Just as Cousin said, the old monk didn't dare to chase us.
After a long rest, Cousin gradually recovered, quickly sitting cross-legged to regulate his breath. Only then did he slowly exhale a turbid breath.
"Finally, I can move."
After fully restoring his cultivation, he couldn't help but shake his stiff limbs and expressed gratitude with clasped fists, "Really, thanks to your rescue."
Han Yu waved it off with a smile, "It was just a coincidence. Let's first figure out how to get the relic out."
"Getting the relic isn't difficult."
With confidence, Cousin took out a pile of iron pieces from his chest. Under Han Yu's incredulous gaze, he quickly assembled them into a black iron bone umbrella with dexterous hands.
"What's this for?"
Han Yu asked curiously, looking at the black umbrella.
Cousin patted the umbrella ribs, smiling slightly, "This is a device I developed specifically to crack the mechanisms designed by my family."
Admittedly, there are some peculiar people in the Self-Improvement Sect, one is Yi Xian who gets into trouble wherever he goes and loves roaming around, and then there's this one, keen on cracking mechanisms designed by his own family.
The two jumped off the high platform, returning to the other side of the artificial river, and as soon as they landed, a massive swarm of red insects surged forth.
This time, Cousin was much calmer, opening the black iron bone umbrella and beckoning Han Yu to get closer.
The insect swarm seemed to have encountered a natural enemy, trembling in paralysis once the iron bone umbrella was opened.
Cousin, with interest, pointed at the red insects on the ground, explaining.
"This thing is called the poison scorpion tail. My great-grandfather named it, and it's also cultivated by our family. If you ever delve into a powerful cultivator's tomb and encounter these, you can be sure the tomb was designed by our family. They love putting these trivial things in tombs."
Han Yu was astonished, wondering what kind of family this was, from the implications, it seemed like they were involved with most of the powerful cultivators' tombs.
"I've always felt these insects are useless. When they encounter the scent of a natural enemy, they behave like this. But my family never adopts my views."
Cousin sighed regretfully.
"Why would the insects have a natural enemy?"
Han Yu asked curiously.
"They always thought these insects were useful, so I cultivated their natural enemy."
This is truly a wastrel, specifically cracking all sorts of mechanisms from his own family.
Han Yu secretly mocked in his heart.
Passing by the stone room with the well, Han Yu glanced from afar; the well mouth was silent, but who knew if an old bald head would jump out.
After walking straight for dozens of meters, Cousin suddenly stopped them. There, at the center of the crossroads, was a dragon head statue, its whiskers dancing and its mouth wide open.
Cousin opened the umbrella again, walked two steps forward, and suddenly a scorching breath spewed from the dragon's mouth, a flame erupted instantly.
The fire snake struck the umbrella surface and was absorbed one by one. Most importantly, standing behind the umbrella, the two of them didn't feel a trace of the heat, and Cousin even managed to turn back and smile.
"This mechanism is simple, really just a fire-breathing setup with a spirit stone inside it, releasing high-temperature flames upon sensing tomb raiders. You could force your way through and just lose a layer of skin."
Though Cousin spoke lightly, Han Yu was silently impressed. He had only ever heard of spirit stones being used for spirit medicine; this was his first encounter with spirit stones combined with mechanical techniques.
The two of them hid behind the umbrella as they advanced. Sure enough, after a certain distance, the dragon head stopped breathing fire, and after walking a bit further, they saw the ceiling of the passage filled with small, dense holes.
"This is the real killer move. Step in there, and it sprays erosive water that can melt even iron. If a person bathes in it, they wouldn't even need a coffin."
Cousin lifted his head to explain the small holes above.
Han Yu dared not be careless, quickly moving closer, and the two of them cautiously stepped inside.
As soon as they entered, the top began to spray erosive water, like torrential rain, but strangely, the umbrella surface remained unharmed upon contact with the water.
"Let's move quickly, otherwise, if the water accumulates, our feet won't be protected by the umbrella."
Cousin turned and reminded, after nodding in agreement, the two quickened their pace, swiftly passing through the erosion water path.
Looking back at the impenetrable curtain of rain, Han Yu marveled, first it was poisonous insects, then a wall of fire, and now erosive water. How much did the old monk endure to break through all this?
Ahead was the end, a stone door awaited there. Cousin first closed the umbrella and strode forward, then pushed open the stone door.
As the stone door swung open, a cloud of dust billowed, causing the two of them to cough for a while. Once the dust settled, Han Yu looked inside.
Inside the stone door was a large room, about the size of the White Bone Temple. On the left, against the wall, were many boxes, presumably burial items. It was unclear what a high monk, who was also a high-tier cultivator, would have as burial items.
Cousin seemed uninterested in the burial items and was instead focused on the mural on the right.
Following his gaze, Han Yu felt a momentary dizziness, and his expression changed. It could actually affect one's spirit.
The mural depicted a White Bone Image, a heap of white bones in a twisted and chaotic space, where nothing else existed, a group of white skeletons devouring each other.
"This is the most valuable thing here, the Hungry Ghost Visualization Image!"
Cousin pointed at the mural and said with a smile.
It seemed the old monk entered here back then just for this Visualization Image.
Han Yu felt a chill in his heart. The mural alone had such power; if the divine techniques were mastered, how powerful would they be?
"As long as you constantly visualize this image in your mind, and once the Hungry Ghost Image is etched into your Sea of Consciousness, you can start cultivating. Once mastered, it can be considered a divine technique. Do you want to try it?"
Cousin suddenly suggested.
Han Yu was startled, seemingly tempted.
"Why not try it," Glass's voice sounded in his mind.
"Try it and you'll die! If visualization counts as cultivation, wouldn't one die on the spot?" Han Yu responded with a darkened expression in his mind.
After watching for a while, cousin lost interest and turned away.
Curiously, Han Yu asked, "Why don't you learn it?"
Cousin casually waved his hand and said, "There's a personally drawn version at home by an elder."
"Moreover, if one does not have a compassionate heart like the heavens and the earth, the outcome will be similar to that old monk's, falling into the Demonic Path."
Han Yu couldn't help but be curious about cousin's background, with his endless knowledge of mechanical techniques and various secrets at his fingertips.
The two seemed to have lost interest in the Visualization Image, for a single compassionate heart could keep most people out.
In the center of the room, instead of a coffin, there was a stone bed. On the bed, a skeleton sat in a cross-legged meditation posture.
The two walked closer, seeing the skeleton in a pale yellow monk's robe emitting a faint glow, likely the glow of a relic.
Whirr~ Whirr~
At this moment, a Pill suddenly emerged in his mind from the Glazed Bottle.
Han Yu's expression turned odd as he secretly turned his head to communicate quietly.
"What are you doing? Why did you spit out a pill for no reason?"
Glass's aggrieved voice came, saying, "It wasn't me, the Glazed Bottle spit it out on its own. It seems to have ideas about the relic."
This was becoming more ridiculous; ever since leeching Young Master Xiao's thirteen years of Qi Fortune, having an Artifact Spirit emerge from the bottle was one thing, but now the bottle was having its own ideas.
Muscle and Bone Strengthening Pill: Bestows the user with a robust body. Side effect: Complete lack of control in the face of food, leading to compulsive eating.
Han Yu looked at the Pill, bewildered, realizing that in the eyes of the Glazed Bottle, this skeleton seemed malnourished!
Moreover, the effect of the Pill was, as always, absurd.
As Han Yu was about to take the relic, cousin stopped him, shaking his head, saying, "This is, after all, an old acquaintance of the family. Let me take it!"
He then bowed slowly toward the skeleton on the bed and softly said, "The descendant of an old acquaintance comes to seek help today, borrowing the elder's relic."
After bowing three times, cousin rose and walked toward the skeleton, gently lifting the monk's robe and reaching in, soon pulling out an object glowing faintly like a quail's egg.
It seemed neither stone nor jade. Cousin looked at it for a moment before handing it to Han Yu.
"I noticed your speed was quite fast in the dungeon. When we go down later, I'll handle the attack using mechanical techniques. You just wait for an opportunity and throw the relic at that old bald donkey whenever you can."
Cousin assumed Han Yu had low cultivation, thus volunteering to take the front to lure the enemy.
As soon as the relic entered his hand, the Glazed Bottle in his mind jumped with joy, seemingly wanting to burst out.
Han Yu's expression changed, quickly shouting in his mind to Glass, "Hold it down for me..."