As soon as the whole party was mentioned, everyone instantly became serious. Lu Zong looked at Elder Qian and asked, "Elder Qian, didn't you say that tomb was the most direct path for us to reach him? Why are we out now?"

Elder Qian remained silent, merely shaking his head with a look of resignation. "Out? Who told you we were out? In fact, we are still inside this tomb. We never left; we've been inside the whole time."

Zhi Xiong asked with a hint of confusion, "Elder Qian, what exactly are you saying? Aren't we outside right now?" Elder Qian shook his head. "No. Look up at the ceiling. Can you see the sun?"

The group quickly looked up, only to discover that overhead was not the sky at all. They couldn't see anything; it was just a vast expanse of white, as if a sheet of snow-white canvas was draped over the highest point, covering the entire world. Zhi Xiong and Lu Zong asked in astonishment, "Elder Qian, what does this mean? What is that huge canvas all about? Why is it over our heads?"

Elder Qian suddenly stopped speaking, staring blankly at the sky, lost in thought. Seeing Elder Qian's expression, Zhi Xiong felt his composure beginning to crack; he had no idea what trick this old fellow was pulling. Seeing Elder Qian fall silent, Lu Zong shifted his gaze to Ge Mei, who was equally mysterious. He was startled to see Ge Mei staring up at the sky with wide, furious eyes, her expression terrifying. Her eyes were rolled back, her knees drawn up as if she were about to kneel, her hands clasped over her chest as though she were gazing at the heavens in deep reverence. Lu Zong was stunned by Ge Mei's look and quickly glanced back at Elder Qian.

At that moment, Elder Qian was in no better state; he maintained the same vacant stare. Lu Zong grew a little fearful and quickly sidled over to Zhi Xiong, whispering, "Hey, Zhi Xiong, what do you think they're doing? Why did they suddenly turn like this? Could it be that we've actually entered that legendary Demon Tower?"

Zhi Xiong shook his head. "I'm not entirely sure, but judging by what Elder Qian and Ge Mei just said, and their expressions, it’s hard to deny that this might be the Demon Tower. We've arrived at our destination."

Lu Zong asked in surprise, "But why are we here, and why have they both taken on these appearances?"

Zhi Xiong also shook his head helplessly. "Have you forgotten why we came here? Have you forgotten that we are still under a curse? We came here to break the curse."

Lu Zong nodded. "I know that, but how do we break the curse?"

Just then, a bolt of lightning flashed down from the sky, striking both Ge Mei and Elder Qian. They instantly collapsed onto the ground. Then, a voice echoed from above, the kindly tone of a middle-aged man: "Haha, welcome to the Demon Tower. The mission of the two guides is complete. I will take them away now. You will meet them again in the future, young men. Go forth and strive well; I will be waiting for you there."

Lu Zong and Zhi Xiong were startled and quickly looked up at the sky. They vaguely perceived, far above them, a cloud that looked like shimmering white mist, drifting like an armored warrior. It floated over to Ge Mei and Elder Qian, then swept them both away. Before they could even grasp what had happened, they had vanished.

He suddenly felt that the face of the figure that appeared in the sky moments ago looked strangely familiar. He tried hard to recall, only to be so startled that he let out a sudden, sharp scream.

Zhi Xiong quickly asked, "Hey, Lu Zong, what did you just think of? Do you know what just happened?"

Lu Zong shook his head. "I don't know, but do you recognize the face we just saw in the sky? Why does it look so familiar? I feel like I've definitely seen this person before—perhaps an ancient celebrity."

Zhi Xiong cursed, "Damn it, we are inside Cao Cao's tomb! Who else could it be but Cao Cao?" Hearing this, Lu Zong slammed his own forehead: "That's right! The one we saw was clearly Cao Cao! I saw his portrait in a museum exhibition once; it was an exact match to the figure in the vision." Realizing this, he couldn't help but tremble violently. He immediately looked for Elder Qian and Ge Mei, but by now, both had disappeared, leaving only their empty travel bags lying on the ground. It seemed they had been taken after shedding their clothes.

Lu Zong hurried over to inspect the spot but found nothing. He could only look at Zhi Xiong and say, "Zhi Xiong, it looks like we have to face the road ahead together now. I feel so strange and uncertain; it’s as if this world is vast, and we are nothing more than tiny specks of sand within it. The world we saw outside was as small as a pellet. There are so many marvelous things in this world that we've never encountered. Human existence truly seems confined to a very small scope."

Zhi Xiong shook his head. "No, no. Haven't you noticed? Cao Cao already knows about this place and holds many more secrets than we do. The mere fact that a human has reached this spot suggests that he has been conquered by humanity. I believe this place will become a tourist attraction someday, and if the two of us act as guides, we'll surely strike it rich."

Lu Zong rolled his eyes helplessly at Zhi Xiong and swore, "Damn it, what time is it, and you're still thinking about getting rich? You young scoundrel, your greedy nature never changes!"

Zhi Xiong managed a helpless smile, then looked at Lu Zong, who was also looking around vaguely, uncertain of their next move.

Suddenly, he noticed a steep, narrow fissure to his right. He thought he had seen a dark shadow dart into it just a moment ago. His entire body jolted, and he quickly told Zhi Xiong, "Zhi Xiong, look! I just saw a dark shadow shoot into that fissure. I don't know what the devil it was. Let's go look together and see what it is."

Zhi Xiong's face tightened when he heard this. He said to Lu Zong, "Lu Zong, this isn't the time for games. You say this is a barren wilderness—how could there be a dark shadow? You must have seen wrong. Please, think carefully again."

Lu Zong knew very well that Zhi Xiong was feigning ignorance. He knew Lu Zong had seen it, but to feel more secure internally, he still needed to ask. If Lu Zong told him he hadn't seen anything, his mind could settle a little. In truth, Lu Zong had already anticipated this and decided it was better to ignore the shadow, thinking it might mean one less complication. He ignored the question, merely looking at Zhi Xiong, steadying his breath, and said, "Oh, maybe I was too tense just now and saw incorrectly."

But the moment the words left his mouth, Zhi Xiong suddenly shouted, "Who's there?"

As quickly as he spoke, the instant Zhi Xiong finished his exclamation, Lu Zong whipped his gaze toward the fissure. Sure enough, he saw another dark shadow slip into the steep rock face. Lu Zong couldn't help but tremble all over; it seemed Zhi Xiong had also spotted the shadow.

Zhi Xiong said, his voice trembling, "Lu Zong, you weren't mistaken. We've encountered two shadows. Haha, that’s not so bad. I want to see what they are. I refuse to believe that now that we’re backed into a corner like this, there’s anything left we can't afford to lose."

With that, he strode toward the fissure. Lu Zong saw him and quickly followed.

There seemed to be only this one mountain in the area. Lu Zong suddenly felt an unsettling familiarity about this tomb. He quickly asked Zhi Xiong, "Zhi Xiong, wait a minute. Look at this mountain. Why does it seem so familiar? I feel like we've seen it somewhere before. Take a good look!" Saying this, he grabbed Zhi Xiong, who was intent on walking forward. Hearing Lu Zong's voice, Zhi Xiong stopped immediately and carefully examined the mountain.

Indeed, he realized he seemed to have seen the mountain somewhere before. He frantically spun through every active thought in his mind, scrutinizing it closely. Suddenly, he shouted to Lu Zong, "The Queen! It must be the Queen!"

Simultaneously, Lu Zong had already guessed the answer. Together, they shouted, "Yes, the Queen! It must be the Queen!"

As soon as they finished speaking, goosebumps rose all over their bodies. This place was clearly bizarre. Why was the mountain they saw in Xinjiang now appearing here? But why did this location have a fissure when the one in Xinjiang did not? They both shook their heads, baffled, unsure of what to do next.

Zhi Xiong said, "We don't need to rack our brains over this. As long as we remember that our primary mission is to break the curse, we don't need to worry about anything else. Let's go, let's ignore this thing." Saying this, he took Lu Zong's hand, intending to leave the area and disregard the dark shadow inside.

However, the moment he turned, they distinctly heard a mature female voice coming from within. The voice was so delicate and soft that it sent a thrilling numbness through their bodies, a feeling so exhilarating that it was like stepping out of a sauna. But the two quickly snapped out of their momentary pleasure. This was not the time for enjoyment. They didn't know whose voice it was, but based on the sound, they could probably guess some of the truth. Could that voice just now belong to the Queen?

The thought sent immediate shivers down their spines. They felt that this world was suddenly very cold.

To confirm the bizarre event that had just transpired, Lu Zong quickly asked Zhi Xiong, "Zhi Xiong, did you hear that voice just now?"