It would be a bit far-fetched to say that the presence of the eternally burning lamps means that there are people here. Seeing these iron cages now is sufficient proof that people once lived here. But seeing that the iron cages are covered with cobwebs and only scattered bones are left inside, it is obvious that no one has been here for a long time. It has been a long time. In this case, I can't help but wonder who has lived here in the past, what has happened to it now, and why it has become the residence of giant ants.

What happened here? I remember Hu Lingshang called this place the Netherworld Cave, and it sounded like a name that was given by humans. I should have asked more about it earlier so that I could learn more.

After passing these deserted iron prison areas, we came to a stone staircase. We continued walking down the stairs and arrived at a large corridor. It was obvious that this was also a sign of human repair. The stone walls on both sides of the corridor were neatly trimmed. Moreover, under the candlelight, there were two stone sculptures on the left and right at intervals, like guards guarding here. They looked extremely tall, about five or six meters tall, which was indeed much taller than some short trees.

After passing the long corridor, we arrived at a courtyard-like place with a small bridge, flowing water, pavilions, and many statues like that. They were all masked and wearing armor, but the carved eyes seemed different from those of humans. The whole courtyard was about three stories high from the above, and at the end of the courtyard was a huge stone gate. Outside the stone gate were many architectural structures, like the extension of a palace.

This extension is composed of some wooden main beams and stone steps. There are many exquisite patterns carved on the main beams, but the carvings are all patterns that I cannot recognize. If there are carvings of dragons, flowers, landscapes, or beasts and birds, I can recognize some of them more or less. However, this time, the patterns on it have nothing to do with those. I can't understand any of the carvings on it. They are said to be tigers, wolves, jackals and leopards, but the carved objects are not much smaller. If they are said to be unicorns, fairy deer, etc., they have no scales and horns, and they are even less like them. Not to mention dragons, snakes, and phoenixes, they are simply not related.

If you really want me to talk about what it looks like, I can only say that there is only one kind of gray squirrel that is quite similar to it, but that gray squirrel does not have the same pattern as this, with bared teeth and glaring eyes. So I just feel that it looks similar, but I can't be sure. Besides, the worker ants move quite fast, so I can't see it carefully.

"What is it?" I couldn't help but wonder.

These worker ants obviously had no intention of taking me into the palace. After reaching the courtyard, they deliberately walked around the palace. The towering beams of the palace were more than ten meters high. There was a hole on a stone wall on its right side, which was like a dog hole compared to the others. However, for an ordinary person like me, this dog hole was big enough. At least it was more than enough for me to walk in by myself.

Soon the leader of the worker ants had begun to enter the dog hole, and I was also about to be carried in. However, just before entering, the ground suddenly shook, with bursts of buzzing sounds, and the worker ants began to sway uncontrollably. They could not stand steadily, and immediately dropped me from the state of being lifted up. With a bang, I fell on the stone slabs of the underground courtyard. I was completely unprepared and it hurt a lot, but fortunately my face did not hit the ground.

After an earthquake, the worker ants began to run around like crazy. I quickly lay down and held my head, because many of them had already stepped over me. Fortunately, the worker ants were not big, probably only about 80 cm tall, and not too heavy, so it didn't hurt too much even if they stepped on me. But I didn't know what happened to them. They suddenly ignored me and left me here.

Ants really still have one-way thinking and can only take care of one thing. Even though their brains are now similar to mine, their temperaments haven't changed much. Between saving their lives and taking me back to the nest, they still decisively choose to save their lives.

The earthquake stopped not long after, but I didn't see the worker ants come back to find me. Perhaps they had forgotten about my existence. I quickly dodged them, thinking that as long as there is life, there will be no shortage of firewood. Rather than being taken in and eaten by them, I might as well hide first and wait for a chance before quietly going in to find Yunwen by myself. This way, we might still survive together. Otherwise, I would just die if I was carried in. If Yunwen was alive, I wouldn't be able to help her, so wouldn't that be a waste?

Thinking of this, I took advantage of the fact that the soldier ants behind me had not caught up with me yet and quickly ran towards the palace. The iron gate happened to be open, so I went in without thinking too much, and quietly closed the door, trying my best to confine my breathing and cover my breath.

Ants rely on their antennae to smell the surrounding air to identify the surrounding situation, so I could only close the door. Seeing a copper stove in front of me, I grabbed some cigarette ash and smeared it on my body to cover up the smell. Then I went to the door and listened to the noise outside with my ears close to my ears. Sure enough, the ants did not notice me again, except for one or two who wandered around for a while, seemed to have some doubts, but soon left and returned to the cave.

I sighed, slumped down on the ground, rested for a while, and touched the part of my body that was bitten. Fortunately, they were only superficial injuries, and because I had the Nine Revolutions Elixir Water in my body, I had basically recovered. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that I have escaped death.

"Sir, are you okay?" a female voice asked.

I was so scared that I almost jumped up, but when I saw that there was no one around, I immediately felt that something was wrong here, it was full of evil and I couldn't stay here for long, so I quickly prepared to leave. Look, there is a coffin standing in the center, surrounded by a feng shui formation with auspicious beasts to suppress it. I remember seeing a similar arrangement at the top of Four Seasons Mountain. Could it be that the deceased in this coffin is also like the Antelope Witch, some kind of evil creature with a significant origin?

But no matter who it was, I was not in the mood to know more about it. I still needed a place to rest for a while, so as not to get stained with any dirt and cause trouble. So I bowed to the coffin and opened the door, but at this moment I heard the girl's voice: "Sir, I saved you, but if I leave in a hurry without even saying sorry, it would be inappropriate, right?"

"My dear sister, I really appreciate you letting me hide here for a while, but I have something urgent to do right now, so it is really inconvenient for me to interact with you any more. If I have offended you, I apologize here, but please don't bother me. After I finish my business, I will come back to visit you properly. Bye." After saying that, I went out immediately.

I ran outside, panting immediately, but as soon as I went out, I saw some ants crawling down from the mountain wall. They seemed to smell my scent and started crawling towards me.

I was startled and quickly hid back in the palace. If it caught up with me, the rest of the ants would surely follow. After all, they fight in groups. Then my hiding would be in vain. But as soon as I came in and closed the door, I saw a pale woman with disheveled hair, skinny body, her body was floating, and looming. It was obviously some kind of ghost or spirit.

I was so scared that I wanted to scream, but I managed to hold it back. Compared to being eaten by ants, it was still worse than seeing a ghost.

Seeing me like this, she asked, "Sir, have you finished your work so quickly?"

"No, no, I'm just hiding here temporarily. Those ants are chasing me again. I'm really sorry to bother you," I said.

She disappeared in a flash, and when she reappeared, she was sitting on the coffin and said, "It's okay. I have been lonely for a long time. Now I meet someone I can talk to. I am so happy that I don't feel bothered."

I smiled awkwardly out of politeness, but I was not in the mood to listen to her story. My mind was still on the ant, hoping it would not break in. However, the ant did not dare to approach the palace. It walked around the door for a few times and then left, always keeping a distance from this place. I don't know why it was so afraid of this place.

Although I wanted to leave her earlier, I was used to understanding things, so I looked at her first. She was wearing ancient women's clothing, and her appearance seemed to be a bit of the Shang and Zhou dynasties. If so, it was too long ago. But if she was really that long ago, how could she talk to me like this? Shouldn't it be all classical Chinese, or we can't communicate at all?

But it sounded like she had no problem talking to me, which reminded me of something, the Yangshen Wood! After all, only this thing has the ability to communicate with all things.