He's alone, but he's a tomb raider!

The deeper you go into the heart of the glacier, the weaker the surrounding chill becomes.

Gradually, the biting cold wind completely disappeared, replaced by a warm and moist airflow that enveloped the body.

Unbeknownst to them, the heavy winter clothes they wore to keep warm not only failed to provide any protection but also became a burden, making it difficult to breathe.

However, just to be on the safe side, apart from unzipping the zipper to let it breathe, no one dared to take it off.

……

After walking for another half hour, the surrounding landscape and environment completely defied common sense.

The barren, frozen rock layers slowly receded, and vines and green plants, belonging only to the subtropical warm and humid environment, sprouted from the crevices of the rock walls.

You know, this is the Kunlun Mountains!

It is a place frozen for eternity and extremely cold!

The presence of temperate vegetation here defies all natural laws!

As Professors Chen and Hao continued on their way, witnessing one thing after another that defied common sense, they were not afraid at all. Instead, their gazes became increasingly intense and filled with excitement!

"Teacher, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, who would have thought that there was such beautiful scenery at the foot of Kunlun Mountain!"

I'm getting more and more into the feeling that there's a mysterious civilization here that has never been seen before!

Teacher, this time, we've really come to the right place!

When talking about the wonderful parts, Professor Hao couldn't help but excitedly pump his fist.

"Yes, patriotism!"

Professor Chen was getting old, and after walking just a few steps, he couldn't help but pant heavily.

"There must be a shocking secret hidden underground here. If I'm not mistaken, it is very likely the site of a lost ancient civilization!"

If it can actually be discovered, it might rewrite the history of archaeology in the Western Regions!

Having dedicated their lives to archaeology, the two were already filled with awe and anticipation at this extraordinary spectacle that defied common sense.

Not only them, but Shirley Yang, who was at the back of the group, was also full of curiosity.

Using the searchlight overhead, Shirley Yang gazed at the dark road ahead and asked curiously.

"Clouds, reversed underground temperatures, and a continuous flow of geothermal heat—what could be the cause of this extraordinary phenomenon?"

Qin Yun: "It is most likely the residual heat of a dormant underground volcano, or a constant-temperature underground river that runs through the ground."

Geothermal evaporation, combined with unique glacial structures, can indeed alter the local microclimate!

Seeing that Qin Yun didn't seem to mind her way of addressing him, Shirley Yang breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled softly.

"Whatever the reason, it's still much more comfortable than being in freezing weather."

"If you feel comfortable, everything else will feel comfortable too!"

Shirley Yang felt a slight chill. Before she could fully grasp the deeper meaning of those words, the narrow crack in the rock wall ahead suddenly opened up!

At first, it was extremely narrow, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, but then it opened up into a bright and spacious place, somewhat reminiscent of the Peach Blossom Spring.

The group squeezed through the narrow passage and entered a vast, enormous natural cave.

The cave ceiling is extremely high, and countless clusters of natural crystals are embedded in the rock walls. They refract the light from a flashlight, illuminating the entire space with a play of light and shadow, and a shimmering, fragmented glow.

In the very center of the cave, a winding underground river runs through the entire area.

The river flows gently, its tinkling sound echoing far and wide.

Upon seeing the dark box, Lao Hu was the first to reach out and touch it. The warm touch spread along his fingertips, as pleasant as a hot spring, without any of the biting cold of melting snow.

"Mr. Qin, Miss Yang, come quick! The water's actually hot!"

The exquisitely beautiful underground realm instantly soothed the fatigue of everyone's journey.

Little Sa, the youngest member of the team, was instantly stunned.

Although it wasn't the aliens I'd been dreaming of, this amazing place is definitely worth documenting.

Sure enough, Xiao Sa instinctively reached for his camera to capture this incredibly rare underground wonder.

"Don't take pictures!"

Old Hu reacted quickly and stopped Xiao Sa's movements.

After this period of intensive study, Lao Hu is now much more composed and experienced, with a level of professionalism far exceeding what he used to be.

"The cave was dark and silent, and the surrounding area was fraught with unknown dangers."

The camera flash is too bright; a sudden flash can easily startle a predator lurking in the shadows, or even invite a deadly attack!

Therefore, taking photos is absolutely prohibited here!

"Okay, Brother Hu, I understand!"

Seeing that Professor Chen also did not support her, Xiao Sa nodded obediently, but there was a hint of resentment in her eyes.

He thought to himself, "It's just taking a picture, why is there so much danger?"

Just think that Lao Hu is being overly cautious and making a mountain out of a molehill.

But little did he know that the moment everyone stepped into the cave, Death had already quietly opened its eyes in the warm, dark river!

Just as everyone relaxed their guard, Qin Yun, whose senses were far more acute than everyone else's due to his cultivation level, was the first to detect the unusual movement beneath the river!

Over the years, the riverbed has become much deeper than imagined, with the deepest parts reaching more than ten meters.

And... there seems to be something down there!

next second!

boom!

The once calm and warm surface of the underground river suddenly exploded!

A crimson, slender, giant fleshy tongue, resembling a snake's forked tongue, suddenly shot out with the force of breaking through the wind!

It was incredibly fast, and it happened without warning.

He bypassed the guarded Lao Hu and Fatty at the front, instantly pierced through the crowd, and accurately locked onto Xiao Ye, who possessed cultivation but was completely unprepared!

Pfft—!

Flesh and blood exploded!

The scarlet tongue brutally pierced through Xiaoye's chest and abdomen, leaving a gaping, gruesome blood hole!

The excruciating pain and suffocation instantly robbed Xiao Ye of all life; she didn't even have time to utter a single wail or a cry of alarm.

His body was then tightly bound and violently dragged by the giant tongue!

Professor Chen and the others' pupils constricted, their minds went blank, and they had no time to react at all!

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Ye's entire body was violently dragged into the warm, dark river!

The river surged violently, and a huge black shadow suddenly rose from the bottom of the water. A colossal and terrifying beast slowly tore through the undercurrent, revealing its ferocious true form!

Click!

A dull snapping sound exploded from the river surface!

Just one bite!

Just moments ago, Xiao Ye had been concealing her cultivation level and disguising herself as an obedient schoolgirl, but the giant beast had half of her body bitten off and swallowed whole, along with the river water.

From the sudden attack to the absorption, the whole process was lightning fast, taking less than two seconds!

Xiao Ye, whose identity was already shrouded in mystery, died just like that!

Although Qin Yun could have intervened to save them, then again, why would he want to save them?

On the contrary, Xiao Ye's death allowed Qin Yun to figure out the attack mechanism of the monster in front of him.

"This thing seems to target people with supernatural abilities first!"

Otherwise, even though Lao Hu is closest to him, Fatty's flesh and blood are more cost-effective than Xiao Ye's.

But because of his innate Qi, he actually bypassed the two of them and chose to attack Xiao Ye!

"It seems like I'm next!"

……

In an instant, the cave fell into dead silence!

Professor Chen, Professor Hao, and Xiao Sa were completely stunned, frozen in place, their faces deathly pale.

His eyes were filled with disbelief; he couldn't accept the sudden and tragic death of his classmate.

But Lao Hu, who came from a military background, did not hesitate for a moment!

It's just a monster, not a ghost, what's there to be afraid of!

oi!

If that's the case, then let's fight it head-on!

Faced with a life-or-death crisis, there was no time to hide firearms and military equipment.

Old Hu ripped open his canvas bag, raised his hand to pick up the AK, and pulled the bolt sharply, the clanging sound piercing the silence!

Da da da—!

A precise burst of fire erupted, and a violent gunshot suddenly rang out in the cave!