No toques a mi hombre

Capítulo 13

As I went deeper, more and more of these bioluminescent freshwater jellyfish appeared before me, like fireflies dancing freely in the sky. Illuminated by this bioluminescence, the darkness around me was no longer absolute; I could vaguely see the increasingly undulating lakebed beneath my feet. Due to severe oxygen deprivation, my mind was in a semi-conscious state, and I followed the lake monster's corpse to the bottom without awareness. Just as I touched the ground, a golden light flashed before my eyes. I strained to open my eyes wide. The golden light was the same golden dragon I had seen earlier in the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva temple. It twisted in the water, then burrowed halfway into a mound of mud beside me, before disappearing from the light, leaving its half-dead body embedded straight in the mud.

The sudden golden light jolted me awake. Although I knew it might be a hallucination, I still reached out and forcefully pulled out the long, thin object that the golden dragon had conjured, stuck in the lake mud. Using the bioluminescent light from the countless jellyfish around me, I could vaguely make out its shape. It looked like an ancient sword, but because it had been submerged in the lake for so long, it was covered in rust and tiny underwater plants. For some reason, perhaps it was the protection of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, or perhaps my will to survive hadn't truly given up, I actually swung the ancient sword forcefully at the two long whiskers of the lake monster at my feet. My hands went numb from the impact, and the rust and underwater plants that had covered the sword were shaken off, revealing the sword's true form beneath the rust. Illuminated by the bioluminescent light of the surrounding freshwater jellyfish, the ancient sword emitted a dazzling, cold light, its sharpness overwhelming. The two long, steel-like whiskers of the lake monster were easily severed by this ancient sword with a single strike. I had never seen such an ancient sword, capable of cutting through iron like mud, before. I was overjoyed, as if I had found a treasure. Suddenly, my mind cleared, and my will to survive grew stronger. Grabbing the ancient sword, I struggled to swim towards the surface of the lake.

I don't know how I finally surfaced. Due to the water pressure, I couldn't hear anything, and my breathing was very rapid. So when I surfaced and saw the raft in the distance, I could only use the last of my strength to shout, "I, I'm here," before I could make a sound. Then I saw Jenny and Dunzi on the raft had seen me, but because of the distance and the darkness, I couldn't see their expressions. I only saw them waving at me frantically, but I couldn't tell if they had called me. A little while later, I felt like Abao came to my side and half-lifted me, swimming towards the raft. Soon after, Dunzi also jumped into the lake and, together with Abao, dragged me onto the raft.

I fainted after getting on the raft. Perhaps after Jenny and the others performed several first-aid measures, I vomited up the lake water and gradually regained consciousness. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw I was finally out of danger. Dunzi, while trying to remove the ancient sword I was tightly gripping, said to me, "Loosen your grip, no one's going to take it from you. Look, your hand is cut by this sword, I need to bandage it for you." Hearing Dunzi say this, I suddenly remembered that I was still holding an ancient sword, so I smiled sheepishly and said, "I wasn't afraid you'd take it, I just forgot I was holding something. Actually, it was only by chance that I found this ancient sword at the bottom of the lake that I was able to use it to cut off the lake monster's long whiskers and escape from death." "I knew you were lucky, brother, you've survived another near-death experience!" he said, laughing. The others laughed along with him. I know everyone is incredibly excited right now, and overjoyed that I've escaped death. Because I didn't give up on my life easily, and I'm finally back with you all, my emotions are still running high.

71. Human Oil Skull Lighthouse

When we finally managed to bring the raft to the shore of the island in the middle of the lake and set foot on this mysterious land, we found that this place was quite different from others. There wasn't a single tree or blade of grass on the entire island. All around were black, coal-like rocks and debris, appearing lifeless. However, this meant we no longer had to traverse those dense forests and thickets, which made it easier for us to find clues to the treasure cave. Seeing that it was getting dark, and everyone was exhausted after the fierce battle, especially since I was still very weak, we found a place to camp on the shore, deciding to wait until we were fully rested before making our final push.

The fierce battle in the lake had left me exhausted, and I soon fell asleep. But it felt like I'd only been asleep a short while when Ah Bao, who was on duty, hurriedly woke us. He crouched down, pointed to a huge black rock behind us, and whispered, "I was patrolling nearby when I passed that rock and noticed a faint light coming from afar. I thought it was strange and wanted to investigate, but I was worried you'd be concerned if you couldn't find me, and I was also afraid it wouldn't be safe for you to be here sleeping alone. So I woke you up so we could discuss what to do."

After listening to Ah Bao's explanation, we quietly walked to the giant rock he had pointed out and cautiously peeked out. From the other side of this rocky islet, we saw a faint light in the distance. It looked like fire, but it also had a distinctly greenish tint. Because of the great distance, we couldn't see it clearly. Strange, I thought. No one else could possibly be on this island; how could a fire suddenly appear? After discussing it, we decided it was best to investigate. After all, judging from the treasure poem, we were now at this final juncture. We couldn't let any doubts slip by.

My hunting rifle had been knocked to the bottom of the lake during my battle with the lake monster. So I took the ancient sword I'd stumbled upon at the bottom as my weapon. Ah Bao and Dunzi led the way, rifles in hand. During our rest earlier, I'd polished away most of the rust and vegetation from the sword, revealing a bronze blade engraved with dragon, tiger, cloud, and valley patterns. Despite enduring centuries of weathering, its sharp edge still gleamed with a chilling light.

The island's ground was covered in scattered rocks. Even though we slowed our pace, our footsteps still crunched on the stones. The sound was particularly clear on the quiet, empty island, and we were quite tense, afraid our footsteps would frighten away the people near the distant fire. Fortunately, as we got closer to the fire, it didn't change anything; it continued to burn as before.

Twenty minutes later, we were only about a hundred meters away from the flame. At this point, we stopped and carefully examined the area around the flame. By its light, we discovered that there was no one around as we had expected. It was just a wide-open, rocky area. It seemed that no one had been there from the beginning. Because if someone had been there, their footsteps would have reached our ears from a great distance, just like ours. But along the way, we hadn't heard any other sounds besides our own footsteps.

When we looked at the ball of fire again, we realized that from a distance it resembled a luminous pyramid, a triangular cone-shaped structure piled up in front of us. "How come there's a luminous pyramid here?" Dunzi asked himself, quite curiously. We didn't answer, as we were all puzzled by this mysterious pyramid-shaped luminous object, so we quickly walked over to see for ourselves.

When we finally reached the glowing pyramid, we could see it clearly. It was made up of hundreds of bowl-shaped objects, each about the size of a bowl, stacked one on top of the other. The pyramid was over a meter tall and more than two meters wide. Each bowl contained a flickering, slightly green flame. For some reason, the sight of those flames instilled a deep sense of unease and fear. The bowls themselves appeared a dark brown in the firelight, and their texture suggested they were made of animal bones. Inside each bowl was a milky-white, semi-transparent paste, which, heated by the pale green flames, emitted a strange, foul odor that was extremely unpleasant to smell.

I examined the bone bowl-shaped objects closely, feeling like I'd seen them somewhere before, but I couldn't quite place them. Just then, Ah Bao suddenly said, "Don't you guys think these bone bowls look like they're made from the skulls of some kind of animal?" Hearing this, everyone gathered around. Dunzi touched one of the bowls and said, "It really does seem so. The outer surface isn't perfectly smooth; it's slightly uneven." Just as Dunzi finished speaking, I finally remembered and exclaimed, "I know! These are made from human skulls!" "Human bones?" Dunzi immediately pulled his hand away from the edge of the bowls, his eyes widening in surprise. “Yes, they must be human bones.” I continued, “Do you remember those piles of skulls around that thousand-year-old locust tree demon? The tops of all those skulls had been cut off with sharp instruments. At the time, I couldn’t understand why they would do that, and I thought it was a tradition similar to that of the Native Americans, where they kept the skulls of prisoners as spoils of war. Now I know that they were all brought here to be used as human bone lamps.”

After hearing my words, everyone looked at the skull lighthouse, which was taller than a person, and it seemed even more eerie and terrifying. "So, the milky white, translucent substance in these bone lamps is very likely made of human oil," Jenny said, looking at the skull lighthouse. "I once read in some records that a primitive tribe on a small island in the South Pacific used the human oil of enemy prisoners as fuel to light sky lanterns for celebrations. The description of the human oil's form is very similar to the milky white, translucent substance in these bone bowls, even the stench is so similar." After Jenny finished speaking, Dunzi, who was standing next to her, had already covered his nose tightly with his hand and was still groaning.

I looked at the pyramid-shaped lighthouse made of human skulls before me, and then thought of the cruel rituals performed by the tomb raiders I had witnessed along the way. I figured this must be some part of those sacrificial rites, nothing particularly strange about it. However, this lighthouse, having weathered so many years of storms, should have been extinguished long ago. How could it still be burning? If someone lit it, who would suddenly appear on this secluded island and light these terrifying skull lamps? Two questions arose in my mind, but I couldn't answer them immediately, so I had to leave them to myself for the time being.

This commotion has completely banished any sleepiness from everyone. So we decided to explore the island that very night, hoping to find clues as soon as possible and reach the treasure cave of the Tomb Raider General. With the plan set, we quickly returned to camp, extinguished the campfire, shouldered our backpacks, grabbed our equipment and weapons, and set off for the other side of the island in the lake.

72. Geothermal Iwo Jima

At first, we camped on the shore of the island in the middle of the lake. A gentle evening breeze blew across the lake, making the air very fresh, so we didn't notice anything unusual. But as we gradually walked towards the center of the island, we began to smell a sulfurous odor in the air, and it grew stronger and stronger. The surrounding temperature also seemed to be rising, and everyone was sweating slightly from the heat.

As we approached the towering mountain peak in the center of the lake island, dawn broke. The light of day allowed us to clearly see our surroundings. We then discovered a vast expanse of gravel. All the stones were a uniform charcoal black. Across this gravel, countless tiny streams crisscrossed like a spiderweb. Each stream was narrow, no more than thirty or forty centimeters wide, and a layer of white steam constantly rose from their surfaces. From the cracks in the rocks, bursts of white steam, over a meter high, occasionally shot out. At that moment, for some reason, I felt uneasy. Looking at this desolate, barren, black rocky landscape, and then at the steaming, interconnected hot spring streams around me, I felt as if the ground beneath me was filled with molten lava, and we had entered a living hell.

"A hot spring!" Dunzi exclaimed excitedly, carefully touching the water in a nearby stream with his finger. "The water's hot; it must be a natural hot spring. And it seems to contain a lot of sulfur." Hearing this, I bent down and touched the water myself, confirming that it was indeed warm, just as Dunzi had said. I also noticed that the strong sulfur smell in the air was emanating from the water. "It seems this island has huge geothermal resources hidden beneath its surface," Jenny said with a smile. "If properly developed and utilized, it could be a considerable fortune." I wasn't paying attention to their conversation; I simply continued cautiously forward with the group.

After walking a few hundred meters further, we saw scattered fragments of gold and jade, along with broken porcelain and bronze, mixed among the rubble. We were overjoyed. This indicated that the treasure cave of the former tomb raider was very likely located on this small island. These fragments of gold and jade, along with broken porcelain and bronze, were likely left behind by the tomb raider on his way to this place, carrying various rare treasures he had looted from ancient tombs across the land. "It seems that the treasure cave must indeed contain a large number of precious jewels and jades. The fact that he didn't even bother with so many treasures lying on the ground shows that these scattered pieces are nothing compared to the vast treasures stored in the cave," Dunzi said with a smile as he squatted down, picked up a fragment of jade, examined it carefully, and looked at it closely.

After walking for about twenty minutes, we arrived at the foot of the giant peak in the center of the island. The ground was no longer covered with small black rock fragments; instead, it was filled with massive black rock formations blocking our path. I accidentally touched one of these rocks, and due to the underground heat, its surface was extremely hot, giving me a sudden burn. I warned the others not to touch these charcoal-black boulders and then carefully surveyed our surroundings. The giant rocks were densely packed around the foot of the peak. It seemed impossible to approach the peak, let alone climb to its summit, without passing these rocks. The hot spring streams beneath the rocks appeared even more concentrated, making the sulfurous smell in the air even stronger, almost pungent.

"We need to find a way to climb over these huge rocks and get to that peak quickly," Dunzi said, covering his mouth and nose. "Otherwise, we'll be suffocated by this sulfurous smell." He then took off his backpack, pulled out a gas mask, and quickly put it on. I followed suit, pulling out my own gas mask and putting it on, while also taking out the binoculars from my bag. I looked around at the surrounding rocks. I noticed that there seemed to be more fragments of gold, jade, porcelain, and bronze scattered on the ground not far to our left. After thinking for a moment, I pointed to the left and said, "Let's go check that out. There are more fragments of treasure scattered there; people probably transported the treasures into the cave from there." The others agreed. So we put our backpacks back on and headed to the left.

Upon arriving, we indeed found a small crevice between two enormous, charcoal-black rocks, like a small doorway opening before us. The fragments of treasure scattered across the ground extended into this crevice. Entering the two massive black rocks, we discovered two carvings on each side. Both depicted grotesque and terrifying monsters wielding wooden swords, roughly the size of real people, with towering trees behind them bearing enormous peaches. Although weathered and incomplete in some places, the overall composition remained clear, vivid, and lifelike.

Looking at the two rock carvings, Dunzi asked, "Why are there two rock carvings of ghosts here?" "These aren't ghosts," Dunzi replied, "they're the great gods Shen Tu and Yu Lei from ancient mythology. According to Wang Chong's *Lunheng* (Discourses Weighed in the Balance), quoting the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*: 'In the middle of the vast sea, there is Mount Dushuo, on which grows a large peach tree, its branches stretching for three thousand li. To the northeast of its branches is the Ghost Gate, the place where ten thousand ghosts enter and exit. There are two divine beings there, one named Shen Tu, the other Yu Lei. They are in charge of overseeing ten thousand ghosts. Evil ghosts are bound with reed ropes and fed to tigers. Therefore, the Yellow Emperor created...'" "The ritual, performed according to the seasons, involved erecting large peachwood figures, painting Shen Tu, Yu Lei, and a tiger on the doors and windows, and hanging reed ropes to ward off evil spirits." This passage is not found in the current version of the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, for reasons unknown. I continued, "It is said that these two gods are in charge of the lesser demons of hell. At night, they release the lesser demons from hell back to the human world, allowing them to roam freely and seek out families to return to. Before dawn, they call all the remaining lesser demons who haven't found a family to return to back to hell. And the gate guarded by Shen Tu and Yu Lei is the gate to hell leading to the underworld."

Hearing my words, Dunzi turned to look at the rock crevice that resembled a stone gate, and said tremblingly, "So, this crevice leads to the underworld? Those two tomb raiders actually hid all their treasures in the netherworld?" The rest of us burst into laughter at his question. I comforted him, saying, "What I'm saying is just an ancient myth. Even if those two tomb raiders had great magical powers, they were still just mortals. How could they possibly enter the underworld and hide treasures there? Besides, the Shen Tu and Yu Lei on this giant rock are just rock carvings, not real figures."

Dunzi seemed a little relieved after hearing my explanation and replied, "I felt this place was strangely eerie and unsettling. Your detailed explanation just now almost made me believe it." He gave us an awkward smile. Just then, we heard a loud "bang," followed by a violent tremor of the ground. A surge of intense heat erupted from the cracks in the surrounding earth, then gradually subsided. We were soaked in sweat, as if we'd been in a sauna. "This place doesn't feel right. Let's find the treasure cave quickly, retrieve the ancient scroll, and leave as soon as possible," I said, looking at the rising geothermal heat. "Yes, let's get going," Jenny nodded. So we quickly crawled into the crevice.

73. Will-o'-the-wisp toad

The crevice was narrow, forcing us to duck to pass. Influenced by underground heat, the entire space was filled with smoke and felt incredibly stuffy. Due to the fog, even with our flashlights on, we could only see very close up. After about five or six minutes, we finally emerged from the crevice between the giant rocks, but what we saw before us startled us. Within an area of several hundred square meters, hundreds of charcoal-black humanoid stone statues of various shapes and sizes had appeared. Some were running, others had fallen to the ground. Each face displayed extreme panic and fear, flickering in and out of view amidst the rising steam, creating a somewhat eerie and terrifying atmosphere.

Dunzi looked at it, seemingly frightened, and asked, "Why are there so many terrifying human statues here? It's quite scary." Jenny stepped forward to examine them closely and then said, "These people seem to be real people who were suddenly swallowed by lava and cooled down to form what they are now." "Lava?" I thought for a moment after hearing Jenny's words and then said, "No wonder there are so many hot springs and geothermal activity here. So, this towering peak is probably a volcano." "Yes, now I know why it's so hot here," Jenny continued. "Those two tomb raiders really know how to choose a location, setting up their treasure cave near a volcano. Aren't they afraid that a sudden volcanic eruption would destroy all these treasures?" Dunzi, who was standing to the side, found it strange and asked. Yes, why would they choose such a place? I also found it very difficult to understand. So I looked around carefully. Suddenly, I saw what appeared to be a narrow plank road winding up the cliff face of that towering mountain peak, all the way to the summit. I quickly pointed to the plank road and said, "Look, there's a plank road to the top. Let's forget about these things that aren't relevant to our treasure hunt for now, let's find the treasure and the scroll first." The others thought it made sense, so they temporarily put aside their questions and ran towards the narrow plank road on the cliff face.

Upon reaching the plank road, we discovered that it was carved directly into the cliff face of the massive peak. The road is extremely narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time. Evenly distributed smooth holes along the edge of the suspended side indicate that protective railings should have once been installed. However, due to the passage of time, these railings have long since decayed and are no longer present. Therefore, walking on it with sheer cliffs on either side, one could easily fall from the high precipice, making it appear extremely dangerous. Despite its perilous nature, this is likely the only way to reach the summit of the peak.

One by one, we stepped onto the narrow plank road. Each step was taken with extreme caution, for fear that a moment's inattention would send us tumbling down the high mountain peak. When we reached the halfway point, Dunzi suddenly cried out, slipped, and nearly fell off the plank road. Luckily, Abao reacted quickly and grabbed him, preventing a fall. "Be careful," I said to him, slightly reproachfully. Dunzi looked at me, still shaken, and then pointed to a rock face not far ahead. We looked in the direction he pointed and were all startled. There, on the rock face not far from us, was a dark opening. Inside the opening were two bright green lights, swaying slightly from side to side, like two wispy will-o'-the-wisps.

"What is that?" I wondered to myself, then drew the ancient sword from my backpack, gripped it firmly in my hand, and walked alone towards the cave entrance. The entrance wasn't very large, probably only four or five centimeters in diameter. As soon as I reached it, a foul-smelling, cold wind blew out, causing me to stumble backward. Luckily, Ah Bao and the others held me steady behind me, preventing me from falling off the cliff. Along with the foul wind, a rustling sound came from inside the cave, and then a huge toad crawled out. It was fiery red, and milky-white, viscous liquid kept oozing from its bulging venom sacs, emitting a strong, foul odor. Two large, bright green, bell-shaped eyes stared at us intently, and it occasionally made muffled "cooing" sounds.

Upon seeing such a huge and terrifying poisonous toad, everyone's heart skipped a beat. We were currently on this narrow boardwalk. In such a confined space, let alone fighting the toad, even walking was extremely difficult. The moment I saw the toad's appearance, I knew it was the "Ghost Fire Toad" described in the "Exorcism Manual." This toad has a very long lifespan, living for nearly a thousand years. It particularly likes to stay in hot and humid hot spring caves, feeding on maggots that grow from decaying corpses. Its body is covered in highly corrosive venom, and it is extremely irritable and aggressive.

Seeing this, I said to Ah Bao and the others behind me, "Strike first, shoot it and finish it off." I then moved my body as close to the inner side of the boardwalk as possible, exposing the fiery red toad, which was three or four meters in front of me, to Ah Bao and the others. Upon hearing this, Ah Bao immediately raised his hunting rifle, aimed at the "ghost fire toad," and fired. Surprisingly, despite its enormous size, the "ghost fire toad" was surprisingly agile. Hearing the gunshot, it immediately darted to the inner side of the boardwalk, easily dodging the bullet. Before it could retaliate, Dunzi, standing nearby, also fired an arrow from his Forest King crossbow at the "ghost fire toad." This time, because the "ghost fire toad" didn't have time to react, it was hit directly. As a few drops of dark red blood splattered, the steel arrow pierced deeply into the "ghost fire toad's" back. The "Will-o'-the-Wisp Toad" was enraged. Its venom sacs contracted, spraying a torrent of poison at us. Luckily, we were all wearing gas masks, so we were unharmed. I knew Ah Bao and the others were out of ammunition and needed to reload quickly. To prevent the "Will-o'-the-Wisp Toad" from attacking again, I raised my sword and swung it with all my might. Although the "Will-o'-the-Wisp Toad" was wounded, it was still agile. Seeing my ancient sword coming down, it shrank behind it, avoiding my blade. However, because I used too much force, I hammered half of the ancient sword deep into the nearby rock wall, and I couldn't pull it out for a while.

Just then, seeing my weapon stuck in the rocks, the "Will-o'-the-Wisp Toad" knew I was powerless to resist and seized the opportunity to suddenly pounce on me. Seeing the toad, its body covered in highly corrosive venom, charging towards me, I had nothing to defend myself with. Instinctively, I lay down on the boardwalk floor and raised my hands to protect my head. Just as I thought I was about to be corroded by the toad's venom, a gunshot rang out. Ah Bao behind me fired a shot at the toad, which was leaping through the air towards me. Almost simultaneously, Dunzi fired a steel arrow from his Forest King crossbow. Because the toad was in mid-air, unable to move to change its course, both the bullet and the arrow struck it squarely in the chest. Because of the close proximity, the powerful impact of the bullets and steel arrows abruptly altered the "ghost fire toad's" flight path, causing it to quickly veer off the boardwalk and plummet down the cliff.

I looked down the cliff, but due to the great height, I could no longer see the corpse of the "ghost fire toad" that had fallen. Knowing that it had no chance of survival after falling from such a height, I breathed a slight sigh of relief. I turned around, intending to try again to see if I could pull out the ancient sword that was deeply embedded in the rock wall. Just as my hand touched the hilt, I suddenly heard Dunzi shout, "There's another one!" Hearing this, I looked in the direction he was pointing and saw two bright red spots in the dark cave, emitting dazzling red light.

74. Blood Bodhi

Seeing those two bright red dots filled us with panic, wondering what terrifying monsters might crawl out of that dark cave. We instinctively took a few steps back. The rocks we stepped on crunched and fell down the cliff face. But even after we stood there waiting for a long time, the two bright red dots didn't move an inch, let alone emerge from the cave.

I sensed something was amiss and wondered if those two bright red spots weren't the monsters we thought they were. Because if they were ordinary monsters, they would have already crawled out of the cave and attacked us, just like that "ghost fire toad." Thinking this, I mustered my courage and moved towards the dark cave entrance. Ah Bao and Dunzi had already aimed their crossbows at the entrance, ready to fire at any moment.

When I moved to the cave entrance, the two red dots inside remained motionless, just as before. Seeing their lack of reaction, I grew bolder. I took out the wolf-eye flashlight from my pocket and shone it into the dark cave. After peering into the cave using the flashlight's light, I realized there were no other monsters in the cave at all. There were only two cherry-shaped objects, about the size of pigeon eggs, growing in a crevice on one side of the cave. The mysterious red light was emanating from them.

Isn't this "Blood Bodhi"? I was overjoyed when I recalled the descriptions in the *Huangdi Neijing* (Yellow Emperor's Classic of Materia Medica). "Blood Bodhi," also called "Red Leaf Dan," is said to grow only in hot and humid environments. It's said to have remarkable effects in invigorating the spirit, relieving fatigue, increasing stamina, and relieving heatstroke. Seeing such a rare treasure, I naturally wouldn't let it pass me by. I immediately reached into the hole and picked it. As soon as I held it up to my eyes, I smelled a faint, refreshing herbal fragrance. Instantly, I felt much of my fatigue disappear, and my energy returned.

Seeing that there didn't seem to be any scary monsters in the cave, and that I had taken something out, Dunzi and the others put away their weapons and came closer to take a look. "What the hell is this?" Dunzi asked, looking at the two "Blood Bodhi" beads in my hand. "Good stuff, called 'Blood Bodhi.' A top-grade medicinal herb that invigorates the mind, eliminates fatigue, increases stamina, and relieves heatstroke," I replied with a smile. Dunzi looked on with a skeptical expression, as if he were wondering, could these two oddly shaped little things really be that magical?

Jenny caught up at that moment, glanced at the "Blood Bodhi" in my hand without saying anything, but urged us to leave the narrow plank road as soon as possible, lest some ghosts or spirits appear. We thought she made a good point, so I put the "Blood Bodhi" in my backpack and stored it away. Then I used my axe to pry the ancient sword stuck in the rock wall and continued walking along the plank road towards the summit.

As we climbed higher, the air currents grew stronger. The intense gusts of wind swayed us violently, threatening to lift us off the cliff in an instant. We used our guns as trekking poles to steady ourselves, inching our way to the summit. We reached the top around three or four in the afternoon.

What appeared before us was indeed a massive volcanic crater. The lava at the bottom was still churning, and thick plumes of sulfurous smoke continuously rose from below. Inside this enormous crater, there was a narrow walkway carved into the rock face, spiraling down the crater's inner wall and leading all the way to the mountainside. At the end of that walkway, a huge stone gate in the crater wall immediately caught our attention. Could that be the treasure cave of the tomb raider? But what about the last line of the treasure poem, "A strange beast observes the sky"? Just as I was pondering this, Jenny suddenly exclaimed, "It's terrifying down there!" Hearing this, I took the binoculars from her and peered into the bottom of the crater.

At the center of the volcano's base was a lava pool still churning with magma. Beside it lay accumulations of lava fragments and volcanic ash formed from the cooling lava after the eruption. Scattered among these lava fragments and ash were hundreds of desiccated corpses, each in a different pose, their expressions contorted in agony. Combined with the continuous bursts of fiery red lava from the central lava pool, it was a scene of utter hell.

“This place is really eerie. We should get into the treasure cave as soon as possible, grab what we’re looking for, and leave quickly.” I handed the binoculars back to Jenny and said, “Otherwise, let alone a few lava mummies popping up, we won’t be able to handle it. Even a small eruption of this volcano would be enough to give us trouble.” Dunzi nodded repeatedly and said, “We came here mainly to unravel the mystery of immortality recorded in the surviving scroll and take a few antiques back with us. It would be a real shame to lose our lives here.” After saying that, he pushed us down the narrow plank road leading to the stone gate.

The temperature at the crater was extremely high, making it unbearable for us. Large beads of sweat dripped from our foreheads, and our clothes were already soaked through. Suddenly, I remembered the two "blood bodhi" seeds we had just picked, which had the effect of reducing fever and relieving heat. So I took them out and shared them with everyone. The moment the half-seed went down, I felt a cool sensation rise from my stomach, spreading throughout my body via my blood vessels. Instantly, I felt much more comfortable and cool, and the sweat gradually decreased. Even more impressively, after so many days of trekking, our strength was almost completely exhausted, but as soon as the blood bodhi entered our stomachs, we felt full of energy, and all our fatigue vanished. "It really is a good thing!" Dunzi, now convinced, asked me, "Brother, do you know where else you might find this bodhi?" "These things are rare and hard to come by. Having the chance to eat even half a seed is already a great blessing. Aren't you satisfied?" I replied with a smile. When Dunzi heard what I said, he seemed a little disappointed. He smiled and said, "I was just asking casually."

As we arrived at the stone gate, it was already getting dark. The two tall stone doors were covered with the strange, calligraphic patterns we had seen before. In the center of these patterns was a peculiar creature, neither dragon nor tiger. It stood on its front legs, its hind legs bent, chest puffed out, head held high, its eyes fixed intently on the sky. Wasn't this the last line of the treasure poem, "A strange beast gazing at the sky"? Seeing this image, everyone was incredibly excited. It meant that behind these tall stone gates was indeed the treasure cave of the Tomb Raider General, as we had previously predicted. Seeing that all the hardships and dangers we had endured these past few days had finally paid off, we were all incredibly excited. Dunzi touched the giant beast on the stone gate and said happily, "Hey, we finally found you! We went through so much trouble to find you!" His slick tone made us all laugh. I patted Dunzi on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Alright, alright, stop fooling around. Now is not the time to be happy. Let's go inside and talk about it." Dunzi remembered that we hadn't reached the final step yet and there were still many things to do. So he nodded and stopped joking around.

I stood before the stone door, leaning against its massive frame, trying to push it open. But the moment I touched it, a puff of white smoke rose from the point of contact, the heat making me recoil. "Damn it, this stone door is like an oven! It almost burned a layer of my skin off!" I cursed angrily. "Get out of the way, watch me!" Without waiting for my reply, Dunzi pulled a military axe from his backpack, went to the stone door, and smashed it down hard. The stone door seemed incredibly hard; with a loud "clang," a burst of sparks erupted from the point of impact. Looking closer, all I saw was a tiny dent. Although the door hadn't been broken open, Dunzi's hand was throbbing with pain, causing him to groan and moan for a long time.

I was at a loss – pushing or smashing didn't work, so how was I supposed to get in? Just as I was racking my brains over this, I heard a series of "crackling" sounds coming from the two stone doors. I snapped out of my daze and looked closely, only to see that the two large black stone doors in front of me were slowly opening by themselves.

75. Treasure Cave Natural Barrier

As the stone door opened, a thick cloud of dust billowed up from the dark cave, blowing towards us. Luckily, we were all wearing gas masks, so the dust didn't blind us. After the dust settled, gusts of cold wind blew out of the cave, hitting us and making us shiver. We were all startled by the sudden opening of the stone door, and only after a long while, seeing that nothing unusual had happened, did we finally relax a little.

I thought about it and found it all too strange, completely defying common sense. Logically, the temperature inside the crater should be extremely high. This cave, nestled within the cliff face of the crater, should also be very hot due to the geothermal heat from the nearby magma. But strangely, the wind blowing out of the cave wasn't hot at all; in fact, it was chillingly cold, suggesting the cave's interior was extremely damp and damp. Moreover, shortly after we reached the entrance, the cave itself opened up. Could there be some kind of trap, hidden weapon, or ghostly spirit inside? I was pondering this, unsure of what to do.

“Strange things happen every year, but this year there seem to be more than usual,” Dunzi muttered to himself, looking at me with a questioning gaze, as if asking what to do next. I looked back at Jenny and Abao, and saw that they were also looking at me, waiting for my decision. I noticed that it was getting late, and I thought the stars should be out by now. So I looked up, intending to use the Taoist arts taught in the *Five Planets Divination* to check the current celestial phenomena and divine the fortune or misfortune of the Faqiu Treasure Cave before making a decision. But when I looked up, I found that the sky above the crater was shrouded in a thick layer of sulfurous smoke, completely obscuring the sky above us, and not a single star could be seen.

Since fate has decreed that we must make our own decision, let's not worry about it anymore. Strange things have happened more than once or twice along the way. Now that we're already standing before the treasure cave we've so painstakingly found, why should we foolishly stand at the entrance and hesitate to go in? I thought about it for a moment, then said to everyone, "In that case, let's go in and take a look. However, this cave seems very eerie; there might be something unclean inside. Everyone must be vigilant and not be careless." With that, I drew my sharp ancient sword from behind me, gripped it tightly, and, shining my wolf-eye flashlight, led the way into the cave. Seeing me go in alone, the others quickly grabbed their weapons, held up their wolf-eye flashlights, and followed me in.

Upon entering the cave, one is struck by its immense size. The entire cavern is estimated to be over a thousand square meters, with a ceiling reaching over ten meters high. Some natural stalactites hang from the ceiling like inverted swords. Several giant stalactites that have dangled to the ground act as massive pillars supporting the vast cavern. On either side of the cavern, rows of bronze statues are neatly arranged, some dressed as civil officials and others as military generals. Each statue is nearly a person's height, with lifelike expressions and exquisite craftsmanship; their casting techniques are considered top-notch from ancient times to the present.

Dunzi's eyes lit up when he saw these ancient treasures. He ran over, touching and tapping everything, almost reluctant to leave. I walked over to him, looked at the bronze statue of a warrior in front of him, and said, "This bronze figure is from the late Warring States period. Each part was cast first and then pieced together. It's a national treasure. Even if you could move it now, no one would dare to take it. You should give up on the idea. Find something lighter and easier to handle." Hearing this, Dunzi, though still a little reluctant, realized what I said made sense, so he followed me back to the central passage of the cave hall.

We then continued forward for about twenty or thirty meters, guided by the light of our wolf-eye flashlights. Suddenly, the path abruptly ended, revealing a deep abyss about twenty meters below the passage on the other side, like a narrow chasm blocking our way. Curious, we peered into the abyss. At the bottom, we saw a fiery red lava, churning and churning like a hellish inferno waiting to devour any creature that fell in. About ten meters above the lava flow, a massive bronze cauldron was firmly suspended from the stone walls on either side of the abyss by four bronze chains as thick as four arms.

"Why not just build a bridge between these two cliffs? What's the point of hanging a furnace in the middle?" Dunzi asked, looking at the enormous furnace. "Judging from its shape, it looks like an ancient Taoist alchemy furnace, but I don't know why it's here," I replied. "Let's not discuss that now. The important thing is how we can cross this cliff and get to the passage on the other side," Jenny interrupted our conversation.

After hearing Jenny's words, I carefully surveyed my surroundings. I discovered that the cliff stretched from the left to the right side of the cave, with nothing connecting it except for the enormous bronze cauldron and bronze chains. So I said, "It seems the only way is to try climbing these bronze chains from the cauldron to the other side of the cliff." "What? Climb over these chains?" Dunzi couldn't believe his ears and exclaimed, "Brother, how could you come up with such a suicidal idea? You climb, I don't want to die!" I was about to say something more to persuade him when Jenny nodded and said, "It seems this is the only way to try. Okay, Sinan, I'll go with you." "I'll go with you too," Abao said, patting my shoulder after hearing Jenny's words. Hearing that they agreed, I patted Abao's shoulder in return, thanking them for their trust.

When Dunzi heard that everyone else was coming with me, leaving him all alone, he panicked. Reluctantly, he said, "Fine, fine, my life is in your hands today, brother. Whether I live or die is up to fate." I knew that was just Dunzi's nature—a coward who wouldn't admit it. So I patted him on the back and said with a smile, "Trust me. Look at those chains, they're so thick, there shouldn't be any major problems. Just be careful." Dunzi just rolled his eyes at me but didn't say anything. But I knew this meant he had accepted it. He was just sulking for now; he'd be fine in a bit. So I ignored him and walked to the edge of the cliff to carefully examine the thick bronze chains.

I crouched down and examined the bronze chains closely. A thick layer of green and white patina had formed on their surface. The chains had originally appeared to have patterns, but now, covered by the patina, their original design was unrecognizable. I took the hunting rifle from Ah Bao, turned it around, and struck one of the chains in front of me several times with the butt. The loud clanging of metal echoed for a long time in the vast cavern before everything gradually returned to silence.

I nodded to Jenny and the others, indicating that everything was normal and there shouldn't be any problems. Then I had Ah Bao take out the safety rope from my backpack and secure one end firmly to a nearby thick stalactite pillar. I then tied the other end of the rope around my waist and had Ah Bao and Dunzi pull on it, gradually extending the rope as I moved forward. After everything was prepared and explained, I took a towel from my backpack, tore off several strips, wrapped them around my hands, and then randomly chose a bronze chain. I hooked my legs onto the chain, trying to maintain my balance while hanging upside down, and used my hands to pull myself forward inch by inch.

Because a dozen meters below the chains was a flow of scorching lava that remained at high temperatures year-round, the bronze chains had been baked by the intense heat for a long time, and their surface temperature was already quite high. Fortunately, there was a faint, chilling aura in the cave, which alleviated the high temperature on the chains somewhat. But even so, after prolonged contact with the bronze chains, the skin on my hands gradually began to turn red from the heat and even started to peel.

76. The Horrifying Corpse-Burning Cauldron

Although the parts of my hands and feet that had been in contact with the bronze chains were burning with unbearable pain, I still endured the agony and struggled to climb towards the opposite cliff. Along the way, I couldn't help but glance down. There, the fiery red lava churned and surged beneath me. Every now and then, small jets of lava would erupt high into the air, seemingly about to hit me, making my heart tremble. Fortunately, the distance between the two cliffs wasn't too far, and soon I reached the enormous furnace in the middle of the chains.

Since the entire cauldron was cast in bronze, the temperature on it remained very high. I could only take a cursory look at this giant cauldron before me. It was about two meters tall and one and a half meters in diameter. The cauldron was a three-legged vessel, with taotie patterns cast on the legs. The handles extended upwards in an "S" shape until they were level with the lid, decorated with bird, beast, and thunder patterns. The lid was cast with a three-dimensional pattern of nine dragons vying for a pearl, with each dragon's scales and whiskers clearly visible, demonstrating the exquisite craftsmanship. Although the cauldron was covered in patches of patina due to the erosion of time, losing its former luster, its exquisite craftsmanship and imposing shape still revealed its former regal aura.

Before I could examine the other details, the strips of cloth wrapped around my hands and my trouser legs were already smoking from the heat. So I continued to climb quickly along the thick bronze chain towards the opposite cliff. About five or six minutes later, I had reached the top of the opposite cliff. After carefully removing the charred and blackened strips of cloth from my hands, I discovered that large patches of skin had been peeled off my palms. But there was no time to complain. I tied the safety rope around my waist to a nearby boulder, then waved my wolf-eye flashlight at Jenny and the others on the opposite cliff, telling them that I had successfully crossed and that they could choose the next person to follow my example.

So, as Jenny tied the safety rope around her waist and slowly climbed towards me, Leopard on the other side gradually lengthened the rope, while I slowly shortened it, working together to protect Jenny. Jenny frowned, gritted her teeth, and inching forward. Her hands and trouser legs, like mine, hissed from the intense heat of the bronze chains. After about seven or eight minutes, a drenched in sweat, Jenny was finally pulled to the top of the cliff.

I untied the safety rope from Jenny's waist, then helped the panting Jenny to a nearby boulder to sit and rest. I then waved my wolf-eye flashlight again towards Leopard and his group on the other side of the abyss and shouted, "Dunzi, it's okay, you can come over now." Dunzi panicked when I called him over and tried to back away, but Leopard, laughing, stopped him. Leopard encouraged him for a few moments, then tied the safety rope around his waist, patted Dunzi on the shoulder, and told him he could go. Clearly, Dunzi's heart was pounding. He reluctantly moved forward, each step feeling incredibly difficult. When he reached the edge of the cliff, he cautiously peered into the abyss below. When he saw the churning, churning lava at the bottom, it was as if he saw a terrifying, grotesque face, causing him to involuntarily take a few steps back.

Seeing this, I shouted anxiously, "Hey, Dunzi, it's okay, don't look down, just grit your teeth and you'll get across. Ah Bao and I are using ropes to protect you, you won't fall!" "Yes, Mr. Qi, it's okay, be brave!" Jenny also came over and shouted to Dunzi on the other side of the abyss. Although Dunzi was timid, he was very proud. Seeing Jenny encouraging him, he felt a little embarrassed, so he gritted his teeth, shakily climbed onto one of the bronze chains, and began to crawl towards us. Perhaps at first, because his hands were wrapped with cloth strips, he didn't feel any discomfort. But when he had crawled about a third of the way, the cloth strips began to smoke from the heat, and Dunzi screamed "Ahhh!" from the heat, almost letting go. Ah Bao and I tensed up when we saw this, quickly gripping the ropes tightly, afraid that he would really let go and fall into the lava flow.

"Dunzi, hang in there! I know you're not a coward, you can make it!" I shouted, deliberately trying to provoke him. "Damn it, I—of course I'm not a coward, stop yelling." Dunzi was indeed agitated by my provocation, and despite the searing pain, he began to move towards us little by little again.

Just as Dunzi climbed onto the massive furnace in the middle of the bronze chains, for some unknown reason, we suddenly felt the entire cavern tremble violently. The fiery red magma at the bottom of the abyss suddenly erupted. With a deafening "crack," a giant wave of magma shot skyward, about to hit the furnace; we were all terrified and didn't know what to do. Fortunately, the giant wave of magma stopped its upward momentum about three or four meters from the furnace and then fell back down. Only a few drops of magma splashed onto the thick bronze chains, making a hissing sound.

At this critical moment, the sturdy creature atop the furnace was terrified by the overwhelming, fiery red lava surge. Its limbs flailing wildly across the furnace, managing to pry open the lid of the Nine Dragons Seizing the Pearl cauldron. As soon as the lid was pushed open a crack, a plume of grayish-white smoke billowed from the furnace. Although I was several meters away from the furnace, I could smell a strange, acrid odor emanating from the smoke. I had no idea what was inside the furnace; the sturdy creature, having inadvertently glimpsed its contents, was so frightened it couldn't even scream. It then closed its eyes tightly, gripping the furnace firmly with both hands, refusing to move an inch further, no matter how much we shouted.

I realized this couldn't go on. If the magma waves from the bottom of the abyss surged up again, Dunzi would be doomed sooner or later. So, I disregarded everything else and quickly climbed towards the central furnace, pulling myself along the thick bronze chain. In my eagerness to save him, I didn't even feel the pain in my hands and feet, and soon reached Dunzi's side. I squinted through the gap in the half-open furnace lid and peeked inside. My heart pounded wildly. The enormous furnace was filled with charred, blackened human remains. Although some were completely shattered into ashes, many intact, charred human skulls and other skeletal remains were still visible. Judging by the number, there were probably more than a dozen skeletons. This enormous furnace was actually a crematorium, burning corpses, and there were so many of them! The thought sent a wave of nausea through me.

To calm Dunzi down, I first put the lid of the cauldron back on. Then I gently patted Dunzi's shoulder, which brought him back to his senses from his panicked and dazed state. I encouraged him a few words and told him to climb over with me. Dunzi was very moved that I had braved the danger to climb over and rescue him, so he mustered his courage and followed me step by step. When we finally climbed to the other side of the cliff with Jenny's help, Dunzi sat down on the ground with a thud, unable to speak for a long time. I knew he was still shaken, so I didn't disturb him any longer. I continued to wave the wolf-eye flashlight around a few times to let him know that we had arrived safely and that he could come over too.

Ah Bao divided all the backpacks and equipment we had previously left on the other side into several groups and tied them to the middle of the safety rope. Then, as I pulled back, he let them out, slowly bringing all the backpacks and equipment over. Finally, he tied himself to the safety rope and began to climb towards us little by little. Just then, a loud, shrill laugh suddenly came from the depths of the cave behind us. The sound was ethereal and unpredictable, sometimes near, sometimes far, like the death knell of hellish officials. It made our hearts pound, our limbs go weak, and we all collapsed to the ground.

77. The Pool of Corpses in the Netherworld Spring

Just as we were looking around with our wolf-eye flashlights, searching for the source of the sudden laughter, a human hand suddenly reached up from below the cliff in front of us, startling us. Dunzi yelled, "Zombie!" and hurriedly hid behind a giant stalactite.

When I saw the hand reaching up from the abyss, I was terrified. I quickly pulled the ancient bronze sword from my backpack, which was temporarily piled on the ground, ready to deal with the monster at any moment. But when I looked at the hand again, I realized it seemed strangely familiar; it even had a Swiss gold watch on its wrist. Just then, a voice came from below the cliff in front of us: "Pull me up! You want to scald me to death?" It turned out to be Ah Bao's hand. Ah Bao had already struggled to climb up the cliff where we were. We had all been waiting at the edge to pull him up, but we had been so frightened by that mysterious laughter that we had forgotten to help Ah Bao as he climbed up the bronze chain. So, I quickly threw down the ancient sword, ran to the edge of the cliff, and pulled Ah Bao up. Only then did Dunzi emerge from behind the stalactite, saying as he walked, "Abao, did you really scare us to death? You didn't even warn us before sticking your hand out." Abao, hearing Dunzi's reproach, replied with a slightly aggrieved tone, "I suddenly heard a terrifying ghostly laugh coming from your side. I didn't know the specifics of your situation, so I didn't dare shout. But you saw my hand and didn't even try to pull it away. I couldn't bear the heat anymore, so I yelled." Dunzi, hearing Abao's explanation, thought it made sense, so he smiled at Abao and stopped complaining.

"What was that sound just now?" Jenny asked, her face full of doubt, as she adjusted her backpack and slung it back over her shoulder. "It was eerie, like the laughter of a ghost," I replied. "I wonder what terrifying things are lurking in this vast cavern." Although we were both terrified by the sound, we persisted. After repacking our backpacks and taking out our weapons, we continued into the cavern.

Walking a little further in, we saw the passageway inside the cave gradually narrow, eventually forming a circular opening about three or four meters in diameter in the stone wall in front of us. A faint, pale blue light shone from that opening. I tentatively stepped outside and peered into the cave. The stone walls inside were faintly emitting a pale blue glow. This light appeared and disappeared, ethereal and indistinct, as if I had seen it before.

"This light looks so much like the blue light on our two white jade seals!" Jenny said, walking up to me after seeing the magical blue light inside the cave. Jenny's reminder made me realize, "Yes, this light is exactly the same as the blue light on our two jade seals." I then walked straight towards the cave entrance.