Of all the people in the team that came to excavate the Demon Monk's Tomb, the only one I truly cared about was the Monkey.

We grew up together and our relationship is even closer than that of blood brothers. If I had to choose and could only keep one person in the team, I would definitely choose Monkey.

So after hearing the gunshot, I quickened my pace, hoping to find the monkey as soon as possible.

Wei Shengnan had explored the area before we arrived, so she volunteered to go first.

The sacred path beneath our feet is over a hundred meters long, with stone statues guarding the tomb standing on both sides.

Having reached this point, I had traveled more than two hundred meters from where I fell into the tomb, exceeding the length of most tombs of members of the Li Tang imperial family and their relatives by marriage.

I wasn't surprised by this, after all, open burial was still common in India at that time, there were no official regulations on the form of tombs, and slavery was prevalent. Naravana amassed countless treasures in the Tang Dynasty and was revered as a hero by the Magadha Kingdom, so it's not hard to understand why he was able to build a mausoleum of this scale.

What truly shocked me was that behind the screen wall at the end of the sacred path stood a huge stone archway.

Xu Hu shone his flashlight on the gate and the string of Sanskrit characters on it: "I've only ever heard of prostitutes erecting chastity arches, but this is the first time I've ever seen a gate tower erected in a monk's tomb!"

Looking at the shape of the "gate tower", I slowly shook my head: "This is not a memorial archway. Judging from its appearance, it should be the more ancient Lingxing Gate, which was mainly used for sacrifices."

Wei Shengnan noticed that something was wrong with me: "Is there something wrong with this door?"

“The paifang (memorial archway) originated from the Han dynasty gate towers, matured in the Tang and Song dynasties, and reached its peak in the Ming and Qing dynasties. It evolved from a practical building into a monumental structure, which was widely used to commend merits and honors. It was usually set up in front of altars, palaces, temples, mausoleums, ancestral halls, government offices, gardens, and at the beginning, intersections, and bridges of main streets.”

I took a deep breath and said, "Historically, archways have always served as the starting point of a road, rather than being placed inside a building. I don't know if you can understand what I mean."

“Since ancient times, tombs have served as the final resting place for the deceased, and can be considered as a complete structure. According to you, we have not yet entered the Demon Monk's Tomb; we have only just reached its starting point.”

After explaining his reasoning, Qu Ruilin looked at the space around us in disbelief: "If that's really the case, doesn't it mean that Naraishopomei had someone dig out an underground space and then built the so-called Blissful Pagoda in the underground world?"

"The saying goes that there is a Yellow Springs three feet underground, and he has created a real Yellow Springs world! It is said that monks are detached from worldly desires, but he has actually created a space for himself that does not exist in this world!"

I looked at the inscription engraved on the Lingxing Gate: "The Blissful Pagoda." It's not hard to tell from the name that his purpose in doing this was to create a blissful world for himself after death!

"Now is not the time to speculate about his intentions. Our people are still trapped inside. Come with me!"

As Wei Shengnan spoke, she led us toward the back of the Lingxing Gate: "Ahead is a cliff, and in the cliff is a stone bridge leading to the other side. Beyond that is the palace entrance. Follow me!"

Led by Wei Shengnan, we continued forward for several dozen meters and then saw several huge figures in the darkness ahead.

Xu Hu followed Wei Shengnan and turned on a high-powered portable flashlight, instantly illuminating the area as if it were daytime.

Just as Wei Shengnan said, a six-meter-wide cliff appeared in front of us.

On the opposite bank of the cliff are three stone sculptures, each over ten meters high.

The stone sculpture in the very center is an old man sitting on a lotus flower, wearing a crown. He has another face on his front and left and right sides, and four arms. Unlike the monks I understand sitting in meditation, this statue has his right leg hanging down on the ground and his left leg crossed over his right leg.

The stone sculpture on the left depicts a four-armed youth lying on a roc, dressed like a nobleman, much like the ancient princes I've seen in Indian movies.

The statue on the right is a woman standing on one leg with four arms, who looks like she is dancing. She has an extra eye on her forehead, a snake wrapped around her neck, and a string of skulls hanging on her chest. All four of her hands are in a grasping position, indicating that the objects in her hands have decomposed over time.

On the way here, I talked to Song Laosan about some things about Brahmanism and learned that these three statues are the three main gods of Brahmanism: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

Naropamo, being a monk, would normally place a statue of his deity in the tomb, which wouldn't be a big deal. However, the fact that he placed three statues there is not an offering at all, because this is where tomb guardian beasts are supposed to be placed.

Since this tomb was built based on the style of Tang Dynasty tombs, he must have been very clear about the meaning of the tomb guardian beasts.

This person actually placed the deity he worshipped at the entrance to guard his tomb, something I never expected.

I served you while I was alive, and you will serve me after I die.

How damn pragmatic!

What shocked me was not the three stone sculptures in front of me, but the palace behind them.

It's called a palace, but it's more like a giant relief sculpture built against the mountain.

On the opposite side of the cliff is a straight, massive rock, clearly formed naturally.

The boulder is carved with countless patterns, as well as a protruding "冂"-shaped gate. The gateposts are carved with exquisite patterns and Buddhist seated statues, while the lintel is a three-dimensional giant python with its mouth wide open, its eyes filled with ferocity and threat as it looks at us.

Judging from the marks left by carving and chiseling, this gate was painstakingly carved out of the underground mountain by hand, bit by bit.

Qu Ruilin stared in astonishment at the magnificent scene before him: "Could it be that this demonic monk's tomb was carved out of the mountain itself?"

I remain optimistic about this: "It's not necessarily a bad thing. If the tomb was indeed excavated inside the rocky mountain, the enormous workload and difficulty of excavation meant that the space inside would not be too large."

Xu Hu chimed in at this point, "I only explored this far before. I was worried that there might be something wrong with the bridge, so I didn't dare to go any further."

I walked to the bridge and shone my flashlight down: "This bridge is a stone arch bridge. The support points and the connection points on our side are all fine. The stone slabs on top are a single piece. I just don't know if there are any traps on the other side."

Wei Shengnan thought for a moment and said, "Cao Shang, give me the longbow. We can build a cableway and tie the rope to the stone statue on the other side. The people behind can hold the rope, and Xu Hu, who has practiced balancing techniques, can go to the bridge to scout the way. That way, even if the bridge collapses, he can use the rope to return the way he came. If the bridge is fine, the rest of us can cross!"