At this moment, Fan Debiao suddenly muttered to himself, “Could it be that this passage leads somewhere else instead of the Ninety-Nine Heavens? Damn it, maybe Yin Changsheng has been deceiving us. He doesn’t want us reaching the Ninety-Nine Heavens—he’s leading us to our deaths!”
Yang Weidong hesitated for a moment and said, “Perhaps your guess is correct, but what should we do now? Master Jia and the others have already been engaged by those creatures.”
Suddenly, Fan Debiao declared, “We’ve got no choice now. Let’s go forward together and support Master Jia and the other two.” He then rushed ahead. Yang Weidong tightened his gun strap and followed closely behind, heading toward where Jia Zhuangyuan and the others were. They had run less than a hundred meters when they encountered a strange sight—within the passage, countless blue, teardrop-shaped objects were glowing with eerie light, assembling themselves into cylindrical forms that spun wildly and charged toward Liu Dashao and the others.
Liu Dashao continuously wielded talismans infused with Daoist supreme energy, fending off the relentless waves of attacks. Each time the blue, cylindrical creatures approached, they were shattered by Liu’s incantations, bursting into fireworks of blue fragments. But the creatures merely scattered and quickly reassembled, launching another wave of assault against the trio.
Behind Liu, Cai Qingchong and Jia Zhuangyuan stood anxiously, unable to offer any help. Jia’s supply of glutinous rice was also exhausted, indicating he had already tried using it against the creatures, but to no avail.
Seeing the others arrive, Jia shouted, “I don’t know what these things are—they’re too bizarre! I suffered a serious blow from them!”
Seeing the others looking puzzled, Jia pointed to his chest. Everyone looked and saw a large patch of his clothing scorched as if burned. Jia continued, “As soon as I saw these things, they lunged at me violently. Before I could react, I was struck in the chest and thrown to the ground. Then my chest caught fire—blue flames! Fortunately, Dashao rushed over and blocked their attack. Cai and I barely managed to put out the fire.”
Everyone stared at the battered Jia, shocked and fearful. What were these blue entities? How could they possess such strange, fiery energy?
At that moment, Liu Dashao successfully blocked another wave of attacks with his talismans and shouted, “Everyone, get out of this passage quickly! I don’t think I can hold them off much longer. If this continues, none of us will escape!”
Hearing Liu’s words, Jia became anxious, tugging at his ears and hair, but then shouted, “Little Liu, I’ll never abandon you!”
He turned to the group, his gaze resolute, and said, “Cai Qingchong, take the others and retreat. I’ll stay here and hold the line.”
Liu Dashao, still fending off the creatures with his talismans, shouted angrily, “Old man, you must leave too! Fan Debiao, take them all and evacuate—this is an order! Go now! Or we’ll all die here!”
Everyone was overcome with sorrow, and tears streamed down Jia’s face like a child’s as he knelt on the ground, sobbing.
Suddenly, Fan Debiao took a deep breath and shouted, “Follow the orders—evacuate immediately with me!”
Cai Qingchong, eyes brimming with tears, nodded firmly, gazing at Liu who was desperately holding off the blue creatures. A surge of grief and anger welled up inside him—was this young man destined to be left forever in this underground passage?
The group slowly withdrew from the passage. On both sides of the path, dark and gloomy ancestral tombs of varying heights lined the way. The heavy water lake remained eerily still. In the distance, they saw the towering gates of Fengdu and the watchtowers flanking them.
As they approached the city gate, everyone exchanged uneasy glances. How were they to open it? Just then, they heard intermittent footsteps. Turning around, they were surprised to see Liu Dashao approaching, one hand pressed against his chest.
“Dashao, you made it!” Fan Debiao was overjoyed and rushed forward for a hug, but Liu stopped him, “Hurry—we don’t have much time! My barrier won’t hold for long!”
Cai Qingchong’s face turned pale, “I’ll go up to the watchtower—there must be a mechanism there to open the gate.” He started toward the stairway.
Jia Zhuangyuan nodded at Liu and gestured to Cai, “Let’s go together—going alone is too risky. Besides, I know more about mechanisms.”
With that, the two of them headed up the stairway leading to the watchtower. Zhang Li quickly helped Master Zengfan to sit on a stone base near the city gate.
Less than ten minutes later, Jia’s voice echoed from the watchtower, “I found the mechanism! Everyone, get ready—I’m opening the gate!”
Liu Dashao shouted back, “Understood!” Soon after, with a deep, rumbling sound, the massive gate of the underground city, sealed perhaps for centuries, slowly creaked open.
What kind of environment awaited them outside? That was the question on everyone’s mind. Jia had said that according to the map, there should be a forest of stone stalactites. What kind of forest would it be? As the gate came to a halt with a metallic clang, the exit resembled the gaping mouth of a prehistoric beast, and beyond it—pitch blackness and silence.
Everyone waited near the gate for Jia and Cai to return. All eyes were fixed on the darkness beyond when suddenly, Liu Dashao noticed two distant red lights glowing in the underground gloom—clear and bright.
He quickly alerted the others. As everyone turned their gaze toward the red lights, they flickered a few times and vanished into the abyss. Everyone was astonished—what could it be? A monster with glowing red eyes? Or perhaps glowing red gemstones? Or something else entirely? As they speculated, Jia and Cai descended from the watchtower.
Jia said, “We saw a few red lights in the distance from the watchtower, but they disappeared quickly. We’re probably approaching a stalactite forest soon—it should be quite large. Everyone must be cautious! The map has already deceived us once, so we shouldn’t rely on it completely. Caution is our best strategy.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Liu Dashao gestured for everyone to proceed. As they stepped beyond the gate, the vast underground space, illuminated only by the weak beams of their flashlights, seemed immense and eerie.
A cold wind occasionally blew against them, and Fan Debiao shivered, whispering to Jia, “Master Jia, I didn’t feel such a chill inside Fengdu. Why is the wind so strong and bone-piercing now?”
Jia grunted, “Inside Fengdu, the tall walls and countless buildings blocked the wind. That’s why you didn’t feel the cold.”
Fan Debiao chuckled sheepishly and continued walking. Everyone was shivering from the cold when Jia spoke again, “This underground space must be enormous. The cold here is unlike any ordinary cave. We should move quickly and find shelter.”
Following Jia’s advice, everyone quickened their pace. It’s common knowledge that when it’s cold, moving or running warms you up. So, they started jogging to keep warm.
Before long, their flashlights revealed dark silhouettes ahead—many objects standing on the ground. Cai Qingchong shone his flashlight and whispered, “It’s rocks—many rocks. It must be the stalactite forest mentioned on the map.”
Everyone felt a surge of excitement. First, it confirmed the map’s accuracy. Second, it offered shelter from the cold wind. In this underground space a kilometer below, the cold was unbearable. They cautiously entered the stalactite forest. As soon as they did, the icy wind noticeably lessened, and the piercing cold vanished, replaced by warmth.
They shone their flashlights around the stalactite forest—nature’s handiwork or the work of Yin Changsheng’s supernatural power? Each gray stone was uniquely shaped, yet all shared one feature: countless small holes, like a honeycomb, covering their surfaces.
Cai Qingchong suddenly said, “We’re supposed to be at the bottom of the Guge ruins, which is a dead volcano. I’m not surprised by the underground space, but these gray stones are odd. Normally, volcanic rock should be reddish or dark brown.”
Jia Zhuangyuan chuckled, “Son, we’ve encountered too many things that defy logic already. We can’t analyze everything by normal reasoning anymore. Let’s just focus on reaching our goal.”
Cai nodded thoughtfully and shone his flashlight on a nearby boulder, shaking his head, “I just hope these stones weren’t placed here deliberately.”
Liu Dashao’s expression changed slightly as he asked, “Are you suggesting this stalactite forest was arranged by Yin Changsheng, and that it might hide some danger or trap?”
Cai nodded solemnly.
Jia overheard their conversation and felt uneasy. He took Cai’s flashlight and examined a nearby stone closely. Suddenly, he shouted, “Bad! There’s something inside these holes!”
Liu Dashao asked urgently, “Master Jia, what is it?”
Jia looked at them with a pale face and said, “They are insects—probably Chongzong, a type of蛊 used by southern tribes. If someone is infected, they can be controlled or even killed by the蛊.”
“Chongzong?” everyone gasped.
Jia nodded gravely, “Yes. Chongzong is a terrifying form of witchcraft from the southern tribes. Victims can be controlled or devoured by the蛊.”
Fan Debiao exclaimed, “Damn! What do we do?”
Jia paced nervously, then suddenly said, “Don’t panic yet. The蛊 have not awakened or attacked us. Perhaps after a thousand years, they have died, or their master has long since vanished.”
Cai nodded, “Master Jia is right. After a thousand years, these蛊 probably can’t survive anymore.”
Reassured by their words, the group’s fear eased a little. Jia took out the map, studied it carefully, and used a compass to determine their direction. He announced, “Still, the gu remain a hidden threat. We should move quickly and leave this stalactite forest. According to the map, we should head north—beyond the stalactite forest lies the center of the Wujimozang.”
Liu Dashao nodded and addressed the group, “Let’s keep moving. For safety, we must move quickly, watch each other’s backs, and report any emergencies immediately.”
Jia stepped forward and grabbed Liu’s arm, “Let’s lead the way, son.”
So the two of them took the lead, followed by the others, moving faster. The gray stones of various shapes passed by quickly as they hurried north. Jia occasionally paused to adjust their direction with the compass, as the maze of stones forced them to take detours. Still, everyone felt uneasy, fearing the ancient gu hidden in the holes. No one dared to be certain they were all dead.
About ten minutes later, as they paused for Jia to adjust their direction, two red lights suddenly appeared ahead, then vanished into the stone maze. Everyone froze in shock.
Jia said, “That red light looked alive. Be careful—no one knows how big this stalactite forest is or where we are.”
Liu Dashao said, “I felt uneasy when I saw the red light. I think it was something dangerous. Also, I’ve felt we were being watched since entering the forest, but I couldn’t pinpoint it. At first, I wasn’t sure if it was just the presence of the gu in the holes…”
Before he could finish, Fan Debiao interrupted, “Dashao, stop scaring everyone! Don’t you think we’re already scared enough?”
Cai Qingchong frowned and said, “Debiao, Dashao must have a strong sense to speak up. If something happens and we lose someone, it’ll be too late to warn others.”
Liu nodded, “Exactly. The deeper we go, the stronger the feeling of being followed becomes. That red light made me feel extremely uneasy. I think it was a living thing tracking us.”
Everyone’s expressions turned serious. Jia said, “Then everyone stay alert—we’ll keep moving and speed up.”
They nodded and followed Jia, quickening their pace. After another tense ten minutes, they finally turned around a large gray rock and saw a gray slope rising ahead, crowned by a cluster of indigo buildings surrounded by high walls.
Jia cheered and turned to the group, “Hurry! That should be Wujimozang!” Everyone’s spirits lifted—soon they would leave the stalactite forest and reach the entrance of Wujimozang in less than ten minutes.
But suddenly, countless red dots appeared ahead. Jia was the first to react, shouting in alarm, “Damn it! Tigers! A pack of tigers!” Everyone was stunned—tigers, real, living tigers, deep underground? The red dots were their eyes.
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