Tomb Keeper: My clone is the Mausoleum of the First Emperor

Chapter 176: Return to the underground river, countless arm-thick loaches, century-old loach scales!
To be honest, even Wu Tianqi didn't expect that Yao Qing's strangers would actually stop them in this tomb.

Being attacked by hundreds of monsters is a treatment that ordinary people may never encounter in their lifetime.

Fortunately, they escaped safely this time.

The next step is to focus on finding the tomb of the First Emperor’s Mausoleum.

Thinking of this, Wu Tianqi asked Zhang Tianqi to circle around the surrounding tunnels to ensure that everyone in the Expedition Bureau could clearly see the surrounding structures.

Then, he said seriously: "Everyone in the Exploration Bureau, we have carefully observed the way we came here."

"According to the current route, we have entered the scope of the main tomb of Lishan Mountain. And the end of the tunnel we are taking now should be the underground lake in front of the main tomb."

"But the strange thing is that we have walked back and forth three corners of this tunnel, and we haven't seen any signs of exiting until now."

"So we speculate that there may be a hallucinogenic mechanism in the tunnel. The authorities are a fan, and we may have been tricked."

"Now that you can see the tunnel clearly, can you tell me whether the pattern of this tunnel is curved or a straight line?"

The people in the Exploration Bureau have gradually adapted to it now. After hearing Wu Tianqi's inquiry, people recovered from their previous excitement.

Now hearing Wu Tianqi's question, people immediately began to observe their surroundings.

But the next news made Wu Tianqi a little confused.

"This road is indeed curved, right?"

"Yes, I'm sure I saw it right. Although this road looks like a straight line, if you look closely, the passage in the distance is gradually swallowed up by the wall!"

"Are you all soldiers now?"

Wu Tianqi became even more confused after hearing people's answers.

Is the tunnel curved?

So that means they were on the right track, and there weren't any hallucinogenic devices in the tunnel?

But if that's the case, why can't they get out?
Seeing Wu Tianqi's doubts, Zhang Tianqi carefully came to Wu Tianqi and lowered his voice and said: "Brother Wu, could this road have been like this from the beginning? Are we overthinking it?"

Hearing this, Wu Tianqi could only nod.

If you can't think of any doubts, you can only temporarily agree with this statement.

Therefore, Wu Tianqi then said seriously: "I hope I have overthought it. Now I just hope that there are no institutions on this road. In this case, we can finally get out."

"But for the sake of safety, it's better to take some measures. Let people watch the road behind us now and notify me immediately if they find any doubts."

Under the guidance of Wu Tianqi, people in the Exploration Bureau also realized the seriousness of the matter.

So people immediately showed their support.

"Don't worry, if something happens, I guarantee you will know it as soon as possible!"

With people as a guarantee, Zhang Tianqi and others finally felt less uneasy.

Then, everyone held up their flashlights and continued deeper into the tunnel.

But although Wu Tianqi felt relieved a lot, he was still observing the surrounding routes at all times while walking in this tunnel.

Because this tunnel is so tortuous, there is a high possibility that it is a naturally formed road.

Although this kind of road may have no mechanisms, its internal structure has no rules.

Even the rocks in the middle of the tunnel may block the road to the underground river at any time.

Therefore, Wu Tianqi would use his dagger to leave unique marks on the rock wall almost every time he walked.

In this way, once there are marks on the road ahead, it proves that they are indeed going in circles.

Fortunately, there were no further incidents along the way.

Everyone walked forward for nearly 10 minutes, but Wu Tianqi didn't see the mark he had carved.

But at this moment, Wu Tianqi suddenly noticed that the light illuminated by the flashlight seemed to be a little blurry.

There seemed to be a layer of white mist in the air ahead.

Upon noticing this, Wu Tianqi immediately became alert.

He quickly stopped and took a deep breath.

Fresh air poured into his lungs, and Wu Tianqi was immediately sure that the air in the tunnel had not changed.

But if the air did not decrease, how could the flashlight's light change?
You know, there is no smoke and dust in this tunnel now.

If the light changes, it can only mean something is abnormal.

and many more!

At this moment, Wu Tianqi suddenly heard a strange sound coming from all around.

tick~
tick~
Although the voice was weak, Wu Tianqi heard it very clearly.

The sound sounded like there was some liquid flowing continuously in the tunnel.

At this time, Zhang Tianqi also heard the sounds around him clearly.

So, she hurriedly reminded her: "Brother Wu, have you noticed?! There is the sound of water flowing around!"

"The sound of water flowing?!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Tianqi's eyes suddenly lit up.

Correct!
This sound sounds like the sound of water flowing!
The flashlight light reflected in the surrounding air should be the water mist in the air!
Upon noticing this, Wu Tianqi suddenly had a guess in his mind.

The moisture in the tunnel will rise sharply, which means there is only one possibility.

So Wu Tianqi carefully approached the rock wall and shined a flashlight on it.

As the flashlight illuminated the rock, Wu Tianqi discovered that the originally dry rock wall was actually refracting light.

He stretched out his hand and wiped it, and his fingers were soaked with water.

"It is indeed the sound of water flowing!"

"This means we are close to the underground lake!"

Seeing this scene, Wu Tianqi confirmed his guess.

After hearing Wu Tianqi's explanation, others also took a look at it excitedly.

So, everyone followed Wu Tianqi's footsteps and continued walking deeper into the tunnel.

While walking forward, Wu Tianqi asked Zhang Tianqi to focus the shooting at the front of the tunnel.

"Brothers in the Exploration Bureau, it seems that I really thought too much before."

"As soon as we entered here, we found that the water vapor in the surrounding area began to rise sharply, and there was the sound of water flowing around."

"There is no doubt that this is because the water vapor in the tunnel has accumulated and solidified into water!"

"At the same time, there is such a large amount of water vapor in the tunnel, which undoubtedly proves that there is a large amount of groundwater stored at the end of the tunnel."

"Our current location should be very close to this underground lake!"

Hearing this, everyone in the Exploration Bureau also clearly saw that the rocks under Zhang Tianqi's feet had become very slippery and even reflected light.

Seeing this scene, people couldn't help it.

"It looks like they are really close to the underground lake."

"I always feel a bit at a loss. I haven't seen anything happen before, but I'm about to find the main tomb!"

"What's there to see ahead?! But having said that, you have to be careful, this is an underground lake!"

indeed!

Entering the underground lake means you are close to finding the main tomb.

But underground lakes often also mean fatal crises.

You must know that this is the Mausoleum of the First Emperor.

Thinking like this, Zhang Tianqi couldn't help but slow down a little.

At the same time, Wu Tianqi on the side was also paying attention to the richness of the water vapor around him.

At this moment, Wu Tianqi suddenly felt a little cold on his face.

So, he subconsciously wiped it with his hand and found that water droplets had condensed on the tip of his nose.

Seeing this, Wu Tianqi knew that this was because they kept moving forward, causing the moisture in the air to continue to increase.

"Everyone, be careful, we are almost at the end of the tunnel."

That's right.

This is the Mausoleum of the First Emperor, nothing is impossible.

As he spoke, Wu Tianqi and others continued to walk forward, and just after he finished speaking, everyone suddenly noticed that there seemed to be a clearer sound of running water directly in front of them.

wow~
The clear sound of water flowing from the center came from the front, and Wu Tianqi immediately pricked up his ears to listen carefully.

After confirming that he heard correctly, he swallowed and subconsciously stepped up his steps.

Then, Wu Tianqi motioned with his eyes to Zhang Tianqi and the others to follow, and then cautiously continued to move forward against the rock wall.

When they reached the end of the tunnel, a white shadow suddenly appeared directly in front of them.

Seeing this, Wu Tianqi's face suddenly flashed with joy.

He knew that if a shadow appeared in the tunnel, it meant they had reached the end of the tunnel.

Therefore, Wu Tianqi suppressed the joy in his heart and lowered his voice and said: "It seems that we are quite lucky and did not get lost in the tunnel."

"Look, the end of the tunnel is ahead."

As he spoke, Wu Tianqi pointed to the shadow ahead.

"Whoo~"

Wu Tianqi took a deep breath, then motioned to Zhang Tianqi and the others to follow him, and then walked forward close to the rock wall.

When everyone finally emerged from the shadow, the rock walls on both sides of them immediately disappeared.

At the same time, everyone's vision suddenly became clearer.

The sudden change in his vision made Wu Tianqi dare not act rashly.

So, he tried his best to shine the flashlight forward.

But after seeing the situation clearly ahead, Wu Tianqi couldn't bear it anymore.

"This"

Looking around, he saw that after the rock wall disappeared, what appeared in front of him was a huge underground mountain stream.

The top of the mountain stream is at least a hundred meters high, and the left and right sides are vertical mountain cliffs.

He looked down the cliff and found that directly in front of him was an underground lake that stretched for at least two kilometers.

"Giant lake!"

Seeing this scene, Wu Tianqi's pupils immediately shrank.

At this time, Zhang Tianqi and the others also walked out of the tunnel.

After they raised their eyes and saw clearly the situation ahead, Zhang Tianqi couldn't help but exclaimed.

The lake stretches for several kilometers and the cliffs on both sides make this lake look extremely spectacular.

At the same time, Wu Tianqi couldn't help but feel a little heavy.

With such a giant underground lake appearing inside the tomb, you can imagine how terrifying it would be inside the Tomb of the First Emperor.

After seeing the entire underground lake clearly, Wu Tianqi took a few deep breaths to suppress the shock in his heart.

Thinking of the key point, Wu Tianqi looked at the underground lake in front of him and said while holding back his discomfort: "It seems that I had predicted well before. This is indeed an underground lake."

"But I never expected that its area would be so beyond my imagination."

"Let's be careful. The presence of such a large underground lake here is enough to prove that the construction structure of the First Emperor's Mausoleum far exceeds any tomb we have entered before."

"It can be said that if we really enter the main tomb, the mechanisms inside may be many times more than what we encountered before."

"And in addition to the Forbidden Woman, I guess there may be new monsters here."

After hearing Wu Tianqi's reminder, everyone present became silent and serious.

As he spoke, Wu Tianqi shined his flashlight at his feet and led everyone slowly towards the shore of the underground lake.

It is at least ten meters away from the lake, and the lake is too vast.

Even with the help of the reflection from the lake, he could only see clearly a few dozen meters away.

So in this case, Wu Tianqi couldn't see too far away at all, and he couldn't be sure whether he could walk over.

Everyone carefully came to the shore, and Wu Tianqi used his flashlight to shine as much light on the cliffs on the left and right as possible.

Unfortunately, although the cliff in the distance is shrouded in vague shadow, it can be vaguely seen that the cliff wall enters the water vertically.

If you look closely, this underground lake actually looks like a river channel formed after a mountain stream split.

Wu Tianqi took a few observations and found that there were no river banks on both sides for people to walk across.

Seeing this, Wu Tianqi gradually frowned.

Then, he shined his flashlight on the surrounding river banks.

Then he discovered that not only was there no river bank that could be bypassed, there was not even a shallow water area.

The banks of this underground lake are basically formed by rock faults.

The river bank goes vertically downward from the feet, and you can't tell how deep the river is from looking down.

Therefore, it is almost impossible to walk along the shallow water area on the shore.So, he swallowed and said to Zhang Tianqi: "This underground lake seems to have been formed due to the cracking of the underground mountain stream, which led to the rise of the underground water level."

"So, there's no soil here, all the banks are granite."

"In this pattern, the surrounding river banks are vertically downward, so there are no shallow water areas."

"Also, although I can't see clearly from far away, judging from the reflection on the river, the cliffs on both sides of the underground lake are also vertical."

Hearing this, Zhang Tianqi suddenly said doubtfully: "Brother Wu, according to what you said, do you suspect that there might be something else hidden in this lake?"

"But how are you going to draw it out, and how are you going to solve it after you draw it out?"

When asked, Wu Tianqi did not explain anything, but turned around and started searching in his backpack.

It didn't take long for him to take out the dry food he had been carrying.

He had been carrying these rations with him, but he never expected that he would never use them after entering the tomb.

It didn't come in handy until here.

So, Wu Tianqi carefully broke the two pieces of dry food into fine pieces with his hands.

Then some more blood was put in.

After doing all this, Wu Tianqi came to the shore again, and then wrapped the crumbs of dry food in blood-stained clothes.

Finally, it was tied into a ball and thrown forcefully towards the lake not far away.

The baggage crossed a parabola and landed safely on the lake seven or eight meters away.

Immediately afterwards, Wu Tianqi crouched down and shone his flashlight.

I saw that after the baggage soaked in the lake water, it quickly spread.

And, since there is a little air in the sealed sleeves, the baggage always floats on it.

Seeing this scene, Wu Tianqi squatted down on the shore, stared at the baggage, and waited.

At the same time, Zhang Tianqi and the others were also attracted by Wu Tianqi's actions, and then they all came to him and stared at the furoshiki to observe the movement.

as time flows.
After about 5 minutes, the solidified blood stains on the clothes were soaked in the lake water and spread.

Circles of dark red ripples with oil gradually rippled out around the lake.

For a moment, everyone present and those in the Exploration Bureau fell silent.

Everyone was speechless.

This scene made the people in the Exploration Bureau feel as if they were right in front of them, fearing that they might accidentally scare away any creature that might appear at any time.

wow~
At this moment, a wave of water suddenly appeared on the lake.

Although it was small and fleeting, Wu Tianqi still captured it keenly.

Really something!

Seeing this scene, Wu Tianqi's heart that had just been relieved became suspended again.

As expected, he expected it.

This underground lake is not as simple as it seems.

At this time, Zhang Tianqi also saw the ripples.

She quickly grabbed Wu Tianqi's arm and pointed into the distance and said, "Brother Wu, did you see it? There is something, something is swimming by!"

"Don't be noisy!"

Being startled by Zhang Tianqi, Wu Tianqi immediately made a silent gesture, fearing that the things that had just passed by would be scared away.

Then, he suppressed his desire to find out and continued to wait.

Wow~ Wow!

As time goes by, more and more ripples appear on the water.

Gradually, the one or two ripples that occasionally appeared at the beginning increased to a wave of water.

Moreover, the floating trend of this ripple is still increasing.

In just ten seconds, the water wave even covered the entire baggage.

Then the water wave began to spread towards a larger area.

In just one minute, the water wave had spread to nearly four meters of the lake.

It seems that everything in the field of vision directly ahead is densely packed with ripples.

Moreover, the increasingly fierce water waves splashed the water surface with waves of water.

Vaguely, you can still see some fleeting black shadows.

Wu Tianqi's vision was very sharp. Through the water waves, he could clearly see that the fleeting black figures seemed to be pure black.

It seems that the bodies of those things underwater seem to be as thick as an adult's arm.

For a moment, this scene made people shudder.

After seeing this scene, Wu Tianqi's original serious expression gradually became more solemn.

Cold sweat slowly penetrated his scalp, giving him an indescribable strange feeling in his heart.

A body as thick as an arm and a pure black complexion.

Never seen anything like this before!

So what is that under the water?
At this time, people from the Exploration Bureau also followed Wu Tianqi and saw the terrifying scene.

Suddenly, the exploration bureau exploded.

"What's in the water?!"

"I saw it, it looked like a python!"

"Don't scare me, a whole underground lake of pythons? What a joke! But think about it carefully, if it really is a python"

At this time, Zhang Tianqi's face gradually turned pale.

She grabbed Wu Tianqi's arm and said, "Brother Wu, could it be a python?"

Upon hearing the inquiry, Wu Tianqi shook his head solemnly.

If it were a python, there wouldn't be such a large amount.

Just when Wu Tianqi's mind became more and more heavy, the fluctuations on the water surface became larger and larger.

Gradually from small waves, it turned into large sprays of water.

Whoa!

Suddenly, at this moment, the excitement of those things under the water reached its maximum.

For a moment, the things under the water jumped out from under the water like carp turning flowers.

Wu Tianqi hurriedly used the flashlight to look, but when he saw clearly what was out of the water, his expression froze.

Because he suddenly saw clearly that the black fleshy water wheels that crossed the water were actually loaches with beards.

For a moment, Wu Tianqi felt a little relieved.

Although these loaches are as thick as human arms, they are still loaches in the final analysis.

But the strange thing is, how come there are so many here.

Is the entire underground lake full of loaches?
How is this going?

Wu Tianqi felt that his scalp was numb. When he looked up, he saw that the entire surface of the river within four to five meters was occupied by dark meat pots.

Although these loaches are not carnivorous, the density alone can make people feel sick to their stomachs.

But at this moment, Wu Tianqi seemed to have a strange idea.

and many more!

Looking at the loaches again, he seemed to have thought of something.

At this time, Zhang Tianqi also saw clearly the situation on the river.

She pulled Wu Tianqi with an ugly expression and lowered her voice and said, "Brother Wu, what is going on?"

At the same time, the people in the Exploration Bureau finally couldn't bear it anymore.

The densely packed meat strips can make some people with trypophobia almost faint.

"I'm going to vomit!"

"Why are there so many loaches in this lake?!"

At this time, Wu Tianqi finally forced himself to calm down his heartbeat, and then said to Zhang Tianqi: "Don't worry, although these loaches look disgusting, at least they are not carnivorous."

"In other words, since there are such a large number of loaches in this lake, it means there won't be any fatal crisis."

"There is also a certain guarantee for our next crossing of the lake."

"Also, seeing these loaches is actually good news for me."

"The loach is actually also called a small dragon in Feng Shui records, and it has the symbol of a hidden dragon."

"It is recorded in most Feng Shui classics that there are two kinds of fish with dragon life in Feng Shui. One is carp, and the other is loach."

"But the difference is that a carp can transform into a dragon by leaping over the dragon gate, while a loach has a dragon shape but no dragon life."

"I spend my whole life in the mud. I am a dragon but can never transform into a dragon."

Having said this, Wu Tianqi looked at the loaches again and continued: "So in ancient literature, loaches are usually compared to the image of a small dragon that has not transformed into a dragon, and it is also used to symbolize tombs."

"As for why I'm so sure, it's because the loach has a characteristic. Like a python, its body continues to grow as long as it doesn't die."

As he spoke, Wu Tianqi pointed to the river.

The densely packed fleshy drum, coupled with Wu Tianqi's bizarre explanation, made Zhang Tianqi swallow his saliva.

Seeing that Zhang Tianqi believed it, Wu Tianqi stopped explaining.

Then, he carefully took off his thick coat and signaled to Zhang Tianqi and the others to start getting ready.

While putting away his clothes and backpack, Wu Tianqi warned everyone: "Okay, with these loaches to guide the way, after crossing this underground lake, the final passage into the main tomb should be in front of us."

"Fortunately, these loaches are not carnivorous, so we don't have to do anything else."

"Next, it's time to swim directly over."

As he spoke, Wu Tianqi took a deep breath and came to the shore again.

For a moment, he looked at the group of loaches gradually dispersing in front of him and said, "Okay, the lake is at least fifteen kilometers wide, and the road is still long."

"It's not too late, let's go down."

As he spoke, Wu Tianqi tied the flashlight to the left side of his temple with a short rope, and then carefully stepped into the lake with everyone.

The lake was very deep, and as soon as everyone jumped in, the water level was up to their necks.

Fortunately, everyone has good water skills and quickly adapted to it.

Then, Wu Tianqi stretched out his hand to greet everyone, indicating that everyone should follow him and continue swimming forward.

After swimming about ten meters, Wu Tianqi felt the water temperature.

The lake here is very wide, and to be honest it is not easy to swim across it.

Fortunately, the water temperature in this lake is only colder in the uppermost layer, and the water temperature in the waist and abdomen is at least a few degrees higher.

So they don't have to worry about being frozen by the cold water until their hands and feet cramp, and they can hold on for a while longer.

There is still a long road ahead, so Wu Tianqi and the others simply stopped talking in order to maintain their strength.

After feeling the water temperature, they all calmed down and concentrated on swimming forward.

After about ten minutes, everyone had swam halfway.

What's not good is that at this moment, everyone's physical strength has been exhausted.

If you continue to swim like this, it is very likely that you will lose strength and be unable to paddle.

So, Zhang Tianqi couldn't help but shouted to Wu Tianqi: "Brother Wu, take a rest. I can't hold on any longer. If I continue like this, I may lose strength here."

Upon hearing the shouting, Wu Tianqi turned back and glanced at her.

Zhang Tianqi's face was very rosy at the moment. It was obvious that he had spent too much energy and his blood was rising.

But even so, Wu Tianqi knew he couldn't stop now.

Therefore, Wu Tianqi took a deep look at the river bank in the distance.

He found that after swimming halfway, the river bank in the distance could now be vaguely seen.

Seeing this scene, Wu Tianqi turned around and shouted loudly: "We can't stop. There is no place in our hands to borrow force. Even if we stop, we must use a certain amount of effort to paddle."

"There is still half the distance. If we spend more energy here, we may not be able to swim."

"Try harder, hold on for another ten minutes at most, and wait until you swim over before resting."

After saying that, Wu Tianqi stopped staying, gritted his teeth and continued to swim forward.

When Zhang Tianqi saw Wu Tianqi's retreating figure, he smiled bitterly and had no choice but to follow him.

Quickly keeping up with Wu Tianqi, Zhang Tianqi came to him and said depressedly: "Brother Wu, can't you rest for a while longer? If this continues, I will lose strength before reaching the other side."

Wu Tianqi glanced at her and said without looking back: "Can you find a place to rest here?"

"Continue to stay here, and you will have to wait until you die!"

(End of this chapter)