Chapter 34: Main Text Chapter Thirty-Four Divine Wood

Main Text Chapter Thirty-Four Divine Wood

I hurriedly grabbed Pangzi and whispered to him: "You damn bastard, your talk is like farting—didn't we agree not to move anything here?"

Pangzi stared for a moment before regaining his senses: "Damn it, that's weird—just now my hand kept moving on its own; I kept telling myself not to move, not to move, yet I couldn't control my own hand."

I said: "Stop making excuses—I can see you're just tempted by the sight of wealth. Don't stand there, hurry forward." After saying that, I turned my head to look at Shirley Yang; she and Chu Jian were busy helping the professor climb down from the rope ladder, and she didn't notice Pangzi's action.

I asked Chu Jian: "How did you also come down, kid? Weren't you supposed to stay on the platform to watch Ye Yixin?"

Chu Jian said: "Big brother, I just want to take a look at this underground tomb; I'll have a peek and then go back."

Not only him—everyone present couldn't wait to see the coffin of the Queen of Jingjue; the legends were described as divine, and although there might be danger, once here nobody could restrain their curiosity, especially those who specialize in archaeology.

Professor Chen had just climbed down from the rope ladder, panting from exhaustion, and said to me: "Let them have a look; this is a rare learning opportunity, and broadening our horizons is good. No matter how powerful that queen once was, she has been dead for two thousand years, and the country she ruled was overrun by slaves after her death, so there shouldn't be any danger. As long as we all firmly remember the principles of archaeologists, we'll be fine—just don't damage anything here."

I thought that made sense—since the queen is dead, even if she had any sorcery she couldn't use it now. Those who encountered danger in this tomb before were probably bewitched by these treasures, so they could never leave; it seems these burial goods are the biggest trap, and only by avoiding looking at them can we restrain our greed.

The Queen of Jingjue had countless legends in her life, commanding power over the Western Regions, yet in the end she could not escape death—this shows that worldly affairs are like a chess game, constantly new; rise and fall have always been decreed by heaven, and no matter how great her abilities, she could not evade the laws of nature.

At that moment, Ye Yixin also came down the rope ladder with Sa Dapeng's help, and everyone felt their way forward; all around was black mountain rock, making it seem as if we had reached the interior of Zagelama Mountain.

The space of this mountain cavern is too vast to see the surrounding terrain clearly; in such a situation, the powerful lighting equipment we had been reluctant to use can finally be put to work.

This is a handheld searchlight weighing eight kilograms in total, using a high-pressure spherical xenon lamp and pure platinum-nickel reflector; its beam can reach 2.5 kilometers in a medium-free space, but it consumes a lot of power and cannot be used for long periods, so we have hesitated to employ it—now it's time to bring it out.

I assembled the searchlight; Pangzi took off his waist battery and installed it into the battery compartment at the rear of the lamp. Sa Dapeng, who is severely nearsighted, curiously went to look at the lamp opening, but Shirley Yang pulled him back: "Be careful—this light is too strong; within a hundred meters it can cause temporary blindness, so don't look straight ahead."

I quickly set up the strong-beam searchlight, had everyone stand behind it, flipped the switch, and a solid-seeming column of light shot out; sweeping it around, the surroundings became crystal clear.

This is indeed the base of Zagelama Mountain; overhead and all around are black stones. The area piled with burial jewels is a cliff; on the cliff edge, besides these burial objects, there are countless tall stone statues with huge eyes, and below the cliff is a circular great hole.

Exactly as depicted in the murals of the temple passageway, its diameter is about one kilometer, definitely not something humans could have dug out; encircling this unfathomable underground hole, people have built a spiral staircase descending down.

Shining the strong-beam searchlight downward, the staircase winds several turns along the cavern wall and then ends; it seems human effort has reached its limit, and the deepest we can go is that point. Shining the light further down reveals no bottom, and from below the hole comes a gust of cold wind, a huge, dark oppressive feeling that makes one dare not look further—if one did, one's mind might become disordered and one would be compelled to jump down involuntarily.

Shirley Yang said: "This must be the holy land of the Kingdom of Jingjue; the name Ghost Cave Tribe probably originates from here. Ghost cave… ghost cave… where does the below lead to?"

Seeing such a huge cavern, I felt a chill: "The ghost cave might possibly lead to hell—damn, just looking at it makes my head spin."

Professor Chen said: "Hey, Hu Younger Brother, you're also a former soldier—why do you still believe in ghosts and gods? I think this great cavern is certainly a work of nature, truly 'divine craftsmanship'; the ancients two thousand years ago must have regarded it as a divine trace."

I was about to tell the professor that some things in this world cannot be judged by absolute materialism—at least I have experienced some things that scientific theory cannot explain—before I could finish, Pangzi interrupted me.

Pangzi shone the searchlight on a spot and shouted for us to look quickly; we saw the beam stop in the middle of the great cavern's mouth, where a stone beam hung suspended in midair—thin and long, protruding from the mountain cliff, just extending to hover above the cavern.

The crucial part is the tip of the stone beam, where a massive piece of wood is placed—over two meters in diameter, like a section of a large tree trunk, cut directly without any processing; the branches on the trunk are still there, and even many green leaves remain.

Several thick iron chains are bound around the log's trunk, connecting to the stone beam and securing the giant wood to the ground. Even more remarkably, a huge green plant grows on this section of wood—the flower is as big as a large bucket, narrow-mouthed and wide-bellied, its petals curled together, entirely emerald green, with large blood-red leaves growing all around it, rooted in the wood, and its vines, together with the iron chains, tightly wrap that section of wood.

I was shocked: "This wood… is the Kunlun Divine Tree! I once heard my grandfather say that the best material for coffins is the shaded-chen wood's hollow, and there is also a supreme-grade divine timber, extremely rare—what is recorded only in ancient books as the Kunlun Divine Tree. Legend says that even a single segment of Kunlun Divine Wood, once removed from soil, water, and sunlight, will not wither; although it no longer grows, it always retains its original appearance, and if a corpse is placed within Kunlun Divine Wood, it can remain incorruptible for ten thousand years. Could it be that the corpse of the Queen of Jingjue lies within this Kunlun Divine Wood?"

Shirley Yang's voice also trembled: "No mistake, this is a coffin made from Kunlun Divine Wood; ancient texts say this tree is as old as Mount Kunlun, and even Qin Shi Huang once sought Kunlun Divine Wood for a coffin. Who would have thought the Queen of Jingjue would be so fortunate—probably no one in history has had a coffin more precious than hers."

Everyone could hardly contain their excitement and were about to move forward for a closer look, but Professor Chen tried to stop them; he seemed to have something important to say, yet in his haste he stepped on a loose stone and sprained his ankle.

We had no choice but to go back and help the professor up; he had twisted his ankle badly, could no longer walk, and could only sit on the ground and say: "You must never casually go over and damage those things—don't you see that strange flower on the coffin?"

Pangzi said: "Old Master Chen, you say that's a flower? It looks so strange I thought it was a huge taro—how could a plant grow on the coffin? Maybe they buried the queen as a seed in the divine wood, and she sprouted and bloomed?"

Professor Chen rubbed his injured ankle and said: "That's right, it indeed resembles that. Do you know what this flower's scientific name is? It's called Corpse Scent Amorphophallus, an extremely precious plant—probably the only specimen left in the world—and this plant is very dangerous."

Upon hearing "Corpse Scent Amorphophallus," our hearts skipped a beat—including Shirley Yang, we had never heard of such a strange flower before; the name is quite impressive, so please Professor Chen explain the details.

Professor Chen said: "When I studied ancient Western Regions civilization, I once saw in some surviving murals and historical records that Corpse Scent Amorphophallus originally grew in the Houyuetian Kingdom; it once entered the Central Plains via the Silk Road, but due to unsuitable soil and water it disappeared there. This Corpse Scent Amorphophallus can grow in ancient tombs, and it is said to keep corpses from decaying and even make them emit fragrance—it is extremely precious. The ancient Western Regions civilization is full of mysterious hues, its religion complex, with myths and history intertwined, making them hard to distinguish; I originally thought this was just an ancient legend, not worthy of belief."

Shirley Yang looked at the strange flower on the distant stone beam and then asked the professor: "Since it is such a miraculous flower, why do you also say it is dangerous?"

Professor Chen said: "What I just mentioned is only one of its characteristics; legend says the Corpse Scent Amorphophallus harbors evil spirits, and once it reaches maturity, living persons must not approach it. It is rare to have a coffin made of Kunlun Divine Wood, and only the ancient demon flower Corpse Scent Amorphophallus can grow in such a place."

I have experienced many strange and wondrous things in my life, but I have never encountered such a miraculous and eerie coffin and demonic flower as now; I told Professor Chen: "How strange—inside the interior of Zagelama Mountain, there is no light or function, yet plants can still grow; these mysterious things truly match the queen's identity perfectly, being entities that do not conform to the laws of nature."