As soon as Ma Xiong finished speaking, he suddenly heard the Fatty's voice: "Damn it, Company Commander, how many times have I told you not to make a sound if there's no need? But your mental fortitude is too poor. They only said two sentences, and you were already so bored that you actually answered. Truly damnable."

As soon as Ma Xiong heard that voice, he quickly looked around, and sure enough, he spotted two sleazy figures huddled in a hidden corner. He hurried over, clapped both of them on the shoulder, and scolded, "Damn it, what the hell are you two up to, hiding here and refusing to see us?"

The Company Commander suddenly burst out cursing: "Damn it, Fatty, are you blaming me for everything? Do you know, that wasn't me who answered just now, that was Ma Xiong! Look at you, aren't you the one who exposed our position now?"

Ma Xiong, hearing the two start to argue, secretly chuckled, "Heh heh, what kind of trick are you two playing, hiding out here and refusing to meet us? We already said we forgive you. Have you forgotten? My principle has always been to win people over with virtue. Have you truly forgotten that?"

Fatty said resentfully, "Damn it, Ma Xiong, you still have that sly look you always had. I've been fooled by you again." With that, he walked out of the shadows, followed by the Company Commander, who looked utterly dejected. Zhi Xiong asked, "Hey, Company Commander, are you alright? Why were you two hiding in there? Is it cooler in there or something?"

The two offered sheepish smiles to the other two. When Lu Zong saw them, he let out a scream as if he had just seen a long-lost relative, then immediately hugged and embraced them. Seeing Lu Zong’s joy—as if a child had finally gotten candy—Ma Xiong couldn't help but feel happy himself.

Suddenly, Ma Xiong felt the entire "Yixiantian" (A Thread of Sky) begin to tremble. He quickly looked up and saw that the narrow fissure was slowly beginning to close up, as if it were about to seal shut. He exclaimed, "Oh no, it looks like this Yixiantian is about to collapse!" Without another thought, he glanced at the four of them and said, "Stop celebrating! Look at the Yixiantian! It's about to cave in. We need to leave here quickly."

Ma Xiong looked around, trying to find a place to climb up, when suddenly there was a deafening boom, and everyone was thrown to the ground again. Following that, they heard continuous rumbling sounds, feeling as if huge chunks of material were constantly smashing down from above. After one final, violent tremor, they realized the path above them had been completely sealed off.

When the rumbling stopped, Ma Xiong found that their way back was blocked, and the way forward was also choked with stones. Their only options were left and right. Fortunately, amidst a pile of rubble, Ma Xiong spotted what looked like a tunnel opening. Zhi Xiong and the others had no other path, so they all proceeded into the passage.

The passage extended downward. After walking for a long time, they noticed the air growing damp. The water they carried was nearly depleted. Fatty suspected they would find a water source if they kept going, so he urged everyone to quicken their pace. However, when they finally emerged from the tunnel, they found themselves in an entirely unfamiliar environment.

They discovered themselves in a massive hall, spacious enough to be a basketball arena. The hall’s décor was opulent, yet the black-and-white color scheme gave it an unsettling appearance. They walked to the hall's main door, only to find it sealed shut with molten bronze poured over the seams.

Later, the group discovered stairs on the right side of the hall and ascended. Reaching the top, they found a long corridor lined with doors on both sides, but none of them could be opened. When they reached the end of the corridor, their vision suddenly opened up dramatically. They were standing on what seemed like a high observation deck, and from this vantage point, they were astonished to discover they were overlooking a magnificent, opulent Imperial Palace!

Afterward, they could only hear the sound of stones collapsing beneath them. Because the light was too dim, they couldn't see the specifics. This must have been when the Yixiantian collapsed; the sound of the building collapsing was likely the falling stones striking the surrounding rock walls.

Ma Xiong worried that standing on the observation deck was dangerous and urged everyone to return. To their surprise, when they went back to the corridor, it had split into two paths. The group then realized that the palace structure could change. Fearing they would get lost inside the palace, Ma Xiong quickly called everyone back to the balcony.

When they returned to the spot where the platform had been, the platform itself had vanished, sealed off by a stone wall. However, on the ground before the wall, a staircase spiraling downward had appeared. Not daring to remain in the corridor, they followed the stairs down. There was only one staircase, but it wound and spiraled continuously. After descending a stretch, the stairs turned upward again, and after another stretch, they turned downward once more.

The four walked for over ten minutes, yet the staircase seemed endless. Ma Xiong stopped and told everyone that this staircase might be another trap designed to confuse people.

Alarmed, but lacking better options, they all sat down where they were to plan after eating something to stave off hunger.

After eating, they resumed descending the stairs. Unexpectedly, after only about a minute of walking, the staircase abruptly ended at a stone door. Ma Xiong, having gained some experience, inspected the door and found that it could be pushed inward. The four exerted force together and managed to shove the door open. Ma Xiong, being the most experienced among the four, immediately drew his military dagger and rushed in first. The others followed in single file.

Behind the stone door was a completely enclosed room. Unlike the rest of the palace, this room did not look grand or noble; though not small, it was starkly utilitarian. Simple cots were arranged inside, but the bedding and other materials had severely corroded, turning to dust at the slightest touch.

The four walked to the center of the room, about to examine the surroundings closely, when suddenly the entire floor of the structure collapsed beneath them. Caught completely off guard, they all fell through. Fortunately, the drop wasn't deep. Though thoroughly frightened by the fall, none of them were injured.

They then realized that beneath the center of the room was a large pit, and the floor had only been a thin layer remaining. When the four stepped onto the center, the floor could no longer bear their combined weight and collapsed.

The reason for this large pit was deemed worthy of deep investigation, so the group wasn't in a hurry to find an exit. Instead, they began to explore the pit for anything noteworthy.

Looking up at the structure above the pit, they confirmed the room was indeed very simple, lined with small beds, which reminded Lu Zong of the underground escape tunnels. It seemed this room must have served as a temporary shelter for the craftsmen who dug the escape routes. Later, Zhi Xiong also discovered that this room had once been twice its current size, but it had shrunk because half of it was filled with the earth excavated during the tunneling process.

Lu Zong looked at Zhi Xiong with some curiosity and said, "Zhi Xiong, why do I feel like this palace is strange? It’s like we’ve encountered ghosts. Do you think this might be the legendary Demon Tower, and we are inside it right now?"

Ma Xiong immediately nodded in understanding, saying, "I also feel this is the Demon Tower we've been searching for. Fatty, what do you think?"

Fatty nodded repeatedly, saying, "I’m certain this is the legendary Demon Tower. I once heard Han Chong mention that this tower constantly changes. It seems we’ve truly found the right place."

Upon hearing Han Chong’s name, Lu Zong’s expression immediately shifted uncomfortably. Fatty likely noticed it too and patted Lu Zong’s shoulder, saying, "Try to relax. Han Chong will be fine. You know, Han Chong wasn't originally one of us, but I trust you've been through everything we have, step by step."

Lu Zong could only nod helplessly; he had nothing more to say now.

The four had intended to search the palace for a way out of the 'Ghost Palace,' but upon hearing Fatty say that the palace constantly shifted and that people could get trapped within, they fell into confusion again. It seemed that getting out of the Demon Tower would require a much more complicated search for an exit.

Ma Xiong surveyed their surroundings: "I say, since we’ve entered the Demon Tower, and it’s hidden this mysteriously—what should our next move be? Are we about to complete our mission? Should we head back now?"

Ma Xiong shook his head: "I don't see it being that simple. Mountains of difficulty are piling up ahead of us. Do you really think we entered this Demon Tower so easily? Haven't you noticed what the strangest thing about this Demon Tower is? I feel like, in this ancient tomb, we are like tiny ants crawling on a coffin, completely unaware of where we are on it. So, I think the road ahead requires us to keep exploring. We must explore slowly. Fatty, how is your physical condition now?"

Fatty looked at Ma Xiong and then said quite vividly, "I find I’ve become much more refined than before. I don’t feel like eating anything I see now. I’ve already saved the socialist cause countless pounds of grain."

Ma Xiong replied, "That's good. That means we are all grasshoppers on the same rope now; our survival state is identical. We probably won't need food or drink much longer. Let’s just explore this Demon Tower slowly. Maybe we can even uncover what secrets old Cao Cao was hiding."

Fatty looked a little displeased and grumbled, "I can endure the lack of food, but without women, how are we supposed to keep living?"