As Liu Dashao shouted, those who had been mesmerized flinched as if waking from a dream, shuddering before rushing toward everyone else.

Once the situation calmed, Liu Dashao recalled that the entire mess had been caused by Fan Debiao, and he turned to him, saying, "What was going on with you just now? Why did the mechanism suddenly activate?"

Still slightly shaken from the recent danger, Fan Debiao pondered for a moment—perhaps because events had unfolded too quickly—and told Liu Dashao, "That mechanism must have a pressure limit set. I hadn't taken more than a few steps before I heard a 'crack' beneath my feet. That's why I asked you all if weight affected the mechanism, but before you could answer, it just sprang into action!"

Listening to Fan Debiao's account, Liu Dashao was momentarily speechless. It seemed this fat man truly wasn't suited for tomb raiding; next time, he absolutely wouldn't involve him, if there even was a next time...

Fan Debiao glanced at the tomb passage and asked strangely, "Does this mechanism only bluff? Can't it actually do anything?"

"You want it to actually do something? If that mechanism had done something real to you, me talking to you right now would be completely unrealistic," Liu Dashao needled Fan Debiao.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a very dull moan echoed from lower down the passage, followed by silence. Everyone recoiled in fright from the noise.

For a moment, everyone exchanged bewildered glances. Liu Dashao wondered what the deal was with this mechanism—was the person who designed it brain-dead to include such a startling, sudden action?

"It's been too long; you all got lucky. The mechanism inside is probably useless now," Uncle Diao said, dusting off his clothes.

The mechanism was broken! This was something Liu Dashao should have considered long ago; his mind hadn't been sharp lately. He resolved to buy some 'Brain Gold' supplements when they got back.

However, hearing Uncle Diao confirm the mechanism was obsolete, Liu Dashao let out a breath of relief, thanking all the gods and Buddhas for their mercy. The current scene would have been unimaginable if the trap were still functional. Thinking of it, Liu Dashao genuinely hesitated to look back down the passage.

"Damn, where did this giant Amorphophallus titanum come from?" Fan Debiao suddenly roared in astonishment.

Everyone turned to look at Fan Debiao, spotting several clusters of trumpet-like flowers ahead of him. They weren't actual lilies, though; these flowers towered over a person. Such enormous blooms must date back to ancient times. Liu Dashao didn't know what they were exactly, but they looked familiar—perhaps a common flower from long ago, maybe seen in books or on TV.

The sight of such large flowers standing there inevitably piqued everyone's curiosity, and they clustered around Fan Debiao, eager to examine them thoroughly.

"Get back! Don't go near those flowers!" Uncle Diao suddenly bellowed.

This burial chamber wasn't large, and Uncle Diao's voice resonated sharply, startling everyone. They quickly retreated a few steps to stand near Uncle Diao, and the others followed suit.

"Are these man-eating flowers?" Liu Dashao asked Uncle Diao doubtfully.

"What man-eating flowers?" Uncle Diao’s tone carried a hint of tension. "These flowers are called Corpse Scent Arum—the most poisonous flower in the world."

"Corpse Scent Arum!" Liu Dashao shuddered the moment Uncle Diao uttered those words, as did anyone else who understood the implications.

This flower was one Liu Dashao had once looked up out of sheer curiosity. Modern people called it the Titan Arum, also known as the Corpse Flower, along with countless other names: Ghost Head, Ghost Tuber, Candelabra, Devil's Jack-in-the-pulpit, Snakehead Grass... the list was endless.

This flower was the world's largest "bloom" today. However, unlike other flowers, it emitted no fragrance; instead, it reeked of a sickening, corpse-like stench. A gas mask was essential here, or the sheer number of Titan Arums would have suffocated them all. Uncle Diao was likely worried about this very thing when he told them not to approach.

As far as Liu Dashao remembered, besides the foul odor, this flower posed no other significant danger. Unaware of the nuances, Fan Debiao raised his weapon, aiming it at the Titan Arum as if expecting a Zongzi (undead) might be hiding inside.

It was time for Liu Dashao to do some "brainwashing" on Fan Debiao. He recounted the known properties of the Titan Arum, stressing that it wasn't particularly dangerous. Hearing this, Fan Debiao's tightly wound nerves finally relaxed.

"You know your stuff!" Uncle Diao’s tone remained serious.

"What?" Liu Dashao didn't understand.

"This isn't the Titan Arum; this is Corpse Scent Arum," Uncle Diao's voice now held a deeper strain of tension.

"Aren't the Corpse Scent Arum and the Titan Arum the same thing?" Liu Dashao looked at Uncle Diao's eyes behind the mask, which seemed unusually profound.

"The Corpse Scent Arum is the ancestor of the Titan Arum," Uncle Diao tightened his mask slightly. "The Corpse Scent Arum is a species that went extinct thousands of years ago—it's the legendary Devil's Flower. It uses its seductive colors and unique fragrance to confuse the nerves of people or animals, inducing terrifying hallucinations until death."

Hearing this, a shock ran through Liu Dashao. Such a flower existed in the world? Perhaps the state he had been in moments ago was a result of its influence. Instantly, a genuine fear of the flowers took root in his mind.

"If it's been extinct for thousands of years, how is it here? What are these flowers surviving on?" Liu Dashao voiced his cascade of questions.

Uncle Diao continued his explanation: "These flowers survive by absorbing the qi of dead bodies. Didn't you notice? The atmosphere here is wrong. The fact that so many Corpse Scent Arums are growing so well strongly suggests this is the Golden Queen's burial chamber. Everyone is standing on piles of bleached bones."

At Uncle Diao’s words, Liu Dashao felt intensely uncomfortable. Standing atop mounds of the dead was something archaeologists did often, but in this setting, it sent a chill down his spine.

"Bad news!" Wang Feifei suddenly cried out.

Everyone looked at her, assuming something had happened to her. "What's wrong?"

"The others are still outside. They don't know about these flowers. If they come in without masks, they'll be in trouble," Wang Feifei articulated the group's shared worry.

This was a serious matter. If a dozen people rushed in without protection, succumbed to the Corpse Scent Arum, and started attacking everyone, they wouldn't know how to handle the situation.

Uncle Diao immediately recognized the gravity of the situation and hastily called everyone to leave and regroup with the others. A little extra walking wouldn't kill them.

Everyone nodded; nobody wanted to linger here anyway. They turned to head back toward the passage, but as they turned, there was a loud BOOM as a stone slab suddenly sealed the passage. Fan Debiao, who had just reached the edge, nearly got trapped completely, cursing loudly in frustration.

Everyone stood dumbfounded. Did the Golden Queen design this place specifically to suffocate anyone who entered?

For a moment, no one had a solution. After a prolonged silence, they finally held a conference. The consensus was that they couldn't just stand around being fools. Since they were on a path, they had to continue forward and only devise a new plan once they found the Golden Queen's sarcophagus.

Nobody wanted to linger in this place. On one side of the chamber was a stone door. Even if it didn't lead to the Golden Queen's main tomb, it surely wasn't far. So, they quickly slipped through the doorway.

The area inside was much as expected: another short passage, where they could see the other end immediately upon entering. The ceiling here was arched. They were likely close to the main chamber now, where mechanisms were usually absent. However, chastened by their earlier carelessness, they proceeded with extreme caution. They reached the next chamber without incident.

Upon arrival, their eyes widened. The scene before them was both magnificent and spine-chilling.

Before them lay a chamber the size of a soccer field, built like a grand palace, opulent and richly decorated. Artifacts were strewn everywhere, and the sheer amount of gold was enough to make them speechless.

Yet, excitement was replaced by tension, fear, and cold sweat. Before them was a sea of flowers—a sea composed entirely of Corpse Scent Arum.

The vibrant, colorful sea of flowers formed by the Corpse Scent Arum stunned everyone present. Although their faces were obscured, the tension in their nerves was palpable, pushing the atmosphere to a suffocating peak.

They weren't hallucinating, which meant they hadn't been affected yet. Perhaps the gas masks offered immunity against these flowers.

Everyone fell silent, perhaps overwhelmed by the oppressive atmosphere. Looking at the surrounding artifacts helped them regain some composure. Fan Debiao was the first to speak: "Damn it, how are there so many Corpse Scent Arums here? Aren't the Golden People afraid of hallucinations?"

"God knows," Liu Dashao said, regaining his functional speech.

"Is this the main tomb chamber?" Old Wu asked the crucial question.

"This probably isn't the main tomb chamber yet. These flowers are extremely detrimental to corpses, so there shouldn't be any in the primary burial site," Uncle Diao stated grimly.

As Uncle Diao spoke, a horrifying thought struck Liu Dashao again. Since the Corpse Scent Arum fed on corpses, the sheer number here meant countless bodies must have been cultivated to support them—certainly not less than thousands. This meant they were literally standing on a mass grave. How cruel must the Golden Queen have been to have killed so many people to nurture this sea of flowers?

"Planting flowers in a tomb goes against geomancy principles," Liu Dashao finally murmured.

"What place is this? A distant frontier? Who cares about feng shui here?" Fan Debiao retorted.

"What exactly was the Golden Queen trying to do? Planting so many Corpse Scent Arums here—did she intend to turn this entire ancient city into an illusionary city?" Liu Dashao continued.

"Let's worry about her intentions later. We can't stay here long. Everyone, quickly search for other chambers," Uncle Diao said, waving his hand.

As Uncle Diao gave the instruction, Old Wu pulled out a pair of binoculars and began scanning carefully. Liu Dashao found it unbelievable; binoculars inside a tomb? What sort of expertise was that?

After looking for a while, Old Wu shook his head, saying the Corpse Scent Arums were too tall for the binoculars to be effective.

Liu Dashao felt a surge of disappointment when Old Wu finished speaking. It seemed they would have to split up to search, a prospect that made him nauseous.

However, Uncle Diao and the others seemed less stressed. Uncle Diao looked at Laoshu and said, "Laoshu, it's time for you to shine."

With that, Laoshu leaped and stuck himself to the wall. With a tight flex of his body, he began scaling the bare wall, climbing a meter or two. Seeing this display, Liu Dashao was stunned. He recalled that Laoshu had used a similar method to scale up in that previous cave.

"Damn it! That's the legendary 'Swallow Li San' technique of scaling walls and flying on grass—a supreme lightness skill lost since the Republic era! I never thought anyone still possessed it," Fan Debiao exclaimed admiringly beside Liu Dashao.

"Chinese Kung Fu, yeah!" Jackson, who had been silent for a long time, chimed in with praise.

Liu Dashao had already figured out Laoshu's trick. He was wearing gear suitable for climbing on his hands and feet; it wasn't the "lightness skill" Fan Debiao mentioned, which belonged only in wuxia novels. Still, achieving Laoshu's level required significant practice and counted as a specialized skill.

Laoshu clung to the wall like a monkey, surveying the area. Since he wore a gas mask, his expression was hidden, so no one knew if he had found anything. Everyone watched him silently, awaiting his answer like the resolution of a suspense novel.

"Found it!" Laoshu spat out the words and instantly dropped beside them: "Found it, it's over there." He pointed in one direction.

"Is there a clear path?" Uncle Diao asked Laoshu.

"There's no path. Everyone has to cross through the sea of flowers," Laoshu replied.

Crossing through the Corpse Scent Arum—Liu Dashao’s heart lurched. It was a wild, terrifying decision. Still, he had to steel himself and proceed, treating it like an unexpected tour of a flower garden.

Laoshu took the lead, with Zhong Kui covering the rear. The group proceeded in the direction Laoshu had indicated.

The Corpse Scent Arums in this chamber were much taller than those outside. Upon entering the flower sea, they instantly lost all sense of direction. Thankfully, Laoshu had a good memory, so they didn't worry too much about navigation. However, the flowers were unnerving; occasionally, one bore thorns and might be a century old. Liu Dashao dared not look at them and focused his gaze on the ground.

It turned out the artifacts weren't just lined up against the walls; those were mere scraps. The ground beneath their feet was littered with treasures, scattered randomly and haphazardly.

One could only imagine the wealth of the ancient Golden City. The contents of this single chamber were staggering. This room must have been dedicated solely to storing valuables. But why were they strewn about so carelessly? Shouldn't they at least be contained in something? Perhaps these were items the Golden Queen deemed less precious? Good heavens, what must the things in her sarcophagus look like?

However, Liu Dashao could now confirm one thing: these Corpse Scent Arums were intended to guard these artifacts. Any tomb raider who entered, upon seeing this wealth, would either kill each other or be killed by the flowers.

Fan Debiao hadn't taken his eyes off the artifacts on the ground, but he dared not touch anything. He was smart enough to know how malevolent these flowers were, and the artifacts were likely contaminated. If he took anything out, he might fall victim to the poison before even laying a hand on a bribe—turning himself in to the police while carrying a bag of contaminated relics would be too absurd.

The tension was extreme. They had no idea how long they wandered in the flower sea or how many Corpse Scent Arums they had bypassed. This felt worse than walking through the desert all night.

Right on the verge of collapse, Laoshu brought good news: "We're here."

Hearing those two words, everyone’s nerves instantly slackened, and they let out a collective sigh of relief. They quickened their pace and soon emerged from the accursed sea of Corpse Scent Arum.

Before them stood a door and an irregularly shaped hole. Liu Dashao immediately recognized the hole—it was a tomb robber’s passage. Was it one Uncle Diao had dug back then? Why would they take the passage instead of the door?

This situation required clarification from Uncle Diao, who shook his head. "I'm an amnesiac, how would I know anything?"

Uncle Diao insisted on splitting up, which Liu Dashao disliked. If they separated and encountered another passage issue, who knew how long they'd be stuck wandering here.

Uncle Diao argued, "Then you choose a path. Can you guarantee which one leads to the Golden Queen's main tomb? If this robber's tunnel is indeed mine, I certainly wouldn't have finished it without making sure it was secure."

Uncle Diao's reasoning made sense. They had no choice but to split into two groups. After a quick discussion, the archaeology/exploration team would take the robber's tunnel, and Uncle Diao's group would take the door. Since the tunnel was man-made, its hidden dangers were thought to be less significant, leaving the "safe" path for Liu Dashao's team.

Once the plan was set, the groups split and headed toward their respective routes. Entering the robber's tunnel, they reformed their original configuration, the team led by Wang Feifei.

The tunnel was dug in a rush, and one couldn't guess the mindset of the person digging it. After only a few steps, Fan Debiao ahead suddenly stopped. Liu Dashao hurried to ask what the matter was.

"The tunnel changed direction," Fan Debiao reported.

"What's so strange about a change in direction? Just keep going," Liu Dashao found it baffling.

"This change is rather unusual!" Fan Debiao continued.

Unusual? Liu Dashao wondered what kind of situation he meant. He quickly squeezed past Wang Feifei to see what was so peculiar.

Upon looking, he was startled: "I have to admit, this is quite special." For some reason, this passage now dropped vertically downward.

"What's the situation?" Fan Debiao, having been in many tombs, asked for an explanation.

"There's only one situation: the main tomb chamber is down there," Fan Debiao declared confidently.

The main tomb chamber is below?

Liu Dashao felt a pang of doubt. Then where were Uncle Diao and his group going? But now wasn't the time to dwell on it. Since this tunnel hadn't ended, and they had to descend, they would just follow, regardless of where it led.

Wang Feifei, embracing a similar 'go-for-broke' mentality, ordered everyone to descend without further hesitation. Fan Debiao was eager; he shone his flashlight down—a murky expanse of black. Then, he set off a small flare to survey the situation before leading the way down.

Fan Debiao went first, with Liu Dashao bringing up the rear. This tunnel was quite large, and digging it must have taken considerable time, but their descent was smooth and sure-footed.

Not long after, the tunnel's direction changed again, becoming horizontal once more. Liu Dashao grew puzzled. Either the tunnel digger had a terrible sense of direction, or they were intentionally creating a maze.

Still, a horizontal passage was much better than a vertical drop; they could walk and rest along the way. They took this chance to eat some dry rations and drink some water.

They hadn't walked much further when Fan Debiao shouted about light. Liu Dashao tilted his head to look; indeed, a faint, diffused light shone not far ahead. He wondered if it was Uncle Diao's group. He hadn't expected them to arrive first.