Fan Debiao frowned for the first time and shook his head, saying, “No, the situation underwater is unknown. No one can go down again. If Master Jia and Qingchong run into trouble, we must not take further risks.”
At that moment, Liu Dashao suddenly had an idea and shouted, “Don’t worry too much, everyone! Perhaps Master Jia and Qingchong have already found the tomb passage and entered—it’s possible they’re no longer in the water.”
Fan Debiao nodded and said, “That’s right. Let’s wait a bit longer.”
By now, everyone had gathered at the lake’s edge. Although no one spoke, worry was clearly written on every face.
Another ten minutes passed. Just as everyone’s patience was about to run out, the water surface rippled, followed by a loud splash. Qingchong emerged from the water, causing a wave of joy to surge through the group.
Wiping water from his face, Qingchong swam toward the shore and excitedly announced, “Comrades, we’ve found the entrance to the Wuji Demon Vault! That totem rock is the entrance! Come on in, I’ll guide you all!”
Hearing this, everyone was overjoyed. Liu Dashao immediately jumped into the water. Fan Debiao helplessly shouted, “I can’t swim!”
Yang Weidong walked beside him and chuckled, “Let me help you. When entering the water, take a deep breath and hold it. I’ll pull you along.”
One by one, everyone entered the lake. With Yang Weidong’s assistance, Fan Debiao also got into the water. A slight chill gradually surrounded them. Liu Dashao opened his eyes and vaguely saw everyone slowly descending along the underwater rocks. This volcanic lake was cone-shaped—wide at the top and narrow below. Judging from the current situation, Liu estimated that by the time they reached the center, the lake would narrow into a deep, well-like hole.
About five minutes later, Fan began to struggle to hold his breath. Finally, the group reached the rock, and a dark, square entrance appeared before them. One by one, they swam inside and headed upward. Liu Dashao roughly guessed Fan was running out of air, so he gave him a strong push upward. Fan flailed his arms and legs desperately, and just as he began seeing stars, he finally broke the surface.
Looking up, Fan saw Liu Dashao grinning on a stone step, reaching out to pull him up. Collapsing onto the step, gasping for breath, Fan heard Liu tease, “Hey fatty, after this mission, how about I become your swimming instructor? Otherwise, next time you dive into the sea, you’ll end up marrying the Dragon King!”
Everyone had already climbed up and burst into laughter at Liu’s words. Fan struggled to his feet, glared at Liu, and was about to say something when Jia Yuanzhang shouted from the top of the steps, “What are you laughing at? Hurry up and come up here! Look what I’ve found!”
Hearing this, everyone quickly climbed up. Upon reaching the top, they realized the steps had ended at a large platform.
Jia was squatting, examining something. Looking down, everyone saw the platform surface carved with numerous images—figures, landscapes, plants, animals, and strange symbols and curves, likely ancient scripts.
Jia moved around, carefully observing each image. After a while, he stood up and said to the group, “There are four images in total. Based on their descriptions and these ancient characters, I deduce their general meaning: these four images represent four different locations. Look at the first one—it resembles the Golden Ancient City you once described to me.”
He pointed to a carved image on the ground. Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao looked down and indeed saw a city, its figures, architecture, and colors clearly resembling the Golden Ancient City founded by Zhang Jiao.
Jia continued, “Now look at the second image—a blue lake, with a figure dressed as an emperor and many attendants performing some kind of ritual by the lake, with flowers and sacrificial animals. This image seems to depict the lakeside where we were earlier. But this image is strange—while the others show entire cities, this one only shows simple figures by the lake. What were they doing? What kind of ritual were they performing? I can’t figure it out.” Everyone crouched down to examine the images. Indeed, as Jia said, the remaining two images were also strange cities. Pointing at each one, Jia explained, “Based on the colors and inscriptions, these four locations are the Golden Ancient City, Wuji Buddha Vault, Wuji Demon Vault, and Wuji Dao Vault. We don’t know what these four places signify. You’ve only entered the Golden Ancient City and Wuji Buddha Vault. We still don’t know where the others are or what they mean.”
At this moment, Liu Dashao suddenly said, “Could the legend be true?”
Everyone turned their astonished gazes toward him. Liu’s expression turned serious as he continued, “In Chinese Daoist traditions, there’s a mysterious legend: during the Eastern Han Dynasty, one day, all the renowned Daoist masters suddenly received an invitation from a Daoist named Yin Changsheng. He invited them to gather at the Dragon and Tiger Hall on Mount Sanqing in Jiangxi Province on the Mid-Autumn night to discuss Daoism and declare himself the greatest Daoist master of the time. Although none of the masters knew who Yin Changsheng was, they all felt he was arrogant and decided to attend the gathering to teach him a lesson. However, on that full moon night, Yin Changsheng gracefully descended from the moon itself, giving the gathered masters a shocking start. During the debate that followed, Li Qitong’s arguments left all the masters speechless. Then, with a loud laugh, he summoned a cloud and rode it away, leaving the masters in stunned silence.”
Fan Debiao, unusually frowning, shook his head and said, “No, the situation in the water is unclear. No one should go down again. If something has happened to Senior Jia and the worm, we can’t afford to take more risks.”
At this moment, Liu Dashao suddenly had an idea and loudly said, “Don’t worry too much, everyone. Maybe Senior Jia and the green worm have already found the tomb passage and entered it, no longer in the water.”
Fan Debiao nodded, “Yes, let’s wait a bit longer.”
By now, everyone had gathered at the edge of the lake. Although no one spoke, worry was clearly written on each face.
Another ten minutes passed. Just as everyone’s patience was about to run out, ripples finally appeared on the water’s surface, followed by a splash as the green worm emerged. Everyone felt a surge of joy.
The green worm wiped the water off his face, swam to the shore, and excitedly said, “Comrades, I’ve found the entrance to the Wuji Demon’s Treasure! The totem rock is the entrance! Come into the water, I’ll lead you there.”
The excitement among the group was palpable. Liu Dashao jumped in with a splash, while Fan Debiao awkwardly shouted, “I can’t swim!”
Yang Weidong walked over to him, smiling, “Let me help you. Take a deep breath and hold it when you enter the water. I’ll pull you across.”
Everyone gradually entered the water. With Yang Weidong’s assistance, Fan Debiao also got into the lake. A slight chill enveloped everyone as Liu Dashao opened his eyes, vaguely seeing everyone slowly descending along the rocks in the water. The volcanic lake was cone-shaped, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. Given the current situation, Liu Dashao estimated that at the center, it would narrow into a well-like deep hole.
After about five minutes, Fan Debiao started to struggle, but they finally reached the rock. A dark, square entrance appeared before them. Everyone filed in and swam upwards. Liu Dashao, knowing Fan Debiao was out of breath, pushed him up with all his might. Fan Debiao flailed desperately, and just as he was about to see stars, he finally surfaced.
Fan Debiao saw Liu Dashao standing on a stone step, smiling, grabbing his arm, and pulling him up. Fan Debiao collapsed on the step, gasping for breath. Liu Dashao teased, “Fatty, after this mission, I’ll teach you how to swim and dive, okay? Otherwise, next time we go to the sea, you might end up as the Dragon King’s son-in-law.”
Everyone had climbed onto the steps by then and burst into laughter at Liu Dashao’s words. Fan Debibo struggled to his feet, glaring at Liu Dashao, about to say something when they heard Senior Jia shouting from the top of the steps, “What are you laughing at? Hurry up and come see what I’ve found.”
Everyone quickly ascended the steps to where Senior Jia was standing. They realized the steps had ended, and they were now on a sizable platform.
Senior Jia was crouched, examining something. Looking down, they saw the platform was covered with carvings—figures, landscapes, flora and fauna, and some strange symbols and curves, likely ancient script.
Senior Jia moved around, studying each carving. After a while, he stood up and said, “There are four carvings here. Based on their descriptions and these ancient texts, I infer that these four carvings represent four different places. Look at the first one; it seems to depict the Golden City you once told me about. The text below it also reads ‘Golden City.'”
He pointed to the first carving. Liu Dashao and Fan Debibo looked down and indeed saw a city, with figures, architecture, and colors reminiscent of the Golden City established by Zhang Jiao.
Senior Jia continued, “Now look at the second one: a blue lake with a figure dressed as an emperor, accompanied by many attendants, seemingly conducting a ritual by the lake with flowers and sacrifices. This seems to be the volcanic lake we were just at. But this carving is strange; while the others depict cities, this one only shows these figures by the lake. What are they doing? What ritual are they performing? I can’t figure it out.”
Everyone crouched down to examine the carvings. As Senior Jia had said, the other two carvings depicted strange cities. Senior Jia pointed to each one, explaining, “Based on the colors and texts, these four places are the Golden City, the Wuji Buddha’s Treasure, the Wuji Demon’s Treasure, and the Wuji Dao’s Treasure. We don’t know what they signify. You’ve only been to the Golden City and the Wuji Buddha’s Treasure. The locations and meanings of the others remain unknown.”
At this point, Liu Dashao suddenly said, “Could the legend be true?”
Everyone turned to him in surprise. Liu Dashao, with a grave expression, said, “In Taoist lore, there’s a mysterious legend: during the Eastern Han Dynasty, one day, all the renowned Taoist masters suddenly received an invitation from a Taoist named Yin Changsheng, summoning them to gather at the Dragon and Tiger Hall on Mount Sanqing in Jiangxi on the full moon of the eighth month to discuss the Dao. He claimed to be the foremost Taoist of the time. Although none of the masters knew who Yin Changsheng was, they all found him extremely arrogant. So, that autumn, all the invitees went to Mount Sanqing, intending to teach this unknown upstart a lesson. However, on the night of the full moon, Yin Changsheng descended from the moon, stunning all the masters. During the debate, he silenced everyone with his arguments. Then, laughing wildly, he summoned a cloud and rode away, leaving all the Taoist masters dumbfounded.”
Liu Dashao sighed and continued, “As Yin Changsheng departed, he left a message: ‘I thought there were still people in the world who understood the Dao and could debate with me. Now I see none of you are my match. I have left each of you a book. Remember to cultivate and comprehend the Dao diligently. When any of you achieve immortality, I will await you at the Wuji Dao’s Treasure, burning incense to welcome your arrival.’ The masters reached into their robes and indeed found books. Besides Taoist scriptures, the books detailed the wonders and grandeur of the Wuji Dao’s Treasure. Unfortunately, these books are likely lost to time. I only know this legend from my master’s oral account. It’s said that the Wuji Dao’s Treasure exists in the ethereal realm, and the three great treasures are as Senior Jia mentioned, but the last place is missing.”
After Liu Dashao finished, Fan Debibo asked, “Dashao, where is the last place?”
Liu Dashao replied, “The last place is the ‘Ninety-Nine Heavens.’ According to the legend, Yin Changsheng mentioned in the books that after achieving immortality, one could travel through the Ninety-Nine Heavens to comprehend life and death and attain the true Dao.”
Hearing this, everyone was astonished. Could the three great treasures include the previously encountered Wuji Buddha’s Treasure? The eerie and malevolent atmosphere of the Wuji Buddha’s Treasure was still vivid in everyone’s minds.
What is the Dao? And what can one comprehend from it?
Senior Jia murmured, “Could it be that the place we’re now at, beneath the volcanic lake, leads to the legendary Ninety-Nine Heavens? Is Yin Changsheng Zhang Jiao? Did he truly achieve immortality?”
Liu Dashao sneered, “Whether Yin Changsheng is Zhang Jiao or not, based on my experience in the Golden City, this person is definitely sinister and no immortal.”
At this moment, he suddenly felt dizzy, with vague thoughts floating in his mind, but they were unclear. He involuntarily said, “What is immortality? What is the Dao? The concept of immortality is just hearsay. We don’t need to delve too deep. Let’s explore the Wuji Dao’s Treasure and see what it is. Perhaps only then can we unravel this ancient mystery.”
Everyone looked at Liu Dashao in surprise. He shook his head vigorously, and strangely, the dizziness suddenly vanished.
Senior Jia nodded at Liu Dashao and said, “Young Liu, your words make sense. Immortality is indeed an ethereal concept. We don’t need to delve too deep. To uncover the truth, we must go to the end. Let’s not overthink it now; let’s take it one step at a time.”
Everyone agreed. Indeed, discussing and speculating here was pointless. So, they prepared their gear and continued forward.
Senior Jia pointed ahead with a strange expression, “We’ve been ascending since entering the volcanic lake, but I just explored ahead. The platform leads to a downward passage, very dark and deep. I have a feeling it goes straight to the mountain’s base, maybe even deeper.”
Liu Dashao smiled and said, “Since we’re here, let’s proceed. Let’s not overthink it. Some things can’t be understood by feeling alone. Perhaps only by seeing it firsthand can we uncover the truth and solve the mysteries in our hearts.”
Hearing this, Senior Jia said no more and led the way, with Liu Dashao following with a smile. Everyone exchanged glances and silently followed.
Descending the platform, a dark passage appeared before them. Shining their flashlights inside, a deep, eerie, and sinister feeling made everyone shiver. A set of green stone steps extended straight down, leading to an unknown destination.
Everyone turned on their flashlights and slowly descended the steps. The chaotic, low footsteps echoed eerily in the long underground passage.
After about ten minutes, Fan Debibo suddenly whispered, “There’s something on the walls.” Shining their flashlights on the walls, they indeed saw faint red, thread-like substances, slightly writhing under the light, as if trying to break free.
Everyone was shocked. What were these things? The green worm whispered, “Could the wall material contain red minerals?”
Liu Dashao rubbed his eyes and looked again, clearly seeing the red threads writhing. In that instant, the red on the walls became more pronounced. He exclaimed in horror, “These things are moving! They’re alive!”
Senior Jia suddenly shouted, “Run! Don’t let these things touch you!” He sprinted forward, and everyone, startled, followed, running down the steps.
The passage echoed with the chaotic, heavy footsteps. After running for what felt like an eternity, everyone suddenly stepped into empty air, and with a series of splashes, they fell into dark water.
Fan Debibo, a non-swimmer, immediately swallowed several gulps of water, flailing desperately to stay afloat. Liu Dashao, remembering Fan Debibo couldn’t swim, quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him to the surface. Everyone surfaced, and Senior Jia called out each name in the chaos. Fortunately, everyone was safe.
Their flashlights, thankfully, hadn’t fallen into the water. By their light, they saw they were in a square pool, quite large, with strong buoyancy indicating great depth. Looking up, the water’s surface was about three meters above where they had fallen. Thankfully, the red threads hadn’t followed.
In the dim light, Fan Debibo said, “What the hell? Why did the steps disappear? What were those red threads?”
Senior Jia grunted, “Regardless of why the steps disappeared, being in the water is safer than in the passage. Those red threads are a type of blood-sucking fungus used by southern tribes. Once they touch a person or animal, they enter the bloodstream and drain the victim of blood within ten minutes.”
Everyone was terrified by Senior Jia’s words. Fortunately, they had fallen into the water. If they had kept running in the passage, they would have been ensnared by the red threads, with dire consequences.
Liu Dashao said, “The pool’s sides are cold stone walls with no exit. What do we do? We can’t just stay here.”
Senior Jia chuckled, “We’ve descended less than a kilometer in the passage, far from the next checkpoint, the Wuji Demon’s Treasure. If I’m correct, we need to dive deeper to find the exit.”
Fan Debibo inwardly groaned, wondering why he, a non-swimmer, kept encountering water. Liu Dashao, still holding his arm, seemed to read his mind and smiled, “Don’t worry, fatty, I’ve got you.”
Senior Jia said, “I’ll dive down first to scout, so we don’t waste energy aimlessly.” With that, he plunged into the water. The others treaded water, waiting.
Suddenly, Liu Dashao felt something brushing against his feet and calves. Just as he was about to warn everyone, the green worm exclaimed, “Bad news, there’s something in the water!” Everyone noticed it, and their flashlights revealed the water was teeming with green, fleshy, worm-like creatures, writhing and trying to burrow into their submerged bodies.
At that moment, Senior Jia surfaced, wiping water from his face and cursing, “Damn it, why are there so many corpse leeches in the water? Don’t panic; as long as they don’t touch your skin, they can’t burrow in. I found the exit. Dive quickly, but be careful with exposed skin.”
Before Senior Jia could finish, a rustling sound came from above. Looking up, they saw a white object fall into the water with a splash.
Shining their flashlights, they were horrified to see it was a naked female corpse, one of the seven people they had encountered at the Tibetan restaurant. The corpse leeches swarmed over the body, and within moments, it was covered in the green, fleshy creatures. The corpse shriveled and dried up, turning into a skeleton before sinking to the bottom.
Everyone was terrified by the sight. Liu Dashao, remembering he had swallowed several gulps of the pool’s water, felt nauseous.
Senior Jia shouted, “Stop staring, dive down and follow me!”
Everyone snapped out of it and dove into the water, following Senior Jia. The dense swarm of corpse leeches brushed against their exposed skin, making them queasy.
After diving not too deep, Liu Dashao saw Senior Jia swimming toward a distant black hole in the pool’s wall—the exit. Everyone filed into the hole. Just then, a strange, low growl came from the water behind them, as if from an aquatic creature. Sensing danger, they quickly swam through the straight passage. Fortunately, the tunnel wasn’t long. Fan Debibo vaguely saw splashes ahead and then lost sight of his companions, assuming they had surfaced. Liu Dashao quickly pulled him forward. Just as they were about to surface, Liu Dashao felt a dark surge in the water behind them and thought, “This is bad!”
After Liu finished, Fan asked, “Dashao, where is the final location mentioned?”
Fan Debiao, for the first time, frowned and shook his head, saying, “No, the situation in the water is unclear. No one should go down again. If something happens to Senior Jia and the worm, we can’t afford to take any more risks.”
At this moment, Liu Dashao suddenly had an idea and loudly said, “Don’t worry too much, everyone. Maybe Senior Jia and the green worm have already found the tomb passage and entered it. They might not be in the water anymore.”
Fan Debiao nodded and said, “Yes, let’s wait a bit longer.”
By now, everyone had gathered at the edge of the lake. Although no one spoke, worry was clearly written on everyone’s faces.
Another ten minutes passed. Just as everyone’s patience was about to run out, ripples finally appeared on the water’s surface, followed by a splash as the green worm emerged. Everyone couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy.
The green worm wiped the water off his face, swam to the shore, and excitedly said to everyone, “Comrades, I’ve found the entrance to the Wuji Demon Vault! The totem rock is the entrance! Come on in, I’ll take you there.”
Upon hearing this, everyone’s excitement was indescribable. Liu Dashao jumped into the water with a splash, while Fan Debiao awkwardly shouted, “I can’t swim!”
Yang Weidong walked over to him, smiled, and said, “Let me help you. When you enter the water, take a deep breath and hold it. I’ll pull you over.”
Everyone slowly entered the water. With Yang Weidong’s assistance, Fan Debiao also entered the lake. A slight chill gradually enveloped everyone’s bodies. Liu Dashao opened his eyes and vaguely saw everyone slowly sinking along the rocks in the water. The volcanic lake was cone-shaped, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. Given the current situation, Liu Dashao estimated that by the center of the lake, it would become a deep hole the size of a well.
After about five minutes, Fan Debiao began to struggle, and everyone finally reached the rock. A dark, square entrance appeared before them. Everyone filed in and then swam upward. Liu Dashao knew Fan Debiao was running out of breath and pushed him up with all his might. Fan Debiao flailed desperately, and just as he was about to see stars, he finally surfaced.
Fan Debiao saw Liu Dashao standing on a stone step, smiling, grabbing his arm, and pulling him up. Fan Debiao collapsed on the step, gasping for breath. Liu Dashao teased, “Fatty, when this mission is over, I’ll teach you how to swim and dive, okay? Otherwise, if we go to the sea in the future, you might end up as the Dragon King’s son-in-law.”
By now, everyone had climbed onto the steps and burst into laughter at Liu Dashao’s words. Fan Debiao struggled to his feet, glared at Liu Dashao, and was about to say something when they heard Senior Jia shouting from the top of the steps, “What are you laughing at? Hurry up and come here. Look at what I’ve found.”
Everyone quickly climbed up the steps to where Senior Jia was standing. They realized the steps had ended, and they were now standing on a sizable platform.
Senior Jia was crouching, examining something. Everyone looked down and saw that the platform was covered with carvings—figures, landscapes, plants, animals, and some strange symbols and curves, likely ancient writings.
Senior Jia moved around, examining each carving one by one. After a while, he stood up and said to everyone, “There are four carvings here. Based on their descriptions and the ancient writings, I deduce that these four carvings represent four different places. Look at the first one—it seems to depict the Golden City you once told me about. The writing below it also says ‘Golden City.'”
He pointed to the carving on the ground for everyone to see. Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao looked down and indeed saw a city in the carving. The figures, architecture, and colors closely resembled the Golden City established by Zhang Jiao.
Senior Jia continued, “Now look at the second carving. It shows a blue lake with a figure dressed as an emperor and many attendants performing some kind of ritual by the lake, with flowers and sacrificial animals. This seems to be the volcanic lake we were just at. But this carving is strange. The other carvings depict cities, but this one only shows a few figures by the lake. What are they doing? What ritual are they performing? I can’t figure it out.”
Everyone crouched down and examined the carvings one by one. As Senior Jia had said, the other two carvings depicted strange cities. Senior Jia pointed to each one and said, “Based on the colors and writings, these four places are the Golden City, the Wuji Buddha Vault, the Wuji Demon Vault, and the Wuji Dao Vault. I don’t know what these places represent. You’ve only been to the Golden City and the Wuji Buddha Vault. The others—where they are and what they mean—we still don’t know.”
At this point, Liu Dashao suddenly said, “Could the legend be true?”
Everyone turned to Liu Dashao in surprise. With a grave expression, he said, “In Chinese Daoist circles, there’s a mysterious legend: during the Eastern Han Dynasty, one day, all the renowned Daoist masters suddenly received invitations from a man named Yin Changsheng, who claimed to be the foremost Daoist of the time. He invited them to gather at the Dragon and Tiger Hall on Mount Sanqing in Jiangxi during the Mid-Autumn Festival to discuss Daoism. None of the masters knew who Yin Changsheng was, but they all thought he was arrogant. So, that Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone who received the invitation went to Mount Sanqing to teach this unknown upstart a lesson. That night, under the full moon, Yin Changsheng descended from the moon, stunning everyone. During the debate, he left all the masters speechless. Then, with a laugh, he summoned a cloud and rode away, leaving all the Daoist masters in shock.”
Liu Dashao sighed and continued, “As Yin Changsheng rode away on the cloud, he left a message: ‘I thought there were still people in the world who understood Daoism and could debate with me. But now I see none of you are my match. I have left each of you a book. Remember to study and cultivate Daoism diligently. When any of you attain enlightenment and become immortals, I will welcome you at the Wuji Dao Vault with incense.’ The masters reached into their robes and found the books. Besides Daoist scriptures, the books detailed the wonders and grandeur of the Wuji Dao Vault. Unfortunately, these books are likely lost to time. I only know this legend from my master. It’s said that the Wuji Dao Vault exists in a realm beyond the physical world. The names of the three great vaults are as Senior Jia mentioned, but the last place is missing.”
After Liu Dashao finished, Fan Debiao asked, “Dashao, what’s the last place?”
Liu Dashao said, “The last place is the ‘Ninety-Nine Heavens.’ According to the legend, Yin Changsheng mentioned in the books that after attaining enlightenment and becoming an immortal, one could travel through the Ninety-Nine Heavens to comprehend life and death and attain true Dao.”
Hearing this, everyone was astonished. Could the three great vaults include the Wuji Buddha Vault they had encountered earlier? The eerie and evil nature of the Wuji Buddha Vault was still fresh in everyone’s minds.
What is Dao? And what can one comprehend from it?
Senior Jia murmured, “Could it be that the place we’re now in, beneath the volcanic lake, is the gateway to the legendary ‘Ninety-Nine Heavens’? Is Yin Changsheng Zhang Jiao? Did he truly attain immortality and become a Daoist immortal?”
Liu Dashao sneered, “Whether Yin Changsheng is Zhang Jiao or not, based on my experience in the Golden City, this man is definitely sinister and couldn’t possibly be an immortal.”
At this moment, he suddenly felt dizzy, with vague thoughts swirling in his mind, but they were unclear. He couldn’t help but say, “What is an immortal? What is Dao? The concept of immortals and Daoism is just hearsay. We don’t need to delve too deeply into it. Let’s explore the Wuji Dao Vault and see what it is. Perhaps only then can we unravel this ancient mystery.”
Everyone looked at Liu Dashao in surprise. He shook his head vigorously, and strangely, the dizziness suddenly disappeared.
Senior Jia nodded at Liu Dashao and said, “Young Liu, your words make sense. Immortals and Daoism are ethereal concepts. We don’t need to delve too deeply into them. To uncover the truth, we must go to the end. Let’s not overthink it now. We’ll take it one step at a time.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. Indeed, discussing and speculating here was pointless. So, they packed up and prepared to continue exploring.
Senior Jia pointed ahead with a strange expression and said, “We came up from the volcanic lake, but I just scouted ahead. The platform leads to a downward passage that looks very deep and dark. I have a feeling this passage goes straight to the bottom of the mountain, or even deeper.”
Liu Dashao smiled and said, “Since we’re here, let’s proceed. We’ll take the path as it comes. Don’t overthink it. Some things can’t be understood by intuition alone. Perhaps only by seeing it with our own eyes can we uncover the truth and solve the mysteries in our hearts.”
Hearing this, Senior Jia said nothing more and silently walked ahead. Liu Dashao followed with a smile. Everyone exchanged glances and silently followed.
Descending from the platform, a dark passage appeared before them. Shining their flashlights inside, a deep, eerie, and sinister feeling sent shivers down everyone’s spines. A set of green stone steps extended straight downward, leading to an unknown destination.
Everyone turned on their flashlights and slowly descended the steps. The chaotic, low footsteps echoed eerily in the long underground passage.
After about ten minutes, Fan Debiao suddenly whispered, “There’s something on the walls.” Everyone shone their flashlights on the walls and indeed saw faint red, thread-like substances on the black stone walls. Under the light, they seemed to squirm slightly, as if trying to break free.
Everyone was shocked. What were these things? The green worm whispered, “Could the walls be made of some red mineral?”
Liu Dashao rubbed his eyes and looked again. He clearly saw the red threads squirming, and in that instant, the red on the walls became more pronounced. He exclaimed in fear, “These things are moving! They’re alive!”
Senior Jia suddenly shouted, “Run! Don’t let these things touch you!” With that, he sprinted forward. Everyone, startled, followed closely behind, running down the steps.
The passage was filled with the sound of panicked, heavy footsteps. After running for what felt like an eternity, everyone suddenly stepped into empty air and fell into a dark body of water with a series of splashes.
Fan Debiao, being a non-swimmer, immediately swallowed several mouthfuls of water. He flailed his arms, desperately trying to surface when Liu Dashao remembered the man couldn’t swim and quickly grabbed his arm, pulling him up. Everyone surfaced, and Senior Jia called out each person’s name in a low voice. After some chaos, everyone was safe.
Fortunately, the flashlights hadn’t fallen into the water. Using their light, everyone saw their current location—a square pool, quite large, with water so buoyant it indicated great depth. Looking up, the water’s surface was about three meters above where they had fallen. Thankfully, the red threads hadn’t followed them.
In the dim light, Fan Debiao said, “What the hell is going on? Why did the steps suddenly disappear? What are those red threads?”
Senior Jia grunted, “Regardless of why the steps disappeared, falling into the water is safer than being in the passage. Those red threads are a type of blood-sucking fungus used by the southern tribes. Once they attach to a person or animal, they enter the bloodstream and drain the victim dry within ten minutes.”
Everyone was terrified by Senior Jia’s words. Fortunately, they had fallen into the water. If they had kept running in the passage, they would have been ensnared by the red threads, with unimaginable consequences.
Liu Dashao said, “The pool is surrounded by cold stone walls with no way out. What do we do? We can’t just stay here.”
Senior Jia chuckled and said, “We’ve only descended about a kilometer in the passage, far from the next checkpoint, the Wuji Demon Vault. If I’m not mistaken, we need to go deeper, dive underwater to find the exit.”
Fan Debiao inwardly groaned. Why did he, a non-swimmer, keep encountering water? Liu Dashao, who had been holding his arm, seemed to read his mind and smiled at him, saying, “Don’t worry, Fatty. I’ve got you.”
Senior Jia said, “I’ll dive down first to scout. No point in everyone diving aimlessly and wasting energy.” With that, he plunged into the water. The others treaded water, waiting for him.
Suddenly, Liu Dashao felt something brushing against his feet and calves. Just as he was about to warn everyone, the green worm exclaimed, “Watch out! There’s something in the water!” Everyone noticed it, and several flashlights shone into the water. Fan Debiao gasped, “What the hell are these?”
The water’s surface and depths were teeming with green, fleshy, worm-like creatures squirming and trying to burrow into everyone’s submerged bodies.
At that moment, Senior Jia surfaced, wiped the water from his face, and cursed, “Damn it, there are so many corpse leeches in here! Don’t panic. As long as they’re on your clothes, they can’t get in. I found the exit. When we dive, move quickly. Be careful with your exposed arms and faces.”
Before Senior Jia could finish, a rustling sound came from above. Everyone looked up and saw a white object fall into the water with a splash.
Everyone quickly shone their flashlights on the object and were horrified to see it was a corpse—a naked female corpse, one of the seven people they had encountered at the Tibetan restaurant earlier! The corpse leeches in the pool frantically swarmed over the body, and within moments, the corpse was covered in green, fleshy leeches. The body shriveled and dried up before everyone’s eyes, turning into a skeleton that slowly sank to the bottom.
Everyone watched in horror, their hearts pounding. Liu Dashao suddenly remembered he had swallowed several mouthfuls of the pool’s water and felt nauseous.
Senior Jia shouted, “Stop staring! Dive down and follow me!”
Everyone snapped out of it and dove underwater, following Senior Jia. The dense swarm of corpse leeches squirmed in the water, occasionally brushing against everyone’s exposed arms and faces, making them shudder in disgust.
After diving not too deep, Liu Dashao saw Senior Jia swimming toward a distant black hole in the pool wall—likely the exit. Everyone followed into the hole. Just then, a strange, low growl came from the water behind them, as if from some aquatic creature. The sound seemed to signal danger, and everyone quickly swam through the straight passage. Fortunately, the round passage wasn’t long. Fan Debiao vaguely saw water splashing ahead and then lost sight of the companions in front. He assumed they had already surfaced. At that moment, Liu Dashao quickly pulled him forward. Just as the two were about to surface, Liu Dashao felt a slight undercurrent behind him and thought, “This is bad!”
Everyone was astonished. Could the three secret vaults include the previous Wuji Buddha Vault? Everyone still vividly remembered the eerie and evil atmosphere of Wuji Buddha Vault.
Fan Debiao, for the first time, frowned and shook his head, saying, “No, the situation in the water is unclear. No one should go down again. If something has happened to Senior Jia and the worm, we can’t afford to take any more risks.”
At this moment, Liu Dashao suddenly had an idea and loudly said, “Don’t worry too much, everyone. Maybe Senior Jia and the green worm have already found the tomb passage and gone in, not in the water anymore.”
Fan Debiao nodded, “Yes, let’s wait a bit longer.”
By now, everyone had gathered at the edge of the lake. Although no one spoke, worry was clearly written on everyone’s faces.
Another ten minutes passed. Just as everyone’s patience was about to run out, ripples finally appeared on the water’s surface, followed by a splash as the green worm emerged. Everyone couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy.
The green worm wiped the water off his face and swam to the shore, excitedly saying to everyone, “Comrades, I’ve found the entrance to the Wuji Demon’s Treasure! The totem rock is the entrance! Come on in, I’ll take you there.”
Upon hearing this, everyone’s excitement was indescribable. Liu Dashao jumped in with a splash, while Fan Debiao awkwardly shouted, “I can’t swim!”
Yang Weidong walked over to him, smiling, “Let me help you. Take a deep breath and hold it when you enter the water. I’ll pull you across.”
Everyone slowly entered the water. With Yang Weidong’s assistance, Fan Debiao also entered the lake. A slight chill gradually enveloped everyone’s bodies. Liu Dashao opened his eyes and vaguely saw everyone slowly sinking along the rocks in the water. The volcanic lake was cone-shaped, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. Given the current situation, Liu Dashao estimated that at the center of the lake, it would become a deep hole the size of a well.
After about five minutes, Fan Debiao couldn’t hold his breath any longer, and everyone finally reached the rock. A dark, square entrance appeared before them. Everyone filed in and then swam upwards. Liu Dashao roughly knew that Fan Debiao was out of breath and desperately pushed him upwards. Fan Debiao flailed wildly, and just as he was about to see stars, he finally surfaced.
Fan Debiao saw Liu Dashao standing on a stone step, smiling, grabbing his arm, and pulling him up. Fan Debiao collapsed on the step, panting heavily. Liu Dashao teased, “Fatty, when this mission is over, I’ll teach you how to swim and dive, okay? Otherwise, if we go to the sea in the future, you might end up as the Dragon King’s son-in-law.”
By now, everyone had climbed onto the steps and burst into laughter at Liu Dashao’s words. Fan Debiao struggled to his feet, glared at Liu Dashao, and was about to say something when they heard Senior Jia shouting from the top of the steps, “What are you laughing at? Hurry up and come here. Look at what I’ve found.”
Upon hearing this, everyone quickly climbed up the steps to where Senior Jia was standing. They realized the steps had ended, and they were now standing on a sizable platform.
Senior Jia was crouching, looking at something. When everyone looked down, they saw that the platform was covered with carvings of various scenes—people, landscapes, animals, plants, and some strange symbols and curves, likely ancient writings.
Senior Jia moved his feet, examining each scene one by one. After a while, he stood up and said to everyone, “There are four scenes here. Based on these depictions and the inscriptions, I deduce that these four scenes represent four different places. Look at the first one; it seems to depict the Golden City you once told me about. The inscription below also reads ‘Golden City.'”
He pointed to a scene on the ground for everyone to see. When Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao looked down, they indeed saw a city in the scene. The people, buildings, and colors in the city closely resembled the Golden City established by Zhang Jiao.
Senior Jia continued, “Now look at the second scene: a blue lake, a figure dressed as an emperor with many attendants, seemingly performing some ritual by the lake, with flowers and sacrificial animals. This scene seems to depict the volcanic lake we were just at. But this scene is strange; the other scenes show cities, but this one only has a few figures by the lake. What are they doing? What ritual are they performing? I can’t figure it out.”
Everyone crouched down to examine the scenes one by one. Indeed, as Senior Jia said, the other two scenes depicted strange cities. Senior Jia pointed to each one and explained, “Based on the colors and inscriptions, these four places are the Golden City, the Wuji Buddha’s Treasure, the Wuji Demon’s Treasure, and the Wuji Dao’s Treasure. We don’t know what these places represent. You’ve only been to the Golden City and the Wuji Buddha’s Treasure. The locations and meanings of the others are still unknown to us.”
At this point, Liu Dashao suddenly said, “Could the legend be true?”
Everyone turned their astonished gazes to Liu Dashao, who said with a grave expression, “In the Taoist tradition of China, there is a mysterious legend: during the Eastern Han Dynasty, one day, all the renowned Taoist masters suddenly received an invitation from a Taoist named Yin Changsheng, summoning them to gather at the Dragon and Tiger Hall on Mount Sanqing in Jiangxi on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival to discuss Taoism. He claimed to be the foremost Taoist of the time. Although none of the masters knew who Yin Changsheng was, they all found him extremely arrogant. So, on that Mid-Autumn night, all the invitees rushed to Mount Sanqing, intending to teach this unknown upstart a lesson during the debate. However, on that moonlit night, Yin Changsheng descended from the moon, first intimidating all the attendees. During the debate, he argued so brilliantly that all the masters were left speechless. Then, with a laugh, he summoned a cloud and rode away, leaving all the Taoist masters dumbfounded.”
At this point, Liu Dashao sighed and continued, “As Yin Changsheng rode away on the cloud, he left behind a message: ‘I thought there were still people in the world who understood Taoism and could debate with me. Now I see that none of you are my match. I have left each of you a book in your bosoms. Remember to cultivate and comprehend Taoism diligently. When any of you attain enlightenment and become immortals, I will await you at the Wuji Dao’s Treasure, burning incense to welcome your arrival.’ When the masters reached into their bosoms, they indeed found books. Besides containing Taoist scriptures, the books also detailed the wonders and grandeur of the Wuji Dao’s Treasure. Unfortunately, by now, these books are likely lost to time. I only know of this legend from my master’s oral account. It is said that the Wuji Dao’s Treasure exists in a realm of mist, and the names of the three great treasures are as Senior Jia mentioned, except for the last place.”
After Liu Dashao finished, Fan Debiao asked, “Dashao, what is the last place?”
Liu Dashao replied, “The last place is the ‘Ninety-Nine Heavens.’ According to the legend, Yin Changsheng mentioned in the books he left for the Taoist masters that after attaining enlightenment and becoming an immortal, one could enter the Ninety-Nine Heavens to wander, comprehend life and death, and attain true Tao.”
Upon hearing Liu Dashao’s words, everyone was astonished. Could the three great treasures include the Wuji Buddha’s Treasure they had encountered before? The eeriness and evil of the Wuji Buddha’s Treasure were still vivid in everyone’s minds.
What is Tao? And what can one comprehend from it?
Senior Jia murmured, “Could it be that the place we are now, beneath the volcanic lake, is the entrance to the legendary ‘Ninety-Nine Heavens’? Is Yin Changsheng Zhang Jiao? Did he truly attain immortality and become a Taoist immortal?”
Liu Dashao sneered, “Whether Yin Changsheng is Zhang Jiao or not, based on my experience in the Golden City, this person is definitely sinister and could not be an immortal Taoist.”
At this moment, he suddenly felt dizzy, with vague thoughts floating in his mind, but they were very unclear. He couldn’t help but say, “What is an immortal? What is Tao? The concept of immortal Taoism is just hearsay. We don’t need to delve too deeply into it. Let’s explore the Wuji Dao’s Treasure and see what it is. Perhaps only at the end will we unravel this ancient mystery.”
Everyone looked at Liu Dashao in astonishment. He shook his head vigorously, and strangely, the dizziness suddenly disappeared.
Senior Jia nodded at Liu Dashao and said, “Young Liu, your words make sense. Immortal Taoism is indeed a vague and ethereal concept. We really don’t need to delve too deeply into it. To uncover the mystery, we must go to the end. Let’s not think too much about it now. Let’s take it one step at a time.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. Indeed, discussing and speculating here was of no use. So, they prepared their gear and got ready to continue exploring.
Senior Jia pointed ahead with a strange expression and said, “We came up from the volcanic lake, but I just went ahead to scout. The front of the platform leads to a downward passage, which looks very dark and deep. I have a feeling that this passage leads straight to the bottom of the mountain, or even deeper.”
Liu Dashao smiled and said, “Since we’re here, let’s take it as it comes. We can only follow the path. Let’s not overthink it. Some things can’t be understood by intuition alone. Perhaps only by seeing it with our own eyes can we uncover the truth and solve the mysteries in our hearts.”
Upon hearing this, Senior Jia said no more and silently walked ahead. Liu Dashao followed with a smile. Everyone exchanged glances and silently followed.
Descending from the platform, a dark passage indeed appeared before them. When they shone their flashlights inside, a deep, eerie, and sinister feeling made everyone shiver. A set of green stone steps extended straight downward, leading to an unknown destination.
Everyone turned on their flashlights and slowly descended the steps. The chaotic and low footsteps echoed in the long underground passage, making everyone feel uneasy.
After about ten minutes, Fan Debiao suddenly whispered, “There seems to be something on the walls.” Everyone shone their flashlights on the walls and indeed! The black stone walls had faint red thread-like things that seemed to squirm slightly under the light, as if trying to break through the wall.
Everyone was shocked. What were these things? The green worm whispered, “Could it be that the wall material contains red minerals?”
Liu Dashao rubbed his eyes and looked again. He clearly saw the red threads squirming, and in the blink of an eye, the red on the walls became more pronounced. He shouted in alarm, “These things are indeed moving! They’re alive!”
At this moment, Senior Jia suddenly shouted, “Everyone, run! Don’t let these things touch you!” With that, he sprinted forward. Everyone, startled, followed closely behind, running down the steps.
The passage was filled with the sound of everyone’s panicked and heavy footsteps. After running for what felt like an eternity, just as everyone was about to collapse from exhaustion, their feet suddenly gave way, and with a series of splashes, everyone fell into a dark body of water.
Fan Debiao, being a non-swimmer, immediately swallowed several mouthfuls of water as he fell in. He flailed his arms wildly, desperately trying to float when Liu Dashao suddenly remembered that the fatty couldn’t swim and quickly grabbed his arm, pulling him to the surface. Everyone surfaced, and Senior Jia called out each person’s name in a low voice. After a moment of chaos, fortunately, everyone was safe.
A few flashlights hadn’t fallen into the water, and with their light, everyone could see their current location. It was a square pool, quite large, and the strong buoyancy of the water indicated that it was deep. Looking up, the water’s surface was about three meters above where they had fallen. Thankfully, the red thread-like things didn’t seem to have followed.
In the dim light, Fan Debiao said, “What the hell is going on? Why did the steps suddenly disappear? What are those red threads?”
Senior Jia grunted, “Regardless of why the steps disappeared, falling into the water is much safer than being in the passage. Those red threads are a type of fungus used by the southern tribes, cultivated with human blood and bloodthirsty. Once they attach to a person or animal, they immediately enter the bloodstream, and within ten minutes, the victim’s blood is drained.”
Everyone was terrified by Senior Jia’s words. Fortunately, they had fallen into the water. If they had kept running in the passage, they would have eventually been ensnared by the red threads on the walls, with unimaginable consequences.
Liu Dashao then said, “The pool is surrounded by cold stone walls with no way out. What do we do? We can’t just stay trapped in the water.”
Senior Jia chuckled, “We’ve been descending in the passage for less than a kilometer, far from reaching the next checkpoint, the Wuji Demon’s Treasure. If I’m not mistaken, we need to continue downward, diving underwater to find the exit.”
Fan Debiao inwardly groaned. Why does this non-swimmer always end up in water? Liu Dashao, who had been holding his arm, seemed to read his mind and smiled at him, saying, “Fatty, don’t worry, I’ve got you.”
Senior Jia then said, “I’ll dive down first to scout, so we don’t waste energy aimlessly.” With that, he plunged into the water. The others treaded water, floating on the surface, waiting for Senior Jia.
Suddenly, Liu Dashao felt something brushing against his feet and calves. Just as he was about to warn everyone, the green worm exclaimed, “Bad news, there’s something in the water!” Everyone immediately noticed, and several flashlights shone into the water. Fan Debiao gasped, “My god, what are these things?”
The surface and the water below were teeming with green, fleshy, worm-like creatures, squirming and trying to burrow into everyone’s submerged bodies.
At that moment, there was a splash as Senior Jia surfaced. He wiped the water off his face and cursed, “Damn it, why are there so many corpse leeches in the water? Don’t panic, these things won’t burrow in if they’re blocked by clothing. I’ve found the exit. Dive down quickly, but be careful with your exposed arms and faces around these corpse leeches.”
Before Senior Jia could finish, a rustling sound came from above. Everyone looked up to see a white object fall into the water with a splash.
Everyone quickly turned their flashlights to the fallen object. To their shock, it was a corpse—a naked female corpse, one of the seven people they had encountered at the Tibetan restaurant earlier! The corpse leeches in the pool frantically swarmed over the body, and in no time, the corpse was covered in the green, fleshy leeches. The body slowly shriveled and withered, turning into a skeleton before sinking to the bottom.
Everyone watched in horror, their hearts pounding. Liu Dashao suddenly remembered that he had swallowed several mouthfuls of the pool’s water earlier and felt a wave of nausea.
Senior Jia shouted, “Don’t just stand there, dive down and follow me!”
Everyone snapped out of it and dove into the water, following Senior Jia. The dense swarm of corpse leeches squirmed in the water, occasionally brushing against everyone’s exposed arms and faces, making them feel nauseous.
Fortunately, after diving not too deep, Liu Dashao saw Senior Jia swimming towards a distant black hole in the pool wall—likely the exit. Everyone followed into the hole. Just then, a strange, low growl came from the water behind them, as if from some aquatic creature. Sensing danger, everyone quickly swam through the straight passage. Luckily, the round passage wasn’t long. Fan Debiao vaguely saw splashes ahead and then lost sight of his companions in front. He guessed they had already surfaced. At that moment, Liu Dashao quickly pulled him forward. Just as the two were about to surface, Liu Dashao felt a dark surge in the water behind them and thought, “Oh no!”
Jia murmured, “Could this place beneath the volcanic lake be the gateway to the legendary Ninety-Nine Heavens? Could Yin Changsheng be Zhang Jiao? Did he truly attain immortality?”
Liu scoffed, “Whether Yin Changsheng is Zhang Jiao or not, from my experience in the Golden Ancient City, this person is clearly malicious and no true Daoist immortal.”
Suddenly, Liu felt dizzy, with vague thoughts swirling in his mind, unclear and elusive. He muttered, “What is immortality? What is Dao? These are merely hearsay. We shouldn’t dwell too much. Let’s explore the Wuji Dao Vault ourselves, regardless of whether it’s a celestial realm. Perhaps only by reaching the end can we uncover this ancient mystery.”
Everyone looked at Liu in astonishment. Liu shook his head, and strangely, the dizziness suddenly disappeared.
Jia nodded and said, “Liu, you’re right. Immortality and Dao are intangible concepts. We shouldn’t dwell too much. Only by reaching the end can we solve the mystery. Let’s not overthink it now—let’s take one step at a time.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. Indeed, speculating here was useless. They gathered their gear and prepared to continue exploring.
Jia pointed ahead with an odd expression and said, “We came up from the volcanic lake, but I explored ahead earlier. Beyond this platform is a dark, downward passage. I have a feeling it leads straight to the mountain’s base, perhaps even deeper.”
Liu smiled and said, “Since we’ve come this far, we must go forward. Don’t overthink it. Perhaps only by seeing things with our own eyes can we solve our doubts.”
Hearing this, Jia said nothing more and walked ahead. Liu smiled and followed. Everyone exchanged glances and silently moved forward.
Descending from the platform, a dark tunnel indeed appeared before them. Shining their flashlights inside, a deep, eerie, and sinister atmosphere sent chills down their spines. A mysterious blue stone staircase stretched downward into the unknown.
They turned on their flashlights and slowly descended. The chaotic, low footsteps echoed ominously in the long underground tunnel.
After about ten minutes, Fan whispered, “There’s something on the walls.” Everyone shone their lights on the walls. Indeed! Faint red thread-like substances were faintly wriggling on the black stone walls, as if trying to break through.
Everyone was startled. Qingchong whispered, “Could this wall contain red minerals?”
Liu rubbed his eyes and looked again. Sure enough, the red threads were indeed moving, and in a blink, the redness on the walls became more vivid. Liu’s heart pounded as he shouted, “These things are alive!”
Suddenly, Jia screamed, “Run! Don’t let these things touch you!” and took off running. Everyone was startled and followed him down the steps.
The tunnel echoed with the frantic, heavy footsteps. No one knew how long they ran, but when everyone felt exhausted, suddenly the ground vanished beneath them. One by one, they plunged into dark water with loud splashes.
Fan, a non-swimmer, swallowed several mouthfuls of water as he flailed his arms, desperately trying to float. Liu suddenly remembered Fan couldn’t swim and quickly grabbed his arm, pulling him to the surface. Everyone surfaced, and Jia called out each name. After some chaos, fortunately, everyone was safe.
Several flashlights remained intact. By their light, everyone saw their current location—a large square pool. The buoyancy indicated the pool was deep. Looking up, the water surface was about three meters above where they fell. Fortunately, those red threads hadn’t followed them.
In the darkness, Fan muttered, “What the heck happened? Why did the steps suddenly disappear? What were those red threads?”
Fan Debiao, unusually frowning, shook his head and said, “No, the situation in the water is unclear. No one should go down again. If something has happened to Senior Jia and the worm, we can’t afford to take any more risks.”
At that moment, Liu Dashao suddenly had an idea and loudly said, “Everyone, don’t worry too much. Maybe Senior Jia and the cabbage worm have already found the tomb passage and entered it, no longer in the water.”
Fan Debiao nodded, “Yes, let’s wait a bit longer.”
By then, everyone had gathered at the edge of the lake. Although no one spoke, the worry was clearly written on everyone’s faces.
Another ten minutes passed. Just as everyone’s patience was about to run out, ripples finally appeared on the water’s surface, followed by a splash as the cabbage worm emerged. Everyone felt a surge of joy.
The cabbage worm wiped the water off his face, swam to the shore, and excitedly said, “Comrades, I’ve found the entrance to the Wuji Demon’s Treasure! The totem rock is the entrance! Come on in, I’ll take you there.”
The excitement among the group was palpable. Liu Dashao jumped in with a splash, while Fan Debiao awkwardly shouted, “I can’t swim!”
Yang Weidong walked over to him, smiling, “Let me help you. When you enter the water, take a deep breath and hold it. I’ll pull you across.”
Everyone slowly entered the water. With Yang Weidong’s assistance, Fan Debiao also got into the lake. A slight chill gradually enveloped everyone. Liu Dashao opened his eyes and vaguely saw everyone slowly descending along the rocks in the water. The volcanic lake was conical, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. Given the current situation, Liu Dashao estimated that at the center of the lake, it would become a deep hole the size of a well.
After about five minutes, Fan Debiao started to struggle, but they finally reached the rock. A dark, square entrance appeared before them. Everyone filed in and then swam upwards. Liu Dashao knew Fan Debiao was running out of breath and pushed him up with all his might. Fan Debiao flailed desperately, and just as he was about to see stars, he finally surfaced.
Fan Debiao saw Liu Dashao smiling on a stone step, grabbing his arm and pulling him up. Fan Debiao collapsed on the step, gasping for breath. Liu Dashao teased, “Fatty, when this mission is over, I’ll teach you how to swim and dive, okay? Otherwise, next time we go to the sea, you might end up marrying the Dragon King!”
Everyone had already climbed onto the steps and burst into laughter at Liu Dashao’s words. Fan Debiao struggled to his feet, glaring at Liu Dashao, about to say something when they heard Senior Jia shouting from the top of the steps, “What are you laughing at? Hurry up and come here, see what I’ve found.”
Everyone quickly climbed up the steps to where Senior Jia was standing. They realized the steps had ended, and they were now on a sizable platform.
Senior Jia was crouched down, examining something. Everyone looked down and saw that the platform was covered with carvings of people, landscapes, animals, plants, and some strange symbols and curves, likely ancient script.
Senior Jia moved around, examining each carving. After a while, he stood up and said, “There are four carvings here. Based on their descriptions and the ancient script, I deduce that these four carvings represent four different places. Look at the first one; it seems to depict the Golden City you once told me about. The script below it also reads ‘Golden City.'”
He pointed to the carving on the ground for everyone to see. Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao looked down and indeed saw a city in the carving. The people, architecture, and colors closely resembled the Golden City established by Zhang Jiao.
Senior Jia continued, “Now look at the second carving. It shows a blue lake with a figure dressed as an emperor and many attendants performing some kind of ritual by the lake, with flowers and sacrificial animals. This seems to depict the volcanic lake we were just at. But this carving is strange. The other carvings show cities, but this one only has a few simple figures by the lake. What are they doing? What kind of ritual is this? I can’t figure it out.”
Everyone crouched down to examine the carvings. As Senior Jia had said, the other two carvings depicted strange cities. Senior Jia pointed to each one and explained, “Based on the colors and script, these four places are the Golden City, the Wuji Buddha’s Treasure, the Wuji Demon’s Treasure, and the Wuji Dao’s Treasure. I don’t know what these places represent. You’ve only been to the Golden City and the Wuji Buddha’s Treasure. The others’ locations and meanings are still unknown to us.”
At that moment, Liu Dashao suddenly said, “Could the legend be true?”
Everyone turned to him in surprise. Liu Dashao, with a grave expression, said, “In Chinese Daoist circles, there’s a mysterious legend: During the Eastern Han Dynasty, one day, all the renowned Daoist masters suddenly received invitations from a Daoist named Yin Changsheng, summoning them to gather at the Dragon-Tiger Hall on Mount Sanqing in Jiangxi on the full moon night of the eighth lunar month to discuss Daoism. He claimed to be the foremost Daoist of the time. Although none of the masters knew who Yin Changsheng was, they all thought he was extremely arrogant. So, on that full moon night, all the invitees gathered at Mount Sanqing, intending to teach this unknown upstart a lesson. However, that night, Yin Changsheng descended from the moon, stunning everyone. During the debate, he left all the masters speechless. Then, with a laugh, he summoned a cloud and rode away, leaving all the Daoist masters dumbfounded.”
Liu Dashao sighed and continued, “As Yin Changsheng rode away on the cloud, he left a message: ‘I thought there were still people in this world who understood Daoism and could debate with me. Now I see none of you are my match. I have left each of you a book. Remember to cultivate and comprehend Daoism. When any of you attain immortality, I will welcome you at the Wuji Dao’s Treasure.’ The masters felt their robes and indeed found books. Besides Daoist scriptures, the books detailed the wonders of the Wuji Dao’s Treasure. Unfortunately, these books are likely lost to time. I only know this legend from my master. It’s said that the Wuji Dao’s Treasure exists in the ethereal realm, and the three great treasures are as Senior Jia mentioned, except for the last place.”
After Liu Dashao finished, Fan Debiao asked, “Dashao, where is the last place?”
Liu Dashao replied, “The last place is the ‘Ninety-Nine Heavens.’ According to the legend, Yin Changsheng mentioned in the books that after attaining immortality, one could travel through the Ninety-Nine Heavens to comprehend life and death and attain true Dao.”
Everyone was astonished by Liu Dashao’s words. Could the three great treasures include the Wuji Buddha’s Treasure they had encountered before? The eerie and evil nature of the Wuji Buddha’s Treasure was still fresh in everyone’s minds.
What is Dao? And what can one comprehend from it?
Senior Jia murmured, “Could it be that the place we’re at now, beneath the volcanic lake, is the entrance to the legendary ‘Ninety-Nine Heavens’? Is Yin Changsheng Zhang Jiao? Did he truly attain immortality?”
Liu Dashao coldly said, “Whether Yin Changsheng is Zhang Jiao or not, based on my experience in the Golden City, this person is definitely malevolent and no Daoist immortal.”
At that moment, he suddenly felt dizzy, with vague thoughts floating in his mind, but they were unclear. He couldn’t help but say, “What is an immortal? What is Dao? The concept of Daoism is just hearsay. We don’t need to delve too deeply. Let’s explore the Wuji Dao’s Treasure and see what it is. Perhaps only then can we unravel this ancient mystery.”
Everyone looked at Liu Dashao in surprise. He shook his head vigorously, and strangely, the dizziness suddenly disappeared.
Senior Jia nodded at Liu Dashao and said, “Young Liu, your words make sense. Daoism is indeed ethereal and intangible. We don’t need to delve too deeply. To uncover the truth, we must go all the way. Let’s not overthink it; let’s take it one step at a time.”
Everyone agreed. Indeed, discussing and speculating here was pointless. So, they packed up and prepared to continue exploring.
Senior Jia, with a strange expression, pointed ahead and said, “We came up from the volcanic lake, but I just explored ahead. The platform leads to a downward passage, very dark and deep. I have a feeling this passage goes straight to the bottom of the mountain, maybe even deeper.”
Liu Dashao smiled and said, “Since we’re here, let’s proceed. Let’s not overthink it. Some things can’t be understood by intuition alone. Perhaps only by seeing it for ourselves can we uncover the truth and solve the mysteries in our hearts.”
Hearing this, Senior Jia said no more and silently walked ahead. Liu Dashao followed with a smile. Everyone exchanged glances and silently followed.
Descending from the platform, a dark passage appeared before them. Shining their flashlights inside, a deep, eerie, and sinister feeling made everyone shiver. A straight, green stone staircase extended downward, leading to an unknown destination.
Everyone turned on their flashlights and slowly descended the steps. The low, chaotic footsteps echoed eerily in the long underground passage.
After about ten minutes, Fan Debiao suddenly whispered, “There’s something on the walls.” Shining their flashlights on the walls, they indeed saw faint red, thread-like substances, slightly writhing under the light, as if trying to break through the wall.
Everyone was shocked. What were these things? The cabbage worm whispered, “Could the wall material contain red minerals?”
Liu Dashao rubbed his eyes and looked again. He clearly saw the red threads writhing, and in that instant, the red on the wall became more pronounced. He exclaimed in horror, “These things are moving! They’re alive!”
Senior Jia suddenly shouted, “Run! Don’t let these things touch you!” He sprinted ahead. Everyone, startled, followed closely, running down the steps.
The passage echoed with the sound of frantic, heavy footsteps. After running for what felt like an eternity, everyone suddenly felt their feet give way, and with a series of splashes, they all fell into dark water.
Fan Debiao, a non-swimmer, immediately swallowed several mouthfuls of water, flailing his arms, trying to surface. Liu Dashao, remembering Fan Debiao couldn’t swim, quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him up. Everyone surfaced, and Senior Jia called out each person’s name. After some chaos, everyone was safe.
Luckily, the flashlights hadn’t fallen into the water. Using their light, they saw they were in a square pool, quite large, with strong buoyancy indicating it was deep. Looking up, the water’s surface was about three meters above where they had fallen. Fortunately, the red threads hadn’t followed.
In the dim light, Fan Debiao said, “What the hell is going on? Why did the steps disappear? What are those red threads?”
Senior Jia grunted, “Regardless of why the steps disappeared, falling into the water is safer than being in the passage. Those red threads are a type of southern parasite, bred with human blood, and they crave blood. If they touch a person or animal, they enter the bloodstream, and within ten minutes, they drain the victim of all blood.”
Everyone was terrified. Fortunately, they had fallen into the water. If they had kept running in the passage, they would have been ensnared by the red threads, with dire consequences.
Liu Dashao said, “The pool is surrounded by cold stone walls with no way out. What do we do? We can’t just stay here.”
Senior Jia chuckled, “We descended less than a kilometer in the passage, far from the next checkpoint, the Wuji Demon’s Treasure. If I’m not mistaken, we need to go further down, dive underwater to find the exit.”
Fan Debiao inwardly groaned, “Why does this non-swimmer keep encountering water?” Liu Dashao, still holding his arm, seemed to read his mind and smiled, “Fatty, don’t worry, I’ve got you.”
Senior Jia said, “I’ll dive down first to scout, so we don’t waste energy aimlessly.” With that, he plunged into the water. The others treaded water, waiting for him.
Suddenly, Liu Dashao felt something brushing against his feet and calves. Just as he was about to warn everyone, the cabbage worm exclaimed, “Bad news, there’s something in the water!” Everyone noticed it, and several flashlights shone into the water. Fan Debiao gasped, “My god, what are these things?”
The water’s surface and depths were teeming with green, fleshy, worm-like creatures, writhing and trying to burrow into everyone’s submerged bodies.
At that moment, Senior Jia surfaced, wiping water from his face, and cursed, “Damn it, there are so many corpse leeches in the water. Don’t panic; as long as they don’t touch your skin, they can’t get in. I found the exit. Dive down quickly, but be careful with your exposed arms and faces.”
Before Senior Jia could finish, a rustling sound came from above. Everyone looked up to see a white object fall into the water with a splash.
Shining their flashlights, they were horrified to see it was a corpse—a naked female corpse, one of the seven people they had encountered at the Tibetan restaurant. The corpse leeches in the pool frantically swarmed the body, and within moments, it was covered in the green, fleshy creatures. The corpse withered and shriveled, turning into a skeleton before their eyes, then slowly sank to the bottom.
Everyone was horrified. Liu Dashao suddenly remembered he had swallowed several mouthfuls of the pool’s water and felt nauseous.
Senior Jia shouted, “Stop staring, dive down and follow me!”
Everyone snapped out of it and dove underwater, following Senior Jia. The dense swarm of corpse leeches brushed against their exposed arms and faces, making everyone feel sick.
After diving not too deep, Liu Dashao saw Senior Jia swimming toward a distant black hole in the pool wall—likely the exit. Everyone filed into the hole. Just then, a strange, low growl came from the water behind them, as if from some aquatic creature. Sensing danger, everyone quickly swam through the straight passage. Fortunately, the round passage wasn’t long. Fan Debiao vaguely saw splashes ahead and then lost sight of his companions. He guessed they had surfaced. Liu Dashao quickly pulled him forward. Just as they were about to surface, Liu Dashao felt a dark surge in the water behind them and thought, “This is bad!”
Everyone shuddered at Jia’s words. Fortunately, they had fallen into water. If they had kept running in the tunnel, they would have been entangled by those red threads with unimaginable consequences.
Liu said, “The pool’s four sides are cold stone walls with no way out. What do we do? We can’t stay in the water forever.”
Jia chuckled, “We’ve only descended about a kilometer into the tunnel, far from the next checkpoint, the Wuji Demon Vault. If I’m right, we need to go deeper. We must dive underwater to find the exit.”
Fan inwardly groaned—why did this non-swimmer always end up in water? Liu, holding Fan’s arm, seemed to read his thoughts and smiled, “Don’t worry, fatty. I’ve got you.”
Jia said, “Let me dive first to scout. Don’t waste energy diving blindly.” With that, he dove into the water. The others treaded water, waiting.
Suddenly, Liu felt something brushing against his feet and calves. Just as he was about to warn everyone, Qingchong shouted, “Something in the water!”
Everyone noticed it. Flashlights shone into the water, and Fan gasped, “What the heck are these things?”
The water surface and visible depths were already filled with thick, green, plump, worm-like creatures. They wriggled, trying to burrow into the people’s submerged bodies.
Fan Debiao, for the first time, frowned and shook his head, saying, “No, the situation in the water is unclear. No one should go down again. If something has happened to Senior Jia and the worm, we can’t afford to take any more risks.”
At this moment, Liu Dashao suddenly had an idea and loudly said, “Everyone, don’t worry too much. Maybe Senior Jia and the green worm have already found the tomb passage and entered it, no longer in the water.”
Fan Debiao nodded, “Yes, let’s wait a bit longer.”
By now, everyone had gathered by the edge of the lake. Although no one spoke, the worry was clearly written on each person’s face.
Another ten minutes passed. Just as everyone’s patience was about to run out, ripples finally appeared on the water’s surface, followed by a splash as the green worm emerged. Everyone felt a surge of joy.
The green worm wiped the water off his face and swam to the shore, excitedly saying, “Comrades, I’ve found the entrance to the Wuji Demon Vault! The totem rock is the entrance! Come on in, I’ll take you there.”
The excitement among the group was palpable. Liu Dashao jumped in with a splash, while Fan Debiao awkwardly shouted, “I can’t swim!”
Yang Weidong walked over to him and said with a smile, “Let me help you. Take a deep breath and hold it when you enter the water. I’ll pull you along.”
Everyone slowly entered the water. With Yang Weidong’s assistance, Fan Debiao also made it into the lake. A slight chill enveloped everyone as Liu Dashao opened his eyes and vaguely saw everyone slowly descending along the rocks in the water. The volcanic lake was cone-shaped, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. Given the current situation, Liu Dashao estimated that the center of the lake would likely be a deep hole the size of a well.
After about five minutes, Fan Debiao started to struggle, but everyone finally reached the rock. A dark, square entrance appeared before them, and they filed in, swimming upwards. Liu Dashao knew Fan Debiao was running out of air and gave him a push. Fan Debiao flailed desperately upwards, and just as he was about to see stars, he finally surfaced.
Fan Debiao saw Liu Dashao standing on a stone step, smiling, and grabbed his arm to pull him up. Fan Debiao collapsed on the step, gasping for air. Liu Dashao teased, “Fatty, after this mission, I’ll teach you how to swim and dive, okay? Otherwise, if you ever go to the sea, you might end up as the Dragon King’s son-in-law.”
By then, everyone had climbed onto the steps and burst into laughter at Liu Dashao’s words. Fan Debibal struggled to his feet and glared at Liu Dashao, about to say something, when they heard Senior Jia shouting from the top of the steps, “What are you laughing at? Hurry up and come here. Look what I’ve found.”
Everyone quickly climbed up to where Senior Jia was standing. They realized the steps had ended, and they were now on a sizable platform.
Senior Jia was crouched down, examining something. When they looked down, they saw the platform was covered with carvings depicting people, landscapes, animals, plants, and some strange symbols and curves, likely ancient texts.
Senior Jia moved around, studying each carving. After a while, he stood up and said to the group, “There are four carvings here. Based on their descriptions and these texts, I believe they represent four different places. Look at the first one—it seems to depict the Golden City you once told me about. The text below it also reads ‘Golden City.'”
He pointed to the first carving. Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao looked down and indeed saw a city that closely resembled the Golden City established by Zhang Jiao.
Senior Jia continued, “Now look at the second one—a blue lake with a figure dressed as an emperor and his entourage performing some kind of ritual by the lake, with flowers and sacrificial animals. This seems to be the volcanic lake we were just at. But this carving is strange. The other carvings depict cities, but this one only shows a few figures by the lake. What are they doing? What ritual are they performing? I can’t figure it out.”
Everyone crouched down to examine the carvings. As Senior Jia had said, the other two carvings depicted strange cities. Senior Jia pointed to each one and explained, “Based on the colors and texts, these four places are the Golden City, the Wuji Buddha Vault, the Wuji Demon Vault, and the Wuji Dao Vault. I don’t know what they represent. You’ve only been to the Golden City and the Wuji Buddha Vault. The locations and meanings of the others are still unknown to us.”
At this point, Liu Dashao suddenly said, “Could the legend be true?”
Everyone turned to him in surprise. Liu Dashao, with a grave expression, said, “In Chinese Daoist traditions, there’s a mysterious legend: during the Eastern Han Dynasty, one day, all the renowned Daoist masters suddenly received an invitation from a man named Yin Changsheng, claiming to be the foremost Daoist of the time. He invited them to gather at the Dragon-Tiger Hall on Mount Sanqing in Jiangxi during the Mid-Autumn Festival to discuss Daoist philosophy. The masters, though unfamiliar with Yin Changsheng, found his arrogance intolerable and decided to attend to teach him a lesson. On the night of the full moon, Yin Changsheng descended from the moon, stunning everyone. During the debate, he silenced all the masters with his arguments. Then, with a laugh, he summoned a cloud and rode away, leaving everyone in awe.”
Liu Dashao sighed and continued, “As Yin Changsheng departed, he left a message: ‘I thought there were still people in this world who understood the Dao and could debate with me. Now I see none of you are my match. I have left each of you a book. Remember to cultivate and seek the Dao. When any of you achieve immortality, I will welcome you at the Wuji Dao Vault with incense.’ The masters found books in their robes, detailing the wonders of the Wuji Dao Vault. Unfortunately, these books are likely lost today. I only know this legend from my master. It’s said the Wuji Dao Vault exists in a realm beyond, and the three great vaults are as Senior Jia mentioned, except for the last place.”
After Liu Dashao finished, Fan Debiao asked, “Dashao, what’s the last place?”
Liu Dashao replied, “The last place is the ‘Ninety-Nine Heavens.’ According to the legend, Yin Changsheng mentioned in the books that after achieving immortality, one could travel through the Ninety-Nine Heavens to comprehend life and death and attain true Dao.”
Hearing this, everyone was astonished. Could the three great vaults include the Wuji Buddha Vault they had encountered before? The eerie and malevolent atmosphere of the Wuji Buddha Vault was still fresh in everyone’s minds.
What is the Dao? And what can one comprehend from it?
Senior Jia murmured, “Could it be that this place beneath the volcanic lake is the entrance to the legendary ‘Ninety-Nine Heavens’? Is Yin Changsheng actually Zhang Jiao? Did he truly achieve immortality?”
Liu Dashao sneered, “Whether Yin Changsheng is Zhang Jiao or not, based on my experience in the Golden City, this man is definitely sinister and no immortal.”
At this moment, he suddenly felt dizzy, with vague thoughts swirling in his mind, but they were unclear. He couldn’t help but say, “What is immortality? What is the Dao? The concept of immortality is just hearsay. We don’t need to delve too deeply into it. Let’s explore the Wuji Dao Vault and see what it is. Perhaps only then can we unravel this ancient mystery.”
Everyone looked at Liu Dashao in surprise. He shook his head vigorously, and strangely, the dizziness suddenly disappeared.
Senior Jia nodded at Liu Dashao and said, “Young Liu, you make a good point. Immortality is an elusive concept. We don’t need to dwell on it. To uncover the truth, we must go to the end. Let’s not overthink it and take it one step at a time.”
Everyone agreed. Indeed, speculating here was pointless, so they prepared to move forward.
Senior Jia pointed ahead with a strange expression and said, “We’ve been ascending since entering the volcanic lake, but I just explored ahead. The platform leads to a downward passage, very dark and deep. I have a feeling it goes straight to the bottom of the mountain, or even deeper.”
Liu Dashao smiled and said, “Since we’re here, let’s proceed. We’ll take the path as it comes. Don’t overthink it. Some things can only be understood by seeing them firsthand. Only then can we solve the mysteries in our hearts.”
Hearing this, Senior Jia said no more and walked ahead. Liu Dashao followed with a smile, and the rest silently followed.
Descending from the platform, a dark passage appeared before them. Shining their flashlights inside, a deep, eerie, and sinister feeling sent shivers down their spines. A set of green stone steps extended straight down, leading to an unknown destination.
They turned on their flashlights and slowly descended the steps. The low, chaotic footsteps echoed in the long, dark passage, making everyone feel uneasy.
After about ten minutes, Fan Debiao suddenly whispered, “There’s something on the walls.” Shining their flashlights on the walls, they saw faint red, thread-like substances on the black stone, slightly writhing under the light, as if trying to break free.
Everyone was startled. What were these things? The green worm whispered, “Could the cave walls contain red minerals?”
Liu Dashao rubbed his eyes and looked again, clearly seeing the red threads moving. In the blink of an eye, the red on the walls became more pronounced. He shouted in alarm, “These things are alive! They’re moving!”
Senior Jia suddenly yelled, “Run! Don’t let them touch you!” He sprinted ahead, and everyone, panicked, followed, running down the steps.
The passage echoed with the sound of their frantic footsteps. After what felt like an eternity, their feet suddenly gave way, and with a series of splashes, everyone fell into a dark body of water.
Fan Debiao, a non-swimmer, swallowed several mouthfuls of water as he flailed, trying to surface. Liu Dashao remembered Fan Debiao couldn’t swim and quickly grabbed his arm, pulling him up. Everyone surfaced, and Senior Jia called out each person’s name. After some chaos, they confirmed everyone was safe.
Fortunately, a few flashlights hadn’t fallen into the water. Using their light, they saw they were in a square pool, quite large, with strong buoyancy indicating it was deep. Looking up, the water’s surface was about three meters above where they had fallen. Thankfully, the red threads hadn’t followed them.
In the dim light, Fan Debiao said, “What the hell just happened? Why did the steps disappear? What were those red things?”
Senior Jia grunted, “Regardless of why the steps disappeared, being in the water is safer than in the passage. Those red threads are a type of blood-sucking fungus used by the southern tribes. Once they touch a person or animal, they enter the bloodstream and drain the victim of blood within ten minutes.”
Everyone was terrified. Thankfully, they had fallen into the water. If they had kept running in the passage, they would have been ensnared by the red threads, with dire consequences.
Liu Dashao said, “The pool is surrounded by cold stone walls with no way out. What do we do? We can’t just stay here.”
Senior Jia chuckled, “We’ve descended less than a kilometer in the passage, far from the next checkpoint, the Wuji Demon Vault. If I’m right, we need to dive deeper to find the exit.”
Fan Debiao groaned inwardly. Why did he, a non-swimmer, keep encountering water? Liu Dashao, still holding his arm, seemed to read his mind and smiled, “Don’t worry, Fatty. I’ve got you.”
Senior Jia said, “I’ll dive down first to scout, so we don’t waste energy aimlessly.” With that, he plunged into the water. The others treaded water, waiting for him.
Suddenly, Liu Dashao felt something brushing against his feet and calves. Before he could warn the others, the green worm exclaimed, “Something’s in the water!” Everyone noticed it, and their flashlights revealed the water was teeming with green, fleshy, worm-like creatures, writhing and trying to burrow into their submerged bodies.
At that moment, Senior Jia surfaced, wiping water from his face and cursing, “Damn it, there are so many corpse leeches in here. Don’t panic. As long as they don’t touch your skin, they can’t get in. I found the exit. Swim quickly, and be careful with your exposed arms and faces.”
Before Senior Jia could finish, a rustling sound came from above. Looking up, they saw a white object fall into the water with a splash.
Shining their flashlights, they were horrified to see it was a naked female corpse, one of the seven people they had encountered at the Tibetan restaurant. The corpse leeches swarmed over the body, and within moments, it was covered in the green, fleshy creatures. The corpse withered and shriveled before their eyes, turning into a skeleton that slowly sank to the bottom.
Everyone was terrified. Liu Dashao suddenly remembered he had swallowed several mouthfuls of the pool’s water and felt nauseous.
Senior Jia shouted, “Don’t just stand there! Dive down and follow me!”
Everyone snapped out of it and dove into the water, following Senior Jia. The dense swarm of corpse leeches brushed against their exposed skin, making them shudder with disgust.
After descending a short distance, Liu Dashao saw Senior Jia swimming towards a distant black hole in the pool’s wall—the exit. They entered the hole one by one. Just then, a strange, low howl came from the water behind them, as if from some aquatic creature. Sensing danger, they quickly swam through the straight passage. The tunnel wasn’t long, and Fan Debiao vaguely saw water splashing ahead, losing sight of his companions. He assumed they had surfaced. Liu Dashao pulled him forward, and just as they were about to surface, Liu Dashao felt a dark current behind him and thought, “Oh no!”
Before Jia finished speaking, a rustling sound came from above. Everyone looked up. A pale object fell from above with a splash, creating a large wave.
Fan Debiao, for the first time, frowned and shook his head, saying, “No, the situation in the water is unclear. No one should go down again. If something has happened to Senior Jia and the worm, we can’t afford to take any more risks.”
At this moment, Liu Dashao suddenly had an idea and loudly said, “Don’t worry too much, everyone. Maybe Senior Jia and the green worm have already found the tomb passage and entered it, no longer in the water.”
Fan Debiao nodded and said, “Yes, let’s wait a bit longer.”
By now, everyone had gathered at the edge of the lake. Although no one spoke, worry was clearly written on everyone’s faces.
Another ten minutes passed. Just as everyone’s patience was about to run out, ripples finally appeared on the water’s surface, followed by a splash as the green worm emerged. Everyone felt a surge of joy.
The green worm wiped the water off his face and swam to the shore, excitedly saying to everyone, “Comrades, I’ve found the entrance to the Wuji Demon Vault! The totem rock is the entrance! Come on in, I’ll take you there.”
The excitement among the group was palpable. Liu Dashao jumped in with a splash, while Fan Debiao awkwardly shouted, “I can’t swim!”
Yang Weidong walked over to him, smiling, and said, “Let me help you. When you enter the water, take a deep breath and hold it. I’ll pull you across.”
Slowly, everyone entered the water. With Yang Weidong’s assistance, Fan Debiao also made it into the lake. A slight chill gradually enveloped everyone. Liu Dashao opened his eyes and vaguely saw everyone slowly descending along the rocks in the water. The volcanic lake was cone-shaped, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. Given the current situation, Liu Dashao estimated that by the center of the lake, it would narrow into a deep hole the size of a well.
After about five minutes, Fan Debiao began to struggle, but everyone finally reached the rock. A dark, square entrance appeared before them. They filed in and began to swim upward. Liu Dashao could tell that Fan Debiao was struggling to breathe, so he pushed him upward with all his might. Fan Debiao flailed desperately, and just as he was about to see stars, he finally surfaced.
Fan Debiao saw Liu Dashao standing on a stone step, smiling, and grabbing his arm to pull him up. Fan Debiao collapsed on the step, gasping for breath. Liu Dashao teased, “Fatty, when this mission is over, I’ll teach you how to swim and dive, okay? Otherwise, if we ever go to the sea, you might end up as the Dragon King’s son-in-law!”
By now, everyone had climbed onto the steps and burst into laughter at Liu Dashao’s words. Fan Debiao struggled to his feet and glared at Liu Dashao, about to say something, when they heard Senior Jia’s voice from the top of the steps: “What are you laughing about? Hurry up and come here. Look what I’ve found.”
Everyone quickly climbed up to where Senior Jia was standing. They realized that the steps had ended, and they were now standing on a large platform.
Senior Jia was crouched down, examining something. When they looked down, they saw that the platform was covered with carvings—figures, landscapes, animals, plants, and strange symbols and curves, likely ancient writings.
Senior Jia moved around, examining each carving one by one. After a while, he stood up and said to everyone, “There are four carvings here. Based on their descriptions and the ancient writings, I deduce that these four carvings represent four different places. Look at the first one—it seems to depict the Golden City you once told me about. The writing below it also says ‘Golden City.'”
He pointed to the carving on the ground for everyone to see. Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao looked down and indeed saw a city in the carving. The figures, buildings, and colors closely resembled the Golden City established by Zhang Jiao.
Senior Jia continued, “Now look at the second one—a blue lake, a figure dressed as an emperor with many attendants, seemingly performing some kind of ritual by the lake, with flowers and sacrificial animals. This seems to depict the volcanic lake we were just at. But this carving is strange. The other carvings show cities, but this one only has these simple figures by the lake. What are they doing? What kind of ritual are they performing? I can’t figure it out.”
Everyone crouched down to examine the carvings. As Senior Jia had said, the other two carvings depicted strange cities. Senior Jia pointed to each one and said, “Based on the colors and writings, these four places are the Golden City, the Wuji Buddha Vault, the Wuji Demon Vault, and the Wuji Dao Vault. I don’t know what these places represent. You’ve only been to the Golden City and the Wuji Buddha Vault. The others—where they are and what they mean—we still don’t know.”
At this point, Liu Dashao suddenly said, “Could the legend be true?”
Everyone turned to Liu Dashao in surprise. With a grave expression, he said, “In the Taoist tradition of China, there’s a mysterious legend: during the Eastern Han Dynasty, one day, all the renowned Taoist masters suddenly received an invitation from a Taoist named Yin Changsheng, summoning them to gather at the Dragon-Tiger Hall on Mount Sanqing in Jiangxi on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival to discuss the Tao. He proclaimed himself the foremost Taoist of the era. Although none of the masters knew who Yin Changsheng was, they all found him extremely arrogant. So, that Mid-Autumn night, all the invitees gathered at Mount Sanqing, intending to teach this unknown upstart a lesson during the debate. However, on that moonlit night, Yin Changsheng descended from the moon, stunning everyone. During the debate, he left all the masters speechless. Then, with a laugh, he summoned a cloud, rode it away, leaving all the Taoist masters in awe.”
Liu Dashao sighed and continued, “As Yin Changsheng rode away on the cloud, he left behind a message: ‘I thought there were still those in the mortal world who understood the Tao and could debate with me. Now I see none of you are my match. I have left each of you a book. Remember to cultivate and comprehend the Tao. When any of you attain enlightenment and become immortals, I will await you at the Wuji Dao Vault, burning incense to welcome you.’ The masters reached into their robes and indeed found books. Besides Taoist scriptures, the books detailed the wonders and grandeur of the Wuji Dao Vault. Unfortunately, these books are likely lost to time. I only know this legend from my master’s oral account. It’s said that the Wuji Dao Vault exists in the ethereal realm, and the names of the three great vaults are as Senior Jia mentioned, except for the last place.”
After Liu Dashao finished, Fan Debiao asked, “Dashao, what’s the last place?”
Liu Dashao replied, “The last place is the ‘Ninety-Nine Heavens.’ According to the legend, Yin Changsheng mentioned in the books he left for the Taoist masters that after attaining enlightenment and becoming an immortal, one could travel through the Ninety-Nine Heavens to comprehend life and death and attain the true Tao.”
Hearing this, everyone was astonished. Could the three great vaults include the Wuji Buddha Vault they had encountered earlier? The eerie and malevolent atmosphere of the Wuji Buddha Vault was still fresh in everyone’s minds.
What is the Tao? And what can one comprehend from it?
Senior Jia murmured, “Could it be that the place we’re now in, beneath the volcanic lake, is the gateway to the legendary ‘Ninety-Nine Heavens’? Is Yin Changsheng Zhang Jiao? Did he truly attain immortality and become a Taoist immortal?”
Liu Dashao sneered, “Whether Yin Changsheng is Zhang Jiao or not, based on my experience in the Golden City, this person is definitely sinister and couldn’t possibly be an immortal.”
At this moment, he suddenly felt dizzy, with vague thoughts swirling in his mind, but they were unclear. He couldn’t help but say, “What is an immortal? What is the Tao? The concept of immortals and the Tao is just hearsay. We don’t need to delve too deeply into it. Let’s explore the Wuji Dao Vault and see what it is. Perhaps only then can we unravel this ancient mystery.”
Everyone looked at Liu Dashao in surprise. He shook his head vigorously, and strangely, the dizziness suddenly disappeared.
Senior Jia nodded at Liu Dashao and said, “Young Liu, your words make sense. The concept of immortals and the Tao is indeed ethereal and intangible. We don’t need to delve too deeply into it. To uncover the truth, we must go to the end. Let’s not overthink it and take it one step at a time.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. Indeed, discussing and speculating here was pointless. So, they gathered their belongings and prepared to move forward.
Senior Jia pointed ahead with a strange expression and said, “We’ve been ascending since we entered the volcanic lake, but I just scouted ahead. The platform leads to a downward passage, very dark and deep. I have a feeling this passage leads to the bottom of the mountain, perhaps even deeper.”
Liu Dashao smiled and said, “Since we’re here, let’s proceed. Let’s not overthink it. Some things can’t be understood through speculation. Perhaps only by seeing them with our own eyes can we uncover the truth and solve the mysteries in our hearts.”
Hearing this, Senior Jia said no more and silently led the way. Liu Dashao followed with a smile. Everyone exchanged glances and silently followed.
Descending from the platform, a dark passage appeared before them. Shining their flashlights inside, a deep, eerie, and sinister feeling sent shivers down their spines. A set of green stone steps extended straight downward, leading to an unknown destination.
They turned on their flashlights and slowly descended the steps. The low, chaotic sound of footsteps echoed through the long underground passage, making everyone feel uneasy.
After about ten minutes, Fan Debiao suddenly whispered, “There’s something on the walls.” Shining their flashlights on the walls, they saw faint red, thread-like substances on the black stone walls. Under the light, they seemed to wriggle slightly, as if trying to break free.
Everyone was startled. What were these things? The green worm whispered, “Could the walls be made of some red mineral?”
Liu Dashao rubbed his eyes and looked again. He clearly saw the red threads wriggling, and in that instant, the red on the walls became more pronounced. He shouted in alarm, “These things are moving! They’re alive!”
Senior Jia suddenly yelled, “Run! Don’t let these things touch you!” With that, he sprinted forward. Everyone, startled, followed closely behind, running down the steps.
The sound of frantic, heavy footsteps echoed through the passage. After what felt like an eternity, their feet suddenly met empty air, and with a series of splashes, everyone fell into a dark body of water.
Fan Debiao, being a non-swimmer, immediately swallowed several mouthfuls of water. As he flailed, trying to surface, Liu Dashao remembered that the man couldn’t swim and quickly grabbed his arm, pulling him up. Everyone surfaced, and Senior Jia called out each person’s name. After some confusion, they were relieved to find everyone safe.
Luckily, their flashlights hadn’t fallen into the water. Shining them around, they saw they were in a square pool, quite large, with strong buoyancy indicating it was deep. Looking up, they saw the surface was about three meters above where they had fallen. Thankfully, the red threads hadn’t followed them.
In the dim light, Fan Debiao muttered, “What the hell is going on? Why did the steps disappear? What are those red threads?”
Senior Jia grunted, “Regardless of why the steps disappeared, being in the water is safer than in the passage. Those red threads are a type of blood fungus used by the southern tribes. Cultivated with human blood, they are bloodthirsty. Once they touch a person or animal, they enter the bloodstream and drain the victim of blood within ten minutes.”
Everyone was horrified. Fortunately, they had fallen into the water. If they had continued running in the passage, they would have been ensnared by the red threads, with unimaginable consequences.
Liu Dashao said, “The pool is surrounded by cold stone walls with no way out. What do we do? We can’t just stay here.”
Senior Jia chuckled, “We’ve descended less than a kilometer in the passage, far from the next checkpoint, the Wuji Demon Vault. If I’m not mistaken, we need to dive deeper to find the exit.”
Fan Debiao inwardly groaned. Why did he, a non-swimmer, keep encountering water? Liu Dashao, still holding his arm, seemed to read his mind and smiled, saying, “Don’t worry, Fatty. I’ve got you.”
Senior Jia said, “I’ll dive down first to scout, so we don’t waste energy aimlessly.” With that, he plunged into the water. The others treaded water, waiting for him.
Suddenly, Liu Dashao felt something brushing against his feet and calves. Just as he was about to warn everyone, the green worm shouted, “Watch out! There’s something in the water!” Everyone felt it too. Shining their flashlights into the water, Fan Debiao gasped, “What the hell are those?”
The water, both on the surface and below, was teeming with green, fleshy, worm-like creatures. They wriggled, pressing against everyone’s submerged bodies, seemingly trying to burrow in.
At that moment, Senior Jia surfaced, wiping water from his face and cursing, “Damn it! There are so many corpse leeches in here. Don’t panic. As long as they don’t touch your skin, they can’t get in. I found the exit. Dive down quickly, but be careful with your exposed arms and faces.”
Before he could finish, a rustling sound came from above. Looking up, they saw a white object fall into the water with a splash.
Shining their flashlights on it, they were shocked to see it was a corpse—a naked female corpse, one of the seven people they had encountered at the Tibetan restaurant earlier. The corpse leeches in the pool swarmed over the body, and within moments, it was covered in the green, fleshy creatures. The corpse shriveled and dried up before their eyes, eventually turning into a skeleton and sinking to the bottom.
Everyone was horrified by the sight. Liu Dashao suddenly remembered he had swallowed several mouthfuls of the pool’s water earlier and felt nauseous.
Senior Jia shouted, “Don’t just stand there! Dive down and follow me!”
Everyone snapped out of it and dove into the water, following Senior Jia. The dense swarm of corpse leeches brushed against their exposed skin, making them feel sick.
After diving not too deep, through the murky water, Liu Dashao saw Senior Jia swimming toward a distant black hole in the pool wall—likely the exit. One by one, they entered the hole. Just then, a strange, low growl came from the water behind them, as if from some aquatic creature. Sensing danger, they quickly swam through the straight passage. Fortunately, the tunnel wasn’t long. Fan Debiao vaguely saw water splashing ahead and then lost sight of his companions in front. He assumed they had surfaced. Liu Dashao quickly pulled him forward. Just as they were about to surface, Liu Dashao felt a subtle current behind him and thought, “This is bad!”
Everyone stared in horror. Liu suddenly remembered he had swallowed several mouthfuls of the pool water earlier, and his stomach churned with nausea.
Jia shouted, “Don’t just stand there! Dive and follow me!”
Fan Debiao, for the first time, frowned and shook his head, saying, “No, the situation in the water is unclear. No one should go down again. If something happens to Senior Jia and the worm, we can’t afford to take any more risks.”
At that moment, Liu Dashao suddenly had an idea and loudly said, “Everyone, don’t worry too much. Maybe Senior Jia and the green worm have already found the tomb passage and entered it. They might not be in the water anymore.”
Fan Debiao nodded and said, “Yes, let’s wait a bit longer.”
By then, everyone had already gathered by the edge of the lake. Although no one spoke, the worry was clearly written on everyone’s faces.
Another ten minutes passed. Just as everyone’s patience was about to run out, ripples finally appeared on the water’s surface, followed by a splash as the green worm emerged. Everyone couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy.
The green worm wiped the water off his face, swam to the shore, and excitedly said to everyone, “Comrades, I’ve found the entrance to the Wuji Demon Vault! The totem rock is the entrance! Come on in, I’ll lead you there.”
Upon hearing this, everyone’s excitement was indescribable. Liu Dashao immediately jumped into the water with a splash, while Fan Debiao awkwardly shouted, “I can’t swim!”
Yang Weidong walked over to him and said with a smile, “Let me help you. When you enter the water, take a deep breath and hold it. I’ll pull you across.”
Everyone slowly entered the water. With Yang Weidong’s assistance, Fan Debiao also entered the lake. A slight chill gradually enveloped everyone’s bodies. Liu Dashao opened his eyes and vaguely saw everyone slowly sinking along the rocks in the water. The volcanic lake was cone-shaped, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. Given the current situation, Liu Dashao estimated that by the time they reached the center of the lake, it would narrow into a deep hole the size of a well.
After about five minutes, Fan Debiao started to struggle, and everyone finally reached the rock. A dark, square entrance appeared before them. They filed in and then swam upward. Liu Dashao knew Fan Debiao was running out of breath and pushed him upward with all his might. Fan Debiao flailed desperately, and just as he was about to see stars, he finally surfaced.
Fan Debiao saw Liu Dashao standing on a stone step, smiling, grabbing his arm, and pulling him up. Fan Debiao collapsed on the step, gasping for breath. Liu Dashao teased, “Fatty, after this mission, I’ll teach you how to swim and dive, okay? Otherwise, if we ever go to the sea, you might end up as the Dragon King’s son-in-law!”
By then, everyone had climbed onto the steps and burst into laughter at Liu Dashao’s words. Fan Debiao struggled to his feet, glared at Liu Dashao, and was about to say something when they heard Senior Jia shouting from the top of the steps, “What are you laughing at? Hurry up and come here. Look what I’ve found.”
Everyone quickly climbed up the steps to where Senior Jia was standing. They realized the steps had ended, and they were now standing on a large platform.
Senior Jia was squatting, examining something. When everyone looked down, they saw that the platform was covered with carvings—figures, landscapes, animals, plants, and some strange symbols and curves, likely ancient script.
Senior Jia moved around, examining each carving one by one. After a while, he stood up and said to everyone, “There are four carvings here. Based on their descriptions and the ancient script, I infer that these four carvings represent four different places. Look at the first one—it seems to depict the Golden City you once told me about. The script below it also reads ‘Golden City.'”
He pointed to the carving on the ground for everyone to see. Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao looked down and indeed saw a city in the carving. The figures, architecture, and colors closely resembled the Golden City established by Zhang Jiao.
Senior Jia continued, “Now look at the second carving—a blue lake, a figure dressed as an emperor with many attendants, seemingly conducting some kind of ritual by the lake. There are flowers and sacrificial animals. This seems to depict the volcanic lake we were just at. But this carving is strange. The other carvings show cities, but this one only has a few figures by the lake. What are they doing? What ritual are they performing? I can’t figure it out.”
Everyone squatted down and examined the carvings one by one. As Senior Jia had said, the other two carvings depicted strange cities. Senior Jia pointed to each one and said, “Based on the colors and script, these four places are the Golden City, the Wuji Buddha Vault, the Wuji Demon Vault, and the Wuji Dao Vault. We don’t know what these places represent. You’ve only been to the Golden City and the Wuji Buddha Vault. The others—where they are and what they mean—we still don’t know.”
At that moment, Liu Dashao suddenly said, “Could the legend be true?”
Everyone turned to Liu Dashao in surprise. With a grave expression, he said, “In Taoist lore, there’s a mysterious legend: during the Eastern Han Dynasty, one day, all the renowned Taoist masters suddenly received an invitation from a Taoist named Yin Changsheng. He claimed to be the foremost Taoist of the time and invited them to gather at the Longhu Hall on Mount Sanqing in Jiangxi on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival to discuss Taoism. Although none of the masters knew who Yin Changsheng was, they all found him extremely arrogant. So, that Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone who received the invitation went to Mount Sanqing, intending to teach this unknown upstart a lesson. However, on the night of the full moon, Yin Changsheng descended from the moon, stunning everyone. During the debate, he left all the masters speechless. Then, with a laugh, he summoned a cloud and rode away, leaving everyone in awe.”
Liu Dashao sighed and continued, “As Yin Changsheng rode away on the cloud, he left a message: ‘I thought there were still people in this world who understood Taoism and could debate with me. But now I see none of you are my match. I have left each of you a book. Remember to study it diligently and cultivate the Tao. When any of you attain enlightenment and become immortals, I will welcome you at the Wuji Dao Vault with incense.’ The masters reached into their robes and indeed found books. Besides Taoist scriptures, the books also described the wonders and grandeur of the Wuji Dao Vault. Unfortunately, these books are likely lost to time. I only know this legend from my master’s oral account. It’s said that the Wuji Dao Vault exists in the ethereal realm, and the three great vaults are as Senior Jia mentioned, but the last place is missing.”
After Liu Dashao finished, Fan Debiao asked, “Dashao, what’s the last place?”
Liu Dashao replied, “The last place is the ‘Ninety-Nine Heavens.’ According to the legend, Yin Changsheng mentioned in the books that after attaining enlightenment and becoming an immortal, one could travel through the Ninety-Nine Heavens to comprehend life and death and attain the true Tao.”
Hearing this, everyone was astonished. Could the three great vaults include the Wuji Buddha Vault they had encountered earlier? The eerie and evil nature of the Wuji Buddha Vault was still fresh in everyone’s minds.
What is the Tao? And what can one comprehend from it?
Senior Jia murmured, “Could it be that the place we’re now in, beneath the volcanic lake, is the gateway to the legendary ‘Ninety-Nine Heavens’? Is Yin Changsheng Zhang Jiao? Did he truly attain immortality and become a Taoist immortal?”
Liu Dashao sneered, “Whether Yin Changsheng is Zhang Jiao or not, based on my experience in the Golden City, this man is definitely sinister and couldn’t possibly be a Taoist immortal.”
At that moment, he suddenly felt dizzy, with vague thoughts swirling in his mind, but they were unclear. He couldn’t help but say, “What is an immortal? What is the Tao? The concept of immortals and the Tao is just hearsay. We don’t need to delve too deeply into it. Let’s explore the Wuji Dao Vault and see what it is. Perhaps only then will we uncover this ancient mystery.”
Everyone looked at Liu Dashao in surprise. He shook his head vigorously, and strangely, the dizziness suddenly disappeared.
Senior Jia nodded at Liu Dashao and said, “Young Liu, your words make sense. The concept of immortals and the Tao is indeed ethereal and intangible. We don’t need to delve too deeply into it. To uncover the mystery, we must go to the end. Let’s not overthink it and take it one step at a time.”
Everyone agreed. Indeed, discussing and speculating here was pointless. So, they prepared their gear and decided to move forward.
Senior Jia pointed ahead with a strange expression and said, “We’ve been moving upward since entering the volcanic lake, but I just explored ahead. The platform leads to a downward passage that looks very deep and dark. I have a feeling this passage might lead to the bottom of the mountain, or even deeper.”
Liu Dashao smiled and said, “Since we’re here, let’s proceed. We’ll just follow the path. Don’t overthink it. Some things can’t be understood by intuition alone. Perhaps only by seeing it with our own eyes will we uncover the truth and solve the mysteries in our hearts.”
Hearing this, Senior Jia said nothing more and silently led the way. Liu Dashao followed with a smile. Everyone exchanged glances and quietly followed.
Descending from the platform, a dark passage appeared before them. When they shone their flashlights inside, a deep, eerie, and sinister feeling sent shivers down their spines. A set of green stone steps extended straight downward, leading to an unknown destination.
They turned on their flashlights and slowly descended the steps. The low, chaotic sound of footsteps echoed through the long underground passage, making everyone feel uneasy.
After about ten minutes, Fan Debiao suddenly whispered, “There’s something on the walls.” Everyone shone their flashlights on the walls and indeed saw faint red, thread-like substances. Under the light, they seemed to writhe slightly, as if trying to break free from the walls.
Everyone was shocked. What were these things? The green worm whispered, “Could the wall material contain red minerals?”
Liu Dashao rubbed his eyes and looked again. He clearly saw the red threads writhing, and in that instant, the red on the walls became more pronounced. He exclaimed in fear, “These things are moving! They’re alive!”
Senior Jia suddenly shouted, “Run! Don’t let these things touch you!” He sprinted forward, and everyone, startled, followed closely, running down the steps.
The passage echoed with the chaotic and heavy sound of footsteps. After running for what felt like an eternity, just as everyone was about to collapse from exhaustion, their feet suddenly gave way, and with a series of splashes, everyone fell into a dark body of water.
Fan Debiao, being a non-swimmer, immediately swallowed several mouthfuls of water. He flailed his arms, desperately trying to stay afloat, when Liu Dashao remembered that the fatty couldn’t swim and quickly grabbed his arm, pulling him to the surface. Everyone emerged from the water, and Senior Jia called out each person’s name in a low voice. After some confusion, everyone was safe.
Fortunately, a few flashlights hadn’t fallen into the water. By their light, everyone saw their current location—a large, square pool. The water’s buoyancy indicated it was deep. Looking up, they saw the surface was about three meters above where they had fallen. Thankfully, the red threads hadn’t followed them.
In the darkness, Fan Debiao said, “What the hell is going on? Why did the steps suddenly disappear? What are those red threads?”
Senior Jia grunted, “Regardless of why the steps disappeared, falling into the water is safer than being in the passage. Those red threads are a type of blood-sucking fungus used by the southern tribes. Once they touch your skin, they enter your bloodstream, and within ten minutes, they’ll drain you dry.”
Everyone was terrified by Senior Jia’s words. Fortunately, they had fallen into the water. If they had kept running in the passage, they would have eventually been ensnared by the red threads, with unimaginable consequences.
Liu Dashao said, “The pool is surrounded by cold stone walls with no way out. What do we do? We can’t just stay here.”
Senior Jia chuckled and said, “We’ve only descended about a kilometer in the passage, far from the next checkpoint, the Wuji Demon Vault. If I’m not mistaken, we need to go deeper, dive underwater, to find the exit.”
Fan Debiao inwardly groaned. Why did he, a non-swimmer, keep encountering water? Liu Dashao, who was still holding his arm, seemed to read his mind and smiled, saying, “Don’t worry, Fatty. I’ve got you.”
Senior Jia said, “I’ll dive down first to scout, so we don’t waste energy aimlessly.” With that, he plunged into the water. The others treaded water, waiting for him.
Suddenly, Liu Dashao felt something brushing against his feet and calves. Just as he was about to warn everyone, the green worm exclaimed, “Watch out! There’s something in the water!” Everyone noticed it then. Several flashlights shone into the water, and Fan Debiao gasped, “My god, what are these things?”
The water’s surface and depths were teeming with green, fleshy, worm-like creatures. They writhed, pressing against everyone’s submerged bodies, seemingly trying to burrow in.
At that moment, Senior Jia surfaced with a splash. He wiped the water from his face and cursed, “Damn it, there are so many corpse leeches in here! Don’t panic. As long as they don’t touch your skin, they can’t get in. I found the exit. Dive down quickly, but be careful with your exposed arms and faces.”
Before Senior Jia could finish, a rustling sound came from above. Everyone looked up and saw a white object plummet into the water, creating a large splash.
They quickly shone their flashlights on the object and were horrified to see it was a corpse—a naked female corpse, one of the seven people they had encountered at the Tibetan restaurant earlier! The corpse leeches in the pool swarmed over the body, and within moments, it was covered in the green, fleshy creatures. The corpse withered and shriveled before their eyes, eventually turning into a skeleton and sinking to the bottom.
Everyone was horrified by the sight. Liu Dashao suddenly remembered he had swallowed several mouthfuls of the pool’s water earlier and felt nauseous.
Senior Jia shouted, “Stop staring! Dive down and follow me!”
Everyone snapped out of it and dove underwater, following Senior Jia. The dense swarm of corpse leeches writhed around them, occasionally brushing against their exposed arms and faces, making everyone feel sick.
After diving down a short distance, Liu Dashao saw Senior Jia swimming toward a distant black hole in the pool wall—likely the exit. Everyone followed him into the hole. Just then, a strange, low growl came from the water behind them, as if from some aquatic creature. The sound seemed to signal danger, and everyone quickly swam through the straight passage. Fortunately, the tunnel wasn’t long. Fan Debiao vaguely saw water splashing ahead and then lost sight of the others. He assumed they had already surfaced. Liu Dashao quickly pulled him forward, and just as they were about to surface, Liu Dashao felt a subtle undercurrent behind him and thought, “Oh no!”
Fortunately, they didn’t dive too deep. Through the blurry water below, Liu saw Jia swimming toward a distant black hole in the pool wall—that must be the exit. One by one, they entered the hole.
Suddenly, a strange, low howl echoed from behind them in the water, like some aquatic creature’s call. The sound sent a sense of danger through everyone, and they quickly swam forward. Fortunately, the round tunnel wasn’t long. Fan vaguely saw splashing ahead and lost sight of several companions in front—he guessed they had already reached land. Liu quickly pulled him forward. Just as the two were about to surface, Liu felt a strange current behind him and inwardly cursed, “Uh-oh!”
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