We walked another hundred meters or so, just past the head of the colossal beast beneath our feet, when the ground suddenly began to shake violently. I thought I saw movement beneath the ice sheet.

"Chirp..."

A clear, ethereal roar, like a bird call, resonated from beneath the ice, echoing through the cavern. We were all considerably startled, our faces draining of color. We looked down, only to see the giant creature's head appear to have shifted slightly—it looked alive!

We stared intently at the behemoth at the bottom of the lake. After a long moment, the thing made no further moves. Da Xiong cursed, "What the hell? This thing is alive? How is that possible!"

Xie Yuting also stared down at his feet, exclaiming in awe, "What in the world is this? I have a terrible premonition. What if it swims up from below?"

At that moment, Da Xiong forced a calm chuckle and said, "You're overthinking it. The four of us? It wouldn't even bother to pick its teeth with us!"

I shook my head. "Let's stop looking. I don't think this place is safe. We should leave here as soon as possible."

At my words, everyone nodded, glanced down one last time, and then cautiously proceeded toward the shrine.

This stone door was not as thick and heavy as the one we encountered before, and it was ajar, suggesting someone had already entered.

When we reached the steps before the door, Da Xiong rushed to the front, fumbled in his pocket, pulled out the three teeth he had just lost from his fall, and looked up at the roof.

Xie Yuting asked curiously, "Fatty, what are you looking at?" Da Xiong snorted, "You wouldn't know. Lost teeth have to be thrown onto the roof to grow back new ones."

Xie Yuting watched Da Xiong throw the teeth onto the shrine's apex, then glanced at me, as if to say, See? An idiot.

I offered a helpless smile. "Don't mind him. Next time I bring him out, I’ll dose him with some medicine first. You’ll get used to it."

Da Xiong ignored us, smiled contentedly after tossing his teeth, then hoisted Liang Qian onto his back and walked up the steps, pushing the door open to enter the shrine.

Knowing I couldn't call him back, and fearing he might vanish strangely like last time, I hurried to follow.

Before pushing the door open, I noticed the decoration on it—two conch-like symbols on the left and right—I couldn't decipher their meaning.

I pushed the door open. The interior of the hall was dim, but by the moonlight, I could see two identical conch markings behind the door as well.

Observing closely, I also noticed some fine cracks on the door, likely due to age, resembling a tangle of wild branches.

At this point, Da Xiong grumbled, "Are you sure Professor Nie and the others came in? Why is it pitch black in here!"

Xie Yuting followed closely behind me, switched on his flashlight, and swept the beam around. He discovered the vast hall was completely empty. Within ten meters ahead of us, there were none of the expected statues of gods or ghosts, nor altars or incense burners. Even the floor was spotless, paved only by large, square black stones forming a path leading forward. The side walls were constructed of the same stone, featuring no sconces for lamps, jutting abruptly into the infinite darkness.

Since the shrine was built inside the mountain, a long corridor was understandable, so we walked in silence.

Initially, we chatted and laughed, paying attention to the changes around us. But after half an hour, with the corridor remaining utterly unchanged, we all fell silent, and our vision began to tire.

Just then, Da Xiong, who was ahead, stopped. I thought he had reached the end of the passageway and quickly asked, "What's wrong? Even your Lord Xiong gets tired?"

Da Xiong cursed indignantly, "Lord Xiong is tired of walking! This is such a waste of time. Half an hour is enough to cross any cave. How big is this mountain?"

Xie Yuting teased, "It's natural for a comrade to have feelings, but perhaps beyond this tunnel lies a hidden paradise—a place full of immortal peaches, watermelons everywhere, and veiled fairies swinging on swings..."

Da Xiong clicked his tongue. "Comrade Xiao Chuan, I must say, you’re a literature major, and your phrasing isn't as thoughtful as Xie Yuting’s. You know what Lord Xiong likes."

I retorted dryly, "Fine, Pigsy, hurry up and move forward. Sister Chang'e is waiting for you ahead in her thin veil."

We talked a little more and continued onward. Another hour passed, yet the scenery remained completely unchanged.

Da Xiong stopped again and said, "Xie Yuting, do you think those swinging beauties might be covered in black fur..."

Xie Yuting and I were both drenched in sweat, our legs starting to feel weak, losing all inclination for banter. A strange surge of anger rose in my chest, and I was about to let loose a curse when I heard Xie Yuting whisper beside me, "Don't talk. Listen..."

Seeing Xie Yuting's tense expression, I knew something highly unusual must have occurred again. I held my breath and strained my ears to listen to our surroundings.

At first, I heard nothing but our own ragged breathing and heartbeats echoing in the vast corridor. But upon listening more closely, I realized that interwoven with the sound of our breaths was an undercurrent.

"Hold your breath. Stop exhaling," Xie Yuting whispered.

Then, the three of us held our breath, and Da Xiong even pinched Liang Qian’s nose shut.

As our breathing ceased, that hidden sound became much clearer: a rapid, harsh gasping sound drifted from the darkness ahead of us. It didn't sound human, unless that person was struggling to breathe.

In that profound darkness, the sound of panting was so eerie that our nerves stretched taut.

Da Xiong, being the bravest among us, paused for a moment, then shouted, "Who's there!"

The instant he finished speaking, I saw a thick mist drift out from the darkness ahead, followed by the illumination of two green eyes, each the size of a bowl.

Da Xiong swore, "Damn it, it’s that long-necked monster! Fall back!"

Xie Yuting and I were startled; it seemed there was more than one of these creatures. The one in the secret room behind the stone door before couldn't be killed even with a gun. Knowing a direct fight was useless, I turned and fled.

Being at the back of the group, I was running in front when we bolted, but after only about ten meters, I slammed into something hard, leaving me dizzy and spitting blood.

My head swam for a moment before Xie Yuting pulled me up, saying, "What the hell is this? There's a stone door ahead."

This door absolutely had not been here when we came in. We hadn't touched any mechanism, either. Such a large door closing should have made a sound, yet we heard nothing.

Xie Yuting's flashlight beam swept across the door, and I froze immediately. The stone door featured two conch symbols, and it also had those natural, branch-like fissures. This was clearly the same door we had entered through.

I said to Xie Yuting, "This is truly bizarre. I recognize this as the door we used to enter. After walking for so long, did we only cover ten meters?"

Xie Yuting was also shocked, his eyes wide. "Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

I shook my head. "Absolutely not, it's that door!"

Xie Yuting sucked in a sharp breath. "Forget it, let's get out first..."

Then, the three of us gripped the fissures on the door and pulled until our fingernails were bloody before we managed to crack it open slightly. We squeezed through, one by one, and then worked together to pull it shut, letting out a sigh of relief.

I wondered if the terrifying monster could also figure out how to pry the door open. If it could only resort to brute force, it would take some time to smash this inward-opening door down from the outside.

As I was lost in thought, Da Xiong suddenly cried out ahead of me, "Damn it! What is going on here!"

I whipped around, fully expecting to see the familiar mirrored plaza and the starlit sky, but what I saw stunned me into silence.

The space before us was nothing like when we entered. It was a small secret chamber, perhaps only a hundred square meters.

In the center of the room rested a gray stone coffin, and the floor was littered with those metallic discs—hundreds of them, it seemed.

"Why are the gods of the Wei Kingdom scattered all over the floor? These gods are so cheap! Are they scallion pancakes? Two bucks apiece, fry up a big batch!" Da Xiong exclaimed in astonishment.

Before we could examine the chamber closely, a heavy thud resonated from the stone door, feeling like a massive truck had slammed into it. The ground vibrated slightly, and dust rained down from the walls.

I knew the long-necked monster was hitting the door, but I hadn't expected it to possess such force. It looked like it could break the door down in a few strikes.

The three of us were terrified for our lives, yet we were forced to stand near the entrance. Since Liang Qian had warned that touching the metal discs could also be fatal, no one dared to step on them.

We stood in silence, bracing our shoulders against the stone door, preparing for the next impact.