Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 88 Kunlun Divine Tree and Corpse-Scented Devil's Tongue

Beyond the narrow path lay a bottomless abyss, and everyone walked cautiously along the path, afraid of falling in.

The fat man was afraid of heights, so he walked close to the stone wall. His foot slipped, and a stone fell off. He was so scared that he almost jumped out of his skin. "My God, this is terrifying!"

"I've studied this for most of my life, and I always thought the legends of the Jingjue Kingdom were just legends," Professor Chen said with some excitement. "But I never imagined I'd see such a huge cave today!"

"Professor, please don't get too excited," Hu Bayi said from the side.

"How can we not be excited? This is the otherworld that has appeared repeatedly in the legends of the Ghost Cave Clan," Professor Chen said, looking at Hu Ming. "This is the imaginary space that Comrade Xiao Ming mentioned!"

Hu Ming was speechless as he looked at Professor Chen, who was very excited. Back then, in order to let these people know about the dangers here, he had talked a lot about the Jingjue Ancient City.

Hu Bayi looked somewhat bewildered. "If what Mingzi said is true, and this is an imaginary space, then falling from here wouldn't mean dying from the fall, but rather... disappearing?!"

"Yes!" Professor Chen nodded, his face also showing surprise.

Shirley Yang also said, "It's like going to an unknown world, and there's no way to come back."

Imaginary space, another world, ghost cave, disappearance...

The current situation has reached a point where it has completely shattered my worldview.

“This is very likely an entity that connects to the imaginary space,” Professor Chen said.

Hu Bayi said, "I think it could also be a place that connects to hell."

The fat man lay on the ground, inching closer and closer to the edge.

"No, my legs are going weak just looking at it." After glancing down, she quickly pulled back, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her chest.

“It’s alright, Fatty’s afraid of heights, he’s been like that since he was a child,” Hu Bayi said.

The fat man leaned against the safe wall behind him.

"It's so deep here, and you're making it sound so scary. Aren't you scared at all? If you ask me, you should get a safety rope!"

"Mingzi, hold my hand."

Seeing this, Hu Ming pulled him up and said, "Let's keep going!" Everyone nodded in agreement.

After walking a while longer, they looked up and everyone's pupils suddenly contracted. They saw a stone beam, about twenty meters long, extending out from the rock wall and hanging above the abyss.

At the top of the stone beam, a coffin was placed.

"There's a big piece of wood tied to it!" The fat man looked at the coffin at the top of the stone beam. It was quite far away, so he thought it was just a piece of wood.

"It should be the Kunlun Divine Tree."

Hu Bayi was far more knowledgeable in this area than Fatty. After glancing at the coffin, he looked back at everyone, especially Fatty. "My grandfather once said that the best material for a coffin is the wood from the hollow of a tree, but there is another kind of divine wood, which is this Kunlun divine wood."

"Even if it is only a section, it will not dry out after being separated from soil, water and sunlight."

Upon hearing Hu Bayi's explanation, Chu Jian looked at the coffin and exclaimed in amazement, "There is such magical wood in the world!"

Hu Ming didn't speak. He usually didn't speak when Hu Bayi was talking, which could be considered as not trying to steal the spotlight.

Hu Bayi continued, "What's even more amazing is that if a corpse is placed inside, it can remain undecayed for ten thousand years."

Immortal for ten thousand years?
Everyone was shocked; it was truly amazing. The fat man looked at Hu Bayi and said, "Hey, Old Hu, if what you're saying is true, the Queen of Jingjue might be in that coffin up there." As he spoke, Yang Xueli took a few steps forward, carefully examining the coffin's surroundings, and found it to be exactly the same as in her dream.

The opening is located at the very top of the coffin. When light shines in, it creates a mixed light effect, resulting in the light around the coffin being multicolored, which looks mysterious and unpredictable, and full of eeriness.

“Ancient books record that this kind of sacred wood is as old as the Kunlun Mountains.” Yang Xueli looked at the coffin, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly, and shone her flashlight on the coffin. “Back then, Qin Shi Huang wanted to find this kind of sacred wood to be his coffin.”

"Not only that, but not only can a corpse placed inside remain undecayed for ten thousand years," Hu Ming continued, "In ancient times, the Kunlun Divine Tree was also a material used by ancient emperors to create elixirs of immortality!"

"what?!"

The fat man said, "According to what you're saying, the Queen of Jingjue might very well be inside that sacred tree up there!"

“Very likely.” Hu Bayi, standing beside him, nodded.

"It's not just highly likely, she's in there!"

Hu Ming's voice was serious as he gazed at the Kunlun Divine Tree in the sky. The memories in Hu Ming's mind gradually became clearer from being blurry.

"Then this sacred wood must be more valuable than any other treasure?" The fat man smiled excitedly. Such a valuable treasure, how wonderful it would be if he could get it back.

The group continued forward, the narrow path sloping upwards towards the stone beam. Soon, they arrived at the bottom of the coffin, only a dozen meters away.

They stopped and examined the coffin closely. Now that they were closer, they could see it clearly. As if possessed, Professor Chen slowly walked towards it, one step, two steps, three steps. His right foot lifted, and he was already hanging over the edge of the abyss.

Before he even realized it, he stepped into the hole and fell forward, only then realizing he had missed a step. Just then, the fat man pulled Professor Chen inside.

"Professor Chen, what are you doing? Even if you want to commit suicide, you can't do it like this." The fat man was startled by Professor Chen's actions. Everyone realized that it was the fat man who saved Professor Chen. Ye Yixin, Sa Dipeng, and Chu Jian thanked him repeatedly.

The fat man waved his hand, "You guys need to keep a close eye on Professor Chen."

"Why is there a big taro growing on this?" Fatty noticed that there was a huge taro growing next to the coffin. However, this taro was very strange. It was a dark blue mixed with light red. No matter how you looked at it, it was not a good taro.

"Hey, Mingzi, you're so knowledgeable, do you know what kind of taro this is, and whether it's edible?" The fat man wondered if eating taro might prolong life or even grant immortality.
Knowing the fat man's nature, Hu Ming explained, "This is the Corpse Fragrance Arum. It's extremely dangerous when it blooms, as it has hallucinogenic effects that can cause people to fall into a dream state, like sleepwalking, and do things that harm themselves. So, you should stay away from that thing."

This is a well-intentioned reminder; whether or not everyone listens is their own business.

"I never expected that such a thing actually exists in this world." The fat man exclaimed in surprise, and then rambled on, "Isn't it just a taro? How powerful can the hallucinogenic effect be? What does it feel like? I'd love to experience it for myself."

Hu Ming shrugged indifferently, "Then please go ahead."

The fat man was taken aback by what he heard; he had only said it casually.

"This kind of thing is born in ancient tombs. It can not only keep the corpse from decaying, but also keep the corpse from emitting a fragrance. It is extremely precious, but it is only harmful to the dead and harmful to the living..." Hu Ming said calmly, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the coffin.

"The Corpse-Scented Devil's Flower contains the soul of a demon. Once it has grown, no living person can approach it."

Hu Ming was feeling particularly heavy-hearted. He didn't know if the Queen of Jingjue inside would let them go. As for defeating the Queen of Jingjue, Hu Ming could only say that anything was possible in a dream.

With Hu Ming's cultivation level of only a few days, he'd be lucky to subdue a little devil; as for the queen, forget about it!

Hu Ming said to Hu Bayi and Fatty, who were standing to the side, "You two give the gas masks to the professor and the others! I have two more here."

Hu Ming didn't know if the gas mask could block the hallucinogenic pollen of the Corpse Fragrance Amorphophallus, but he could give it a try.

As for Hu Ming and his group, their backpacks were covered with various talismans, including talismans to prevent illusions.

(End of this chapter)