"Crack..."

Just as she was about to reach the door, a crisp sound emanated from beneath her feet, sending a chill through the hearts of Kawai Matsutake and others who were preparing to follow her.

"Ozawa, be careful."

Kawai Matsutake shouted loudly, but Ozawa Ria, already somewhat unsteady, did not hear it clearly.

Moreover, she realized she had triggered a mechanism. Although she wanted to retreat, she found her consciousness starting to blur.

"Whoosh whoosh..."

At that moment, numerous holes appeared on the surrounding walls, and cold flashes crisscrossed the tomb chamber.

"Swish swish swish..."

"Ahhhh..."

The cold flashes quickly pierced through Ozawa Ria’s body, creating bloody holes followed by her screams as she fell to the ground, bleeding profusely.

"Ozawa!!"

Seeing this, Kawai Matsutake yelled, but Ozawa Ria was already motionless, clearly lifeless. Yet it wasn’t over; as the hidden weapons appeared, another crisp sound arose, and everyone saw the floor suddenly sink, releasing countless black liquids.

"Hiss hiss hiss..."

In the next second, a flame ignited from somewhere, and these black liquids burst into flames.

Engulfed in the blaze, Ozawa Ria’s body was quickly consumed, leaving no trace behind.

"Damn Zhuge Liang, so deceitful."

Kawai Matsutake gazed at the flames before him, punching the wall in frustration.

This was a true killer move, leaving no chance of survival for anyone entering.

The initial attack of hidden weapons; so densely packed that ordinary people wouldn’t stand a chance and would be killed instantly.

But if that wasn’t enough, oil was buried beneath the ground, ensuring that anyone lucky enough to survive would be completely incinerated by the fire.

At this moment, they couldn’t help but recall what they had seen earlier.

’Deadly land...’

The words ’Death Gate,’ Zhuge Liang wasn’t joking this time.

The only consolation was that, perhaps due to the passage of time, some oil had leaked, and the flames didn’t cover the entire tomb chamber, leaving a path to navigate through.

"Let’s go. Only by finding the treasure can we truly honor Ozawa’s death."

Nakamura Komachi, though unwilling to accept Ozawa Ria’s demise, couldn’t dismiss the desire to continue.

Legend had it that Zhuge Liang’s Seven-Star Lamp could extend life. Despite being wealthy and powerful in Sakura Country, he didn’t want to die as his strength waned.

Over the years, he had sought other means of prolonging life, but none had worked.

Half a month ago, a doctor told him that his body could only sustain him for another two months, which he couldn’t accept.

Fortunately, he obtained a map from an old man who had invaded Dragon Country years ago, claiming it belonged to Zhuge Liang, who allegedly possessed a life-extending Seven-Star Lamp.

Upon learning this, he prepared himself and, with his most loyal subordinates, came to Dragon Country, determined to find Zhuge Liang’s Seven-Star Lamp.

He chose Xia Liang as a tour guide merely by coincidence but hadn’t expected Xia Liang to be so formidable, resulting in heavy losses among his subordinates.

Now, only Kawai Matsutake and Kurokawa Kiseki remained, but even so, he hadn’t given up on prolonging his life and had no escape once he’d reached this point.

Kawai Matsutake and Kurokawa Motoishi cautiously navigated through the flames toward the nearby passageway. Yet, as they exited the Stone Gate, another crisp sound arose, and their faces changed; another trap lay ahead.

An instant later, a cold flash emerged, shooting from the coffin and arriving before the three at an alarming speed.

"Mr. Nakamura, be careful,"

Kurokawa Kiseki shouted, hastily moving in front of Nakamura Komachi, and grabbed the shield used outside against arrows.

"Swish..."

Yet the cold flash penetrated the shield effortlessly, piercing Kurokawa Motoishi’s thigh.

"Ah!"

The intense pain made Kurokawa Kiseki cry out, but he couldn’t hesitate. A shuriken appeared in his hand, striking his thigh directly.

"..."

In a flash, a bloody chunk was cut from Kurokawa Kiseki’s thigh, a finger-thick golden spike embedded in the flesh.

As soon as the flesh was removed, it turned black visibly.

"Such a potent poison!"

Despite the pain, Kurokawa Motoishi was stunned by the deadly poison, knowing if he hadn’t acted quickly, he would have succumbed entirely.

Moreover, this unique golden spike had over ten barbs, ensuring excruciating pain if removed.

"This is truly a deadly place!"

Nakamura Komachi couldn’t help but gulp; had Kurokawa Kiseki not blocked it, the deadly blow would have hit him.

Respect and awe for Zhuge Liang grew within him; the masterful trap constructor was formidable.

"Kurokawa, how do you feel?"

Kawai Matsutake approached Kurokawa Motoishi, quickly retrieving medicine from his backpack to help with the bandages.

"I won’t die for now, thankfully I acted quickly and wasn’t poisoned." Kurokawa Kiseki gritted his teeth.

"We need to be even more cautious; this place is perilous, and who knows how many more traps and hidden weapons lie ahead."

As Kawai Matsutake spoke, he helped with the bandages, and as the medication took effect, Kurokawa Kiseki’s pain lessened, though his right leg remained weak.

Due to Kurokawa Kiseki’s injury, the task of scouting the path fell to him.

His determination was remarkable, persevering despite the severe injuries.

They passed through three tomb chambers, all without exception filled with traps.

Because of their previous encounters, they became more vigilant, tossing items from their backpacks to test the way or checking every tile thoroughly. Only after triggering all the traps did they proceed.

Though slower, they safely avoided further injuries.

"It seems they’ve been here and lost another person, leaving just three now,"

In the first tomb chamber, Xia Liang observed the still-burning chamber.

He knew the path ahead contained traps, and indeed, the others had fallen prey.

"Let’s go; we’re not far behind them now."

After assessing the tomb chamber, Xia Liang glanced toward the portal.

"Why is there a chunk of flesh here with a golden pin in it?"

At the door, a team member noticed the flesh Kurokawa Kiseki had cut earlier.