We ascended the ancient plank road, which spiraled upward toward the "Heavenly Palace." We were currently positioned exactly above the spot in the deep pool where I had just seen Irley Yang and Pangzi. Thinking of their panicked and anxious expressions from earlier, I couldn't help but ask them about it.

Upon my inquiry, Irley Yang turned to me and explained, "We had just descended to what must be around this same stretch of the plank road when we looked down and saw you resurface from the bottom of the pool. Just as we let out a sigh of relief, we spotted a monstrous claw in the depths of the—it was huge, spanning the size of several rooms—and you were right at the edge of its palm, looking as if you could be seized by that giant hand at any moment. That’s why we were so eager to go down and meet you."

After hearing Irley Yang’s explanation, I also found it extremely strange. How had I not noticed anything while I was in the water? I lowered my head to look down from the plank road. Beyond the cascading edges of the waterfalls, the deep, jade-green pool was serene and tranquil. Its profound depths radiated a desolate aura capable of isolating one's spirit. From our height, we could even see schools of fish swimming to and fro within the water.

Examining more closely, I could distinguish the undulating contours of the pool’s bottom, including the wreckage of the American bomber that had crashed there, its outline vaguely discernible. In the center of the pool was a black dot—that must be the vortex that nearly swallowed me. Outside the eye of the vortex, there were several protruding, arc-shaped cones, varying in thickness and length, encircling the whirlpool at the bottom of the pool, forming a perfect ring.

Looking down from this height, it resembled the colossal claw of some bizarre beast, cupping the vortex on the pool floor. Because of the undertow from the vortex, this effect wasn't visible from above, but it gave the objects underwater a dynamic quality. The giant claw seemed to subtly open and close, as if it possessed life, yet it was undoubtedly inanimate. I had fallen into the deep pool unprepared, having plunged from the sheer cliff face. At first, I was only dizzy from looking at the green water below the precipice, so I hadn't looked closely, unaware of such a spectacle beneath the water. Irley Yang only understood it was a false alarm after descending to the edge of the pool for a clearer view.

I stared, lost in thought, my mind repeatedly churning: This beastly claw’s imagery is so vivid, positioned precisely at the edge of the water’s eye. Could this have been intentional during the construction of King Xian’s tomb?

Pangzi, seeing me standing still instead of moving, urged me on repeatedly. He was likely unnerved by the ancient plank road that made one’s feet feel suspended in the air and wanted to ascend quickly. Hearing his insistent urging from behind, I had no choice but to stop dwelling on it and continue climbing the ladder-like plank road, stepping upward.

After a few steps, something important seemed to click in my memory. Right—Irley Yang had once mentioned that this deep-green funnel-shaped terrain bore a resemblance to the "Bottomless Ghost Cave" beneath Mount Zagrama.

So, as I walked upward, I recounted the essential details of what I saw underwater to Irley Yang, concluding, "The vortex at the bottom of the pool and the Muchen Pearl we are seeking share several characteristics, in a way. The beast's claws encircling the water’s eye also seem man-made. This suggests the bottom of the pool is part of King Xian’s tomb—at the very least, a symbolic, mysterious structure of this scale."

Irley Yang nodded. "This deep green reservoir must hold many secrets, but the dense aquatic vegetation below gives the floor a thick layer of camouflage. It will be difficult for the three of us to discern the exact structure underneath; we can only speculate based on the undulating outlines we see from above."

We also discussed the submerged aircraft. I wasn't familiar enough with American plane designs, and the wreckage was incomplete, nor did I get a good look in my haste. I could only offer a rough description of its shape, and Irley Yang suggested it might have been a B-24 long-range bomber.

The successive sightings of crashed planes must be related to the two meteorites at the entrance of the Insect Valley. Those meteorites were originally a single mass, and there must have been several others. Centered around the Gourd Cave, they are distributed in a circular pattern, hidden on both sides of the valley entrance and in surrounding areas. In the dense jungle, they would be hard to find without getting quite close. The strong electromagnetic interference waves from the meteorites are influenced by the sacred object that guards the Gourd Cave—that blue, three-legged monstrosity placed within the Toad Palace.

The material of the blue toad is highly specialized, possibly a type of dense, magnetic ore rich in rare elements like quark particles and glueballs. This substance expands the interference range of the electromagnetically radiating meteorites, causing electronic equipment to malfunction. It even affects migratory birds with biological navigation systems, causing them to fall from the sky when passing over the Insect Valley.

Irley Yang posited that this rare crystal of dense, magnetic ore inherently possesses intense radiation. It might have originated in an ancient Triassic forest, and during the great catastrophe that fossilized the ancient forest, the intense heating it underwent generated more radioactive material, forming the current dark-red, semi-transparent layered rock around it, giving it an arched shape.

Even the "Immortal Huo Worm" may owe its survival to its existence, having escaped that devastating cataclysm. Otherwise, no matter how tenacious the worm’s life force, it could not have adapted to the change in atmospheric oxygen content. The unique environment around the dense, magnetic ore is what allowed this colossal, ancient worm to survive to this day. As for the huge insects and plants in the cave, they too must have been shaped by its long-term influence.

We discussed these matters as we walked, synthesizing the observed signs through comparative analysis and incorporating subjective speculation. Gradually, the scattered pieces of information were drawn into a coherent line.

Irley Yang had made up his mind: no matter what, they had to add a sub-mission to this expedition: destroying the divine artifact of Mount Zhaolong.

Because this radioactive substance is highly unstable, its intensity fluctuating between strong and weak. The period during World War II might have been when the radioactive elements were particularly active, explaining why the plane wreckage we saw dated from that era. However, judging by the degree of interference with our electronic equipment, it had recently become active again. Things are different now than in ancient times; modern air traffic is increasingly frequent. To prevent future tragedies, they must find a way to risk returning to the center of the cave and find a way to destroy this artifact.

The "Golden Dragon-Tiger Double-Headed Short Staff"—the tiger-head end should be used to close the "Toad Palace." The bronze casket serving as the "Toad Palace" might be capable of shielding the dense, magnetic material. If that proves effective, they should try hard not to damage it; after all, it is a treasure of ancient civilization, not something one can casually destroy. Sinking it into the deep pool, letting it rest forever at the bottom of the water to decay with time, would also be a fitting end.

I suddenly recalled the words written on the back of the "Human Skin Map," but my memory was hazy, so I quickly asked Pangzi to take it out for inspection. On the reverse side, among the notes about the "King Xian's Tomb," a large section read: Where does the soul drift endlessly (mǎng, third tone, meaning boundless flood), the green water gives birth to the dark, revealing the true form. The Dragon Mountain enters the clouds, the Insect Valley sinks deep, covering a hundred li (Truly familiar, isn't this from the Rhapsody on the Afang Palace?). Separating heaven and age, three waters steaming fat (u, first tone, large cuts of fish and meat used for sacrifice), jǐn tú (a type of plant, bitter tasting, The Book of Songs has "jǐn tú feels pleasant") gather, each guarding its position. In the center, suppressing the heart of heaven, lies the Dragon Swirl; where the Dragon Swirl is born, the connections trail, faintly, faintly winding around the immortal lair. Profound mysteries are connected within; faintly means the absence within presence, faintly means the presence within absence. Its form is like the cream in a lamp, the wild goose in the cloud, the road in the ash, the snake in the grass. Immortal energy flows between, subtly concealed, yet its configuration of good fortune and auspicious position is unmatched. King Xian perished, interred within the Dragon Swirl of the water; the body dissolved and ascended to immortality. The Dragon Swirl has no form; unless heaven collapses, it is extremely difficult for outsiders to breach.

These words on the back of the "Human Skin Map," resembling the language of Qing geomancy, detailed the benefits of the "immortal lair" where "King Xian's Tomb" was located. However, the final sentence was unexpectedly startling, mentioning the term "heaven collapse." At the time, none of us could interpret its meaning, even speculating it referred to a specific moment when a celestial event, like a meteor strike, occurred, which would allow entry into the tomb’s mysterious chamber. But since entering "Mount Zhaolong" and seeing so many large wrecks of crashed airplanes, it became hard not to associate "heaven collapse" with planes falling and breaching the tomb walls.

However, the "Dragon Swirl" over the king’s tomb still existed. Previously, I never believed such an immortal lair truly existed, thinking it merely an exaggerated, fear-mongering legend. Even the Sixteen-Character Yin-Yang Feng Shui Secret Art only stated that the "Immortal Lair" is unachievable, unattainable, because it requires too many elements, and if one is missing, it fails; it only existed in theory.

In reality, a hundred seven-colored water rainbows do not gather in one place for a thousand years, but being there in person revealed that the ruling class could achieve anything short of true immortality. King Xian had managed to alter the very landscape, forcing the creation of such a "Dragon Swirl." From a Feng Shui perspective, the so-called "Dragon Swirl" refers to the point where the "turbid" and "clear" yin and yang energies intersect—that discernible boundary. This boundary wasn't a zone of mutual fusion but more like the chaotic state before heaven and earth were separated—what ordinary people call, "a fraction lower is water, a fraction higher is air." The "Dragon Swirl" was neither high nor low, neither water nor air, but light—condensed, yet formless and unsubstantial, a rainbow light that persisted for a millennium.

When Irley Yang mentioned the presence of "dense, magnetic material" nearby, it dawned on me: it was this very stone that increased the negative ions within the Insect Valley, resulting in almost no clouds or rain, making it difficult for the water vapor rising from the waterfalls to dissipate. This formed a "Dragon Swirl" above the green great funnel—a phenomenon previously only spoken of in legends—and it turned out to be a man-made optical effect.

While we spoke, we had walked for a long time on the plank road and happened to pass through the "Dragon Swirl" beneath the "Heavenly Palace." Previously, we only felt rainbows were at the edge of the sky, but now we passed right through one, feeling as if we had stepped into a boundless illusion, transforming ourselves into immortals. All three of us couldn't help reaching out to touch the surrounding rainbow light, naturally grasping nothing but air, each grinning foolishly. A strange thought suddenly arose: if this was a dream, it would be best never to wake up.

However, that swath of seven-colored light was extremely thin, and we passed through it quickly. The wonderful sensation vanished instantly, replaced by the dull ache in our legs from climbing the plank road. Coming down had been easy; ascending this winding, spiraling plank road proved to be incredibly long. It took us well over an hour to finally reach the gates of the "Heavenly Palace."

I pointed at the hall door before us and said to Irley Yang and Pangzi, "If the 'heaven collapse' described in the Tian Ji refers to those planes involved in air disasters, then I believe this fits. The stone wall at the bottom of the pool has a large hole smashed by a nose cone, but we can't be sure if the mysterious chamber is inside that hole. Even though Mojin Xiaowei can divide the gold to locate the exact spot, they cannot determine the scale of this immortal lair. But if we conduct a carpet search within the tomb's apex, we shouldn't worry about failing to uncover the many secrets hidden within."

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