At that moment, Fan De Biao muttered to himself, "Could it be that this passage leads somewhere else entirely, and not to the Ninety-Ninth Heaven? Damn it all, perhaps that Yin Changsheng was deceiving us, not wanting us to reach the Ninety-Ninth Heaven, but leading us instead to a dead end."

Yang Weidong pondered for a moment and said, "Your judgment might be correct, but what do we do now? Senior Jia and the others are already entangled with those things."

Fan De Biao suddenly declared, "We have no choice now. Let’s both move forward and go support Senior Jia and the other three." With that, he took the lead and sprinted ahead. Yang Weidong tightened the strap of his rifle and followed closely, quickly moving toward the direction of Jia Zhuangyuan and the others. After running less than a hundred meters, the two witnessed a bizarre sight: countless blue, teardrop-shaped objects within the passage were emitting an unnatural glow, coalescing in batches into cylindrical forms that spun furiously and charged toward Liu Dashao and the other two.

Meanwhile, Liu Dashao continuously wielded the talisman in his hand, utilizing his supreme Daoist Gang Qi to fend off wave after wave of assault from these entities. Every time a blue cylindrical object rushed near, it was shattered by the magical seals Liu Dashao struck, exploding into shards resembling blue fireworks. However, these things were merely dispersed; soon they would reassemble and charge at the three once more…

At this point, Cai Qing Chong and Jia Zhuangyuan stood behind Liu Dashao, their expressions etched with anxiety, utterly unable to offer any help. Jia Zhuangyuan was out of sticky rice; it seemed he had already tried sprinkling it on these entities to no effect.

Seeing that everyone else had run up, Jia Zhuangyuan shouted loudly, "We don't know what these things are, they are too evil! I suffered a huge loss."

Seeing everyone looking at him in confusion, he pointed to his chest. Everyone looked and saw that a large section of the clothing over his chest appeared scorched, as if by fire. Jia Zhuangyuan continued, "As soon as I saw these things, they ferociously lunged at me. Before I could react, they slammed into my chest, knocking me to the ground, and then my chest caught fire—a blue flame! Luckily, Dashao rushed over to block their continued attack. Cai Qing Chong and I barely managed to extinguish the fire on my chest." Everyone stared at the disheveled Jia Zhuangyuan in shock, feeling a deep sense of dread. What exactly were these blue things that possessed such miraculous fiery energy?

At that moment, Liu Dashao swept his talisman once more, blocking another assault from the cylindrical objects, and shouted, "All of you, quickly retreat from this passage! I estimate I can’t hold them off for much longer. If this continues, none of us will get out!"

Hearing Liu Dashao’s words, Jia Zhuangyuan scratched his head in agitation, but he still echoed Liu Dashao’s urgency, shouting, "Kid Liu, this old Jia will absolutely not leave you behind!"

Saying this, he turned back, his gaze firm, and addressed the group, "Cai Qing Chong, take the others and retreat. This old Jia will hold the line here."

Liu Dashao, while waving the talisman in his hand, cursed back, "Old coot, you have to leave too! Fan De Biao, take them and order everyone to evacuate! Go now! Go quickly! Otherwise, we will all die here!" By this time, everyone was weeping with sorrow and indignation. Jia Zhuangyuan was especially drenched in tears, crying like a child, clutching his head, and crouching down.

Fan De Biao suddenly took a deep breath and roared, "Follow orders! Everyone evacuate with me immediately!"

Cai Qing Chong, tears blurring his vision, managed a forceful "En," looking at Liu Dashao struggling to hold off the blue creatures ahead. Infinite indignation surged in his heart. Were they really going to watch this young man be left forever in this underground passage?

The group slowly retreated out of the passage. The sides of the path were still lined with dim, varied, tall and short structures—the shadowy dwellings. The Heavy Water Lake remained eerily silent. In the distance, the crowd saw the towering gates of Fengdu City and the watchtowers flanking the side gates.

Arriving before the city gate and seeing it tightly shut, everyone couldn't help but exchange bewildered glances. How could this gate be opened? Just then, the group heard intermittent footsteps. Turning back, they were astonished to see Liu Dashao retreating toward them, pressing a hand against his chest.

"Dashao, you're here!" Fan De Biao exclaimed with delight, about to give him a bear hug, but Liu Dashao blocked him with a hand, "Hurry up and go! My barrier won't hold those things for long!"

Cai Qing Chong’s expression shifted, "I'll go up to the watchtower; the mechanism to open the gate must be up there." With that, he started toward the steps leading to the tower. Jia Zhuangyuan nodded firmly to Liu Dashao, then beckoned Cai Qing Chong, "Let’s go up together. It’s too dangerous for one person, and besides, I’m more familiar with mechanism clues."

Saying this, he and Jiao Yiming headed for the steps leading to the tower. Zhang Li quickly helped Daoist Zeng Fan to a bluestone pedestal near the city gate, used for planting a flagpole, and had him sit down.

Less than ten minutes later, Jia Zhuangyuan’s voice drifted down from the watchtower: "I found the mechanism! Everyone, pay attention, I’m about to open the city gate."

Liu Dashao called back loudly, "Understood!" Soon after, following a muffled thud, the massive gate of the underground city, sealed for perhaps hundreds or thousands of years, slowly creaked open to both sides with a rumbling sound.

What kind of environment and scene lay beyond the city gate? This was the question on everyone's mind. Jia Zhuangyuan had mentioned that according to the map, it should be a forest of stalactites—what kind of stalactite forest would it be? The gate stopped moving with a clang, its exit resembling the gaping maw of a prehistoric beast, while outside was nothing but utter darkness and silence.

The group waited where they were for Jia Zhuangyuan and Cai Qing Chong to return. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the black curtain outside the gate. Suddenly, Liu Dashao spotted two points of red light appearing far in the distance, seeming so tangible, so bright in the unique subterranean blackness.

He quickly alerted everyone. As all eyes turned to the single point of red light, that light flickered a few times and then vanished into the vast darkness. Everyone was extremely surprised. What could that have been? Was it a monster at that location, the red light being its eyes? Or were they two pieces of red, luminous gems? Or… everyone began to speculate. At that moment, Jia Zhuangyuan and Cai Qing Chong descended from the watchtower. Jia Zhuangyuan said, "We saw a few red lights appear in the distance from the tower, but they vanished quickly; we don't know where they were. After we leave the city, we should soon reach a stalactite forest; it should be quite large, so everyone must be careful! This map has deceived us once, so we cannot rely on it completely; caution is the best policy."

Everyone nodded, indicating they understood.

Liu Dashao waved his hand, signaling that they could exit the city. Stepping through the gate, the vast underground space again appeared exceptionally empty and bizarre under the faint illumination of their flashlights.

An icy wind occasionally swept over them. Fan De Biao shivered involuntarily and asked Jia Zhuangyuan in a low voice, "Senior Jia, I don't recall feeling such an icy wind within Fengdu Ghost City. Why is the wind so strong now, and it feels sharp enough to pierce the bone?"

Jia Zhuangyuan snorted lightly, "Within Fengdu Ghost City, there were tall walls and countless structures enclosing us, so the wind couldn't penetrate; naturally, you didn't feel the cold."

Fan De Biao managed an embarrassed smile and continued walking with the group. Everyone was shivering slightly from the cold now. At this, Jia Zhuangyuan said, "This underground space must be enormous. The cold of this wind is not typical of ordinary underground caves. Everyone, hurry up; moving into an area with cover will feel much better."

Hearing Jia Zhuangyuan's words, everyone hastened their pace. Trust the readers to know a common truth: when it’s cold, like in winter, if you feel chilly, running for a while will warm you up considerably. Following this logic, the group adopted a light jog to generate some body heat.

Fortunately, it didn't take them long. Under the beam of their flashlights, they saw many dark shapes standing on the ground ahead. Cai Qing Chong, at the front, shone his flashlight and called out softly, "It’s rocks—a lot of rocks. It seems we’ve reached the Stalactite Forest mentioned on the map."

Hearing this, everyone felt a surge of excitement. First, the map's description was confirmed. Second, they had found shelter from the oppressive underground wind. The thousand-meter-deep underground space was bitterly cold. They cautiously entered the Stalactite Forest. As soon as they were inside, the group clearly felt the icy wind diminish significantly, and the bone-chilling cold instantly vanished, leaving them much warmer. Illuminating the forest with their flashlights, they wondered if this formation was the marvelous work of nature or sculpted by the cryptic Yin Changsheng using unfathomable, divine powers.

Inside the Stalactite Forest, under the flashlight beams, every rock was gray and possessed varied, bizarre shapes. They shared only one common characteristic: every stone was covered with dense, honeycomb-like pores, each about the thickness of a finger. Looking at these rocks, Cai Qing Chong suddenly spoke, "Logically, we are at the bottom of the Guge Ruins, which everyone knows is a dead volcano. I’m not surprised by such a huge underground space, but what’s strange is that all these rocks are gray. Normally, the rocks or ground inside a volcano should be dark red or brownish-black."

Jia Zhuangyuan chuckled at this and said, "Kid, there have been too many illogical things on this journey. We can no longer think or view things based on normal reasoning. Forget about that; as long as our objective is achieved smoothly, that’s what matters."

Cai Qing Chong nodded, and looking thoughtfully at a large stone beside him again, shook his head, "I’m just afraid these stones were placed here intentionally."

Hearing this exchange, Liu Dashao’s heart stirred, and he asked Cai Qing Chong, "You mean, this Stalactite Forest composed of these stones might have been deliberately arranged by Yin Changsheng, and this forest might conceal some danger or conspiracy?"

Cai Qing Chong nodded.

When Jia Zhuangyuan overheard Liu Dashao and Cai Qing Chong talking, his heart began to waver slightly. He took the flashlight from Cai Qing Chong and began to carefully examine a nearby stone. Suddenly, he cried out, "Not good! There are things inside the pores of these stones!"

Liu Dashao urgently asked, "Senior Jia, what's inside?" Jia Zhuangyuan looked at everyone, his face showing a touch of panic, and said, "There seem to be many small insects inside. I estimate they are the Chong Zhong used by the Southern Border Barbarians."

"Chong Zhong?" everyone exclaimed in alarm. Jia Zhuangyuan nodded gravely and confirmed, "Indeed! Chong Zhong, a terrifying sorcery used by the Southern Border Barbarians. Someone afflicted by Chong Zhong can be controlled by the summoner, or be slowly devoured by the venomous insects."

At this, Fan De Biao asked in fright, "Damn it, what do we do?" Jia Zhuangyuan paced nervously for a few steps, then suddenly looked up and said, "Everyone, no need to worry too much. We have entered the Stalactite Forest, but currently, the Chong Zhong inside these stones have not awakened to attack us. Based on this, I hypothesize that perhaps after a thousand years, these insects have died, or maybe the one who controlled these Chong Zhong has long since perished."

Cai Qing Chong nodded, "Senior Jia is right. A thousand years have passed; these things couldn't possibly still be alive. Perhaps these Chong Zhong have long since died or withered away."

Under the reassurance and implication of Jia Zhuangyuan and Cai Qing Chong's words, the group found some psychological comfort, and their spirits calmed down from their panic. Jia Zhuangyuan pulled out the map from his robes, examined it for a while, then took out his compass to fix their position. He then told everyone, "Regardless, these Chong Zhong are still an invisible threat. We should all hurry on our way and get out of this Stalactite Forest as soon as possible. According to the map, I've fixed our bearing; we head straight north, and leaving the forest, we will reach the center of the Limitless Demonic Treasury."

Liu Dashao nodded, then told everyone, "Let’s keep moving forward. For safety, everyone must move quickly. Of course, while advancing, pay attention to safety, watch out for each other, and report any sudden situations promptly." Jia Zhuangyuan stepped forward and pulled Liu Dashao aside, "Kid, let you and I lead the way."

Liu Dashao nodded, and the two walked ahead, with everyone following behind, increasing their speed as they headed north. The various shapes of gray stones flashed past them as they hurried along. Jia Zhuangyuan constantly stopped to adjust their direction with the compass, as the countless stones blocked their path, requiring them to navigate around many obstacles to maintain a true north bearing. However, truthfully, everyone felt uneasy, still harboring a lingering fear of the thousand-year-old Chong Zhong in the stone pores; no one dared to guarantee that these insects were truly all dead.

After traveling for about ten minutes, just as everyone paused anxiously while Jia Zhuangyuan adjusted their bearing, two points of red light suddenly flashed not far ahead of them, then instantly disappeared into the dense cluster of rocks. These two red lights startled everyone considerably, and they immediately halted their advance. Jia Zhuangyuan said, "That red light seemed like a living thing; everyone, be careful. We don't know where we are in the Stalactite Forest, nor how large this forest is; we have no clear idea right now, as we cannot see the edge."

Liu Dashao spoke up, "When I saw that red light flash, I had an uncomfortable feeling, but just for that instant, I sensed this thing was not simple. Also, there’s something I should tell everyone: since entering the Stalactite Forest, I’ve felt like something has been spying on us, but I couldn’t pinpoint its location. At first, I didn’t say anything because I wasn't certain if the feeling was accurate; after all, many Chong Zhong inside the pores also create a sensation for me..."

Before he finished speaking, Fan De Biao suddenly interrupted Liu Dashao, shouting at him, "Dashao, stop creating tension! Are you not aware that everyone here is already scared enough?"

Cai Qing Chong frowned and said to Fan De Biao, "Debiao, Dashao is clearly feeling it getting stronger, which is why he is saying this to warn everyone to be careful. If something happens and we suffer losses, what use is it to speak up then?"

Liu Dashao nodded, "That’s exactly what I mean. The deeper we go into the Stalactite Forest, the stronger the feeling of being tracked becomes. That flash of red light just now made me extremely uncomfortable; I feel that red dot is some living entity tracking us." Hearing Liu Dashao’s feeling, everyone grew solemn. Jia Zhuangyuan stated, "From now on, everyone must be extremely vigilant. We will continue forward and increase our speed."

Everyone nodded, and following Jia Zhuangyuan’s lead, they quickened their pace and marched on. Another long period of fifteen minutes passed. The group moved forward quickly, warily guarding their surroundings with bated breath. When they rounded another massive gray boulder blocking their path, everyone was pleasantly surprised to see a rising, hill-like gray slope ahead, upon which stood a cluster of indigo buildings surrounded by high walls.

Jia Zhuangyuan let out a cheer from the front, turned back to the group, and said, "Everyone, speed up! That should be the Limitless Demonic Treasury ahead." A wave of excitement swept through everyone; the Stalactite Forest was almost over. They estimated it wouldn't take ten minutes to ascend that slope and stand before the gates of the Limitless Demonic Treasury.

However, just then, countless red dots abruptly appeared in front of them. Jia Zhuangyuan, leading the charge, let out an "Aiya," spun around to retreat, and shouted back to the group, "Damn it, it’s tigers! A pack of tigers!" Everyone’s heart leaped in shock. Tigers, live tigers, a thousand meters underground? Those red dots were their eyes.