The tunnel was pitch black, so dark that you couldn’t even see your own fingers when you stretched out your hand. Through the beam of the flashlight, everyone could clearly see the air filled with countless tiny dust particles.
Liu Dashao walked forward while carefully observing the tunnel. It was built very neatly—perfectly shaped like a rectangular prism, just like a straight column of smoke lying horizontally. The group slowly moved forward inside this “column of smoke.” Underfoot were large, square green stone slabs, one after another, stretching endlessly into the darkness ahead. It was hard to imagine that ancient people had managed to carve such hard green stones so smoothly and precisely.
After walking about ten meters forward, faint carvings began to appear on the stone walls on both sides of the tunnel. These carvings were drawn with simple lines, yet the artist who carved them must have been exceptionally talented. Though the strokes were minimal, the meaning of each carving was immediately clear the moment one laid eyes on it.
As the group continued forward, the themes of the carvings were mostly related to rituals—some depicted sacrifices to the Heavenly Emperor, others to King Yanluo, and one even to the Bull-Headed Deity. Among them was a carving of a snake god. The background seemed to depict the very cave they had just left. In the carving, many people were kneeling on the ground inside a cave, while a Taoist priest knelt humbly on the altar. His upper body was nearly pressed flat against the ground. Since his back was facing outward, only his back could be seen. Above the cave, a large snake coiled overhead, its scales clearly visible.
Liu Dashao was so captivated by the carvings on the walls that he kept walking forward with his head down. Suddenly, Tian Guoqiang, who was walking behind him, grabbed him forcefully and raised his arm, pointing frantically ahead.
Liu Dashao raised his flashlight and shone it in the direction Tian was pointing. To everyone’s shock, two eerie, pale blue ghost flames floated silently on both sides of the tunnel. These ghostly flames hung in midair like lanterns, emitting a cold, chilling glow.
Bai Erlai was a typical victim of feudal superstition. Seeing the ghost flames, he began to tremble uncontrollably, convinced they were spirits haunting them. In reality, everyone knew that ghost flames were just phosphorescent fire—a common natural phenomenon. Human bones contain a lot of calcium phosphate. After death, when bodies decay underground, various chemical reactions occur, causing the phosphorus in the bones to transform into phosphine gas. Phosphine, with its low ignition point, catches fire upon contact with air at normal temperatures. As this gas escapes through cracks or holes in the ground and burns in the air, it emits a blue glow—this is phosphorescent fire, commonly known as ghost flames. However, seeing such large ghost flames was truly a first for them.
Everyone stopped in their tracks, silently staring at the two ghost flames. No one knew where they had come from—it seemed as though they had appeared out of nowhere in an instant.
Tian Guoqiang raised his double-barreled shotgun and signaled Liu Dashao to step back. Before Liu could stop him, the young man had already fired. With a loud bang, a flash of fire erupted, smoke filled the air, and the heavy echo of the gunshot reverberated through the tunnel, forcing everyone to cover their ears. At the same time, a popping sound rang out—Tian’s bullet shattered the ghost flame on the right into pieces, which slowly drifted downward, still glowing faintly without extinguishing.
Tian Guoqiang proudly gave himself a thumbs-up, boasting about his sharpshooting skills.
Liu Dashao shot him a glare, pointed at his head, then at the shotgun, silently warning, “This place is full of danger—you mustn’t be so reckless, or you might attract some evil spirits!”
Tian nodded repeatedly. Just as he lifted his head again, Liu noticed something strange in his eyes. Tian was staring upward, directly above Liu Dashao’s head. Without hesitation, he raised the shotgun and fired again—bang! The ghost flame above Liu Dashao exploded into pieces, scattering glowing blue fragments everywhere. Everyone quickly stepped back to avoid being touched by the eerie light.
Liu Dashao thought to himself, “This ghost flame came too fast—it drifted straight above my head in the blink of an eye.”
Just as he turned his head, he saw Tian poking at the glowing fragments scattered on the ground with the gun barrel. Liu felt a bit curious—why was the kid so determined to attack the ghost flames?
Under the eerie blue glow, Liu took a closer look. One glance made his scalp tingle and his entire body crawl as if swarmed by thousands of ants. Goosebumps covered the ground.
On a piece of skin the size of a palm, countless tiny insects swarmed like ants. These creatures were translucent, spindle-shaped, somewhat resembling grains of Northeast rice. They clustered densely together, layer upon layer, and were constantly writhing and moving, an extremely grotesque sight. And the eerie blue glow was coming directly from their bodies. In other words, what they had encountered wasn’t ghost flames at all—it was these strange insects.
As Liu Dashao was still staring at these disgusting bugs, more ghost flames suddenly appeared in the tunnel. These ghost flames looked exactly like lanterns, and their numbers increased rapidly. Within moments, dozens of ghost flames emerged, all slowly floating toward the group.
None of them had ever encountered anything so bizarre. They 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 others quickly regained their senses, realizing that these ghost flames were no ordinary threat, and followed Zhang like frightened rabbits, sprinting down the tunnel.
Liu Dashao was at the back. As he ran, he glanced back and saw a ghost flame closely trailing him. Its eerie blue glow flickered constantly, and within it, he could faintly see the strange insects writhing and squirming. Liu was so terrified that he nearly lost control of himself and dared not look back again.
A foul, rotting wind howled past their ears as they sprinted forward. After running about a hundred meters or so, suddenly the tunnel opened up, and they burst out of the pitch-black, eerie passage and stood on a spacious platform. Strangely, the ghost flames stopped at the tunnel’s entrance, hovering there for a while before gradually fading into the darkness. The tunnel returned to its previous state of chaotic darkness, 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!”
Still gasping for breath, Zhang Enpu, his face pale, replied, “Do… do you all know what those ghost flames were?”
Seeing Zhang’s unusual expression, everyone knew those things were definitely not ordinary.
Zhang took a deep breath and said, “According to the records of past Celestial Masters, if I remember correctly, those things should be the legendary Yin Lanterns.”
Yin Lanterns?! At the sound of that name, everyone felt an immediate sense of dread.
Zhang continued, “Back in the day, the 26th Celestial Master encountered these Yin Lanterns when he entered an ancient tomb. According to the records, these lanterns are made from fresh animal hides. Fresh hides, still warm and dripping with blood, are placed into jars filled with these strange insects. The insects, drawn by the scent of blood, burrow into the hide and eventually cluster together in layers. Once the hide is removed, it is stitched into the shape of a lantern. How exactly they manage to float in the air remains unknown. Because of their mysterious craftsmanship, these Yin Lanterns are extremely rare.”
He paused, stroked his beard, and continued, “Now that we’ve encountered Yin Lanterns here, it seems we’ve entered an ancient tomb.”
What?! Everyone exchanged stunned glances, their hearts sinking into despair. They had originally hoped this was a passage leading outside, but instead, they had stumbled into a tomb—trapped between heaven and earth with no escape.
Liu Dashao asked Zhang, “Why did those Yin Lanterns chase after us?”
Zhang replied, “Perhaps it was because we attacked them. I believe the Yin Lanterns themselves are not aggressive by nature. They probably serve as lanterns of the underworld, just like lanterns in the human world—used for illumination. The tunnel we walked through must have been the burial passage of the tomb.”
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