Jia Zhuangyuan nodded and said, “The light from our flashlights is like a temptation—or a guide—for those insects. If we turn them off and move forward in the dark, although it will be slower and the path more treacherous, compared to safety, it’s a small price to pay.”
Everyone agreed, and so they all switched off their flashlights, plunging the space into total darkness once again. Liu Dashao whispered, “I’ve walked this path with Debiao before. I can sense roughly where we are. Let me go ahead.”
Jia Zhuangyuan grunted in agreement. Liu Dashao carefully moved to the front, and the others followed one by one, slowly advancing.
The darkness offered the best cover. Moreover, if any white beetles appeared, their translucent, flame-like internal organs would glow brightly, making them easy to spot from a distance.
They slowly walked along the underground river’s edge for about ten minutes when Liu Dashao felt a cool breeze coming from his left side. Before he could speak, Jia Zhuangyuan said, “I sense there might be an exit or passage on the left. There’s a draft coming from that direction.”
Liu Dashao nodded. “I feel it too. This should be the spot where the cave wall protrudes—where we encountered the American doctor and the white beetles.”
Jia Zhuangyuan said, “Good. Let’s turn left here.” Without turning on their lights, they followed the air current and moved carefully to the left.
As they felt their way along the protruding rock wall for about dozens of meters, the ground suddenly became much smoother, no longer littered with jagged stones. Strangely, the white beetles didn’t reappear, seemingly having vanished into the vast underground space, which brought a sense of relief to everyone’s hearts. The Americans were probably scared out of their wits by the white insects and had long since disappeared.
After walking a bit further in the dark, a faint light appeared ahead. It was far away, no bigger than a grain of rice, but it emitted a strange, indescribable glow. Everyone suddenly tensed. Jia Zhuangyuan signaled everyone to stop and whispered, “We don’t know what that light is. If it’s from the insects, it could be trouble. I’ll go ahead and scout. Stay alert.” Without waiting for a response, he quietly moved forward alone.
As he disappeared into the darkness, Fan Debiao suddenly said, watching Jia’s comical gait, “Actually, Old Master Jia is quite capable and honorable. Whenever we face the unknown, he always goes first to check things out for us.”
Everyone looked at him in surprise. He seemed a bit embarrassed and added, “Don’t look at me like that. I’m just saying what I feel.”
Liu Dashao then said, “Jia Zhuangyuan is indeed a good man,” with a sigh.
Suddenly, Caiqingchong pointed ahead where Jia was scouting and said, “Look everyone, Master Jia seems to be signaling us!”
They looked and saw Jia, now far ahead, flashing his flashlight on and off, apparently sending a signal. Liu Dashao said, “Let’s go over. Master Jia must have found something.”
They all acknowledged and hurried toward Jia’s location.
As they approached, the light that had seemed like a distant speck now grew to the size of a soccer ball, glowing with a strange, dazzling purple hue.
They saw Jia crouched on the ground, holding something like a backpack in his left hand and a round object in his right. When the group reached him, Jia solemnly raised the backpack and the object and said, “This must be a backpack left in a panic by the mercenaries when they were chased by the white insects. I checked inside. Besides some miscellaneous items, there’s a strange device—some kind of instrument. I don’t know what it does.”
Everyone gathered around. The device was round, encased in what looked like a steel box. Surprisingly, there was a small hole in the center, flashing a red light every few seconds. On either side were two buttons—one white, one black.
Caiqingchong took the device from Jia and examined it. “This is an infrared detector, mainly used for mineral exploration or military mine detection. It’s the most advanced of its kind in the world, developed by the Americans last year. It’s lightweight, convenient, and equipped with a highly sensitive hidden antenna.”
“A detector? What were these Americans trying to find?” Jia Zhuangyuan frowned.
Liu Dashao snorted coldly. “What they’re looking for is probably what we’re after. That explains why the mercenaries always seem to be one step ahead—they have the most advanced detection equipment. But now, it’s helping us instead.”
Jia Zhuangyuan nodded. “Yes, but the key is, how do we use it?”
Caiqingchong smiled. “It’s not hard. See the red flashing light in that small hole? That means the target exists. The white button is for scanning, and the black one is for pinpointing. While scanning, the faster the red light flashes, the closer we are to the target. During the flashing, we need to keep pressing the black button. When we’re within one meter of the target, pressing the black button will make the red light stay steadily on, no longer flashing. Then we just search within that one-meter radius to find what we’re looking for.”
Everyone understood now. As long as they used this detector, they could locate the object they were sent to find.
Caiqingchong placed the device into his backpack and said, “Although the detector confirms the object exists, judging from the flash frequency, we’re still quite far from it. We need to keep moving forward. The detector indicates the object is straight ahead.”
Jia Zhuangyuan nodded. “The light ahead doesn’t seem to be from the insects. This purple glow must be from some kind of material. According to the map, we must be nearing the Wujidaozang area. Everyone, stay alert.”
They continued forward. The purple glow was so intense that the remaining path was brightly illuminated, making flashlights unnecessary.
They walked for no more than five minutes when they finally saw a cave entrance ahead. The purple light was streaming in from outside the cave, revealing an incredibly strange purple-lit world beyond. Everyone felt both curious and uneasy, uncertain what unknown marvels awaited beyond the cave.
When they finally stood at the cave entrance, the sight outside left them all stunned, as if they had entered an unbelievable dream or an alien world. A strange, surreal, even eerie feeling washed over each of them.
It was just like when they first opened the Seven-Star Locks and gazed upon the Ghost City of Fengdu after crossing the underground canyon. Below the cave entrance was a basin-shaped depression, and in its center stood an incredible city—entirely made of purple crystal. The city radiated an unparalleled purple glow, illuminating the entire underground space.
Even more astonishing was the bizarre underground ecosystem surrounding the Wujidaozang.
Strange plants grew all around the basin, and among them, they saw many flying insects they had never seen before. Between the plants, reptilian creatures seemed to be moving.
It took a long time before they could recover from the dreamlike daze. Fan Debiao stared in awe and whispered, “Are we dreaming? Where are we? Are these things real?”
No one answered. No one could. At that moment, everyone was questioning the reality of what they were seeing.
They stood there, gazing, for a few more minutes. Finally, Liu Dashao softly sighed and said, “This must be the Wujidaozang. It truly lives up to its legendary name. Don’t be surprised anymore. What we see is real. Let’s find a way down.”
Everyone nodded mechanically, slowly regaining their senses.
They quickly found a path downward—a trail of colorful crystal stones, obviously man-made, winding its way down to the Wujidaozang below.
Just as they were about to descend, Jia Zhuangyuan suddenly said, “Wait. I have a bad feeling. We need to figure some things out before going down.”
Everyone was startled. Liu Dashao asked, “Master, what feels wrong?”
Jia Zhuangyuan’s small eyes darted as he struggled to find the words. After a long silence, he finally spoke, “We’re about to reach the final barrier of the Nine-Nine Heavens—the Wujidaozang. But unlike the other cities, this one has a living ecosystem. We’ve seen the plants, animals, and insects here—things we’ve never encountered before. What does that mean? I can’t explain it well, but it feels like…”
He scratched his head, struggling to continue. “It feels like this place isn’t of this world. Like it’s an illusion or another dimension.”
Liu Dashao nodded. “I agree with Master Jia. I feel an indescribable unease here. Not fear exactly, but something strange.”
Liu Dashao had always shown strong intuition during their journey, so his words made everyone more serious.
Suddenly, Liu Dashao’s hands trembled, and he wore a strange expression. “No good! Back by the underground river, I tested my energy and found I had recovered about seventy to eighty percent. But now… just now I tried to channel my energy, and it’s completely gone!”
Everyone’s hearts sank. What was happening? Liu Dashao hurriedly pulled out a stack of talismans from his chest and muttered, “Even my talismans have lost their power. What’s going on?”
All eyes turned to the yellow talismans in his hand. Sure enough, the once-mystical Daoist symbols were now faded, devoid of their former power.
This sudden series of changes threw everyone into a panic, leaving them staring at the strange underground world below, lost and confused.
Suddenly, Jia Zhuangyuan shouted, “I get it! I get it! There must be something or some force in this place suppressing our abilities. That must be it!”
Everyone looked at him in shock. He tugged at his already messy hair, frowning as he muttered, “But what kind of thing could have such strange power?”
“I think I understand,” Liu Dashao said, slapping his forehead.
Everyone turned their dazed gazes toward him as Liu Dashao slowly explained, “The key lies in the legendary Wujifozang, Wujimozang, and Wujidaozang. We’ve always said these places are beyond human comprehension, not built by ordinary people. Although we’re reluctant to believe in otherworldly ruins or beings, the truth is, since the dawn of humanity, these inexplicable phenomena have always existed on Earth. I believe the Nine-Nine Heavens were built by another world. It might be an ancient ruin from another realm, or perhaps a gateway to another dimension—a Daoist ascension site. Remember the Ghost City of Fengdu? Look at this Wujidaozang now. In all of human history, has any dynasty or person ever had the power to build such an underground city? Who could have gathered so many mechanisms and crystals? Could such massive, flawless crystals even exist on Earth? The answer is absolutely not!”
Liu Dashao spoke calmly, and seeing the quiet understanding in everyone’s eyes, he knew they all accepted his words—accepting that there are things on Earth that defy explanation.
He continued, “Except for Master Jia and Caiqingchong, the five of us experienced the Golden Ancient City incident, where we entered a time-space wormhole and a dreamlike realm. That experience taught me that there are parallel dimensions and alien life forms in this world. I believe the Nine-Nine Heavens are also remnants from another world. Take these crystals, for example. I believe they are not from Earth. Their glow tells me they are not Earth minerals but something from another world—similar to crystals but not the same. Even the heavy water in the Yellow Springs supports this. Our loss of abilities must be connected to this Wujidaozang. I believe this place contains a substance or force that suppresses our powers.”
Seeing the stunned silence around him, Liu Dashao exhaled softly and sighed, “That’s all I have to say. It’s just my personal view—it might not be absolutely correct.”
Jia Zhuangyuan slowly turned to look at him and nodded calmly. “Actually, everyone already accepts your reasoning. If there’s one Earth in the universe, there must be other planets with intelligent life. The Wujidaozang is likely an artifact from another world. I agree with you.”
Caiqingchong raised his head, nodded at Liu Dashao, and added with a bitter smile, “I agree too.”
Liu Dashao looked at Fan Debiao, who still seemed lost in the bizarre ideas just presented. For a moment, everyone was silent.
After a while, Caiqingchong finally looked at Liu Dashao and then turned to Jia Zhuangyuan. “So what do we do now?”
Liu Dashao glanced at Jia Zhuangyuan, who looked equally uncertain. Liu Dashao thought for a moment and said, “We’ve come this far, through so much hardship. Are we going to give up now, or keep going?”
He looked at each of them. Fan Debiao took a deep breath and said firmly, “I choose to keep going. I must see the final truth.”
Caiqingchong gave a slight nod but said nothing.
Then Jia Zhuangyuan lifted his head and said, “I think we have no choice. For me personally, I just want to complete this mission and finally live like a normal person in the light.”
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