conflict of interest between us.

The drumbeats grew stronger and stronger, and gradually, the echoes merged with the drumbeats, drifting and swirling in the empty courtyard. The snow over there was unusually thick, gradually reaching the level of the more than three-meter-high courtyard wall in several places.

"Mr. Feng, no matter what, you must not participate in the war, or you will definitely regret it, just as neither of us could impulsively kill Tang Qing. The outcome of a war, life and death, has nothing to do with a key, and she will always just be a key. Do you understand?"

She brushed the snow off her body and looked at me meaningfully.

I asked casually, "Tang Qing said that Su Lun is trapped in 'Fifteen Ridges.' Can she really take me there?"

"I've said it before, what the key does is up to the person holding it. If someone wants it to take you somewhere, then you can go. She can never make that decision herself." Tang Xin's words grew increasingly obscure.

"And you? Are you a key too?" I frowned. Even Alpha said it couldn't get past the sealed gate to reach the "Asian Gear." What method would Tang Qing have?

"No, my coming here was an accident in itself." She shook her head coldly, unable to help but sigh again, clutching her chest. "I should have left a thousand years ago. I didn't want to fall into the cycle of reincarnation again. What's the point of living from the Shang, Zhou, Qin, and Han dynasties all the way to the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties if I'm not happy?"

Her eyes became empty and lost. She looked up, letting the snowflakes fall on her slightly parted lips.

"I understand." By piecing together her fragmented narrative, I gradually came to understand her identity.

"Understand? What?" She smiled sadly, her eyelashes fluttering as snowflakes drifted into her eyes, then melted into water droplets that slid down her cheeks.

"The human body is actually a burden. Without thought and cognition, it's just a meaningless shell, like a walking corpse. Whether you are Tang Xin or not doesn't matter; that's how others see you. As long as you live happily, it doesn't matter when, where, or with whom. Memory fading isn't a bad thing. When your mind is no longer burdened by the shadows of the past, you live only in this moment, like a newly born individual, fresh and innocent. Forget the past. You are simply you, unrelated to any江湖仇杀 (jianghu grudges) or 千年咒怨 (millennial curses). Isn't that better?"

I hope she can break free from her memories and stop being obsessed with fate.

"No matter how hard I try, those memories are fading at a rapid pace. It seems I am not a qualified messenger. I have forgotten all the messages that need to be conveyed to the savior. I'm sorry—" She lowered her head apologetically, snowmelt dripping from her face.

"You're not Tang Xin, and I'm certainly not the savior. Forget those stories." I waved my hand magnanimously, my face full of smiles.

If a savior exists in this world, I hope it is my elder brother Yang Tian. Only a hero as great as him, capable of shaking the heavens and earth, can shoulder all responsibilities without hesitation. As for me, I am willing to be his right-hand man in assisting his success, because I always understand that no one can diminish his brilliance, and all the heroes under heaven will bow down before him.

"Mr. Feng, thank you." After a few minutes of silence, Tang Xin finally regained her composure.

I repeated my earlier promise: "Miss Tang, I will protect you. The tiger is still waiting for you on the cliff. I promised him I would bring you back unharmed."

"Okay." She answered simply, then pointed sharply forward, "They're here! They're here!"

A gray shadow sprang from the dark well opening, shooting skyward like an arrow, rising more than ten meters high. In mid-air, its body opened, revealing two gleaming curved blades in its hands, before slowly descending towards the southeast corner, towards the Gate of Life. The person was extremely thin, and the hood attached to its gray robe obscured half its face, making its features impossible to discern.

"Between advancing and retreating, life turns into death." Tang Xin chuckled coldly.

Before the man's toes even touched the pristine snow, the snow within a five-step radius suddenly churned, revealing countless black venomous snakes with their heads raised. In an instant, the white ground transformed into a dark, snake-like mass, leaving no place to step. The man lightly touched his left foot to his right knee, unleashing the "Chain Cloud Leap" lightness skill, his body springing up more than three meters into the air.

"Youlian, it's her!" I exclaimed in my heart.

That kind of leaping and bounding movement was completely different from any of the Chinese martial arts. I only witnessed it once, in the Egyptian desert, by that beautiful woman who was initially ugly as a ghost but eventually transformed into the great god Turkham. I remember her name, Youlian, a cold and serene lotus flower, who was also the only female disciple of Elder Sahan.

The snake's forked tongue nearly licked her foot, and several extremely thick venomous snakes suddenly sprang up, chasing after her. A flash of light, snake blood splattered, and she used the force of the slash to propel herself two meters higher, gliding through the air like a leisurely kite.

"Suddenly, surrounded by enemies on all sides, where can I go?" Tang Xin sighed, kicked away the snow in front of her, and let it fall gracefully down the small building.

Once the Dragon Control Formation was triggered, it immediately unleashed a series of sharp changes that would have a ripple effect, leaving no place for Youlian to stand in the entire empty courtyard.

As her ascent ended and she began to fall again, she found herself in the south of the courtyard. The seemingly ordinary patch of snow parted to the left and right, revealing a carpet of gigantic, venomous scorpions. Their crimson backs surged across the ground like a red tide, creating a terrifying display of power and lethal venom.

Tang Xin and I were merely bystanders, neither constrained by the situation nor rashly intervening to help either side.

"She only has one way to survive: go back down into the well. However, this will trigger a backflow of poisonous insects, making it difficult for her to escape again. Mr. Feng, if you were in her shoes, how would you handle this?" Tang Xin murmured to herself.

"As you said, the only option is to return the way you came and go back into the 'earth veins'." This is probably the most helpless choice if she wants to escape unscathed. The Gate of Life is already fraught with danger; if she were to force herself to stand up and turn to the west, northwest, north, or northeast, insisting on taking a foothold, she would be courting death.

With the appearance of the Ghost Lotus, the Earth God and Elder Sahan must be nearby. The Scalpel once said that Elder Sahan, as the wisest man in Cairo, has profound knowledge of both Eastern and Western supernatural arts. I hope he can appear in time to neutralize the Dragon Control Array's attack, rather than throwing the Ghost Lotus out to his death.

Left with no other choice, Youlian chose the simplest escape route. Her twin blades spun rapidly, transforming into a shimmering silver net that swept across the scorpion array. Her body seemed weightless, able to easily spring up using any point of support, giving her a chance to escape the annihilation within the poisonous insect formation.

She drifted due west, and immediately a surging, leaping green-backed toads surged up from the snow; then she turned northwest, and this large area of ground was covered by a dense swarm of red poisonous ants, so she could only leap in a series of leaps to due north.

Any kind of poisonous insect can spray venom, and the air in the yard seems to have changed color, shrouded in the foul air brought by the insects.

"It's just the last gasp of its power—the next time it lands, it will happen to encounter the most troublesome centipede. Mr. Feng, who exactly is this person? How can he be so weightless that he can bounce around like a balloon?" Tang Xin was somewhat confused because You Lian's mobility had already surpassed the limits of human gliding.

Strictly speaking, Youlian is an Earthling who was mutated by the Saturnians. Unfortunately, the spacecraft of the great god Tu Liehan lacked energy and could not take her away from Earth, so she could only stay on this planet without proper authority.

"She is..." I don't know how to describe her.

Tang Xin waved her hand promptly: "No need to say anything. She's about to die, and the dead usually don't need to leave their names."

Sure enough, when Youlian rolled to the north of the empty courtyard, a group of charred black centipedes lay on the snow. These venomous insects were capable of leaping through the air. When hundreds of giant centipedes, each half a foot long, sprang up together, the sight was spectacular. The pale yellow smoke they exhaled instantly formed a wall of mist, blocking Youlian's path.

Poisonous insects are always driven and controlled by humans, and I suspected that the mastermind behind them was Tang Qing. But then an unanswerable question arose: "Tang Qing is a mutated monster, a mortal enemy of Alpha. How could he be the main attacker in his 'Heaven and Earth Spinning Dragon Control Array'?"

This is truly baffling. The different groups of venomous insects each have distinct temperaments; unless one is an expert in this field, it's difficult to compel them to attack. I suspect Alpha may not possess such a method, and since Tang Xin has been by my side the whole time, the only plausible expert in insect control is Tang Qing.

Youlian instantly leaped over the wall of mist, but dozens of black centipedes suddenly appeared on her gray robe. Before she could even stop to brush off the poisonous insects, she encountered a new danger at her feet: a swarm of golden-winged wasps, dense as rain, which, before she could catch her breath, swarmed out with a "buzz" and surrounded her in an instant.

At this point, all the hidden dangers within the Dragon Control Formation have been triggered, and all the attacking forces have revealed themselves.