Chapter 285: The Ninety-Nine Heavens

Fan Debiao frowned for the first time and shook his head, saying, “No, the situation underwater is unclear. No one else can go down. If Senior Jia and Qingchong run into trouble, we definitely shouldn’t risk it anymore.”

At this moment, Liu Dashao suddenly had an idea and shouted, “Everyone, don’t worry too much. Maybe Senior Jia and Qingchong have already found the tomb passage and gone inside—they’re not in the water anymore.”

Fan Debiao nodded and said, “Right, let’s wait a bit longer.”

At this point, everyone had already gathered at the edge of the lake. Although no one spoke, the anxiety was clearly visible on everyone’s faces.

Another ten minutes passed. Just as everyone’s patience was about to run out, the water surface finally rippled. Then with a splash, Qingchong emerged from the water. Everyone couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy.

Wiping the water from his face, Qingchong swam to the shore and excitedly said, “Comrades, we’ve found the entrance to the Wuji Demon Vault! That totem rock is the entrance! Come on in, everyone, I’ll lead you there.”

Hearing this, the group couldn’t contain their excitement. Liu Dashao immediately jumped into the water. Fan Debiao awkwardly shouted, “I can’t swim!”

Yang Weidong walked up beside him and smiled, “Let me help you. When you enter the water, take a deep breath and hold it. I’ll pull you over.”

One by one, everyone entered the water. With Yang Weidong’s assistance, Fan Debiao also entered the lake. A slight chill gradually surrounded everyone. Liu Dashao opened his eyes and vaguely saw everyone slowly sinking downward along the underwater rocks. This volcanic lake was cone-shaped—wide at the top and narrow below. Judging from the current situation, Liu Dashao estimated that by the center of the lake, it would narrow down to a well-like deep hole.

About five minutes later, Fan Debiao began to struggle to hold his breath. Finally, everyone reached the rock. A dark, square entrance appeared before them. One by one, they swam inside and upwards. Liu Dashao roughly knew Fan Debiao was running out of breath, so he gave him a strong push upward. Fan Debiao frantically kicked and paddled upward. Just as he was beginning to see stars, he finally broke the surface.

Looking up, Fan Debiao saw Liu Dashao grinning as he stood on a stone step. Liu grabbed his arm and pulled him up. Collapsing onto the steps, gasping for breath, Fan Debiao heard Liu Dashao tease, “Hey fatso, after this mission, how about I become your swimming coach? Otherwise, next time you go to sea, you’ll end up marrying the Dragon King of the Sea!”

Everyone had already climbed onto the steps and burst into laughter hearing Liu Dashao’s words. Fan Debiao struggled to his feet, glared at Liu Dashao, and was about to say something when he heard Jia Zhuangyuan shouting 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 the steps. When they reached where Jia Zhuangyuan stood, they discovered the staircase had reached its top, and beneath their feet was a large platform.

Jia was squatting, examining something. Looking down, everyone realized the platform’s surface was covered with a series of carved images—figures, landscapes, plants and animals, and some strange symbols and curves, likely ancient scripts.

Jia moved his feet and began carefully observing each image. After a while, he stood up and said to the group, “There are four images in total. Based on their depictions and the records in these ancient inscriptions, I deduce their general meaning: these four images represent four different locations. Look at the first one—it seems to resemble the Golden Ancient City you told me about. Below it, the inscription also reads ‘Golden Ancient City.'”

He pointed at a carved image on the platform for everyone to see. Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao looked down and indeed saw a city in the image. Judging from the figures, architecture, and colors, it looked exactly like the Golden Ancient City built by Zhang Jiao.

Jia continued, “Now look at the second image—a blue lake, with a figure dressed as an emperor and many attendants seemingly performing a ceremony by the lake’s shore, complete with flowers and sacrificial animals. This image seems to depict the lakeside where we were just moments ago. But this image is strange—I see other images all depict cities, yet this one only shows some simple figures by the lakeside. What are they doing? What ceremony are they performing? I can’t figure it out.” Everyone crouched down and examined each image. Indeed, as Jia said, the other two images were also strange cities. Pointing at each, Jia explained, “Based on the colors and inscriptions in each image, these four locations are the Golden Ancient City, Wuji Buddha Vault, Wuji Demon Vault, and Wuji Dao Vault. These four places’ meanings are unknown to us. You’ve only entered the Golden Ancient City and the Wuji Buddha Vault. We don’t yet know where the other two are or what they signify.”

At this moment, Liu Dashao suddenly said, “Could it be that the legend is true?”

Everyone turned their astonished gazes toward Liu Dashao. With a serious expression, Liu Dashao continued, “In the Daoist traditions of China, there’s a mysterious legend: during the Eastern Han Dynasty, suddenly one day, all the renowned Daoist masters received an invitation from a Daoist named Yin Changsheng, requesting a gathering at the Dragon and Tiger Hall on Mount Sanqing in Jiangxi Province during the Mid-Autumn Festival full moon to discuss Daoist philosophy. Yin proclaimed himself the greatest Daoist of his time. Although the masters didn’t know who Yin Changsheng was, they all found his invitation arrogant. Thus, on that Mid-Autumn night, all those who received the invitation rushed to Mount Sanqing to challenge this unknown arrogant man. However, on that full moon night, Yin Changsheng gracefully descended from the moon, immediately giving the gathered Daoists a shocking start. During the ensuing debate, Li Qitong’s arguments left all the attending masters speechless. Then, laughing maniacally, he summoned a cloud and rode it away, leaving all the Daoist masters stunned and awestruck.”

Liu Dashao sighed and continued, “As Yin Changsheng rode away on his cloud, he suddenly left a message: ‘I thought there were still people in this world who understood Daoism and could debate with me. Now, seeing you all, none of you are my match. I have placed a book into each of your robes. Remember to diligently cultivate and comprehend Daoism. One day, when any of you attains immortality, I will be waiting at the Wuji Dao Vault to welcome you.’ Upon hearing this, each master reached into their robes and indeed found a book. Inside were authentic Daoist scriptures and detailed descriptions of the wonders and magnificence of the Wuji Dao Vault. Unfortunately, to this day, these books are believed to have been lost. I only heard this legend from my master’s oral recounting. It is said the Wuji Dao Vault lies hidden in the ethereal realm. The names of the three secret vaults are exactly as Senior Jia described, except for one missing location.”

After Liu Dashao finished, Fan Debiao asked, “Dashao, what’s that last place?”

Liu Dashao replied, “The last place is the ‘Ninety-Nine Heavens.’ According to the legend, Yin Changsheng mentioned in the book he left for the Daoist masters that after attaining immortality, one can travel through the Ninety-Nine Heavens, understand life and death, and ultimately attain the true Dao.”

Hearing Liu Dashao’s words, everyone felt astonished. Could these three secret vaults include the previous Wuji Buddha Vault? The eerie and sinister atmosphere of the Wuji Buddha Vault was still vividly remembered by everyone present.

What is Dao? And which Dao can be comprehended?

At this moment, Jia Zhuangyuan murmured, “Could it be that the place we are now, beneath this volcanic lake, is the gateway to the legendary ‘Ninety-Nine Heavens’? Could Yin Changsheng be Zhang Jiao? Could he really have attained immortality?”

Liu Dashao sneered, “Whether Yin Changsheng is Zhang Jiao or not, from my experience in the Golden Ancient City, this person is clearly malicious and certainly not a Daoist immortal.”

At that moment, he suddenly felt dizzy, with vague, unclear thoughts drifting through his mind. He muttered unconsciously, “What is immortality? What is Dao? These concepts of immortality and Dao are merely hearsay. We need not delve too deeply. Let’s explore the Wuji Dao Vault ourselves. Who cares about some celestial paradise? Perhaps only at the end will we uncover this ancient mystery.”

Everyone looked at Liu Dashao in astonishment. Liu Dashao shook his head hard. Strangely, the dizziness suddenly disappeared.

Jia Zhuangyuan looked at Liu Dashao and nodded, saying, “Little Liu, you make a good point. Immortality and Dao are indeed elusive and intangible concepts. We really don’t need to dwell on them. To solve this mystery, we must go all the way. Well then, let’s not think too much now. One step at a time.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. Indeed, discussing and speculating here was pointless. So they gathered their gear and prepared to continue exploring forward.

Jia Zhuangyuan, with an odd expression, pointed ahead of the platform and said, “We came up from the volcanic lake, but I just explored a bit ahead. In front of the platform lies a dark, downward passage. I have a feeling this passage leads straight to the mountain’s base, perhaps even deeper.”

Liu Dashao smiled and said, “Since we’ve come this far, we might as well face it calmly. We can only follow wherever the path leads. Everyone, don’t think too much. Some things aren’t matters of intuition. Perhaps only when we see things with our own eyes will we find the truth and resolve everyone’s doubts.”

Hearing Liu Dashao’s words, Jia Zhuangyuan didn’t speak further but silently took the lead. Liu Dashao smiled and followed behind. Everyone exchanged glances and silently began walking forward.

Descending from the platform, indeed, a dark passage appeared before them. When they shone their flashlights inside, a deep, eerie, and sinister feeling caused everyone to shiver involuntarily. A mysterious blue stone staircase stretched downward into the unknown.

Everyone turned on their flashlights and slowly descended the stairs. The chaotic, low footsteps echoed eerily through the long underground passage.

About ten minutes later, Fan Debiao suddenly whispered, “There seems to be something on the walls on both sides.” Everyone shone their flashlights on the walls and indeed saw faint red thread-like things on the black stone walls. Under the flashlight beams, these red threads slightly writhed, as if trying to break through the wall.

Everyone was shocked—what were these things? Qingchong whispered, “Could the cave walls be made of material containing red minerals?”

Liu Dashao rubbed his eyes and looked again. Sure enough, he clearly saw the red threads moving. And in the blink of an eye, the redness on the walls had become increasingly obvious. His heart pounding, he shouted in alarm, “These things are indeed moving! They’re alive!”

At that moment, Jia Zhuangyuan suddenly yelled, “Everyone, run fast! Don’t let these things entangle you!” With that, he took off running ahead. Startled, everyone followed closely behind, racing down the stairs.

Instantly, the passage echoed with the panicked, heavy footsteps of the group. No one knew how long they ran, but when everyone felt they were about to collapse from exhaustion, suddenly the ground vanished beneath their feet. One after another, with splashes, everyone plunged into a pool of darkness.

Fan Debiao, a complete non-swimmer, immediately swallowed several mouthfuls of water upon falling in. Flailing his arms wildly, desperately trying to float upward, Liu Dashao suddenly remembered this fatso couldn’t swim. He quickly reached out, grabbed Fan Debiao’s arm, and pulled him to the surface. Everyone surfaced, and Jia Zhuangyuan softly called out each person’s name. After some chaos, fortunately, everyone was safe.

Several flashlights hadn’t fallen into the water. By their light, everyone saw their current location. It was a large square pool. The strong buoyancy of the water indicated the pool was deep. Looking upward, the water surface was about ten feet above where they had fallen. Fortunately, those red thread-like things didn’t seem to have followed them.

In the darkness, Fan Debiao muttered, “What the heck happened? Why did the stairs suddenly disappear? What were those red threads?”

Jia Zhuangyuan grunted and said, “Regardless of why the stairs vanished, landing in water is far safer than remaining in that passage. Those red threads are a type of toxic fungus, known as gu-jun, commonly used by people in southern China. Cultivated with human blood, they are extremely bloodthirsty. Once these red threads attach to a person or animal, they penetrate the bloodstream immediately. Within ten minutes, the victim’s vital essence and blood will be completely drained.”

Everyone shuddered at Jia Zhuangyuan’s explanation. Fortunately, they had fallen into the water. If they had kept running in the passage, eventually they would have been entangled by the red threads on the walls, with unimaginable consequences.

At this moment, Liu Dashao said, “The four sides of this pool are all cold stone walls, with no way out. What should we do? We can’t stay stuck in the water forever.”

Jia Zhuangyuan chuckled and said, “We’ve been going downward for no more than a kilometer since entering the passage. We’re still far from reaching the next checkpoint, the Wuji Demon Vault. If I’m not mistaken, we still need to go deeper. We must dive underwater to find the exit.”

Fan Debiao inwardly groaned—why did this non-swimmer always end up in water? Liu Dashao, who was still holding his arm, seemed to read his thoughts and smiled at Fan Debiao, saying, “Don’t worry, fatso, I’m here.”

At this moment, Jia Zhuangyuan said, “I’ll dive down first to scout. Let’s not dive in blindly and waste energy unnecessarily.” With that, he dove into the water. The others treaded water, floating on the surface, waiting for Jia Zhuangyuan.

Suddenly, Liu Dashao felt something rubbing against his feet and calves underwater. Just as he was about to warn everyone, Qingchong suddenly screamed, “Something’s in the water!” Everyone immediately felt it. Several flashlights simultaneously shone into the water. Fan Debiao gasped, “Oh my God, what are these things?”

Looking down, everyone saw the water surface and visible depths already filled with densely packed, plump, greenish worm-like creatures. They writhed their bodies, trying to burrow into the parts of everyone’s bodies submerged in water.

Just then, the water surface suddenly splashed as Jia Zhuangyuan emerged, wiping water from his face. He first cursed loudly, “Damn it! How come there are so many corpse leeches in this water! Everyone, don’t panic. These creatures won’t burrow into you if you keep your clothes on. I found the exit. Once we dive in, everyone must move quickly. Be careful with your exposed arms and faces.”

Before Jia Zhuangyuan finished speaking, suddenly a rustling sound came from above everyone. Everyone hurriedly looked up. A white object suddenly fell from above into the water with a splash, creating a large splash.

Everyone rushed over to see what had fallen. Under the beams of their flashlights, everyone was shocked to discover that the white object was a corpse—a naked female corpse. Judging from her appearance, she was indeed one of the seven people they had met earlier at the Tibetan restaurant! At this moment, the尸蛭 (corpse leeches) in the pool began frantically swarming toward this corpse, wriggling desperately toward it. In no time, the corpse was completely covered with the plump, greenish尸蛭. The female corpse slowly withered and dried up. Under everyone’s horrified gaze, it gradually turned into a pile of white bones, then slowly sank to the bottom of the pool.

Everyone stared at this horrifying scene, their hearts pounding with fear. Liu Dashao suddenly remembered that when he first entered the water, he had gulped down several mouthfuls of this pool water, and his stomach churned with nausea.

At this moment, Jia Zhuangyuan shouted, “Don’t just stand there! Quickly dive in and follow me!”

Everyone quickly snapped out of their shock, dove into the water, and followed Jia Zhuangyuan downward. The densely packed corpse leeches writhed continuously in the water, occasionally brushing against everyone’s exposed arms and faces, causing waves of nausea.

Fortunately, they didn’t dive too deep before Liu Dashao vaguely saw Jia Zhuangyuan swimming toward a distant dark hole in the pool wall through the murky water. That must be the exit. One after another, they entered the hole. At this moment, a strange, low howl suddenly came from behind them in the water, seemingly the cry of some aquatic creature. From the sound, everyone sensed danger and quickly swam straight ahead through the passage. Fortunately, this round hole wasn’t very long. Fan Debiao vaguely saw splashes of water ahead, then lost sight of several companions who had gone in first. He guessed they had already reached land. At this moment, Liu Dashao quickly pulled him forward. Just as the two were about to surface, Liu Dashao felt a strange undercurrent behind him and inwardly cried, “Oh no!”