“We decided to continue exploring downward along the underground passage, but the progress was far slower than I had imagined. During our exploration, a large number of black humanoid creatures even appeared in the tunnel, along with underground creatures that seemed to have grown colossal as if mutated by radiation.
What left us completely helpless was the abnormal underground magnetic field. Once we exceeded a depth of fifteen hundred meters, all electronic equipment would malfunction or even be ruined, leaving us with no choice but to rely on manual labor to continue our exploration.
Before this, we had already lost six batches of exploration team members, and over a hundred comrades paid with their lives because of it. I was part of the seventh batch.”
Liu Ruhe took a slow breath:
“After constructing a data model, we discovered that whenever that mysterious biological wave fluctuated, not only would the number of black monsters emerging underground drop sharply, but the black monsters inside the caves would also become much calmer. Therefore, I believed this was the best opportunity to conduct our scientific expedition.
This scientific expedition was led by Section Head Qin Yue of the Southwest Circuit 500 Special Investigation Section. Ma Guniang, you should have heard of her.”
Qin Yue?
No wonder the authorities had transferred Qin Yue all the way from the southwest to host some "Yellow River Trial."
So it was actually to explore the underground palace.
Nan Zhi had no expression on her face as she gestured for Liu Ruhe to continue:
“So what happened after that? How did you get separated from them?”
“When we first entered the cave, everything went very smoothly. Although we encountered a large number of black monsters, we were barely able to cope with them thanks to the fire suppression of the accompanying military forces. The real trouble lay with the giant creatures living here.
Including me, there were one hundred and six people in the seventh exploration team, but by the time I got separated from them, only thirty-seven living people were left.”
Liu Ruhe gave a bitter smile. “Strange fish like titanoboas, giant earthworms as tall as seven-story buildings, and mosquitoes half the height of a person that can suck someone dry to death...
I watched with my own eyes as my student was torn to pieces by a spider the size of a truck and dragged back to be eaten—and a spider of that size was actually just a specimen that had hatched only a dozen or so days ago.”
As she said this, tears faintly welled up in her eyes:
“I've even begun to doubt whether this is still the Earth I know so well.”
No, she wasn't sure before, but now she could basically confirm it.
The clues in Nan Zhi's mind turned into puzzle pieces, slowly integrating:
According to Liu Ruhe, they had traveled about fifteen hundred to two thousand meters underground, taking six days to enter this unknown land.
But she had entered through the water channel at the bottom of the Yellow River. Even excluding the days she spent swimming in the beginning, the giant fish had dived tirelessly for over forty days. This distance—
Unless the difference in altitude between Helan Snow Mountain and the bottom of the Yellow River was comparable to the Milky Way, how else could this be explained?
The only possibility was that both parties had entered through different entrances, stumbling into an existence that did not exist in reality and was completely independent of any land on the Blue Star.
It was just like the "secret realms" or "small cave heavens" often mentioned in cultivation novels.
“So this really isn't Earth... No wonder, no wonder—the multi-dimensional universe theory is true, and the passage beneath the underground palace is the entrance leading to this secret realm.”
Liu Ruhe was no fool. She keenly sensed something from Nan Zhi's eyes, took a few deep, trembling breaths, and then shook her head as if to comfort herself:
“Fortunately, we blew up the passage leading to the surface in time, blocking the exit for those giant beasts and black monsters to escape this place. This might be the only contribution we have left that we can make for the humans of the Blue Star.
I also got separated from the others at that time, and I don't know if they are still alive now.”
Nan Zhi: “...”
Blown up?
What did you say you blew up just now?
The passage?
So the explosion she heard inside the fish's belly a few days ago was actually caused by the authorities?
Nan Zhi had even been thinking that the passage the authorities came down from would be shorter, planning to hitch a ride on her way back, but now you're telling her that you blew up the exit?!
Well, fine. What else could she do? When the time came, she would just have to obediently jump back into the fish's belly to squeeze her way out.
“So, you came from the source of this fragrance?”
Nan Zhi raised her eyebrows, catching the key point in Liu Ruhe's words. The latter, however, looked completely blank, seemingly struggling to understand what she meant:
“Fragrance? What fragrance? Are you talking about the upper reaches of this flame-colored lake? I did drift down with the current from that direction. Over there, we discovered a tomb-like structure in the Han Dynasty style, but... I didn't smell any fragrance.”
She couldn't smell it?
Nan Zhi made a mental note of this and asked what was inside the tomb:
“Then did you see a golden-winged centipede? It seemed to have chased after you because of the scent of blood on your body.”
“There were some traces of human activity in that tomb, but not many, and they had little archaeological value. There was also an altar shaped like an octagonal lotus platform with a dried corpse on it, but I didn't look closely.”
Liu Ruhe's face paled, her expression darkening:
“As for that Golden-Winged Flying Centipede, it was precisely what forced us to blow up our entrance and exit passage. That beast probably smelled blood, which is why it kept chasing me relentlessly.”
Nan Zhi paused, lightly swept her hand over her belt, and took out a bottle of inedia pills. “Just eat one. Take a rest, and then lead the way. I want to go see the altar you mentioned.”
“Thank you, Ma Guniang. To be honest, I haven't eaten anything in nearly three days. Perhaps our people are still around there as well.”
Liu Ruhe embarrassedly took out an inedia pill and swallowed it. Seeing Nan Zhi standing with her hands behind her back, lost in thought, she very tactfully kept her mouth shut.
...
After resting for a moment, Nan Zhi picked up Liu Ruhe with one hand and continued flying in the direction she indicated for half a day. Sure enough, an incredibly massive stone altar vaguely appeared in her field of vision.
It was a lotus altar with a somewhat Buddhist style, and on its sides was carved a relief of all beings attaining liberation from suffering.
There were eight lotus stone lamps in each of the four cardinal directions. With thousands of petals and wild lotus leaves, their style was extremely rugged. In the basins of the lotus stone lamps, there was clear, sparkling oil that reached half the height of a person.
Nan Zhi released her divine sense to sense the surroundings briefly before flying forward to set Liu Ruhe down. She casually threw out eight fireballs. With a whoosh, a meter-high flame leaped from each wick, instantly lighting up the entire karst cave as bright as day.
The strange, rich fragrance grew heavier and heavier, making it almost impossible for Nan Zhi to open her eyes. She felt a burning hunger in her stomach, as if it were on fire.
She focused her gaze and saw that, just as Liu Ruhe had said, at the center of the lotus altar was a simple, ancient-looking circular stone platform rising several zhang above the altar. On top of the stone platform lay a withered corpse in blue robes, flat on its back.
And the rich fragrance Nan Zhi smelled was precisely coming from this corpse.
So...
She had traveled so far and gone to all this trouble just because she was attracted by a corpse fragrance?
For a moment, her expression became rather peculiar.
“Who's there?!”
But in the next second, her brows twitched. She flipped backward, her figure flashing as she flew into midair. Where she had just stood at the edge of the stone platform, a smoking trail of gunpowder was left behind.
“Who told you to shoot?! That's a living person-person-person-person—Ma Guniang?”
From the karst cave not far from the altar, a somewhat familiar large head suddenly popped out.
It was Lyu Dongfang, looking haggard and covered in stubble.
Rate on N.U.
