The Fatty scrambled over, clutching his chest, taking a long while to catch his breath before he finally settled down. He looked at the others and said, "Ah, thank goodness for you all just now. If it hadn't been for you, I’d have been eaten alive over there."

Ma Xiong noticed the sweat soaking the Fatty and asked, "Fatty, why are you so sweaty? Did you get scared over there?"

The Fatty touched his chest and back, finding them completely drenched. Panting heavily, he said, "No, it was just too hot just then. This sweat is from the heat. Oh my heavens, Fatty was utterly terrified just a moment ago."

The others exchanged glances but didn't dwell on it, preparing to move on. However, the Fatty didn't follow them. Lu Zong called out to him, "Fatty, what are you doing? Let's go!"

The Fatty looked out at the cheering, swirling mass of big birds and declared, "No way. Your Fatty insists on settling this score today. Lu Zong, do you have any dynamite left on you?"

Lu Zong fumbled around on his person and replied, "I have some blasting caps here. I just scavenged them from those corpses."

The Fatty took them without hesitation, then picked up several stones from the ground, bundling the caps tightly against them, leaving only a single fuse exposed. He pulled out a match, roared a battle cry, lit the fuse, and hurled the makeshift bomb into the middle of the flock of birds.

Lu Zong watched the Fatty's lightning-fast movements and was instantly stunned into horror. "Damn it, this Fatty never considers the consequences. So many blasting caps, and such a short fuse—we won't even have time to run!" Without thinking further, he shouted, "Get down!"

Saying that, the group quickly threw themselves flat. Before long, the blasting caps behind them detonated with a deafening roar that shook them to the core.

When they looked up, the hole had grown significantly larger. They stared, astonished, at the gaping maw and muttered, "What was that? Fatty, you nearly killed us all back there!"

The Fatty looked utterly bewildered. "What do you mean? I didn't kill anyone!"

Lu Zong pointed to a stone near his head. "Look at this rock. It's only a few centimeters from my forehead. If that had struck me, I think it would have scared you all to death."

The Fatty glanced at the brick-sized piece of debris on the ground and felt a pang of disappointment—why hadn't it hit? But he quickly adjusted his demeanor. He realized he had been reckless. Even if he was going to throw it, he should have warned everyone to run further away first.

However, everything has its pros and cons. Who knew if delaying the throw by even a moment would have allowed those Yin-Yang Birds to fly over? Dealing with them then would have been far more troublesome. As it stood, the blast had sealed the hole, and surely a good number of the Yin-Yang Birds must have been killed or injured, judging by the noticeably weakened cries coming from below.

Stones littered the area, but the floor itself was remarkably smooth. If not for the occasional small protrusion, one might have thought the floor had been artificially leveled.

After walking only a few steps, they emerged from the stone forest. Ahead of them loomed a city wall that seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance, though it was clearly ancient and dilapidated.

Han Chong walked forward in amazement, touching the wall. "I wonder how many millennia old this thing is. Such a magnificent structure, deep underground."

Lu Zong also approached, wary of Han Chong encountering danger. He examined the wall, noting that it appeared to have murals. He brushed his hand across the surface, feeling the uneven stone, and quickly wiped away a layer of white, powdery substance. What appeared was a complete mural. Because they were underground and so well hidden, it had suffered almost no damage. He studied it closely; it depicted a man and a woman engaged in an act of intimacy. The scene was spectacular, grand, instantly causing one’s hormones to surge.

Lu Sha walked over, curious what had captivated Lu Zong so thoroughly. But Lu Zong abruptly pulled her back. "Don't look, don't look! Not suitable for children."

Han Chong mused, "Could it be that this entire long wall is covered in murals? What a rare national treasure this must be."

Lu Zong retorted, "Who cares if it’s a national treasure? We can't take it anyway. Let's just keep moving and find the exit first."

Ma Xiong sadly reflected on how Lu Zong had become so callous, showing no concern for what should be priceless cultural artifacts. He supposed his own influence must be quite significant.

Every few steps, they would brush the dust off another mural, eager to see what it depicted. What they found, instead, was the entire life cycle of the Queen—from birth, emerging from the earth during a volcanic eruption, to her growth, her ascent to the throne, and finally, teaching people to farm, weave, and raise livestock. Essentially, everything attributed to Nüwa in legend was projected onto this Queen. It was clear that the Queen was the totem of the Shamans, their deity.

Han Chong gazed at the thousands of images and stated, "I feel these must be the Queen's diaries. One carved every day, capturing the most significant event of that day. What does this imply?"

The Fatty piped up, "It implies the Queen had a habit of keeping a diary."

Han Chong chuckled. "It implies something else: that the Queen started building her own mausoleum from the very moment she was born."

Hearing this, the group was shocked. No way! This Queen was too formidable. She should have waited until she secured the throne before undertaking such construction.

Ma Xiong voiced his doubt. "That's impossible. Look, these murals show that the Queen only achieved her position through combat during her adolescence, around age twenty. She should have started construction only after she turned twenty. Before that, she was just an ordinary young girl. How could she have possessed the strength to build her own tomb?"

Han Chong explained, "Didn't you notice there are only two images depicting her from infancy to young girlhood? One shows her erupting from the earth, and the other shows her eating voraciously. The subsequent images depict her as a fully grown adult, around age twenty. I think this implies at least two things. First, this Queen certainly wasn't mortal, because she erupted from beneath a volcano. Second, the Queen might not have had a childhood, growing up completely in a single day. If I'm guessing right, the Queen also doesn't age—we'll know once we see the later portraits."

Everyone was dumbfounded. Han Chong’s reasoning wasn't entirely without merit, but scientifically, it was inexplicable. Who in the world could possibly grow up instantly from birth?

The Fatty waved his hand dismissively. "Whatever she was, she's dead now. What’s the point of discussing her? Let's hurry inside and explore. If the city wall is this grand, the interior must be spectacular."

Lu Zong nodded. "Yes, let's go in and see. Whatever it is, she's dead. What are we afraid of?"

Han Chong countered, "I don't think this Queen is actually dead. Don't the Shamans appear alive too?"

The moment Han Chong spoke, a chill swept over the group. Lu Zong quickly silenced him. "Han Chong, stop talking! The more you say, the more I feel my whole body tremble; I don't even dare go in now. Let's just go inside and see; we can’t confirm anything standing here."

Han Chong scraped a bit of powder from the mural and tucked it into his pocket. "Let's go. I want to see just how old this thing is. If we can subtract the age of the final stone from the age of the initial stone, the difference will be the Queen's lifespan. If it genuinely exceeds five hundred years, it means we’ve encountered a demon."

Han Chong was becoming increasingly outlandish, and Lu Zong finally had to roar, "Enough! Stop talking, and let's go inside!"

His sudden outburst shocked everyone, as he had never displayed such anger before. But when he saw Han Chong's startled expression, his temper immediately softened. Everyone looked at him strangely, and he felt a touch of embarrassment. He quickly explained, "Maybe I’m just too tired, making my temper short. Let’s all keep moving."

He gestured for everyone to proceed, but he lingered at the very back of the formation. Due to Lu Zong's shout, the atmosphere in the group became distinctly strange, and everyone felt an odd sensation spreading within them—especially Lu Zong.

Lu Zong pulled Han Chong to the rear of the line and whispered, "Han Chong, I don't know what happened. My head suddenly felt foggy. The more you talked, the worse the headache got, as if my brain wasn't mine at all. I tried rubbing my head desperately, but it did nothing. I didn't mean to shout at you just now. Isn't that bizarre?"

Han Chong looked at Lu Zong curiously and admitted, "You know, you’re not wrong. I felt the exact same way. I don't know why, but suddenly I felt like I couldn't control what I was saying. I was foggy-headed, but I couldn't stop myself. It wasn't until you yelled that I came back to my senses completely. What on earth is going on?"

At that moment, Ma Xiong, who was leading the group, suddenly turned back. He looked at the two of them and snapped, "What are you two whispering about? If you plan to betray us, just say so clearly! Don't wait until we find out for ourselves, understand? I’ve been suspicious of you two from the very beginning, thinking you were sent by the higher-ups specifically to spy on me. I’ve tolerated you both for a long time. Heh heh, don't give me those looks! If you’re not convinced, then come on! Come on! Ha ha ha! I’m not afraid of you! I’m not afraid of you!"

Lu Zong and Han Chong exchanged a glance, then looked back at the Fatty behind them. The Fatty adopted a humble expression. "It’s not my fault; it has nothing to do with me. Don't look at me. I can't manage your affairs. I'm just passing through; I can't interfere. You two sort out your own issues; don't drag me into it. Oh, sorry, I’ll go ahead now. The Queen is calling me." With that, the Fatty turned and walked deeper into the passage.

Lu Sha stared at everyone in astonishment, not understanding a word of their strange exchange. But when she saw the Fatty trying to leave the group, she quickly rushed forward and grabbed him. "Where are you going, Fatty? Have you gone mad?"