The attack I had just experienced had brought out my full potential, and as the vines receded, I began to frantically crawl towards the other side.

At that moment, my mind went blank, and my only thought was to survive.

It wasn't until my feet touched the ground that I finally felt alive again. I instinctively wanted to thank the butterfly man, but when I saw the figure holding the torch, my eyes widened suddenly: "Miao Xiaoxian, what are you doing here?"

"If it weren't for me, you would be dead!"

Seeing our disheveled state, Miao Xiaoxian beckoned to us: "Come with me, hurry up!"

I noticed that Miao Xiaoxian wasn't heading towards the cave inside, but rather walking to the left along the platform. I quickly stopped her, saying, "Aren't we going the wrong way? This isn't the place we're going!"

"Where are you headed?"

Miao Xiaoxian frowned and said, "If I hadn't arrived in time, you two would both be dead. Your position is only for suicide. Come with me now!"

"Since you can deal with the things at the bottom of the canyon, you must know where this place is, right?"

I looked at Miao Xiaoxian seriously: "Don't forget our promise. We agreed to search for the Miao Jiang Immortal Palace together, but have you gone back on your word?"

"I just don't want to watch you all die."

Miao Xiaoxian urged, "Hurry up and come with me. If you continue to delay, you really won't be able to save your lives!"

Seeing that I was standing still, Miao Xiaoxian added, "The things in this cave have already been taken away."

I was taken aback when I heard that: "Who took it?"

"us."

Miao Xiaoxian said, "Ever since the council hall of Ping'an Village was bombed, the clan chief led us into these mountains to take the sacred object away. When we found the Sun God Altar, it had already been destroyed. At the Moon God Altar, we were attacked by others, so we moved to the Forest God Altar, which is this place! The Heart of the Forest God has already been taken away by us, and this place will soon be destroyed, so we must leave, understand?"

I pressed on quickly, "The forest god you mentioned is a golden bull, right? And the so-called heart of the forest god is the bull's head on that statue?"

"It seems you've made rapid progress; you even know these things now."

Miao Xiaoxian nodded and said, "According to the clues I recently investigated, there is a story in Ping'an Village that can only be passed down orally by the clan chief. The general idea is that as long as the power of the three gods is gathered, one can enter the Evil God's Palace, but as a price, it will also bring a kind of disaster... This news was told by the clan chief when he convened the elders' meeting. As for what this disaster is, he did not say."

According to the chieftain, once the Heart of the Forest God is taken, this altar will transform into a terrifying hell, as you should have seen from what you just experienced. Therefore, we must leave this place now!

"So how did you deal with this place when you came in before...?"

I thought for a moment, not knowing how to describe those coral stones, and pointed to the canyon, saying, "Those things that just popped out from below?"

“When we came in before, we didn’t encounter anything. These things only appeared after we took the Heart of the Forest God.”

Miao Xiaoxian paused for a moment: "According to the clan chief, we angered the gods by taking the Heart of the Forest God. Six people had to be left behind as human sacrifices to appease the Forest God's wrath. As the Holy Maiden, I naturally dared not disobey the clan chief's wishes, but I couldn't bear to see my people become sacrifices like Uncle Qi. So I left marks along the way and returned here as soon as we left, wanting to rescue the trapped villagers."

But when I returned here today, I found the mountains completely changed. I searched for a long time but couldn't find the villagers who were left behind. When I heard the voice just now, I thought it was one of the villagers who were left behind, but I didn't expect to see you all instead.

Miao Xiaoxian's words made my heart tighten.

Could it be that the woman's cries we heard earlier weren't an illusion, but rather that the offerings were swallowed by the coral?

After listening to Miao Xiaoxian's explanation, Song Laosan shared his analysis with me: "Xiao Duan, do you think it's possible that the bull's head is not only the key to the Miao Jiang Immortal Palace, but also the key to this place? Once the bull's head is taken away, it will activate the mechanisms here?"

"No! The Gu in this canyon is called Flowing Water Gu, a unique Gu of the Zhai tribe, but it has been lost for hundreds of years. This Gu is a carnivorous Gu, which needs to eat constantly to survive, and it cannot be sealed away. I am also very shocked that the Flowing Water Gu here has developed to such a large scale!"

Miao Xiaoxian patted her crossbody bag: "The hidden weapons I carry here can effectively drive away the Flowing Water Rock, but this kind of Gu is very difficult to eradicate. Once I run out of hidden weapons, we will all be doomed. Have I made myself clear enough?"

Hearing Miao Xiaoxian's response, I quickly followed up with, "Where did you enter this cave? Did you come in through a cave in the cliff?"

"no."

Miao Xiaoxian shook her head: "We entered this altar in a forest under the leadership of the clan chief... Why do you ask that?"

"Oh no!"

After hearing Miao Xiaoxian's explanation, I became a little irritated: "We accidentally entered this place from halfway up a mountain, but two of my teammates got separated from me, and I have to find them!"

After listening to my words, Miao Xiaoxian sighed deeply: "This altar is located deep in the mountains, with a complex and winding route. Even with the marks I left, it's extremely difficult for me to leave. If you want to find your people inside, we'll only get lost here together! According to my preparations, the hidden weapons I'm carrying now are barely enough to help us return the way we came. If we continue deeper, we'll only face certain death."

“Xiao Duan, I think this girl is right. Let’s leave this place first! Since Niu Tou has already been taken away, there’s no point in us staying any longer. I know you’re worried about Monkey and the others, but the terrain in these mountains is too complicated. After going around in circles, we still don’t even know where we are. If we keep going around, not only will our own situation be very dangerous, but it will also delay the time to rescue Monkey and the others.”

After hearing Miao Xiaoxian's response, Song Laosan also tried to persuade me: "Since there's no point in staying in the mountains, we might as well just leave and circle around to where we first fell. If we have enough supplies, we can rescue people. That's the most responsible way for us and Monkey. What do you think?"