They descended for a long time, and only when the sounds below ceased entirely did they gradually come back to their senses.

Lu Zong said, his face full of guilt, "I originally intended to help Fatty out of his predicament, but..."

Ma Xiong didn't let Lu Zong continue, saying, "Forget it. Let's just climb down slowly. It wasn't us who brought him here anyway. Besides, without us, he might have died long ago. Forget it, it's all fate. We can't let the dead disturb our lives. Come on, let's escape for our lives."

With that, he started climbing down along the plant's vine.

Gan Da followed Ma Xiong's lead and began to descend.

Lu Zong looked at Ma Xiong curiously and asked, "Ma Xiong, what are you climbing down for? That's a bottomless abyss down there. Isn't climbing down a dead end?"

Ma Xiong said dejectedly, "Lu Zong, you have to listen to me this one time. Look, there's no floor left up there, it's all fallen away! It seems the tomb owner never intended for us to leave alive. This isn't a passage at all; it's clearly hell."

Lu Zong countered, "If this isn't the real passage, then where is the real one? And where is the main burial chamber?"

Ma Xiong looked at the still hopeful Lu Zong and said with despair, "Lu Zong, haven't you realized? This passage is essentially a circular tunnel, all connected. We can only keep going in circles within this loop. I feel that the true passage is this very abyss we're in. This abyss is the path leading to the main burial chamber, the path to survival."

Ma Xiong glanced behind him, then carefully scrutinized the path ahead, still resolutely following Ma Xiong downward. He couldn't tell how deep this hole was; even Fatty's heavy body falling didn't produce an echo, which was enough to convey the depth of the shaft.

If this abyss truly was the passage, he couldn't imagine how vast the main burial chamber must be to possess such a massive corridor, nor how much treasure it held. What secrets were buried inside? Everything remained unknown.

He looked down; it was bottomless, without a sound. Terrified, he forced himself to look up, swallowed hard, and huddled close to Ma Xiong. They were both in danger if they distanced themselves. He summoned Gan Da over too, and the three of them climbed down side by side, clinging to that single plant vine. He couldn't fathom how long the plant's roots extended; given the scale above, the roots below couldn't be small either.

While climbing, Lu Zong asked, "Ma Xiong, how long do you think the roots of this carnivorous plant are?"

Ma Xiong looked down and replied, "I don't know. They probably extend all the way to the bottom of the valley; otherwise, where would it draw nutrients and water from? Let's keep climbing down along this root for now. If the main chamber is down below, we're bound to find a way. Perhaps the main chamber is right in the middle of this passage, or maybe somewhere on the wall of the abyss. Everyone keep a sharp lookout, and tell me immediately if you notice anything unusual. This place is too bizarre."

Lu Zong looked down—still bottomless—then looked up. After climbing less than twenty meters, he felt utterly disheartened. But for the sake of survival, he forced himself to keep descending.

He still felt guilty about Fatty’s fate. Even though he didn't cause him to be there, it was still connected to him; after all, it was his torch that had burned the man’s backside. Thinking of it now, he deeply regretted it.

Suddenly, he felt the carnivorous plant shudder. He looked up in alarm and saw the vines slowly extending toward the three of them. Seeing such succulent fresh meat, they certainly wouldn't let it pass, especially when it was fat meat cupped right in their grasp.

Lu Zong roared in fright and then scrambled downward at full speed, thinking he would be safe once he climbed out of the vines' striking range.

The other two heard Lu Zong's shout, looked up, and broke out in a cold sweat; the carnivorous plant had started moving again.

Seeing the arm-thick vines and the baby-faced mouth at the tip, their hearts trembled involuntarily, and they scrambled down even faster, almost leaping. Ma Xiong thought how lucky he was to have trained in the army; this was no real difficulty for him. But it was different for Gan Da. Although years of traveling the desert had given him stamina, he had never climbed a wall before; wasn't this forcing a duck onto a perch? Sweat beaded heavily on his forehead.

Ma Xiong glared at the slow-moving Gan Da and cursed anxiously, "Gan Da, you old fool, hurry up and climb! The King of Hell is waiting for you, so stop acting like a delicate lady!"

Finally, Gan Da spoke, his voice trembling, "I can't, Ma Xiong! I have a fear of heights; I’m allergic to climbing high!"

Ma Xiong cursed Gan Da for being useless, failing them at a critical moment. But then he saw the vines stretching right above his head; if he didn't dodge, it would be the end.

He yelled, "Gan Da, jump down! I’ll catch you, something is above your head!"

Gan Da looked up and saw the vine darting towards him. He froze in shock and let out a loud scream.

This shout caught Lu Zong’s attention. He looked up and saw the vine making contact with Gan Da’s head. He squeezed his eyes shut in anguish.

For the next few seconds, he heard Gan Da’s shrill cry, and then it stopped. He assumed Gan Da had fallen into the abyss and opened his eyes in pain. What he saw instead startled him: Ma Xiong’s hands were clutching Gan Da’s ankles, both men hanging upside down. Their only support was Ma Xiong’s feet, wrapped around the vine.

He couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat for Ma Xiong, and he shakily moved toward Ma Xiong, ready to secure Ma Xiong's position. Even then, Ma Xiong couldn't resist muttering a few curses at Gan Da to vent his frustration: "Damn it, how heavy is this old man Gan Da? When I wake up, I'm definitely buying him some diet pills."

Fortunately, Gan Da had fallen, or he would have been sucked away by the vine. He carefully took hold of Gan Da’s ankles and tried to wake him.

Under Lu Zong's incessant urging, Gan Da finally regained consciousness. He checked thoroughly; Gan Da only had scrapes and bruises. The reason he fainted wasn't excessive blood loss or anything else, but sheer terror.

He huddled together, trembling, leaning against a rock, suddenly gulping down air, and asked, "Oh my God, I was so scared! Am I in heaven or hell now?"

Ma Xiong finally managed to compose himself, not even pausing to catch his breath before answering directly, "You’re in hell now. You dragged the two of us down with you."

Gan Da pinched his own arm, his face immediately falling, "I thought it was a dream. I can't feel my arm at all. No sensation when I pinch it."

Lu Zong looked at the bewildered Gan Da and said, "Gan Da, we are not dead yet. We are still in the living world. What's wrong with you? Can't you feel anything?"

Gan Da smiled faintly and said, "Lu Zong, accept the fact. All of this is arranged by fate. If fate wills it this way, it must have its purpose. Dying might not be a bad thing; at least we won't be chased by those terrifying things anymore."

Ma Xiong frowned; it seemed the old man truly believed him. He stepped forward, patted Gan Da's shoulder, and said, "Gan Da, think again. Actually, I was tricking you just now. We are really still in the mortal world. If you don't believe me, I'll pinch you."

Gan Da didn't believe him at all, just looked into Ma Xiong's eyes and asked curiously, "What's wrong with you two? You clearly died. My arm really has no feeling. Lu Zong, pinch me."

Ma Xiong didn't hesitate and pinched Gan Da's arm hard, but Gan Da showed no reaction, even smiling at him—as if to say, "See? I feel nothing; we’re both dead."

Ma Xiong instantly realized the severity of the situation. He puckered his lips and bit down hard on Gan Da's arm. The skin immediately turned red and swollen, but Gan Da still showed no reaction. He looked at Ma Xiong in disbelief and said, "Ma Xiong, I’ve found a person who cannot feel pain!"

Lu Zong was also confused by Gan Da's strange reaction. Why no feeling? He had been so sensitive before. He walked over, pinched Gan Da, and still, Gan Da felt nothing.

Lu Zong didn't believe it. He bit down hard on his own finger and instantly felt a sharp, needle-like pain. It seemed only Gan Da had a problem. He recalled the scene where the vine had struck Gan Da earlier and seemed to realize something. He pressed down on Gan Da’s head, pushed aside his hair, and looked at the blister on his scalp.

Ma Xiong leaned in too, looking at the large blister. It was about the size of a fingertip, thumb-shaped, embedded on the top of his head. He rubbed it and felt a slight hardness. He suspected it was more than just a blister.

He let out a sigh toward Ma Xiong and said, "It's alright, Gan Da. You’re just anesthetized; your body will naturally recover soon. Now, let's keep climbing down. Be careful. Although those vines can't reach us now, I believe something even more dangerous awaits us below."

To be safe, they arranged for Ma Xiong to stay on top, Lu Zong at the very bottom, and Gan Da in the middle. Only now did Gan Da truly feel that he was still alive, a real person. If he were a spirit, he would have jumped long ago instead of patiently climbing down slowly.

After an unknown amount of time, the light from above was finally invisible. Yet, there was still no sign of the bottom below. They felt like a group of aimless snails, crawling back and forth on the passage wall. Who knew what reward their efforts would bring?

Just as Lu Zong was lost in thought, he felt something moving below him and frantically looked down in fright.

But it was pitch black below; he couldn't see a thing, only a vague shadow swaying back and forth. Furthermore, it was floating nearly three meters away from the passage wall, meaning it was suspended in mid-air. Goosebumps erupted all over him.

Lu Zong quickly stopped the men climbing down from above, saying, "Stop! Quiet down, there's something below."

They hadn't climbed much further before encountering another strange thing. Ma Xiong furiously kicked the vine under his foot. Under normal circumstances, he would have already started cursing whatever it was.