The two rested briefly and worked together to push open the stone wall that had closed behind them.
At this moment, the pitiful Black Gold Ancient Blade was finally freed from its predicament, emitting a wronged hum in Zhang Qiling's hand.
This was a pitch-black tunnel, curving downwards.
Zhang Qiling took out his flashlight again. After illuminating the area, he discovered that both sides of the tunnel were covered in strange murals.
They were strange because, unlike the usual colorful depictions, they were drawn with thick, black lines, as if a child had been scribbling with a burning stick.
Zhang Qiling examined them carefully and could vaguely make out a story of people suffering from poverty flying to the heavens to enter immortal palaces and enjoy bliss.
The Tibetan region was remote, and it was tens of thousands of miles away from Changbai Mountain. Yet, the murals all expressed a desire for flight.
Perhaps for the ancients, escaping the suffering mortal world had become a consensus unhindered by geography.
The tunnel was very long, almost making Zhang Qiling suspect that the path led directly to the depths of hell.
Suddenly, the view opened up. The tunnel ended, revealing an extremely vast underground cavern!
The two walked forward a few steps. Before them stood a towering stone wall, roughly estimated to be over twenty meters high.
In the center of the stone wall was a small door, its dark interior like the gaping maw of a man-eating monster.
"The host is quite polite," Hei Yanjing remarked, looking at it. "They even left the door open."
"But it looks like this is just the front door."
He shone his flashlight upwards. Behind this high wall was another, even higher stone wall. Sharp stone stalactites hanging from the cavern ceiling dripped water slowly.
This was a massive underground labyrinth!
"Shall I?"
Hei Yanjing said without preamble.
Zhang Qiling did not object. In a place like this, Hei Yanjing's night vision would indeed be more useful.
He put away the Black Gold Ancient Blade, slightly lowered his body, and placed his hands flat and overlapped.
Hei Yanjing took a few steps back, then suddenly sprinted and leaped, landing on Zhang Qiling's clasped arms!
Zhang Qiling's arm muscles tensed. After a slight dip, he immediately threw upwards!
Like an arrow loosed from a bow, Hei Yanjing, with his own jumping ability and Zhang Qiling's assistance, shot out. He ran vertically up the wall a few steps before leaping again. With immense force, his dagger was deeply embedded into a stalactite hanging from the cavern ceiling!
Now at the highest point of the cavern, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes beneath his sunglasses. He had already deeply imprinted the structure of the labyrinth below into his mind!
Furthermore, he discovered that in the very center of the cavern ceiling was carved a lifelike face of a celestial maiden, her eyes closed, and a blood-red gem embedded on her forehead!
The gem seemed like a vortex, giving him the illusion that his gaze was being drawn in.
A strange feeling flashed through his mind, and Hei Yanjing quickly averted his gaze.
"I—am—going—down—"
Just as Zhang Qiling finished dusting his hands, he heard Hei Yanjing shouting from above.
He immediately sidestepped to get out of the way. As Hei Yanjing was about to touch the ground, he performed a forward roll and landed steadily.
"Got it all clear~" Hei Yanjing took out a crayon, looking eager.
"Want me to draw it for you?"
"...Mm."
A few minutes later, Zhang Qiling found himself staring at a pile of distorted lines on the ground.
...He had been too hasty. That pink monkey with its backside sticking out was actually the pinnacle of Hei Yanjing's artistic skill!
Hei Yanjing, however, felt quite pleased with himself, admiring his masterpiece with a "tsk tsk."
"How is it? Crystal clear, right?"
...Yes, crystal clear in its depiction of your outrageous imagination.
Zhang Qiling ignored Hei Yanjing. He really didn't want to argue in the cold, damp cavern about whether the pile of pink, twisted lines on the ground was a sketch or abstract art.
"Let's go."
With a cold, single word, Zhang Qiling walked into the labyrinth without looking back.
Hei Yanjing: ???
—
From the outside, these high walls appeared unremarkable. But upon entering the labyrinth, the difference became apparent.
These walls were hollowed out in the middle, and the empty spaces were filled with Buddha statues.
Under the illumination of the flashlight, these Buddhas all had kind faces, their hands clasped in prayer, as if chanting scriptures.
Such a grand and bright scene seemed out of place in this underground location.
Although Hei Yanjing's drawing skills were abstract, his memory was impeccable.
He remembered every complex junction and every turn with perfect clarity, walking without hesitation.
Following behind and maintaining vigilance, Zhang Qiling suddenly thought of Fatty and Wu Tianzhen.
If they were here, Fatty would probably be eagerly prying at the Buddha statues for treasures, and Wu Tianzhen would have to stop him.
Just then, Hei Yanjing, who was in front, suddenly stopped!
Before him stood a Buddha statue that completely blocked the path!
This statue had a benevolent expression, a slight smile on its lips, appearing harmless.
But Hei Yanjing clearly remembered that this path should not have such a statue!
"Dumbass!"
He let out a low shout, and Zhang Qiling instantly understood that something was wrong!
Looking around, Zhang Qiling suddenly realized that the Buddha statues around them, which had originally shown little expression, now wore peculiar smiles!
These things could move?!
Suddenly, a cold wind swept past behind him. Zhang Qiling saw Hei Yanjing's expression change drastically. The Black Gold Ancient Blade in his hand was already unsheathed, instantly slashing behind him!
A sound of cracking stone followed. The Buddha statue that had quietly appeared behind him was split in two!
However, Zhang Qiling saw a faint glimmer of light flash from within the shattered statue!
"Get out of the way!"
As Zhang Qiling shouted, countless spikes suddenly shot out from the interior of the shattered statue. The tips of the spikes gleamed with a strange dark light, clearly containing poison!
The poisoned spikes flew at extreme speed. As they dodged, the two suddenly realized that the surrounding area was now filled with smiling Buddha statues!
Even if ancient mechanisms were indestructible for a thousand years, they would still have operating patterns. Random movement was impossible without the involvement of life!
Find the formation's core!
Without any communication, the two instantly completed their division of labor!
With the Black Gold Ancient Blade in hand, Zhang Qiling blocked all the poison spikes shot by the numerous Buddhas.
Meanwhile, Hei Yanjing's eyes widened beneath his sunglasses. The randomly moving Buddha statues in the darkness suddenly revealed a clear trajectory in his vision!
Left, right, right, left, right, left, right, front, left, back, front, left, right!
The formation's core was right there!
A small clearing suddenly appeared in his sight. Hei Yanjing, holding his dagger, leaped over several Buddha heads, deflecting a few upward-flying poison spikes, and landed precisely above that clearing!
Gripping the dagger, Hei Yanjing thrust downwards with all his might!
At that moment, he caught a glimpse of a Buddha in front of him, too far to reach him, suddenly contorting its face into a horrifying, tearing grin!
Its stone eyes bulged almost to the point of tearing its sockets, and fine veins seemed to appear on its face as if alive!
...Wrong!
"Dumbass—!"
The Black Gold Ancient Blade sliced through the air almost instantly!
Hei Yanjing, quick-handed, grabbed the hilt and used the flying momentum to propel himself away!
The Black Gold Ancient Blade plunged deeply into the stone wall, humming incessantly!
Hei Yanjing dangled on the side of the wall. Looking back at the clearing—
Countless sharp blades, half a meter high, had now emerged from the ground!
This was a deliberately designed fake formation core!
With no time to think, he pulled a grappling hook from his waist and flung it out with force!
"Grab on!!!"
Zhang Qiling, having lost the Black Gold Ancient Blade and desperately dodging the endless spikes, grabbed it without looking back as he heard the grappling hook whistling through the air!
The grappling hook immediately retracted. The Buddhas, seeing Zhang Qiling leave, became frenzied and began to gather under the wall where the two were!
The formation's core wasn't in the labyrinth, so where was it?
Zhang Qiling suddenly recalled the content of the murals. Those crude paintings now seemed profoundly meaningful...
The mortal world is suffering and weak, the heavenly palaces...
"Above!"
Hei Yanjing immediately understood Zhang Qiling's meaning. The strange face of the celestial maiden flashed through his mind!
"In the center, the red gem!!"
A dagger was thrown to Zhang Qiling. Hei Yanjing exerted force with his arm, gripping the grappling hook rope and instantly flinging Zhang Qiling upwards!
Zhang Qiling's night vision wasn't as strong as Hei Yanjing's, but in the dimness of the ceiling, a self-illuminating red gem was truly eye-catching!
With a quick judgment, the dagger flew out!
With a burst, the gem shattered!
At this moment, Zhang Qiling fell with gravity. He did not grab the rope again, letting himself land on the ground.
Hei Yanjing also jumped down, handing the pulled-out Black Gold Ancient Blade to Zhang Qiling.
...The gathered Buddhas had all become still.