The group remained silent, cautiously watching the descent below, praying they weren't currently inside a volcanic cavern, and if they were, hoping it wouldn't erupt. Perhaps from reading too many novels, they felt certain a volcanic eruption was inevitable—otherwise, how could the protagonist’s fearlessness be truly showcased?

But at that moment, Fatty stood stock-still, utterly frozen. His voice trembling, he called out to Ma Xiong, urging him to look opposite them. Ma Xiong followed Fatty’s gaze, and he too froze, his whole body shaking.

Seeing their strange behavior, Lu Zong and Ganda looked at each other, puzzled, but ultimately spotted nothing unusual.

He curiously asked Ma Xiong, "What is it? What did you see?"

Ma Xiong, his voice wavering, told Lu Zong, "Han Chong, Lu Sha, and a lot of other people..."

Hearing this, Lu Zong gave a sharp jolt, rubbed his eyes, and peered across again, but ultimately looked away in disappointment, having seen nothing.

He anxiously asked Ma Xiong, "There's nothing there. Why can't I see them?"

Fatty looked at Lu Zong and explained, "It won't work for you. You can't see them. Only psychics can."

Lu Zong exclaimed, "Are you two both psychics?"

Ma Xiong nodded.

Lu Zong was stunned speechless, unsure what they truly meant. Could psychics really exist? If so, were they the ones conveying messages from the netherworld to the living world? He stared at the two, their faces etched with terror, and just stood there dumbfounded.

Suddenly realizing something, he quickly asked, "How are Han Chong and Lu Sha doing now?"

Ma Xiong clarified, "We didn't see Lu Sha and Han Chong; we only saw their souls. Psychics simply have the ability to see where their souls are wandering. Ordinarily, souls stay with their bodies, but why are Han Chong and Lu Sha's souls not together right now, and furthermore, they..."

Lu Zong urgently pressed, "They what?"

Ma Xiong continued, "And they both jumped down."

Jumped down—what did that mean? Lu Zong demanded, completely losing control of his emotions. After all, he was the one who brought them here.

Ma Xiong fell silent. Fatty took over the explanation, "There are generally two possibilities when a soul separates from the body: one, the person has died, and the soul leaves the physical form; the other is that the soul was forcibly separated from the body by someone using a specific method. Since these two scenarios usually cover it, I mean that the two of them might not necessarily be truly dead."

Lu Zong still held a reservation, "But didn't they jump down? Are there any other people around them?"

Fatty explained, "Yes, there are many others. I don't know where they came from, but it’s clear they are modern people, probably dead not long ago..."

Upon uttering the word 'dead,' Fatty suddenly seemed to realize something and hastily added, "...or had their souls forcibly separated. If it's the latter scenario, I suspect someone must be using these people to perform some ritual, perhaps a soul-summoning rite, driving many earthly souls underground to exchange for one soul from the underworld, all to achieve the goal of resurrecting someone."

At this, Lu Zong was somewhat stunned. He mumbled to himself, "Are they stealing the 'Loulan Beauty' to perform a soul-summoning ritual, to awaken the thousand-year-old female corpse? Has the shaman truly mastered this art? Do ghosts really exist in this world?"

Lu Zong stared blankly at the two and asked, "What do you see now?"

They both answered in unison, "We see nothing now, but I can sense another soul following us right behind. Everyone, be careful."

As soon as they finished speaking, Ganda suddenly gasped and lunged forward. Fatty quickly grabbed Ganda, but it was clear he struggled immensely to hold him back; both men crashed heavily onto the floor.

Ma Xiong cursed, "Damn it, what are you doing? Are you tired of living, or have you lost your mind, trying to commit suicide like those others?"

Ganda, still shaken, looked at the three of them and stammered, "I felt someone push me just now, really!"

The others hastily looked toward the spot where Ganda had been standing but saw nothing. It must be your mind playing tricks on you, they thought.

But Ganda swore vehemently that a large palm had clearly shoved him, and now he felt a burning sensation on his back. Seeing that Ganda’s expression didn't suggest he was lying, Lu Zong quickly moved behind him and lifted his outer garment to check his back.

He nearly cried out, emitting only a very strange sound that, to an outsider, might have sounded like a ghostly shriek.

The other two heard the noise and rushed over to see what was happening, only to freeze in shock themselves.

On Ganda's back, they found a large, bright red handprint—almost twice the size of a normal person's. Ma Xiong quickly scanned the surroundings to confirm there was nothing outwardly amiss before turning back.

Ganda asked with slight curiosity, "What is it? What did you see?"

Lu Zong asked, "Did you ever get a tattoo or anything on your back?"

Ganda replied curiously, "A tattoo? What’s a tattoo? My back is smooth; there shouldn't be anything there, no scars either. Why, is there something wrong?"

Lu Zong quickly said, "No, no, nothing. Just a little red and swollen."

Ganda murmured, "No wonder I felt a burning sensation on my back."

Ma Xiong muttered to himself, "No wonder. So that's what it is?" Fatty also wore an expression of sudden realization.

Although Ma Xiong’s volume was low, Fatty still heard him. He asked, "What is it, Ma Xiong? Do you understand something now?"

Ma Xiong replied, "This goes back to what I saw just now."

"You mean what happened during the tremor? Haha, we’d like to hear it too. Hurry up and tell us; isn't it uncomfortable keeping it bottled up?"

Ma Xiong said, "Actually, when the passageway shook earlier, didn't you notice a large crack splitting open on the wall about ten meters away?"

Ganda thought for a moment, then looked back. Sure enough, he saw a fissure had opened up not far behind him. The edges of the crack were clearly jagged and utterly irregular, indicating it had been forced open by the tremor.

Yet, he was still puzzled how this related to the idea of borrowing a body to return to life, so he urged Ma Xiong to continue.

Ma Xiong looked at the eagerly expectant Ganda, swallowed, and, with lingering fear, prepared to reveal, "Just now I saw... inside that crack..."

Before he could finish speaking, he felt his body jolt, and a powerful force clamped over his mouth, making it even difficult to draw a breath. He struggled frantically to pull away the hand covering his face, but the strength in that palm was so immense he couldn't break free.

Meanwhile, Lu Zong was leaning forward, eager to hear the rest. He was confused by the sudden stop. In his view, Ma Xiong appeared to be using his own hand to cover his mouth, looking quite strained, and he was even blocking his own nose, struggling to breathe. Realizing Ma Xiong was in danger and not acting by choice, Lu Zong stepped forward, preparing to pull away the hand blocking Ma Xiong's nose.