Lu Fan was a bit bewildered to see only the three characters "Luoyan Men" on the stone tablet. What did it mean? Could it be that this was once the burial ground of a sect?
Huh? This stone tablet... Suddenly, Lu Fan noticed that while everywhere else was overgrown with weeds, the area directly in front of the stone tablet was spotlessly clean. He couldn't help but walk over, sheathed his dagger, and stood on the clean patch. He bowed a few times towards the stone tablet: "This junior unintentionally offended, disturbing your peaceful cultivation. I hope the seniors will forgive me."
After speaking, Lu Fan turned to leave. However, just as he turned, he suddenly felt his feet give way. "Ah..." Lu Fan cried out and instantly fell into an opening.
The hole was not vertical but slightly inclined. Lu Fan slid down the slope for dozens of meters before landing on the ground with a thud.
"Damn..." Lu Fan, aching all over from the fall, let out a curse. The cave was pitch black, with only dim light filtering in from the opening, illuminating an area about the size of a person where he had landed. Fortunately, his eyes were accustomed to the dark, allowing him to see his surroundings.
Upon landing, Lu Fan examined the area closely and couldn't help but sigh. He hadn't expected to find a circular space about a hundred meters across beneath these graves. The entire floor of the space was paved with jade, the surrounding stone walls were smooth and flat, and along the inner circumference of the walls stood twelve lifelike stone statues. It was clear this was no natural cave but a man-made structure.
He himself was standing in the center of this space. Looking up, the opening was about three meters high, making it seem impossible to climb back up.
Whoosh... Whoosh... Suddenly, the twelve stone statues moved, closing in on Lu Fan. What the heck... No way? Stone figures could move? And they had surrounded him. Lu Fan was terrified. What was going on?
Hoo... Suddenly, the arm of one of the stone figures swung towards Lu Fan.
"Damn! These stone figures can actually attack!" Lu Fan dodged quickly. But as soon as he dodged, a second stone figure kicked out.
Grass... I'll dodge again! Lu Fan didn't dare to confront the stone figures directly. These things were made of stone; a single collision would be unbearable.
Hoo hoo hoo... The twelve stone figures surrounded Lu Fan and attacked him relentlessly. Lu Fan weaved back and forth among them. After dodging and weaving for a while, Lu Fan suddenly realized that the movements of these twelve stone figures were incredibly familiar. They seemed very similar to his own Close-Quarters Combat Twelve Forms.
Yes! It was the Close-Quarters Combat Twelve Forms! And each stone figure was repeating the same attack pattern. Lu Fan's heart leaped with joy. This was manageable. He immediately unleashed his Close-Quarters Combat Twelve Forms and engaged the twelve stone figures.
Bang... The first stone figure was kicked flying by him. Swish... Swish... The stone figure that flew away actually returned. Bang... Just as Lu Fan punched back the second stone figure, his fist hit something like stone... Well, it *was* stone. An excruciating pain shot through his hand!
However, Lu Fan couldn't afford to dwell on the pain. Bang... Bang... Bang... The twelve stone figures were repeatedly knocked back by Lu Fan. But after being knocked aside by Lu Fan's various techniques, they all resumed their attacks. And each time, their attack speed increased. This made Lu Fan miserable.
The stone figures' attacks grew faster and faster, forcing Lu Fan to move faster and faster as well. Before long, Lu Fan and the twelve stone figures in the space blurred into streaks of motion, bang bang bang... constantly colliding.
He didn't know how long they had been fighting, but Lu Fan felt his strength completely drained. Damn it! Was he going to be ground into mince by these stone figures? Lu Fan was utterly dejected! Curiosity really did kill the cat. He hadn't even gotten married yet!
Bang... Lu Fan was suddenly kicked flying by one of the stone figures. Hoo... How coincidental, Lu Fan flew directly towards the opening he had fallen through. Slap... Lu Fan spread his hands and feet, supporting himself. Hahaha! Truly, when one door closes, another opens.
You bastard! Fortunately, the opening wasn't too wide. Lu Fan braced himself and looked down, realizing that after he left the ground, the twelve stone figures returned to their original positions in an instant. The entire space returned to its quiet state.
"Alright! It seems this is the only way I can climb up!" Lu Fan propped himself up and climbed upwards inch by inch. After finally reaching the opening, Lu Fan collapsed onto the ground, feeling like his entire body had fallen apart, completely devoid of strength.
Not only that, but every inch of his body ached. After such prolonged "intimate contact" with the stone figures, it was no wonder he was in pain.
"It's all that giant python's fault! Damn it! It led me here! When I catch you... Damn it...!"
Lu Fan, lying on the ground, hadn't finished his sentence before he gasped in shock. He saw a pair of glowing green eyes staring down at him from above! Who else could it be but that giant python?
Swish... Lu Fan instantly drew his dagger. He had no strength left. Damn it! This was going to be dinner for the giant python!
Seeing the dagger in Lu Fan's hand, the giant python seemed to show some fear. It seemed this was the thing that had poked several large holes in it.
Man and snake stared at each other, locked in a stalemate for a long time. The giant python actually didn't dare to move, while Lu Fan seized the opportunity to regulate his breathing, hoping to recover his strength quickly.
Finally, the giant python seemed to lose its patience and lunged at Lu Fan. Its gaping maw directly swallowed Lu Fan's legs.
Lu Fan felt a powerful force pulling at his body, trying to swallow him whole.
Puff puff puff... Lu Fan desperately brandished his dagger, stabbing wildly at the giant python's head. He didn't care about the location, just a frenzy of random stabs.
Hoo... Attacked by the dagger, the giant python went mad. It thrashed its body violently, hoo... flinging Lu Fan towards a large tree nearby!
Bang... Lu Fan hit the tree, spitting out a mouthful of blood, almost expelling his internal organs.
Roar... After flinging Lu Fan out, the giant python let out a roar and thrashed its body wildly, bang bang bang... causing the surrounding trees to shake violently and the stone tablet in front of the graves to be knocked flying. Lu Fan watched in alarm, forgetting his own injuries.
After a while, the giant python finally lay still on the ground. It was then that Lu Fan noticed five or six bloody holes on the python's head. It seemed his dagger had struck a vital point, killing the creature.
He quickly took out a small pill and swallowed it. Fortunately, he had prepared some emergency medicine, otherwise, he might not have made it back.
Seeing that the giant python was dead, Lu Fan immediately sat up and began to cultivate the Shennong Health Preservation Technique in a cross-legged position. He started to heal his injuries and recover his strength.
Half an hour later, Lu Fan slowly opened his eyes, a look of joy on his face. The Shennong Health Preservation Technique was truly remarkable. After cultivating, all the strength he had lost fighting the stone figures had returned, and he even felt more powerful than before. Moreover, he could faintly feel a warm sensation, about the size of a fist, in his lower abdomen, which felt incredibly comfortable. All his pain had vanished.
"Hmph! This giant python is a good thing. The snake gall can be used to treat Liu Ruyan's illness, and the snake meat can be eaten for a few days. The snakeskin can also be used for medicine." Lu Fan took out his dagger and, with a few swift movements, extracted the giant python's gall, placing it in a small medicine bottle. He then stored the giant python in his storage ring.
After dealing with the giant python, just as he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed the stone tablet that had been knocked flying. After a moment's thought, he went over and moved the stone tablet back to its original position. As he was about to set the stone tablet upright, he suddenly discovered an iron box beneath it. He took out the iron box, opened it, and found a treasure sword and a sheepskin scroll map inside.