30: Chapter 30 Entrance

On both sides of the dirt road, the trees grew increasingly dense, their towering branches intertwining in the air to block out the sky, as if forming a deep, dark green tunnel that kept the sunlight firmly at bay.

Occasionally, a few stubborn rays of sunlight managed to filter through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground that danced like scattered gold upon the decaying leaves before vanishing in an instant.

Hu Tian slowed down, his expression highly focused. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white from the effort, as he carefully avoided the potholes and sharp stones hidden beneath the weeds on the road.

The off-road vehicle struggled forward on the rugged mountain road. The car body tilted violently from time to time, and the suspension system emitted a teeth-grinding "creaking" sound, as if protesting the extremely harsh road conditions.

The surroundings became increasingly quiet. Apart from the crisp, pleasant chirping of birds and insects and the dull roar of the engine, there were no other noises. The world seemed to have come to a standstill at this moment, and time itself slowed down.

The clamor of the civilized world was left far behind, replaced by a primitive, mysterious, and unknown mountain forest. Even the air became heavy, carrying a sense of oppression.

Hu Tian felt a shiver in his heart, and an inexplicable sense of tension welled up within him. He gripped the steering wheel again, his gaze becoming even more determined and sharp, scanning every inch of the land ahead like a hawk.

The true treasure hunting journey officially began at this moment; a life-and-death struggle against nature and history had just begun.

Hu Tian quietly parked the off-road vehicle in a relatively hidden and flat clearing in the woods. This was the end of the dirt road; further ahead lay the vast, pathless primitive mountain forest where wheels could not possibly pass.

He turned off the engine, got out of the car, and stretched his stiff limbs. He looked up at the Cuiyun Peak before him, with its dense vegetation and towering height, and took a deep breath of the refreshing mountain air. He immediately felt invigorated, his lungs cleansed, and all his fatigue seemed to be washed away by this freshness.

In the distance, mountains rose and fell, shrouded in clouds and mist. The peaks appeared and disappeared in the haze, like a fairyland, or perhaps a giant maze waiting for intruders.

Hu Tian deftly took his equipment out of the trunk and carefully checked them one by one: the climbing rope was sturdy and undamaged, the searchlight was fully charged, the multi-functional engineer shovel was still sharp, and the first-aid kit and water bottle were all present—nothing was amiss.

He carefully folded the yellowed hemp paper map, solemnly tucked it into a waterproof pouch, and pressed it against his chest, as if it were his talisman.

He then shouldered his heavy hiking backpack, adjusted the straps, and strode into the depths of the mountain forest, his back displaying a resolute and determined air.

As soon as he stepped into the dense forest, a rich scent of vegetation rushed towards him, mixed with the fragrance of soil and the smell of fermenting decaying leaves, which was somewhat suffocating.

Thick vines coiled tightly around the towering ancient trees like giant pythons, looking hideous and terrifying; dense, low-lying shrubbery intertwined into a green net, almost completely obscuring the already vague mountain path, making it difficult to discern the direction.

Hu Tian had to draw his carry-on machete and swing his arm to struggle to clear a path through the thorns and branches.

The "swish, swish" sound of the swinging blade echoed in the dense forest. Wherever the blade passed, branches and leaves flew, sap splattered, and the air was filled with the fresh fragrance of cut grass.

Beneath his feet was a thick layer of humus, emitting a damp, decaying odor. It felt soft when stepped on, like stepping on cotton, yet it hid dangers.

With every step Hu Tian took, his feet sank a little deeper. The "rustling" sound made by crushing the dead leaves seemed particularly harsh in the mountain forest, startling a few birds into flapping their wings and flying away.

After walking for a while, Hu Tian stopped, took out the yellowed hemp paper map, and tried to confirm his position by comparing it with the surrounding terrain and landforms.

However, the map was ancient. The mountains and rivers it depicted had undergone a century of changes and were long unrecognizable, bearing little resemblance to the scene before him; it was impossible to match them up.

Coupled with the dense trees in the mountains blocking out the sky, his line of sight was obstructed, and visibility was extremely low. He could not find any reference points corresponding to the map, and he could not help but feel a bit anxious.

Hu Tian frowned deeply, his gaze scanning back and forth between the map and the surrounding jungle. Sweat slid down his cheeks, soaking his collar.

He pondered to himself: "Relying solely on this ancient map in my hand, I am afraid it will be difficult to precisely locate the entrance to the treasure vault. I must rely on the Treasure Hunting Radar."

"It seems I have to rely on you."

Hu Tian whispered to himself and silently recited the command to activate the Treasure Hunting Radar.

A scanning aperture appeared in his mind, radiating from him as the center to scan the surrounding fifty-meter range, with data streams refreshing rapidly.

The map displayed countless light points, which were signal feedback from ordinary vegetation and stones, chaotic and disorganized.

Hu Tian walked slowly, the radar continuing to operate, constantly refreshing the data stream of the surrounding environment, not letting go of any anomalies.

Two hours later, he had penetrated deep into the belly of Cuiyun Peak. The surroundings became increasingly quiet, with only the occasional bird call and the rustling of wind through the leaves breaking the silence.

Suddenly!

The radar image in his mind jumped violently, emitting an urgent "beep-beep" alert sound, and the light flickered.

About thirty meters to the northeast, a purple light point was flashing conspicuously, its light intensity far exceeding all surrounding signals, appearing particularly dazzling.

Hu Tian perked up, his eyes bursting with excitement, and his heartbeat suddenly accelerated.

He immediately adjusted his direction and walked quickly, following the guidance of the radar with a brisk pace.

Crossing a dense patch of ferns and pushing aside the hanging vines, his view suddenly opened up, revealing a huge cliff face.

The cliff was about ten meters high, its surface covered with moss and vines, blending seamlessly with the surrounding mountains. At first glance, it was just an ordinary cliff with nothing special about it.

If not for the radar's precise lock, anyone passing by would probably not give it a second look, merely regarding it as ordinary rock.

Hu Tian stopped before the cliff, looked up, and examined it carefully, his gaze like a torch.

No signs of manual carving could be found on the cliff; there were no gaps, no markings—it was a completely natural stone wall, a work of divine craftsmanship.

"If there was no Treasure Hunting Radar..."

Hu Tian felt a surge of secret joy, rejoicing that he had obtained this cheat code. "Otherwise, even if I turned the whole Cuiyun Peak upside down with the hemp paper map, I probably wouldn't find this entrance and would have to return with regrets."

He walked forward and reached out to touch the slippery moss, feeling a cold sensation on his fingertips.

Following the instructions given by the Treasure Hunting Radar System, Hu Tian took a small brush and a spray bottle from his backpack and began to carefully clean the surface of the cliff, his movements gentle for fear of damaging anything.

As patches of moss were cleared away, some extremely faint lines gradually appeared on the cliff.

These lines were extremely shallow, and if not observed carefully, they would be impossible to notice, as if they had merged with the rock.

Hu Tian took out the hemp paper map from his pocket, spread it out to compare, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

The symbols and lines drawn on the edge of the map perfectly matched the traces that had appeared on the cliff, without the slightest discrepancy!

"Found it!"

Just then, the Treasure Hunting Radar System in his mind suddenly vibrated, and a line of golden text appeared in Hu Tian's consciousness: [Ding! Detected Taiping Heavenly Kingdom treasure vault entrance locked. Triggering mission: Open the treasure vault door]

[Mission Requirement: Crack the mechanism and enter the treasure vault]

[Mission Reward: System Space expanded to 100 cubic meters, additional detection depth +20 meters]

[Friendly Reminder: There are anti-theft mechanisms inside the treasure vault, please proceed with caution, Host]

Hu Tian raised an eyebrow slightly and thought to himself: "The system is quite proactive this time. It seems the value of this treasure vault is indeed considerable."

He put aside distracting thoughts and refocused his attention on the cliff before him.

Suppressing the wild joy in his heart, Hu Tian took a deep breath and continued cleaning, his movements quickening a bit.

As large patches of moss were peeled off one by one, the lines on the cliff became increasingly clear, revealing an exquisite Bagua pattern.

The eight trigrams were arranged in a circular relief, with smooth lines, clearly the work of an expert well-versed in I Ching, with superb craftsmanship.

In the center of the pattern was a Yin-Yang fish; despite being eroded by a century of wind and rain, it was still clearly outlined and lifelike.

Hu Tian circled the cliff and examined it carefully, but could not find any mechanism buttons or movable parts; it was as smooth as before.

He pressed each of the eight trigram positions with his palm one by one, but the cliff did not react at all and remained motionless.

Just when he was struggling to find a solution, a system window suddenly popped up in his mind, flashing with blue light.

Blue text appeared clearly: [Detected Qimen Bagua formation mechanism. System rewards skill "Feng Shui Secret Techniques", which can crack orientation puzzles. Do you want to learn it immediately?]

Hu Tian was overjoyed and immediately recited: "Confirm!"

The next moment, a warm current surged into his heart, and a vast amount of knowledge about mountain trends, Yin-Yang and Five Elements, and Bagua orientations flooded into his mind, instantly becoming instinct, as if he had always been proficient in this.

His mind suddenly cleared. He looked up and surveyed his surroundings, re-examining the terrain in front of the cliff, his eyes gaining a new depth.

The perception of Feng Shui Secret Techniques allowed him to clearly capture the undulations of the mountain ranges and the flow of the energy veins.

The mountain ridge behind him meandered from the southwest, and the energy veins gathered in front of this cliff, forming a layout of "concealing wind and gathering energy."

Noon was approaching; the sun hung in the southern sky, and the moon's soul was hidden below the northern horizon.

South is Li, North is Kan.

Hu Tian's gaze quickly locked onto the positions on the Bagua diagram, and a confident smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

"The Kan position is the door, the Li position unlocks the key."

He muttered in a low voice, already certain in his heart, with full confidence.

He started working immediately.

He pulled the climbing pick from his hiking backpack and removed the pick handle.

The diameter of the pick handle matched the circular hole in the depression perfectly, as if it had been custom-made.

He inserted the pick handle into the groove at the Kan position in the north of the cliff and pushed it in. He felt a slight resistance, as if he had triggered some ancient component hidden deep inside the stone wall, emitting a faint "click" sound.

He took a deep breath, turned to face the corresponding Li position, brought his index and middle fingers together, and according to the guidance of the Feng Shui Secret Techniques, tapped three times in the center of the Li position trigram.

The first tap was steady and powerful, with a long echo.

The second tap was rhythmic and crisp.

The third tap, before the lingering sound faded, seemed to resonate.

After a moment of silence, the air seemed to freeze.

"Boom!"

A dull vibration came from deep within the cliff, like a rumble of muffled thunder.

The entire cliff trembled, and the layer of humus beneath his feet shook as well, with dust falling down, blinding his eyes.

Immediately after, the center of the Bagua pattern slowly recessed inward. A teeth-grinding friction sound came from between the stones, and debris and dust tumbled down.

That Yin-Yang fish relief, along with a large chunk of the surrounding cliff, receded and shifted inward, revealing a tunnel entrance only wide enough for one person to pass through, pitch-black and bottomless.

The edges of the entrance were rough, covered in black moss, and traces of manual chiseling were vaguely visible, revealing the vicissitudes of time.

A gust of air, mixed with the scent of damp soil and decay, surged out from the depths of the darkness, hitting him with a chill that made him shiver involuntarily.

The passage was bottomless, with only the sound of wind swirling and wailing within it, like the howling of ghosts and wolves.

Hu Tian gripped the climbing pick tightly, staring at the entrance before him, his heartbeat involuntarily accelerating, feeling both nervous and excited.

Unknown dangers lurked in the darkness, while the temptation of the treasure was equally blood-pumping and irresistible.

He took the headlamp from the side pocket of his backpack, placed it on his forehead, and turned on the switch.

A beam of white light shot straight into the depths of the tunnel, but it only illuminated a mere few meters; deeper inside, it remained endless darkness, like the mouth of a giant beast devouring everything.

Hu Tian took a deep breath, stepped into the entrance, bent his waist, turned sideways, and resolutely stepped into that darkness.

A poem says: A century of mist locks Jinling, secret treasures buried deep in green. Say not that those before found no trace, today I wield my sword to break the nether space. Deep in Cuiyun Peak heavy gates are barred, Bagua mysteries in stone are starred. A deft hand solves the century-old mystery, a beam of light breaks through the stubborn history.