"The Longevity Tree?" I asked, puzzled.
Zhou Yongxiang explained, "It's an ancient form of prayer, where one carves their wishes onto the tree, seeking divine intervention for their fulfillment. In ancient times, some tribes would find a Longevity Tree to safeguard their beliefs."
"Why would there be a Longevity Tree here?" I inquired.
Zhou Yongxiang replied, "Although the Emperor of Great Changhe is Han, this is a minority region, so it's not strange to find a Longevity Tree."
"So, this Longevity Tree wasn't put here by the Emperor of Great Changhe?"
"No."
"Then why was his underground palace built here?"
"This place was likely a sacred site of the ancient Dian Kingdom. It's not surprising he built his tomb here."
I suddenly understood and said, "So, Zheng Mai Si encroached on this sacred site?"
"Precisely," Zhou Yongxiang confirmed. "It seems we've found a way out."
We continued to climb upwards and soon reached the trunk. I must say, this tree was truly enormous, its trunk resembling a small path, wide enough for people to stand on steadily.
Wang Yang and I were the first to reach the trunk. Just as I was about to sit down and rest, the entire great tree suddenly began to shake, and a roar echoed from below.
Following the roar came Li Zhasu's terrified shriek: "That monster is climbing up!!!"
Upon hearing this, I quickly shone my flashlight downwards. Vaguely, I could only make out a massive silhouette climbing upwards at an incredible speed!
"Quick, get up!" I shouted, urging them on.
Zhou Yongxiang seemed to be losing strength, but he gritted his teeth and continued to climb. When he reached the trunk, Wang Yang and I reached out and pulled him up.
Next was Dajun, who was still carrying the bronze statue on his back. He was drenched in sweat and panting heavily. When I extended my hand, he shook his head, saying, "No need... just make room for me."
I quickly moved aside, allowing him to reach the trunk.
Li Zhasu, bringing up the rear, muttered something unintelligible as he climbed.
Just as he was about to reach the top, he suddenly stopped moving. Before I could ask what was wrong, he cried out with a dejected face, "Something's got my foot tangled."
He then tried to shift upwards again, but to no avail.
Meanwhile, the monster was getting closer and closer to us. At this point, Wang Yang lowered a climbing rope, descended to Li Zhasu's position, and pulled out a dagger to cut the vines entangling his foot.
By the time he finished, the monster was less than two meters away from them.
"Dajun! Fire!" Zhou Yongxiang shouted.
As soon as he spoke, Dajun pulled out a Molotov cocktail, lit it, and tossed it down.
With a "bang," the Molotov cocktail exploded instantly. The monster below seemed terrified of the flames, shaking its head and trying to extinguish the fire on its face, but to no avail.
Finally, the monster retreated downwards. I only saw the flames receding into the darkness.
Li Zhasu finally managed to climb up, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
It was a close call, but thankfully, it turned out to be a false alarm. Otherwise, we would have been in serious trouble.
"We need to leave quickly. That monster might come back up," Wang Yang warned everyone.
I had wanted to rest, but it seemed that plan was now out of the question.
Continuing to climb along the trunk, we soon heard the sound of birds chirping.
Upon hearing this, everyone's spirits lifted.
Wang Yang said, "We should be out soon. Everyone, hold on a little longer."
We quickened our pace, and soon a cool breeze blew towards us.
Emerging from the leaves, we had no idea where we were, but we were certain that we had finally made it out!
The vast expanse of starlight gave me a feeling of having traveled through time, and even the surrounding air felt different.
Wang Yang fired the last signal flare into the sky, illuminating our surroundings.
We were on a mountaintop, surrounded by sheer cliffs, with the top of the great tree just peeking out from the summit.
We had gotten out, but now we faced a new problem: how to get down from here.
Although everyone had a flashlight, visibility was still very low, with a maximum range of about five or six meters.
Coupled with the complex terrain of our location, any rash move could lead to an accident.
After some deliberation, we decided to wait until morning to make further plans and spend the night on the trunk.
Having spent over ten hours in the underground palace, everyone was exhausted. Coupled with the numerous incidents we had encountered down there, it was impossible not to be tired.
At this moment, I noticed that the wound on my waist was becoming increasingly painful, and even slight movements made me break out in a sweat.
I didn't know how I had