Xiao Lou walked past the six walls one by one, carefully memorizing the talismans on each wall.
He closed his eyes and carefully recalled how to draw the six talismans, then used his voice headset to confirm with Gui Yuanzhang from the other team: "Senior, have you carefully examined the talismans in the secret room? Are there any livestock such as pigs, cows, or sheep?"
Gui Yuanzhang said, "That's right."
Xiao Lou continued, "There's a wall with talismans drawn on doors; another wall looks like young men and women dancing in a ritual; another wall is full of hideous demons; and there are two other walls, some with strange black patterns without any specific shape, and some talismans that are covered in blood?"
Gui Yuanzhang nodded: "Hmm. The talismans in the two secret rooms should be the same, and the mechanisms should be activated in the same way. Have you figured out the answer yet?"
The teammates held their breath, waiting for Xiao Lou's deduction through the headset.
These talismans looked terrifying, especially one wall covered with bloody talismans, which looked like some kind of cult. None of us understood these things, so we could only pin our hopes on Xiao Lou, the team's best puzzle solver.
Upon hearing Gui Yuanzhang's confirmation, Xiao Lou took a deep breath and gave his thoughtful answer: "This should be six paths of reincarnation."
Gui Yuanzhang raised an eyebrow in surprise: " Six paths of reincarnation? The cycle of reincarnation in Buddhism?"
Xiao Lou nodded and explained to his teammates, "Buddhist teachings emphasize cause and effect and reincarnation. After death, people are reincarnated according to their good and evil deeds in life, and may enter one of the six realms of reincarnation: the Deva realm, the Human realm, the Animal Path, the Hungry Ghost Path, the Asura Path, and the Hell Path. The talismans on the six walls of the secret room should represent the six realms of reincarnation."
He walked to the wall covered with paintings of doors: "The wall with paintings of doors is the Deva Path. Those who do many good deeds can be reincarnated into the Deva Path and receive blessings, which is the best outcome. The wall with paintings of men and women dancing is the Human Path. Reincarnated as humans, their merits and demerits cancel each other out, and everything starts anew. The wall with paintings of pigs, cows, and sheep is the Animal Path. The wall with paintings of ghosts is the Hungry Ghost Path. The black wall without any physical form is the Asura Path, which is also known as the Demon Path. The wall with bloody talismans is the most painful Hell Path. These reds may symbolize the Blood Pool Hell in the Eighteen Levels of Hell."
Everyone: "......"
The seemingly chaotic talismans finally became clear to everyone after Xiao Lou's analysis and explanation.
Liu Qiao's gaze swept across the six walls: "So, in other words, from the Heavenly Path to the Hell Path, the torment one suffers after reincarnation will become increasingly terrifying, and those who commit heinous crimes will be cast into the Eighteen Levels of Hell?"
Xiao Lou said, "That's one way of saying it. Let me take another look at the talisman on Herbal Hut."
He walked gracefully to the Herbal Hut, bent down and carefully examined the six colored runes, saying, "Gold should be the color symbolizing the Deva realm in Buddhism, and black symbolizes the Hell Path. The order of the six walls matches the order of the runes on the Herbal Hut; as long as you align the gold with the Deva realm wall and the black with the Hell Path wall, the entire Herbal Hut will perfectly correspond to the six paths of reincarnation on the six walls."
Yu Hanjiang asked, "Do you turn the Herbal Hut?"
Xiao Lou: "Give it a try."
The meter-tall Herbal Hut, made of an unknown material, was quite heavy. Yu Hanjiang, Lu Jiuchuan, and Lao Mo each grabbed a corner of the Herbal Hut and struggled to turn it around. In another secret room, Gui Yuanzhang, Shao Qingge, and Long Sen similarly turned the Herbal Hut based on Xiao Lou's deduction.
Just as Herbal Hut was about to engage, a deafening roar filled everyone's ears.
On each of the six walls of the secret chamber, there was a door, a stone door that could only allow one person to pass through at a time. Behind each stone door was an identical, narrow passage, and it was impossible to see what lay beyond the passage from here.
Ye Qi's voice came from beside me: "Which way should we go? We can't possibly split up again, can we?"
Xiao Lou frowned – dividing the 12 people into two teams was currently the most scientific and reasonable configuration. Dividing them into teams further would put teammates in danger. For example, someone like Ye Qi, who had a poor sense of direction, would definitely get lost if he went alone; and Shao Qingge, Long Sen, and others did not have the ability to solve problems on their own. If they encountered Hunter, it might be a dead end for them.
We absolutely cannot split into teams again.
There are six stone gates; which one should you go through? This is a multiple-choice question with six options.
The door on the wall symbolizing the Path of Heaven seems to pose the least danger; while the wall of the Hell Path, with its blood-stained runes, looks terrifying. But is the Path of Heaven truly the exit, and the Hell Path necessarily a dead end?
After calming down and thinking it over, Xiao Lou suggested, "Senior Gui, you should take the Heavenly Path, and we'll take the Hell Path."
Upon hearing this, the teammates were simultaneously shocked—there are so many paths to choose from: Humanity, Animal Path, Hungry Ghost Path. Why choose the Gates of Hell?
Xiao Lou explained, " The yin-yang mirror we just got, the black side, symbolizes the gate of death, corresponding to the gate of the Hell Path. I suspect that if we go through the Hell Path, we might actually find a way to survive?"
He looked at Yu Hanjiang, a hint of uncertainty appearing in his eyes for the first time: "Of course, my predictions aren't always accurate. If we encounter danger on the Hell Path, we... can use the Peach Blossom Spring Teleportation to retreat. Why don't we give it a try?"
Meeting his worried gaze, Yu Hanjiang gently put his arm around Xiao Lou's shoulder, his voice soft and gentle: "It's okay, even if you chose the wrong door, no one will blame you. There are so many forks in the maze, of course you have to try them slowly, it's impossible to find the right exit in one go."
Lu Jiuchuan agreed: "Let's take the Hell Path. Surely the Hell Path won't send us to hell?"
Return
Yuan Zhang overheard their conversation and whispered a warning: "Be careful."
"Seniors, please be careful too." Xiao Lou felt uneasy. He looked at the six walls and said, "Tianrendao sounds like a good place, relatively safe, but it's not necessarily really safe."
"Okay, I understand. Contact me anytime if anything comes up." Gui Yuanzhang released his earpiece, and the two temporarily ended the voice call.
Having chosen different doors, the mechanisms and scenes they encounter will be different from now on.
Old Mo, holding the handkerchief Liu Qiao had given him, quickly drew a diagram with his hand. After passing through the initial entrance, they were officially considered to have entered the maze. The ancient tomb was symmetrical on the east and west sides, with six exits on each side of the burial chamber, resulting in a total of twelve branching paths.
Following these 12 forks in the road, you might encounter even more. It seems this maze is even larger than the Rotating Maze Old Mo encountered during his Weekly Routine. Which path leads to the final exit? Nobody knows.
As Yu Hanjiang said, navigating a maze naturally requires slow and careful attempts; no one is so lucky as to reach the exit on their first try.
Xiao Lou took out the [ Four-Way Arrow ] card, stuck a blue arrow on the wall doorway symbolizing Hell Path, and marked it.
Yu Hanjiang walked to the door and looked inside—the passage was pitch black. With the help of the luminous pearl, he could see that it was a long and narrow cave, less than 1.7 meters high, requiring him to bend over to move forward. It was about 40 centimeters wide, only wide enough for one person to pass through, not for two people to walk side by side.
Moreover, Tang Ci's wheelchair simply couldn't fit through such a narrow passage.
It's impossible for anyone to leave Tang Ci here alone...
Noticing this, Lu Jiuchuan leaned closer and whispered in Tang Ci's ear, asking for her opinion: " Xiao Tang, how about I carry you across?"
Tang Ci said expressionlessly, "You still have injuries. My healing robot can alleviate the pain, but your wounds haven't fully healed. Are you trying to make them reopen by carrying me?"
Old Mo was drawing a maze map as he walked, so it wasn't convenient for him to carry someone. Lu Jiuchuan was about to ask his younger brother Yu Hanjiang for help when Liu Qiao said, "If Mr. Tang doesn't mind, I can use the [ Thumbelina ] card to shrink you."
Tang Ci remembered that her card could shrink a person to the size of a thumb, making it easy for teammates to carry in their pockets.
The passageway was too narrow, making it difficult for his wheelchair to navigate. Moreover, the path ahead had many curves and inclines, making it even more challenging for the wheelchair. Tang Ci didn't hesitate any longer and calmly nodded: "Thank you."
A golden light flashed at Liu Qiao's fingertips, triggering the card's effect.
Everyone saw Tang Ci suddenly disappear, and in his wheelchair appeared a... thumb-sized Mr. Tang.
Lu Jiuchuan curiously held the shrunken Tang Ci in his hands, brought it close to his eyes for a closer look, and laughed, "This card is quite interesting. It's much cuter now that it's shrunken. I'll put your wheelchair away for you. You can sit in my pocket."
Before Tang Ci could even agree, Lu Jiuchuan picked Tang Ci up, put her in his shirt pocket, and casually put away the smart wheelchair card.
Tang Ci, who had been stuffed into Lu Jiuchuan's pocket, peeked out with his head while clutching Lu Jiuchuan's pockets, his expression still indifferent: "Let's go."
Lu Jiuchuan looked down at the little figure on his chest and joked, "Have I become your mount?"
Tang Ci said calmly, "Why don't you summon your lion and have it carry me?"
Lu Jiuchuan laughed: "I'll take you. Lions aren't smart. If they throw you off and trample you to death, wouldn't you die a very unjust death?"
Tang Ci: "..."
Could you please use a different pocket?
Lu Jiuchuan gently nudged Tang Ci with his fingers to help it stay securely in the pocket before walking gracefully to the door.
Yu Hanjiang looked at his elder brother and said, "Brother, I'll lead the way, and you'll cover the rear."
Lu Jiuchuan had no objection: "Okay."
The leader is in greater danger, as they will be the first to fall into any traps ahead. Fortunately, Tang Ci's mechanical ant can be used to scout ahead and check for any trigger mechanisms on the ground. The ant can then be sent to test the area first.
Tang Ci released ants, and the two mechanical ants disappeared into the dark corridor in the blink of an eye.
Yu Hanjiang picked up the luminous pearl and bent down to walk through the gate of Hell Path.
The passageway was only 1.7 meters high. The brothers Yu Hanjiang and Lu Jiuchuan, both over 1.85 meters tall and quite robust, could only crouch and slowly feel their way forward. Xiao Lou, being thinner, found it much easier to navigate the passageway.
Liu Qiao was the most comfortable, as she was less than 1.7 meters tall and didn't need to bend over.
The passage was somewhat like a cave, with many uneven stones on the walls and a slippery surface, the source of which was unknown.
Yu Hanjiang held the luminous pearl in his left hand to illuminate the way ahead, while his right hand naturally reached out and gently took Xiao Lou's hand, whispering, "Watch your step, the road here is slippery."
They walked at the front, and in the darkness, their teammates did not see Yu Hanjiang's movements.
Feeling the familiar warmth on his hand, Xiao Lou felt a slight warmth in his heart and said, "It's okay, everyone walk slowly."
The passage is nearly 100 meters long, narrow and slippery, and you can easily fall if you are not careful.
The surrounding walls were covered with uneven stones, and if someone bumped their head, they could potentially suffer a concussion. Therefore, everyone walked this section of the road with extra caution, almost inching forward step by step.
After walking for about 5 minutes, Yu Hanjiang's view suddenly opened up.
Stepping onto the flat stone slabs, the space became noticeably more spacious, enough for several people to walk side by side.
The light here seemed to have brightened, but the number of luminous pearls in everyone's hands did not increase. The reason for the brightening light was that some lights suddenly appeared in the distance, and eerie blue flames floated around in the air, making the whole environment seem particularly strange and gloomy.
Old Mo had just finished drawing the winding cave map when he saw the scene before him and was taken aback: "This is... a will-o'-the-wisp?"
It really does look like a scene from a horror movie.
Xiao Lou calmly said, "It could be a visual illusion, or it could be phosphorescence. I've heard that phosphorus powder often appears in ancient tombs, which is very easy to float and burn in the air, looking like ghostly fire."
Liu Qiao chimed in, "Phosphorus is a chemical substance that is very easy to spontaneously combust. Ancient sorcerers and shamans often used these things to scare people. Don't worry, these floating 'ghost fires' are probably just phosphorus powder spontaneously combusting and have no offensive power."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the explanations from the two science students.
After all, seeing many blue flames floating around in the pitch black environment is indeed a creepy thing, especially since they were on the Hell Path. Who knows if the Guardian will send out some ghosts to scare them?
Just then, Yu Hanjiang suddenly whispered, "There are patterns on the wall."
He was in charge of leading the way, so with each step he took, he would use the luminous pearl to observe the ground beneath his feet, the top of his head, and the surrounding environment to his left and right.
When Yu Hanjiang shone the luminous pearl onto the wall, he discovered some strange patterns—unlike the monotonous cloud patterns on the wall tiles before, this time the patterns were very rich, like a lifelike painting.
Xiao Lou walked up to him and took a closer look.
The first picture depicts a person being tortured by being placed in a cauldron of boiling oil. The person's distorted face and terrified eyes made Xiao Lou's scalp tingle.
Liu Qiao's voice rang in my ears: "There are patterns here too."
Xiao Lou turned to look at the right side of the wall, where a person was being roasted alive on a scorching copper pillar.
Lu Jiuchuan frowned upon seeing these pictures: "These must be punishments from hell, right? They look terrible."
Yu Hanjiang led everyone to continue walking forward.
The surrounding walls were covered with gruesome images of torture.
Some people were thrown into a pool of bubbling blood, their bodies slowly corroded by the blood until only a pile of bones remained...
Some had their tongues pulled out; some had all ten fingers cut off; some were hung upside down from iron trees, sharp iron shards piercing their bodies, waiting for their blood to drain away drop by drop…
Someone was struggling to climb a mountain covered with sharp knives; with every step, their entire body would be cut by the blades…
The more people looked, the more their scalps tingled with unease.
These tortures, aren't they just the Eighteen Levels of Hell from mythology?
Xiao Lou's expression was particularly solemn. After walking through the long corridor and before looking at the last painting, he said softly, "The murals depict all the tortures in hell: the Tongue-Pulling Hell, the Scissors Hell, the Iron Tree Hell, the Mirror of Retribution... as well as steamers, copper pillars, mountains of knives, ice, oil cauldrons, blood pools, volcanoes, and giant knives, etc. The eighteen tortures of hell in mythology and legends are all there."
The grotesque and terrifying murals, along with the will-o'-the-wisps floating around them, sent a chill down the spines of the six.
Was this Hell Path really the right one?
Tang Ci's voice came from Lu Jiuchuan's pocket. Because he had been shrunk, his voice was also softer, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet space. He calmly said, "Are these murals warning us that if we continue forward, we will also have to experience these eighteen kinds of hellish tortures?"
Everyone's expression changed abruptly— Tang Ci's concerns were very likely.
After all, they were on the Hell Path!
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang exchanged a glance and nodded in unison. Yu Hanjiang said in a low voice, "Now that we're here, we can't just give up halfway. I want to see what secrets this Hell Path holds."
******