The tunnel was pitch black, so dark that you couldn’t even see your own hand in front of your face. Through the beam of the flashlight, everyone could clearly see the air filled with countless tiny particles of dust.
Liu Dashao walked along, carefully observing the tunnel. It was built remarkably neatly—perfectly rectangular, like a straight column of smoke lying horizontally. The group slowly advanced within this “column of smoke.” Underfoot were large, square green stone slabs, neatly connected one after another, stretching forward into the darkness. It was hard to imagine that ancient people had managed to polish such hard stone so smoothly.
After walking about ten meters forward, faint carvings began to appear on the stone walls on both sides. These carvings were etched with simple lines, yet the artist who carved them was clearly a master. Although the strokes were minimal, each carving conveyed its meaning clearly at a glance.
As the group continued forward, the carvings mostly depicted scenes of rituals—worshiping the Heavenly Emperor, the King of Hell, and the Ox-Headed Demon. One carving in particular showed a snake deity. The background looked exactly like the cave they had just left. In the carving, many people knelt on the ground, while a Taoist priest, humbly bowing low, was kneeling at the altar. His upper body was nearly pressed flat against the ground. Since the priest was facing away, only his back was visible. Above the cave, a large snake coiled, its scales clearly visible.
Liu Dashao was so captivated by the carvings on the tunnel walls that he kept walking forward absentmindedly. Suddenly, Tian Guoqiang, who was walking behind him, grabbed his arm and pointed frantically ahead.
Liu Dashao raised his flashlight in the direction Tian Guoqiang pointed. Two eerie, pale blue ghost flames floated silently on both sides of the tunnel, hanging in midair like lanterns. Their ghostly blue glow exuded a chilling aura.
Bai Eryazi was a typical victim of feudal superstition and deeply believed in the supernatural. The moment he saw the ghost flames, he began to tremble uncontrollably, convinced they were spirits haunting them. In reality, everyone else knew that ghost flames were nothing more than phosphorescent fire—a common natural phenomenon. Human bones contain a lot of calcium phosphate. After death, when bodies decay underground, various chemical reactions occur, transforming the phosphorus in bones into phosphine gas. Phosphine, with a very low ignition point, catches fire upon contact with air at room temperature. As phosphine escapes through cracks or holes in the ground and burns in the air, it emits a blue glow—commonly known as ghost fire. However, seeing such large clusters of ghost flames was truly unprecedented.
Everyone stopped and stared silently at the two ghost flames. No one knew where they had come from—it seemed as if they had appeared out of nowhere.
Tian Guoqiang raised his double-barreled shotgun and signaled Liu Dashao to step back. Before Liu could stop him, the young man fired. A loud, muffled bang echoed through the tunnel, firelight flashed, smoke filled the air, and the heavy gunshot reverberated endlessly in the confined space, forcing everyone to cover their ears. At the same time, there came a popping sound—”plop!”—as the bullet shattered the right ghost flame. It scattered into pieces, slowly drifting down while still glowing faintly, refusing to go out.
Tian Guoqiang proudly gave himself a thumbs-up, boasting about his sharpshooting skills.
Liu Dashao shot him a glare, pointing at his head and then at the gun, silently warning, “This place is full of danger—you reckless fool, don’t provoke anything unclean!”
Tian nodded repeatedly. As he lifted his head again, Liu noticed something odd in his expression—his gaze was fixed on the space directly above Liu’s head. Without hesitation, the young man raised his shotgun and fired again—”pang!” Another “plop!” sounded as the second ghost flame exploded directly above Liu Dashao’s head, scattering glowing blue fragments everywhere. Everyone quickly stepped back to avoid getting touched by the eerie light.
Liu thought to himself, “That ghost flame came too fast—it was right above my head in the blink of an eye!”
As he turned his head, he saw Tian poking at the scattered glowing fragments on the ground with the gun barrel. Liu felt puzzled—why was the young man so intent on attacking the ghost flames?
Under the eerie blue glow, Liu took a closer look. The sight made his scalp tingle, his entire body crawling as though bitten by thousands of ants, his skin breaking out in goosebumps.
The secret passage was pitch black, so dark that one couldn’t see their own hand in front of their face. The beam from the flashlight revealed countless particles of dust floating in the air.
Liu Dashao walked while examining the passage. It was neatly constructed, resembling a regular rectangular prism, like a straight column of smoke lying horizontally. The group trudged forward within this “smoke column.” The floor was paved with large, square bluestone slabs, one after another, extending forward and disappearing into the darkness ahead. It was hard to imagine how ancient people could have polished these hard bluestones so smoothly and evenly.
After walking about ten meters, faint reliefs began to appear on the stone walls on either side of the passage. These reliefs were carved with simple lines, but the artist was clearly a master. Though the carvings were minimal, they were instantly recognizable, and one could immediately grasp the story they told.
As the group moved forward, they noticed that most of the reliefs were related to sacrificial rituals. Some depicted offerings to the Heavenly Emperor, others to Yama, the King of Hell, and some to the Ox-Head deity. One relief showed a snake deity, and the background seemed to resemble the cave they had just left. In the relief, many people were prostrated on the ground, and a Taoist priest knelt humbly on an altar, his upper body almost touching the ground. Since the priest was facing away, only his back was visible. Above the cave, a large snake coiled, its scales clearly defined.
Liu Dashao was captivated by the reliefs on the walls and walked forward with his head down, lost in thought. Suddenly, Tian Guoqiang, who was walking behind him, grabbed his arm and pointed urgently ahead.
Liu Dashao raised his flashlight and shone it in the direction Tian was pointing. Two clusters of eerie blue ghostly flames floated up from the sides of the passage, hanging in the air like lanterns. The cold, blue light emanating from them sent chills down everyone’s spines.
Bai Erlai, a victim of feudal superstitions, trembled at the sight of the ghostly flames, believing them to be the work of evil spirits. In reality, everyone knew that ghostly flames, or will-o’-the-wisps, were a common natural phenomenon caused by the combustion of phosphine gas. Phosphine is produced when calcium phosphate in human bones decomposes after death, and the gas ignites upon contact with air, emitting a blue light. However, such large clusters of ghostly flames were unprecedented.
Everyone stopped and stared at the two clusters of ghostly flames. No one knew where they had come from; they seemed to have appeared out of thin air in an instant.
Tian Guoqiang raised his double-barreled shotgun, signaling Liu Dashao to step back. Before Liu could stop him, Tian fired. A loud bang echoed through the passage, and the right cluster of ghostly flames shattered into pieces, slowly drifting down while still flickering with blue light, refusing to extinguish.
Tian proudly raised his thumb, boasting about his marksmanship.
Liu Dashao glared at him, pointing at his head and then at the shotgun, as if to say, “This place is full of dangers. Don’t be so reckless, or you might attract something sinister!”
Tian nodded repeatedly, but as soon as he looked up, Liu noticed something was off. Tian’s gaze was fixed above Liu’s head. Without a word, Tian fired another shot. The ghostly flame above Liu’s head exploded, scattering blue light everywhere. Everyone quickly stepped back to avoid the falling flames.
Liu thought to himself, “These ghostly flames move so fast. In the blink of an eye, they were above my head.”
As he turned around, he saw Tian poking at the scattered blue light with his shotgun. Liu was curious why Tian was so fixated on the ghostly flames.
Under the eerie blue light, Liu took a closer look and immediately felt his scalp tingle, as if thousands of ants were crawling all over his body. On a palm-sized piece of skin, countless tiny, translucent, spindle-shaped insects, resembling grains of rice, were densely packed together, writhing and squirming. The blue light was emanating from these insects. In other words, what they had encountered wasn’t ghostly flames but these strange, disgusting bugs.
Just as Liu was focused on the repulsive insects, more ghostly flames appeared in the passage. These flames looked exactly like lanterns, and their numbers grew rapidly. In no time, dozens of clusters of ghostly flames had emerged, all drifting eerily toward the group.
No one had ever encountered such a bizarre phenomenon, and they were all momentarily stunned. Zhang Enpu was the first to react. He grabbed the others and started running. Everyone quickly snapped out of their daze, realizing that these ghostly flames were not to be trifled with, and they followed Zhang in a frantic sprint.
Liu Dashao was the last to run. As he sprinted, he glanced back and saw a cluster of ghostly flames right behind him, the blue light flickering, with the strange insects inside writhing and squirming. Terrified, Liu didn’t dare look back again.
The foul-smelling wind whistled past their ears as they ran. After covering about a hundred or two hundred meters, they suddenly emerged from the dark, eerie passage onto a platform. Strangely, the ghostly flames stopped chasing them at the end of the passage, lingering for a moment before slowly fading into the darkness. The passage returned to its previous state of chaotic darkness, as if nothing had happened.
Everyone finally let out a long breath of relief.
Liu Dashao, clutching his chest, said, “Master, you sure run fast!”
Zhang Enpu, panting and pale, said, “Do you… do you know what those ghostly flames were?”
Seeing the strange look on Zhang’s face, everyone knew that those things were no ordinary phenomenon.
Zhang Enpu took a deep breath and said, “According to the records left by past Heavenly Masters, if I’m not mistaken, those were the legendary ‘Yinming Lanterns.'”
Yinming Lanterns?! The name sounded utterly unbelievable.
Zhang Enpu continued, “When the 26th generation ancestor entered an ancient tomb, he encountered these Yinming Lanterns. According to the records, these lanterns are made from fresh animal skins. The warm, bloody skins are placed in a jar filled with those strange insects. The insects, attracted by the scent of blood, burrow into the skin and clump together. The skin, now covered with insects, is then sewn into the shape of a lantern. How they manage to float remains a mystery. Due to their mysterious craftsmanship, these Yinming Lanterns are extremely rare.”
At this point, Zhang stroked his beard and added, “Since we’ve encountered Yinming Lanterns here, it seems we’ve entered an ancient tomb.”
What?! Everyone exchanged glances, their hearts sinking. They had hoped this passage would lead them out, but instead, they had stumbled into a tomb. It truly felt like there was no way out.
Liu Dashao asked Zhang, “Why did those Yinming Lanterns chase us?”
Zhang replied, “Perhaps it was because we attacked them. These lanterns likely don’t actively harm people. I think they might just be lanterns of the underworld, serving the same purpose as lanterns in the mortal world—to provide light. The passage we were just in must have been the tomb’s corridor.”
As Liu Dashao was still staring at these disgusting insects, more ghost flames suddenly appeared in the tunnel. These flames were shaped exactly like lanterns, and their numbers rapidly multiplied. Within moments, dozens of ghost flames had appeared, all drifting eerily toward the group’s position.
No one had ever encountered anything so bizarre before. Everyone stood frozen in shock until Zhang Enpu was the first to snap out of it. He grabbed a few people and started running forward. The rest quickly regained their senses, realizing these ghost flames were no ordinary threat, and they all bolted after Zhang like frightened rabbits.
Liu Dashao was at the back. As he ran, he glanced back and saw a ghost flame chasing right behind him. Its eerie blue glow flickered continuously, and he could faintly see the strange bugs wriggling inside. Liu was so terrified he nearly soiled himself and dared not look back again.
A foul, rotting wind howled past their ears as they sprinted forward. After running about one or two hundred meters, suddenly the tunnel opened up, and they burst out into an open platform. Strangely, the terrifying ghost flames stopped at the tunnel’s entrance, hovering there briefly before gradually fading into the darkness. The tunnel returned to its previous state of pitch-black chaos, as if nothing had ever happened.
Only then did everyone finally catch their breath.
Liu Dashao, clutching his chest, said, “Master, you sure can run fast!”
Gasping for breath, Zhang Enpu, his face pale, replied, “You… you all know what those ghost flames were, right?”
Seeing Zhang’s unusual expression, everyone knew those things were definitely not ordinary.
Zhang took a deep breath and said, “According to records in the notes of past Celestial Masters, if I’m not mistaken, those were the legendary ‘Yuanming Lanterns.'”
“Yuanming Lanterns?!” Everyone thought the name sounded ominous.
Zhang continued, “Back in the day, the 26th Celestial Master encountered these Yuanming Lanterns while entering an ancient tomb. According to the notes, these lanterns are made from fresh animal hides. The warm, blood-soaked hides are placed into a jar filled with these strange insects. The bugs, drawn by the scent of blood, burrow into the hides and eventually cluster together in layers. These bug-covered hides are then sewn into lantern shapes. How they manage to float, however, remains unknown. Because of their mysterious craftsmanship, Yuanming Lanterns are extremely rare.”
Zhang stroked his beard and continued, “Since we’ve encountered Yuanming Lanterns here, it means we’ve entered an ancient tomb.”
“What?!” Everyone exchanged glances, their hearts sinking into despair. They had originally hoped this was a path leading outside, but instead, they had stumbled into a tomb—trapped with no way out.
Liu Dashao asked Zhang, “Why did the Yuanming Lanterns chase after us?”
Zhang replied, “Perhaps it was because we attacked them. They probably don’t attack people on their own. I think they’re like lanterns in the human world—meant for illumination. The tunnel we walked through was likely the passageway inside the tomb.”
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