The instant his feet touched the ground, Young Master Liu’s knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the earth with a heavy thud, unable to rise for a long time. Every nerve in his body had been stretched taut moments before; now, the slackening left him utterly spent, dissolving into a puddle of limp flesh.
Fan De’biao asked, “What were you two doing up on that cliff face? You knew that monster was down below, why didn’t you climb up faster?”
Young Master Liu wiped the cold sweat from his brow. “We found some oddly arranged caverns on the opposite cliff face!”
“Caverns?” Fan De’biao looked at the pair with curiosity.
Scholar Jia stated, “Those caverns form a Six Worlds Reincarnation Array. If you don’t want to stay here and be roasted into suckling pigs by a volcanic eruption, follow me into the formation now!”
With that, Scholar Jia led the way toward the other side of the crater.
“The Six Worlds Reincarnation Array? What kind of bizarre thing is that now?” Fan De’biao and the others looked at me inquiringly.
Young Master Liu scrambled to his feet. “Don’t ask me, I don’t know either. But following the senior should be the right move!”
Ten minutes later, the group reached the far side of the crater. After securing the pitons and tossing down the climbing ropes, Scholar Jia was the first to slide down using his descender. Young Master Liu watched him with a tight feeling in his chest. Scholar Jia had said that among all those caverns, only the one forming the array’s eye—the Six Worlds Reincarnation Array—was the sole safe passage; all others led to the hellish road of death. If Scholar Jia made even one mistake and chose the wrong path, this entire team would be wiped out in this godforsaken place.
Scholar Jia, old man Jia, you absolutely cannot fail! Young Master Liu silently prayed to himself.
A moment later, Scholar Jia raised his wolf-eye flashlight, giving a signal for the others to descend. Young Master Liu gritted his teeth and slid down second.
The caverns on the stone wall looked like several gaping black mouths, seemingly ready to swallow him whole at any moment. Below was an impenetrable blackness; nothing could be seen. Even over a mere twenty meters of descent, Young Master Liu’s palms were slick with cold sweat.
Just as Young Master Liu was about to call out to Scholar Jia to ask where he was, his ankle was suddenly gripped tightly, as if caught by something. The hairs on his body shot upright as if jolted by electricity, and he let out a startled cry, instinctively trying to kick out. At that moment, he heard Scholar Jia’s voice: “Don’t move wildly! It’s me!”
Young Master Liu let out a long, shaky breath. “Couldn’t you just speak? That sudden grab nearly scared the life out of me!”
Scholar Jia stood at the cavern entrance, responsible for receiving Fan De’biao and the others. Young Master Liu, meanwhile, held up the wolf-eye flashlight, examining the interior of the cavern.
The cavern wasn't spacious, allowing only two people to pass abreast. The height was perhaps only two meters, creating a somewhat oppressive feeling inside. To everyone's surprise, the temperature inside the cavern wasn't high. On the contrary, it was filled with wisps of cold mist, like the fog of a winter morning, enveloping the group. Having just left an intensely hot area, they were now plunged into an extremely cold one. This drastic temperature swing between extreme heat and extreme cold left everyone miserable.
Young Master Liu slowly advanced, the wolf-eye flashlight sweeping forward, his brow furrowed. He genuinely couldn't understand what was happening. Beneath a volcano, it should all be magma zones; how had they arrived in such a frigid place? Truly, the world was full of wonders.
Due to the constant low temperature, the ground and walls of the passage were coated in a thick layer of frost, forcing the group to walk slowly, sinking deep with each step.
“Hey, didn't you notice? These marks on the ground look like footprints!” Young Master Liu squatted down, picking up a piece of mottled, frozen sludge, muttering to himself.
“Let’s go. We’ve been beaten to it again. Those seven aren't simple folk after all!” Scholar Jia clapped Young Master Liu on the shoulder.
The cold air quickly banished the lingering heat from everyone's bodies. Slowly, the group transitioned from dripping sweat to shivering uncontrollably.
“What kind of hellhole is this? I’m freezing to death!” Young Master Liu walked on, blowing warm air into his hands.
Fan De’biao chimed in, “Let’s just hope this place isn't a dead end, or we’ll freeze solid here, just like those pigs hanging in the cold storage unit!”
Cai Qingchong shot him a glare. “Can’t you, you fatso, say something positive for once? Have some faith, okay?”
As the two were bickering, a rumbling sound suddenly echoed through the passage, followed by the entire tunnel shaking violently. The frost overhead rained down in dusty sheets. The ground beneath their feet was already slippery, and everyone immediately lost their footing, tumbling down onto the floor with loud thuds.
Fan De’biao screamed in terror, “Earthquake! It’s an earthquake!”
Young Master Liu felt as if he’d been thrown into a washing machine, spinning and tilting so violently that he became dizzy and disoriented, unable to distinguish north from south, much less stand up.
After an indeterminate amount of time, the violent shaking gradually subsided, and the tunnel ceased its trembling. The group lay sprawled on the ground, covered in a thick layer of frost.
“Ptoo! Ptoo, ptoo!” Fan De’biao shook his head and was the first to sit up, spitting out mouthfuls of ice shards. “Damn it, that was more thrilling than a roller coaster!”
Young Master Liu rubbed his throbbing head and managed to push himself up. That violent jolt had nearly shaken his bones apart.
“Senior Jia, are you alright?” he asked with concern.
Scholar Jia twisted his neck and rubbed his wrist. “I’m fine!”
“Da Shao, why don’t you show some concern for me?” Fan De’biao complained, clutching his stomach.
Liu Da Shao glanced at him. “Aren’t you clearly fine?”
“Who says I’m fine? I have a huge problem!” Fan De’biao’s expression shifted to one of pain.
“You really are hurt?” Young Master Liu was just about to step over to offer comfort when Fan De’biao suddenly turned around, clutching his stomach with one hand and bracing himself against the wall with the other, letting out a loud, retching cry.
“So disgusting, it stinks!” Cai Qingchong covered his nose and stumbled back, only to slip on the icy floor with an ‘Ow!’ and fall flat on his face.
Fan De’biao chuckled grimly. “That’s karma!” He didn't finish the sentence before burying his face in another fit of nausea, vomiting until the world spun, close to expelling his very organs.
Young Master Liu walked over and patted Fan De’biao’s back. After a while, Fan De’biao managed to catch his breath, sliding down to sit against the wall.
Young Master Liu turned to Scholar Jia. “Senior, what was that shaking just now?”
Scholar Jia pondered for a moment. “I suspect the outer cave collapsed, which sent a shockwave here, causing such violent shaking!”
Yang Weidong said, “The entire structure must have caved in. We’re buried deep underground now; it looks like there’s no way out!”
“I never expected to retreat from the moment we entered. Everyone, pull yourselves together. Let’s keep moving forward!” Young Master Liu raised his wolf-eye light and took the lead.
Though he didn't know where this cavern led, his intuition told him they could get out of here. By this point, Young Master Liu could confirm one crucial thing: the air in the cavern was circulating, which meant it wasn't a sealed dead end. Since it wasn't a dead end, their hope of escape had increased significantly.
Thinking this, Young Master Liu felt a surge of confidence, and his steps became lighter.
The cavern extended downward at a steady incline. The further they descended, the colder it became. The walls were no longer coated with mere frost, but with a thick layer of ice crystals that looked like huge, bright mirrors reflecting their images. The beam of the wolf-eye light struck these crystals, refracting into hazy, eerie colors.
The group dared not stop; only by pushing forward relentlessly could they avoid feeling the cold. After walking through the narrow, icy passage for about fifteen minutes, a dazzling white light suddenly appeared not far ahead.
The group cheered excitedly. “We found the exit!”
The thought of finally leaving this perilous no-man’s-land and entering the outside world filled everyone with inexpressible joy. Perhaps because they had been within the ruins for so long, they desperately missed every plant, every mountain, and every stream of the world above—a world bursting with life, unlike this place filled only with silence and gloom.
However, their elation was shattered two minutes later. When the group stood at the mouth of the passage glowing with white light, they could hardly believe the sight before them.
In front of them lay a vast, hollow underground ice cave. Thick, solid ice seemed to have clad the cavern in a crystal shell. Light filtering in from some unknown source illuminated the entire ice cave, making it magnificently varied and dazzlingly surreal. In the glow, the group got a general sense of the ice cave’s scale.
The cavern was about twenty to thirty meters high. Countless massive ice pillars soared upwards like colossal columns supporting the ceiling. From the ceiling hung numerous icicles, dense as a hail of spears, flashing with a chilling, deadly cold that gripped the soul.
Nature's craftsmanship was truly breathtaking. The ice pillars had been sculpted into various forms, resembling priceless pieces of ice art. Some looked like bamboo shoots breaking through the earth, others like proud steeds rearing their heads to neigh; their forms were myriad, their shapes diverse, filling the onlookers with awe.
Looking out, the floor of the ice cave was strewn with innumerable ravines and fissures, as if someone had scribbled wildly on a white paper with a brush. A biting wind, carrying icy white air, constantly surged up from these cracks, resembling the misty splendor of the Jade Pool’s celestial realm.
“Am I... am I dreaming?” Yang Weidong rubbed his eyes, utterly astonished.
His words snapped the souls of the group, which were nearly floating out of their bodies, back into place. Almost simultaneously, a collective gasp of wonder escaped them.
It was too beautiful! This place was breathtakingly beautiful!
In that moment, the group almost forgot their fear, forgot the danger, forgot the passage of time, and even forgot that they were still deep underground.
Yet, after that initial burst of internal awe subsided, their spirits plummeted like a falling airplane into a bottomless abyss. They realized a severe problem: How were they going to get out of this underground ice cave?
“Da Shao, what do we do now?” Fan De’biao asked. Everyone else turned to him, awaiting Young Master Liu’s command. Young Master Liu and Scholar Jia were now the backbone of the team; their decisions often dictated the survival or demise of the entire group. Therefore, Young Master Liu could not afford to be careless; every move required deep deliberation before a decision was made.
The group stood at the edge of an ice cliff. Wisps of cold mist rose from below the precipice, and no one knew how deep the drop was. The gap between the ledges was about ten meters wide. The ice shelf opposite them was several meters lower than the one they stood on. Bridging the two tiers was a shimmering ice bridge, less than five meters wide, as smooth and polished as a mirror, faintly reflecting the inverted icicles hanging from the cave ceiling. The ice bridge slanted downward at a forty-five-degree angle, resembling a giant hand extending from the ice shelf beneath their feet.
Rumble! Rumble!
A sound like muffled thunder rolled up from beneath the cliff, chilling the hearts of the group. It sounded as if a massive, monstrous beast was imprisoned below the precipice, its gaping maw awaiting its prey.
Scholar Jia remained silent. Young Master Liu nervously gripped his hands. It seemed this ice bridge was their only path forward. Everyone appeared to realize this, standing in silence, their expressions shifting between hope and doubt as they stared at the bridge.
After a pause, Young Master Liu turned to the group. “We’ll slide across this ice bridge to the other side!”
Fan De’biao swallowed hard, his voice tinged with fear. “This ice bridge is less than five meters wide, and there aren't even any railings. If we slip up, we’ll fall right off!”
Liu Da Shao had indeed considered Fan De’biao’s concern, but there was no other route available.
“I’ll go first!” Scholar Jia suddenly stepped forward.
The others looked at him, surprised. Scholar Jia snorted. “It’s just a bridge!”
“Senior Jia, let me go first instead!” Liu Da Shao insisted.
The first person to cross the bridge faced the greatest danger and pressure. The group didn't know if this seemingly solid ice bridge could support a single person’s weight, nor were they certain the method of sliding across was entirely viable. In short, the path ahead was fraught with unknown hazards. Liu Da Shao could not stand by and watch Scholar Jia take this risk; as the leader, he should be the one to face the peril.
“It’s fine, let me do it!” Scholar Jia and Liu Da Shao argued.
Liu Da Shao turned and called to Fan De’biao, “De’biao, hold Senior Jia back for me!”
Great plumes of cold mist blossomed like flowers. Young Master Liu slowly squatted down, extended both legs, and settled himself at the edge of the precipice.
“Da Shao!” Fan De’biao’s worried tone drifted to Liu Da Shao’s ears.
Young Master Liu took a deep breath and spoke with forced lightness, “Don’t worry, just think of it as reliving childhood—going for a slide on a sled!”
He raised his right hand in a wave and shouted, “Here I go!”
As he spoke, Young Master Liu leaned his body slightly forward, and then he felt his backside as if freshly oiled. With a swoosh, he shot out like an arrow loosed from a bow.
All Liu Da Shao could hear was the rushing wind, and his vision was filled with a blinding white haze; he couldn't see anything. The sensation was like soaring through the clouds or riding a high-speed roller coaster. He stretched his limbs as straight as possible, keeping his body rigid, hoping to maintain a straight trajectory and avoid veering off the ice bridge.
In an instant, the fear in his heart dissolved. Young Master Liu’s mind became clear. During the rapid slide, fragmented, overlapping images flashed before his eyes. The entire descent probably lasted only a few seconds, yet it felt like enduring a long cycle of life and death.
Whoosh!
Young Master Liu successfully slid across the ice bridge, moving from the opposite side to this one. Due to inertia, he continued sliding across the ice surface for another dozen meters after crossing the bridge before finally coming to a stop.
He lay flat on the ice layer, letting out a long sigh of relief—he had succeeded!
After a moment, when the biting cold seeped into his back through the ice, Young Master Liu shuddered and scrambled to his feet. Thrilled, he waved his arms and shouted excitedly toward the other side of the chasm, “I’m over! I’m over here!”
Yang Weidong was the second to prepare to cross. Among the team, Young Master Liu worried about him and Fan De’biao the most. Yang Weidong was the classic example of brains over brawn; if he made any mistake crossing the bridge, it would truly be irrecoverable.
Yang Weidong approached the edge of the ice bridge trembling like a sieve. He finally managed to sit down at the precipice, but then he couldn't bring himself to move his body; his rear end seemed glued to the ice. Cai Qingchong grew impatient and pushed Yang Weidong hard from behind.
“Waaaah!” Yang Weidong let out a cry of extreme terror and shot down the smooth surface of the bridge.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Weidong slid onto the ice shelf on this side. Young Master Liu stepped forward to help him up. He saw Yang Weidong’s face was ashen, his eyes squeezed shut, presenting a comical sight.
Young Master Liu patted his cheek. “Hey, Dongzi, wake up!”
Yang Weidong gave a violent jolt and slowly opened his eyes, looking around in confusion. “Am I still alive?”
Liu Da Shao smiled and said, “Of course, you’re alive!”
Scholar Jia was the third to cross. Being an expert tomb raider, he took the least amount of time. He quickly squatted down and slid off the cliff edge with nimble grace, his posture as fluid as an ice fish darting through the deep sea. After landing on the ice shelf with Liu Da Shao, Scholar Jia only slid for less than ten meters before executing a perfect 'carp flip' and rising upright. The entire maneuver was clean, swift, and seamless, eliciting applause from the onlookers.
The fourth to cross was Fan De’biao. He stood at the edge of the cliff, unable to resist looking down, then grimaced as he told Cai Qingchong behind him, “Blast it! My legs are cramping!”
Cai Qingchong said, “If you’re scared, let me go first!”
Fan De’biao quickly pulled Cai Qingchong back. “No! Absolutely not! If you abandon me alone on this side, I really won't have the courage to slide across!”
Cai Qingchong said, “Then hurry up!”
Fan De’biao swallowed hard and sat down at the edge of the drop-off, but no movement followed for a long time.
Cai Qingchong couldn't help but ask, “Why aren’t you sliding down?”
Fan De’biao turned back to Cai Qingchong with a look of helplessness. “I... my butt cramped up again!”
Cai Qingchong shook his head. “You’re such a pain. Let me give you a push!”
Fan De’biao said, “Be sure to use the right force and aim correctly. Don’t push me off the bridge!”
Cai Qingchong clapped his hands. “Don't worry, look how accurately I pushed Yang Weidong just now!”
“Alright! Push me then!” Fan De’biao closed his eyes in despair. He raised his arms high and shouted, “Long live the People's Republic of China!” His expression was like that of a hero facing an execution ground.
“Here it comes! Hey!” Cai Qingchong gave Fan De’biao a mighty shove off the precipice.
Fan De’biao shot down the ice bridge at high speed. As he slid, everyone suddenly noticed something was wrong. Fan De’biao’s trajectory was gradually veering to the left. If he continued on that course, he was inevitably going to fly off the ice bridge and plunge into the abyss of eternal damnation.