Aqiang slammed the painted halberd heavily into the ground, panting as he settled onto a large stone. The blue and white stones beneath them offered no resistance to the sharp blade of the halberd.
Li Mufan let out a sigh of relief, turning to gaze into the thick fog behind them. He felt an overwhelming sense of luck; if he hadn't happened to know Chinese characters or read about such topics, the three of them would have likely never made it out alive.
Yet, he was puzzled. The Bagua array was known for its complexity and danger, but here, understanding it had allowed them to escape. Why, he wondered, were ancient Chinese characters present in this distant Tianheng Continent?
He couldn't grasp the reasons, so he turned to the mountain path ahead and asked, "What time is it now?"
Cuihua squinted at the sky. "Master, it's probably around two o'clock in the morning by Earth's time."
"I'm tired. Let's take a rest."
After grabbing a piece of dried meat from Aqiang and taking a sip of water, he looked at the quiet mountain trail and the fog behind them. After a long silence, he said, "Let's go up and have a look!"
The path was eerily quiet; even the insects had vanished. Cuihua's keen sense of smell caught a faint whiff of blood in the air. Meanwhile, Aqiang, ever observant, spotted broken weapons half-buried in the jungle on both sides of the path.
He reported this to Li Mufan, who chose not to investigate. "What if something strange happens again after we leave the trail? It's not worth it for a few broken weapons."
With the ominous fog lingering behind them and no apparent way out, he felt a pressing need to uncover the mystery ahead.
Their journey continued in calm silence, and they encountered no signs of the Yin soldiers. Soon, they arrived at the end of the path, where a cave lay shrouded in dense vines.
Before the cave entrance, half of an ancient Chinese character was etched into a broken stone tablet. The character was fragmented and blurred, leaving Li Mufan uncertain of its meaning.
Aqiang asked hesitantly, "Master, should we go in?"
"Let's go! There's no other way. Leave any weapons you've picked up outside the cave, just in case we need to use them later."
"Yes!" they both agreed.
As Li Mufan pushed aside the thick vines, he felt as if he was brushing aside the weight of millennia. A spark of enthusiasm ignited within him, accompanied by a subtle sense of kinship.
Walking into the cave, paved with bluestones, they noticed a faint red light flickering ahead, illuminating the dark space.
The walls of the cave were adorned with ancient murals, each one silently narrating tales long forgotten.
Li Mufan moved quietly with Aqiang and Cuihua, the red light guiding their way as he examined the scenes depicted in the murals. They seemed to illustrate the history of a human tribe: from wearing animal skins and drinking blood to learning to craft tools, the tribe gradually grew, formed a nation, and engaged in battles against various beasts and races.
Each picture was captivating, pulling him deeper into the narrative. He felt as though he had traveled back to that ancient era, where humanity battled against nature, the earth, and all races, never yielding in their fight for survival.
A surge of hot blood welled up in his chest, igniting an unyielding spirit within him!
Suddenly, a bright light flickered in his eyes, and he snapped back to reality. The images he had witnessed would be etched in his memory forever!