The group halted, raising their weapons hastily toward the spots where the red dots had appeared. Fortunately, the tiger pack that Jia Zhuangyuan mentioned seemed in no hurry to attack, instead slowly advancing toward them.

Gradually, the red dots materialized into view a short distance away, and everyone saw them: a group of tigers, larger than common tigers, with lower jaws nearly touching the ground. They stared with bloodshot eyes, baring gleaming white teeth, greedily fixed on the intruders.

Just as confusion arose over why these beasts hadn't attacked, Fan Debiao suddenly cried out, "Watch out! We're surrounded! There's another pack behind us too!" It dawned on them then why the first group hadn't struck; they were waiting for their comrades to complete the encirclement.

Jia Zhuangyuan muttered a curse, "These brutes! They've been tracking us, observing us, setting up a trap."

Liu Dashao suddenly spoke up, "I don't think we can call these mere tigers anymore. Has anyone noticed a strange smell?" Everyone took a tentative sniff. Indeed, a faint, putrid odor was wafting intermittently from all directions, subtle enough that one might miss it without taking a deep breath.

Liu Dashao continued, "How can these tigers survive and grow so massive existing for hundreds or thousands of years deep underground? Where does their sustenance come from? I suspect their methods of survival will shock us."

Jia Zhuangyuan’s expression hardened, and he looked at Liu Dashao strangely, as if about to speak but held back. Liu Dashao waved him off and went on, "Let's set that aside for now. Our immediate priority is dealing with these tigers." By now, the group had formed a circle, completely hemmed in on all sides by the tiger packs, which seemed to number over a hundred in total.

Cai Qingchong asked Liu Dashao and Jia Zhuangyuan, "Should we open fire? Gain the initiative."

Liu Dashao shook his head. "Look at their current state; they haven't decided to attack us yet. But if we strike first, they’ll likely swarm us instantly. Let’s observe for a bit; perhaps there’s a turn of events."

At that moment, a deep, long tiger roar echoed from the high slope nearby. Liu Dashao instinctively swung his flashlight toward the slope. Good heavens! Standing on the incline beside the palace ruins was a colossal, snow-white tiger, its head raised, issuing that tremendous howl.

Its cry seemed to be a signal. Instantly, the tigers surrounding the group joined in with piercing roars, seemingly answering the great white beast.

A chill ran down everyone's spine; it appeared the tiger pack was finally ready to attack. Just then, Jia Zhuangyuan suddenly ordered Yang Weidong, "Give me your gun!"

Before Yang Weidong could react, Jia Zhuangyuan snatched the weapon. Everyone froze as Jia Zhuangyuan fired a shot directly at a massive boulder nestled within the stalagmite forest in front of them. After the crack of the gun, the boulder burst into several pieces, revealing, to everyone's astonishment, a humanoid shape inside that staggered and tumbled to the ground.

Then, a nearby giant tiger lowered its head, snatched up the human-shaped object, and bolted toward the white tiger on the high slope.

Watching it rush past them, leap onto the incline, and drop the object at the white tiger’s feet left everyone utterly bewildered. Meanwhile, Jia Zhuangyuan stared at the white tiger on the slope with an intensely grave expression.

The white tiger ceased its howling, lowered its head to examine the human form at its feet, and then turned its blood-red gaze back toward the group.

Jia Zhuangyuan slowly raised his gun and fired another shot at a large rock below the slope where the white tiger stood. Again, the boulder fractured after the shot, and another humanoid form spilled out.

Another giant tiger promptly seized the object, bounded up the slope, and placed the item from its jaws at the white tiger's feet.

The white tiger remained motionless, its crimson eyes fixed on the group. Time dragged on second by second. The other tigers also fell silent, surrounding the group quietly, seemingly awaiting the Tiger King’s next command.

Suddenly, the white tiger tilted its head upward and let out a short, sharp cry. Following this sound, all the tigers behind and to the sides of the group prostrated themselves on the ground. Those in front retreated to either side, then lowered themselves flat, revealing a clear passage leading forward.

As utter confusion reigned and they stood baffled, Jia Zhuangyuan urgently addressed the group, "Follow me straight ahead! Don't look around, and absolutely do not look back. Just keep walking forward."

With that, he stepped into the path cleared by the tigers, and the confused group followed him forward.

Unsure what was happening, they followed Jia Zhuangyuan slowly up the slope. The white tiger and the two beasts beside it watched them with cold, blood-red eyes. Suddenly, they took a step forward, blocking the path ahead.

At this point, Liu Dashao, leading the way, made a strange gesture toward the white tiger king. The tiger king's pupils seemed to flicker, and it let out a low growl toward Liu Dashao. Strangely, it turned away from the group, leading the two accompanying tigers, and slowly walked past them, descending the slope.

Seeing this, Jia Zhuangyuan, walking behind Liu Dashao, let out a long, audible exhale. He urged them quickly, "We can't linger here. We must enter that palace ahead immediately. If that tiger pack changes its mind and chases after us, we are all done for."

Hearing this, everyone rushed to follow Jia Zhuangyuan and Liu Dashao, quickly moving toward the massive, strangely blue palace ahead.

The distance from the high slope to the blue palace was not great, but every step was fraught with tension, fearing a sudden attack from creatures that had survived for millennia in the thousand-meter darkness below.

Only when they had all safely reached the entrance of the enormous structure, which exuded a bizarre, shadowy, dark aura, did they finally let out a collective sigh of relief.

After an unknown amount of time, the wind intensified dramatically, comparable to opening a window on a fast-moving train. They figured there must be an exit nearby, perhaps only a few more steps to the palace entrance. Their spirits lifted, and they quickened their pace, simultaneously patting their rifles for reassurance.

The sound of the wind whistling through the canyon became incredibly distorted, like the wail of ghosts, turning the deep tunnel into something resembling the Yellow Springs Road leading to the underworld, causing dread to settle in their hearts.

After about a hundred paces, the view suddenly opened up. A stone bridge materialized before them. At the head of the bridge stood a stone stele. Brushing off the dust and illuminating it with a lamp, they saw three highly prominent characters: Naihe Bridge.

These three words profoundly stimulated every nerve in Liu Dashao’s body. A lifelong enthusiast of history and lore, he was intimately familiar with the ‘Naihe Bridge.’ Before his maternal grandfather passed away, he had often recounted the legends of the Naihe Bridge and the Courts of the Underworld: "Legend says there is a road called the Road to the Underworld, a river called the River of Oblivion, and a bridge over it called the Naihe Bridge. Beyond the bridge is a mound called the Tower of Nostalgia. Beside the Tower of Nostalgia, an old woman sells the Soup of Forgetfulness. By the River of Oblivion is a stone called the Stone of Three Lives. The Soup of Forgetfulness makes you forget everything. The Stone of Three Lives records your past and present existences. Crossing the Naihe Bridge means taking one last look at the human world from the Tower of Nostalgia. Drink the water boiled from the River of Oblivion—why force what was fated to be apart? The bridge can lead to gods, immortals, or the Celestial Kingdom, but also to ghosts, the netherworld, or hell. In Chinese folk belief, 'ghosts' are negative supernatural beings arising from death. In many ghost stories circulating across China, bridges are often places where ghosts, especially those who drowned, frequent. The spirits of those who died by water or by falling from a bridge often linger above or near the bridgeheads, searching for a substitute so they can reincarnate. In this sense, the bridge is both the passage through which the dead leave the netherworld to be reborn in the living world, and the place where new dead perpetually stream from the living world to the underworld—the exchange and transformation of life and death are mediated by the bridge. Some benevolent water ghosts, unwilling to drag others down as substitutes, might not immediately reincarnate as humans in ghost stories, but often rise in rank within the underworld, or eventually move the Yama, sometimes even earning special dispensation to be reborn as humans..."

All those chaotic thoughts flooded his mind. Looking at the Naihe Bridge, Liu Dashao felt a sense of stepping beyond the mundane world, and his body inexplicably felt much lighter. Had he… was he already dead? He glanced at Jia Zhuangyuan and the others; their expressions mirrored his own apprehension. Taking a deep breath, Liu Dashao steadied himself. He noticed an inscription written along the side of the stele: Accumulate virtue and practice diligently, and the Naihe Bridge is easily crossed. Greed breeds sin, and the Mountain of Knives is inescapable. Three steps across the Naihe Bridge reveal whether you were good or evil. One steady stride down the Golden Silver Path grants you fortune and wealth.