Now that he said that, I also think it looks like an ancient tomb.
Or rather, this Xuanpin Furnace was built on a huge ancient tomb.
As for why this is the case, I don't know yet. Perhaps the Mysterious Female Furnace needs to absorb this resentment.
But this isn't the time to think about these things.
I mustered my strength and carefully examined the patterns on the stone gate.
Suddenly, I noticed a symbol that looked somewhat like the one on the mural in the stone chamber.
"Brother Luo, look at this symbol, does it look familiar?" I asked him, pointing to the symbol.
Luo Tianhe leaned closer to take a look, and after a while, said, "Yes, it looks like it's from a mural. Could it be connected to the patterns on the mural? A comic strip?"
Just then, a loud "boom" came from the passage behind them.
When we looked back, we saw billowing smoke and dust, and a swarm of snakes writhing and charging towards us.
"Oh no, the snakes are here again!"
Luo Tianhe was so frightened that he trembled and quickly went to get a torch.
I quickly said, "Don't bother looking for torches! Torches will only keep us occupied for a while. If they go out, we'll all be bitten to death. Quickly, find the mechanism on the stone door!"
As I spoke, I reached out and touched those strange patterns, hoping to trigger something.
Just as he was getting anxious, Luo Tianhe suddenly shouted, "Old Chen, look, there's a groove here!"
I endured the pain and struggled to the place Luo Tianhe pointed out.
The groove at the bottom of the stone gate was crooked and twisted, as if it had been smashed out by some powerful force.
I crouched down and carefully reached my right hand into the groove, feeling around to find the key mechanism to open the door.
Luo Tianhe paced anxiously beside him, glancing back at the snakes every now and then.
"Old Chen, how's it going? Have you found anything?" He kept urging me.
"Don't worry, I feel there's something inside, like a mechanism or part, but I don't know how to trigger it."
Just then, a long, thin snake burst out of the smoke and dust and pounced on us like lightning.
Luo Tianhe reacted quickly, grabbing the snake by its vital spot and tossing it aside.
"Old Chen, hurry up! The snakes are catching up!" Luo Tianhe shouted as he picked up stones and threw them at the snakes.
I took a deep breath, concentrated, and carefully felt around in the groove with my fingers.
Suddenly, I touched a bump and pressed it down hard, but there was no response.
My heart sank. I continued to grope around and found another indentation. I tried to insert my finger and turn it. With a "creak", the stone door made a faint sound.
"Brother Luo, it looks promising!"
I shouted.
Upon hearing this, Luo Tianhe immediately came to my side and together we pushed the stone door with all our might.
But the stone gate only moved slightly before it got stuck again and stopped moving.
"What happened?"
Luo Tianhe looked anxious.
I carefully examined the stone gate and discovered a hidden symbol nearby that echoed the symbol that had triggered the mechanism earlier.
“Brother Luo, look at this symbol. We might need to trigger it for the stone gate to open completely,” I said, pointing to the symbol.
Luo Tianhe immediately reached out to touch it, but as soon as he touched it, a powerful electric current instantly sent him flying, crashing heavily to the ground, his body twitching a few times.
"Brother Luo!" I rushed to his side.
Luo Tianhe's face was pale, as if he had been electrocuted: "I'm fine, quick... quick, think of a way to open the door."
I was extremely anxious. Seeing Luo Tianhe injured and watching the approaching swarm of snakes, a sense of determination welled up in my heart.
I took two steps back, staring at the symbols on the stone door, and then scanned the area around the stone door, not letting go of any place where clues might be hidden.
I wanted to find connections among these seemingly chaotic patterns.
"Old Chen, what exactly are you doing?!"
Luo Tianhe shouted at the top of his lungs as he frantically fought the snakes.
He hurled stones at the snakes like raindrops.
But the snakes surged like a raging flood, wave after wave, and there was no way to stop them.
"Don't make a sound! Hold on!" I didn't turn my head, focusing all my attention on the stone door mechanism, completely absorbed in it.
"I...I can't hold on much longer! We're almost out of stones."
Luo Tianhe's voice was trembling with sobs, clearly indicating that he was about to succumb to the snake swarm's attack.
But right now, I don't care about him.
I carefully examined the patterns around me, as well as the symbols and grooves on the door, and I felt that something was not right.
These symbols are a jumbled mess, yet they seem to be connected in some way.
Looking at those mythical beast statues again, their placement and poses seem to hold secrets.
Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed into my mind, and I slapped my thigh.
Goodness, the structure, symbols, and even the mythical beast statues here all seem to be related to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches.
"Old Chen, stop looking! If you really can't take it anymore, come and help me! I'm really done for!" Luo Tianhe's urging grew more and more urgent, like a death knell.
I took a deep breath, gritted my teeth, and, following my instincts, reached out my trembling right hand toward the key symbol on the stone door.
The moment my finger touched the symbol, a sharp, piercing pain shot through my fingertip, as if I had been slashed by an incredibly sharp blade.
Despite the excruciating pain, I desperately tried to recall the knowledge I had learned before, and gently slid my fingers across the symbols, attempting to simulate the direction of energy flow.
Just then, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the pattern would move as long as I slid it in the correct direction!
I suddenly realized that this was an unfinished jigsaw puzzle!
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