Scholar Jia nodded, then continued, "The beam of the flashlight is a beacon, or perhaps a guide, for those parasitic bugs. Now that we turn off the lights and proceed in the dark, even if it's slower and the path is rougher, it's nothing compared to safety."

Everyone agreed, so all flashlights were extinguished, and the entire space instantly plunged back into absolute darkness. Young Master Liu whispered, "Debiao and I have taken this route before. I can more or less feel the general location of that spot. Let me lead the way."

Scholar Jia hummed in agreement, and Young Master Liu groped his way to the very front, the others following one by one, moving forward slowly.

The enveloping darkness offered the best cover for the group, and should any white beetles appear—since their internal organs glowed with a flame-like brightness due to their transparency—everyone would spot them immediately, even from a great distance.

After the group had slowly followed the bank of the dark river for about ten minutes, Young Master Liu felt a refreshing, cool breeze coming from his left side. Just as I was about to speak, Scholar Jia cut in, "I sense an exit or passage to the left; there’s a draft coming through."

Young Master Liu nodded. "I feel it too. This should be the spot where the mountain wall juts out—the same place where we encountered the American doctor and the white beetles."

Scholar Jia said, "Good, then we turn left here." Following the airflow, they continued to feel their way to the left without turning on their lights.

After shuffling along the protruding stone wall for about dozens of meters, everyone suddenly felt the ground become much smoother, no longer littered with loose rocks. Strangely, the white beetles had vanished; it was as if they had flown off somewhere else in this boundless underground space, which brought a silent wave of relief to the group. As for those Americans, they were likely terrified out of their wits by the white bugs and had probably fled somewhere by now.

After walking in the dark for some distance, a faint light appeared ahead, seeming very far off—a tiny, grain-of-rice-sized speck of light that nonetheless emitted an extremely peculiar glow of an indescribable color. At this point, everyone grew extremely tense. Scholar Jia signaled a halt and murmured, "We don't know the source of that light ahead; if it’s from the bugs, we're in trouble. I'll scout ahead first. Everyone, stay alert." Without waiting for a reaction, he silently and lightly moved forward alone.

Once he was a good distance away, Fan Debiao watched his comical gait and suddenly remarked, "Old Master Jia is actually quite capable, and a genuinely loyal man. Whenever we encounter the unknown, he always rushes forward first to scout things out for all of us."

The others looked at him with some surprise. He seemed a little embarrassed and added, "Don't look at me like that; I mean every word."

Young Master Liu commented at this moment, "Scholar Jia is indeed a decent man," letting out a soft sigh as he spoke.

Just then, Cai Qingchong pointed toward Scholar Jia, who was scouting ahead, and exclaimed, "Look quickly, Senior Jia seems to be signaling us!"

Everyone looked and saw Scholar Jia, now distant, flashing his flashlight on and off as if conveying a message. Young Master Liu said, "Let's move over there; Senior Jia must have found something."

They acknowledged him and immediately began walking toward Scholar Jia’s position.

As they approached him, the point of light ahead grew larger with the diminishing distance, now the size of a soccer ball. At this range, the group could see the light it radiated was a strange, dazzling purple.

They saw Scholar Jia crouched low, holding something resembling a backpack in his left hand and a round object of unknown nature in his right. By the time the group caught up, Scholar Jia looked grave as he raised the backpack and the object toward them, saying, "This must have been left behind in a panic by the mercenaries while they were fleeing the white parasitic bugs. I opened it; aside from some odds and ends, there was something strange inside, like a piece of equipment. I have no idea what it's for."

They gathered around. The device was round, its exterior resembling a steel box. To everyone's surprise, there was a tiny opening in the center of the box, within which a red light seemed to flash every few seconds. On either side of the box were two buttons: one white and one black.

Cai Qingchong took the instrument from Scholar Jia’s hand, examined it, and said, "This is an infrared detector, primarily used for mineral prospecting or by the military for mine detection. It’s the most advanced instrument of its kind globally; the Americans only perfected it last year. This detector is light and nimble and contains the most sensitive stealth antenna."

"A detector? What were those Americans trying to locate with this instrument?" Scholar Jia frowned.

Young Master Liu scoffed, "What they were looking for is likely what we’re after. No wonder those mercenaries were always one step ahead of us—they had the world's most advanced detection equipment. But now, it’s done us a great favor."

Scholar Jia nodded. "Yes, but the key question is how to use it?"

Cai Qingchong smiled and explained, "This thing isn't hard to operate. See the blinking red light inside that small hole we see now? That indicates that something is being detected. Then, these two buttons—the white one is for searching, and the black one is for locating. During the search, the faster the red light blinks, the closer we are to what we're looking for. While the red light is blinking, we need to continuously press the black button. When we get within one meter of the target object, the black button is pressed, the red light will remain steady, ceasing its flash. Then, we search within that one-meter radius to find what we seek."

At this point, everyone understood: as long as they used this detector to search, they would find the object they were tasked to locate.

Cai Qingchong placed the instrument back into his backpack and told them, "Although the instrument can detect its presence now, judging by the blinking frequency, we are still quite far from the object we need to find. We must continue forward; the direction indicated by the instrument is straight ahead."

Scholar Jia nodded. "The light ahead now doesn't seem to be from the parasitic bugs. This purple light must be emitted by some kind of substance. According to the map, this area should fall within the bounds of the Wuji Dao Zang. Everyone, remain highly vigilant."

And so, the group continued forward. The purple light was so dazzling that it brightly illuminated the remaining distance, making it unnecessary for anyone to even open their flashlights.

After walking forward for less than five minutes, they could finally see clearly: an opening ahead. The purple light was shining in from outside the opening, suggesting that beyond the entrance lay an incredibly bizarre, purple-lit world. This sparked immense curiosity, yet it was tempered with apprehension about what unforeseen marvels might await them outside.

The moment they stood at the threshold of the opening, the entire party was struck speechless by the sight outside, feeling as if they had stepped into an unbelievable dreamscape or an alien world. A mixture of wonder, unreality, and even eeriness washed over everyone’s heart.

It was akin to the first moment after opening the Seven Star Interlocking Knot and crossing the underground canyon, gazing upon Fengdu Ghost City. Below the cave entrance where they stood was a concave basin, and in the center of the basin rose an inconceivable, strange city. The entire metropolis was constructed entirely of purple crystal, currently radiating an unparalleled violet radiance that illuminated the entire subterranean expanse.

What made the sight even more unbelievable was that surrounding the Wuji Dao Zang was an even more astonishing subterranean world of flora and fauna.

Countless bizarre plants grew around and within the basin. Within this botanical garden, the group also spotted many never-before-seen flying insects flitting about, and beneath the foliage, there appeared to be reptilian creatures stirring.

It took a long time before they finally snapped out of their dreamlike daze. Fan Debiao gazed down at the fantastical scene below with a look of obsession and vacancy, murmuring, "Are we dreaming? Where is this? Are all these things real?"

Everyone remained silent; indeed, no one could answer him. At that moment, it was certain that everyone doubted what they were seeing.

Standing and staring for several more minutes, Young Master Liu finally let out a low sigh. "It seems this is the Wuji Dao Zang, truly living up to its mystical name. Everyone, stop being surprised; what you see before you is real, not an illusion. Let’s find a path down into the city."

The others mechanically nodded, finally regaining their senses.

It didn't take long for them to find the way down: a path paved with multicolored, crystalline stones, clearly constructed by hand, winding its way directly toward the Wuji Dao Zang below.

Just as they were about to set foot forward, Scholar Jia suddenly interjected, "Hold on. I have a feeling that something is amiss. We need to understand a few things before we descend."

The group was stunned. Young Master Liu asked, "Senior, what feels wrong to you?"

Scholar Jia’s small eyes darted around as he seemed to contemplate how to phrase his thoughts. After a long silence, Scholar Jia finally spoke, "We are on the verge of reaching the end of the Wuji Dao Zang—the final barrier of the Ninety-Nine Heavens. What feels wrong to me is a distinct difference between this place and the other cities: the Wuji Dao Zang possesses a living biological environment. What does that imply? The creatures here—the plants, animals, and insects—are all things we have never heard of or seen before. What does that imply? In short, my feeling is profoundly unsettling, though I can’t quite articulate it... It's as if..."

Here, he scratched his head and continued with great difficulty, "It’s as if this place isn't part of the mortal realm, but rather an illusion or an alternate world."

Young Master Liu nodded in agreement. "I concur with Senior Jia’s assessment. I also feel a strange, ineffable abnormality here. My heart is indeed uneasy, though it’s not a strong sense of dread, just an indefinable feeling."

Throughout the journey, Young Master Liu had always given the impression of possessing strong foresight, so when his words were spoken, everyone’s expressions grew more solemn.

Suddenly, Young Master Liu’s hands clenched, and a profoundly strange expression crossed his face. "Bad! By the dark river, I tested my cultivation recovery; I had regained seven or eight tenths then. But now... I just circulated my inner energy, and all my power is gone!"

Everyone felt a shock course through them—what could be happening? Young Master Liu quickly pulled out the sheaf of talismans from his chest and muttered, "My talismans have lost their spiritual power too! What... what is going on?"

Everyone immediately focused their attention on the yellow talismans in Young Master Liu's hand. Indeed, the strange Taoist symbols drawn upon them had faded entirely, losing all their former brilliance.

This sudden series of changes plunged every single person into a nameless panic. They stood looking out at the strange and unbelievable underground world beneath their feet, completely at a loss.

Suddenly, Scholar Jia cried out, "I know! I know! There must be some strange entity or force in this place that is suppressing our abilities! It has to be!"

They stared at him in astonishment. After shouting this, he tugged at his already disheveled hair, frowned, and mumbled to himself, "But what kind of thing possesses such peculiar power?"

"I think I understand," Young Master Liu smacked his forehead.

Hearing him speak, everyone turned their hazy gazes toward him, watching with slightly surprised expressions. Young Master Liu spoke slowly, "The crux of the matter still lies with these legendary places: the Wuji Buddha Zang, the Wuji Demon Zang, and the Wuji Dao Zang. We’ve constantly stated that these places are utterly inconceivable, not something built by human hands. In fact, even if we are reluctant to believe in the existence of ruins from other worlds or beings from other worlds, the truth is, ever since humanity appeared and recorded history began, these things we are unwilling to believe have genuinely existed on our Earth—that cannot be denied. I believe the Ninety-Nine Heavens were built by beings from another world. Perhaps these Ninety-Nine Heavens are an ancient relic left by beings from another world, or maybe merely a gateway where a temporal channel to another world opens—what Taoists call 'Ascension.' Do you all remember Fengdu Ghost City? Look now at this incredible Wuji Dao Zang. Which living person or dynasty on Earth possessed the ability to construct such an underground city? Which person or dynasty could gather so many mechanisms and so much crystal? Could an entire massive piece of crystal like this even form on Earth? The answer is absolutely no!" Young Master Liu stated calmly, observing that everyone seemed to be listening quietly. He knew that the reality they were witnessing and experiencing at this moment compelled every single person to silently acknowledge the truth of his words and admit that unexplained phenomena do exist on this planet.

Young Master Liu continued, "Except for Senior Jia and Cai Qingchong, the five of us here experienced the last incident in the Golden Ancient City. There, we entered a temporal wormhole, a mere illusion. That experience taught me that fractured alternate timelines truly exist in this world, along with creatures and ruins from other worlds. I believe the Ninety-Nine Heavens we are currently in is also some kind of remnant site from another world. Take these crystals, for example; I believe they are not native to Earth. The light they emit tells me these are not minerals we see or mine on Earth, but rather a substance similar to our crystals, originating from another world—just like the heavy water found in the Yellow Springs. The fact that we have lost certain abilities now, I believe, is intrinsically linked to the Wuji Dao Zang we see before us. In other words, the Wuji Dao Zang itself contains some substance or power that inhibits our capabilities."

Seeing the somewhat blank calm on their faces, Young Master Liu let out a breath and sighed softly, "I have said my piece. This is merely my personal viewpoint, and not necessarily an absolutely accurate judgment."

Scholar Jia slowly turned his eyes toward me, then nodded calmly. "In truth, everyone’s heart already accepts your judgment. If the universe contains an Earth where various intelligent creatures thrive, then the universe must also contain other planets and other life forms. Depending on when they formed, the intellect of the beings on those different planets will vary. What we see now, the Wuji Dao Zang, as you said, might indeed be a product of another world. I personally agree with your view."

Cai Qingchong also lifted his head, nodded to Young Master Liu, and said with a bitter smile, "I agree with you as well."

Young Master Liu looked at Fan Debiao, who seemed unable to emerge from the seemingly absurd nature of his own declarations. A silence fell over the group for a moment.

After a pause, Cai Qingchong finally looked at Young Master Liu, then turned to Scholar Jia and asked, "What do we do now?"

Young Master Liu glanced at Scholar Jia, who hung his head, seemingly without any ideas. After a moment of thought, Young Master Liu said, "We have endured countless hardships and are on the verge of seeing the true secret. Do we give up now, or do we press on?"

He looked at everyone in turn. Fan Debiao took a deep breath and declared, word by word, "I choose to go on. I must see the final answer."

Cai Qingchong nodded slightly but remained silent.

At this, Scholar Jia lifted his head and stated, "I don’t think we have a choice. Personally, I only wish to complete this mission and live openly as a normal, upright person."