Reaching the gate, countless Spider Lilies bloomed vividly along the edge of the city wall, their blood-red color like freshly spilled human blood, dazzlingly beautiful.

Standing beneath the city gate, everyone saw a plaque carved with four large blue characters above the gate tower: “FENGDU GHOST CITY.” Below it was a line of smaller script, indistinct beneath the dazzling sapphire blue. Young Master Liu presumed it was the calligraphy of some major figure, perhaps even Zhang Jiao himself.

The passage through the gate tower was neither long nor wide. The two massive, semicircular black doors stood quietly ajar, leaning against the walls of the passage. Each was intricately carved with a sinuous black Jiaolong dragon, their eyes inlaid with natural rubies, surrounded by swirling auspicious clouds. Judging by these doors alone, the craftsmanship was exquisitely grand and imposing. Everyone felt that the various structures and decorations within the Ghost City must be even more anticipated.

Exiting the gate passage, a main thoroughfare split the city in two, astonishing the group: countless life-sized terracotta figures appeared along this street, depicting vendors selling fruits and vegetables, woodcutters carrying their loads, scholars fanning themselves while reciting poetry, young women lingering before jewelry stalls, platoons of soldiers in yellow turban attire, and waiters soliciting business outside taverns... Every single terracotta figure was rendered with astonishing realism. Their clothing, their eyes, and the various goods they offered were all depicted using diverse ceramic art. For instance, when observing the fruit and vegetable vendor, the displayed produce turned out to be meticulously crafted ceramic pieces in various shapes and glazes. The entire scene felt like a living scroll painting of an ancient city, or as if they had been transported into a vibrant Han Dynasty metropolis, browsing the bustling main street.

Although they might have anticipated that everything inside the city would be astonishing and peerless even before entering, the scene before them still elicited gasps of awe and shock. The architecture lining the streets was incredibly varied: two-story taverns, opulent residences with long corridors, inns, and general stores...

Seeing this, Scholar Jia couldn't help but exclaim, “Now, don't laugh at me, but in my nearly twenty years of grave robbing, I, Scholar Jia, have seen countless great tombs and ancient burial sites across the nation. Compared to what I’ve witnessed in just these few minutes here in Fengdu Ghost City, those experiences truly pale in comparison.”

Young Master Liu chuckled dryly, “Senior Jia, you’re simply thrilled by the treasure, aren’t you? It’s a pity we dare not even touch any of this; we can’t risk taking anything. The mechanisms of the Ghost City might be hidden within any one of these clay figures or objects.”

Scholar Jia gave a few awkward, sharp laughs and replied, “I had no intention of touching anything. I know the legends of Fengdu just as well as you do; I’m not so greedy as to throw my life away.”

The group carefully circled the terracotta figures as they moved forward. The further they proceeded, the fewer figures lined the street. Ahead, they encountered what looked like an archway spanning the length of the main street. Several strange characters were carved upon it, but upon close inspection, even Young Master Liu and Scholar Jia could not decipher them. Fan DeBiao and Cai Qingchong were equally baffled.

At this moment, Scholar Jia remarked, “This archway must be the dividing point of Fengdu Ghost City. As you can see, beyond this archway is a crossroads leading in all four directions.”

The group’s gaze shifted past the archway, and indeed, just as Scholar Jia described, it was a crossroads. Young Master Liu then asked Scholar Jia, “Senior Jia, which way should we go?”

Scholar Jia replied with certainty, “The gate we entered through is the main entrance to Fengdu Ghost City. The inner city of any metropolis must lie ahead of the main gate, not far from this golden ratio point. We should proceed straight.”

All along the way, Scholar Jia seemed somewhat preoccupied, lost in thought. He stopped speaking and walked slowly at the very rear of the group. Young Master Liu sensed something and slowed his pace to walk alongside him.

Jia seemed completely unaware of Liu’s approach, likely preoccupied with his own thoughts. Young Master Liu asked quietly, “Senior Jia, you seem to have something heavy on your mind?”

He suddenly looked up at Young Master Liu, forcing a weak smile, “Nothing, nothing on my mind at all.”

Young Master Liu continued, “Senior Jia, do you think this city might actually be the ‘Fengdu Ghost City’ among the legendary Nine Heavens Realm?”

Scholar Jia looked at him blankly for a moment, “Perhaps. Why do you ask?”

Young Master Liu paused briefly, organizing his words, “Senior Jia, whether it’s the City of Nine Heavens or Fengdu Ghost City, I recall our mission before setting out was to locate a treasure of immense importance to the nation. Yet, now I feel like we’ve been wandering aimlessly underground. What is going on here?”

Scholar Jia gave him a strange look, then murmured softly, “What you are asking is precisely what I’ve been wondering too.”

Young Master Liu offered a wry smile and followed behind him.

After walking along the long street for about ten minutes, save for the beams of their few flashlights, the countless mansions lining both sides of the street were shrouded in darkness, giving the impression that legions of man-eating specters were watching them.

Although their footsteps were faint, aside from the sound of their own movement, the underground city offered no other sound, creating a stillness that was unnerving.

Suddenly, Young Master Liu and Scholar Jia, who were leading the way, stopped abruptly and signaled everyone else to halt as well.

Indeed, once everyone stood still, a faint sound of footsteps still reached their ears, emanating from within the group itself.

Startled and frightened, everyone quickly looked around at their companions, but the five of them stood rigidly rooted to the spot, nobody having moved. What was happening? Was there a ghost among them? Or an invisible one?

Just as confusion and dread settled in, the sound of footsteps abruptly ceased. The entire city seemed to plunge back into deathly silence.

After a long moment, Young Master Liu stated calmly, “It’s gone!”

Fan DeBiao, sweat pouring down his face, asked strangely, “Young Master, who do you mean by ‘it’? What was that noise?”

Young Master Liu explained, “Ever since we left that dark mansion, I felt something was amiss, as if something was trailing us. I focused my spiritual energy to sense the surroundings, and while we were walking, I thought I detected subtle differences in the rhythm of the footsteps—something had infiltrated our formation. So I signaled everyone to stop; sure enough, those footsteps weren't ours. I don't know what that thing was, but I can no longer sense it now, so it must have left.”

Scholar Jia nodded, turning back to the group, “Let’s continue forward. The road ahead is long, and countless unimaginable things await us. Everyone, heighten your vigilance.”

Thus, the group resumed their advance. Young Master Liu sighed inwardly; it seemed his many doubts would only be resolved when the time was right. Ah, and he wondered how Uncle Diao and the others were faring.

Shaken by the recent bizarre incident, everyone increased their alertness, and Young Master Liu focused his mental energy, prioritizing the immediate present.

After walking another dozen minutes or so, they arrived at another crossroads. In the very center stood a tall, strange statue carved from greenish stone.

Everyone shone their flashlights on it, and under the illumination, the statue emitted a faint, ghostly cyan light. They couldn't discern what type of bluestone was used for its carving. Only when the beams converged to fully light up the statue did they realize it depicted a Daoist priest, and they were currently standing behind it.

They walked around the statue to face it. It stood about two meters tall, holding a whisk, wearing a Daoist crown, with a treasured sword diagonally sheathed on its back. The statue’s face was clear and striking, its skin reddish, its eyes cast downward, a long strand of beard flowing from its chin, giving it a remarkably lifelike appearance, possessing a distinctly ethereal aura.

Fan DeBiao whispered, “Who is this Daoist?”

Everyone remained silent, as history held numerous famous Daoists, and identifying this carved figure was impossible. Only Young Master Liu seemed genuinely interested in the statue, walking in a slow circle around it, examining it closely.