Looking down from our vantage point, we see a vast glacier beneath our feet.

The glacier has been transformed into a large plaza through human intervention.

The square was filled with monks, arranged in a grid pattern like a game of Go, with various statues of gods and Buddhas on both sides, all covered in frost.

The statues are all huge stone carvings, painted on, and look as if they were alive.

The end of the glacier, like the steps we were on, was also a precipice.

Looking in the direction the monks were worshipping, an ice bridge led directly to a platform on the opposite cliff.

A temple was built on the platform on that cliff.

The courtyard is divided into eight sections, with precious terraces arranged like stars and magnificent buildings standing like mountains.

Strangely, a circle of red lanterns hung on the outer wall of the temple, and the inside was also brightly lit.

It's exactly the same as the ghost temple I saw on the ground!

As I looked at the temple in the distance and the countless monks at my feet, my body began to tremble.

If everything I experienced on the ground was an illusion, then how do I explain everything here?

The monkey, who hadn't experienced the haunted temple, pointed above our heads and said, "Look at the sky, why are there so many stars?"

Old Song, a man of wide experience, exclaimed, "They are luminous pearls! So many of them... it's truly rare!"

The monkey's eyes lit up: "Where's your gun? Can you try to shoot down two of them?"

"Luminous pearls are worthless. Most ancient luminous pearls were made of polished fluorite, and the rest contain radioactive materials! This cave is too spacious; firing a gun rashly could easily cause a collapse!"

Song Laosan waved his hand: "Our position is higher than the square below. The design concept should be that the altar is higher than all living beings. We need to think of a way to get down first."

I looked around and saw a rope ladder leading down from the protruding platform. I wanted to go over and see if it was sturdy: "Isn't there a rope? Let's climb down the rope!"

"Young Master Duan!"

The monkey grabbed me and said, "Are you out of your mind? What nonsense are you spouting?"

I turned to look at the monkey: "What did you say?"

The monkey seemed to sense something was wrong, a look of fear flashing in its eyes: "Shenxing, what's wrong?"

I was startled by the monkey's expression: "What? What's wrong?"

"Xiao Duan, something's definitely wrong with you!"

Song Laosan stepped forward, grabbed my hand, and his two fingers pinched my thumb and forefinger like iron clamps. His voice boomed in my ear like thunder: "Look carefully at what's in front of you!!"

The sharp pain and roar jolted me awake. I looked down at my feet, but there was no protruding platform or rope ladder in front of me.

If the monkey hadn't suddenly grabbed me, I probably would have jumped off this platform.

This incident gave me a real fright.

Hallucination?!

Am I hallucinating again?

Seeing the terror on my face, the monkey slapped my cheek hard: "Be careful! What's wrong with you? Wake up!"

"I'm fine! I'm fine!"

I bit my tongue, trying to use the pain to stay rational: "I'm asking you, what did the cave you two saw look like?"

The monkey looked completely bewildered: "Huh?"

I gasped, “Answer me!”

Old Song was a sensible man. He knew I must have encountered something, so he said quickly, "Below the platform are countless monks frozen into ice sculptures, arranged in neat rows. As for whether these monks were killed to be buried alive or voluntarily committed suicide, we'll have to go down there to find out."

I pressed on, "What about the stone carvings? Can you see those huge, grotesque statues of gods carved out all around us?"

The two asked in unison, "What stone carving?"

This answer made my head spin. I pointed my flashlight to the edge of the square and asked, "Can't you see those stone sculptures over there? It's that statue with the snake's tail and the human body!"

The monkey, afraid I would continue wandering around, clung tightly to my clothes: "Young Master Duan, don't scare me! There's nothing there!"

As the light flickered, I could even clearly see the shadows cast by the flashlight on the statue, yet they claimed they couldn't see anything.

The terror this incident instilled in me was no less than the teeth marks that had previously appeared on my arm.

"What's ahead? Look further ahead, what can you see?"

I tried to calm myself down: "Is there an ice bridge, and on the other side of the bridge is a large temple, brightly lit all around?"

"The bridge and temple are there, but where are the lanterns?"

Old Song shook his head again: "This tomb has existed for over a thousand years, and it already has air inside. There's no way that the air could have triggered an ignition mechanism. No material could possibly burn for so long!"

A single word awakened me from my dream.

When I entered the tomb passage, I took off my gas mask, and when I met Monkey and Song Laosan, they weren't wearing them either.

Could it be that there is a hallucinogenic gas in this tomb, or is the low temperature causing hallucinations?

But that doesn't make any sense at all.

If we really inhaled hallucinogenic gas, why did the monkey and Song Laosan see exactly the same things, while I was able to see different things?

Song Laosan realized this at this moment: "Xiao Duan, what you are seeing is different from what we are seeing. You are probably hallucinating! Have you eaten anything weird?"

I shook my head: "How could I dare to eat anything from the tomb?"

"Then there's something wrong with the air!" Old Song narrowed his eyes. "You entered the tomb before me and Monkey. If there really is some hallucinogenic gas here, you inhaled it earlier and for a longer period of time, so the effects will be faster. If my guess is correct, Monkey and I will probably also start to show abnormalities soon. The most urgent thing is to get off this platform first, otherwise, if we all lose our minds, we'll all fall to our deaths!"

"Easier said than done, how are we going to get down there!"

The monkey shone its flashlight down the platform: "The drop here is nearly ten meters, and below is solid ice. Jumping down recklessly will break your legs!"

I replied quickly, "In the room where I fell, there's a broken iron chain. We can use it to drag a log over, wed it against the ice wall behind it, and then throw the chain down!"

Let's get right to it.

Working in low temperatures is extremely difficult; the loss of body heat makes every movement incredibly challenging.

Strangely, even while I was hallucinating, my vision was not affected, and the layout of the rooms behind me was exactly the same as what I had seen before.

After the chains were secured, Song Laosan looked at me and said, "You're already hallucinating. It's too dangerous for you to act on your own. I suggest we tie you up with chains, and then Monkey and I will lower you down. We'll climb down ourselves!"

"Can!"

I cooperated with the two men to have them tie me up with chains, and then slowly descended from the platform.

"Tap tap tap!"

"Tap tap tap tap!"

The moment my feet touched the ice, the sound of the wooden fish being struck suddenly echoed through the cave.

Under the starry sky.

The monks who were originally worshipping at the temple all turned to look at me, their faces all wearing strange smiles.